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Category Archives: Super-Articulate
Super-Articulate: Your Toy Grail
Posted on January 17, 2020 by Troy Brownfield	Leave a comment
Every collector has one. Maybe it's an individual figure or a vehicle or a playset. But everyone has that one thing that has either remained elusive or became a defining piece in their collection. I'm going to talk about a few of mine, and I invite you to join in with yours.
My Original Quest: Jawas
I was born in 1973. The first movie I clearly remember seeing in the theatre is Star Wars. And I was ALL IN. My parents got me the Early Bird Certificate package. I got the first four (Luke, Leia, Chewie, and R2). When the figures got to the Zayre in Terre Haute, IN, they had a freaking rope-line and a 3-to-a-person limit. My mom took me and I'm pretty sure I got Han, Vader, and C3PO first. Mom went back later that evening and picked up Obi-Wan, the Tusken, and a Stormtrooper. The Death Squad Commander happened later in the week, if I'm not mistaken. But . . . there were those damn Jawas. Not only did we not get the Jawas right away, it was weeks. When Mom finally ran across them, she bought two out of spite. Those Jawas were my first experience with both a difficult hunt and the (honestly unobtainable) idea that you're one perfect figure away from a complete set.
I was pretty fortunate in terms of Star Wars playsets and vehicles. I had the Death Start playset, and a number of ships, including the Falcon. But one thing my parents drew the line at was the AT-AT. That was a disappointment, because I, like many others, loved that thing. When Star Wars figures returned in the '90s, I said, "If they make the AT-AT again, it's coming home." They did . . . and it did.
Super Powers Collection: Wonder Woman, then incompletion
Of the original 12, I had a stunningly hard time finding Wonder Woman. I remember getting Flash and Green Lantern first, and the others fell into place, but that Wonder Woman hung out there forever. I remember eventually finding it in a K-Mart, just in time for the second wave to hit. Series 2 left me Kalibak-less, and Series 3 was just a massive pain in the ass. The few I got I didn't get until my late teens or adulthood, and Mister Miracle and Cyborg never joined the ranks.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero: Come on, you know . . .
I had A LOT of Joe stuff. I mean, A LOT. I even wrote about it in The Joy of Joe. But one thing that I, and many others, never had was the 7.5 feet of glory known as the U.S.S. Flagg. It barely would have fit in my room back then. Just the idea that it existed was fairly audacious on the part of Hasbro. I always considered this one a great lost opportunity. If you had it, good on you. And send us pictures.
Star Trek: The Next Generation by Playmates: A Love Story
It's a familiar story (hell, I've told it twice in this column). You're trying to put together a wave, and one figure remains elusive. At this point, it was the first wave of the ST:TNG figures from Playmates. I didn't have much trouble putting together the first nine, but Counselor Deanna Troi seemed lost in the wild. In January of 1993, as a sophomore in college, I started dating Rebecca Marie Jones. A couple of weeks after that, she went home for the weekend and she and her mother ended up at a craft/antique fair at a local mall. When she came back Sunday night, she had Deanna Troi. I always say that's how I knew she was the one; we've been married almost 20 years and have two teenage boys. I told that story on Twitter once, and Marina Sirtis herself liked it, which is awesome. To this day, Becky will still text me from Walgreens and what-not, checking if I have something in particular or if I'd like her to look for something. That's love, kids. (Thank you, Becky.) There have been others over time, sure. But it's hard to beat that one.
How about you, campers? What are your grails? You Ark-like finds and the ones that got away? Let's hear it. And thanks for reading.
Super-Articulate
Super-Articulate: The Marvel Legends Alpha Flight Boxed Set
Posted on January 3, 2020 by Troy Brownfield	Leave a comment
They first appeared as antagonists. They came back as tentative allies. And they were the SECOND team spun off from X-Men into an ongoing series (New Mutants was first). They are Alpha Flight, and they finally came together in Marvel Legends form with the release of the Amazon exclusive boxed set.
Alphans got some figural representation in the '90s in the old Toy Biz line. In a series of two-packs, you got Vindicator, Snowbird, Northstar, Aurora, Sasquatch, and Puck. Guardian was a ToyFair exclusive. But no Shaman or Marinna. Flash-forward to Marvel Legends. We've gotten two versions of Guardian and Sasquatch; the most recent depictions were the Sasquatch BAF in the Deadpool assortment and the Guardian from this year's Wendigo assortment. There was also a Puck BAF in an incredibly hard-to-find Wolverine assortment from several years back. But finally, five unmade-as-Legends Alphans and Puck get their new due in this set.
Let's start with this. I love Alpha Flight. This boxed set was my favorite figure thing of 2019. The fact that all of these characters can congregate on a shelf in Legends form is a big deal to me. (Note to Hasbro: Marinna, Talisman, and a Box BAF soon, please.) I think that they did a great job overall, and I'm glad this exists.
Individual figures, then:
Vindicator: I'm going to start with a minor knock, first. I wish that the red used on Vindicator and the red used on Guardian matched up. Apart from that, this is a really solid job. Great work on the head, goggles, and ponytail. Color quibble aside, the paint op is good and the figure stands easily despite what could be a weight imbalance from the head. It's pretty striking and looks cool next to Guardian.
Snowbird: Speaking of overcoming a weight imbalance from the head . . . Snowbird has a mass of well-defined blonde hair and that headpiece to contend with, but the figure still stands well. Nice work on the cape and the somewhat shiny finish. The only bummer is that there weren't any included "transformation animals."
Puck: I think this is an improvement over the original BAF. The face is great; it looks just like John Byrne's original art. I discovered that I could pose him in a handstand, too, which is great. If you're not aware, the character was frequently depicted like that or in mid-roll. I dig it.
Shaman: Welcome to figurehood, Michael Twoyoungmen. Again, this is pretty great. A completely accurate version of the original look of the character. I realize it's the job of the sculpting team to capture a character's likenesses, but I'm particularly impressed overall with this set. They really nailed the look in each individual case.
Aurora: I saw one Aurora online that had an off-center eye paint application. Mine is fine, although this is a small plastic flaw on the figure's right cheek. That aside, it's another strong entry. The black and white pops on both Jeanne-Marie and her twin. And yes, the hair is excellent.
Northstar: The OG Alphan and later X-Man looks quite here. I think that the face is about as good as Puck's in terms of catching that Byrne flair. Like Aurora, solid coloration on the black and white.
The best feature of the group, for me, is when they're assembled together. For purposes of the team photo, I used the original ML Sasquatch as opposed to the BAF (mainly because I like that this Walter looks a lot like the cover of #10 from the original series. I did, however, use the new Guardian.
What do you think, readers? I thought this box was a great addition to the line and I wouldn't object to seeing more boxed sets used to fill out teams (the New Warriors would be a great candidate; also 80s/90s Avengers like Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel, Quasar, Sersi, etc.) Thanks for reading!
Super-Articulate: Year-End Round-Up
Posted on December 13, 2019 by Troy Brownfield
Hell of a year for toys, right? We've seen some crazy stuff. Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black continue to boom. The end of DC Multiverse has come for Mattel; McFarlane gets the DC license for next year to add to their prodigious portfolio (including Harry Potter), while Imaginext and DC Super Hero Girls continue at Mattel. International companies and Funko are more popular than ever, and companies like NECA and Mezco continue to drive out high-end licensed goods. And that's just the surface, really.
I want to take some time today to address what I see as the Best and Bummers about collecting this year. Ready to go?
BEST: HASBRO PULSE
Hasbro's site upgrade does a tremendous service to fans. It has pre-orders, exclusives, and the chance to sign on for Haslab projects. There's free shipping for members, and the prices generally equal in-store pricing, if not lower. The design is also clean and easy to use. And I've never experienced lag, even when the Baby Yoda stuff went up yesterday. It's very well-done.
BEST: ARMY BUILDER IN ONE
It's not a totally new idea, as Marvel Legends has packed in alternate heads that "make" a new figure in the past (notably, Madcap with Deadpool or Hammerhead with Chameleon). But they leveled up with Dani Moonstar (more in a minute) by including two extra heads and two sets of hands to allow one body to become three characters (Dani, Karma, and Wolfsbane). This idea is extending with the Stepford Cuckoos, and it's really clever in execution. If it were possible to have them be a little easier to find, I can think of a few other Marvel instances where this could be appropriate, from male New Mutants to alien Nova Corps members to a wider span of masked/unmasked options.
BUMMER: VHTF
In the past, the Marvel Legends Walgreens exclusives have been generally easy to obtain. That changed with Emma Frost. From phantom and disappearing orders on the website to a general lack of the figures ever showing up in some stores, it was a real pain in the ass to find Emma. It got even worse with Dani Moonstar. Here's hoping that Walgreens manages the process better in the new year with the Stepford Cuckoos. Giving them a separate item number in the database would be a great start.
BEST: DC MULTIVERSE GOES OUT BIG
Even though it was the last year for the line, Mattel managed to knock out some of the best figures of their entire run this year. The Rebirth Titans (Beast Boy, Nightwing, Wally West, Starfire) were all very good, as were the surprising KGBeast and the wonderfully multi-headed Alfred. I'm very interested to see what McFarlane does, because they have some big shoes to fill for DC in the mass market.
BUMMER: DEAD DC
It appears that previously previewed DC Multiverse figures like the Mammoth collect-and-connect and Green Lantern Simon Baz will never come out. And that's too bad.
BEST: FUNKO CHARACTER SELECTION
Good on Funko for staying on top of making virtual anything. Marvel? DC? Star Wars? PBS Hosts? Horror icons? Musicians? All in incredible varieties? There's barely a property you can think of that DOESN'T have a line of Funkos to go with it.
How about you, readers? What are your Best and Bummers for 2019? What are you looking forward to the most in 2020? Thanks for reading.
Super-Articulate: Marvel Legends Havok & Polaris 2-Pack
Posted on December 5, 2019 by Troy Brownfield
Hey, we're back! After a bit of an overlong holiday break, I return! Before we get to the main event, I'm going to drop one picture of . . .
Marvel Legends Dani Moonstar: Okay, campers. I've found ONE so far. I think the base figure looks great, but I resolve to not do a full review until I find TWO MORE and can build Karma and Wolfsbane. This is my quest! (And if you're in area that's abundant, let me know.)
That said . . .
Marvel Legends Havok and Polaris 2-pack: First shown at cons over the summer and announced as a fan-channel exclusive, this two-pack captures Havok and Polaris in their 1991 X-Factor (originally written by Peter David with art by Larry Stroman) looks from the "Mutant Genesis" relaunch. I ordered mine as soon as they went up on Entertainment Earth in July; I got mine a couple of days ago. It's worth the wait. Interestingly, the package is stylized after the much loved Jim Lee X-Men trading card set, with the cards replicated on the back.
As for the figures?
Hey, these are great. I've always liked Havok's various black costumes, but I also thought that this was a cool take. The jacket is nicely sculpted, almost like it could be a separate removeable piece. The head sculpt is terrific, honestly. There's also something about the general stance of the figure that's pretty cool. I had no problem with posing or limb-movement, and it's well-balanced for standing. The figure comes with a fair of the familiar energy blast accessories; these happen to be yellow.
When it comes to Polaris, the hair really stands out. I know it's probably almost a running joke at this point, but I've been really paying attention to the fine detail in the hair sculpting that Hasbro has gotten into with the Legends. Lorna's hair was definitely a huge part of her character and depiction in Stroman's art (and later, when the book was drawn by some guy named Joe Quesada). What's kind of impressive is that the well-rendered mass of curls doesn't imbalance the figure in any way. That's kind of a feat of structural engineering. In fact, the overall look of the figure is really strong. Unlike Havok, Polaris comes with two sets of hands: fists and gesturing. I prefer the gesturing look, and they work with the green energy blasts that also accompany the figure.
I found the costume paint and details to be strong on both. These are good looks. They also arrive at an opportune time; with recent releases of Multiple Man and an updated Quicksilver, and a Strong Guy BAF on the way, we only need a Wolfsbane in the X-Factor costume to complete that particular iteration of the group.
Bottom line: This is a really good two-pack that gives us two solid versions of characters sporting their looks from a time when literally millions of people were reading the X-titles. This release was an easy call for Hasbro to make and they did a really nice job with it. The great thing about X-figures is that you can continue to go up and down the time continuum and make figures from various eras, and you'll always find a group of fans that vocally supports their release. Now if we could just get Storm in her Giant-Size X-Men #1 outfit . . .
Super-Articulate: To Haslab or Hasnot?
Posted on November 15, 2019 by Troy Brownfield
Greetings, campers. As you know, Hasbro embarked on a couple of ambitious fundraisers this year with the Jabba's Sail Barge and Unicron on their Haslab crowdfunding platform. Both succeeded, which is no surprise. However, the Marvel collectors out there have begun to discuss in earnest the idea of what Marvel Legends thing a Haslab project might try to bring to life. Let's look at some potential suspects.
1. The Blackbird
Obviously, a Marvel Legends vehicle would be a rather large thing. If you wanted to put together a Blackbird that had seating to accommodate multiple figures, you're likely talking three feet in length at least, not to mention wingspan, etc. However, this is sort of in line with the Sail Barge. The problem with a vehicle devoted to one specific team is that you have to bank on enough people wanting to back it to make it happen. Of course, the X-Men have that fanbase, so it's a distinct possibility.
2. A Quinjet
See above. The real question here would be if they attempted an MCU-style vehicle or the classic comic-style Quinjet. The comic style might be a little easier to pull off; it's not as wide as the film version and has more of a basic, compact shape. The advantage of the Blackbird is that it looks very similar in comics, animation, and film, partially due to being based on the real SR-71. With the Quinjet, it's had a couple of different looks that are fairly divergent. It would be cool, but a lot of it depends on the style.
3. Master Mold
There have been a few versions of Master Mold, and they come down to "really big ass Sentinel" in some cases. However, the Master Mold is the Sentinel that produces OTHER Sentinels, so the idea of a Master Mold with the open chest cavity that you can pull BAF Sentinel parts from sounds awesome. In the recent House of X/Powers of X run, we saw a new iteration, Mother Mold, which is a giant head as part of another machine/satellite. While that's wildly cool, it might not be the thing.
4. The Danger Room
I see this as pretty viable. A Danger Room could be part diorama, part series of traps/accessories that you can plug into a mostly featureless room. An exemplary version would include a control room as well. But I really like the idea of a customizable Danger Room bristling with flames, buzzsaws, spikes, and more.
5. Asgard
I'd see this as a playset combination of the Throne Room, Yggdrasil, and a Bifrost component. It would make a great display area for the rather large number of Asgardians we've gotten in the past few years (but still no Warriors Three or Balder. For to shame, Hasbro).
6. Stark Tower (or Hall of Armors)
There have been a lot of calls for some variation of Stark Tower, Avengers Tower, or even Avengers Mansion (I think that the class Buffy Library playset could even be a good inspiration for how to execute the Mansion). That said, I think that an actual Hall of Armors would kill in the fundraising stage. Both the miniatures and the Lego versions were popular. Picture a Hall of Armors/Tony's workshop with the first-ever Marvel Legends version of Dum-E included. It would also be a cool place to include a couple of offbeat armors that haven't been made previously as exclusive ML figures, like Mark XXXVIII (aka Igor).
7. Four Freedoms/Reed's Lab
This one speaks for itself. A room with crazy Kirbyesque machines and a Negative Zone portal. What's not to love?
8. Krakoa
When I say Krakoa, I'm NOT saying the current island home of the mutants, although I would advocate for the inclusion of a Krakoa Gate. I'm talking about Giant-Sized X-Men #1 Krakoa in all of its huge Lovecraftian glory. Picture setting that up and covering that sumbitch in X-Men. Glorious.
What about you, readers? Do you have your own Haslab ideas? What do you think of Haslab in the first place? Did you back the Sail Barge or Unicron? Sound off, and let's talk.
Super-Articulate: Marvel Legends Con Reveals and More
Posted on November 1, 2019 by Troy Brownfield
Over the past few weeks, the international conventions have been getting their share of Marvel Legends reveals. MCM London Comic Con, Paris Comic-Con, and, in just the past few hours, Lucca Comics and Games 2019 in Italy, have all dropped ML knowledge for eager fans. We'll do a brief recap and see if we can figure out what this might mean going forward.
London: The BAF for the impending FF was revealed as a long-awaited Super Skrull. As a bonus, the figure has regular arms in addition to two combined power-effects arms (one stretchy/invisible; the other rocky/ablaze). We also got a look the classic Iron Man villain Spymaster, which is awesome; you know I love villains (and particularly obscure villains).
Paris: Another BAF was revealed here, with another long-awaited villain dropping into the previously announced Spider-Man wave. That BAF is Demogoblin, with appropriately burning glider. This has been on a lot of wishlists for a long time, so it's great to see it finally make it. A second reveal was a new, updated Winter Soldier.
Lucca: While details are pending, two exclusives and a regular figure were shown. The exclusives were a new Crossbones, a new Age of Apocalypse Sunfire, and an Age of Apocalypse Wild Child.
What It Means: I like to look for patterns in releases, and one thing that the patterns are telling me is that Hasbro is more than happy to revisit the '80s and '90s. The Retro figures are one indication, but the combine X-lines are another. While the renewed emphasis on X-teams has picked up in the last couple of years, you can really see them getting comprehensive, especially with the X-Force characters, New Mutants (even as exclusives, grrrr), and even the Alpha Flight boxed set by extension. This suggests to me that we'll see more of these teams continue to be filled out, hopefully with characters like Siryn, Rictor, and more.
My one concern there is having certain characters left out of overlooked. I love, love, love the Alpha Flight effort, but I'm concerned about Marinna. Marinna seems like a perfect fan-channel exclusive character, so I hope that she's not left out. Similarly, the use of Wolfsbane as an alternate head and hands for the Walgreens Dani Moonstar makes me question how she'll end up for X-Factor, as she's the last of the '90s Mutant Genesis team to be made in that uniform. By extension, I wonder about the more obscure Feral, who, at this writing, is the last of the original seven X-Force members that hasn't been made. (Don't come at me on Siryn; she joined in #4). On the upside, the willingness of Hasbro to make characters like Spymaster make me feel like they'll be willing to go all in on finishing these teams.
Another inclination I have is to think that Winter Soldier and Spymaster will be in the Black Widow assortment. I've kind of anticipated that the grouping will have Widow, Yelena, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, and hopefully an Ursa Major BAF. These two characters would make sense in that.
On the Spidey tip, I'm wild about the inclusion of White Rabbit. I love the obscure villains and she's got a great look. I hope that it continues the trend of Spidey side-characters, as her inclusion is a great doorway for Spidey supporting characters like Frog-Man, Rocket Racer (there's already a skateboard sculpt), and more. Similarly, Demogoblin and the comic return/upcoming movie focus on Carnage would pave the way for "Maximum Carnage" supporting characters like Shriek and Carrion.
All that said, here's some things I'd like to see more of in the short and long terms:
'80s/'90s Avengers: Quasar, Doctor Druid, classic Monica Rambeau in Captain Marvel outfit, Living Lightning, etc. Also, let's get the Swordman, the last Avenger from the '60s to not have a figure.
New Warriors: The door is open. Let's see Speedball, Namorita, Justice, and FIRESTAR.
GOTG: Two levels here. I think most people want to see the rest of the OG Guardians to join Vance Astro, especially since an original Yondu sculpt happened in the 3.75" line. But there are a lot of missing comics Guardians, too, like Moondragon, Phyla-Vell, Bug, and more.
The Inhumans: We need that Karnak and Lockjaw, Hasbro.
I could go on (and on and on and on), but those seem like viable things to me. What about you, readers?
AND NOW . . . Something Different.
As you might imagine, I frequent a lot of collecting groups. At Marvel Legends Collectors on FB, I ran across an awesome set of diorama photos from Roven Matthew Servando from Iloilo City, Philippines. Roven Matthew's piece is an incredible diorama from the finale of Avengers: Endgame. You can see it pictured here. I asked Roven a few basic questions about his process.
Super-Articulate: Roven, would you mind telling us briefly what you used to create it?
