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providing original live music iN ROSWELL, GA for two concert series
Roswell Riverside Sounds Concert Series
Seth Walker - 5.4.19
FREE 7-9pm
575 Riverside Road, Roswell, GA 30075
http://roswellgov.com/RiversideSounds
"Are You Open?" Seth Walker sings on his transfixing new album of the same title. More than just a question, it's a challenge, an invitation, a dare. "To me, being open means being vulnerable and exposed," explains Walker, "but that's where the little nuggets of creative gold come from. I never planned an overall concept for this record, but each of these songs seemed to spin out from asking myself that one simple question."
Produced by The Wood Brothers' Jano Rix, 'Are You Open' marks Seth Walker's tenth studio recording, and the music is undoubtedly his most inventive, exploring new sounds and textures as he examines what it means to truly be open, both as an artist and more broadly as a human in today's increasingly more complicated world. The songwriting here is bold and infectious, featuring melodies and rhythms drawn from Walker's time spent in Havana and filtered through his split-screen life in New Orleans and Nashville. The result is a melting pot of sounds and perspectives, a soulful brew of roots music from the Americas and beyond. Songs frequently build off of a single chord, shifting in color and tone as they ebb and flow and stack layer upon layer over hypnotic bass lines and percussion grooves. The record features Walker's guitar playing more heavily than ever before, and the new approach suits him well, showcasing a melodic prowess to match his prodigious lyrical gifts.
'Are You Open?' follows 2016's critically acclaimed 'Gotta Get Back,' a stunning collection that found Walker excavating the roots of his love affair with music by reuniting the family that first sparked his fire as a child. That album traced its origins back to Walker's native North Carolina, where he grew up on a multi-family commune and studied classical violin and cello before ultimately discovering his passion for soul, jazz, blues, and folk. He'd go on to deftly mix all those genres and more in his work as a solo artist, organically building up a celebrated two-decade career that's earned him praise everywhere from The Washington Post to NPR, who hailed his "hard-driving" songs and "sweet tenor," in addition to landing him dates with The Mavericks, The Wood Brothers, Raul Malo, Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster, among others.
"…an accomplished guitarist and an even better singer, distilling the soul of Ray Charles, the Southern boy roots charm of Delbert McClinton, and an uptown blues turn of phrase (à la Percy Mayfield) into his own distinct voice." – The Vinyl District
"If you subscribe to the Big Tent theory of Americana, then Seth Walker –with his blend of blues, gospel, pop, R&B, rock, and a dash country—just might be your poster boy." - Country Standard Time
Listen here: https://bit.ly/2VUTQ9o
Stephane Wrembel - 6.1.19
Stephane Wrembel is presenting his new album The Django Experiment IV. The Django Experiment is a special series of recordings. The concept is a tribute to the great guitar master, Django Reinhardt; mixing compositions and influences from other landscapes of the musical world, aiming to create an inner journey for the listener.
Stephane Wrembel is quite simply one of the finest guitar players in the world. The breadth and range of his playing and compositions are unmatched. To say that Wrembel— who learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside— has already had a remarkable career would be an under-statement. This prolific, virtuoso guitarist has been releasing a steady stream of music since 2006 and has truly made his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music. Stephane Wrembel is widely known for "Bistro Fada", the theme song from the 2011 Woody Allen Oscar winning film and Grammy
Award winning soundtrack, Midnight In Paris.
Born in Paris and raised in Fontainebleau, the home of Impressionism and Django, Wrembel has been based in the New York City region for the past 20 years and since his studies at Berklee. He has toured around the world, and is very active on the musical scene in many countries including USA, Canada, France, Israel and India. Recently, Stephane has performed as a headliner at the legendary Carnegie Hall and at The Town Hall in New York as well as at the Festival Django Reinhardt in France. Wrembel has also headlined at Lincoln Center, played major Festivals, recorded with mandolin legend David Grisman, toured with master violinist Mark O'Connor and shared stages with al long list of world renowned musicians.
"Perhaps the most creative improviser in Gypsy jazz today, Mr. Wrembel plays the guitar with a rich and colorful lyricism." - NY Times
The New York Observer said, "Stephane Wrembel represents the living face of Gypsy jazz" and Rolling Stone Magazine has called him "a revelation".
Listen here: https://bit.ly/2Lwwrah
Moves - 7.6.19
Fitting uniquely between the Rock, Pop, and Soul genres, Moves is composed of some of the most accomplished players from Asheville's diverse musical scene. Like Dr. Dog, Lake Street Dive, and Vulfpeck, these experienced musicians carry on the traditions of layered instrumentation and stout three-part harmonies, proving themselves students of '60s and '70s rock greats while finding plenty of room for contemporary flair.
On stage, they provide non-stop entertainment with each member moving seamlessly from one instrument to the next, delivering well-crafted shows with undeniable ensemble-wide chemistry that's as much a visual treat as a sonic one.
Her voice reminds me of some combination of Grace Potter and Florence Welch but [Dulci's] own sound shines through, her range clear, right on pitch but simultaneously powerful.
-Get It On Vinyl (3/11/19) by Deann Snyder
Moves is a fun-loving record fully stocked with 60s-inspired back-up vocals, blues, soul and a modern twist that has completely reinvented their past life as Holy Ghost Tent Revival. This record is a treat.
"Moves clearly understands how to utilize its members' strengths to best complement each other, drawing on varied influences to create an album that is diverse in style yet wonderfully cohesive. If you're into bands like Houndmouth, Lake Street Dive, and Givers, you'll be an instant fan of Moves. The band's new tunes are catchy, upbeat, and guaranteed to get you moving."
-Closed Caption (12/12/2018) by Lauren Halliday
"Despite being influenced by vocal groups of the late 60s and early 70s, Moves never drags the listener on a nostalgia trip. My personal favorite track "Only Darkness" has the heart of The Band and Smokey Robinson but features the slick production of any track on Billboard. "Sleeping" has a slight British invasion flair making it another standout and example of Moves' versatility."
-50THIRDAND3RD (12/17/2018) by Aaron the Audiophile
Listen here: https://bit.ly/2JspnZK
Family and Friends - 8.3.19
Hailing from the musical mecca of Athens, Georgia and built on the idea that the sum is greater than the individual parts, Family And Friends has steadily gained a loyal following with their spirited live performances and "good music, good people" mantra since releasing their 2015 EP XOXO. Their new highly anticipated album Felix Culpa, produced by Chicago-turned-L.A. auteur Brad Wood and due out June 8th, is nothing less than an epic coming-of-age tale with a massive sound that amplifies their former indie-folk roots onto a technicolor, Cinemascope screen.
Family And Friends' collaborative concept extends well beyond the members of the band. With a live show that begs audiences to feel as much a part of the experience as the musicians onstage, their fiery performances have been turning casual viewers into full-on believers all over the southeast. The band's infectious, dynamic anthems become even more intoxicating in a live setting, with epic builds that crash over the roar of two dueling drummers, who perform facing each other and feed off one another's energy. A Family And Friends show is pure, unadulterated fun with a lightning bolt of enthusiasm and a familiarity that is immediately endearing and undeniably gratifying.
Family And Friends includes Mike MacDonald (guitar, vocals), Casey Harper (vocals), David "Tuna" Fortuna (bass), Ryan Houchens (drums, vocals), Alejandro Rios (drums), and JP McKenzie (electric guitar). The forthcoming album title, which loosely translates to "blessed mistake", illustrates the notion that while we may continue to search for some semblance of meaning, the fact that we are here at all deserves to be celebrated, and Family And Friends intends to do just that.
Listen here: http://smarturl.it/FelixCulpa
Birdtalker - 9.7.19
Zack and Dani were married in 2012 and soon after their wedding tried writing a couple songs together. They liked it, so they wrote a couple more. Andy, a friend from college and very talented drummer, was into the songs and started beating on stuff while Zack and Dani played them. It sounded good. While these 3 were playing the songs at Shakespeare in the Park one August afternoon, Brian became interested in adding his immense talent to the mix as well and began playing along with mandolin and guitar. It sounded even better. Birdtalker as these 4 members wrote and practiced for about a year when yet another talented friend and Birdtalker's biggest fan, Jesse, expressed interest in lending his bass sounds to the band. It is the combination of each member's specific offerings that gives Birdtalker the life and sound that it now possesses. And it doesn't hurt that they all like each other a heck of a lot, too.
Zack and Dani write songs as a way to share ideas they care about and sentiments they feel deeply. Playing music has proven to be a powerful avenue for connection and communion, within the band as well as with listeners. Birdtalker's hope is simply that the more music they write and share, the more true and vulnerable interactions may be born from it.
Listen here: http://smarturl.it/u9yo3e
Front Country- 10.5.19
An acoustic band born in the land of tech innovation, Front Country was never going to be accepted as an authentic American roots band out of the gate. Cutting their teeth in progressive bluegrass jams in San Francisco's Mission District and rehearsing in the East Bay, they learned to play roots music their own way, with the tools they had on hand.
A mandolinist with a degree in composition and classical guitar. A guitarist trained in rock and world music. A bassist equally versed in jazz and bluegrass. A violinist with technique that could seamlessly hop between honky tonk and electropop. A female lead singer with grit and soul that was also a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. In a wood-paneled country dive bar in the shadow of the San Francisco skyline, Front Country forged a sound hell-bent on merging the musical past with the future.
"In the bluegrass world, musicians tend to define themselves by their tradition and discipline. But Front Country is defined by its no-rules approach." - NPR Music
"Lead singer and songwriter for progressive bluegrass band Front Country, Melody Walker is an outspoken force." - Paste
"Other Love Songs is Front Country's Roots Pop opus, and promises to be the band's most intensely creative and original project to date. The songs are emotional in nature and examine love with a self-aware twist. " - Live for Live Music
Listen here: https://clg.lnk.to/yOTQn
The park is on the river, off hwy 9 (Roswell Rd/ Atlanta St.). Lots of free paved parking in front of Riverside Park. There is also a big, free gravel lot between the park and the church next door. Come a little early for best parking. Be sure to bring chairs or a blanket. There are trees providing shady areas to sit, nice restrooms and 2 playgrounds for the kids. We've been booking the bands for this concert series for 19 years as sponsors. These bands are available for special event booking through leej@leejhoward.com.
Chattahoochee nature center: sundays on the river
Lindsay Lou - 5.12.19
Tickets: https://bit.ly/2IubycX
9135 Willeo Road, Roswell, GA 30075
Over the past two years, Lindsay Lou has toured internationally following the release of "Ionia" in 2015, NPR named Lindsay Lou as one of the 12 best live performances in 2015. Guided by life experiences, Lindsay Lou's sound and songwriting continues to evolve and intertwine her sturdy Bluegrass roots with progressive Americana and Folk that is shares similarities with the likes of Lake Street Dive, Shovels & Rope, and Civil Wars.
Her brand new CD titled "Southland" is a collection of songs examining the range of emotions and complex themes of our changing times; delivered with soulfully fierce intensity and tender intimacy that demands your attention. Backed by drums, bass, electric & acoustic guitars and mandolin, the sound is rich, expansive and Lindsay's vocals & lyrics are captivating and hit deep. Landing on the Top 50 AMA/CDX Americana Radio Chart, Top 10 Roots Music Report Folk Album Chart, and Top 30 Folk DJ Chart. It's strong statement and a big step toward the sound of some of the great female voices in Roots/Rock like, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, Cary Ann Hearst (Shovels & Rope) Gillian Welch and Bonnie Raitt.
A Radical Woman: A Conversation With Lindsay Lou - The Blugrass Situation
https://spoti.fi/2YhhFWu
Freddy and Francine - 6.9.19
To the casual observer, Freddy & Francine seem safely cemented as a folk duo. They got the look. The soulful harmonies. The folk circuit bookings — over 150 a year, including the legendary Telluride Bluegrass Festival. They're even getting married. Cute. Even their act's name is cute. You could make a movie about it. Someone probably has.
But Freddy & Francine (their actual names are Lee Ferris and Bianca Caruso) aren't interested in acting, or genres, or talking or not talking about their relationship. They've done all that. They've even recently left their longtime home of Los Angeles for Nashville. And they've never looked more like themselves.
"...a stripped-down, soulful sound." - Rolling Stone Country
"...a step forward, more stylistically diverse but still rooted in the Americana realm where they've staked their musical claim." - Billboard "Combining folk, pop and Americana (although they'll say these genres don't totally apply), the two imbue their music with a sense of wisdom that only comes from really doing what you love. And it's paid off..." - Culture Collide
"Freddy & Francine produce an easygoing vibe with catchy melodies and sweet harmonies. [Moonless Night] piques the interest and leaves the listener wanting to hear more of this band." - AXS
"Across the six songs on their Moonless Night EP, the two trade of turns at the mic, corralling traditional Americana, folk and plenty of pop....the band can rock just as easily as they can create a modern tear-in-my-beer moment. The only disappointment here is that the album is over just as it's getting started." - Neufutur Magazine
...the duet is enormous and it's not often that the voices are so good they can carry the entire arrangement." - CHILLFLTR
Listen here: https://spoti.fi/2LHvkEG
Joe Alterman - 7.14.19
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Joe Alterman studied music at New York University, where he received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Jazz Piano Performance. In addition to performances with Houston Person, Les McCann and his own trio, among others, Alterman has performed at many world renowned venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Birdland and New York's Blue Note, where Alterman has opened, many times, for Ramsey Lewis. Only 29 years old, Alterman has released four critically-acclaimed albums, his most recent being 2017's "Comin' Home To You". He was profiled three times by iconic journalist Nat Hentoff and was the subject of Hentoff's very last piece on music in March 2016. Dick Cavett has referred to Alterman as "one fine, first class entertainer" and Ramsey Lewis has called Alterman "an inspiration to me" and his piano playing "something to behold".
"Joe Alterman combines outstanding musical technique with infectious enthusiasm for his work. I've seen him fill a room with joy as his skill at the keyboard combines seamlessly with his delightful and appealing onstage personality. Young Alterman is one fine, first-class entertainer." - Dick Cavett
"All the musicians who are now considered jazz legends played there [Birdland]: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Lester Young, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington, among others. Alterman would have been able to hold his own jamming with any of them." — Nat Hentoff
"Joe Alterman, although much younger than I, is an inspiration to me! His piano playing, his will to explore and his ability to swing is something to behold. God bless him!"— Ramsey Lewis
"Joe is, for me, absolutely one of the most musically enjoyable, swingingest Jazz pianists who can be heard playing today. Everything about his genuine love and affinity for the spirit and essence of straight-ahead Jazz and blues shines through his piano. Joe plays, arranges and improvises with a wholly honest and compelling depth of feeling, a gift of melodic substance, the ability to communicate with an economy of superfluous notes and an abundance of warm, honest to goodness soul. Joe always swings his tail off, honors the heritage of the Jazz language and the voices of his astutely-chosen influences, as well as conveying the spontaneity of the moment. He conveys his musical ideas with a rare kind of directness and clarity and has so much fun in what he's doing, never failing to bring the listener along for the ride. Joe's music sings with tremendous, unpretentious joy in every brilliant note - he is not to be missed!" - Benny Green
"Pianist Joe Alterman pulls off one of the rarer feats in modern jazz: he swings — hard." – Downbeat Magazine
Listen here: https://bit.ly/2PTGEMA
Sam Lewis - 8.11.19
Like many before him, Sam Lewis came to Nashville to make music. But unlike the majority, Lewis managed to hop on one of the most successful tours that country music has seen as of late. He's collaborated with everyone from John Prine and Kacey Musgraves to The Wood Brothers. Chris Stapleton dubbed him "a modern Townes Van Zandt". And while he's often labeled with some form of the word 'soulful' (some have even compared his voice to molasses), Lewis' style meets at a juncture of many different genres. There's something about Sam Lewis that is indescribably different -- and with his newest project, he's discovered what most musicians spend lifetimes working for -- the place where feel-good music meets vital social commentary.
When Lewis decided to make the move from Knoxville to Nashville in summer 2009, he was still working full-time at Walmart (a gig that lasted nearly a decade). In his off-time, he began playing smaller local venues including the 5 Spot, where he met fellow
singer-songwriter Matt Urmy. After forming a friendship, Urmy offered to help Lewis "We went to his basement, I laid down some songs, we pieced a band together and made a record in a couple days at Eastwood Studios." That record would become Lewis's first official release and self-titled debut that featured Nashville greats Kenny Vaughan, Reggie Bradley Smith, Dave Jacques, and Derek Mixon. And with Lewis' sole intention of moving to be a musician that 'records it and tours it' — he did just that — traveling from Nashville to New York via train to play shows, then spending a month in England.
By late 2014, Lewis had turned 30, established himself with the Nashville music scene, and signed with the boutique Georgia label, Brash Records. With the help of Brash and producer Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers, Lewis released his second full length,
Waiting on You, in April 2015. The sophomore was critically acclaimed and once again featured Kenny Vaughan, in addition to Darrell Scott, Gabe Dixon, the McCrary Sisters, and Willie Nelson's legendary harmonica player, Mickey Raphael. While No Depression compared Lewis' soulful style with the likes of Al Green and Van Morrison, Craig Havighurst (Music City Roots) coined Waiting on You as "Americana with a groovy twist". While the album racked in incredible reviews, Lewis' booking agency also got bought out in the same time frame — unfortunately leaving him with a solid album, but no tour dates to show for it.
Lewis applied to work at a Post Office in East Nashville but by the time he got a call for a second interview, someone else had called with a more enticing offer: the opening spot for the Traveler release show, Chris Stapleton's Grammy-winning album. From there, life moved fast. Lewis toured with Stapleton for the remainder of summer 2015, and by January 2016, found himself playing sold-out 2 and 3-night shows at venues like The Tabernacle and the Ryman Auditorium.
During that time, Lewis was driving to play a show in Richmond when he spotted a bright, rainbow building just off the interstate. "The building had a word on it, but all I could see was -SITY," he says, "I immediately said 'loversity', even though the sign said 'diversity'.
Listen here: https://spoti.fi/2GagjGI
Shemekia Copeland - 9.8.19
Shemekia Copeland never holds back. Her instantly recognizable voice—capable of being sultry,
assertive and roaring—delivers every song with unparalleled honesty and passion. Her wide-open vision of contemporary Americana roots and soul music showcases the evolution of a passionate artist with an up-to-the-minute musical and lyrical approach. With her new Alligator Records album, America's Child, Copeland confidently announces an electrifying new chapter in her constantly evolving story. Produced by Americana Instrumentalist Of The Year winner Will Kimbrough (who also plays guitar on the album) and recorded in Nashville, America's Child is a courageous and fiery statement of purpose, a major step forward for the singer whose musical consciousness continues to expand as her star continues to rise.
America's Child is by far Copeland's most compelling work yet, with music swelling beyond blues and into spirited Americana, with elements of rock, soul, and country. From America's Child's anthemic opening track, Ain't Got Time For Hate, to the closing lullaby, the traditional Go To Sleepy Little Baby, Shemekia sings with passion and insight about the chaos and uncertainty in the world while still finding joy all around her.
With guests including John Prine, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris, Steve Cropper, J.D. Wilkes, Al Perkins and members of the Time Jumpers, America's Child bursts with Copeland's bravado and embraces with her tenderness.Gauthier and songwriter/executive producer John Hahn wrote two striking songs for the project. Smoked Ham And Peaches is a search for truth and tranquility in America, featuring Giddens on African banjo. Americans
celebrates our collective diversity in all its forms and colors. American music legend Prine joins Shemekia for a stirring duet on his own Great Rain. Guitar great Cropper adds his scorching playing to the ballad Promised Myself, written by Shemekia's father, the late bluesman Johnny Clyde Copeland. And her version of I'm Not Like Everybody Else transforms the Kinks song into a blues-fueled declaration of independence.
Shemekia Copeland's voice is rich, soulful and totally commanding. Authoritative, passionate Stax-styled stirrers, raw Chicago blues and countryish folk rockers.-MOJO
Head-turning and outspoken,
America's Child is a true hybrid of simmering, real-talking spirit and emphatic, folkie-and soul-style statement-making. She sings slow- burning soul and rollicking country-blues with growling vigor and potent conviction. -NPR MUSIC
Bold and brassy attitude and soulful blues delivered with gospel fervor.
-No Depression
Listen here: https://spoti.fi/309l3oc
This is a beautiful and intimate venue with a grassy area and 2 seating options. Bring a blanket or chairs. Or, sit in the covered pavilion, right next to the water with tables and chairs provided. There is free, onsite parking. Come early (at 6:00) to enjoy the nature center grounds and get settled in for the concert. Show starts at 7pm. Tickets are $16 for grass and $20 for table in advance (see link). Tickets are also available at the door for $18 and $22 depending on availability. (CNC Members save 10% off on ticket prices). You can bring a picnic and alcohol is for sale on site. No outside alcoholic beverages allowed. These bands are available for special event booking through leej@leejhoward.com.


