Using a background created from the Book of Backgrounds 2013 series, work from prompts, ideas and inspirations to create art pieces using a variety of materials.
What makes this piece special is teaching you how to upcycle art you don't like… in this case, a background page I didn't like, and transformed it into something beautiful. Great for saving money on painting supports!
This workshop is quite detailed and we also discuss composition, colour mixing, atmospheric perspective and values.


~ Whole artwork is one continuous line.
This painting was created with a single blue acrylic paintmarker and one line that doesn't cross itself. It's on canvas board and so, is very lightweight and strong. It has 3 coats of varnish and is easy to clean with a damp cotton cloth and water. It's a medium sized painting at 16 x 20 inches and will go wonderfully over a mantle or bookshelf. My signature and the title is painted in the border of the work, on the front of the painting. The frame is included and it's ready to hang.
The artwork was created with a single continuous line throughout the whole work. The line is symbolic of the thread that goes through all of humanity. Most all people want the same things- freedom, peace, joy and love in their lives. When we come together in recognition that everyone should have the ability to pursue these things in their own lives, we are strong. It is we, the ordinary people who are many. And in the spirit of freedom for all- we are one.
I traced the outlines of people who's faces I liked from some of my favorite books in my library and transfered them onto the canvas. Then, I filled in each one with a line drawn from a paintmarker. The line would start and end, filling in each person then continuing it with the person next to them. I went over the darkest areas of each person again to show shadow and detail. The end result is one line going throughout all of the people and the entire painting.


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Book Review Archives
A Review of Four Letter Word by J. Daniels
by April | Feb 27, 2018 | Book Reviews
by J. Daniels
Published by Grand Central Publishing on October 4th 2016
Genres: Romance, Erotica, Romantic Comedy, New Adult
Buy on Amazon//Barnes & Noble
"Love! That's the four letter word to describe how I felt about this unique, sexy story. J. Daniels' hottest book to date."---Penelope Ward, New York Times bestselling author
Fate. Hate. Love. Lies. Which four letter word will change their lives forever? Sydney Paige was never so mortified to hear the words "wrong number" in her life. She meant to tell off the guy who broke her best friend's heart, but unleashed her anger on a perfect stranger instead. And now her world is turned upside down by the captivating man who wants to keep her on the line. Brian Savage is living a life he's quickly come to hate-until Sydney's wild rant has him hooked and hungry for more. Soon the sexy woman on the phone becomes the lover in his bed. But Brian has secrets, and the closer he lets Syd get, the harder it is to shield her from the devastating mistakes of his past . . .
Review of Four Letter Word
Four Letter Word is the first novel in the Dirty Deeds series by New York Times bestselling author J. Daniels. The story follows Sydney Paige, a young woman who has recently separated from her husband after years of being in a loveless marriage, and Brian Savage a young man who both co-owns a surfing shop and is involved in adult filming (though for reasons that totally broke my heart). Sydney moves in with her best friend after leaving her husband and is confronted with her friend's own heartache. This results in a phone call to the completely wrong person- thank goodness! I swear fate stepped in here and directed her to Brian- who was completely flabbergasted and amused by Sydney's surprise tirade (it was the wrong number, after all). Naturally, this sparked Brian's interest in Sydney and they decided to carry on a relationship over the phone before finally meeting in person-
And did the sparks fly or what?!
Four Letter Word was brimming with sizzling passion, heartbreaking turmoil, and laugh-out-loud moments!
There were times I laughed, times I cried, and times I needed to turn my fan on blast despite the sub-zero temps outside- it was just that hot! I adored Brian- I mean, do guys like that really exist? He made one fatal mistake and it made him humble- the things he was willing to do to make up for this mistake…and everything he does for Sydney! Ah! It's just too much. Sydney- here's a young woman that some women may be able to relate to. I love that she's not perfect. I love that she's not certain of every moment of her life, but she's willing to take chances and learn from her own mistakes. And her relationship with her best friend? I adored it! It reminded me of my own best friend and how close we are.
Despite some of the heavy content (you'll understand when you read it), J. Daniels was still able to make the story one you could read over and over. The chemistry between the characters was spot on, and it provided the HEA I was hoping for. And that first meeting between them on the beach…uh…yeah. I highly suggest getting a fan for your room when reading that particular part. Sigh.
Four stars for Four Letter Word!!
Review of Elite by Rachel Van Dyken
by April | Aug 23, 2017 | Book Reviews
by Rachel Van Dyken
Series: Eagle Elite #1
Published by Grand Central Publishing on October 14th 2014
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Coming of Age, General
For Tracey Rooks, life with her grandparents on a Wyoming farm has always been simple. But after her grandmother's death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn't expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .
The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she's ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There's Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn't long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn't realize she was the enemy -- until it was too late.
Elite by Rachel Van Dyken
Eagle Elite 1 of 8
Elite is the first novel in the Eagle Elite Series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, published by Forever Publishing on July 9, 2013. This also happens to be the first book that I have read by this author. I found this novel during one of my frequent, and numerous, visits to my local book store (see Trip to Portland). As I usually do, I first scour the bargain section looking to score a deal on a variety of titles and authors. It was during one of my bargain section walkabouts that I first noticed this novel. I can't exactly pinpoint what drew me to first pick this book up- as you can see, there is a lot of intensity between both the characters on the cover, and the color scheme hints at mystery, passion, and intrigue. After reviewing the synopsis of the novel , which basically touches upon my initial first opinion of the book, I decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. After all, I am all for discovering new authors.
The book starts off strong with the protagonist, Tracey Rooks, arriving at Eagle Elite University and meeting the university's "Elect" members. The Elect, consisting of four predictably good-lucking guys, are apparently running the University and have a strange affinity for rules. In fact, you will hear these rules mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. I will admit to being intrigued by the Elect and their strange dynamic. Their parents are all in a position of power, which results in the University being watched by armed security guards. They are also, apparently, able to take control of when you're allowed to eat lunch, what you're able to eat for lunch, and limit the number of times you use an elevator. These bizarre actions are explained later in the book, by Nixon the protagonist's love interest and leader of the Elect, as a way to "keep the peace" around campus. He continues to demonstrate unusual ways to respond to safety and peace by bullying Tracey throughout the novel. His constant barrage of personal attacks on her person results in Tracey being on the receiving end of peer brutality and humiliation. Nixon later explains that he humiliates her in an effort to "protect" her. Unfortunately, he does a rather poor job explaining the vagueness behind this reasoning. But, I kept on reading. As Polonius once stated in Shakespeare's Hamlet, "there's a method to his madness". Considering this a possibility, I kept reading.
We later learn that Tracey Rooks is the only heir to one of three different mafia families. I imagine this accounts for the armed guards at Eagle Elite University and the domineering and superior attitude of the Elect, as they also happen to be embroiled in the three families. So, you would think that this discovery would push Nixon and Tracey closer together and thus end the bullying, right? Nope. Nixon continues being an ass to Tracey, despite the confessed feelings between the two. Tracey once again begins to feel sorry for herself rather than rallying and fighting back. It is a little frustrating, but I suppose as the series unravels, Tracey will begin to grow stronger as a character. There is a lot of promise between Nixon and Tracey, and their families provide constant mystery and contribute to the fast-paced plot. The promise of more danger and intrigue at the end of the novel did incite me to purchase the next two books in the series.
I would say that despite the constant mention of rules (which I think are my least favorite part of the book) and the irrational bullying on Nixon's part in an effort to "protect" Tracey, the novel itself was well-written, the characters were strong, and the plot moved along nicely. I find myself intrigued to discover what the Alfero, Abandonato, and De Lange mafia families will find themselves embroiled in next. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced romance that includes suspense and intrigue. For another review on a novel that is less romance and more suspense check out my review of Uninvited by Sophie Jordan!
This book is available on Amazon Instantly for the Kindle or Paper Back with Two-Day Shipping.
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I discovered my love of reading at an early age and spent a great deal of my time devouring novels from mysteries like Nancy Drew, whimsical fantasies like Harry Potter, and eventually the turbulent and passionate stories in the romance genre, I found myself engrossed in a completely different world than this one. I believe it is through my experiences and the books I read, that I have developed a keen interest in a myriad of things. For that reason, The Vagaries of Us represents multiple areas of interest
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Mairi Kerin's Long Awaited Olympic Karate Dream
Irish karateka, Mairi Kerin, chats about her Olympic dream and her lonely road to qualification.
Niamh Griffin (IG: @realgirlsport) June 03, 2020
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Imagine travelling alone to compete at the highest level for your country, staying in crappy hotels and asking friends on other national teams for help. That was Mairi Kerin's life for almost four years as the only Irish karateka competing in the tough Premier Leagues.
An Olympic karate qualification event in May should have topped off her efforts. She was fit, strong and ready. Then came COVID19.
She says: "My body composition was the best ever, I was super strong and felt great in training but as with many others, the first thing to go was the access to the gym. I've spent the last ten weeks working and training at home. It's been tough. I have found myself talking to myself as if I was one of my coaches."
Home is in England where she is taking a PhD in mechanical engineering at the University of Birmingham having quit her job to return to study. Living in England has made being part of the Irish squad complicated, but she's determined to stick with the plan. And luckily she has the university karate team too to keep her sane.
Mairi Kerin amongst the Karate Ireland squad
National coach Paul Brennan invited her on board the Irish squad in 2013. "I really enjoyed the squad feel, there was such a buzz, they worked hard but had fun too. I felt like I had really found a second family! These guys gave me a huge leg up into a sport and a world I didn't know existed," she says.
Her highest ranking was 61st in the world. This includes coming 11th in the World Championships and 7th in the Europeans. This all turned out to be quite important for her Olympic dreams.
Tokyo2020 is the first time Karate is on the Olympic programme, so there was a seismic shift in how international tournaments are run. And in how athletes could earn ranking points. Suddenly, the Premier League was only open to the Top 100 athletes in each weight division.
"I was the only one representing Ireland eligible for the Premier Leagues for almost four years. It has been very lonely, and it has cost me far more than I would want to admit too! But as the only one with the opportunity I felt it was my duty to pursue it," she says now.
She talks about her "lousy accommodation" and asking friends to help her get ready at international events.
Maybe that's why Brennan noticed her enthusiasm for the squad set-up. He says: "Mairi is very dedicated and travelled to every squad training since she joined. She's a great team member and bonded well with everyone. She said how she felt part of the group very quickly."
For now all of that is on hiatus.
Mairi says: "I am trying to keep the training ticking over. Retain a base fitness, allow a bad shoulder and ankle that I have been carrying for around 12 months to recover, and really get my head down into my work."
The big winner here is her PhD. She jokes her supervisor is happy as he was not impressed with all the travel and training needed for Karate.
She also needs time to restructure her finances so 2021 in Tokyo is a realistic option. She's not yet clear how this will work for her, but the World Karate Federation have laid out some new dates so planning needs to start.
Combing a PhD with top level sport does teach you how to plan at least, she says: "I developed an efficient homelife that most people will not understand. That involves having a huge plan and sticking to it, even down to what meals I have and when, what colour underwear I wore on what days to optimise the laundry."
Talking about the changes in Karate since it became an Olympic sport, she says the pressure of competition has changed how people train. She's looking forward to pitting herself against top athletes, and says:
"If not for the Olympic focus, far fewer karate-ka would be treating their training as a science as we do. As an engineer I find this very interesting. I can use the science I'm learning and test the ideas on my own body like a tested with the help of my support team."
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Paratriathlete Twins Win Silver and Gold in Irish Karate Open
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Satisfy a hungry crowd with this giant family-sized sausage roll.
Place mince, eggs, sauce, onion, carrot, garlic, breadcrumbs and parsley in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Join pastry sheets together along 1 side, overlapping by 2cm, to form 1 large rectangle, pressing to secure. Spoon mince mixture along one long side of pastry. Roll up pastry from long side to enclose filling. Place on prepared tray, seam-side down. Brush with extra egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 45 minutes or until filling is cooked through and pastry is golden and puffed.
Serve sausage roll with relish and salad leaves.