Roven Matthew Servando: First, I used some cheap styro for the base. Then when I'm done, I cover it with tissues. Then, I mixed water and glue. I used it for the covered tissues and I leave it for 2 days to get dry. And when it's dry, I used black and white paint. For the details and ruined effects, I just bought some cheap baskets and I cut it into pieces. And some simple materials: Superglue, sands, small rocks. And some of my old car toys, I also cut into pieces. You can find some of the details had ruined wheels. (laughs)
Super-Articulate: That's excellent. I love the look of this. Did you use anything special for the red and yellow lights?
Roven Matthew Servando: I just covered it with some of my baskets that I cut into pieces. So that it wouldn't really pop off the lights.
All photos credited to Roven Matthew Servando.
I think we should make a semi-regular feature out of this, gang. If you have great dioramas or displays that you'd like to show in the column, hit me up on Twitter @troybrownfield. Thanks for reading!
Super-Articulate: Marvel Legends Catch-Up – Emma Frost, Agent Anti-Venom, Korg, and More!
Posted on October 20, 2019 by Troy Brownfield
How do you do, fellow kids? It's been pretty busy on the action figure front lately, and there's a lot of tracking down to do. As of this writing, I haven't been fortunate enough to happen across one Walgreens Dani Moonstar (let alone three), but I did get ahold of the previously MIA Walgreens Emma Frost. Additionally, my Agent Anti-Venom arrived from Hasbro Pulse, and I got around to picking up two of the two-packs in the wild as they got their deep discount at Walmart. Let's take a look at all of that.
Emma Frost: No question; this is a top-notch figure. Great design, great sculpt. I know some fans want a classic Hellfire Emma (and I'm one of them), but THIS one is terrific. The figure comes with two heads (one with a more modern cut while the other sports a look more akin to her Hellfire/GenX days) and two sets of hands (gesturing, fists). I vastly prefer the gesturing hands; not only are they nice work in a tiny space, but they're character appropriate, approximating the way that artists pose Emma in the comics when she uses her powers. The swoop of the cape is well done, and all of the small details in the costume are well-realized. My sole complaint is that she can be a bit difficult to stand with the nature of her heeled boots. Overall, though, this is good work and a continued indication that Hasbro is committed to quality in their exclusives, just like they are in the regular lines.
Agent Anti-Venom: Yes, this is basically Agent Venom with a flipped paint job. But here's the thing. It looks cool. IT. JUST. LOOKS. COOL. And if we can't occasionally pick something up just because it looks cool, then why are we toy collectors? I happen to think that the black-on-white layout looks awesome, and it actually makes details pop that were hard to see in the original, darker versions. The accessories are basically the same, with the two pairs of guns and the pseudopod attachment. I really like it, and I'm sticking to that.
Luis/Ghost two-pack: I was frankly delighted when they announced Luis. Michael Peña has been a great value-add to the MCU, and it's great to see supporting characters get some love. Ghost was also a great choice. The accessories here run from interesting to fun. The extra unmasked head and attachable hood make perfect sense for Ghost. The larger ant (presumably from an Altoids tin) and the shrunken Pym lab are the perfect kind of whimsical touches you'd associate with these sub-franchise. As for the sculpting, the facial likenesses are solid on both; Luis has the grin you'd expect, and the unmasked Ghost head captures some of the exhaustion that Hannah John-Kamen got across in her performance. This is a really nice two-pack. I just had to take a "No te gusta Moz?!?" picture with Luis, as well.
The Grandmaster/Korg two-pack: I'm not quite sure why Hasbro went with two Thor: Ragnarok two-packs instead of just going with another assortment with something like a Surtur BAF, but that was their decision. The other two-pack (Hela/Skurge) is still out there, but I've only picked up this one so far due to my long-standing (back to Planet Hulk) love of Korg. The Korg figure here is terrific from top to bottom; it has a great facial expression and loads of texture. His blaster-club is really accurate. It's just a (wait, don't say it) rock-solid design. As for the Grandmaster, he is appropriately Goldblum. I'm consistently impressed that Hasbro has gotten better and better with likenesses over time in their cinematic lines. The color palette of the figure is well-considered, and the melter-stick is another fine accessory. It's another good set. Also, buying the two 2-packs at the same time gave me an opportunity for a "Piss off, Ghost!" photo.
There we go, gang. Some of the latest Legends. What are you getting? How are your exclusive hunts going? Let's talk about it.
Super-Articulate: DC Multiverse Killer Croc Assortment
THIS . . . is a big one. Quite simply one of the best assortments that Mattel has released since the advent of DC Multiverse, the Killer Croc wave is almost everything that you'd want out of a Batman grouping. Let's dig in. But first: thank you to Mattel for providing us with these figures free for the purposes of review. First up . . .
Red Robin (Tim Drake): I'm glad Tim got out as Red Robin before the Drake name change. (No sir, I do not like it). DC Multiverse has done a great job getting to Rebirth characters, and I've been really pleased with the attention paid to the excellent Detective Comics run. I think that Red Robin looks pretty great. The RR logo is easy to read. The cape is pretty solid. Also, the staff is well done. This figure has a pretty great face sculpt, too; that's a grim and determined expression right there. I'm kind of surprised that it took until this deep in the line to get to him, but hey, I'm happy he's here.
Red Hood (Jason Todd): This is the figure that I struggle with the most in the assortment. I'm definitely glad that it exists, but I'm equally bummed that the pistols are sculpted into the gun belt and can't be removed. That's a swing and a miss. The rest of the figure itself is pretty good. I like the jacket existing as a separate piece over the torso. The Red Hood helmet sculpt is okay, but the masked Jason head is great. This particular figure has some of the best paint work in the assortment; I especially like the shininess of the helmet itself. Red Hood also comes with a few extra hands, including hands sculpted to hold guns (which is a little ironic).
Katana: I was pleasantly surprised when Katana was announced as part of this group, and I think Mattel did a fine job. The splashes of red and white on a costume that's predominantly black make for a striking figure; I got a really good paint op on mine, as it has a sleek sheen. Katana does have an extra hand for holding her namesake weapon; that's another well-done piece. Knowing her history in the Outsiders, I had to take a picture of her with the CW Black Lightning from two weeks back. Seeing them together makes me wish Mattel had gotten time to do Geo-Force and Halo, too. Nice work, good figure.
Batman (Dick Grayson): There's a lot to like about this figure. First off, I loved the Morrison/Quitely/etc Batman and Robin title. Secondly, he's sculpted differently than Bruce. You can tell that THIS Batman is different from the OTHER Batman, and that's excellent. Another difference that's pretty clever is the use of the cloth cape; it's another signifier, given the predominance in plastic molded capes for Bruce. Going in that direction with the cape also echoes the way that Quitely drew him, particularly on the cover of issue #1 of that run. The figure comes with an unmasked head and a"hanging cowl" accessory that lets you mimic Dick's appearance when he has the cowl pulled off. I like this one. It wouldn't have been one that I would have thought of immediately, and that's cool; it makes for a nice surprise and it's a solid figure.
KGBeast: Holy crap; this guy's HUGE. Originally appearing in the class "Ten Nights of the Beast" story and popping up on occasion across media (Justice League Unlimited; there by his real name in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice), KGBeast has always been a favorite weird villain of mine. I feel like they got the flavor of the guy, particularly with his crazy weapon attachment. That's just ridiculously big, and also awesome. A pair of daggers go into booth sheaths, which is a great touch. It's just a massive and intimidating figure, and I really dig it.
Alfred: This Alfred figure is just tremendous. The basic look is terrific. It looks just like Alfred from the comics. The choice of serving tray and glass accessories is hilarious and super-appropriate; way to be on-the-nose, Mattel. This is all well and good. But the thing that pushes Alfred into the stratosphere is the fact that he's got not one, not two, not three, but four frickin' heads. Love the '60s TV show? There's the Napier head. Love the Keaton movies? Allow us to show you the Gough head. You a comic person? Comic head! And the fourth . . . the Outsider! If you don't know who the Outsider is (short form: bad Alfred), then trust us; it's a little complicated to get in right now. But that choice is just awesome. I love this Alfred; obviously, there have been a few over time in various lines, but I think this is the best.
Collect + Connect Killer Croc: Did I say KGBeast was big? Good Lord. Killer Croc is enormous. But even better, he's still extremely poseable. Frequently in figures of this type, you trade that poseability for the size. Not here. Aside from the hinged jaw, you have good mobility at the joints. And the detail! The size makes it a little easier to achieve this, but this figure is a veritable explosion of scales and ridges. The texture and general weight of this figure is off the charts. Outstanding work.
As you can tell, I think that Mattel pretty much pulled out the stops this time. There are some fine figures here and I appreciate the selection. I got out the DCUC Signature Damien to pose Al and the boys for a couple of shots to mark the occasion. What about you, readers? You like this set? Tell us about it in the comments. Thanks for reading!
Super-Articulate: DC Multiverse Batman Ninja Assortment Part 2
Posted on October 4, 2019 by Troy Brownfield
Welcome back! Last time, we took a deep dive into catching up on the DC Multiverse Batman Ninja assortment. This Titans-heavy group was released a few months ago, but are readily available at online outlets and can be found in the wild at various stores. This time, we're focusing on the last regular figure in the group, the Collect and Connect figure, and two figures from last year that you might still see swimming around. Before we begin, we'd like to thank Mattel for providing these figures free for the purposes of review.
Beast Boy: The last regular individual figure is fantastic. Beast Boy is based on the Rebirth redesign, but also has a few cool anime touches. The face and hair definitely echo what you'd expect from a Titans manga. This is a very good sculpt overall, but the real stars are the hands and feet. If you look closely, there's a lot of fine detail on the fingers, toes, and the nails on both. That took time, and it's the kind of detail that a casual observer might miss.
The figure is pretty striking, and I found it to be the most poseable of the group as well. That makes sense due to the nature of the character, but it's evident when you work the joints and set a position. It's well done. The only issue that I have with the figure is that it probably should have come with some small green animal for Garfield to transform into; however, I also understand that there's a lack of room here, as Beast Boy comes with more than one piece of the Collect and Connect figure. Overall, though, this is one of the better, if not the best, figure this time around.
Batman Ninja: Based on Batman's appearance in the 2018 animated film Batman Ninja, the Collect and Connect figure is dripping with detail. Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki did the design work for the film, and the figure really manages to capture the look in an exacting fashion. It's a beautiful looking piece once it's all together.
A word about the construction: I found this to be a really interesting C+C in a couple of regards. The first one is that the head doesn't connect directly to the shoulders. The cape goes on a post on the torso first, and then the head attaches to a post on the cape. That's definitely different, but it's innovative, and it gives the cape a full and solid look that might have been obstructed by other approaches. I also like that the figure lends itself really well to the katana-drawing pose. This is certainly a figure that you look at because there are little design elements here and there that you miss the first time.
Our two bonus guests . . .
From the Aquaman film and the Trench Warrior C+C assortment . . .
Aquaman: Aquaman is a decent movie figure. The head captures the likeness of Jason Momoa fairly well. The body sculpt is good, with the attention to individual scales being particularly praiseworthy. The trident accessory is appropriately long and a little thicker than I expected; that's a good thing, as other tridents from other Aquaman figures from across lines come in various degrees of fragility. I think this one is better.
Black Manta: Every pun intended, but Black Manta blows Aquaman out of the water. This is an outstanding, absolutely crazy-looking figure. The head seems a little oversized, and yet, that makes it a little more awesome. Interesting details abound here, as well as smart choices like that wrist blade. The paint quality is particularly good; those red eyes pop like crazy. There's something about the design here that just feels so . . . modern. It's really a top-notch version of a character that's had more than few figures over the years.
Thanks for reading! Next time, we're catching all the wall to the DC Multiverse Killer Croc C+C wave, which is in stores RIGHT NOW. See you then.
Super-Articulate: Catching Up on DC Multiverse (Batman Ninja Asst. Part 1)
Posted on September 27, 2019 by Troy Brownfield
Greetings again, friends! We have a veritable title wave of DC Multiverse to catch up on in our next couple of installments, as well as a look at the Imaginext Remote-Controlled Batmobile. We're getting started today with five figures from the DC Multiverse "Batman: Ninja" Collect + Connect figure assortment. But first, we thank the fine folks at Mattel for providing us with these figures for free for the purposes of review. That said . . . Titans Together!
Nightwing: Four of the six regular figures in this group are Titans affiliated characters, and we're starting off the ur-Titan, the original Boy Wonder himself, Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing. Nightwing has a pretty prestigious figure history at Mattel, having appeared in number of comic and animation-based lines. He lines up in verticals that include the mainstream DCU and animated product, as well as Imaginext. This particular version is a really nicely done piece; it's look is taken from the recent Rebirth era in the comics.
One of the cool things about this particular figure is the hair. There was a singular look that Nightwing had in regard to his hair in the recent Titans series, via artist Brett Booth and others. Well, the sculpting and design team nailed it. On top of that, the general overall look of the figure is impressive. This is a rock-solid Nightwing. The figure comes with two sets of hands (fists and "holding") and two escrima sticks. (I'll talk about the individual Collect and Connect pieces in part two when I assemble Batman: Ninja).
Starfire: This is a really good representation of Kori. Focusing on the hair for a minute again, I really like the translucent effect that they used on the plastic; it allows light to pass through while also giving it a fiery and otherworldly vibe. It's a nice resting effect for the character that gives the hair a unique look. The costume reflects that one that Kori's been wearing in the Rebirth-era DCU, and that's great. I have zero problem with her classic Perez look, which I love, but it's been made a few times. This is a whole new take, and I dig it.
In terms of comic accuracy, Mattel went with the heeled boots here. Frankly, that doesn't always work out, as figures with heels tend to fall easily. However, I had no problem standing or posing Starfire with the heels; even with the large hair, the figure is incredibly well-balanced. That's a big win for displaying collectors. I also think that the face sculpt is fine work, with the individual tendrils of hair in front being a nice touch. This figure comes with two green energy signature/blast accessories. I found them to fit really nicely and up the display presentation of the figure.
Rebirth Wally West Flash: OG Wally West is one of my two favorite DC characters. I was a massive fan of Mark Waid's run, and I was sad that he vanished from the DCU. I like the newer Wally, but I was also glad when our guy here made his return. For me, this was the figure that I anticipated the most from this assortment. I'm not disappointed.
Wally here has a number of cool touches. He's got the silver accents. He's got the two shades of red. He also has some cool hair. (Is 2019 the greatest year for action figure hair across all companies? It might be.) Including two sets of hands (fists and flat running/sprinting posed hands) makes complete sense. The silver lightning effects attach to the wrists to give the look that occurs when Wally is using his speed in the comics, which definitely shows that Mattel is paying attention to the books when they make the figures. Like Nightwing, Wally's been represented a bunch of times in several formats, going back to Justice League, even. This is a fine version of the character that we've had back for a few years, and I was glad to see Mattel give it some love.
Green Lantern John Stewart: Not a Titan, but a stalwart of the DCU. With his somewhat recent return to the Justice League and his long history in animation and comics, John is definitely a DC A-lister. I'm glad to see him get a good treatment here. Of particular note are the eyes; the eyes might be the most "alive" set of eyes that I've seen on any of the DC Multiverse figures. That's a really refined job there; it took some real craftsmanship to get that set and expression.
The figure overall is a pretty smooth sculpt. John doesn't require a lot of extra details; just precision in the paint op and general quality, and this figure's got both. In terms of extras, John comes with some alternate hands. The rest one is a ring-hang with a blooming energy signature. It's a cool effect and looks good for display. It's another strong showing from the team.
Black Lightning (CW TV version): Black Lightning (co-created by Tony Isabella and a Trevor Von Eeden) is back! This is a great representation of the TV version of Jefferson Pierce. First of all, that facial likeness, even around the goggles, is terrific. You can tell its him at a glance. It's really well done.
The best thing about this figure would be all of the little fine details. The circuitry layout, etc. is captured really nicely and just pops under the right light. It makes the figure distinct from other figures. It's a very cool effect. Also worthy of praise are the extra hands; we get three pairs here, including fists, holding, and electrified. I shot a picture of the lightning hand from the side to capture that "mid-action" look, and I think the piece turned out well. I'm historically less sure of TV or film-based figures, but this turned out to be a really good one.
So where's Beast Boy? And the completed Batman:Ninja figure? You're going to have to wait for the next installment for those! We're going check out Garfield, assemble the Batman, and quite possibly check in with a couple of underwater inhabitants of the DCU. What do you think of these? Did you have luck finding them in your area? What's your favorite? Talk to us here and on social. Thanks for reading!
The latest The Graphic Policy NewsTweeper! paper.li/graphicpolicy?… Thanks to @DarickR @jlr_1969 @NakatomiTim #ncbd #comics 22 minutes ago
Roku #4 wraps up a solid four issue story #comics #comicbooks #ncbd #newcomicbookday graphicpolicy.com/2020/01/22/rev… https://t.co/HdvR6lwNdw 1 hour ago
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Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh (detail), 1632. Oil on panel. Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection.
Jan Havicksz. Steen, Twelfth-Night Feast, 1662. Oil on canvas. 1951 Purchase Fund.
Go to silde 1 Go to silde 2 Go to silde 3 Go to silde 4 Go to silde 5
In 2017, two families came together to present a transformative gift to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo joined Susan and Matthew Weatherbie to donate 114 Dutch and Flemish paintings, the extensive library of late scholar Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann, and initial endowment funds for the Center for Netherlandish Art, the first of its kind in the US.
Launching in 2020, the Center for Netherlandish Art (CNA) will be a leading center for scholarship on Netherlandish (Dutch and Flemish) art of the early modern period. Its programs—including public lectures, exhibitions, courses, publications, and residency fellowships—will attract collectors, curators, researchers, conservators, and students, encouraging them to learn and collaborate together. This work will advance the mission of the CNA: to share Netherlandish art with wide audiences in Boston and elsewhere, to stimulate multi-disciplinary research and object-based learning, to nurture future generations of scholars and curators in the field, and to expand public appreciation for Netherlandish art.
Fully integrated into the Museum's programs, governance, and facilities, the CNA will benefit from its connection to the MFA's world-class collections, expert staff, and broad audiences. The Center will be based at the MFA in a centrally located space, where scholars and visitors may use the Haverkamp-Begemann library and convene with colleagues. CNA programs will take place throughout the Museum's galleries, classrooms, conservation studios, and public spaces.
As 2020 approaches, we look forward to sharing more about the work of the Center for Netherlandish Art. In the meantime, please contact us at CNA@mfa.org or 617-369-3946 with any questions.
The founders of the Center for Netherlandish Art are Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, and Susan and Matthew Weatherbie.
Netherlandish Art at the MFA
From the end of the Middle Ages to the 18th century, the Netherlands—spanning modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg—gained great renown for innovations in art. The MFA holds one of the most important collections of Netherlandish Art across media in the United States.
The Dutch Golden Age in Miniature
Videos on Netherlandish Art
Enjoy a selection of lectures about Netherlandish Art on the MFA's YouTube channel.
Browse Our Videos

