text:
Handheld Graviton Accelerator
Force gun
Weapon Information

11,000 credits

Technical Specifications

10 (5 in DS2) Force Energy Batteries

Damage (DMG):

20 (35 maximum)

Ammo Capacity (CLP):

20 (10 in DS2) Force Energy Batteries

Effective Range:

Secondary Fire:

Weapon Parts
Upgrade circuits
Dead Space 1

Force gun bench DS1 Requires 19 Power Nodes to fully upgrade.

Dead Space 2

Force gun bench 25

Requires 24 Power Nodes to fully upgrade.

The Handheld Graviton Accelerator, commonly referred to as the Force Gun, is a short-range kinetic booster device. Its function in mining operations is to provide blasting power beyond conventional explosive charges, thus making it suitable for precise terraforming applications. Some practical examples may include shattering rocks into smaller rocks, sending rocks between miners in zero-gravity situations, or deflecting wayward rocks away from miners during space operations.

In combat, the Force Gun serves like a shotgun; the primary fire shoots a wide kinetic blast of energy outwards, damaging everything in front of it. The closer an enemy is to this blast, the more damage is caused. Due to its short range, the Force gun is only viable for close-quarter combat. While the Force Gun's primary fire won't blow many of the tougher enemies to pieces, it will knock them back and away, creating breathing room in tough situations.

Its secondary fire, called the Force Bomb, serves as a grenade launcher that shoots a large, spherical, low-speed projectile that explodes upon impact with an enemy with great force. If it doesn't come into contact with a foe, it will roll around for a few seconds before exploding. Upgraded, the secondary fire can blow creatures to pieces.

The secondary fire has been modified in Dead Space 2, becoming a narrow beam with a brief charge time. The beam seems to be able to go through multiple Necromorphs. This only consumes one round of ammunition.

  • Bloody Force Gun (DS2,5% alt-fire damage, 5% firing speed)
  • Zealot Force Gun (DS2,5% damage bonus, 5% faster reload)
  • Steampunk Force Gun (DS1)
  • Military Force Gun (DS1)
  • Scorpion Force Gun (DS1)
  • Tank Force Gun (DS1)
  • Speed Kills Force Gun (DS1)

Combat TipsEdit

  • One Method of killing most Necromophs in few hits is to use the primary fire to knock the target to the ground then alt fire killing the target.
  • The Force Gun's primary discharge is designed for close-range effectiveness. Use it only when enemies get too close to you, as its destructive power falls away rapidly with distance.
  • If you knock an enemy to the ground, run up to it and shoot it at point-blank range, while it is still getting up, as doing so will stun-lock your opponent and allow you to finish it off in short order. However, remember not to allow other enemies to sneak up on you while you're battering your opponent.
  • The Secondary fire shoots out a force bomb that explodes upon contact with a Necromorph with the force of a Primary attack, making it suitable for knocking back charging enemies or taking out Swarmers at a distance where the Primary discharge would have little effect. Be careful not to fire the grenade too close to Isaac or he'll get knocked back as well from the blast.
  • Use the secondary rate of fire in conjunction with Stasis blasts to slow small groups of enemies and blow them apart.
  • The Force Gun's blast is capable of sending items in the vicinity flying away. As a result, be wary of using the Force Gun on an elevated platform if you need ammo or health drops.
  • If you are close enough to the Hive Mind's chest when it's open, and fire a Force Bomb, you can take out more than one of its yellow sacs.
  • The secondary function's bombs can be picked up with Kinesis and launched right into foes. This is useful if, for any reason, you miss your shot on your target. Be careful not to hold on to the bomb for too long, or it will explode in your hands.
  • In Zero-G areas, the secondary fire bomb will travel in a straight line rather than an arc, since there is no gravity to pull it downward. As a result, a skilled player can shoot a force bomb long distances to hit an enemy. Keep in mind, however, that the bomb moves slowly enough that some enemies may be able to dodge it before it hits, particularly if you are shooting across a long distance, making this a risky tactic.
  • It's not a good idea to use this on a Pregnant, as the size of the blast radius creates a significant risk of causing the Pregnant to release its payload.
  • Conversely, if you do accidentally cause a Pregnant to release its payload, the Force Gun can make short work of anything that comes out with some well-timed use of the secondary fire. The primary fire is also very effective against Swarmers and is capable of taking out the entire group with a single, well-timed shot.
  • You can also use the secondary fire to check around corners by simply aiming at the opposing wall and bouncing the bomb around the corner. This will either kill or knock out anything around the corner. It can also cause explosives to detonate, increasing the potential damage done, however this is very rare. Obviously, this tactic comes with the trade-off of risking ammo wastage should there be no hostiles around the corner.
  • The Force Gun is a poor choice for use on Drag Tentacles: the primary fire doesn't have enough range to hit the weak point, and the arc of the secondary fire makes it extremely difficult to hit the target. Switch to a weapon with a faster firing rate (and longer range) instead, such as your Plasma Cutter or Pulse Rifle - unless you're a crack shot with the secondary fire.
  • The Force Gun can knock down the Hunter and buy time for you to make an escape - this is a possible alternative to cutting off its legs or using stasis to immobilize it.
  • If fully upgraded on the Big Gun Download, the weapon can take out several Necromorphs at ease. This is very effective against Twitchers and Slashers, even sometimes tearing their limbs off.
  • The Force Gun is the best choice in dealing with Guardians, if you upgrade the DMG Nodes it can rip all tentacles in one shot, and against Swarmers and Appendages, as it can destroy an entire group of them in one shot.
  • The Force Gun's secondary fire can be extremely useful against Guardians, it takes some quick precise aiming but when a guardian first sees you it will eject all of its tentacles from its stomach, if you can hit the mass of them with the force bomb before the guardian attaches them to the wall it is a guaranteed one hit kill.
  • The Force Gun is highly effective against a Divider's limbs, as the area of the blast can hit multiple limbs, and it's high close range damage can stop a limb mid jump.
  • You can perform a combo with the Force Gun. You can knock an enemy back with the primary fire, and then hit them with the secondary fire before they get up. This is an efficient way of killing enemies if you don't want them to get too close so you can actually blow their limbs off, or if you have low health.

Dead Space 2Edit

  • The gun's Alt-Fire has been changed to an energy beam that takes a brief charging time before it fires. The beam itself can penetrate through multiple Necromorphs, so try to line them up in narrow areas.
  • The alternative fire costs no more ammunition usage than the primary fire. The beam is broad enough that aiming for the center-of-mass can shear multiple limbs at once. By contrast, the primary fire has a very small effective range due to damage fall off and is generally best used for clearing Isaac's personal space or knocking down an enemy for a follow-up kill.
  • Since the secondary fire of the Force Gun penetrates multiple targets, an efficient tactic when faced with multiple enemies approaching from the front is to stasis and then run to their side. Aiming so that all of their upheld arms are in the line-of-fire will allow for multiple instant kills with a single shot. The many remaining floating claws (slowed in their falling by stasis) provide a quick and easy supply of lethal projectiles for kinesis.
  • The Force gun is highly effective against the Pack, taking out multiple members with one shot.
  • The Force Gun is very effective against charging Stalkers due to the knockback effect, fast rate of fire and inexpensive ammunition.
  • On Zealot difficulty, a fully upgraded (primary firing) Force Gun can completely dismember the Ubermorph in 2-3 well placed shots. Just knock it off its feet with the first shot, walk up on top of it and fire 1-2 more times depending on how far the first shot was fired from, then stasis the creature and move on.
  • The Force Gun is not a good idea to use during the Brute train encounter. The short ranged kinetic blast is far too short ranged to reach the yellow weak spots on the Brute's arms. Additionally, for reasons unknown, you cannot use the secondary function when you are trying to kill the Brute.
  • When forced into a corner for what ever reason, the Force Gun's primary and secondary fire can easily shred anything that gets in range, making it great for bunkering down, especially in the room before going into the CEC elevator when a constant stream of Necromorphs keep coming. Simply stand near the door and wait for them to come to you. The gun is even capable of knocking Leapers out of the air if they attempt to tackle Isaac.
  • Try to save the Force Gun for situations where it is hard for you to get into a corner or move around freely and use other weapons.
  • Like the Contact Beam's primary function, the Force Gun's secondary function can be canceled while charging up.

  • The Force Gun is the only engineering tool in the game that is not given a technical name. The Dead Space art book features a tool catalogue that describes the Force Gun as a "Handheld Graviton Accelerator."
  • The Force Gun, like the Ripper and Seeker Rifle, has a rather strange "reloading" animation. The handle above the gun's barrel is pulled back and then pushed forward immediately without any ammo being ejected/inserted.
  • Similar to the Kinesis module, the Force Gun utilizes gravity around it to give the blast effect.
  • The Big Gun Pack for Dead Space includes a better Force Gun.
  • The Force Gun's alternate fire changed to a charged energy beam in Dead Space 2.
  • Preorders of the Dead Space 2 Collector's Edition came with a code to unlock the Zealot Force Gun and Zealot RIG. It still has the Unitologist skin.
  • The Force Gun used in Dead Space 2 seems to be smaller than the one from Dead Space.
  • In Dead Space, killing 30 enemies with the Force Gun earns the "Pusher" achievement/trophy.
  • The Force Gun is one of the five guns available as secondary weapons in Dead Space 2 Multiplayer.
  • Oddly enough, when used at point blank range on a Slasher, it only shoots off their legs.
  • It is impossible for the Force Gun's primary fire to detonate an Exploder or Crawler. It, however, can still detonate explosive canisters.
  • In Dead Space, the targets of the Target Practice shooting range on the 9th chapter cannot be hit with the Force Gun, not even the secondary fire.
  • In Dead Space 2 the Force Gun's secondary fire is similar to the Contact Beam's primary fire.
  • In Dead Space, Isaac holds the Force Gun close to his waist when aiming. In Dead Space 2, He holds it like a rifle, aiming down the "sight".
  • Both variants of the Force Gun can be constructed in Dead Space 3.
    • The DS variant can be constructed by placing a default-tipped Plasma Core as an Upper Tool on a Heavy Frame, with a default-tipped Survey Charge as the Lower Tool.
    • The DS2 variant follows the same construction method, but the Survey Charge is replaced with another Plasma Core with a Compressor Tip.