Polaris-shortlisted art rockers Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, joined by Owain Lawson (drummer of Black Feelings and Les Angles Morts), donned white face paint with black markings while the collective delivered a memorable set as the final main-stage act of Friday.
Singers Ruby Kato Attwood and Ange Loft entered scene under the guise of a black and white dragon, with Loft leaving on her portion as a black headdress for the majority of the performance. Their symbolic theatrics were subtle, but clearly carefully thought out; Attwood would fashion her hands into various mudras --Buddhist hand positions -- depending on the song.
The way the music's heavy, industrial drone fused with the delicately soaring vocals was anesthetizing, which consequently led to the captivation of most and the lassitude of others. In any case, it was a truly unique and innovative aural and visual experience.


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Three guys talking about comic books, sports, movies, TV shows and the numerous other pastimes that make us Gentlemen of Leisure.
X-aminations X-Men Reviews
Force in Focus Star Wars Reviews
Saved by the Bell Reviewed: The Podcast
The Simpsons Retro Reviews
Last Week in Pop Culture #31
With the official 2013-2014 TV season drawing to a close last week, and with me (mostly) caught up on the show I comment on regularly, as well as another looming work trip threatening to throw off my regular schedule once again, this will be the last regularly scheduled "Last Week in Pop Culture" post. I reserve the right to drop one in periodically, if there's something of note I'd like to talk about, but I won't have one up (nearly) every Saturday going forward.
However, I am hoping to resurrect my Retro Reviews of The Simpsons sometime soon (once I get back into the groove after my trip and give myself a little break). So look for those again shortly!
And, of course, I've still got three X-aminations posts a week to do, plus all my stuff at Sound on Sight and Capeless Crusader, and Dr. Bitz has three more Game of Thrones reviews to do, so you won't be lacking for content from us this summer, regardless!
Just one additional post this week, my weekly Market Maven column from Monday.
Not bad. It wasn't the greatest X-Men film, but it was entertaining, well-constructed, well-acted. The Sentinels were handled well, most of the action scenes were top notch, and kudos for wiping out most of The Last Stand. In the middle of the pack, but near the top (I'd still put X2 and First Class above it, for sure).
Posted by Austin Gorton at 12:00 PM 15 comments: Links to this post
Labels: 2013-2014 TV Season, comic book movies, Last Week in Pop Culture, Movie Reviews, Once Upon a Time, SHIELD, TV, TV reviews, X-Men
X-amining X-Factor #33
"For All The World To See"
Beast wakes up, blue, furry and smart again.
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Walt Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco
In New York City, amidst a record heat wave, the Alliance of Evil protests the Mutant Registration Act, whose deadline is fast approaching. Nearby, Marvel Girl and Iceman are taking the kids shopping for new school clothes. When the Alliance spots them, they attack. Meanwhile, aboard Ship, Cyclops monitors Beast, who remains unconscious, shifting between human and furry forms, and growing stronger. Cyclops then catches footage of the battle on TV. In the city, the kids intervene to help Marvel Girl and Iceman, though Rusty, still a wanted fugitive, stays back for fear of being recognized. Meanwhile, in a Kansas City suburb, Nanny and the Orphan Maker capture two mutant children, killing their parents. Back in New York, Rusty fashions a crude mask and joins the fray, unwilling to let his friends get hurt when he could help them.
Posted by Austin Gorton at 12:00 PM 5 comments: Links to this post
Labels: Comic Book reviews, comics, Simonson/Simonson, X-aminations, X-Factor
X-amining New Mutants #68
"Illusion!"
Chasing Spyder, Gosamyr sows discord amongst the New Mutants.
Artist: Bret Blevins
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
In Limbo, Illyana tries to repair her broken scrying glass in order to locate Lila and Spyder. She manages to locate Spyder's ship for a moment, but then an image of her Darkchild persona appears in the glass and she loses concentration. The New Mutants decide to have her teleport them aboard the stolen space ship to Spyder's last known position; even though he's likely gone from that spot now, they can track him via the ship from there. With the ship tracking Spyder, Gosamyr uses a machine to recreate Sam's uniform, as well as new clothes for herself, Dani and Rahne. As Spyder watches this, he explains to a captive Lila that it is in the nature of Gosamyr's species to destroy by intensifying the passions of those around her. Back aboard the ship, Sam finds himself drawn to Gosamyr, much to Rahne's dismay, even while Gosamyr eventually kisses Roberto.
Labels: Comic Book reviews, comics, New Mutants, Simonson/Blevins, X-aminations
X-amining Uncanny X-Men #235
"Welcome to Genosha...a Green and Pleasant Land..."
Early October 1988
The X-Men come in contact with the Genoshans, and Wolverine & Rogue are kidnapped.
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Rick Leonardi
Inker: P. Craig Russell
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
On the island nation of Genosha, a runaway mutant manages to stash his baby aboard a plan bound for Sydney, drawing off the pursuing magistrates so that the plane takes off without incident, just as the mutant is killed. A few days later, the Press Gang, a group of mutants employed by the Genoshan government, arrive in Sydney, sent to retrieve both the baby and Jenny Ransome, a mutant and nurse who has fled the country. Working with the Service Auxiliary, Jenny and her pilot, Madelyne Pryor, are attacked by the Press Gang. When the Hawkshaw is unable to get a read on Madelyne, both she and Ransome are sent back to Genosha via Pipeline, who is able to digitize and electronically transmit individuals. Later, the X-Men arrive in Sydney, looking for the missing Madelyne. Wolverine and Rogue track the Press Gang to a nearby hospital, where they discover the Press Gang kidnapping the mutant baby. Pipeline teleports in a group of Magistrates who proceed to battle the X-Men. Though the X-Men defeat the Magistrates, the Press Gang is able to escape back to Genosha thanks to Pipeline, with the baby, as well as Wolverine and Rogue.
Labels: "A Green and Pleasant Land", Claremont/Leonardi, Comic Book reviews, comics, Uncanny X-Men, X-aminations, X-Men
X-aminations in June
This month, we welcome Excalibur and Wolverine to regular coverage, as both series launch within a month of each other. Because I'm not superhuman, this also marks the beginning of rotating coverage of X-Men, as, in order to cover five regular series without driving me insane, the weeks when the title isn't shipping two issues a month will be handed over to the ever-increasing adjunct X-Men appearances, such as, this month, the Colossus feature in Marvel Comics Presents (we're getting a double dose of Wolverine and Excalibur this month to keep things lined up for "Inferno", as well as to preserve the normal X-Men/New Mutants/X-Factor rotation in at least every other week).
On Sale Late June/June 1988
June 4th: Uncanny X-Men #236
June 5th: Excalibur #1
On Sale Early July/July 1988
June 11th: Uncanny X-Men #237
June 12th: New Mutants #69
June 13th: X-Factor #34
On Sale Late July/July 1988
June 19th: Excalibur #2
June 20th: Wolverine #1
On Sale August 1988
June 25th: Marvel Comics Presents #10-17 (Colossus feature)
Labels: comics, Excalibur, New Mutants, Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine (series), X-aminations, X-Factor, X-Men
Saturday Night Live: Andy Samberg & St. Vincent
This wasn't the best episode of the season by any means, but at least the show ended on a relatively strong note. Granted, the regular cast was barely on hand for much of it (I wouldn't be surprised if we've seen the last of some them; so long Noel Wells and Brooks Whelan!), as Andy Samberg returned and brought along a ton of his former cast member friends. While the highs weren't all that high, at least the baseline landed somewhere closer to "amusing" than "indifferent", which has been the case more often than not this season.
Posted by Austin Gorton at 12:00 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: 2013-2014 TV Season, Last Week in Pop Culture, SNL, TV, TV reviews
I have a bunch of new and old X-Men stuff up in honor of Days of Future Past; check it all out here.
Also, this week's Market Maven column, as well as a column looking at April's sales numbers, can be found here and here.
Once Upon a Time: Kansas
Knowing full well going in that a two-hour finale remained, I was fully expecting the other shoe to drop as soon as things started to go well in the fight against Zelena (not unlike how Pan's seeming defeat two episodes before the mid-winter break presaged the reveal that he switched places with Henry). The only problem was whatever it is that happened was way too unclear to be much of a cliffhanger. Was that Zelena? Her magic, operating on its own? Was her death part of the spell, something that wouldn't be triggered until she was "killed"? Bottom line: you want your cliffhangers to make the audience go "whoa!", not "huh?"
Labels: 2013-2014 TV Season, Last Week in Pop Culture, Once Upon a Time, SHIELD, TV, TV reviews, X-Men
X-Men: Days of Future Past Primer
There's a big new X-Men movie coming out this weekend, and anyone who's read at least three words of my writing knows that's a pretty big deal for me. And not surprisingly, I've written a fair amount about the X-Men through the years. In order to get you ready for the movie, here's some stuff you should check out.
First, be sure to read my reviews of the two issues whose story serves as a direct inspiration for the film (and also happen to be one of the best and most significant X-Men stories ever).
Secondly, here's a list of all the relevant "To Better Know a Hero" posts on Days of Future Past's major players: Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto and Quicksilver and the X-Men.
Finally, I wrote a little article for Fanboys, Inc. predicting how well (in terms of money) the new film will do relative to the success of the previous films in the franchise. Check that out here.
Labels: "Days of Future Past", comic book movies, To Better Know A Hero, To Better Know A Villain, X-aminations, X-Men
X-amining Marvel Comics Presents #1-10
"The Good Guy" / "The Bad Guy" / "The Gals" / "The Ordeal" / "The Rescue" / "Things Get Bad" / "Things Get Worse" / "The Fight" / "The Confrontation" / "The Resolution"
Sept 1988 to Jan 1989
Wolverine becomes embroiled in a power struggle for Madripoor's criminal empire.
Penciler: John Buscema
Inker: Klaus Janson
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski, Lois Buhalis (issue #7), Ken Lopez (issue #9), Michael Hessler (issue #10)
Editor: Terry Kavanaugh & Michael Higgins
Issue #1: In Madripoor, Wolverine visits the Princess Bar, looking for information. After fighting off a group of thugs threatening the owner, O'Donnell, he tells O'Donnell he was sent by Dave Chapel to find someone named the Tiger. Issue #2: The thugs chased off by Wolverine report to their boss, Roche, who tells them if they can defeat his newest enforcer, Razor Fist, they can live. Razor Fist easily kills them all, and is given the task of defeating the stranger interfering with Roche's business. Meanwhile, Wolverine tells O'Donnell that Chapel was tortured and left for dead when Wolverine found him. Suddenly, he sees a woman outside and recognizes her as Jessan Hoan. Issue #3: Wolverine confronts Jessan, but she escapes. Just then, Wolverine is confronted by Sapphire Styx, an energy vampire employed by Roche, who weakens him just as Razor Fist attacks, knocking him out.
Labels: Claremont/Buscema, Comic Book reviews, comics, Marvel Comics Presents, Wolverine, X-aminations, X-Men
X-amining X-Men Annual #12
"Resurrection!"
The High Evolutionary restores the Savage Land
Penciler: Art Adams
In Australia, Storm is suddenly compelled to race to the Savage Land. Tracking her, the X-Men follow via Gateway, arriving to find the once verdant land empty and desolate. Reading the psychic history of a bone, Longshot recounts to the X-Men the destruction of the Savage Land at the hands of the alien Terminus. Storm also discovers survivors of his attack, members of various Savage Land tribes, including the X-Men's friend Nereel, who managed to safely travel to an otherdimensional world in the wake of Terminus' attack. Just then Terminus resurfaces, attacking the X-Men as well as the High Evolutionary, who has journeyed to the Savage Land with hopes of restoring it. Defeating Terminus, they discover Garokk inside the armor, compelled by an outside force to pilot it. The High Evolutionary convinces Garokk to lend his life force to the recreation of the Savage Land, and together, they manage to restore the land to its original state. In the wake of the Savage Land's resurrection, the remaining tribespeople come together as the United Tribes, and though Psylocke alters their memories to forget the X-Men, they remember the legends who helped restore their home.
Labels: "The Evolutionary War", Annuals, Claremont/Adams, Comic Book reviews, comics, Uncanny X-Men, X-aminations, X-Men
Game of Thrones 4x07: Mockingbird
Opening Credits Map
King's Landing -> Dreadfort -> Winterfell -> The Wall -> Braavos -> Meereen
Tyrion is back in his usual cell shooting the breath with Jaime. Tyrion requests that Jaime be his champion for the trial by combat. Jaime breaks the news that learning to sword fight with his left hand has not gone well. Tell me about it. I once tried to masturbate with my left hand and nearly ended up in the hospital!
Anyway, after Tyrion and Jaime have a laugh about ending the Lannister name with both their deaths (cheerful lot, these Lannisters...or anybody in Game of Thrones), Tyrion says he wants to see Bronn. Bronn was good for one trial by combat; surely he'd be up for another, right? Then Tyrion asks Jaime the fateful question of who Cersei's champion will be...
Cut to the Mountain. He came to King's Landing to do two things: Chew bubblegum and cleave random prisoners\sparring partners in half. And bubblegum doesn't exist in Westeros. Eventually the fodder being fed to Ser Gregor stopped even attempting to fight and just begged for mercy. I think you can all guess how well that strategy worked out.
Posted by Dr. Bitz at 12:49 AM 7 comments: Links to this post
Labels: 2013-2014 TV Season, Game of Thrones, Last Week in TV, TV, TV reviews
"Glory Day"
Late Septemeber 1988
The X-Men defeat the Brood.
Penciler: Marc Silvestri
Guest Inker: Josef Rubinstein
In Denver, the X-Men continue to battle the Brood-infected mutants, though Rogue and Psylocke remain under their control. In Australia, Madelyne dreams of meeting S'ym, and accepting from him power enough to hurt Scott, though S'ym tells her this is no dream. At the Red Rocks amphitheater, Reverend Conover's wife Hannah, suffering from arthritis, is tended to by Josey Thomas, Harry Palmer's paramedic partner. Meanwhile, the Brood and a hoodwinked Rogue, zeroing in on the theater, are attacked by the captured Wolverine, fighting the Brood egg implanted inside him. Nearby, the X-Men target a car carrying more Brood and Psylocke, freeing her. As Reverend Conover begins his service, Wolverine lands on the stage, in the midst of transforming into a Brood.
Labels: "Earthfall", Claremont/Silvestri, Comic Book reviews, comics, Uncanny X-Men, X-aminations, X-Men
Saturday Night Live: Charlize Theron & The Black Keys
Wow, the most remarkable thing about this episode is how thoroughly mediocre it was. Like, I'm having a hard time remembering much of anything about it, and while that's probably understandable for everyone reading this who watched it weeks ago, I just watched it Saturday night for the first time. And I still can't remember much that jumped out at me, good or bad, though I do remember that most of what I did enjoy, I enjoyed on a more intellectual "I get why this is funny" level than because I was uproariously laughing at it. This wasn't the worst episode of the season by any means, but it almost feels like the nadir of the season nonetheless, just in terms of how the baseline has been so thoroughly established as "nothing terrible, nothing terribly good".
Posted by Austin Gorton at 12:00 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: 2013-2014 TV Season, SNL, TV, TV reviews
Last Week in Pop Culture...
...is once again missing this week, as I was once again traveling for work the first part of the week, then busy with SpringCon setup, so I didn't really watch or read anything of note.
But, you can read a slightly revised "To Better Know a Hero" about Professor X on Sound on Sight, as well as my latest Market Maven column for Capeless Crusader.
Next week, we should be back to regular coverage, as we begin wrapping up the official 2013-2014 network TV season!
Labels: comics, Excuses Excuses, Last Week in Pop Culture
"The Carbon Copy Avengers"
X-Factor battles aliens posing as the Avengers.
Plotter/Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco
Scripter: Louise Simonson
Guest Artist: Steve Lightle
As the Avengers donate the land on which Avengers Mansion resided to the city, they are watched by alien Xartans. Returning to their spaceship, the four warriors use their mimicry abilities to take the form of the Avengers in order to avenge the defeat of their leader's father at the hands of Thor. But before they move on the Avengers, their sensors pick up the presence of another spaceship on Earth: X-Factor's Ship. Aboard Ship, Cyclops, Marvel Girl and Iceman are tending to the comatose Beast when they're suddenly attacked by the Xartan Avengers. Ship locks the kids in their room for their safety as X-Factor battles what they believe to be the Avengers, holding back out of confusion. When the kids see a live interview with the Avengers on TV, they realize X-Factor is battling imposters, and when Ship refuses to release them in order to tell X-Factor, they break out.