In a previous article ("Achievement Award Books: To Read or Not To Read?"), reviews were published for four books (Altadorian Archives, When to have Goals Early, Taking the Offensive, and The Goalie) released this year as Achievement Awards for the Altador Cup V Tournament. However, since the writing of that article, further Altador-Cup-related books have been released. To complete the original article, I would like to offer you this supplement.
Due to the magical nature of Neopian books, reading a book to your pet may result in the book disappearing in a puff of magical, coloured smoke. Which is worth more, the price a book could fetch in your shop or that extra intelligence point for your pet? Now that the Altador Cup Tournament has ended and prices have somewhat stabilized, this article can help you to make a better informed decision regarding your remaining Altador Cup books.
The Shop Wizard JubJub was consulted for up to date prices as of the 20th day of Swimming, Y12.
Achieved by: Accumulating a high amount of scores during the Altador Cup; awarded randomly.
Official description: All of the rules for the Altador Cup Tournament are found in this book.
Review: A complete, well-organized, highly informative volume on the Altador Cup. A large section is devoted entirely to Yooyuball, but Slushie Slinger, Make Some Noise, and Shootout Showdown are all treated with respect. Every pet is encouraged to find a copy of Altador Cup Rule Book and read it. However, with a price tag set right around 50,000 NP, it is understandable that many owners will not be able to afford a copy for each pet, and the chances of a Neopian book not going up in smoke after the first read-through are still quite low (the Library Faerie is rumoured to be working hard on laboratory research to combat this phenomenon). Still, if every owner procured at least one copy for one of their pets, and read it together with him or her, there would be a lot less bickering on the Neoboards regarding the Altador Cup Standings each night when the scores are updated during the Altador Cup Tournament. Knowledge is power, and being well-informed could end many arguments for next year's Altador Cup before they have a chance to start.
Official description: Keep up with all of the latest news with this daily magazine.
Review: A highly entertaining publication full of glossy, full-page photographs and insightful articles. Meant to be a daily publication, the magazine was actually canceled by the publishing house soon after the end of the Altador Cup in Y12. This first and only issue of the magazine has thus become a collectors item, and if you've kept it in pristine condition, it can fetch over 120,000 NP in some circles. Even slightly worn copies (thumbed edges, bent corners) can have prices high enough to make them unbuyable in user shops. Although reading and literacy are always highly encouraged by this writer, my gut feeling is that the Altador Cup Magazine will only increase in value as time goes on, and I recommend you keep your copy in a safe place (such as your safe deposit box) and watch the market with a keen eye. If the Neovian Printing Press decides to pick up the magazine, we may all have another chance to peruse the old (and new!) issues. Kat is hoping for this development, although we both understand that investors are hoping the magazine stays permanently canceled.
Obtained by: Joining a team for the fifth annual Altador Cup Tournament, having participated in the fourth Altador Cup Tournament in Y11.
Official description: Learn the stories both good and bad of the games and the lives of the Altador Cup.
Review: Altador Cup Through the Ages successfully blends historical facts with plain ol' good story-telling. The book does not go into as much detail as the Altador Cup Rule Book, but it does provide a similar amount of information about Yooyuball, and the side games, going over the history of the games, their origins, and when they were introduced into the Altador Cup, as well as how scoring and standings have changed with the addition of new side games. Interspersed throughout the chapters are interesting factoids about Altador itself, as well as famous quotes by your best-loved Yooyuball players past and present.
Obtained by: Having two or more correct guesses in Round 2 of the Altador Cup V Staff Tournament.
Official description: Learn to blend in while you are in Altador with this book.
Review: Although the information in the pages of Intro to Altadorian Verbage is accurate in every way, the language of Altador is not so different from the common Neopian we all speak each day. As an intelligence boost, the book serves its purpose (and at a reasonable price), but the volume itself is a bit dry and not quite as rewarding as other reads.
Obtained by: Having four correct guesses in Round 2 of the Altador Cup V Staff Tournament.
Official description: Learn the ways of champions that have good sportsmanship.
Review: By the same author as Taking the Offensive, once again we are regaled with personal anecdotes from past Altador Cup Tournaments, transcripts of one-on-one interviews with the most famous and successful Yooyuball players, and real life examples of how the lessons learned in Yooyuball can apply to every day life. Good Sportsmanship teaches your pet to respect others, to respect themselves, and to live their lives with decency and courtesy towards others. Learn about your favorite Altador Cup players while also learning how to be a good Neopian!
Obtained by: Submitting a guess in the Final Round of the Altador Cup V Staff Tournament.
Official description: A biography of defeat in the Altador Cup.
Review: A touching, dramatic story of near victories and slim defeats. There are many lessons to be learned from the stories in The Taste of Tears. The book is set up as a collection of memoirs from two groups of Altador Cup teams: those who fought their way to the top of the Finals only to fall short and end up in second, third, and fourth place; and those underdogs who play their hearts out each year but always end up in the bottom tier. Slightly depressing, with only the faintest glimmer of hope in the stories of the top tier runner-ups. It's a toss up whether you'd be better off selling the book for Neopoints or dowsing the puffs of powder blue smoke with your tears as you finish the last page.