Ad blocker interference detected!

Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers

Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
On Monday, the Oakland Athletics clinched a playoff spot, and just a few hours later pitcher Pat Neshek's wife went into labor. Neshek flew to Florida and was with his wife when she gave birth to a baby boy.

Last night, Neshek's son passed away just 23 hours after his birth. All of this played out in heartbreaking fashion on Pat Neshek's Twitter feed:

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-148-41-166.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-30
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for July 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Android.png (download) (16 × 16 pixels, file size: 772 B, MIME type: image/png)

Licensing Edit

This file does not have information on its copyright status.

Appears on these pages

  • Damage Booster

    "Multiplies your damage when equipped.'Nuff said." —In-game description The Damage Booster is a...

  • Dead Trigger

    DEAD TRIGGER is a first-person shooter action game developed by MADFINGER Games a.s. It was...

  • Dead Trigger:Version History

    Dead Trigger underwent updates that will add new features, and change or remove old ones...

See full list >

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

current04:49, July 26, 2012Thumbnail for version as of 04:49, July 26, 201216 × 16 (772 B)JediTurtles (wall | contribs)

Ad blocker interference detected!

Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers

Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Prasad’s Multiplex Movie Ticket (Hyderbad) Worth Rs.150 @ Rs.49 From Nearbuy

Like(0) 247 0 Rs.150 Rs.49
Buy Now
Nearbuy, offering Prasad’s Multiplex Movie Ticket at 67% discount. with free shipping, To get this offer please go through the below easy steps...

How to Grab

  1. Visit Deal Page Here
  2. Add to cart
  3. Pay the amount

  • Valid 7 days a week
  • Not Valid on Big Screen
  • Valid for 1 person
  • Redemption must only be done at the box office. Customer phone redemptions will not be accepted
  • Valid until 10.06.2016
add comment
Hotel Booking Starting At Just Rs.3000
Avail 15% Cash-Back On All Local Services And Offers
20% Cashback On All Local Offers And Services
Get Rs.3000 Discount On All Products

Top Pick's Today

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Documenting street art and graffiti in melbourne and beyond

Sunshines Melbourne Graffiti & Street Art Top 10 – June 2017

Sunshines Top 10 Melbourne Street Art & Graffiti – May 2017

I recently supplied a list of Melbourne murals to Vogue. The brief was to show a range of different street art which were still available for anyone to go and track down and see for themselves in reality and in context… see the article and all thirty two murals here,41820

Sunshines Top 10 Melbourne Graffiti & Street Art – February 2017

Fourteen Melbourne based artists were each commissioned to paint a panel to be displayed outside The Art of Banksy – with a plan to sell them all and raise money for charity when the exhibition finishes in January 2017. The funds raised through the online auction will be split between two Melbourne charities – STREAT […]

Q. What do you do when you take over a beautiful old building that’s about to be demolished? A. Offer it to your mates and a vast range of artists to use as a blank canvas before you put on possibly the best street art exhibition of the year! Here are some of the incredible […]

I was contacted about The Art Of Banksy exhibition coming to Melbourne a while ago, and I had mixed emotions. It was not authorised but at the same time all the eighty original artworks were sold by Banksy himself thus creating a secondary market for his works. I was assured there were no pieces in […]

This was such an awesome project – over one hundred artists came together to paint in an old timber mill to help raise funds for local charities – organised by Arianna Leane, Alex McCulloch and Ken McGregor. Check the news article here and some videos here and here

Categories: graffiti, street art | 1 Comment

  When Makatron finished his piece we knew this was a special mural but we never expected such a reaction. There was major media interest locally and internationally and even an online petition we think it’s incredible and makes an awesome addition to Sunshine Lane

I am so proud to be part of the Melbourne street art and graffiti scene. Street art festivals in other cities rely on money from local councils and corporations whilst here in Melburn the whole community gets together and generously gives time, effort, money, skills and artwork for a greater cause. Last week saw the Paterson Project happen with the […]

Get down to this exhibition featuring some of Melbourne’s finest talent as a tribute to Mark “Chopper” Read for more info click here


text:
Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Brides in pants!

The 2013 trendency for brides is to get married in trousers!
YolanCris, Pronovias and Oscar de la Renta all dressed their brides in pants, short or long.
I am too conventional, but for the gal more into pants, this post is for you!

1 comment:

  1. Den som haft tillgång till denna information när det begav sig...

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...


text:
22 Following

Historical Romance

Give Your Heart a Rake: Misadventures of the Heart - Tanya Wilde

Give Your Heart A Rake is a fantastic read by Tanya Wilde.  Ms Wilde has gifted us with an amazing, well-written story loaded with phenomenal characters.  Rosslyn and Lucien's story is full of drama, humor and spice.  I totally enjoyed reading Give Your Heart A Rake and look forward to reading more from Tanya Wilde in the future.  Give Your Heart A Rake is part of the Misadventures Of The Heart Series but can easily be read as a standalone.  This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.


text:
WIP Progress Meter

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

DONE! and Newsletter update

I'm happy to report that this morning I finished the edits on PENTACLES AND PREDATORS (Pentacles & Pentimentos #2) and sent it off to my agent, Elaine Spencer.

This is a good thing for a number of reasons:
1) Finished is good, just in general
2) I had been aiming at finishing it by the 1st of June and came dang close
3) I have alls sorts of other things that need to get worked on (if you saw my post on my writing to do list, you already know this!)
4) I expect us to sell the first book in the series any day now, and it will be good to have the second one done and ready to go.

I started this manuscript on March 7th, and finishing on June 2nd is right around the 3 month mark I was aiming at. And I'm really pleased with the way the book turned out. (My critique partner likes it too, lest you think I am completely deluded...)

In other news:
I am FINALLY, SERIOUSLY getting ready to send out my first newsletter. Yes, I know I have been saying this for a while, but THIS TIME I REALLY MEAN IT. I am a little embarrassed to admit that I am finally getting around to sending the sign-up invites to all the lovely folks who signed up to get the email while taking a workshop from me at Pantheacon in February. My apologies to everyone for my lateness. See notes on writing a book in three months, above :-)

If you are interested in getting the newsletter (which will probably only come out 3-4 times a year, and will contain info on new releases, contests, sales, etc.), please go to my website at www.deborahblakehps.com and sign up. I promise the thing will be done and out within the next two weeks!

1 comment:

  1. Now that's an intriguing title :)I'll have to look out for it when it's published.


text:
Welcome to degreefinder.xyz

This name was just registered on Uniregistry.com

Want your own domain name? With new generic domain extensions like .link, .gift, .pics and .sexy, you have millions of new possibilities. Search for your new name below.

Is this your domain name? Visit degreefinder.xyz and log into your account to manage it.

Sooner than later.

Tranquil Shootout new film starring Val Kilmer. Dark Shadows, from the author Seth Grahame-Smith from Abraham Lincoln adapted to: Vampire Hunter for Burton is based on a 60 gothicarts day as standard with vampires, ghosts, zombies is based wolves werewolves, parallel universes and to - paradoxes Burton campy a part melodrama, member dead serious? and chosen strange? Storytelling. Victoria Winters is yet another a major character a good-natured governess, which is ever in things mixing at Collinwood. Has been confirmed that to start the shooting would this year, and It looks just like Burton Giessen. Was is moved , so progress is made This is is apparently a project, we are to maintain out our eye, because it has Potter & Burton and be big be great good casting as much.?. And I said, ' Do it yourself? that's impossible. But Team Fortress 2 thing, the Meet the Team Short , is to us try to to discover that. .. ' Victoria and David has every had their children a very young age to hobbies, 'become an insider telling of UK newspaper The Thu. This is sad to hear she had so much crappy places early in the day, however when he talks about where Half-Life was one that was re in 1998. Maybe they should have actually to hear several pitches of screenwriter today that may passionate about the game and all sci-fi story exact how they intend to adapt.

Borders books brisbane

Borders books brisbane, Calibre talking books, Novell 5 file rename

Borders books brisbane

Looking for Faber Faber books on Nonfiction. See our Nonfiction books featuring; new releases, award winners and top sellers. Bonus publisher materials include reviews, videos . Sympathy poems about a friend Borders books brisbane

the only free chess school online. Free chess books, games, chess software. Chess is the game for everyone! Life inspirational poems

Calibre talking books Free Range Review is the place to find good local food and where you can review the local food companies around you. Putting the voice of local food m76's great online scrapbook about dougie's valentine. Scrapblog lets you quickly and easily make your own digital scrapbooks, which you can share with your friends and family Novell 5 file rename

Boston based singer/ songwriter. His musical style ranges from folk to country with a touch of blues. Real Audio clips available from the recently released album. Disney fairies coloring books

E machines net books Desmond Fennell, Irish writer Desmond Fennell on the PostEuropean, PostWestern condition of the WestDesmond Tutu Biography. Nobel Prize for Peace Desmond Tutu Date of birth: October 7, 1931: Print Biography Track investments in quickbooks Amazon craft books

Calibre talking books

Clark Howard consumer advice autographed books. . Make sure to place your order on or before December 9th to ensure orders are received before Christmas. Books boxsets Track investments in quickbooks

Bentley Arnage History, Design , Technical Data, Photos, Production numbers etc. . Main Index. Models Each Model ever built. Books Detailed information. FAQ Frequently Amazon craft books

Disney fairies coloring books On Friday, December 14th, Alex Olson gave a reading for the Writer's Forum at the Pratt Institute, accompanied by Eileen Myles. Afterwards, there was a question and answer . List of robert frost poems

66 quotes and quotations by Denis Waitley . Denis Waitley Quotes: Type: Writer Quotes Category: American Writer Quotes Nationality: Gmat review books

Life inspirational poems CPA, Accounting, Finance, Audit, Review, Compilation, Tax Prep, Consulting, Managment Services, Advisory, Tax Return, Plymouth, QuickBooks, Tax Planning, Financial Statements . Civil 3D books Sympathy poems about a friend