Labels: Avengers, Comic Book reviews, comics, X-aminations, X-Factor
"Promise"
Lila Cheney is kidnapped by Spyder.
In order to go into the city to attend his girlfriend Lila Cheney's concert, Sam promises Magneto he won't use his powers while at the concert. However, the alien Spyder has arrived in Earth orbit, and he dispatches his accountants to retrieve Lila, whom he believes to be his property. At the concert, Lila is happy Sam made it, while at the mansion, the rest of the New Mutants listen to the show on the radio. Aboard Spyder's ship, Gosamyr manages to sneak aboard the craft heading after Lila, hoping that if she saves Lila, Lila will help her in turn. She's spotted by Spyder, however, but, intoxicated, he decides to let her go and see how her adventure plays out. The aliens crash Lila's concert and a fight breaks out, with Sam doing the best he can to help without using his powers and breaking his promise.
"Dawn of Blood"
The X-Men battle a group of Brood-possessed mutants.
Inker: Dan Green
In Denver, the X-Men are attacked by a group of mutants who have been implanted with Brood eggs by Harry Palmer. Halfway between their human and Brood forms, each possesses a unique mutant ability. As the X-Men battle, they're conflicted about how much force to use against the Brood, considering their human hosts are unwitting victims. During the fight, Rogue, Psylocke and Wolverine are either mentally ensnared or captured. Meanwhile, at the nearby Red Rocks amphitheater, Reverend Conover's ministry is preparing for a large morning service. Elsewhere, Madelyne dreams of having her life with Scott ripped away, her form given to Jean Grey, until she is nothing but an abandoned nothing being. Back in Denver, Havok is forced to use lethal force on a Brood to save Storm's life, and when Colossus emerges from a collapsed warehouse with another dead alien, the losses are enough for Harry to order the Brood to retreat and regroup. When the dead Brood reverts to human form, Havok is horrified, but Storm assures him he's done the man a service, as regardless of his outer form, his life ended the moment he was implanted with an egg. It was Harry Palmer who killed him, she says, and if he and his Brood gang aren't stopped, the Earth is doomed.
Labels: "Earthfall", Claremont/Silvestri, Comic Book reviews, comics, Outback Era, Uncanny X-Men, X-aminations, X-Men
Game of Thrones 4x06: The Laws of Gods and Men
Braavos
We start off with Stannis Baratheon sailing in literally the opposite direction of the White Walkers. Instead he's entering Braavos to go to the Iron Bank. If you think that going to a bank in the Game of Thrones universe is any more exciting than going to the bank in real life then you're about to be proven wrong!
Apparently, like all banks, the Iron Bank makes you wait interminably long too. Finally, Stannis and Davos get to meet with the heads of the bank. Stannis is in need of cash for all this world conquering he's planning to do. So he applying for a loan. But he is denied. Obama's America, am I right?
Davos isn't going to take no for an answer, though. He notes that Tommen is just a pretender to the throne and, regardless, Tywin is the one really pulling the strings and, due to his age, he isn't long for this world. Stannis is the only would-be-king in prime ruling-the-seven-kingdoms-age. Davos also notes that Stannis pays his debts unlike others who only talk about doing so.
My first Market Maven column for Capeless Crusader went up this week, a new weekly column I'll be writing that looks at each week's batch of comic releases. Look for it every Monday, and eventually I'll have some other columns up on Capeless Crusader as well. And if you like what you read, be sure to like the site's Facebook page as well.
As for Sound on Sight, this week I reviewed the first issue of my boy Cyclops' first solo series, a fun little space pirate-y story starring the time-lost version of the character (not the present day cranky Magneto-esque version).
And hey, just because it's been awhile since I'm mentioned it, don't forget about Saved by the Bell Reviewed, the podcast co-hosted by me and Dr. Bitz. New episodes come out every week, and this week's is a doozy!
Labels: 2013-2014 TV Season, comic book movies, comics, Glee, Last Week in Pop Culture, Modern Family, Movie Reviews, Once Upon a Time, Saved by the Bell, SHIELD, TV, TV reviews
"Kiss Off!"
Infectia tries to kiss Iceman, but gets Beast instead.
Colorist: Greg Wright
Aboard Ship, Infectia leans in to kiss Iceman, but a time bomb from Boom-Boom interrupts them. As Iceman chases after her, Beast swings in and tells Boom-Boom and the rest of the kids about how he knows Infectia is a danger to Iceman, even though he can't remember exactly why. Meanwhile, in Dallas, Cyclops and Marvel Girl easily free themselves and begin fighting Freedom Force. Back on Ship, the kids spend the rest of the evening doing their best to interrupt Iceman and Infectia at every turn, and even Ship gets in on the action. But when Infectia threatens to use her power to enslave him, Ship, remembering his time as Apocalypse's prisoner, relents. In Omaha, Nanny calls forth Orphan Maker and sends him into a home to slay the parents inside. The next morning, Infectia decides to take Iceman to her apartment, and Ship provides a plane to fly them back to the city.
In Dallas, Destiny calls a halt to the fight, telling Cyclops his son is alive, but that she doesn't know where he is. In Chicago, a group of cloaked figures watch footage of Death's recent attacks, agreeing to monitor the situation while continuing their plans to destroy mutants. Back in New York, Ship sends Beast after Iceman and Infectia. When the pair arrive at Infectia's apartment, she restrains Iceman. Transforming a captured postman into a monster as a demonstration, she tells Iceman she's going to do the same to him so he can capture Ship for her. Just then, Beast arrives and battles the postman monster. During the fight, Infectia leans in to kiss Iceman, but Beast breaks free and manages to put himself between them, taking the kiss meant for Iceman. The ensuing explosion frees Iceman and causes Beast to shift between his human and animal forms. Iceman apologizes for not listening to Beast's warning as the shifting Beast slips into unconscious.
Firsts and Other Notables
After being kissed by Infectia, Beast falls unconscious and shifts between his normal look and his blue-and-furry look. Ultimately, Infectia's kiss will result in him permanently regaining his animalistic look, as well as his normal intelligence, marking this issue as the end of the "Beast is getting dumber" subplot.
Nanny's accomplice, Orphan Maker (who will turn out to be not nearly as cool as his name suggests) makes his first appearance in this issue, though he is not yet named.
Death's hunt for Candy Southern has been noticed by a shadowy cabal - they will eventually be revealed to be the remnants of the Right. It's established they have Candy Southern, and that while she was scheduled to be killed, her termination order has been suspended for the time being.
After Infectia transforms a postman into a monster, he recites the postman's creed. This issue is actually the first place I ever read it.
Destiny notes that, like Madelyne, time twists around Jean. She also confirms that Scott and Maddie's son is alive, though she is unable to pinpoint his location. Much of what she vaguely describes of his location will turn out to be true.
I dunno, am I reading too much into it, or is Ship's production of that plane a sexual innuendo?
The Awesome and Terrible Power of Cyclops
In a detail I've always gotten a kick out of, Cyclops is able to blast a small hole through Blob's arm.
Teebore's Take
With that, the Infectia story mercifully comes to a close. Not because it was terrible, but because it was mostly forgettable, with everything happening on the periphery consistently more exciting or interesting that Infectia herself (and there's only so many times X-Factor can battle generic monsters, even ones drawn by Walt Simonson). This issue certainly continues that trend, with Death's hunt for Candy Southern and Cyclops and Marvel Girl's battle with Freedom Force (I enjoy that the pair more or less defeat Freedom all by themselves - a subtle indication of just how long they've been doing this stuff and how good they've gotten at it) proving far more entertaining than anything with Infectia.
As for the "A" plot, I actually don't mind the first half, with the kids doing their best Parent Trap imitation to keep Infectia from kissing Iceman, which is genuinely entertaining and shows that Simonson can write teenagers better than the petulant brats of New Mutants if she wants to, but once Infectia and Iceman leave Ship (for dubious reasons), it falls back into routine, forgettable territory. In the end, this three-parter essentially serves as a vehicle for resolving Beast's "getting dumber" status quo, and that's all well and good (and ultimately for the best), but Infectia herself unfortunately never manages to rise above the level of "plot device", which never a good thing for the character at the center of three part story.
Next week, more Brood in Uncanny X-Men #233 and more Spyder & Gosamyr in New Mutants #67, while the Avengers sort of show up in X-Factor #32.
"Sorcerer's Duel!"
Illyana battles Forge.
Inker: Terry Austin
Editor: Ann Nocenti & Bob Harras
In Dallas, Illyana confronts Forge, determined to kill him as revenge for his role in the deaths of her brother and the X-Men. A surprised Forge, whose magical abilities are tied to Earth, manages to hold her off, and as they battle, the rest of the New Mutants debate what to do. When they decide to intervene on Forge's behalf, Illyana teleports everyone to Limbo, where her power reigns supreme. Restraining the New Mutants, she and Forge resume their battle, during which her scrying glass is destroyed and Forge gradually realizes that Illyana is little more than an angry, grieving child, not so different than he was in Vietnam when he cast the spell the X-Men died to complete.
"Earthfall"
The Brood are back, and on Earth.
Editors: Ann Nocenti & Bob Harras
Not too long ago, Harry Palmer and a group of friend are camping in the Rio Diablo Mountains when they witness a Star Shark crashing to Earth. Investigating the crash, everyone but Harry is killed when Brood emerge from the crashed shark. Harry seemingly escapes unharmed, though he frantically runs Alex Summers and Lorna Dane off the road as he drives away. In the present, Harry is in Denver, working as a paramedic. Responding to a call involving a fire-breathing mutant, Harry unknowingly infects him with a Brood egg. In Australia, Madelyne returns home to find the X-Men away. Suddenly, the computer system displays a clip of Cyclops and Marvel Girl at a press conference. Realizing that her husband left her for the resurrected Jean Grey, Madelyne punches the screen, triggering an explosion that knocks her out.
Game of Thrones 4x05: First of His Name
King's Landing -> Dragonstone -> Dreadfort -> Winterfell -> The Wall -> Meereen
We have a new king! It's Tommen and the crowd goes wild at his coronation. I'm not sure if they're cheering out of obligation, because they like Tommen or just the fact that he's not Joffrey. I mean, after Joffrey, I'd cheer for Justin Bieber!
Margaery is making eyes with Tommen and Cersei notices this. Cersei talks about what douche Joffrey was with Margaery but Margaery plays it cool. Cersei then seems to endorse the pairing of Margaery and Tommen. I almost think she's sincere about this but when has Cersei been sincere about anything?
Later, Cersei talks with Tywin about the Margaery/Tommen marriage and the marriage between herself and Loras Tyrell. Again, she seems sincerely onboard with this. Then the bomb is dropped that the famed Lannister gold mines are dry. So the kingdom needs the Tyrell's money in order to pay back the Iron Bank. So, I suppose you could say, the Lannisters used to dig for gold but now they're gold diggers! I'm here all night folks.
Posted by Dr. Bitz at 1:54 AM 5 comments: Links to this post
Saturday Night Live: Andrew Garfield & Coldplay
This episode marks the beginning of the end of SNL's season, as it's the first of the final three new episodes of the TV year. Andrew Garfield, flush with all the Amazing Spider-Man 2 press, helps usher in the season's endgame with a worthy amount of energy and enthusiasm, though once again, the writing fails to elevate much of the material beyond mediocre. Host verve can do a lot to make an episode enjoyable (if the host is having a good time, it's easier for the audience to have one too), but it takes more than that for a really memorable one.
Last Week In Pop Culture
No Last Week in Pop Culture this week, since I was out of town and didn't have much time to read or watch anything of note (and I still haven't seen Amazing Spider-Man 2).
But hey, you can always read my "To Better Know" Spider-Man related posts, and if you haven't already, hit up your local comic book store - it's Free Comic Book Day, and in addition to all the free stuff, most shops also run some kind of sale, so pick up some back issues or a trade or two, and help support your local retailer.
Labels: comics, Last Week in Pop Culture
To Better Know A Villain: Norman Osborn
Heading out to see Amazing Spider-Man 2 this weekend? Here's everything you need to know about Spidey's #1 foe (and be sure to check out this post on Spidey himself).
Amazing Spider-Man #14, July 1964
Nicknames and Aliases
The Green Goblin, Iron Patriot
Norman possess superhuman strength, stamina, and healing abilities as a result of the Goblin serum, a chemical compound of his own design. He also possesses genius-level intelligence and business/leadership acumen, as well as an aptitude for chemical and electrical engineering.
Recently, AIM scientists gave Norman powers similar to that of the Super-Adaptoid, enabling him to absorb the super-human abilities of anyone he physically touches.
As the Green Goblin, Norman routinely uses explosive and gaseous pumpkin bombs of his own design, and rides a flying "Goblin Glider" with an assortment of offensive capabilities.
As the Iron Patriot, Norman wore a suit of sophisticated armor similar to Iron Man's, outfitted with an array of weaponry.
Posted by Austin Gorton at 12:00 AM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: comic book movies, comics, Norman Osborn, Spider-Man, To Better Know A Hero, To Better Know A Villain
X-amining New Mutants Annual #4
"Mind Games"
The High Evolutionary targets Magma and Mirage gets a new power.
Penciler: June Brigman
Inker: Bob McLeod , Roy Richardson (2nd Story)
Letterer: John Workman
Just outside New York, the Purifiers capture Bulk and Glow Worm, determined to strip them of their dangerous mutant abilities. At the X-Mansion, Sam and Warlock train in the Danger Room before Rahne arrives with a letter from Amara lamenting her arranged marriage. At the Purifiers base, they remove Bulk and Glow Worm's power, then receive another high power level danger alert, belonging to Amara. In Nova Roma, Amara is discussing her situation with Empath when the Purifiers arrive, overpowering the pair and teleporting away with Amara. When her father contacts the White Queen for help, and the White Queen calls in the other members of the Inner Circle, the New Mutants overhear Magneto's conversation and learn of the situation. Deciding to rescue Amara themselves, they teleport to the Purifiers' base.
Labels: "The Evolutionary War", Annuals, Comic Book reviews, comics, New Mutants, X-aminations
Austin Gorton
Dr. Bitz
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Austin "Teebore" Gorton: @AustinGorton
Dr. Bitz: @DoctorBitz
G. Kendall: @NBX_Tweets
Saved by the Bell Reviewed: The Podcast: @SBTB_Reviewed
A Very Special Episode: @AVSEPod
Gentlemen of Leisure banner art and "Last Week in TV" icon courtesy of Ian Gorton. See more of his art and/or contact him here.
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A white board is a white board and a chair at a conference or presentation is just a forgotten chair unless you place it in an extraordinary environment that sparks your imagination. Then, it returns to you as a present moment in time, one that reminds you of an exceptional experience delivered to you again and again in a full colour menu of memories, experiences, sights, smells and sound.
Looking for 'out of the ordinary'? Tired of the usual luxury event venues available around town? Then escape to the edge of the city and enter a pristine natural environment at Hayward's Safari Sanctuary which delivers five-star quality and event creativity within an easy, one-hour chauffeur drive of Johannesburg, Pretoria and OR Tambo International Airport for your exclusive corporate or private occasion.
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Brand managers for Land Rover, Toyota, Ferrari, Investec, Roche, Jansen Pharmaceuticals and Forever Living amongst many other world-class organisations have celebrated audio visual themed production launches at Haywards, while celebrities and international Fortune 500 tycoons have been hosted for landmark celebratory events. Within South Africa, top blue-chip South African companies and CEO's have chosen to reward their top performers with a bespoke bushveld meetings experience combined with the service excellence of Hayward's 24-hour safari team.
Whether you're looking for a superior event production, a dedicated and focused private celebration or an intimate corporate or incentive event close to home but far away from any other experience you've ever had, Hayward's will delivery it in five-star event style.


