Manoa

Ex, I can't even put into words how sad I am to hear that you'll be leaving the COH/V community team...seriously, I'm getting all weepy here! It's been such a pleasure having you around these parts and being able to have the opportunity to meet you a couple times at various cons/M&Gs over the past several years. Best of luck wherever life's journey takes you and know that you'll be sorely missed. If you ever find yourself on Justice or in Sacto, don't be a stranger! And I look forward to partying with Ex Libris, the player, at Herocon '09! (though my liver's a bit scared!)

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Several people have mentioned the youthfulness of the face. I'd like to explain a little further;

I met a woman online named Becky. I don't know her well and I've never met her in person, but I've learned that Becky used to be overweight and geeky to the point of being teased. A lot. Over the last couple of years, she has dedicated herself to a healthy lifestyle and has really shaped up - she now regularly models as various superheroes at conventions, but her favorite is Emma Frost. I chose to feature her as the face model in this piece, in part, to celebrate her success in turning her life around.

If you google 'Becky "aktrez" Young', you'll see her in several of her costumes. so while the face isn't as old, or strong, or severe as Emma Frost might need to be, it mattered to me more to feature Becky as she looks now.

She loves the piece. That's what mattered most to me.

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After reading your post, I checked out a couple of her pics in her White Queen costume...you captured her perfectly Doug! Lovely work!

I suspect that Paragon City had difficulty acquiring that land via eminent domain...so they had to settle for the long route.

Good job EA!

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Publisher: Please give us back our illegal weapons
by Mike Smith
Plugged In
April 13, 2009 2:30 P.M.

Pens? Snore. T-shirts? Boring. Notepads? Been there, done that. Thinking up creative ideas for promotional tchotchkes can't be easy, but someone at uber-publisher Electronic Arts went a little too far last week.

Watch Godfather II Video

The game in question: Godfather II, a Grand Theft Auto-style adventure based on the famous movie. The offending item: a set of brass knuckles, mailed to video games journalists together with other goodies including a cigar, a silk handkerchief, and a book of matches. But while it nicely complements the game's mafiosi theme, it also had the unfortunate side-effect of turning recipients of the mailing into criminals, as mere possession of brass knuckles is illegal in many states and can carry hefty penalties.

After blog GamePolitics expressed its consternation, the publisher began a flurry of hush-hush phone calls to arrange the return of the weapons. EA declined to comment beyond expressing a desire to assist journalists in proper disposal of the items.

The controversial promo also doesn't seem to be helping out the game's critical fortunes: it's turning in some decidedly mixed reviews.

Congratulations! You just won a $96K bill from Uncle Sam! "Lucky" you!

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State worker receives free new house
Sacramento Bee
Published Friday, Apr. 10, 2009

Few contest prizes can compete with the one that Jennifer Draa received the keys to this morning - a free $250,000 new house in Lincoln.

Just minutes after a ceremonial opening of her new front door marked with a red ribbon and white bow, Draa had an abundance of company: Television crews, photographers, executives of Arizona homebuilder Taylor Morrison, friends and family members offering congratulations.

"Someone is looking out for us, huh?" Draa said to her 11-year-old son Ryan as they sat on a bench near the door.

The pair won the house last October in a national Taylor Morrison contest that could have produced a winner in any of the builder's Sunbelt markets. But it was Draa, 46, instead of 638,000 other entrants who scored the prize, a two-story house painted brown with free furnishings and landscaping in the builder's 134-home Courtyards development in Lincoln's Lincoln Crossings neighborhood.

Draa, a dispatcher with the state Department of Parks and Recreation, said the free $250,00 house comes with a tax bill of $96,000 due soon.

"I'll have to file for an extension," she said. The plan, she said, is to get a loan to pay the taxes.

Taylor Morrison executives said it took six months to build the home, a month longer than usual due to free high-tech extras and preparing for the ceremonial opening.

The free house was part of the builder's Innnoventions Dream Home promotion that began at Disneyland last summer and continues for five years. The builder said it's begun another contest and expects to pick a winner in June.