Novell 5 file rename

 : Little Doors (Di Filippo, Paul): Paul Di Filippo: Books . Review Paul Di Filippo returns in fine protean form with his story collection Little Doors. Balloon sculpting books Children's books that teach imagery

Pearson would like to partner with Des Moines School District to provide the latest in textbooks, teacher resources and support technology for your Earth Science classes. Masterwriter registration

Nellies english books Free collection of all Edgar Allan Poe Poems and Biography. See the best poems and poetry by Edgar Allan 1849) American writer. Edgar Allan Poe is wellknown for his poetry and criticism. He's also recognized as the first master of the short story form. Novell application virtualization

Poems robert burns advertisement. Overview. User Rating: 7.1/10 100 votes. Director: Michael Tuchner. Writer: Stanley Gordon West (book) Release Date: 29 September 1985 (USA) more Audio books worlds in collision

Anniversary+Poems Charlton Heston Posters at . Choose from over 500,000 Posters Art Prints. Value Framing, Fast Delivery, 100% Satisfaction The Author: Reno Charlton is an awardwinning author and freelance writer from the West Midlands, England. She has written many articles providing consumer information on . Best sellers list of books Mercyme songbooks

E machines net books

 Informational site and community RE: Carl Lehman, Private Investigator (a fictional detective created by Richard Newton Meyer) and the Carl Lehman books/stories including: Ham . Nonmainstream highest paying magazine for writers Books by barrack obama

The definitive information resource for screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. . My name is Charles Prescott Barris. I have written pop songs, I have been a television producer. Eds bookstore new york

Books written by carlos ruiz ortiz Fifteen Love: Robert Corbet: : Books . Whether you're shopping for belated gifts or a little something for yourself, the Boxing Day store is the place for knockout deals . E machines net books

Eaton corporation hydrostatic drive literature Treasurer Berty Crittenden . Port Captain Gordon Hubble. Board Member PC Tim Bunyan . Board Member Al Prine. General membership in attendance: Sherry Thixtonarray = array( array('monkey', 'banana', 'Jim'), array('hamster', 'apples', 'Kola'), array('turtle', 'beans', 'Berty'), ); $xml = new XmlWriter(); $xml push('zoo . . is now functioning correctly all of the default entries have been created. What seems odd is that as far as netdom is concerned this machine is holding the PDC role! Thanks, BertyPosted By: berty berty1962@ Date: Sunday, 31 July 2005, at a.m. Hi can any one help me. I am new at fish keeping and have just bought a stone loach and a cold . Books on the bible song Telephone books from england

Peter enjoys an unorthodox playing style, which is be aptly described by his comment, anything ' unsound ' is always interesting get softwares, scripts, ebooks with sales materials, sourcecode and resell rights Efm writer Missionaries poems

Amazon craft books

 Wiki writer. Cyclist. Los Angeles Eco Village member since 2006. If you have questions about this wiki you can send me an email to: ffederico(at) I offer person to . Sports-Poems The grotesque in literature

About Crockett Johnson's cartoon books, featuring the Barnaby series . Barnaby (1943) This collection introduces Mr. O'Malley to the Baxter family (although only Barnaby . Open Letter from John Mueller Posted General on Thursday, May 12th, 2005. Dear Barnaby Woods Neighbors, I’m happy to report that, with a generous outpouring of donations . The novello maidenhead

Books by jordan sonnenblick Free collection of all Derek Walcott Poems and Biography. See the best poems and poetry by Derek Walcott. Sports illustrated baseball books

Free standing booksheves Raymond Carver was a short story writer and poet. Carversite features audio, story, video, biography, photographs, poems, quotations, bibliography, r Business Group is an organization of business owners who sponsor community events. With your help we're fostering awareness of Carver Minnesota’s historical downtown. Oil and gas textbooks How to make typewriter key jewelry

Born: November 8, 1847 Clontarf, Ireland Died: April 20, 1912 London, England Irish writer. Bram Stoker is best known as the author of Dracula (1897), one of the most famous horror . How to make typewriter key jewelry Oil and gas textbooks

RSS Feed


text:
Delaware Public Media

Danielle Kurtzleben

Danielle Kurtzleben is a political reporter assigned to NPR's Washington Desk. In her current role, she writes for's It's All Politics blog, focusing on data visualizations. In the run-up to the 2016 election, she will be using numbers to tell stories that go far beyond polling, putting policies into context and illustrating how they affect voters.

Before joining NPR in 2015, Kurtzleben spent a year as a correspondent for As part of the site's original reporting team, she covered economics and business news.

Prior to, Kurtzleben was with U.S. News & World Report for nearly four years, where she covered the economy, campaign finance and demographic issues. As associate editor, she launched Data Mine, a data visualization blog on

A native of Titonka, Iowa, Kurtzleben has a bachelor's degree in English from Carleton College. She also holds a master's degree in Global Communication from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

If George W. Bush was the decider, consider Donald Trump the un-decider. This week, the current president abandoned a string of his best-known policy positions over a matter of days.

Donald Trump's rhetoric on China and trade has been blunt, to say the least.

"We can't continue to allow China to rape our country — and that's what they're doing," he said at a May 2016 campaign rally. "It's the greatest theft in the history of the world."

Speaking to CEOs on Tuesday, President Trump touted his plans for deregulation and infrastructure-building. In the process, he made a striking claim: that the Obama administration passed an infrastructure bill that built nothing and gave money to social programs.

You may not remember that happening (because it didn't). Here's what Trump seems to have been saying and how close to the truth it is.

The nation learned this week that Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, have had some unusually strict boundaries around their marriage.

That's something The Washington Post's Ashley Parker dug up in writing a profile of Karen Pence this week. As Parker tweeted on Wednesday, "Mike Pence never dines alone [with] a woman not his wife, nor does he attends events [with] alcohol, w/o her by his side."

After seven years of trying, Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last week.

That doesn't mean the health care drama is over, though. House Speaker Paul Ryan this week told donors that the party is "going to keep getting at this thing," according to The Washington Post.

But whatever Ryan and his colleagues manage to do, plenty could still change in the Affordable Care Act. Last week's failed bill, after all, was only one part of the GOP's plan.

President Trump has developed a consistent tactic when he's criticized: say that someone else is worse.

The Republican health care bill would not affect Americans equally. Older, poorer people would see big reductions in coverage and cost increases, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. This first step in the GOP plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, would also create a modest deficit reduction.

The White House asserted this week that broad swaths of federal ethics regulations do not apply to people who work in the Executive Office of the President. Ethics experts say this sets the Trump White House apart from past administrations.

The administration's assertion was made in a letter that White House Deputy Counsel Stefan Passantino wrote regarding the controversy over White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway's recent ethical issues.

President Trump likes to tout the booming stock market as evidence that he is already boosting the economy. He bragged about it in his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, and then got more to the point on Wednesday, when the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 21,000 for the first time.

The headlines are everywhere today: Americans trust the news media more than they do President Trump.

A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows that 52 percent of registered voters said they trust the news media more than Trump to tell them "the truth about important issues." Only 37 percent say they choose Trump.


text:
Wednesday, March 27, 2013

A growing rogue's gallery of parents

The rogue's gallery of local parents just keeps adding new members.

Here in Delaware County we've had two incidents of parents egging their offspring on to engage in fighting. First there was the Clifton Heights mom who took her 12-year-old daughter to a local schoolyard to confront a girl mom claims had been bullying her daughter.

Of course the entire sorry affair, with mom orchestrating the whole thing and making sure no other girls (yes, there was quite a crowd gathered to witness this tawdry affair) got involved, was captured on videotape. She vowed to take matters into her own hands if anyone interfered. So instead they all watched as mom first encouraged her daughter to duke it out, then kept egging the girls on, even after it became clear they were no longer interested in fighting and even looked to settle their dispute at one point.

Mom now faces charges. And of course the video went viral.

A dad in Chester Township also is in trouble with the law, after he did much the same thing with his daughter, again pushing her to come to blows with another girl, and once again with the incident videotaped for posterity.

And who could forget the mom who got involved in an altercation with a store employee in Upper Darby. This was not her first time down this road. She had been banned from the store because of a previous incident.

When a store employee confronted her, she whipped out a can of pepper spray and tried to use it to fend off the worker. A struggle ensued, and the pepper spray wound up on the floor. As the worker held mom at bay, she ordered her daughter to pick up the pepper spray and use it on the worker.

There's no end to this nonsense.

In Philly, SEPTA officials are now telling of the young mom and grandmother who concocted a scheme to use a day pass to pay for their two fares. The teen mom went through the turnstile at 60th Street Station, then handed the pass back to grandma, who was apparently going to use it at 56th Street Station.

They only forgot one thing in this little caper.

The 15-year-old's baby, which was left in a stroller at the 56th Street Station. Each apparently thought the baby was with the other. When grandmom got on at 60th Street Station, they realized what had happened and were frantic. The baby was safe, having been discovered by a SEPTA cashier.

They say it takes a village to raise our children.

Especially with parents like these.

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home


text:
Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Orange you glad the Phils are just around the corner?

Five days and counting.

The start of the baseball season can't get here soon enough. Isn't that right Flyers fans?

The winter of our discontent hit another pothole last night. In what is quickly looking like a do-or-die situation, the Flyers died again.

And making it even worse was that it came at the hands of those hated Rangers.

The Flyers dug themselves an early 3-0 hole, then rallied to within a goal, only to fall short once again, losing 5-2.

You can read Rob Parent's take on the game here.

Columnist Jack McCaffery says don't blame goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. Goal-scoring is this team's Achilles heel. Read Jack here.

The Flyers now sit seven points out of the final playoff.

Bring on Cole Hamels and the Phillies.

And speaking of the pinstripes, make sure you pick up a copy of this Sunday's Daily Times for our special Philliew preview section, including a full-color centerspread Phillies schedule. It's perfect for putting over top of that Flyers schedule on the fridge.