Capricorn One is one of those movies that proves exactly what made the 1970s such a perfect time for genre cinema. I guess it's not even really a genre film in the strictest sense - more on that in a minute, but for now I'll just say that it's barely a science fiction tale - but it's plotted in that perfect way that allows for maximum lunacy while pretending to be perfectly serious about its ideas. This is a high concept political thriller that almost belongs alongside stuff like The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor, except for the fact that it almost belongs alongside flicks like Westworld and Soylent Green. Heck, I was introduced to the flick on Monstervision, for cryin' out loud. And there's nary a monster to be found.
If you want to understand why Capricorn One lives in a perpetual land of genre grayness, just listen to this plot synopsis. A trio of astronauts - played by James "Amityville Beard" Brolin, Sam "TD Ameritrade" Waterston and OJ "Totally Innocent" Simpson - are set for the first manned mission to Mars. Just before take off, they're whisked away by Hal "My Favorite Actor Possibly" Holbrook (and a jet, Holbrook can't fly like Superman in this) and told that NASA actually plans to fake the landing on Mars and that a nice big TV studio in the middle of a desert will double as Mars. It's a good idea - except for the "good" part - until the three amigos of the stars realize that the story only works if they're dead and can't tell anyone about the interstellar hoax.
Oh, and Elliott Gould shows up, playing the same Elliot Gould he always is. He's kind of like Max von Sydow in that you wish he could some how compile all of his characters into one big multi-talented persona that looks like something off of that TV show Dollhouse, except not Eliza Dushku hot. In the case of van Sydow, you realize that there's no way he could be a combination of Jesus, and Exorcist, Ming the Merciless, et al. But in the case of Gould, I'm not sure I'd bat an eyelash. If someone walked up to me and said "Hey The Mike, did you know Elliott Gould is a rich casino owning detective spy reporter?" I'd be like "Yeah, that makes sense." Did I have a point here? Oh, it's that Elliott Gould plays a reporter who wants to go all Woodward and Bernstein and uncover the hoax, which puts him in the mix as kind of the film's non astronaut hero.
So yeah, you kind of have to work past the idea that Americans are so dumb that they would believe some well lit screen and a bunch of sand on TV would pass for Mars (is that really so hard to do?) to get in to Capricorn One, but the film never wavers as it presents its goofy ideas. I'm sure I've talked about this before when covering '70s flicks, but it bears repeating. The folks who made movies in this decade were SO GOOD at pulling us in and making us care about something that was utterly ridiculous. Ir's really amazing. I don't know how they did it. Were the people of the '70s that much more naive than those of us who sit around today complaining about all the details? Did they just have a better sense of humor than us? I'm always talking about suspension of disbelief (It's the absolute number one thing you MUST have to love movies, you guys!) but the people of the 1970s....man, they were living it.
Capricorn One runs a little over two hours long, but it feels like an epic adventure of grander proportions. There is Gould's All The President's Men-ish quest for the truth, there's the journey through the desert that our three fugitive astronauts must make (I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that Brolin is a ManBeast), and there's the sneaky side of the plot that deals with politicians and bigwigs and Holbrook's fantastic NASA head who is a prototypical "I did it for the country!" big bad. And just when you think they couldn't add anything else to the adventure (or another piece of star power to the cast), TV's Telly Savalas shows up as a cog in the final act that adds plenty of laughs and a dollop of charm to the proceedings.
Director Peter Hyams - who would go on to make some genre hits like Outland and Relic (Relic is seriously underrated, you guys!) and End of Days (I'm saying it...this one's underrated too!) - seems to be one of the few directors in Hollywood history that is most willing to amp up the ridiculous when no one expects him to - and the result here is a film that moves at a cracking pace and never loses the viewer for a second. The film is obviously designed to be something of a talking piece about political corruption and how much we trust the media, but Hyams seems to have his tongue in cheek the whole time too. This film has so much fun with its silly premise, and that's a big reason that it's still terribly entertaining today.
Capricorn One isn't the kind of flick I usually cover here - it's not horror, sci-fi, and there's next to no blood - but it's a perfect example of what popcorn thrillers can be when done right. Somehow, a director managed to put together an A-List cast and make a film about a faked space mission. A film that includes a car speeding out of control through traffic (perhaps one of the most insanely "Wait, did that all just happen so quickly?" moments in film history), some rattlesnake eating, and one of the most bizarre final moments in the history of cinema. And despite how it sounds, it's SO INCREDIBLY GOOD. Capricorn One spits in the face of logical Hollywood expectations and manages to become one of the most entertaining films I've ever seen....and it does so in style.