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Update on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada
Introduction Medical Assistance in Dying ("MAiD") has a long history in Canada. Previously known as assisted suicide, it made Canadian headlines in 1993, when the landmark case of Rodriguez v British Columbia (AG) 3 SCR 519 was decided. Sue Rodriguez challenged the Criminal Code provision that prevented assisted suicide, but Read more…
By Monika Steger, 5 months September 7, 2021 ago
World Elder Abuse 2021
June is a month of raising awareness for many important issues and communities relevant to our work at the CCEL. June is 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Month, National indigenous History Month, and Elder Abuse Awareness Month. June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This blog post will review a recent elder Read more…
By Monika Steger, 7 months June 24, 2021 ago
Update from the 2021 Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum: Health and Well-being of Seniors in Canada
The Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum ("the Forum") held a Symposium on Tuesday June 8th, 2021, titled the "Future of Aging in Canada". The Forum is an intergovernmental body that discusses relevant issues related to older adults. The group meets annually at an event hosted by a different provincial Read more…
The House of Commons Justice and Human Rights Committee Examines Elder Abuse
Introduction The House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights ("JUST") reports on and reviews different policies, programs, and other plans for the House of Commons. The committee has completed a wide range of work, including examining the impact of COVID-19 on the judicial system and considering how Read more…
By Monika Steger, 8 months June 2, 2021 ago