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home


text:
Friday, March 11, 2016

Crewel Embroidery

When I was reading an article about William Morris in the latest Spin Off magazine,
it reminded me of a kit I have had for decades.  Sure enough, I found it and worked on it.
While I have a considerable amount of trouble with hand sewing, the wool thread covers more area with fewer stitches-more bang for my buck, you know?!
I worked on it for a half hour and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I have a quote to share with you from William Morris;
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

I am living this motto and didn't know it was spoken 150 years ago!  Cool!

  1. I like your quote, but I have to say that I can't seem to live by or rather, I find far too many things useful than they probably are...

  2. I spent this afternoon trying to figure out how to do a decent lazy daisy stitch. I'd forgotten how hard "real" embroidery is compared to plain old cross stitch. I have never tried crewel but I do fondle the thread whenever I am in a craft shop. It is very tempting. I love your kit. You know I am going to have to go look at kits right now. I am such a lemming.

  3. Love the ombre-type effect of the color gradations... pretty!

  4. William Morris was an interesting guy. He made a green dye in his factory that they used in his wallpaper designs. The dye contained arsenic I think, and was actually killing Victorians and they had no idea why. Just a morbid little factoid lol!

  5. Beautiful work.

    AND .... beautiful words. I try to live by that motto.

Thanks for taking the time to let me know you stopped by to read my blog!

Charms and Jungles

 A new charm pack of has so much potential.... This one has four pieces of each fabric  so I could use them to make something special...


text:
Monday, March 2, 2009

March Madness- a post of random thoughts

Well, it's March 2nd. March has always been my toughest month and I think many people feel the same way. We have roughly 20 days until the first day of spring but if you looked outside my window, you wouldn't know it. We actually weren't hit bad by the latest east coast snow storm. We only have about 2 inches but the wind chill is fierce and makes the outdoors very uninviting.

I am just ready to be warm and go for walks outside in a t-shirt. I'm ready to plant my garden and set up the patio furniture. I'm ready to watch Gavin chase the dogs around outside and teach him to kick a soccer ball. I'm ready to put away the dutch ovens and break out the barbeque. I'm ready for winter to be OVER!!!

I think I'm going to paint my bathroom this week. It's a dark coffee color right now and I feel like it just drags me down further into my March gloom. I think I'd like a pretty shade of blue and some green plants. I need to wake up to a more cheerful atmosphere.

I have also come to the realization that I'm going to need to buck up and get a job pretty soon. I am having such a difficult time figuring out what I want to do. I have a new idea daily, yet, I have never felt less ambitious. I am not sure how to feel about a loss of ambition. I think it is sort of dangerous territory but yet freeing at the same time. I have really enjoyed my time home with Gavin and have no regrets about quitting my job. At the same time, I like working and connecting with people. I try to evaluate my skill-set and then search for jobs that compliment. I have been debating becoming a pilates teacher but don't know if I just like doing pilates for my own well-being; would I enjoy teaching it? Should I go back into banking? I must have enjoyed the field considering I spent so much time in it. My latest thought was to go get my teaching certificate and become a high school teacher- my original plan when I chose Western Washington University eleven years ago. I am seriously all over the place. I know I'm not alone in this struggle. There are many people out there, and I suspect some of my blog readers, that feel the same way. What do we want to be when we grow up? Or is it simply that careers are overrated?

Anyhow, this is why the month of March drives me nuts- I always end up spending too much time in my head. It's quite ridiculous.  I think for now, I will go for a run and clear my head. I will paint my bathroom and buy some kind of live plant. I will open all the blinds and try to let more light in. Spring is coming.

Hillary said...

I have never felt more in-tune with you. Going through the exact same things here ... ugh.

Matthew Moore said...

lucky for me i do not feel the gloom of winter. maybe its bc i was born and raised in the NW that i'm used to this gloomy weather we have here. i can relate to the whole "what to do with my career things" and with wanting to go back to school for teaching. on monday i start back up with wamu ( in a branch as a teller. i swore i'd never go back to a branch. go figure.

i also have been thinking a lot about going back to school to get my masters in teaching, but am leaning towards elementary ed.

i just went through my blog looking for this comment someone left, at least i thought it was there, but couldn't find it. it was something simple but oddly profound about we should focus more on what we enjoy and what makes us happy, rather than trying to "figure out a career."

i thought that was relevant to what you were saying and seeing as i can empathize with some of what you're feeling right now...figured i'd share what i could.

my comments are always way too long...oh well. hope the sun comes out soon!

Matthew Moore said...

found the quote! as it relates to finding a career...

"Do something fun. Do something you have at least some passion for. Growing up doesn’t mean you have to be miserable, it means you just have to find a way in the world, whatever that is."

Emily said...

Forget the bank! How about working with a cooking school or coordinating events for a local nursery? Or maybe you should go into interior design or I like your teaching plan too. Remember your goal is to find a FUN job! And you’re too creative to be stuck in a bank, in my humble opinion.


text:
Thursday, March 19, 2009

The official end of winter and comfort food season!

It's finally here- the last day of winter! It's a bit dreary here today. We got some pretty heavy rainfall last night which has left our lawn looking like one giant mud puddle. Of course, it didn't help that I started digging up grass for my vegetable garden plot. I spent a few hours playing in the mud yesterday afternoon trying to lay a nice foundation for my future garden. From all the research I have done, it's very important to make sure the soil is top-notch prior to planting. There are still several weeks before planting begins so I will be spending the next month or so playing with dirt. I have drawn out a diagram of where I want everything- I am going to place bamboo poles and trellis for the tomatoes, beans and peas to climb. But, the first thing I did was scoop up some of the soil and drive it down to my local garden shop. Here is a thrilling picture of my dirt- if you look close enough you can almost visualize the watercress and basil...
The man at the garden store told me that my soil is in pretty good shape. I just need to get it all dug up and pull the remaining grass roots and weeds out. I will need to add some organic material and fertilizer but overall it's not too full of clay nor too full of sand. It's exciting to think that in a few short months there will be beautiful green plants growing in this space. I can almost taste my garden salad of freshly picked lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, and cucumbers.

Speaking of garden salads- it's official: comfort food season has come to a close. I brought in the new season of spring cuisine last night with Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Homemade Potato Chips. Simple yes, but tasty also.

Chicken Salad:
2 cups shredded chicken*
3/4 cup mayo- maybe more? I really didn't pay that much attention- start with less and then add until you like the consistency
1 stalk celery diced
1/2 sweet onion diced
1/2 c toasted almond slivers
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix together and serve on bread or a roll with lettuce and tomato- how easy is that???

* Barefoot Contessa has an easy method for preparing shredded chicken- just take bone-in chicken breasts, drizzle with some olive oil and salt & pepper and bake at 400 for about 40 minutes. After they cool, pull off the skin and shred the chicken. I had made about four cups worth and used half for tortilla soup the night before. Nice way to prep a couple of meals during a busy week.

I will keep you posted on the progress of my gardening... if you happened to watch 60 Minutes last weekend- there was a nice piece on Alice Waters. She's leading a movement toward eating local and organic foods. While I think it's difficult to fully adapt to that lifestyle- a few simple changes are worth trying. If you aren't going to plant a vegetable garden- try hitting up your local farmers market and experience the beauty of freshly picked crops. For no other reason than the food simply tastes better when it hasn't been sitting in a box and shipped across the country. Yay for Spring!

Emily said...

Amen to that! Wherever you are spring...

Dielle said...

Oh, I'm jealous about your garden-in-waiting! I had such a great time getting my hands and feet (I garden barefoot) dirty last year, planting my biggest and most productive garden ever. But being 7 months pregnant now, and knowing that I'll be just about ready to have this baby come planting time, it's just not happening this year.

Here's the one thing I learned from last year, that you may already know... don't plant pumpkin and zucchini too close. By the end of the season, they'd cross-pollinated and the zucchini had super thick rinds, were orange inside and smelled just like pumpkin (they looked like zucchini on the outside, though).


text:
Friday, December 3, 2010

Top Ways to Stay Healthy

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Staying healthy delays dementia so from

The thing to do for optimum health is something your grandparents probably did, but we, in our fast paced society, tend to overlook because we say that we are just too busy to do it.

The first thing you should do, at least one hour everyday, is exercise.

Daily exercise is key to preventing heart disease and stroke by making your heart muscle stronger. Exercising also lowers your blood pressure. In addition, daily exercise raises your high density lipoprotein levels (HDL). This is your good cholesterol. Your bad cholesterol, low density lipoprotein or LDL, is lowered. This in turn improves the blood flow to your heart thus increasing your heart's working capacity.

Exercising also strengthens and boosts your immune system. Some recent studies have suggested that exercising improves the functioning of your immune system. Exercise is a strong natural immune cell stimulator. This is really important for older men because their immune system progressively declines as they age. This can lead to a poor response to vaccinations and an increased risk of developing infectious diseases.

Luckily regular, moderate workouts, like jogging, walking or cycling, can, at least in part... Read all of Top ways to Stay Healthy

No comments:

Fitness is important in dementia prevention. Click below for more info


text:
Sunday, March 11, 2012

Photo Frame

I know it has been a long, long time since I have updated this blog. Now that I have internet access on the same computer that I have my photo editing software I think it will be a little easier. Anyway, I am going to try again to be more regular.

My latest creation I made today for our Relay for Life team to sell at an upcoming fundraising craft fair. I though it would be cute in a little girl's room. I saw this idea here a while ago and have been meaning to try it. Here is the blog link where I got the idea:

Here is my version:

My husband (who is my expert adviser) and I decided the pink flower was just right since this was for a Relay for Life event.

Here is another one of my "expert advisers" although I had to keep him from knocking the frame down while I was shooting the picture:

All of the items above came out of my stash. I am making a concerted effort to use some of my collection since it has reached the point where I have no more room. Time to move things out instead of bringing more in. There is some consolation that I am not alone in this particular seems to be part of the artsy personality. We just can't help it when we say..."Wait, I can make something from that".

Hope you are having an inspiration filled day!


text:
Tag Archives: words

Two sides of the same coin.