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Invisible tricorns in real slices of rational maps
Local well-posedness for the Klein-Gordon-Zakharov system in 3D
April 2021, 41(4): 1737-1754. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2020339
Dynamical Borel–Cantelli lemmas
Viktoria Xing
Lund University, Sweden
Received May 2020 Revised July 2020 Published April 2021 Early access October 2020
Full Text(HTML)
This paper is a study of Borel–Cantelli lemmas in dynamical systems. D. Kleinbock and G. Margulis [7] have given a very useful sufficient condition for strongly Borel–Cantelli sequences, which is based on the work of W. M. Schmidt [10], [11]. We will obtain a weaker sufficient condition for the strongly Borel–Cantelli sequences. Two versions of the dynamical Borel–Cantelli lemmas will be deduced by extending a theorem by W. M. Schmidt [11], W. J. LeVeque [8], and W. Philipp [9]. Some applications of our theorems will also be discussed. Firstly, a characterization of the strongly Borel–Cantelli sequences in one-dimensional Gibbs–Markov systems will be established. This will improve the theorem of C. Gupta, M. Nicol, and W. Ott in [4]. Secondly, N. Haydn, M. Nicol, T. Persson, and S. Vaienti [5] proved the strong Borel–Cantelli property in sequences of balls in terms of a polynomial decay of correlations for Lipschitz observables. Our theorems will then be applied to relax their inequality assumption.
Keywords: Borel–Cantelli lemma, strongly Borel–Cantelli sequence, dynamical system, Gibbs–Markov system, Lipschitz observables.
Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary: 37A05; Secondary: 60F15.
Citation: Viktoria Xing. Dynamical Borel–Cantelli lemmas. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems, 2021, 41 (4) : 1737-1754. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2020339
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Dong Han Kim. The dynamical Borel-Cantelli lemma for interval maps. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems, 2007, 17 (4) : 891-900. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2007.17.891
L. Cioletti, E. Silva, M. Stadlbauer. Thermodynamic formalism for topological Markov chains on standard Borel spaces. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems, 2019, 39 (11) : 6277-6298. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2019274
Dominique Lecomte. Hurewicz-like tests for Borel subsets of the plane. Electronic Research Announcements, 2005, 11: 95-102.
Runlin Zhang. Equidistribution of translates of a homogeneous measure on the Borel–Serre compactification. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems, 2021 doi: 10.3934/dcds.2021183
Óscar Vega-Amaya, Joaquín López-Borbón. A perturbation approach to a class of discounted approximate value iteration algorithms with borel spaces. Journal of Dynamics & Games, 2016, 3 (3) : 261-278. doi: 10.3934/jdg.2016014
Chihiro Matsuoka, Koichi Hiraide. Special functions created by Borel-Laplace transform of Hénon map. Electronic Research Announcements, 2011, 18: 1-11. doi: 10.3934/era.2011.18.1
Mike Boyle. The work of Mike Hochman on multidimensional symbolic dynamics and Borel dynamics. Journal of Modern Dynamics, 2019, 15: 427-435. doi: 10.3934/jmd.2019026
P.K. Newton. The dipole dynamical system. Conference Publications, 2005, 2005 (Special) : 692-699. doi: 10.3934/proc.2005.2005.692
Ahmad Deeb, A. Hamdouni, Dina Razafindralandy. Comparison between Borel-Padé summation and factorial series, as time integration methods. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - S, 2016, 9 (2) : 393-408. doi: 10.3934/dcdss.2016003
Lukáš Poul. Existence of weak solutions to the Navier-Stokes-Fourier system on Lipschitz domains. Conference Publications, 2007, 2007 (Special) : 834-843. doi: 10.3934/proc.2007.2007.834
Dorota Bors, Robert Stańczy. Dynamical system modeling fermionic limit. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2018, 23 (1) : 45-55. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2018004
Xiangnan He, Wenlian Lu, Tianping Chen. On transverse stability of random dynamical system. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems, 2013, 33 (2) : 701-721. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2013.33.701
Jianfeng Feng, Mariya Shcherbina, Brunello Tirozzi. Dynamical behaviour of a large complex system. Communications on Pure & Applied Analysis, 2008, 7 (2) : 249-265. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2008.7.249
Daniel Han-Kwan. $L^1$ averaging lemma for transport equations with Lipschitz force fields. Kinetic & Related Models, 2010, 3 (4) : 669-683. doi: 10.3934/krm.2010.3.669
Maxime Herda, Luis Miguel Rodrigues. Anisotropic Boltzmann-Gibbs dynamics of strongly magnetized Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equations. Kinetic & Related Models, 2019, 12 (3) : 593-636. doi: 10.3934/krm.2019024
Julian Newman. Synchronisation of almost all trajectories of a random dynamical system. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems, 2020, 40 (7) : 4163-4177. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2020176
Mika Yoshida, Kinji Fuchikami, Tatsuya Uezu. Realization of immune response features by dynamical system models. Mathematical Biosciences & Engineering, 2007, 4 (3) : 531-552. doi: 10.3934/mbe.2007.4.531
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Karsten Keller, Sergiy Maksymenko, Inga Stolz. Entropy determination based on the ordinal structure of a dynamical system. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2015, 20 (10) : 3507-3524. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2015.20.3507
Matthew Macauley, Henning S. Mortveit. Update sequence stability in graph dynamical systems. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - S, 2011, 4 (6) : 1533-1541. doi: 10.3934/dcdss.2011.4.1533
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The winter is coming soon and there are many winter sport lovers who can't wait to practice their favourite sport. Whether it is for skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating. hockey or any other winter activity your loved winter sport fans need some good equipment and accessories.
In the winter we have also the festive season. This is a perfect opportunity to give the winter sport enthusiasts a Christmas present which can make their winter even more exciting and fun. You can update their existing essential equipment or get some accessories to make their snow or ice activity more enjoyable and comfortable.
If you want to buy ski or any other important winter sport equipment you have to be sure you know your loved one's preferences, shoe size, their skill level, and any other details that will help you make the right winter sports gift choice.
The goggles are very important accessory for many snow sports. They are used to protect the eyes from the sun thus keeping our eyes from damage and allowing clearer vision. The recommended goggles below have 100% UV400 Protection and are anti-fog coated.
Every ski lover needs high-quality clothes to protect them, keep them warm and make them feel comfortable. This applies to the ski jacket too. Our gift suggestion is a Trespass Girl's Ailey Ski Jacket. It looks nice and can protect from snow, water and wind. A perfect winter sports gift idea for skiing ladies.
The children are the ones who enjoy the snow the most. They can play all day long in cold freezing days and still will not get enough. So why not add more fun and happiness on the snowy days by getting snowshoes for your son, daughter, or any other child. Our winter sports gift idea for kids is the Lucky Bums pair of snowshoes with adjustable kid friendly bindings to accommodate most snow boots sizes.