Visiting PhD scholar Delaram Ashtari and I wrote a paper "Playful civic skills: A transdisciplinary approach to analyse participatory civic games", about a playtest session we organized in Utrecht on Nov 20 2017, with the help of Tessa Peters & Rolf van Boxmeer who created the urban planning game Redesire.
Although civic participation is an inseparable part of contemporary urban planning, the civic skills needed for meaningful engagement in the planning process and the way citizens learn them are still controversial issues. Digital transformations establish thematic connections between hitherto separated disciplines like media and communication studies and urban planning around citizen participation. Using playful digital media as parti- cipatory tools is a recent development. The learning and engagement affordances of games suggest there is potential to enhance civic skills and build a deeper form of civic engagement. Building on theories of urban planning, media and communication studies, and game design, this study proposes an analytical framework for investigating game affordances to enhance and expand civic skills. The model enables us to recognise how different aspects of a game -mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics- can increase civic knowledge, expand ex- pression and communication skills, establish new ways to join publics, and provide new spaces for taking civic action. This study analyses the case of a civic game, developed as a participatory urban planning tool in the Dutch context, and proposes the notion of 'playful citizenship' as a new civic engagement style in urban planning.
Read the paper here: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1YSL5y5jOZCcN.


When choosing a baby shower gift or a new baby gift, it's important to think practically. In those first sleep-deprived and emotional weeks, new parents appreciate any item (no matter how small) that makes their lives just a little bit easier. With this in mind and as parents ourselves, we strive to anticipate the needs of the new mom and dad as we choose the new baby supplies that we include with our diaper cakes. Let's explore those items, their uses, and our reasoning for choosing to include them in our diaper cake gifts to give you a better understanding of how truly practical and useful this gift is.
On an obvious level, the most practical item a brand new parent can possibly receive is a great supply of disposable diapers. From the moment a new member of the family arrives, mom and dad can count on a new line item in the family budget: diapers and wipes. There is simply no way around it - and the cost of these items adds up quickly. By giving the gift of disposable diapers, you are not only saving the new family money, but there is a good chance you are saving them a late-night run to the convenience store as well.
For our diaper cakes, we use only the best name-brand disposable diapers on the market today: Pampers Swaddlers. These are the diapers that most hospitals use for newborns and that baby will most likely be sent home with. We choose them because of their luxurious softness and top-notch absorbency, as well as their trusted status as the #1 choice of hospitals. When mom and dad see that their diaper cake is made from Pampers Swaddlers, they know that you have chosen a gift with real value.
Is mom using cloth diapers for her newborn? Most cloth-diapering moms will tell you that it is especially handy to have a few disposables around those first few weeks. Newborns need to be changed 8-10 times per day, and since cloth diapers are expensive, many new moms need time to build up their supply. Also, cloth diapers need to air dry after they are washed and that takes time. It's easy to find oneself in the situation that all the cloth diapers need to be laundered, or are still in the process of drying out. In those moments, it's a huge relief to be able to reach for a disposable diaper. We applaud new parents who are willing to go the extra mile to keep our planet healthy - and so we offer a line of ecofriendly diaper cakes made from Seventh Generation disposable diapers to appeal to the new mom and dad who are intent on keeping their diaper choices green.
New babies have famously delicate skin. What works for one baby may not be a good choice for another baby, even within the same family. Since we understand that every baby is different, we offer two choices for skin care products: Johnson's products, and all-natural Burt's Bees products.
Johnson's products are used by most hospitals and have been around for many, many years. While they offer dozens of great products to care for babies' skin, we include the most basic five products in our diaper cakes: lotion, body wash, shampoo, powder, and diaper rash cream. Each of these items is an essential in caring for a new baby's skin, both at bath time and during diaper changes.
Burt's Bees products are an all-natural and luxurious line of baby skin care products. We include a tube of Nourishing Lotion, a bottle of Shampoo/Wash, a tube of Diaper Rash Ointment, a bottle of Nourishing Baby Oil, and a bar of Buttermilk Soap in each cake that is ordered with Burt's Bees. We use Burt's Bees baby care products on our own daughters, the youngest of whom is 2 years old at the time of this writing. These wonderful products truly deserve their high-end reputation. They smell heavenly and are remarkably effective at caring for delicate skin with only all natural ingredients.
We use only travel-sized skin care items on all of our diaper cakes, and we've already mentioned the reason: babies have extremely sensitive skin. Even within families, new arrivals can have vastly different sensitivity to any given skin care product. Sending a gift with travel-sized skincare items is a smart idea...it allows mom to test the product on her delicate newborn without being stuck with a full-sized bottle of a product that she may not care for. If mom (or baby) doesn't like a product, then you have saved her the money it would have cost her to purchase the item for herself and discover that it doesn't work for her family.
Want to know more about what supplies we use for our diaper cakes, and why we choose them? You've come to the right place. Read more of this article to find out more about the diapers and skin care products we use.
There are some baby care essentials that you simply can't have enough of. Baby washcloths are one of those indispensable items. We found that we needed a stack of these ultra-soft cloths for bathtime (one for the diaper area and a separate one for baby's face and body), as well as a stack of them in the kitchen drawer (for post-mealtime face and hand washing.) Many cloth-diapering moms use baby washcloths for reusable baby wipes as well, since they can be laundered instead of throwing away disposable wipes. Since most moms will go through five or six per day (more if they are used as diaper wipes) it is really useful to have lots of these on hand.
We use Gerber brand baby washcloths on almost every diaper cake we offer. They have a serged edge and hold up through trip after trip through the washing machine. Since mom will be washing those sticky little hands and faces for years to come, this is a very practical item to have on hand and one she will get lots of use out of.
Scratch mittens are another item that is an absolute must-have, but most moms don't realize they need them until it is too late. Babies are born with sharp little finger nails, but you can't trim them for the first few weeks because they are still attached to the delicate skin at the end of baby's fingers. This can spell bad news if baby likes to grab her face, as many newborns do. The real trouble starts when mom realizes (in the hospital) that she has no way to protect her newborn's delicate little face...and unless she wants baby to look like he has been in a bar fight for those much anticipated newborn photographs, something must be done! Off dad goes to the hospital gift shop, where he will pay way too much for a low-quality pair of scratch mittens...that have been hanging in the gift shop for heaven knows how long, and can't be laundered prior to use. Ick!
Having a couple of pairs of freshly washed, high-quality newborn scratch mittens in the hospital bag is a life-saver. We include Gerber brand scratch mittens so that mom can wash them and have them ready to go when her sweet new baby arrives. We have to protect that newborn photograph!
No one tells a mom-to-be that shoes for babies are a ridiculous hassle. Those tiny shoes are adorable and hard to resist...it's true. But the truth is that no matter the brand, no matter the price tag, they simply DO NOT stay on baby's feet. Newborns can tend to have poor circulation and need those precious little piggies to be well protected - so in lieu of a cute (but largely useless) pair of baby shoes, we include a nice stretchy pair of newborn socks with many of our diaper cakes.