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U.S. Military Academy Announces New Academic Dean
By Michelle Eberhart (USMA West Point, Public Affairs)June 10, 2016
1 / 1 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Cindy Jebb will be the first women in West Point history to hold the position of U.S. Military Academy Dean of the Academic Board (U.S. Army photo by Michelle Eberhart, USMA West Point Public Affairs/released.) (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The U.S. Army announced May 26 that Col. Cindy Jebb will be the next United States Military Academy at West Point's Dean of the Academic Board, which makes her the first woman to hold this position in West Point history.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Jebb's appointment as the Dean after President Obama nominated her on April 28.
"I want to congratulate Cindy on her nomination for appointment to brigadier general and assignment as the U.S. Military Academy's Dean of the Academic Board," said Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy. "Upon confirmation, Cindy's stellar academic record and military leadership will be instrumental in the future development of cadets. This is a historic time for our military and I'm excited for West Point to have its first woman to hold this position."
Jebb currently serves as professor and head of the Department of Social Sciences and will replace Brig. Gen. Tim Trainor when he retires in June of 2016.
"I am honored to have been nominated to serve as the Dean of West Point. Should Congress confirm my nomination, I will be privileged to lead a team of professionals who are dedicated to academic excellence in support of our mission to graduate leaders of character," said Jebb. "I would be honored to join Lt. Gen. Caslen's command team and build upon the legacy of Brig. Gen. Trainor and the distinguished group of deans before him."
The academy will farewell Trainor, who has served as dean since 2010, this summer.
"I am extremely happy for the Army, the academy, and most of all for our Cadets to hear about Col. Jebb's nomination," said Trainor. "She has a wealth of experience, and a breadth and depth of perspective on the needs of the Army and on higher education."
According to Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, Jebb will continue to lead the U.S. Military Academy in academic and character development of our Cadets.
"As one of our department heads, she is an integral member of the team, involved in so much of what makes West Point the preeminent leadership institution in the world," said Caslen. "She's revered amongst the faculty and Cadets and we're lucky to have her."
A 1982 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Jebb received a Master of Arts in Political Science and Ph.D. in Political Science, both from Duke University, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Jebb has authored or coauthored three books, conducted human security research in Africa, and completed study projects in Iraq, Djibouti and Afghanistan. Jebb has been head of the Department of Social Sciences since 2013. She is married to her classmate, Joel Jebb, Ph.D., and they have three children.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A simple way to celebrate Earth Day is just to get out and observe/appreciate something natural in all its beauty, like this incredible tree I came upon during a woods walk in 2016.
It is Earth Day – one of those days that we set aside to be reminded of, to celebrate, and to think about something specific… like Mother's Day, Veteran's Day, and so many others. In this case, we're asked to think about this beautiful planet we live on and how we might protect and preserve it, and make as small an impact on its resources as possible throughout our lives.
I will admit I probably make a pretty average impact: I don't live off the grid, I use a lot of plastic, and I drive a fossil-fuel car (though it IS pretty fuel-efficient). But I do have one major area where I know I make a difference, and that is helping keep discarded household stuff out of the landfill.
I shop second-hand for basically everything except the stuff in the grocery store. If you read this blog at all you know I love to shop at the thrift stores, the online marketplaces, the flea markets, auctions, and antique stores – even the curbs! Over the decades I've come to love and appreciate the history and stories that used items have, so my second-hand shopping meets my personal aesthetic – but it has the added benefit of giving a new home to pieces that might otherwise end up decaying at the dump.
I've spent the last several years buying and selling used furniture pieces to many talented painters and upcyclers, and I love being part of the chain in preserving a great piece… or even a not-so-great piece that needs repair. I've also painted and upcycled a few pieces of my own. Whether I keep them or sell them, all have found new homes instead of going on the garbage truck.
Just nine of the more than 100 pieces of furniture I've had the pleasure of rescuing over the last few years. Whether I bought to use or bought to re-sell, I helped keep every piece from going to the landfill.
Donate it to second-hand stores.
Donate it to a needy family you might hear about in the news or online.
Have a yard or garage sale – yes it's work, but it's FUN and you get extra cash!
List it for sale online at a rock-bottom price – CraigsList, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo and OfferUp are four services I have used.
Now look, I'm not saying I'm a champion of the Earth or any kind of hero – my efforts are very small in the grand scheme of things. But they do make a difference, and I get a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing that my regional landfill is a little less full because of what I do.
Happy Earth Day – may you enjoy and appreciate the beauty of our planet, and find a new way to reduce/recycle/reuse that brings you joy and makes a difference!
This entry was posted in Secondhand Lifestyle. Bookmark the permalink.