By then Draa expects that what's happened to her will seem real.

"It will probably start settling in," she said. "It will be nice to sit somewhere peaceful."

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I Am A Profession Art Drawer and I Will Critique You're Arts.
I Call It Like How It Is, And If You're Fragile Ego Can't Handle My Realness, Don't Post.
Go Back To Goldfishing Compliments From You're Little Fan Club.
Anyone Who Has Balls And Wants Good Honest Critiques On How Bad They're Art Is, Post Here.

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*twitch* So much you're... *twitch*

Poor Moses!

Pretty dumb thing to do...now the dingbat will likely have to pay far more on top of the $165 traffic ticket.

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*Dies of Megumi exposure*

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I guess Meg rolled a new rad...

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EXERCISE WILL KILL YOU!

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Yeah, but what doesn't?

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There's no indication Wii Fit was to blame.

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I'd certainly hope not considering that the jogging game on Wii Fit is far less intensive than if you were to go on a jog in the real world.

I want one!!

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Lingerie firm offers women "liberating" loincloths
Reuters
Mon Mar 30, 1:01 pm ET

KYOTO, Japan (Reuters) – Whether you're a g-string girl or prefer granny-style knickers, a Japanese lingerie maker is inviting women to liberate themselves from conventional, body-hugging underwear and don loincloths instead.

Loincloths, called "fundoshi" in Japanese, were worn by adult men in the past, but they are now a rarity.

Kyoto-based lingerie firm Wacoal, however, has brought them back into fashion, this time for women seeking "emancipation" from the tightness of conventional underwear.

"We wanted young women to have a more sense of freedom and release. And as we tried to come up with the ultimate liberation item for women, we thought of a fundoshi," said Tomoka Okamura, merchandise director for Wacoal's Nanafun female loincloths.

The loincloths for women come in seven different colors and two designs -- plain and chequered. Prices are about 1,260 yen ($13).

Wacoal has sold more than 5,000 since December, three times more than it had expected, officials said, and the company now plans to start selling them in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

"It's easy to wear and is quite nice. It's also good for summer. And since it's getting warmer, I figured it would be good for that," said Hiromi Iwamura, a 28-year-old shopper who was buying a patterned loincloth and matching bra.

($1=97.74 Yen)

(Reporting by Toshi Maeda, editing by Miral Fahmy)

My favorite part..."I didn't want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful."

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Miss Universe 2008's blog
March 27, 2009
Guantanamo Bay

This week, Guantanamo!!! It was an incredible experience.

We arrived in Gitmo on Friday and stared going around the town, everybody knew Crystle and I were coming so the first thing we did was attend a big lunch and then we visited one of the bars they have in the base. We talked about Gitmo and what is was like living there. The next days we had a wonderful time, this truly was a memorable trip! We hung out with the guys from the East Coast and they showed us the boat inside and out, how they work and what they do, we took a ride around the land and it was a loooot of fun!

We also met the Military dogs, and they did a very nice demonstration of their skills. All the guys from the Army were amazing with us.

We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how the recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting.

We took a ride with the Marines around the land to see the division of Gitmo and Cuba while they were informed us with a little bit of history.

The water in Guantanamo Bay is soooo beautiful! It was unbelievable, we were able to enjoy it for at least an hour. We went to the glass beach, and realized the name of it comes from the little pieces of broken glass from hundred of years ago. It is pretty to see all the colors shining with the sun. That day we met a beautiful lady named Rebeca who does wonders with the glasses from the beach. She creates jewelry with it and of course I bought a necklace from her that will remind me off Guantanamo Bay

I didn't want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful.

I was back in NY on Wednesday and on Thursday I did some paper work at the office and went out for dinner. On Friday I flew to Miami for the weekend because I had a photo shoot for the magazine People en Espanol. So hopefully I might be a little lucky and have some time off to take the sun for a while

In other news...

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$206 Ticket Paid With Urine-Soaked Coins
Man Didn't Break Postal Laws With Package
http://www.kptv.com
UPDATED: 7:41 am PDT March 26, 2009

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Washington man tried to pay a more than $200 traffic ticket by sending a plastic bag filled with coins and urine to a county billing office, deputies said.