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Dollar rises, global equities fall as Trump postpones stimulus talks
US and Asian stocks turned lower while the dollar rose after Donald Trump called-off stimulus talks with the Democrats until after the election. The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 declined by more than 1.30% each. The decision means that millions of Americans will go through hardship in the next few months. Also, it means that the US economy recovery is at risk.
In a statement yesterday, Jerome Powell said that the US economy needed another phase of fiscal stimulus. Also, some companies like the major airlines have said that they will lay-off thousands of workers unless they receive another stimulus. Additionally, US tech stocks dropped after a Democrat-led committee report called the big companies' monopolies, which means that they could be broken down.
The price of crude oil dropped slightly in overnight trading as traders reacted to the latest inventories data by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The report showed that crude oil inventories rose by 0.95 million barrels in the previous week. Just last week, data from the institute showed that inventories fell by 0.83 million barrels. Also, the price fell even as Hurricane Delta intensified into category four, which risks causing more damage at the Gulf of Mexico. Later today, the EIA will release its inventories report. Analysts expect the data to show that inventories rose by more than 0.25 million barrels.
The US dollar rose against most peers as investors rushed to safety following the stimulus announcement by Donald Trump. It also reacted to a statement by Jerome Powell, who reiterated that the Fed was planning to do more to support the economy. But he also warned that another stimulus was needed to help support the recovery process. Data released yesterday showed that the country's exports plummeted in August, pushing the deficit to more than $67 billion. Other data showed that the JOLTS job openings declined from 6.9 million to 6.49 million. Later today, the currency will react to the FOMC minutes and statements by other Fed officials.
The EUR/USD declined in overnight trading mostly because of risk aversion. It fell from yesterday's high of 1.1805 to a low of 1.1731. On the hourly chart, the price managed to move below the green ascending trendline that connects the lowest levels on September 28 and October 2 and 5. The price has also moved below the 25-day moving average while the main and signal lines of the MACD have moved below the neutral line. As a result, the pair is likely to continue falling as bears attempt to move below 1.1700.
The GBP/USD pair dropped to an intraday low of 1.2865. On the hourly chart, the price is along the lower side of the Donchian channel. It also moved below the rising trendline and the 25-day moving averages. The RSI also declined and moved closer to the oversold level. Importantly, the pair seems to be forming a bearish pennant pattern, which means that it could continue falling as bears aim for the next support at 1.2850.
The XAU/USD pair dropped to an intraday low of 1873 after Trump halted stimulus talks. The four-hour chart shows that the price managed to break-out below the rising green. The price also managed to move below the 25-day and 15-day moving average while the force index remains below the neutral line. Therefore, the pair will likely attempt to pare back these losses before resuming the downward trend to the next support at 1845.