← Weekly BLOG: How Would You Spell TIA?
TIA Spelled with Orzo — How Can YOU Spell TIA?
Creativity is defined as the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.
Can food be artistic? Certainly! Anything we do to express ourselves is being creative.
Even how you arrange food on a plate says a lot about you, whether you realize it or not. Even not caring about how food looks on a plate in some way describes you, because everything we do and everything we say is a reflection of who we are.
When it comes to our creativity, we tend to judge ourselves too critically. It's okay to admit that we don't like to be judged.
When we share what we do, creatively speaking, put it out there for others to see – to submit part of who we are inside to the world—we are vulnerable, exposed, open to inspection, judgment, accolades, or perhaps criticism.
But there is freedom in risking vulnerability!
If we do not hold back—if we express ourselves fully—not fearful of what others might think, how rewarding it would be to know that we have lived as deeply, joyfully, and successfully as we could.
I invite you to please join in and spell TIA in a fun way, then send it to me at my email address shown on my website home page CWLauro.com, so it can be shared.
Express yourself and be creative! We are all artists of life!
Next week I'll tell you about and share some of my latest art now on exhibit at The Repertory Theatre in Little Rock.
Thank you for joining me this time.
This entry was posted in Art, Touch a Heart with TIA and tagged art, Cathy W. Lauro, creativity, expressing yourself, finding joy, freedom, judging ourselves, letting go, letting go of fear, living deeply, risk, success, The Inside Advantage, Touch a Heart with TIA, vulnerability. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
é uma light novel japonesa escrita por Ichirō Sakaki e ilustrada por Namaniku ATK. Até 19 de abril de 2014, nove volumes tinham sido publicados pela Fujimi Shobo. A série é atualmente adaptada em três mangás diferentes. Uma adaptação em anime foi anunciada em julho de 2013 e começou a ser exibida em 9 de abril de 2014, sendo terminada em 25 de junho, com 12 episódios. A segunda temporada do anime confirmada em maio de 2014, iniciou sua exibição em 8 de outubro de 2014 e foi finaliza em 10 de dezembro de 2014, com 10 episódios ao todo. Um OVA foi lançado em março de 2015.

Enredo
A guerra de 200 anos entre a aliança das seis nações e o Império Gás chegou ao fim há cinco anos, quando o Imperador Arthur Gás, o Imperador Imortal do Império Gás, é finalmente morto por oito guerreiros conhecidos como os Oito Heróis. Depois da guerra, as terras do Império foram divididas pela aliança que mais tarde formaram o Conselho das Seis Nações para tentar trazer a paz e a ordem na terra. No presente, Toru Acura é um Saboteur (乱破 師 サバターSabata ? ), que vive com sua irmã Akari. Toru é incapaz de conviver nesta era pacífica quando suas habilidades de Saboteur se tornam inúteis e não vê sentido em sua vida. Enquanto está andando na floresta a procura de alimentos, Toru encontra Chaika Trabant, uma Wizard (魔法 師 ウィザードWizādo ? ) de cabelos brancos que carrega junto dela um caixão. E após eles derrotarem um Unicórnio, Chaika vendo suas habilidades como Saboteurs, convida Toru e Akari para uma importante tarefa: juntar os restos de seu falecido pai Arthur Gás que estão em posse dos Oito Heróis. Ela revela que é a princesa Chaika Gás, a filha do Imperador, que conseguiu escapar durante o fim da guerra e deseja encontrar os restos mortais de seu pai, que foram divididos entre os oito heróis pelo fato de suas partes emitirem um forte poder mágico, então após reunir todas as partes ela pode dar a ele um enterro apropriado. No entanto, o trio terá dificuldades com a Agência Pós-Guerra Kleeman Gillette Corps, que possui a tarefa de capturar Chaika temendo que ela vá reunir os partidários de Gás e acabar restaurando o Império Gás, trazendo novamente uma guerra. Não bastando isso, eles também terão que enfrentar outros grupos, liderados por garotas que também afirmam ser Chaika Gás. Assim, começa a jornada de Chaika, Akari e Toru, na busca dos restos mortais do Imperador Arthur Gás.

Personagens

Elenco Principal

Dublado por: Junji Majima
Um Saboteur da vila de Acura. Após a queda do Império de Gaz e a volta da paz, ele perde seu objetivo de vida, que é batalhar. Quando apresentado, ele estava desempregado e é confundido pela Chaika como um bandido que planejava roubá-la. Entretanto, eles acabam encontrando um 'Unicórnio' (na série eles são apresentados como criaturas hostis) e precisam trabalhar juntos para derrotá-lo. Ele tem um misterioso poder chamado Transformação de Ferro-Sangue, que quando ativado lhe deixa com os cabelos vermelhos e marcas vermelhadas pelo seu corpo. Ele utiliza duas adagas para lutar com seus oponentes quando em combate.

Dublada por: Chika Anzai
A personagem foco da série. Uma jovem Wizard (feiticeira) que carrega um enorme caixão. Ela é a princesa do Império de Gaz e o último membro sobrevivente da família real. Possui a personalidade meiga e educada, acabando por muitas vezes demonstrar certa ingenuidade. A forma dela falar é um pouco diferente, dizendo frases entrecortadas e com uma curta pausa entre uma palavra e outra (muitas vezes ela é objetiva quando fala, resumindo o que quer dizer em uma só palavra ou expressão curta).  Após ela ficar perdida em uma floresta, ela acaba cooperando com o Toru após o aparecimento de um Unicórnio. Assim que o derrotam ela pede para que ele preste serviços a ela, juntamente com sua irmã Akari. Sua arma é um 'Gundo Sniper Rifle', que lhe permite lançar feitiços de alta precisão.

Dublada por: Yuuko Hara
Irmã do Toru, da qual não possui relação de sangue. Ela respeita e gosta de seu irmão, ao ponto dela ficar com raiva de quem fala mal dele, mesmo que essa pessoa seja ela mesma.  Ela demostra um comportamento bastante bizarro e muitas vezes estúpido, principalmente em relação ao respeito que ela demonstra pelo seu irmão, causando muitas vezes situações cômicas, onde ela mesma se contraria suas afirmações. Assim como o Toru, ela pode usar a Transformação Ferro-Sangue, porém suas marcas não se cruzam como as do seu irmão e são bem mais finas. Ela também é uma Saboteur e sua arma é uma marreta com alça retrátil, tendo em um dos lados um cone pontiagudo. Akari não esconde o fato dela amar o seu irmão e facilmente fica com ciúmes de cada garota que se aproxima dele, muitas vezes acaba atacando com sua arma.

Dublada por: Chiwa Saito
Um dragão, uma raça de dragões mágicos com a habilidade de mudar de forma. Anteriormente foi parceira de Dominica Skoda, uma Cavaliers que fez um pacto com ela durante a guerra com o Império de Gaz. Porém, após a morte de Dominica, devido a sua enorme devoção a ela e se vendo incapaz de poder esquecê-la, acaba assumindo a forma de sua mestre e tem vivido na sombra de Dominica. Depois de perder sua batalha com o grupo de Toru, ela assume a forma de uma garota. Ela também se junta a grupo, em sua viagem mas com um novo objetivo, ter uma luta com o Toru, embora ele sempre tente evitar essa luta, alegando que ele deve primeiro cumprir a sua missão de juntar restos do Imperador Gaz para Chaika.

Grupo da Chaika Bodhan

Dublada por: Saeko Zōgō
Se auto-proclamando ser a filha do imperador Gaz, Chaika Bohdan (também conhecida como Chaika vermelha) tem a aparência muito similar a Chaika Trabant (Chaika branca), até mesmo no seu jeito de falar. No entanto, a Chaika vermelha tem grandes diferenças que distinguem ela da Chaika branca, como suas roupas vermelhas, cabelo curto, um corpo mais desenvolvido e sua personalidade forte. A arma que ela utiliza é uma 'Snake Sword'. Por fim, a principal diferença entre elas é o seu objetivo. Enquanto a Chaika Trabant deseja coletar as partes de seu pai para lhe proporcionar um funeral apropriado, a Chaika Bohdan tem a intenção de se vingar dos oito heróis que mataram ele e restaurar o seu império.

Dublada por: Kiyoshi Katsunuma
David trabalha para Chaika Bohdan. Ele luta com uma lança.

Dublada por: Sarah Emi Bridcutt
Selma trabalha para Chaika Bohdan. Ela é uma Wizard do qual no anime utiliza um "Gundo Sniper Rifle".

Gillette Corps.
Uma divisão da Agência Kleeman.

Dublado por: Yoshimasa Hosoya
O líder da Gillette Corps. Um cavalier de uma família nobre. Ele deseja parar a busca de Chaika para recuperar os restos mortais de Arthur Gaz, por temer que isso possa levar a uma nova guerra. No entanto, ele logo começa a criar dúvidas, depois de saber as razões da Chaika e pela carência de informações concretas sobre o Imperador Gaz nas fontes oficiais do novo governo.