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News > Internet & Security
Firefox's 100th Build Brings Picture-in-Picture Subtitles and More
Available for all operating systems
Lawrence Bonk
Lawrence Bonk is a tech news reporter for Lifewire, specializing in gaming, AI, VR, and consumer tech, including iOS, macOS, wearables, and more.
Published on May 3, 2022 01:10PM EDT
Jerri Ledford
Fact checked by Jerri Ledford
Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
Tech Leaders
Home Theater & Entertainment
It seems just like yesterday that Mozilla's Firefox web browser began giving Google and that scurrilous Jeeves a run for their money.
In reality, however, it has been thousands of yesterdays. Firefox launched in 2004, and now the browser is back with a 100th iteration, as announced via an official Mozilla blog post. Firefox 100, as they are calling it, brings plenty of new features to the table.
Szabo Viktor / Unsplash.com
First up, the browser's picture-in-picture mode now includes subtitles and captions, which is fantastic for heavy-duty multitaskers and, of course, the hearing impaired. This feature works with YouTube, Prime Video, and Netflix, in addition to any website that supports the W3C standard WebVTT (Web Video Text Track) format.
Mozilla has stated that this is only the beginning for picture-in-picture subtitles and that more websites and streaming platforms will become useable in the future, but they stopped short of providing any details.
The browser also includes a new language switcher, making it simple for users to change their preferred language in the browser. Firefox integrates with over 100 languages, all accessible with a quick settings adjustment.
The company is also rolling out its credit card autofill feature to Europe, as this tool was previously available only to US residents.
The full-featured Firefox 100 is available for all major operating systems, including Mac, Windows, and Linux. Smartphones also get a Firefox 100 update, but without the picture-in-picture advancements. Mobile users do, however, get customizable wallpapers, and an overhaul of the UI.
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H: November 3, 2015: Ahhh, the Salmon river.... You either love it or hate it. No tepid, in between, feelings for this river. The past two years, I made one or two trips all season and usually later on when the salmon crowds have thinned. But so far, I've made two trips in the last three weeks.
The first trip was a quickie. I met Sam and Demetre in the DSR on a Friday thinking the crowds might not be too bad. Wrong! Every inch of good water held fishermen stacked side by side, maybe 20 feet apart. Chad texts me asking about the crowds. My response: "I can't believe how crowded it is. I hate it!" It took some hiking upriver but we finally found a small stretch where the three of us could rotate in and swing. From there we slowly walked down to the meadow, stopping at a couple of spots along the way but with no luck.
At the meadow, we met up with Chad and Adelcio. Chad was already halfway down the run. Adelcio was fishing in front of us. As we settled into the picnic table, Sam, Demetre, and I watched Adelcio cast: simple—fluid—effortless—beautiful. Chad texts to say he's working his way down to the lower clay so I decide to join him.
There are only 3 anglers there, nymphing. We step in below them and start to fish. It wasn't long before one of them hooked and landed a nice steelhead. He decides to call it a day so Chad and I rotate in above and below the other two anglers. Shortly after, I hook a fish. It's not a steelhead but a big beautiful brown. Then Chad hooks up with a large hot steelhead. He puts the screws to it with his 10 weight Carron and 25 lb Maxima. I can tell he thinks he has it, but it makes one last run towards a submerged log jam and comes unbuttoned. Everyone is excited. The two Canadian anglers we were fishing with asked what flies we were using. I told them I had caught my brown on an atlantic salmon fly and Chad had hooked his steelhead on a streamer. They were surprised, opened up their fly boxes, and decided to switch from their egg patterns.
We continued fishing as silver torpedos darted by in shin to ankle deep water, some just a few feet away. Chad hooks another steelhead and this time lands it.
Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered if I had caught one. So, it's blowing 25 mph and you've reached the point where you doubt that tug on your line is a fish but rather one of hundreds of leaves you've bumped or hooked.... It's a gorgeous fall day. I'm outside fishing and my partner is someone who actually enjoys fishing even more than me, someone who loves this crazy Salmon river.
Our efforts were rewarded that third day with some beautiful fresh chrome. It was one of the best days I've had on this river and certainly one of the most fun! Between us we were 6 for 10. We shared the run with 3 center pinners below us and 2 nymphers above us, swinging our atlantic salmon flies. Who says we can't all get along?
As the light of day started to dim, we looked out towards the estuary. The surface rippled with life as 30? 50? 100? steelhead pulsed underwater, getting ready to make their push. The anticipation was electric. Once again, chrome torpedos shot upriver. It was such an incredible sight! Everyone hooked up and so many beautiful steelhead were landed!
The last fish I caught that day is one I won't soon forget. It took off upriver as soon as it felt the hook and looked like it would take me into my backing. As I chased it upstream, it suddenly changed it's mind, turned around, and came racing back towards me. I reeled in line as fast as I could and I truly thought I'd lost it.... But it was literally right back in front of me :). As I reeled in more line, it took off again, this time towards the estuary. I followed in pursuit and finally brought it to net.
It's funny how quickly the tides can change, how things can turn on a dime—from hate to love, frustration to exhilaration, calm to sheer joy. I guess that's why I love this sport.