It feels so long ago since I last posted here... Anyways it was Yamacon on Saturday, I was there probably just a couple of hours and then went photoshooting with Jansutti and Seibai.
The thing with Yamacon was that it took me an hour to just find one friend! Even though it was a small convention it was like none of my friends came! It was full of little kids and beginners! I don't want to sound rude but I was just lonely! But then when Janica and Seibai came we went photoshooting! But I felt that my cosplay failed, the skirt just wouldn't stay in place so I kept tugging on it and the wig kept sliding off of my head D: Oh well, some pictures turned out fine.
I cosplayed as Luka and Seibai as Gakupo, KISS version and photos taken by Janica and Seibai!


Let's say you've inherited a Python 2 web app. You've already tried Python 3 and you know it's better than nutella on oreos. You know you need to switch. You already have that on your roadmap. But before that happens, there's this task that requires you to build a fresh new module and deploy it to your existing servers.
What git I do last month?
The problem: the internet connection back home keeps dropping. Stone the ISP or burn the router? The solution: write a Selenium script to run a speed test every 15 minutes and save the results as screenshots.
A few days ago I received a call from Marius Corîci of CTF365.com, who had just run into hackertyper.com and, being rather amused and excited by what he saw, asked me to come up with a similar concept for their sign-up page.
To me, WordPress is like a puppy. I don't really need one, but it's nice to have one around and it does make life a bit more pleasant. Until, of course, it shits itself in the middle of the room on your favorite carpet.


If you didn't see them patrolling the South Plains Mall parking lot around the holidays, you're sure to see them around town, especially during big events.
Meet the Lubbock Police Department's mounted patrol horses, and feel free to say 'hi' if they're out and about.
Meet your LPD mounted patrol horses: Buck, Smokey, Jobe, Buttermilk, LS, Tanner, Gunner, and Coal.


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This is where Baratunde blogs about things. He also blogs over on his company blog, Cultivated Wit, so check there too. Ooh, you can also get these bloggings via email.
I talked about Bill Cosby on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show
Jamilah Lemieux, Baratunde Thurston (me), Kathleen Madigan, Keith Robinson
On The Champs Podcast We Talk Eric Garner, Implicit Bias, And Comedy
Left: Moshe Kasher. Right: Neal Brennan. Center: Some technology.
Wednesday was a long and hard day. The shock of no indictment from the Staten Island grand jury in the homicide of Eric Garner was weighing heavily on me. Having spent all day immersed in the story for discussion on TakePart Live that night, I was exhausted. So when Moshe Kasher reached out to invite me onto The Champs, I initially wasn't sure I'd have the energy to add 90 minutes of podcast talking at the end of the day.
I was wrong, and I'm so glad I joined. Moshe, Neal, and I went in. It was real and rough and somehow funny. One of my friends heard it on Facebook and said, "It's funny how The Champs is far and away the most important and interesting black podcast in the game right now."
This episode is definitely my most interesting and important podcast moment of 2014. Take a listen. Revel in the discomfort. Be relieved by the jokes. And then do something.
I'm co-hosting a live TV show. Every. Day!
I joined Pivot TV as co-host of TakePart Live. This means that yes, I live in Los Angeles OMG. The announcement of this gig was a fun thing. Here's how my company Cultivated Wit told the world. And here's the Variety story, with my full name in a Variety headline for the first time ever.
For a flavor of the show, check out this clip from last night's episode.
Here's my TEDx talk in which I promote PB&J sandwiches and also humanizing technology with humor
Here's a link as well.
In many ways, the goal of this talk was to focus and update my 2012 SXSW keynote about the importance of applying humor to many of our interactions in society: political, media, technological. I wanted this talk to hone in on the relationship I see between how we are currently building our future, what's missing, and make a compelling case for the unique humanizing value of humor to be integrated into that future design.
Shorter: jokes be funny and stuff.
For an entire enterprise devoted to the ideas expressed in this talk, check out my company, Cultivated Wit and especially our world of Comedy Hack Day.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed me about "independence," and I got stippled!
Baratunde gets stippled by the Wall Street Journal, and he likes it.
Several weeks ago I got an email from someone claiming to work for the Wall Street Journal who wanted to interview me. "Too soon!" I thought. I had not yet perfected my doomsday domination of all the world's capital nor fully implemented my plan for reverse colonialism (which imposes a hefty licensing fee when people like Miley Cyrus decide to twerk or whatever). But, "better too soon than never!" I thought.
So I spent about an hour on the phone with their reporter discussing the broad topic of "independence." We ended up talking a lot about the shame of dependence, and the section they printed reflected that part of our conversation. They interviewed six "luminaries" which means I'm a luminary! I need to start saying more luminarious things like "The key is not to open the door but to let the door open you!".
Anyhow, they interviewed Jonathan Adler, Nadya Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot), Diane Von Furstenberg, Richard Ford, and Diana Nyad. We had very different things to say. I'll pull quote my own but you should read the entire page. It's quite thoughtful and dare I say illuminating.
Independence means nothing without the concept of dependence. Independent from what? In this country, we're fond of the idea of independence being founded in opposition to something. We've got all these legends and myths in America about rugged individualism. There's almost a sense of shame associated with dependence. But dependence is where society comes from, why families stick together, why churches work. Things are shifting, and some of the tools and language of emerging businesses are more about interdependence than independence, but the overall narrative of the country is still very much: We're on our own.
—Thurston is the author of the book How to Be Black and cofounder and CEO of the digital agency Cultivated Wit.
#stippletunde
I used to think Facebook trending topics were clearly better than Twitter, but the World Cup has changed my mind
When Facebook decided to copy Twitter and launch its own version of trending topics, I was all whatever about it. Then I noticed the brief but absolutely helpful context Facebook offered in its version. It reminded me of the short-lived Twitter client Brizzly which I used mostly because it explained what the fuck people on Twitter were talking about. Just take a look at Twitter's trending topic (left) list vs. Facebook (right) to see why this is helpful.
But then the World Cup (like it did for vuvuzelas) changed everything. Without a doubt the Twitter mobile experience of the World Cup is superior to what Facebook offers through a full browser.
Facebook basically gives you non-prioritized feed of crap related to the current match, which is something Twitter used to be known for -- feeds of crap. Facebook also offers recent match results and a countdown timer to upcoming matches. The latter is useful and interesting, but doesn't come close to what Twitter provides. Here's the Facebook World Cup page:
Facebook's inferior curation of World Cup-related Facebook content leaves much to be desired.
Meanwhile, unlike the noisy and confusing generic trending topics list, Twitter has bothered to organize your experience of the World Cup on mobile. The main screen says "Get instant updates and all the behind-the-scenes action from World Cup 2014," then offers three tabs: Tweets, Photos, and Matches.
When you go to Matches, like Facebook you see the score of any current match, and you see the upcoming time for the next three matches. Most interesting, you can click on a match and just look at Tweets and Photos for that match. Bonus offer is the "People" tab under a single match which shows and gives you the option to follow accounts related to either team. Here's what that People tab looks like.
Twitter shows you how it's done when offering deep social coverage of a live event series.
The World Cup really drives home the differences in what Facebook and Twitter offer. For a surface level understanding of a trending topic list, Facebook wins hands down. With Twitter, you're left wondering, "WTF is #5SOSTheAlbum, and why should I care?" Facebook solves it with a caption, and if you click on a single topic, you get actual news stories that are relevant and not just a bunch of Blieber wannabes declaring their love.
But when it comes to depth of coverage for a live event, at least one on the order of a World Cup, Twitter shows you that it can truly help you make sense of that event and bring you closer to it by bringing you the images and people involved.
Now I just have a few demands of both companies:
Twitter, please copy the Facebook/Brizzly model of offering a 60-100 character explanation of what the fuck is going on in your left column from a trending topic perspective.
Facebook, please copy the investment Twitter has made in the World Cup. You've got too many users across the planet to not help them all make more sense of what's happening. Do a better job of integrating, packaging, and segmenting all the bits. You'd be much better if you simply copied the Twitter build, but given your size and relationships, you could integrate media (especially video) and my friend network in more interesting ways. Just at "see which of your friends gives a shit about the World Cup" would be valuable and might lead to some un-friending of folks who can't be bothered with the greatest event series in world history.
Twitter, please don't limit your organization of the chaos to the World Cup. I would love to see this model applied to other major shared events like the Super Bowl, Oscars, Presidential Debates, and more. It helps if the event is more than a few hours, so the NCAA Tournament seems especially worth it, but long term I'd love to see it applied to anything truly newsworthy, as opposed to just popular-among-children-who-neither-vote-nor-know-anything.
That seems to me a pretty humble request, and as an active user on each of your platforms within the first year of your existence, I feel justified in saying, come on let's get to it!
I'm excited
My debut on Real Time with Bill Maher
Baratunde lightly gestures at Arianna Huffington then fist bumps Matt Welch on the teevee
The headlines are:
"Had Fun"
"Enjoyed Watching Sister Simone Take Dinesh D'Souza To Church"
and "They Gave Us Bath Robes"
Being on the show was actually great. The live audience was, well, live! Bill was a mix of smart and hilarious and wrong. The staff was great to work with, and I met the first ever makeup artist to carry eyeglass cleaner in her kit. Hugs forever. Most of the world missed my appearance, but here are some options.
If you have Home Box Office To Go, you can watch the full episode (#317) at your leisure
You can watch the "Overtime" post-show segment on YouTube
And HBO has a collection of clips from my episode they don't charge you for, so let's hear it for proprietary video players, am I right??
Or you can come over to my apartment in Brooklyn, and we can watch together. I have a TV.
So inspired by Cliven Bundy am I.
I really love Kroll Show
A photo taken with my smartphone in the NYC subway system. Photo credit goes to me and my ancestors and the scientists that developed my smartphone along with the underlying technological developments on which they innovated. Thanks history!
That's about all I have to say. This show makes me laugh out loud a lot, and Nick Kroll is ridiculous. It's because of his name.