Dublado por: Kensuke Satō
O segundo no comand o da Gillette Corps. Um [[[mercenário]].

Dublada por: Iori Nomizu
Uma assassina que é apaixonada por Alveric. Suas armas são agulhas de arremesso.

Dublado por: Yumeha Kōda
Uma garota Wizard que tem facilidade com máquinas e dirige o "April", um veículo que funciona com mágica. Assim como Vivi, ela também tem uma queda por Alveric.

Dublado por: Shūta Morishima
Um Wizard que pode controlar criaturas.

Dublado por: Kazutomi Yamamoto
Um garoto que se parece com um gato, atua como espião na organização.

Mídia

Light Novel
A série de light novels iniciou sua publicação em 2010, sendo escrita por Ichirō Sakaki e ilustrada por Namaniku ATK. Publicada pela editora 'Fujimi Shobo', até o momento nove volumes foram lançados.

Mangá
A série possui três adaptações para mangá. A primeira foi lançada em 2012, sendo produzida por Shinta Sakayama e publicada pela Kadokawa Shoten na Shounen Ace, possui até o momento 4 volumes compilados. Outro mangá institulado "Hitsugi no Chaikakka", desta vez produzido por Kanikama e publicado pela Kadokawa Shoten em duas revistas diferentes, segue o estilo 4-koma. Por fim, o terceiro mangá chamado de "Chaika Gakuen!", iniciou sua publicação em 2014.

Anime
A  Fujimi Shobo por meio da "Dragon Magazine" (uma revista que publica light novels) divulgou em 20 de maio de 2013, que haveria um importante anúncio relacionado a franquia. Posteriormente, mais precisamente em 9 de julho de 2013, a editora Fujimi Shobo revelou em seu site que estava  sendo produzida uma adaptação de Hitsugi no Chaika para anime. A série de anime está encarregada pelo Estúdio Bones e dirigida por Soichi Masui, iniciou sua transmissão em 9 de abril de 2014, e em 25 de junho foi finalizada, a primeira temporada terminou com 12 episódios ao todo. A segunda temporada do anime foi anunciada antes mesmo da primeira acabar, a editora divulgou novamente em seu site oficial a segunda temporada da animação da franquia. O autor Ichirō Sakaki disse por meio de seu twitter que o anime foi planejado para ter duas temporadas exibidas em diferentes estações do mesmo ano. A segunda temporada do anime foi exibida entre 8 de outubro e 10 de dezembro de 2014, possuindo 10 episódios. Um OVA foi lançado junto com o 12º volume da light novel, em 10 de março de 2015.

Música
A música tema da abertura do anime é "DARAKENA" pela dubladora da personagem '"Vivi Holopainen"', Iori Nomizu. O tema de encerramento é "Kairaku Genri (快楽原理;Princípio do Prazer)" por coffin princess, formado pela união de três dubladoras do anime (Chika Anzai, Saeko Zōgō e Yui Makino). Ambos os CDs contendo a abertura e o encerramento foram lançados no mesmo dia, em 23 de abril de 2014, pela empresa Victor Entertainment. A Original Soundtrack do anime foi composta por Nagaoka Seiko e lançada em 4 de junho de 2014, também pela empresa Victor Entertainment.

1º Temporada
Tema de abertura:
"DARAKENA" por Iori Nomizu

Tema de encerramento:
"Kairaku Genri (快楽原理;Princípio do Prazer)" por coffin princess

2º Temporada
Tema de abertura:
"Shikkoku o Nuritsubuse" (漆黒を塗りつぶせ) por Iori Nomizu

Tema de encerramento:
"Watashi wa Omae no Naka ni Iru" (ワタシハオマエノナカニイル;Eu estou dentro de você) por coffin princess

Ligações externas
Site Oficial da Light novel na Fujimi Shobo
Site Oficial do Anime

Séries de anime
Séries de televisão de anime de 2014
Shōnen
Light novels

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Place ribs in stock pot. Add enough water to cover ribs. Bring to boil; skim foam from surface. Add onions, ginger and 2 Tbsp. rice wine; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 1 hour. Remove from heat; let stand 15 min.
Transfer ribs to large shallow dish; discard cooking liquid. Mix next 5 ingredients and remaining rice wine; pour over ribs. Refrigerate 8 hours to marinate, turning occasionally.
Heat greased barbecue to medium heat. Remove ribs from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill ribs 20 min., turning occasionally. Brush with reserved marinade; grill 10 min. or until golden brown, turning occasionally.
Marinate boiled ribs as directed. Remove from marinade; reserve marinade. Place ribs in single layer in shallow foil-lined pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in 350ºF oven 30 min. Brush with reserved marinade; bake 15 to 20 min. or until golden brown.
Ribs can be marinated overnight before grilling as directed.


(Radio.com) After 90 years in show business, Minnie Mouse finally got the recognition she deserves. Katy Perry dressed in polka dots and helped present the world's favorite female mouse with her very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday (Jan. 22).
The 33-year-old pop star shared that her very first memory is of Mickey and Minnie mouse diapers, so she's literally been a lifelong fan. "The definition of icon may fluctuate through the ages, but there are some undeniably special characters who are iconic and I can't think of anyone who embodies that more than my dear friend Minerva Mouse (Minnie's full name)," said Perry.
"Seeing Minnie is like returning home. It is a special skill to bring joy to so many and she does it with an effortless bat of a lash," she continued. Read more here.


text:
//
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace BD2.Core.KEx
{
	public class ChannelControl
	{
		readonly UserStorageBase userStorage;

		public UserStorageBase UserStorage {
			get {
				return userStorage;
			}
		}

		public ChannelControl (UserStorageBase userStorage)
		{
			if (userStorage == null)
				throw new ArgumentNullException ("userStorage");
			this.userStorage = userStorage;
		}

		public byte[] EncryptKey (byte[] keyBytes)
		{
			SortedSet<byte[]> users = userStorage.LoggedInUsers;
			throw new NotImplementedException ();
		}

		public byte[] DecryptKey ()
		{
			throw new NotImplementedException ();
		}

		public byte[] GetPublicKey ()
		{
			throw new NotImplementedException ();
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I was born in my grandfathers house in Gambell, Alaska. My teachers were my dad and my great uncle. As time passes, I spend more time on detail. My whole family has at some point depended on the native artwork for their livelihood.
I still enjoy eating traditional foods (walrus, whale, seal and fish). I prefer that over any other food. I hunt when given the opportunity.


text:
REVIEW: StarWings
July 24, 2012 Tim Hurley 20 Comments
If the very best thing your game has going for it is some of the cheesiest voice acting around, it's safe to assume you're in for a shelling. That I strongly considered giving this a recommendation purely for the chance that you, reader, would be so inclined as to try it yourself (see Link below to inquire), can't be a vote of quality. I ultimately couldn't bring myself to do it, knowing that asking you to spend a dollar on StarWings (80 MSP) is a direct violation of your human rights.
Star, Lain, and Trey are mercenaries, as evidenced by their crazy hair and ineffectual avatars. Together, they comprise StarWings (as in arwings), and form a poor man's Star Fox (Star = Fox, Lain = Slippy, Trey = Falco). They're hired by the Cornerian— ahem, Galaxy Defense, to put a stop to a Bandit army that's threatening galactic peace, or something along those lines. It's not required reading. What's important is it's a side-scrolling shooter with some minor weapon upgrades between stages.
There's a problem immediately. You only ever control 'Star', the group's egotistical (had to name the squad after himself, of course) leader. The game hinges on his health bar alone, making your squadmates, for lack of a better term, expendable. Problem is, they go wherever you go. And they never break formation, so avoiding incoming fire is a pain in the ass, multiplied by three. The bullet patterns aren't too severe as to make it unplayable, but when you're flying the equivalent of an eighteen-wheeler in three ships, it makes for a pretty big target. You'll find it's common to face the boss at the end of each stage down a wingman, or at the very least, weakened, through no fault of your own.
The experience is hampered further by highscores that aren't recorded and a quick save system that doesn't work, at least on some consoles. I tried it three times, on three different stages; not once could I load the save file. Switching over to a memory card, however, DID work (the developer is currently looking into the problem). Not that you'll really need to save your progress. The game is four levels long, and takes about twenty minutes to complete. Extras? No.
It doesn't bring me any particular joy to bash a game, but StarWings is akin to handing over game development and a case of beer to eighth graders who've only seen a screenshot of Star Fox to build off of. I don't advocate either, and it's clear to see why. I'm positive that the material and voice acting are meant to be laughably bad. That's fine, and contributes to the 'campy' feel, but if the short gameplay and busted (for some) options were to fall into that same category, I'm not laughing.
80 MSPeighth graders make Star FoxRicolaVGShooterStarWingsToday's GhostXBLIGXbox 360Xbox Live Indie GamesXNA
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20 thoughts on "REVIEW: StarWings"
Pingback: REVIEW: StarWings: Mission Command | the / . / XBLIG
GAANGAR says:
A freind recently recommended me this game because I would have a good laugh well I tried the demo….and he was right…I'd like to play the full game though ^^
It seems still "fun" kinda 🙂
#StarWingsCode
Short, but not without some enjoyment to be had. Still have two codes left. Check your email shortly.
Hurley is like XBLIG Santa!
Alan C With Tea says:
I just played the demo for a while, and the thing that aggravated me was the need to keep tapping the fire button. In a game that requires you to shoot constantly, there's no sense in forcing you to give yourself RSI by hammering away at A.
I wanted to mention that, but I let it slide because of the short length. That and when you run out of specialty ammo, you won't actually resume regular fire unless you switch back to it.
Voice acting is tough to get right. I'd urge Devs to remember that it is not a necessity, there are alternatives (The Sims) and that sometimes even the big boys get it wrong – see Diablo 3's Templar… Glorious!
A solid point. Also increases the file size, I hear, which could change price, depending on where it falls. You have to weigh whether it's worth it.
It can work both ways; the original Resident Evil still cracks me up with its acting, in a good way. It's more or less the same here. You're smiling with StarWings, not at it. I hope that was their intention, and I'm not just being a dick. 🙂
As a general rule, I prefer to be without voice acting. The exceptions are the few games where it's very good (the Legacy of Kain series springs to mind). One of the reasons I prefer Morrowind to Oblivion is the relative lack of voice acting.
I'm fine with it in any game, including indies, so long as it makes sense to do it. Even the cheesy stuff.
It made Cuddle Bear's opening more memorable. 🙂
// do better games (@DoBetterGames) says:
I've always thought it made sense to go the alien language route (think Boushh/Leia in Return of the Jedi) particularly for larger devs. Make up a language, record some random dialog, tweak the text in subtitles to say whatever you want. As an added bonus, you don't have to re-record if you localize the game.
I like that route too. They did that for Sine Mora; gave it more of an 'alien world' vibe.
I think it's right to leave it out of certain games. Giving Mario a script would remind fans too much of the CD-i disasters. They've scarred me for life when they did it for Zelda CD-i too, but I do kind of wish they'd go full voice acting for the next-gen Zelda. Enough with the ohhs and ahhs. Nintendo could pull it off.
Otanas says:
I remember it also as Lylat Wars still have my copy here 🙂 If this game really only takes 20 minutes I'm willing to try it myself and see if I can agree with this review although the video give also a good overview for in-game action hum #StarWingsCode
Absolutely. Check your email in a few minutes for the code. Good luck!
Hey 🙂 I was on vacation and almost forgot about this, but I found the code in my email and wanted to say thanks! Added the site to my favorties to keep track of interesting new Xblig Games!
The StarWings/Star Fox connection might be even more blatant than that, depending on where the developer is from. Here in the UK, the game you obstinate Yanks know as Star Fox was officially retitled Starwing. (Star Fox 64 was slightly more confusingly called Lylat Wars.)
Lylat Wars? Man, you guys get it rough over there. That's terrible. I did not know of the name changes. Once again, my investigative work in reviews is put to shame. Nice find.
I think the developers are stateside, though it's likely they knew of it. A little too much coincidence. They seem like nice guys, which made this a tough one to publish. Not only are they looking into the save issues I had, but they even gave me codes for a a giveaway, AFTER I told them it wouldn't be a positive review. That's class all the way.
Credit where it's due, that's classy conduct. I'll probably at least demo the game on that basis alone.
As to investigation, I don't know how you'd find out something like the Starwing name change unless you were looking for it specifically. Don't feel bad. 😉
Whew! Was going to lie down in traffic. Thanks.