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> > boost/compatibility was intended for this.
> std library implementations. This is really Ralf's bailiwick, though.
lightweight fashion (I had some difficulties using STLport).


"Mycobacteriosis-Associated Mortality in Wild Striped Bass (Morone Saxa" by D. T. Gauthier, R. J. Latour et al.
The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is an economically and ecologically important finfish species along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. Recent stock assessments in Chesapeake Bay (USA) indicate that non-fishing mortality in striped bass has increased since 1999, concomitant with very high (>50%) prevalence of visceral and dermal disease caused by Mycobacterium spp. Current fishery assessment models do not differentiate between disease and other components of non-fishing mortality (e. g., senescence, predation); therefore, disease impact on the striped bass population has not been established. Specific measurement of mortality associated with mycobacteriosis in wild striped bass is complicated because the disease is chronic and mortality is cryptic. Epidemiological models have been developed to estimate disease-associated mortality from cross-sectional prevalence data and have recently been generalized to represent disease processes more realistically. Here, we used this generalized approach to demonstrate disease-associated mortality in striped bass from Chesapeake Bay. To our knowledge this is the first demonstration of cryptic mortality associated with a chronic infectious disease in a wild finfish. This finding has direct implications for management and stock assessment of striped bass, as it demonstrates population-level negative impacts of a chronic disease. Additionally, this research provides a framework by which disease-associated mortality may be specifically addressed within fisheries models for resource management.
Gauthier, D. T.; Latour, R. J.; Heisey, D. M.; Bonzek, C. F.; Gartland, J.; Burge, E. J.; and Vogelbein, W. K., "Mycobacteriosis-Associated Mortality in Wild Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) from Chesapeake Bay, USA" (2008). Biological Sciences Faculty Publications. 172.