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Doctor Who: A Beginner's Guide to Diving Right In
Doctor Who Trailer Ushers in a Glorious New Era
What Kieran Culkin's Succession Character Has In Common with Prince Harry
Julie Miller
The Handmaid's Tale: Inside Aunt Lydia's Illuminating Flashback Episode
Doctor Who Episode 2 Rejects Empty Iconography for Richer Themes
Series star Jodie Whittaker on the show's refreshing new outlook: "This season, we've reflected [the] society that we live in today, which isn't just white male-oriented."
Courtesy of Simon Ridgway/BBC America
It doesn't take an expert fan to know that Doctor Who is constantly re-inventing itself with new actors, new costumes, new sonics, new sidekicks—a strategy that's kept the show and the fandom alive since 1963. But even as the face of the Doctor changes and the sidekicks come and go, there has been one constant companion throughout all the adventures: the TARDIS.
Her interior may change dramatically, and her exterior slightly, but that iconic blue police box is something even non-fans can recognize as the principle iconography of the series. So what does it mean that Doctor Who's new show-runner, Chris Chibnall, waited two entire episodes before revealing Jodie Whittaker's first TARDIS ride in the final moments of "The Ghost Monument"? It means that this season of Who has something a little deeper on its mind. Whittaker spoke with Vanity Fair about the deeper changes in the long-running series, all of which might illuminate the show's latest mysterious phrase: the Timeless Child.
The second episode of Series 11 focuses on a foot race in which Whittaker's Doctor, her three friends Yasmin (Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole), and Graham (Bradley Walsh), and two strangers, Angstrom (Susan Lynch) and Epzo (Shaun Dooley), dash across a treacherous, deserted planet towards a mysterious goal called the Ghost Monument. The Doctor discovers early on that this is another name for her lost ship, the TARDIS. But since the TARDIS's absence is such an important piece of the episode, it's worth focusing on what else Chibnall has filled the hour with. If this year's premiere was all about introductions of Whittaker, her outfit, her sonic, and her friends, then this second installment seems chiefly focused on the show's new mission statement.
With Brexit still looming on the horizon in the U.K., Doctor Who is hammering hard against xenophobia, offering up myriad narrative perspectives and celebrating the notion of a united front. The episode starts with Angstrom and Epzo—who are from two different clans—locked in a heated, frankly racist battle for survival, and ends with them joining together. The episode wasn't exactly subtle on this front, and American fans may have noticed Whittaker's Doctor borrowing a loaded phrase from Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid. The six characters in this episode? The Doctor says they're "stronger together."
This philosophy is reflected in front of the camera, with the first-ever woman to play the Doctor surrounded by a trio of companions from various backgrounds. (For a long time, it felt as though the Doctor's "Companion" had become tantamount to the label "Bond Girl," with a rotations of fresh-faced young actresses taking on the role.) "It's not the first time there's been three companions, but I think that is different from recent years," Whittaker said in our interview. "[Chibnall] just loves the idea of this journey through all these different perspectives and energies and ages and backgrounds."
That shift is reflected behind the camera as well. The show's historically white, male creative team has been refreshed with a record number of people of color and women, who are both writing and directing this season. "It's appalling that it wasn't always this way," Whittaker said. "But in this season, we've reflected your social circle and [the] society that we live in today, which isn't just white male-oriented, you know? To not have female writers, to not have a diverse group of people sharing a room and then share that with the directors who are going to bring their point of view to it . . . Me and you, because we're women, we don't need it explained."
All this is a far cry from the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who, which was shot through with the white-male exceptionalism that marks much of his work—including BBC's Sherlock. "How limiting," Whittaker observed, "only telling the story from a certain perspective." This new "stronger together" attitude has precedent on Who; it hearkens back to the end of the Russell T. Davies era, when David Tennant's Doctor was warned again and again that it was dangerous for him to wander the galaxy alone.
Whittaker's Doctor, on the other hand, leans more heavily than ever on the people adventuring by her side. Previous Doctors have been know-it-alls, but this version knows to use the particular knowledge Ryan, Yasmin, and Graham have to offer.
"You lead, but you're scared to," Episode 2's villainous bits of cloth taunt Whittaker's Doctor. Her reply? "Yeah, well, who isn't?" This vulnerability is one of Whittaker's favorite aspects of her character. It reminds her of a personal hero from her childhood: Jennifer Connelly's brave and bratty Sarah in Jim Henson's Labyrinth. "She was flawed, she was scared, she was panicked," Whittaker remembered. "She was all the things that I was." For years, children have been watching scared-yet-brave young women get rescued from their ordinary lives and led on grand adventures through time and space by a brilliant madman with a box. But what if this time, the scared-yet-brave woman is the one doing the leading?
Which brings us back to the other mysterious thing those menacing, swirling sheets whispered to Whittaker's Doctor in Episode 2. Before the season started, Chibnall said each episode would be largely stand-alone, eschewing the show's previous tendency to lean a bit too hard on interconnected mythology. (All the better for newcomers to jump in.) But the second episode did link back to the season premiere, with another mention of the violent Stenza. As Graham helpfully reminds the audience when the Doctor discovers who is responsible for emptying out the planet: "The Stenza. That's the thing we stopped in Sheffield, right?" The Stenza, as we learn, are a universe-wide menace. "They took our planet—sent us into hiding, cleansed millions of us," Angstrom explains.
Even more tantalizing than these potentially season-long villains is a brand-new Whovian phrase, one that already sounds iconic. "We see deeper, though, further back," the sheets say. "The Timeless Child . . . We see what's hidden, even from yourself. The outcast, abandoned and unknown . . ."
Some Whovians are convinced that this is a reference to Susan—the show's first Companion and the Doctor's grandchild. If so, that would be a very deep cut for Chibnall to deploy, and one that seems in contradiction with his assurance that newcomers wouldn't have to do any homework in order to enjoy this season of Doctor Who. The notion of "the outcast, abandoned and unknown," also flies directly in the face of the "stronger together" motto Whittaker's Doctor is operating under. Could the Timeless Child be a past mistake that comes back to haunt her? Or some new catastrophe on the horizon? Like other Who mysteries before it—Bad Wolf, anyone?—we'll just all have to stay tuned to find out.
How Legion Creator Noah Hawley Got the Show Back on Track in Season Three
Stranger Things 3: The Duffer Brothers Say That Dark Ending Could Shape Season Four


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Q: Making mathematical animations with Mathematica I recently stumbled upon the Cycloid and was working on finding its length and such when I found this animation on Wikipedia.

Strikingly pretty and small in size too (66KB)
So on searching how he made that particular animation and others I stumbled upon this talk

What software edited the animations?
... None at all. I used MSVC++ to write a little program that calls some GDI+ functions and draws a multi-layer TIF picture each layer of which is a single frame (Only Math, C++ & some Windows API that are well-documented). ...

I went on searching libraries to program with but ultimately quit because it was too much of a bother.
Somewhile later I saw this and thank goodness the author used a software package (MuPAD). But the software costs a lot and is now part of MATLAB, and the size of the .gif was way too large.
Finally I've come back to Mathematica and want to know how to go about it.
Don't just tell me the code right away; give me some pointers, text, documentation, other questions, etc.
EDIT : Thank you people, here's my rendering (not exactly, because I used J.M.'s code)

A: Just the code:)
Animate[Show[
Graphics[Translate[Rotate[{Circle[], Thick, Blue, Line[{{0, 0}, {0, -1}}], Red,
  PointSize[.02], Point[{0, -1}]}, -t], {t , 0}],
PlotRange -> {{0, 4 Pi}, {-2, 2}}, ImageSize -> {Large, Tiny},
Axes -> {True, False}, AxesOrigin -> {0, -1}],
ParametricPlot[{(a - Sin[a]), (-Cos[a])}, {a, 0, t},
PlotStyle -> Directive[Thick, Orange]]], {t, 0.001, 4 Pi},
AnimationRunning -> False]

A: I'll switch it up a bit: I'll give you somewhat simplified code, and your task is to figure out what I'm trying to do:
With[{frames = 15},
 Animate[
     ParametricPlot[{u - Sin[u], 1 - Cos[u]}, {u, -$MachineEpsilon, t},
                    Axes -> None,
                    Epilog -> {Line[{{t, 1}, {t - Sin[t], 1 - Cos[t]}}],
                              {AbsolutePointSize[3], Point[{t - Sin[t], 1 - Cos[t]}]}},
                    Frame -> True, PlotRange -> {{-1, 2 Pi + 1}, {0, 2}},
                    PlotStyle -> Directive[AbsoluteThickness[3], Red],
                    Prolog -> Circle[{t, 1}, 1]],
         {t, 0, 2 Pi, 2 Pi/(frames - 1)}]]

You'll want to see Stan Wagon's treatment as well. Among other things, he gives a visual demonstration of where the cycloid's parametric equations come from:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Erin Victoria Phillips (ur. 19 maja 1985 w Carlton) – australijska koszykarka występująca na pozycji rzucającej, mistrzyni świata, WNBA, wicemistrzyni olimpijska.

We wrześniu 2016 została piłkarką nożną zespołu Adelaide Football Club, występującego w lidze Australian Football League (AFL). Zespół reprezentowała w 2017.

W koszykówkę zaczęła grać w wieku 13 lat. W 2005 roku została wybrana z numerem 31 w 2 drafcie do drużyny WNBA Connecticut Sun. W czasie off-season 2008-2009 grała w Ramat Hasharon (Izrael). W sezonie 2009/10 była zawodniczką Lotosu Gdynia, z którym zdobyła Puchar Polski i mistrzostwo Polski. Od 2010 grała w Wiśle Can-Pack Kraków i zdobyła z tą drużyną dwukrotnie mistrzostwo Polski, w 2011 i 2012 roku.

Od 19 roku życia reprezentuje barwy Australii, w 2006 roku zdobyła złoty medal Mistrzostw Świata, a w 2008 srebrny medal olimpijski.

10.02.2011 podpisała kontrakt z mistrzyniami WNBA – Seattle Storm, lecz została wymieniona do zespołu Indiana Fever.

Osiągnięcia
Na podstawie, o ile nie zaznaczono inaczej.