text:
Long Island Spirits, founded in 2007, is the first craft distillery since the 1800's located on Long Island, in Baiting Hollow, NY.
Long Island Spirits was established in 2007 as the first distillery on Long Island since the 1800's and became the 100th Distillery in the United States of America; today there are over 1,600 distilleries throughout the USA. Surrounded by centuries old of potato, corn and rye farms, the distillery is located on the bucolic North Fork of Long Island, in the heart of the acclaimed wine region. The North Fork boasts over 60 wineries and dozens of pre-revolutionary family-owned farms that have been blessed with a microclimate that is very similar to the Bordeaux region in France. Housed in twin-cupola barn that has been repurposed into a state of the art Craft Distillery. Long Island Spirits is proud of its sustainable distillery practices and the innovative fermenting, distilling and blending techniques it has pioneered and the fact that all our spirits are non-chill filtered.
The east end of Long Island is a hotbed of agricultural activity, the home of over 70 wineries, and over 5,000 acres of potatoes, rye, corn, and malted barley farms. Prior to WWII, Long Island had over 200,000 acres of potatoes to feed NYC. This is due to the loamy soils and unique climate, adding 15-20 extra days to the growing season.
When our farmers harvest the potatoes in the fall, they typically plant winter rye, which is known as "cleansing" grain due to its deep roots; meaning rye from Long Island is different than rye from anywhere else. Long Island is a leader in the preservation of open spaces.
We use a variety of yeast strains including Champagne and Brewers Yeasts. These innovative techniques are more costly and add more time to the fermentation process, but the results reveal unique flavors not used by most other distilleries.
Each batch is distilled 3 times over through the twin 650-liter custom-made copper pot stills equipped with 30-foot tall rectification distillation columns.
Depending on which spirit we are making, we take the spirits that have been distilled and bring them to appropriate proof with water from the Pine Barrens, adjacent to our location.
Each spirit goes through its own journey. We blend LiV Vodka to 80 proof, macerate Sorbettas for 30 days, redistill Gin in a Gin Head, and blend Whiskey to 125 proof, aged in Now American Oak Barrels.
The History of Long Island Spirits
The Columbus Family
The beautifully restored barn that is today home to Long Island Spirits Craft Distillery was originally constructed by brothers Henry and John Columbus in the early 1900's. As was common with many immigrant families, the Columbus' Americanized their original Polish name, which was Palumbus. Interestingly, Palumbus is the Polish name for "Wild Dove." Perhaps the family's section for the new name of Columbus evolved from Omithology's designation of the word for "Wood Pigeon", which is Columba Palumbus. Nonetheless, they were a hard working Polish family that farmed potatoes on the land around the barn up until 1943. In that ill-fated year, the family followed some very poor advice from a relative and invested all of their savings in a very risky investment on Wall Street. The Columbus family was wiped out almost overnight, including the barn and farm property as well. Sadly, the property and barn was foreclosed and put up on the block at a tax sale on the steps of the courthouse that same year.
Following the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, the North Fork of Long Island became a hot spot of activity as a transportation hub for bootleggers. The restored twin copula barn that houses Long Island Spirits today, served as an ideal spot for this type of activity. Located on the edge of the Long Island Sound, legend has it that the barns cupolas were used to hang a lantern to signal if the "coast" was clear for rum runners to smuggle in their illicit hooch.
The Wanat Family
The Wanat family lived next-door to the barn. Bill Wanat was actually born and raised in the same house where the newly restored Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyards tasting room exists today. The barn is also next-door to what was then known as Bernie's Restaurant. Today, it is the home of the "Cooperage Inn". Due to its close proximity to his farm, Bill's father purchased the property and barn at the tax sale to expand his farmable land. The father and brothers continued farming potatoes on the property from 1943-1968. Bill's brother Joe and his wife Eleanor lived in the house in the front of the barn until the property was sold in the late 1960's. During this period, the barn was expanded and served as the repository for various pieces of farm equipment. In 1968, Joseph Piccone Sr. purchased the barn and property.
The Piccone Family
Joseph Piccone Sr. had become a very well known business leading on Long Island and had accumulated a significant amount of property throughout the region. Joseph and his son, Joseph Jr., were not farmers, but both had a great appreciation for the agricultural community. The property, during this period, was leased to local farmers who farmed the 80 acres of property, but had little use for the barn. The farmers that leased the property typically would store their farming equipment on their own farms, rather than using the barn. This lack of use lead to the barn falling into disrepair over the years.
Preserving History & Open Spaces
By the late 1990's the barn had fallen into an extreme state of decay. Recognizing there was only two options, either a complete demolition of the barn or the tougher path, a complete structural restoration, Joseph Piccone Jr. decided to restore the barn to its past glory. The complete structural renovation of the barn began to take shape and was completed a few years later.
Long Island Spirits
After years of construction and renovation, the revamped barn was back into form. Long Island Spirits spent all of 2007 retrofitting and modernizing the interior of the barn to be a state-of-the-art Craft Distillery. The barn retains a lot of its original character including its very impressive post-and-beam construction. Today, the barn serves as the headquarters for Long Island Spirits Craft Distillery. Long Island Spirits mashes, ferments, distills, and bottles their ultra-premium LiV Vodka in a barn that, for generations, has produced a staple that is closely synonymous with Long Island's farming heritage, the celebrated Long Island potato. Long Island Spirits is proud of the long history of this unique "twin cupola" barn and strives to help preserve this symbol of the rural character of the North Fork of Long Island.


Delicate leaves, blooming flowers and luscious fruits, the legacy of William Morris lives on in his universally recognised wallpaper patterns, which have adorned palaces, museums and homes since the 19th century.
However, Morris's talent extended far beyond his keen eye for pattern. Inspired by medievalism during his study of Classics at Oxford University, Morris became a proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement that thrived in Europe between 1880 and 1920. Resistant to contemporary mass industrialisation, this movement sought to reinstate traditional craftsmanship, using simple methods and drawing on romantic, medieval and folk imagery and styles.
As one of Britain's most prolific designers, his collections of wallpaper and printed textiles are accompanied by works of stained glass, floor coverings, furniture and embroidery, whilst the polymath also found time to become an accomplished poet, essayist and social activist.
Opening on February 22nd, this exhibition will explore and evaluate the work of William Morris and his relevance to the Arts and Crafts movement, showcasing 300 pieces borrowed from British museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Britain and the National Portrait Gallery.