Being an indie writer is a lot like homeschooling your children. If you homeschool, you are met with derision, suspicion, outright hostility at times. There’s a (false) perception that you […]

Cover concept

I was having a hard time writing the other day so I fired up Photoshop and put together a cover for my werewolf story. The awesomely talented Troy Bedingfield came […]

Quote of the Week

You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who cannot repay you. Ruth Smeltzer How very, very […]

Factoid Friday

Due to the “naughty” dancing of the can-can girls, and the scantily clad models on 1800s French postcards, the British equated anything risqué with France. In fact, that’s how the […]

Thesaurus Thursday

appertain [ap-er-teyn]   Main Entry: relate Part of Speech: verb Definition: correlate, pertain Synonyms: affect, ally, appertain , apply, ascribe, assign, associate, be joined with, be relevant to, bear upon, […]

Fuzzy Socks and Fuzzy Minds

It’s gotten cold again, so I’ve busted out the Fuzzy Socks. Not that they were ever really put away. It is March afterall. So, I bust out the socks and […]

Quote of the Week

Game shows are designed to make us feel better about the random, useless facts that are all we have left of our education. ~Chuck Palahniuk

Word of the Week

chicanery chi·can·er·y    [shi-key-nuh-ree, chi-] noun, plural -er·ies. 1. trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry: He resorted to the worst flattery and chicanery to win the job. 2. a […]

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Friday, July 24, 2009

12 Down 7 More to Go!

After clicking on the previous screen to enlarge we see that our sturdy Row House, scratch that, I'm going to "coin it" now for the sake of History, "Midland Terrace" was indeed built in 1905 and we also see that it is only one of seven buildings that still grace our Cityscape;
built by George S. King. It is to bad that for a man who made Cleveland his home, his life, his works are slowly being demolished one by one. That City is Cleveland, a torturous and dirty corrupt City. What kind of City would treat one of its own artists, a hardworking and creatively minded local architect with such disgrace? Only Cleveland.

Of a total of nineteen buildings built in Cleveland, twelve have been demolished and only seven currently remain standing. Our lovely "Midland Terrace" Row House (soon to be demolished) will bring that slow treading drumbeat to six. While Mr. King was noted for apartments and "Terrace" style structures like the one he created for the Midland Realty Company in 1905 that currently looks like a raggedy mess along Denison Avenue, that will now dwindle down to a lonely One that will remain. Otherwise, Four Commercial buildings still stand and One home on West 41st. Ironically, many of the structures that have been demolished are on the East side of Cleveland, the side of town the Architect was from.
With all this depressing news, comes some new era sunshine, one needs to ask the following:

Why do we have a Landmarks commission in this City if it fails to do the job of preserving Cleveland history and the memory of those designers of the Architecture that made this City a once great City!! Only in a City like Cleveland can we destroy restored historical buildings on Public Square like the Cuyahoga and Williamson Buildings. I was there with tears in my eyes perched like a bird watching as they were imploded and came tumbling to the ground. Absolutely, disgusting to say the least. I think the landmarks Commission of Cleveland just needs to disband, after all Mr. Mayor, think of the money you would save by getting rid of the Cleveland Landmarks Commission. With the offset you could hire more police, to deal with the higher crime you are going to have with all this new condensed public housing. I wonder how George S. King would feel if he knew that his last standing first creation as an Architect at the young creative age of only 29 years, truly a hidden crown jewel of Brooklyn Centre, was soon to be replaced with public housing? What kind of world are we living in anyway? Is there not any honor in "honor" anymore?

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Friday, October 31, 2008

Sorry, Here's What I Saw:

Trick or treat? I got tricked. Well played Internet, well played.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Infectious Mononucleosis has struck the Fuller household! More specifically, it has struck my sister. At first I was all, "Hey, maybe I can get it and have an excuse to stop working!"

Then I saw my poor sister's suffering and I was all:

Get well soon, Lauren!

In other news, Sam celebrated his 16th Birthday today (technically yesterday). Happy birthday!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Doggie Fears

When my dog Sophia and my brother were younger, they were both attacked by a swarm of bees that was nested in the hill of a soccer field. My brother was rushed to the hospital and treated for a dozen or so stings. I don't believe we did much for little Sophia, aside from brush off the bees that still clung to her coat. She has always had a remarkable pain tolerance.

But it's very clear that the incident has marked Sophia with a strong bee and buzzing-insect phobia. Just the other day, an obnoxious fly found its way into the house. She decided she wasn't taking her chances and ran upstairs into hiding, whining and waiting for someone to take care of the tiny intruder.

I find this insect paranoia incredibly humanizing. When it is so easy to think we Homo sapiens are somehow special, it is humbling to recognize fear and trauma and profound, affecting memories in another species. I am forced to wonder: when Sophia yelps in her sleep and moves her limbs as if to run, is she dreaming of chasing rabbits in an open field or is she reliving a nightmare from years past?

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Presidential Educational Credentials

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A.
Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Can we please try the smart team this time? PLEASE?

Opie, Andy Griffth, and the Fonz Endorse Obama

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Life is Sacred

And I guess that is why I'm not religious.

The Christian viewpoint, when brought to its logical conclusion, was explained in a recent blog post:

"Any good secularist can think life is sacred. Of course what the secularist means by the word sacred is interesting, but the idea that Christians are about the maintenance of some principle separate from our understanding of God is just crazy. As a matter of fact, Christians do not believe that life is sacred. I often remind my right-to-life friends that Christians took their children with them to martyrdom rather than have them raised pagan."

THANK GOODNESS most Christians no longer practice this disastrous belief. If it weren't for the rise of the moderately religious, who pick and choose their beliefs with reason and a moral compass honed by natural selection, then I have little doubt that the human enterprise would plunge once again into a Dark Age.

Of course, the problem with moderates is that they wish to have their cake and eat it too. 'Sure, I profess to believe that life is not sacred, that maybe it's better to martyr myself and my children, or better yet, kill my enemies, rather than bear witness to false beliefs, but just because I say that's what I believe doesn't mean I'd ever do it.'

As for the right to life argument, I think the right of those already living trumps the right of those who are not yet living. If a mother's health is at stake because of a complicated pregnancy, it is a greater tragedy to lose the mother, whose complex neural network constitutes sentience and precious memories, than the fetus, who has known nothing and has nothing to lose.

Friday, October 24, 2008

I'm So Vain I Probably Think This Blog is About Me

I recently found out that someone at work has a crush on me. That makes the fourth instance in my life that I know someone has had a crush on me. I'd say I've seen signs of 3 or 4 other crushes, but in those cases, I'm not sure. And as far as infatuations are concerned, maybe just one, maybe none. I'd also say a few friends have had man-crushes on me, but now I just sound like an ego-maniac.

For my own part, I've had about 5 crushes and 1 infatuation in my entire lifetime.

I've never been good a managing my own crushes, and particularly, those with crushes on me. I just don't seem to attract the people that I find most attractive. Oh well. I guess life could be a lot worse than complaining about the people who like you.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

And Then Came the Voodoo

      Geraldine looked up at the moon and felt uneasy. It was perfect daylight and the sky was blue, yet there was the moon staring back like an empty eye. It seemed she was the only one who noticed it hiding behind a high-rise. Her mother had said that spotting the moon during the day meant certain bad luck. The memory made Geraldine’s knees buckle. And then came the voodoo.
      She stubbed her toe against the sidewalk and cursed. The pain shot up her leg. She stumbled and tried to find her gait, but her ankle contorted and she nearly lost her balance. Geraldine adjusted her pantsuit and lowered herself awkwardly, finding a seat on the curb. She peeled off her pump and massaged her toe. A blood blister oozed. She touched it gently and a yellowed toenail came off in her hand.
      A few passers-by glanced down at Geraldine then continued walking unconcerned. Droplets of red dripped steadily. She removed her business tote and searched for anything to stop the bleeding. She tried some crumpled newspaper, but her blood mingled with ink and she cringed.
      “Does anyone have a bandage?”
      A man patted his pockets. A woman tapped her purse. They never stopped moving.
      Geraldine saw a convenience mart across the street. She picked herself up with her foot turned unnaturally inward. She hopped. The strap of her tote pulled down on her shoulder, burning with every step. She leaned against a parked car for support and a tear splashed against her cheek. Geraldine looked skyward. The blue had turned to gray and the moon was missing.
      HONK! A shadow in a Cadillac pressed his horn and waited for Geraldine to cross the road. She raised her hand and limped forward as another tear splashed her face. Then a wailing torrent plunged down from above like a banshee. Her make-up smeared. Her black hair curled and her clothes grew heavy. She could feel herself drip away, drop by drop, as she dragged her bloodied toe through the dirty water.

To be continued...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Obama and McCain Agree: Western PA Sucks

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Here is a Song You Should Have

"Sons of" by Judy Collins

You're welcome. :D

Monday, October 20, 2008

For Future Reference

I thought of a little scene, which I imagine in a Victorian setting, so I will write it down here for posterity. If I still think it's clever in the future, perhaps I'll incorporate it into a story.

"Come friend, have a drink and forget your worries. Ignorance is bliss, as they say."

"No sir, ignorance is death. I shall have sufficient time to be thoughtless whilst I rot in my grave. Meanwhile, I should like to think as much as I possibly can."

More Republicans Endorse Obama

First several high profile Republican columnists praise and endorse Obama, then the conservative newspaper The Chicago Tribune bucks tradition and endorses Obama, and now Republican and former secretary of state Colin Powell has endorsed Obama!

Wow. When was the last time a candidate has ever enjoyed this much bipartisan support?

Sunday, October 19, 2008

My Problem:

I have no one to impress, and so I'm comfortable being unimpressive.

: (

Friday, October 17, 2008

I Have Albums Again!

One of the features on my iPod touch that has become a surprise favorite is the ability to create and arrange albums. This has become my obsession over the last few days. Now that the task is finally complete, I can report that it is quite a nice feeling to have my collection of music organized and in the palm of my hand. It feels like I have an album collection again!