WNBA
 Mistrzyni WNBA (2012, 2014)
 Liderka WNBA w skuteczności rzutów za 3 punkty (2014)

Drużynowe
 Mistrzyni:
 Polski (2010, 2011, 2012)
 Australii (2008)
 Wicemistrzyni Polski (2013)
 Zdobywczyni pucharu Polski (2010, 2012)
 Finalistka pucharu:
 Polski (2013)
 Izraela (2009)
 Uczestniczka rozgrywek:
 Euroligi (2009–2015)
 Ligi Światowej FIBA (2005)

Indywidualne
 MVP finałów PLKK (2010)
 Najlepsza zawodniczka:
 występująca na pozycji obronnej TBLK (2011 według eurobasket.com)
 defensywna TBLK (2011 według eurobasket.com)
 zagraniczka TBLK (2011 według eurobasket.com)
 Zaliczona do:
 I składu:
 WNBL (2005, 2006, 2007)
 TBLK (2011 przez eurobasket.com)
 zawodniczek zagranicznych TBLK (2011 przez eurobasket.com)
 II składu TBLK (2010, 2013 przez eurobasket.com)
 składu Honorable Mention TBLK (2012 przez eurobasket.com)
 Uczestniczka meczu gwiazd PLKK (2011, 2012)
 Liderka ligi:
 australijskiej (WNBL) w asystach (2006, 2007)
 izraelskiej w przechwytach (2009)

Reprezentacja
 Mistrzyni świata (2006)
 Wicemistrzyni:
 olimpijska (2008)
  turnieju Diamond Ball (2008)
 Brązowa medalistka mistrzostw świata (2014)
 Uczestniczka:
 mistrzostw świata (2006, 2010 – 5. miejsce, 2014)
 igrzysk olimpijskich (2008, 2016 – 5. miejsce)

Przypisy

Bibliografia
 Profil na plkhistory.ugu.pl

 Statystyki na basketball-reference.com

 Profil na basketligakobiet.pl

Linki zewnętrzne

 Erin Phillips nie zagra w Seattle Storm

Australijscy medaliści olimpijscy
Australijskie koszykarki
Australijscy trenerzy koszykarscy
Koszykarki Lotosu Gdynia
Koszykarki Wisły Kraków
Koszykarki Los Angeles Sparks
Koszykarki Connecticut Sun
Koszykarki Dallas Wings
Koszykarki Phoenix Mercury
Koszykarki Good Angels Košice
Koszykarki Adelaide Lightning
Koszykarki Indiana Fever
Medaliści Letnich Igrzysk Olimpijskich 2008
Koszykarki Ramat ha-Szaron
Urodzeni w 1985

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Home » Gates Doubts Concerns About Musk's Buying Of Twitter
Gates Doubts Concerns About Musk's Buying Of Twitter2 min read
by TechABU May 5, 2022
written by TechABU May 5, 2022 0 comment
Bill Gates has finally spoken out on Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, days after reports of a major conflict between the two billionaires surfaced. He expressed his doubts and warned that Tesla's CEO might turn Twitter into a "worse" platform. Musk's motive for purchasing the platform, according to the Microsoft co-founder, is uncertain. Gates reacted about shorting Tesla, which Musk just revealed through his tweets targeting the business tycoon-turned-philanthropist, in addition to his comments about the Tesla CEO's decision to use Twitter.
While addressing The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council Summit, Gates remarked of Musk's plan to purchase Twitter, "He actually could make it worse." He also stated his skepticism about the Tesla CEO's buyout choice, which was first viewed as a hostile takeover.
"It's not totally clear what he will do," Gates added. "Musk makes Twitter worse, fine, I'll speak out about that, but I wouldn't assume that's what's going to happen," he said. He also stated that social media should be used to combat misinformation.
Musk stated when announcing the purchase last week that he wants to make Twitter "better than ever" by adding "new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, eliminating spam bots, and authenticating all people." However, a significant number of individuals have not yet endorsed the decision.
Human rights organizations have expressed concern over hate speech due to the takeover, claiming that Musk's planned changes might have "disproportionate and sometimes devastating impacts, including offline violence."
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, mocked Musk's $44 billion cash proposal to purchase Twitter, questioning whether it would give China's government "a bit of leverage over the town square." Though Musk has business interests in China, Twitter is banned there, owing to the country's significant market size and rising demand for electric vehicles.
However, the disagreement between Musk and Gates is unrelated to the former's acquisition of Twitter. Gates mentioned the recent spat at the WSJ Summit — Musk recently took a shot at Gates on Twitter, reportedly confirming the truth of screenshots of a discussion in which he questioned the Microsoft chief whether he had a short position in Tesla shares worth $500 million.
Gates said he hadn't "closed it out," but said he "would like to discuss philanthropic possibilities." Musk said that if Gates was shorting his company, he couldn't take his philanthropy seriously.
"I don't think whether one's short or long, Tesla is a statement about your seriousness about climate change," Gates said during the summit, attempting to justify his trading strategy.
He also praised Tesla's contribution to addressing climate change and stated that he would speak out about the situation if Musk made Twitter worse.
"But I wouldn't assume that's going to happen," the billionaire, who is the world's second-richest person after Musk, said.
During the early stages of COVID-19, Gates was subjected to misinformation mostly via social media, with some posts incorrectly claiming that he was using vaccinations to implant microchips to track individuals.
He added, "That's so unexpected and almost bizarre."
He also highlighted the need for political leaders to combat misinformation.
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Self-control: we all have it – and we all have a wonderful talent for making it go away. Whether it's food, reality TV, social media, exercise, work, a certain sport or sports team, alcohol, email or texting, must of us have a penchant for overdoing something that would be considered positive, fun or helpful to the point where it's actually bad for us. Many people try to control their addictions, cravings or guilty pleasures, only to label themselves weak, lacking willpower or possessing no self-control when they fail.
I used to think the same way. Until I discovered Benjamin P. Hardy, author of the forthcoming book The Proximity Effect: Change Your Environment, Change Your Life. Hardy hopes to alter what we think about self-control. He believes willpower is a deeply flawed approach when it comes to enacting real change in our lives. This is because the idea of willpower creates a conflict within us. If we truly want to do something and change, we shouldn't need this so-called willpower to save us from ourselves because sooner or later this muscle becomes weaks, needs to relax and…BAM…we give in to our vices.
Hardy believes there are two fundamental errors in our goalkeeping if we need to rely on willpower to stay the course.
Once we decide what we want, whether that's to eat healthy, put our phones down or come home earlier, we've solved the first part of that equation. We can stop arguing with ourselves and stop thinking about the actual decision altogether. It's done. It's been made. Move on…to Step 2. This step involves solidifying your commitment to this goal through an easy-to-follow plan.
Let's use a relevant example to see this magic in motion. Say you want to complete more cold calls every month. That's not specific enough, so we nail that down even further. You want to complete 20 cold calls per month. This starts by creating a spreadsheet and blocking out an hour of time in your schedule (investment) every week (deadline) to complete five calls. You make that "event" public on your calendar so everyone can see that you're busy making cold calls during that period (publicly known), and you share your spreadsheet (accountability) and its progress (feedback) on a weekly or monthly basis. You also make sure all emails, phone calls, paperwork and other distractions are handled (altering) before this allotted time slot is upon you to create an environment free of distractions and excuses.
These steps set you up for what Hardy calls the "point of no return" – where you must go forward because you are completely invested in achieving your goal. At this point, most doubt, insecurity and procrastination is removed because you've created conditions that set yourself up for success. Willpower is simply the act of wanting to want to do something. Goalkeeping is actually settling upon your results, then mapping out the steps to get from Point B to Point A. We all have to start somewhere. This is much easier to do if we can see the Finish Line before we even begin!


1051 Bay 32nd St is located in Bayswater, a neighborhood in Queens.
1051 Bay 32nd St is a 2-floor Multi-Family Home in Queens's Bayswater. The building was built in 1998.
The typical wait time for a taxi at 1051 Bay 32nd St is 20 minutes.
As for the demographics around 1051 Bay 32nd St, the median age is 28, 38% of residents are married, and 54% of residents have at least one child. The median individual full-time income is about $40,130 and about 19% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher. Voters in this area are 82% Democrat.
This address is zoned for New York City Public Schools, which is rated below average overall. You can see individual ratings and program information on nearby schools like New Explorations Into Science, Tech And Math High School, Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, and George Washington Carver High School For The Scien in the report below.


text:
A blood-tumor barrier limits gene transfer to experimental liver cancer: the effect of vasoactive compounds
Bilbao R, Bustos M, Alzuguren P, Pajares MJ, Drozdzik M, Qian C, Prieto J.
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
Revisão:Gene Therapy
Data: 1/Nov/2000
We have evaluated gene transfer efficiency to tumor nodules in diethylnitrosoamine (DENA)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats using adenoviral vectors administered by three different routes: intraportal, intra-arterial and intratumoral injection.
Our results showed that intraportal infusion could not transduce tumor nodules greater than 1 mm in diameter while the intra-arterial route allowed transduction of nodules up to 2-5 mm in diameter. Tumors greater than this size were resistant to transduction by intravascular route, but could be transduced by direct intratumoral injection, indicating that the obstacle preventing gene transfer to tumor cells was mainly at the level of tumor vasculature and not at the level of neoplastic cells. We have studied the extracellular matrix in tumoral lesions to assess whether nodules with different size and histological pattern have different profiles in relation to transduction efficacy. Immunohistochemical detection showed a high expression of fibronectin (FN), laminin (LN) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) in those large HCC, which were resistant to adenoviral infection. Intra-arterial infusion of vasoactive compounds (histamine, angiotensin II or nitric oxide donor nitroglycerin) before vector administration enhanced gene transfer to tumor nodules that were poorly transduced without pre-treatment. Nitroglycerin was active to enhance transduction of large tumors with trabecular or pseudoglandular histological pattern, which were impermeable to adenoviral vectors even after histamine or angiotensin treatments.
Our data indicate the presence of a physical barrier between blood and neoplastic cells, which prevents transduction of the tumor by vectors given by the intravascular route. The thickness and impermeability of the barrier increases as the tumor nodule grows. Vasoactive compounds may be of value in gene therapy of liver cancer by increasing transduction efficiency by intravascularly administered vectors.
CITAÇÃO DO ARTIGO Gene Ther. 2000 Nov;7(21):1824-32