The human being who has passed on to a sphere of light in the hereafter can return to earth as a guardian angel.
The human being on earth has already experienced the helping hand of guardian angels for thousands of years.
By means of the books by Jozef Rulof, we can understand the phenomenon of angel as a human being who has built up a sphere of light for himself in the hereafter by giving universal love, and who returns to the earth in order to help and protect us.
The angel could already have developed that selfless love during his lives on earth, or he could have only begun with his spiritual evolution after his transition to the hereafter.
However, sooner or later he has realized that he will only progress in life after death by helping other people.
He can use that subservient love in the hereafter in order to help other people there on their journey to the light.
Or he can come to the earth to help and protect us.
You will find more information about the activities of spirits on earth in the article 'Spirits on earth'.
The human being who felt the help of a guardian angel has built up all kinds of images about how those angels come to the earth.
He thought up flapping wings for the angels, because people did not yet know that a spirit of the light can move by means of concentration, by only thinking about floating and flying.
The angels also help the human being on earth by giving the spiritual knowledge that they have mastered.
For instance, Jozef Rulof received 27 books from his angels.


text:
const Long = require('../utils/long')
const filterAbortedMessages = require('./filterAbortedMessages')

/**
 * A batch collects messages returned from a single fetch call.
 *
 * A batch could contain _multiple_ Kafka RecordBatches.
 */
module.exports = class Batch {
  constructor(topic, fetchedOffset, partitionData) {
    this.fetchedOffset = fetchedOffset
    const longFetchedOffset = Long.fromValue(this.fetchedOffset)
    const { abortedTransactions, messages } = partitionData

    this.topic = topic
    this.partition = partitionData.partition
    this.highWatermark = partitionData.highWatermark

    this.rawMessages = messages
    // Apparently fetch can return different offsets than the target offset provided to the fetch API.
    // Discard messages that are not in the requested offset
    // https://github.com/apache/kafka/blob/bf237fa7c576bd141d78fdea9f17f65ea269c290/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/Fetcher.java#L912
    this.messagesWithinOffset = this.rawMessages.filter(message =>
      Long.fromValue(message.offset).gte(longFetchedOffset)
    )

    // 1. Don't expose aborted messages
    // 2. Don't expose control records
    // @see https://kafka.apache.org/documentation/#controlbatch
    this.messages = filterAbortedMessages({
      messages: this.messagesWithinOffset,
      abortedTransactions,
    }).filter(message => !message.isControlRecord)
  }

  isEmpty() {
    return this.messages.length === 0
  }

  isEmptyIncludingFiltered() {
    return this.messagesWithinOffset.length === 0
  }

  /**
   * If the batch contained raw messages (i.e was not truly empty) but all messages were filtered out due to
   * log compaction, control records or other reasons
   */
  isEmptyDueToFiltering() {
    return this.isEmpty() && this.rawMessages.length > 0
  }

  isEmptyControlRecord() {
    return (
      this.isEmpty() && this.messagesWithinOffset.some(({ isControlRecord }) => isControlRecord)
    )
  }

  /**
   * With compressed messages, it's possible for the returned messages to have offsets smaller than the starting offset.
   * These messages will be filtered out (i.e. they are not even included in this.messagesWithinOffset)
   * If these are the only messages, the batch will appear as an empty batch.
   *
   * isEmpty() and isEmptyIncludingFiltered() will always return true if the batch is empty,
   * but this method will only return true if the batch is empty due to log compacted messages.
   *
   * @returns boolean True if the batch is empty, because of log compacted messages in the partition.
   */
  isEmptyDueToLogCompactedMessages() {
    const hasMessages = this.rawMessages.length > 0
    return hasMessages && this.isEmptyIncludingFiltered()
  }

  firstOffset() {
    return this.isEmptyIncludingFiltered() ? null : this.messagesWithinOffset[0].offset
  }

  lastOffset() {
    if (this.isEmptyDueToLogCompactedMessages()) {
      return this.fetchedOffset
    }

    if (this.isEmptyIncludingFiltered()) {
      return Long.fromValue(this.highWatermark)
        .add(-1)
        .toString()
    }

    return this.messagesWithinOffset[this.messagesWithinOffset.length - 1].offset
  }

  /**
   * Returns the lag based on the last offset in the batch (also known as "high")
   */
  offsetLag() {
    const lastOffsetOfPartition = Long.fromValue(this.highWatermark).add(-1)
    const lastConsumedOffset = Long.fromValue(this.lastOffset())
    return lastOffsetOfPartition.add(lastConsumedOffset.multiply(-1)).toString()
  }

  /**
   * Returns the lag based on the first offset in the batch
   */
  offsetLagLow() {
    if (this.isEmptyIncludingFiltered()) {
      return '0'
    }

    const lastOffsetOfPartition = Long.fromValue(this.highWatermark).add(-1)
    const firstConsumedOffset = Long.fromValue(this.firstOffset())
    return lastOffsetOfPartition.add(firstConsumedOffset.multiply(-1)).toString()
  }
}


Pennsylvanian heavy/doom metallers Argus need no introduction and their previous album, Beyond The Martyrs (2013) still ranks with a 94% on Metal Archives (4 Reviews). So with that high of score, why wouldn't From Fields Of Fire be astonishing to the senses? Spoiler Alert: I think the disc is actually even better than their last, even though it ranks with a 91% (1 Review) on Metal Archives. Though from what I've heard, I may have to give this one an even higher rank that that of a 94%. So what am I getting at here? Is this a perfect album? Well, in my eyes, it certainly seems to be that way. Though before we get to that, let us rundown a few changes.
First of all, this is the first band without previous axeman and founding member, Erik Johnson. In his place we have Justin Campbell (ex-Come Summer, ex-RATM2) and Dave Watson (ex-Grave Desire, ex-Icarus Witch) on guitar duties, to which they both perform beautifully. There is no single shortage of great riff melodies to be found here, and Butch Balich still belts it out with the very best of them. And I do mean the VERY BEST of them. The man can not only sing, but he can sing doom metal in such a memorable manner that you just can't help but notice. Though we knew this already. As far as the solos are concerned, this album is chock full of them, even though a few sections might be cut too soon for my tastes. Though it's their approach to progressive riffing (which reminds me quite a bit of Slough Feg) that really seems to fill that hole for me. As I said, Argus create memorable riffs on this album and that isn't something you hear all that often in modern metal. I like riff bands, bands that actually go out of the way to write songs, rather than to copy something that has already been done and put their stamp on it. Sure, once can say that doom is the oldest genre in the game, but it's still one of the most important; regardless of how much technicality and death metal that you'd like to throw together. It is worth noting that a few unexpected tremolos are featured towards the end of opener "Devils Of Your Time." This is not an approach that I've heard often in doom metal, especially the traditional type. That being said, parts of "Infinite Lives, Infinite Doors" can sound like rather thumping power metal, so there are a great deal of unexpected influences in play here. I'm actually reminded of Brainstorm due the potent, thrashy thump. Add a breathtaking solo to that, and I'm already sold. But wait, there's more!
The album also features two incredible cuts one right after another in the form of "Hour of Longing" and the immeasurable "No Right To Grieve" which I'd consider to be an absolute monument of emotional grandiosity. I was going to Pallbearer for doom album of the year again, seeing as they had made another this year; but I wasn't all that pleased with it, finding Argus completely crushed them this time around. Balich's vocals are nearly inhuman on these cuts, bringing a sense of true emotional passion that comes off unlike very few acts in this genre. After hearing "No Right To Grieve" it more or less has already solidified in your mind that this album is an incredible effort and worthy of being considered one of the best heavy metal albums of the year. In my book, it most definitely is. If not for the memorable riffs, then for the memorable guitar solos. If not for the memorable guitar solos, then for memorable vocal performances. There are so many great moments in this album, and I daresay that I believe it will floor you. I will say that aside from the moments of tremolo and slight power metal thump, it doesn't reinvent the genre; but I don't believe that Argus set out to do that. However, it manages to showcase one of the single best doom metal performances that I've ever heard and I'd have to recommend it simply for that. It's quite easy to see why The Grim Tower highly recommends Argus's From Fields Of Fire. I highly doubt this year, that you will find a doom metal disc with more potency and emotional prowess than this one.


text:
A look at the top-secret, high-tech espionage war going on between cats and dogs, of which their human owners are blissfully unaware.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
A young adventurer named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Family, Science Fiction
An American Rhapsody
A young Hungarian girl struggles to find her place in the world when she's reunited with her parents in the USA years after she was left behind during their flight…
Country: Hungary, USA
In a family party that is respected, good music, fun, love, drinks and why not, even a dead person should never be lacking. The Matayana family will experience a rumba…
The untold true story set in the winter of 1925 that takes you across the treacherous terrain of the Alaskan tundra for an exhilarating and uplifting adventure that will test…
Genre: Adventure, Family
In this live-action adaptation of the beloved fairytale, old woodcarver Geppetto fashions a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, who magically comes to life. Pinocchio longs for adventure and is easily led astray,…
Christmas brings the ultimate gift to Aldovia: a royal baby. But first, Queen Amber must help her family and kingdom by finding a missing peace treaty.
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The love story between a pampered Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a streetwise mongrel named Tramp. Lady finds herself out on the street after her owners have a baby and…
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
When Roger (a Robin Hood-esque, stray dog) and Belle (an elegant yet spoilt pet cat) are thrown together amidst the chaos of a robot take-over of their home city, they…
When Jesper distinguishes himself as the Postal Academy's worst student, he is sent to Smeerensburg, a small village located on an icy island above the Arctic Circle, where grumpy inhabitants…
It's been ten years since the dragons moved to the Hidden World, and even though Toothless doesn't live in New Berk anymore, Hiccup continues the holiday traditions he once shared…
Bayala – A Magical Adventure
Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new…
Separated from his daughter, a father with an intellectual disability must prove his innocence when he is jailed for the death of a commander's child.
The Addams family's lives begin to unravel when they face-off against a treacherous, greedy crafty reality-TV host while also preparing for their extended family to arrive for a major celebration.
The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily
Our story starts with Tonio, the son the bears King, being kidnapped by some hunters in the Sicilian mountains. Because of the harshness of a winter that threatens its clan…
Christian, a visionary scientist, studies wild geese. For his son, a teenager obsessed with video games, the idea of spending a holiday with his father in the wilderness is a…
A group of misfits encounter a young Yeti named Everest, and they set off to reunite the magical creature with his family on the mountain of his namesake.
Two years after the events of "Change Your Mind", Steven (now 16 years old) and his friends are ready to enjoy the rest of their lives peacefully. However, all of…
Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Music
Watch Norm of the North 2016 Movie Online Free When a real estate development invades his Arctic home, Norm and his three lemming friends head to New York City, where Norm…
Country: India, Ireland, USA
Watch Frozen 2 Movie Online Free Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the…
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Music, Upcoming Movies
Watch The Angry Birds Movie 2 Online Free The flightless birds and scheming green pigs take their beef to the next level.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Upcoming Movies
The teenagers of Disney's most infamous villains return to the Isle of the Lost to recruit a new batch of villainous offspring to join them at Auradon Prep.
Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Music, TV Movie
Dora, a girl who has spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, now must navigate her most dangerous adventure yet: high school. Always the explorer, Dora…
Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs
Princes who have been turned into Dwarfs seek the red shoes of a lady in order to break the spell, although it will not be easy.
Genre: Animation, Family, Romance
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution
After accepting an invitation from a mysterious trainer, Ash, Misty and Brock meet Mewtwo, an artificially created Pokémon who wants to do battle.
My Extraordinary Summer with Tess
As the youngest of the family, Sam is haunted by the notion that someday he could become the last remaining survivor, all alone. On a family vacation at the beach,…
Adventures of Dally and Spanky
A girl inherits a miniature horse that develops an unlikely friendship with her half-sister's Jack Russell Terrier, who takes to riding on the horse's back.
A suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying baby pairs up with his 7-year old brother to stop the dastardly plot of the CEO of Puppy Co.
Watch BFG Movie Online Free An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading…
Storks have moved on from delivering babies to packages. But when an order for a baby appears, the best delivery stork must scramble to fix the error by delivering the…
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
A Portokalos family secret brings the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that stretches across time, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the danger deepens after he gets to know the residents…
Country: Belgium, UK, USA
Continuing his "legendary adventures of awesomeness", Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to home.
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A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.
Will a 'bling' ring or the courage to save his city from an army of evil robots win the heart of Sam's childhood sweetheart?
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After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the curmudgeonly Branch set off on a journey to rescue her friends.
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Music
Pete's Dragon
The adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon.
Copyright 2018 - 123MoviesKing