I've also enjoyed many of the free applications for download on the iPod touch. My two favorites thus far are "Now Playing," which provides reviews, theater locations, and trailers for new and upcoming movies and "Stanza," which downloads free books from a catalog of thousands of public domain novels and texts. I've already worked my way through the first 8 chapters of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" during my downtime at work, and of course, I downloaded a copy of "On the Origin of Species" to have always at my side.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

- Senator John McCain, from last night's debate. I'm not sure why he made this expression; there's probably a rational explanation. Regardless, it is filled with lulz.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Download Myspace Music and Youtube Audio

I discovered a wonderful way to rip free music from Myspace.com, or really, any file from any website. Just copy the link for the page with the desired file and go to File2HD.com. Paste the url, agree to the terms of service, click on "get files", then right click any file you'd like and select "Save Link As"

There are several websites that conveniently extract audio from youtube, such as listentoyoutube.com or VidtoMp3.com, but if you're just looking for music, I recommend trying to find it on Myspace first and using File2hd. The sound quality is orders of magnitude better.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Monty Python's John Cleese on Sarah Palin

On the one hand, this seems almost too mean and sarcastic. On the other hand, it's got to be said that Palin is dangerously unqualified for the office she seeks.

You'd think everyone would have learned their lesson with the now universally disliked President Bush, who offered the same folksy charm, who was the guy you'd like to have a beer with, but lacked all qualifications to make him a competent leader. Both Palin and Bush are rich, inexperienced, gun-toting anti-intellectual conservative evangelical nationalists mired by abuse of power scandals who come from a right-wing tradition of screw-the-little-guy "Reaganomics" and free-market deregulation.

And yet in spite of Palin's uncanny resemblance to President Bush, her small-town, you-betcha charm is apparently strong enough to win over even my own mother, a registered democrat!

Something is rotten here and it stinks. Hopefully Obama's lead will keep expanding so I don't have to worry myself to sleep.

New Song - Wordsworth

What was supposed to be a simple melody I thought I would write down in two or three days became a too-big-for-its-britches project that I've languished over for a couple months. It still doesn't sound like it does in my head. But I'm tired of working on it, so I'm pushing it out the door and moving on.

Monday, October 13, 2008

SCREW YOU, Microsoft!

Well, the seemingly inevitable nightmare of every Xbox360 owner has finally struck the Fuller household. We got RROD'd. That's right, our console is showing the "red rings of death." It's officially broken.

I guess this is the difference between Japanese engineering and the American design philosophy of "Get it out the door now and patch it later." Or maybe it's just shoddy work, plain and simple.

I don't know when or if this is going to get fixed. I rarely play the thing as it is, but I know I'm the only one who might make the effort to get it fixed. The bottom line is Microsoft has dealt itself another blow in a long list of consumer confidence failures.

Meanwhile, Apple seems to get more and more appealing...

I, For One, Welcome Our New Apple Overlords

After two bizarre, sleepless nights of iPod related dreams, I finally caved in and bought an iPod Touch. It's only the 8g and it can be a little buggy from time to time, but overall, it's a very slick package and a lot of fun. I've already got it set up to send text messages and make VOIP calls, although I don't have a microphone to try it out yet.

I'd really like to see Nintendo try their hand at the all-in-one device market, because aside from games, the iPod Touch has the DS and the PSP handily beat.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Rise and Fall of Sarah Palin

Well, it's official. A bipartisan investigation has concluded that Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power by trying to get her former brother-in-law and state trooper fired.

An unlawful liar, a laughingstock, and a loony. The End.

Friday, October 10, 2008

'Cause It's My Birthday!

Well, I guess it's technically the day after my birthday, but close enough. It was nice to finally have a day without work (except for a little dog sitting). I received some lovely gifts from my parents and had a great time. And thanks to my grandparents for the cards!

And thanks to all my friends for the shout-outs on facebook! Those were very kind.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Why Does This Make Me Laugh SO MUCH?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Woman in Cow Suit Terrorizes Children

Monday, October 6, 2008

Finding Evil in Myself?

I don't know how in the world the tragic story of Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone has escaped my attention for so long, but the trailer for Gus Van Sant's new biographical film "MILK" has thrust the historical episode before me.

If you get a chance, you might want to sit down and watch the remarkable documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk," to familiarize yourself with the modern-day story of a terrible injustice. Part one can be found here.

Anyway, to address the title of this post, the documentary split open a chasm in my humanity and I worry that I may have found the tiny seed of an evil impulse. Before today, I think I can safely say that I have never really hoped for the death of another human being. Even the most cruel tyrants of human history have been too distant to elicit a real emotional response.

When I learned that supervisor Dan White took a loaded pistol and an extra round of ammunition, climbed through a town hall window to avoid security, sneaked into the mayor's office, shot and killed Mayor Moscone, reloaded his weapon, walked to the first elected openly gay official's office and murdered Harvey Milk execution style, even then, my outrage was not profoundly felt.

BUT THEN, when I learned that a 1980's jury found White guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than premeditated first degree murder, with a sentence of only 7 years and parole, and that he served ONLY 5 YEARS BEFORE HE WAS SET FREE, something dark bubbled up inside me. I was deeply uncomfortable, deeply outraged, and I hoped very strongly for the death of supervisor Dan White. When I learned that he eventually committed suicide, I felt a great sense of satisfaction, secure in the knowledge that a great evil had been purged from existence.

But that is not like me. And the more I think about it, the more I don't like the fact that I actually liked the fact that someone died. Call me naive, call me a bleeding heart, call me whatever, but the power of emotion to celebrate and find solace in violence is deeply disturbing.

Whence Comes Evil?

In the TBS movie “Abraham,” God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham goes out and screams “Why?”

In the Bible, that never happens. Maybe it did, but the Bible never mentions it. Hebrews says Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed convinced by God’s previous promise that he and the boy would, somehow, return.

Abraham took that all the way, never pausing to say “Why?” along the way. When Isaac asked where was the sacrifice, Abraham didn’t get smart and say “Good question.” He said “God will provide a lamb.”

God doesn’t give explanations very often. He’s working for a bigger result- faith and trust in who he is and what he’s done for us- and will do- in Jesus.

That’s the life. I need to get busy living it, because every moment I’m shouting “Why?” I”m wasting my breath.

from Boar's Head Tavern

Now you've got to understand, to people like me, this kind of talk scares me like nothing else. Imagine the Abraham story in a modern setting. Say your friend tells you, "Hey, guess what! The voice of God, which only I can hear, has ordered me to kill my son as a sacrifice. I'm going to murder my boy without question to prove my loyalty and faith."

I'm sorry, but my response will never be, "Sounds great! You sure are an exemplary human being!"

My response will always be, "HOLY SHIT! SOMEONE CALL THE GODDAMN POLICE!"

This disdain for questioning, this rejection of reason, this anti-intellectual belief that asking, "why?" is a waste of breath, chills me to the bone. Honestly, it is a moral teaching that is so counter-intuitive and in complete opposition to my basic sense of right and wrong that I could never embrace it without feeling sick and corrupt.

I think it is a philosophy of obedience and assumed authority without justification, the essence of totalitarianism, which is decidedly dangerous, unhealthy and immoral.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Domain Envy

So I'm thinking about plopping down either 10 or 20 bucks to officially buy DepthDeception.com and jfullerjr.com and link them to my blog and portfolio. Actually, what I'll probably do is just buy a domain for my portfolio so it will look and feel a little more legit.

I'm also still thinking seriously about buying gamenewslinx.com and starting my own game news aggregator website. But I'm unfocused and lack confidence, so who knows if I'll ever forge ahead with that project.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

God Plays New Joke on Human Race

Drug-resistant tuberculosis. That sure is some amazing design. What a kind, merciful God!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Artwork Portfolio Open!

Check out the Gallery!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Quick Recipe for a Great Breakfast

1 package of Stouffer's Frozen Harvest Apples
2 packets of Cream of Wheat
2 teaspoons of Brown Sugar
~ 1 Cup Boiling water

Step 1: Prepare Harvest Apples in your microwave.
Step 2: Pour two packets of Cream of Wheat into a bowl and add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.
Step 3: Boil about 1 cup of water and mix with the Cream of Wheat and brown sugar (adding more or less depending on desired viscosity).
Step 4: Remove apples from microwave and mix into your Cream of Wheat.
Setp 5: You're done! Serve while still hot.

Cooking time: ~6 minutes

Mmmm... I love this breakfast. It's easy, cheap, and extremely filling. And for the frozen food wary, Stouffer's Harvest Apples are surprisingly crisp and delicious.

Zionsville's Poor Education, Part II

I forgot to mention two other incidents of misinformation and poor lesson plans at Zionsville Community High School.

1) My brother reports that over 75% of his classmates believe Barack Obama is a Muslim. This may in part be due to the fact that his teacher has been teaching that Barack Obama is a Muslim.

2) My brother is watching the film The Truman Show in his History course and the teacher has assigned The Matrix for homework.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Cell Phoneage

I'm thinking very seriously about getting the new iphone 3g. The phone costs $199, but my parents might be willing to buy it for my birthday. After that, it's just $30 a month, which I think I can swing. It would also be nice because I've long since filled up my ipod nano (the original) and the darn thing is on the fritz.

My only worry is that google's Android phones are just starting to release, and even though the current generation falls short of the iphone's functionality and form factor, it may not be long before Apple is toppled.

Maybe all I really want is an ipod touch. I think you can still browse online with those, as long as there is a nearby wifi hotspot. It also comes with a lot more memory. Is that the best way to go?

Scurge of the Underpants Gnomes

First my Blockbuster shirt mysteriously disappears. Now my tablet stylus has gone missing without a trace! It was here, next to my computer, on my tablet this morning. Now poof! It's gone. This is most upsetting because I've been using it heavily to make icons for my portfolio. I can't even imagine where it might be.

Give me back my stylus, you dastardly underpants gnomes!


text:
Thursday, February 21, 2013

Round Dining Room Table

I am a reality TV fanatic. You name it, I watch it. I just can't look away.  One of my favorites in the Real Housewives franchise is Beverly Hills.  These ladies live in pure opulence.   About three weeks ago, the ladies met for a dinner party at Kyle Richard's house, and despite the heated back and forth that ensued between Brandi and Faye, I couldn't take my eyes off of her dining room.