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Bahamian liquidators reject validity of FTX's US bankruptcy filing
Brian Simms, the court-appointed provisional liquidator overseeing the bankruptcy proceedings of FTX Digital Markets in The Bahamas, has called into question the validity of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by subsidiary FTX Trading and 134 other affiliates in a Delaware court on Nov. 14.
In the Nov. 15 document, Simms filed for Chapter 15 Bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York, which is used when a foreign representative of the debtor seeks recognition in the U.S. for a pending foreign insolvency proceeding.
In the filing Simms notes FTX Digital is not part of the Delaware Petition, and says as the provisional liquidator he is the only one, "authorized to take any act including, but not limited to, filing the Delaware Petition," adding:
"The Provisional Liquidation Order divests FTX Digital's directors' of the ability to act, or exercise any functions, for or on behalf of FTX Digital unless expressly instructed to so by me in writing."
The Bahamas-based lawyer argues because he "did not authorize or approve, in writing or otherwise," he rejects the "validity of any purported attempt to place FTX Affiliates in bankruptcy."
He further notes, "The entire FTX Brand was ultimately operated from a single location: The Bahamas. All core management personnel likewise were located in The Bahamas."
FTX's digital asset exchange was founded in May 2019 by Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) in Hong Kong but after China's crypto ban, SB relocated the company to the Bahamian capital of Nassau in Sept. 2021.
Simms has not asked the court to dismiss the U.S. bankruptcy proceedings, stating "no provisional relief seeking the injunction or dismissal of the Chapter 11 is presently sought" but requests the U.S courts recognize the legal actions taking place in The Bahamas.
However, he notes "it is conceivable that the FTX Affiliates that filed Chapter 11 will be impacted by the provisional relief sought," by his filing.
Related: FTX's ongoing saga: Everything that's happened until now
Chapter 11 is used by businesses to help them reorganize their debts and repay creditors while continuing their operations.
The appointment of provisional liquidators followed the Bahamian securities regulator suspending FTX's registration status and freezing its local subsidiary's assets on Nov. 10.


This is my favourite baked cheesecake adapted from Alex Goh cookbook. I have baked many times and the outcome is great! If you are using spring foam it is advisable to line the base with baking paper. It will ease the process of transfer cheesecake to cake board. You may omit the marble and keep plain. It tastes good on its own too.
2. Add (B) and cream till smooth.
3. Add (C) and cream till well blended.
4. Add (D) and (E), mix till well combined. Set aside.
5. In another bowl whisk the egg whites till frothy. Add vinegar and half of the sugar. Continue beat till incorporate. Add in the 2ndportion of sugar and continue beat till soft peak.
6. Mix the egg white batter with the cheese mixture in 2-3 batches.
7. In a separate bowl mix pandan extract with 200g of the cheese mixture till smooth.
8. Line the base of spring foam with baking paper. Pour about 1/3 of the plain cheese filling into the mould. Place some of pandan cheese filling on top and finish by topping both layers with the remaining plain cheese filling.
9. Bake in water bath at 120C for 90 minutes or till set and golden brown.
*I'm using steam bake by placing a tray of hot water at the base of oven. Adjust your oven temperature accordingly.
This looks delicious, i would love to try this out. Thanks for sharing!
This intrigues me with the marbeling. I can see why this is your favorite.
Vivian, this cake is so delicious! Must try!
Lovely marble cheesecake, make me tempted to try it out :) Thanks for sharing with us.
Hi Vivian, i would like to know how big your Springform for this cake?? thanks and will try this week.
This is such a beautiful cheesecake. Love the pandan marbling! Like!


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Q: How to contain sections of HTML and other controls within a server control? I am trying to achieve something like this in a server control.
<MyNewControl runat="server">
    <FirstTemplate>
        <asp:Label runat="server" ForeColor="Red">Hello</asp:Label>
    </FirstTemplate>
    <SecondTemplate>
        <asp:Label runat="server" ForeColor="Blue">Hello</asp:Label>
    </SecondTemplate>
</MyNewControl>

I'm hoping to know how to implement that MyNewControl server control to accept those template containers.
I'd like them to allow more complex content than just containing a label.
The goal is to be able to choose which template I want the control to render out.
I've looked around and I couldn't find something that tells me what part of ASP.NET that supports what I'm looking for.

A: If the goal is to choose which piece of content to render, you could use the built-in ASP.NET MultiView control instead of writing your own.
e.g. ASPX Markup:
<asp:MultiView ID="multiExample" runat="server">
  <asp:View ID="viewOne" runat="server">

This is my first view

  </asp:View>
  <asp:View ID="viewTwo" runat="server">

This is my second view

  </asp:View>
</asp:MultiView>

C# Code-behind code for switching between "templates":
  if (condition1)
  {
    multiExample.SetActiveView(viewOne);
  }
  else
  {
    multiExample.SetActiveView(viewTwo);
  }

If you'd like to learn how to create a templated user control from scratch, there's an MSDN tutorial here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/36574bf6(v=vs.100).aspx

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text:
Train Accident Lawyers
Railroad Crossing & Other Train Accidents
A railroad accident can be devastating, often involving catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death. Although railroad safety has been a concern since the late 1800's, there are an alarming number of dangerous railroad crossings throughout the United States. Train accidents also commonly result from defective equipment, such as crossing lights, guards, and derailments, or due to crew negligence.
In many cases, the train crew may be pressured to meet deadlines and may travel through a community at an illegal speed. The crew may fail to sound the horn to warn the train is approaching. Head on collisions may occur due to fatigue or drug use.
Our Kansas City train accident lawyers at Cullan & Cullan have handled many railroad accident cases involving these and other causes. We can help victims understand their rights. Since 1990, we have represented the injured, protected the defenseless, and spoken for the voiceless. We are here to represent your interests.
To learn more, call (816) 253-8606 for a free consultation.
Train Accident Cases Involving Dangerous Crossings
Many factors need to be analyzed in evaluating whether a crossing is dangerous. One of the main concerns is whether the railroad company failed to maintain the crossing. In spite of federal and state regulations, many railroad companies have allowed vegetation surrounding the crossing to grow out of control thereby making it difficult or impossible for the motorist to see an oncoming train.
Other crossings may be dangerous due to:
The angle at which the road and the track meet
The crossing may be too close to the road
The approach to the track may be obstructed due to the grade of a hill
It may be difficult to see the track in both directions due to a curve or the angle they intersect
Warning signs may be missing or inappropriately placed
The track and crossing may be in such disrepair that it appears to be abandoned, giving motorists the impression that they do not need to look for a train
In some cases, a railroad, city, or county may have been ordered to make the crossing safer and failed to do so in a timely fashion. If due to a railroad company's negligence, you or a loved one has been in a train accident, our Kansas City injury lawyers can help you get the fair compensation you are entitled to.
Train Accident Investigation
When a train accident occurs, the railroad company immediately dispatches a team of investigators to the scene to protect their interests. Frequently, the railroad company is notified of the wreck before medical personnel, state patrol, or other law enforcement officers. Sometimes, the railroad's team is onsite before the state patrol or other local law enforcement officers have arrived or concluded their investigation.
It is essential that you quickly have the scene investigated by your own train accident lawyers. With extensive training in accident reconstruction, we at Cullan & Cullan can work to ensure that evidence is not lost, destroyed, or tampered with.
We cannot stress how important it is that the injured person's family has a team of experts go to the scene of the train accident. Federal law requires trains to be equipped with computers (known as "black boxes") that record data regarding the train. This includes but is not limited to speed, time, braking distance, traction, locomotive throttle position, front and end brake pipe pressure, brake pipe reduction, and horn and bell use. There are many types of computer data recorders being used. The information can be extremely important in analyzing why a train accident occurred. Expert testimony from a train accident reconstructionist is mandatory.
Contact Our Kansas City Railroad Accident Attorneys
If you have been injured in a railroad accident you should immediately seek the advice of competent lawyers to make sure that the evidence is secured and your rights are preserved. There are many state and federal laws and regulations that specifically apply to Kansas and Missouri train accidents. Our Kansas City railroad accident lawyers would be honored to discuss your case with you and help you understand your rights.
Please contact our personal injury firm at (816) 253-8606 today to learn more.
Texting-and-Driving Accidents


text:
Filellum magnificum is een hydroïdpoliep uit de familie Lafoeidae. De poliep komt uit het geslacht Filellum. Filellum magnificum werd in 2004 voor het eerst wetenschappelijk beschreven door Peña Cantero, Svoboda & Vervoort.

Lafoeidae

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