At Mercado, it's our mission to revive a global respect for high quality, raw produce and the precision and skill involved in giving the produce the respect it's due by creating flavour sensations with what the land has given us. Whether you're a meat eater, pescatarian or a vegetarian, it's always important to honour the food that's on your plate throughout the process of creating mouth-watering dishes.
Our paddock to plate experience starts with the suppliers we work with, ensuring they are the best of the best. So, in today's blog we'll be giving you a rundown of some of our meat suppliers and what makes them special, and more importantly, how this demonstrates that Mercado have some of the best meat in Australia, both through our butchery and our bistro.
This vast area, bordering not only Queensland, but NT and South Australia too, is the pure heartland of Australia. The cattle here are free to roam across organic, natural plains with hardly any fences. They live a life free from unnecessary human interference, feeding on over 250 species of native grasses and plants.
This huge swathe of land is operated by a handful of families, working together across over 7 million hectares of grazing land. That's about the area of Tasmania, or 1.5 times the area of Taiwan! Guided by heritage and purity, these Aussie farmers believe the quality of the beef is a direct product of the environment in which it was raised. You are what you eat, as they say.
The central western slopes of New South Wales are home to our 2GR Fullblood Wagyu cattle, who graze on the open ranges in expansive spaces shaded by Kurrajongs and Eucalyptus.
2GR's Wagyu bloodline descends from the famous Takeda Farm, Japan's premier breeder. All 10,000 cattle have DNA traceability back to their Japanese forbears, making this one of the largest Fullblood Wagyu herds outside of Australia.
The cattle enjoy open pasture for 18 months, after which their fed a special Japanese diet of wheat, corn and hominy along with a traditional animal management ensuring the animals are happy, stress free and respected.
Find this cut at the Mercado butcher or create your own flavour combination from our menu.
Blackmore Wagyu is internationally renowned for being one of the finest Wagyu in the world. Representing one of the highest grades of Wagyu, our Blackmore is the result of a natural, slow production process that takes four years to complete.
The cattle are located in the Victorian high country, surrounded by natural lagoons and old river red gums, allowing them to be bred and fed in a natural, clean and sustainable, with just 25 animals per 2 hectares.
Every single Blackmore is recorded with a full animal lineage that can be traced back more than 70 years and is independently assessed by meat graders to ensure the quality and consistency of the brand. It doesn't get much better than this.
The Limestone Coast is home to our Wagyu Beef, more specifically Mayura Station. On Mayura Station you'll find our Wagyu cattle roaming in rich, healthy rolling hills and fertile soils, where they'll be for most of their lives. With a moderate climate, sparkling clean water and reliable rainfall it's the perfect environment to rear healthy, happy cows.
The animals are fed a traditional slow growth diet that improves meat texture, and it's always antiobiotic free. Our suppliers also use composted material along with traditional farming methods for the ultimate sustainability.
Goondiwindi, on Queensland's fertile Darling Downs is the home of one of Australia's free range pork producers, Borrowdale. Sourced from a single family owned 10,000 acre farm, animals are raised in stress free environment that's approved by the RSPCA and APIQ.
The Landrace pigs here have freedom to truffle, play and wallow in the mud, and have access to star bedded shelters for resting and protection against the elements.
Ask our butcher for Borrowdale and you'll taste the difference.
Last but certainly not least is our Cowra lamb, with one of the best reputations for lamb production in the country. A father and two son team source lambs from a 150km radius of the Lachlan river, renowned as one of the most fertile valleys in the world. New season lamb have free range access to pastures with quality grasses and are antibiotic free.
Come and visit Mercado today to discover a range of other meats and cuts. Our friendly and knowledgeable butchers will be glad to tell you more, as well as the best way to cook your cut to get the best flavour and texture out of it. Or leave it to the experts and visit our Bistro or the Duck Room and we'll show you how it's done!


Davis Vantage Vue - another great quality weather station from Davis!
Classic Davis quality combined with legendary accuracy in a compact and robust package - this unit is hard to beat!
An exceptional station for home weather observers, the Vantage Vue offers the reliability of Davis products at a price more suited for the enthusiast. This system provides accurate, reliable weather monitoring in a self-contained, easy-to-install system.
The Davis Vantage Vue gives you all the weather data you need for home use, education, boating and more. Sleek but tough—your outdoor sensor suite sets up in minutes and starts sending data wirelessly to your console anywhere in your home, school, or business.
You'll see current weather conditions, including indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point and rainfall. You'll also get weather forecast icons, moon phase, sunrise/sunset times, graphing of weather trends, alarms and more. Vantage Vue also boasts the innovative Weather Center button that displays additional data on weather variables for today and over the last 25 days.
WeatherLink Datalogger/Software to download data to your PC/Mac for storage and analysis.
Or send your data directly to the internet without a PC, where you can then access it anywhere, anytime from your phone, tablet or computer via WeatherLink IP software.
In addition to displaying current weather conditions and trends, the Vantage Vue also boasts the innovative Weather Center button that displays weather variables over the last 25 days.
1. TIME & DATE - View the current time and date or time of sunrise/sunset, highs/lows, graphed data point.
2. MOON PHASE - See the eight phases of the moon from new to full.
3. FORECAST - Icons let you know to expect sun, part sun, clouds, rain, or snow.
4. TEMPERATURE & HUMIDITY - Console updates outside temperature every 10 seconds and inside temperature every minute. In addition, outside humidity updates every 50 seconds and inside humidity every minute.
5. RETRANSMITS - Main console can extend range to additional consoles up to 1,000 ft. (300 m).
6. BAROMETER – Five-position trend arrow shows whether barometric pressure is rising, falling, or stable.
7. VARIABLE DISPLAY OPTIONS - See updated variables every 10 seconds for heat index and wind chill to get a better "feel" for the outside environment.
8. RAIN - Console updates rain totals and rain rate every 20 seconds for the last 25 hours, days, months.
9. "CHANGE IN WEATHER SINCE YESTERDAY" FEATURE - Allows comparisons of changes of temperature and barometric pressure from day to day.
10. WEATHER CENTER - Weather Center provides additional information for each weather variable, such as daily highs and lows, temperature changes by the hour and barometric value changes. Also displays astronomical data such as meteor showers.
11. USER-FRIENDLY KEYPAD - Domed buttons are easy to sense and press. Glow-in-the-dark keypad buttons give you access to weather information all day and all night. The Done key returns user to "current" screen from anywhere in the program.
12. GRAPHS - Graph the last 25 hours, 25 days or 25 months. View up to 50 graphs including temperature, rain, rain rate, wind and barometric pressure—all on the console.
13. "THIS TIME YESTERDAY" FEATURE - Data point on the graph indicates the weather during the same time yesterday to help compare and analyze day-to-day weather trends.
14 ALARMS - Set 22 simultaneous, different alarms to warn of dangers such as high winds, freezing temperatures, rain rate, flood warning, and more.
The fully-integrated, rugged sensor suite is built to take all the weather your location can give—freezing winters, springtime thunderstorms, blistering summer sun and brisk autumn winds. The smaller profile sensor suite is designed to minimize visual impact in your yard or on your roof.
1. WIRELESS - Frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio ensures consistent transmission up to 1,000 ft. (300 m) from integrated sensor suite to console.
2. RAIN COLLECTOR - Self-emptying tipping spoon measures rain with 0.2mm resolution.
3. ANEMOMETER - Vantage Vue records wind speeds as low as 3 km/h and as high as 241 km/h.
4. WEATHER PROOF COVER - Corrosion-resistant cover provides durability in extreme conditions. Electronics are potted or over-molded for added moisture shielding.
5. RADIATION SHIELD - Provides excellent protection from solar radiation and other sources of radiated and reflected heat.
6. TEMPERATURE/RELATIVE HUMIDITY - Provides outside temperature readings from -40°C to 65°C. Also measures relative humidity from 0 to 100%.
7. EASY INSTALLATION - Installs easily and quickly with included mounting hardware kit.
8. WIND DIRECTION - Measures wind direction in compass points or degrees.
9. SOLAR PANEL - Energizes the station during the day. On-board super capacitor provides power at night. Lithium battery provides backup when needed.
10. BUBBLE LEVEL - Allows for more accurate installation and better data collection.