I love a nice meal and a good wine, and sharing it with close friends is the ultimate definition of a good time in my book.  What I loved the most about Kyle's dinning room is that she used a round table.  Round tables create such an intimate atmosphere for conversation and everybody has a good seat. That sent me on a search for inspiration to add to my board.

The best part of this room, in my opinion, is the floor and the ceiling.  I love the chandelier and detailing in the floor.  I also like that the eclectic mix of chairs.  Though the chandelier can make the room seem so formal, the mix match of chairs make it feel more comfortable/relaxed and add in some fun.

Some of the elements that draw me to this room include the color palette and French dining chairs.

Love the color and gloss on the table.  I have a huge crush on navy blue.  The french doors make it feel like a private room--perfect for much needed bonding time with my the best girl friends.

dining rooms - Hollywood regency, chandelier, sconce, sconces, dining table, yellow, wood, dining chairs, tufted, brown, cushions, black, geometric, rug, gray, white, tablecloth, art, photo gallery, French doors, black walls, purple, gray, yellow, dining room,
There isn't much I don't like about this dining room. What sticks out  is the animal print pattern on the tablecloth, gold chairs and brass accents.  The chandelier and matching wall sconce also caught my eye.

Make it a great day today, the weekend's almost here!

{Images via Bravo TV, Jamie Herzlinger Interiors, Palmerston Design Consultants, The Enchanted Home, My Luscious Life,  Jacques Grange}

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Just When I Thought Winter Was Over....

les has this cool pop up weather thing on his computer that tells the current weather conditions. well, it's set for austin texas. right now it's currently 81 degrees and fair. currenlty in st. john's portland it's below fifty (in texan terms it's freakin freezing) and it's raining! BLAH! just when i thought stinking winter was over it's winter all over again. i know i shouldn't be such a big baby but i left high 70's and sunny to come to cloudy, rainy and freakin freezing! i think i'll throw myself a pity party later and anyone who wants to come is invited.

okay so the DL on portland so far.... besides the disappointing weather it's pretty cool so far. God obviously wants les and i here for a reason. it's still really surreal though. i sometimes feel like i'm observing someone elses life. this isn't me. i'm confident that i'm going to wake up any minute and find myself back home in austin. it's weird. i've had moments when i've cried and it felt real but all in all it hasn't completely hit me yet. i'm ready for the bottom to fall out in a week or so. get ready for it will be dumparama!

so i have a roommate again. he's a really stinkin cool guy. this is how cool warren is. my dog buster peed in the middle of his bed and he didn't get upset AT ALL. i'm not anywhere near that cool, calm and collected. i have already planned the wedding of him and my best friend heather. in my fanatsy land they will fall in love and we'll live next door to each other and our babies will play together. a girl can hope can't she? warren would make a super cool best friend in law though.

this may come as no surprise to anyone but congratulations to me i cried at the first staff meeting les and i have attended at red sea. this is definately a new record for me. i might even win some kind of award somewhere. and there was a time when i had no idea that i was emotional. CRAZY! surprisingly i wasn't embarassed at all by this outward sign of emotion. normally i want to dig a hole and disappear. we were praying together and when i took my shot at some prayer the tears just started streaming down. i am so thankful what i had orginally envisioned it would be like to be on staff at a church is happening. it's so stinking refreshing. i am so thankful that God has brought les and i here for this season. it would cool to say that God brought us here to help and do great things by God's power but i think we are here for this season to learn and to grow. maybe it's always that way. we are able to help others by relying and resting in God and He in turn teaches us so much more. i'm so ready to be a student again.

it's so crazy being here. i'm torn. i'm am so stoked to be here but i miss everyone back home like crazy especially my family. the day les and i set out on our treck across country my mom called and told me my grandpa was in the hospital. he got pneumonia and couldn't fight it on his own. he's been in the hospital ever since. there are times when it seems like he'll be out any day and times when i wonder if i'll ever see him again back at my grandparents little yellow farm house. it's really hard not being there for my family. it's hard not being able to be there when i know that most of my family doesn't get it and completely misses out on the full life that Jesus has to offer. as we were driving i asked God why He would take me so far away to a help show a needy community the face of Christ when my family so desperately needs Him too. the sad but honest truth is that they wouldn't listen to me. possibly by them coming up to visit les and i and them actually being able to witness a sunday service they might finally understand what the heck les and i do and have been doing. i hope so. but here or there i can do just as much good. if any of you think about please pray for my family especially for my grandpa's health. i would love more than anything to see him back at home again.

well, i guess that's all that has been swirling around in my head lately. at least that's all that i can grasp on to right now. i will leave on this note. it seems to be the theme of red sea right now...REST. it can be so difficult to rest in the one who we feel so called to follow. rest is essential to everything that we do. i have a really hard time struggling with rest. even now i'm beginning to grow restless just hanging out and sitting around. i want to run and jump in at a 1000 miles and hour. this isn't what God has called me to do for this season though. He wants me to rest. He wants me to get replenished. He wants me to rest in him so he can tell me where He wants to lead me. and once again i must learn how to wait patiently. hmmmmmm.....


text:
Wednesday, 1 April 2015

Easter Treat Baskets

Hello stampers! I made little Easter treats for the school kids.

I made them in pink ribbon and  yellow ribbon so the boys will not give me a funny look if I made them all in pink.

I filled the treats in a cello bags. That's the last of my tiny cello bags from Stampin'Up!.

The eggs was from a stamp set called Easter Blossom. Cute little eggs.

I used the Two Tags Bigz Die for the basket. I made a box to go in between two of the narrow tags to hold the treats. For the box I cut a piece of 4-3/4" x 4-3/4" card stock and score at 1-1/2" on all four sides. Easy! You can make them too.

Thank you for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

No comments:


text:
CRM Evolution 2010 - Speaker List
Click on speaker name to read bio and view links to conference sessions and destinationCRM magazine contributions.
David Alston, VP, Marketing - Radian6
Tony Arnold, Director, CRM & Relationship Marketing - Sears Holdings Corporation
Tim Auth, CRM Program Manager - Caterpillar
William Band, VP & Principal Analyst - Forrester Research
Yuval Brisker - TOA Technologies
Mr. Christopher W. Cabrera, Founder & CEO - Xactly Corporation
Saadia Chaudhry, Call Center Director, 311 - City of New York
Nachiket Desai, Vice President, Enterprise Architecture & Business Intelligence - 1-800-FLOWERS.COM
Sanjay Dholakia, CEO - CrowdFactory
Jim Dickie, Research Fellow, MHI Global - CSO Insights
Michael Fauscette, Chief Research Officer - G2 Crowd
Phil Fernandez, CEO - Marketo
Ellen Filipiak, Senior Vice President, Customer Care - DIRECTV
Jim Fowler, CEO - Jigsaw
Ben Frenkel - Pegasystems Inc.
Chenda Fruchter, Assistant Commissioner, 311 Customer Service Center - City of New York
Greg Gianforte, CEO and Founder - RightNow
Marc God, Director, Head of Global Business - DSM
Barton J Goldenberg, President - ISM, Inc.
Gretchen Gray, Director, Healthcare Sales - Nexidia, Inc.
Jasmine Green, Chief Customer Advocate - Nationwide Insurance
Paul Greenberg, Managing Principal - The 56 Group, LLC
Art Hall, Director, Performance Improvement - Alvarez & Marsal
Tom Hanson, Contact Center Solutions Lead - RightNow
Volker Hildebrand, VP, Solution Management - SAP Global Marketing, Inc.
Jesus Hoyos, Managing Director - Solvis Consulting, LLC
Ian Jacobs, Globally - Forrester Research
Katy Keim, CMO - Lithium Technologies
Ron Kelly, Vice President, Customer Care and Logistics - drugstore.com, inc.
Mr Esteban Kolsky, Founder and President - ThinkJar
Mr. Michael Krigsman, Founder - cxotalk.com
Mr. Marshall F. Lager, Managing Principal - Third Idea Consulting
James T Lane, Vice President, National Accounts CRM Solutions - UnitedHealthcare
Lisa Larson, Director, Customer Care - Drugstore.com
Brent Leary, Partner - CRM Essentials
Sean Lowe, Managing Director, Endless Vacation Rentals and Revenue Management, Wyndham Exchange and Rentals - Wyndham Exchange and Rentals, part of Wyndham Worldwide
Anthony Lye, Senior Vice President, Oracle CRM - Oracle
Umberto Milletti, CEO - InsideView
Chris Morace, SVP of Products - Jive
Jeff Nicholson, VP Product Marketing - Portrait Software
Peter Ostrow, VP and Research Group Director, Customer Management - Aberdeen Group
James Perazzo, Director of Business Development and Performance Management - City of New York
Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, Vice President and Principal Analyst - Constellation Research, Inc.
Mr. Denis Pombriant, Managing Principal - Beagle Research Group, LLC
Dave Resnick, Vice President - VeraCentra
Mr. John Roddy, Sr. VP / CLO Arhaus Furniture - Arhaus Furniture
Jason Rushforth, President - CDC Front Office
Kevin S Ryan, Principal - KSRyan Group
Jujhar Singh, Senior Vice President, Lines of Business - Sales, Service and Marketing - SAP LLC
Patrick Surry, Customer Analytics Solution Owner - Portrait Software
Aaron Tellier, Director of CRM Strategy, Global Wealth & Investment Management - Merrill Lynch
Bruce Temkin, Managing Partner - Temkin Group; Blog: Customer Experience Matters
Rosemarie Truman, EVP Solutions - Advanced Clinical
Brandon Tsetsilas, Sr. Director, Global Field Operations - Progress Software
Brian Vellmure, Principal/Founder - Innovantage LLC
R "Ray" Wang, Founder and Principal Analyst - Constellation Research, Inc.
Brad Wilson, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Microsoft
Emily Yellin, Author of Your Call Is (Not That) Important to Us

Complete CRM Sponsor
Platinum Sponsors
CDC Pivotal CRM
Gold Sponsors
Box.net, Inc.
Tuesday Breakfast Sponsor
Monday Lunch Sponsor
Tuesday Lunch Sponsors
Grand Opening Reception Sponsor
Media Sponsors

Home | Get CRM Magazine | CRM eWeekly | CRM Topic Centers | CRM Industry Solutions | CRM News | Viewpoints | Web Events | Events Calendar
DestinationCRM.com RSS Feeds RSS Feeds | About destinationCRM | Advertise | Getting Covered | Report Problems | Contact Us


text:
Posting mode: Reply
Leave these fields empty (spam trap):
Password (for post and file deletion and editing)
  • Supported file types are: GIF, JPG, PNG
  • Maximum file size allowed is 10240 KB.
  • Images greater than 250x250 pixels will be thumbnailed.

File: 1304400352318.png -(38.3 KiB, 553x454) Thumbnail displayed, click image for full size.
39239 No.3551   [Delete]   [Edit

Does anyone know who made this?

>> No.3558   [Delete]   [Edit]

I believed the one who made it probably made also the Octopus Rape yes?

>> No.3848   [Delete]   [Edit]

I'd like to know where it's from as well.

>> No.3849   [Delete]   [Edit]

Update: From what I could find on the Internet the author is one "Muttsulini", but all I can find from him are two games ("Present from Muttsulini" and "Octopus Fuck"). Any idea where I can find the game from the screenshot too?

>> No.4098   [Delete]   [Edit]

It's "Loli Doctor jellyfish"

Delete Post [] Password
Report Post(s) to Staff


text:
Thursday, July 28, 2011

Plunder of the Sun (1953)

Plunder of the Sun is a movie I’d never even heard of until very recently, and it’s one that is definitely worth a look.

I love movies that have a film noir feel but combine that with exotic locations. If they’re vaguely tropical locations even better. And if they feature actual location shooting in those exotic locations, better still. Plunder of the Sun ticks all those boxes.

Glenn Ford is Al Colby, a somewhat mysterious American who accepts what seems like a fairly simple job. He is employed by antiquarian Thomas Berrien (Francis L. Sullivan) to carry a package from one Central American country to another. The job is unlikely to be strictly legal, but then we get the feeling that Al Colby isn’t overly bothered by such details. On the other hand he’s not an out-and-out crook. He makes it clear he won’t be involved in smuggling drugs. When he’s assured that the package is merely a manuscript, a manuscript of great archaeological significance (which is why its export is not exactly legal), he’s happy enough to oblige. The fact that he’s more or less penniless and is going to be well paid helps to relieve any pangs of conscience.

Of course it turns out not to be so simple. Other people know about this manuscript, people with fewer moral scruples than Al Colby. And Colby’s employer doesn’t inspire much confidence. And then there are the women. Two of them, both beautiful and glamorous, but they’re both up to something. And Jefferson (Sean McClory) is definitely up to no good and obviously wants that manuscript.

Colby is a pretty stubborn guy though and he’s not inclined to back down, plus he’s getting a dose of gold fever. Because that’s what it’s about - the manuscript is the key to a fabulous treasure of gold and silver from the ancient Zapotec civilisation of Mexico.

Colby is going to need help from someone who can translate the manuscript. That leads him to a somewhat unscrupulous archaeologist, Navarro. And it leads him back to Anna Luz (Patricia Medina) one of the femmes fatales he encountered on the steamer. She’s Navarro’s ward and is being pressured to marry his son.

Colby eventually finds himself as an unwilling partner of the even more unscrupulous Jefferson. Jefferson is involved in the antiquities trade as well but in truth he’s an out-and-out crook. And Jefferson has a really bad case of gold fever and has no intention of sharing the treasure with anyone.

This movie does have some problems. In fact it has one major problem, and that’s Jonathan Latimer’s script. David Dodge’s terrific novel of the same name combined hardboiled adventure with complex characteristics and interrelationships between characters. Latimer has kept the same basic cast of characters but he’s softened many of the minor characters and eliminated the really interesting relationships between them.

There’s no problem with simplifying a complex plot and stripping it down to make it merely an exciting adventure yarn but Latimer has done it in a very untidy way. He’s ended up with several characters who no longer serve any purpose in the narrative but they’re still there and now they only serve as entirely unnecessary and confusing distractions. They wander in and out of the movie but have no connection with the main characters or with the plot.

Luckily the movie has plenty of strengths to compensate for the weakness of the script. There’s some magnificent location shooting in Mexico, and director John Farrow doesn’t just throw in exotic locations for the sake of it. They play a vital role in the film. Cinematographer Jack Draper does a superb job and he and Farrow give the movie some wonderful film noir atmosphere. The entire movie was shot in Mexico, with the studio scenes being filmed in Churubusco Studios in Mexico City. The location shooting was done at a number of Zapotec and Mayan sites.

The movie’s other strength is the acting. Glenn Ford is what I’d call a minimalist actor. Most of the time you don’t even notice his acting, and it’s a style of acting that works very well in film noir. He also adds a dark edge to Al Colby which helps to compensate for the deficiencies of the screenplay. If Francis L. Sullivan as Berrien is the poor man’s Sidney Greenstreet then Diana Lynn as Julie is definitely the poor man’s Gloria Grahame. She’s good, but it’s unfortunate for her that Julie is one of the orphan characters who played an important role in the novel but serve no purpose in the movie. Sean McClory makes a splendid villain with his bleached blonde hair and bad attitude.

This was one of the first films made by John Wayne’s production company, at that time called Wayne-Fellows Production but later to become Batjac Productions. They had a distribution deal with Warner Brothers. They wanted Wayne to star but he quite rightly pointed out that he wasn’t suited for the role and recommended Glenn Ford instead (which turned out to be an excellent suggestion).

The Region 4 DVD comes, rather surprisingly, packed with extras. One of the most interesting features an archaeologist who relates the real Zapotec civilisation and the ancient sites featured in the movie to the movie itself. A clever and imaginative extra. It’s also a superb transfer.

Despite its flaws this is a very entertaining and visually impressive movie. Recommended.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Cop Indicted On Charge of Abusing Son

An Allen police officer has been indicted in a case where she’s accused of abusing her son with a belt and a metal spoon. In March, Corporal Melissa Smith was arrested on a charge of causing an injury to a child, her eleven-year-old son. Her husband, a fellow Allen police officer, was also arrested on a charge of official oppression because the boy said his step-father “…handcuffed him, threw him to the ground, strangled him, picked him up…” and drove him to the Allen Police Department, threatening to put him in jail for dis-respecting his mother. While Corporal Smith has been indicted, the grand jury declined to to indict her husband.

More From CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Drip Pan: CBS Local App
Drip Pan: Weather App

Watch & Listen LIVE


text:
Texas Wants You To Have Your Money

By Stewart McKenzie, CBS 11 News

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Friday turned into a financial windfall for some North Texans.  Texas handed over unclaimed property that had been sitting in Austin, in some cases for years.

Today, representatives of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts were in Dallas to help residents determine if they had unclaimed property.

In one case, a local man discovered he had $34,435.75 waiting for him.

Other  unclaimed property was a little more modest, ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.

The state estimates in Dallas County alone there is $218 million in the unclaimed property fund.

Texas is currently holding more than $2.2 billion in cash and other valuables for their rightful owners.

To see if you have unclaimed property, click here.

More From CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Drip Pan: CBS Local App
Drip Pan: Weather App

Watch & Listen LIVE


text:
Mavs Put Weapons On Display In Blowout Of L.A.

By Mike Fisher | 105.3 The Fan |
DALLAS, TX - NOVEMBER 5: Monta Ellis #11 of the Dallas Mavericks dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 5, 2013 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Monta Ellis (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) — The Dallas Mavericks continued putting their offensive weaponry on display in Tuesday’s 123-104 home win over the Lakers, building a lead as large as 30 points, relying on Monta Ellis’ 30 points as one of seven Dallas players in double-figures, shooting 52 percent because of all the action at the rim and making 13 three-pointers because … well, because LA was helpless in trying to stop anything.

“We have good balance,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. “Monta Ellis was fantastic tonight in all aspects of the game. He defended, he made plays at the rim, he was under control, he hit mid-range shots, he hit guys cutting to the basket. It was a great all-around performance.”

In fact, the entire Lakers starting five only outscored Ellis by two points.

In six previous visits to the AAC, the often-regal Lakers had won six straight games. But this is a Kobe Bryant-less Lakers squad, a team asking Steve Nash to do things he can no longer do, a club making headlines in Southern California as it decides whether the likes of Nick Young or Xavier Henry is more qualified to be in the starting lineup.

Meanwhile, the starting lineup for the 3-1 Mavs was locked in and balanced. In addition to Ellis’ electric 30 (with nine assists and just one turnover), Shawn Marion totaled 11 points and seven rebounds, Samuel Dalembert contributed with 10 points and six rebounds, Jose Calderon had 12 points and five assists and Dirk Nowitzki played a supplementary role with 11 points and eight boards

“Teams have got to respect Dirk as a shooter,’’ Ellis said modestly. “And me being aggressive, teams have got to respect that as well.”

Ellis and the starters were key in Dallas mounting a 19-point half-time lead. But the Mavs continued to pour it on in the third, which is when the lead ballooned to 30. That push included the bench work of Jae Crowder (18 points), Gal Mekel (nine points, six assists and four rebounds) , Vince Carter (eight points) and the bullish DeJuan Blair (10 points and eight rebounds),.

“It’s just our first group coming and a doing a good job,’’ said Blair, giving credit to the starting five. “And everybody is making shots and we’re all moving and no one is standing around and just watching and that’s a big key to our game. Once everyone moves around, gets touches and we’re scrambling on defense and playing the right way and we get into a groove.”

The groove has Dallas averaging 114.3 points per game and sporting a 3-0 record at home. The thoroughness of this victory is also exemplified by what the Mavs did to LA on the boards (a 50-35 edge) and by what Dallas’ crisp and unselfish offense did in the assist department: The Mavs had 34 assists on their 49 baskets.

“Yeah,’’ Blair confirmed from a happy Mavs postgame locker room, “it was fun out there tonight.’’

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Latest News:

Top Trending:

[cbs-olapic gallery_id=”189971133″][/cbs-olapic]
More from Mike Fisher

More From CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Drip Pan: CBS Local App
Drip Pan: Weather App

Watch & Listen LIVE