"That's something I can't wrap my mind around," said Sgt. Phil Anderchuk, of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. "The thought process of acting consciously -- consummating the act of urinating in a box full of coins that someone is going to receive."

The man didn't break any postal laws by mailing the combination of urine and change to the Multnomah County court, reported television station KPTV in Portland. Postal officials said it is legal to mail urine or other bodily fluids as long as they are packaged properly in a way that doesn't leak or smell. County employees said the package was wrapped tightly until it reached the courthouse mailroom and didn't smell until it was opened.

Because of a policy of only accepting up to $20 in change, court workers returned his money -- postage due.

"It would be better if the gentlemen had done something that defused the situation and maybe mitigated it, rather than adding fuel to the fire," said Jason Posner, who was visiting the courthouse Wednesday.

The county doesn't intend to pursue the matter, as long as the man pays the $271 in charges that now include late fees.

I'd like to point out that I have no problem with the officer initially drawing his weapon as the family got out of the vehicle. It was an unknown situation and he had no idea what to expect. If the video showed him drawing his weapon, hearing what the family had to say and then subsequently accompanied them into the hospital, I would *not* have had a problem with the officer's actions. I also have no problem with the officer ticketing Moats...he took a risk when he ran the red light and I'm sure that anyone in that situation would feel that getting to a dying family member's bedside is more than worth the risk of a ticket.

However, I personally have a difficult time believing that delaying Moats and his father-in-law for *13 minutes* after he was made aware of the urgency of the situation was anything but an abuse of power. Sure the officer may have been having an off day, but it shouldn't take 13 minutes to write a ticket. I don't feel that having a bad day is any excuse for causing such a severe delay when he knew that the mother/mother-in-law was coding and all the family was trying do was to get to her bedside before she died. Perhaps I could understand your point of view better if you could give a little insight on how such a delay could be seen as necessary.

TL;DR version - It's the unnecessary delay that pisses Manoa off, not the officer drawing his weapon or ticketing Moats.

EDIT - I saw an earlier report that said that the delay was 20 minutes...I didn't time the actual dash cam footage, but most reports are saying the delay was actually 13 minutes. Edited to correct the duration of the delay. Still feel that the duration of the delay was unnecessarily lengthy given the extraordinary circumstances.

EDIT #2 - As a follow-up, this isn't the first time this officer has had an incident of being "excessive"... linkie

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So lets see .. a person runs a red light, an officer pulls up behind them flashing lights, they don't pull over for close to a minute and then pull into a Hospital lot. When the officer approaches the car the subject starts blurting out that his step-mother is dying inside. What is the officer to do?

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It wasn't a high-speed chase and the people in the vehicle were not armed, had their hands up, were not threatening the officer in any manner and were crying and frantically telling him that their mother/mother-in-law was dying. Given the circumstances, it would have been completely reasonable for the officer to use his best judgment and accompany the family into the hospital to verify the situation.

People aren't mad at the officer for trying his best to gain control of the situation (BTW, it was under control pretty darn quickly)...people are upset that the officer that once the situation was under control, he needlessly delayed Moats and his father-in-law for *20 minutes* (even after nurses came from the hospital and verified his story *twice*) by taking his dear sweet time to write the ticket while lecturing him and threatening to make things more difficult for them.

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If anything, I'd recommend the officer should have pulled out mace or a taser, and zapped / blasted the wife who refused to remain in the car and exitted running.

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It's pretty obvious that you haven't seen the video. If you had, you would know that such a use of force was completely unnecessary.

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As someone that works in Law Enforcement I can see both sides of the story here.
I can see why the officer was frustrated as he was just trying to get control of the situation, but all he really had to do was take a deep breath and listen to the drivers situation and make a judgement call there.

Yes he made a mistake, but I personally don't think he should be fired over it if he doesn't have a track record of making bad decisions.

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Rad, are you *sure* he was just "frustrated as he was just trying to get control of the situation?" I usually give officers the benefit of the doubt...but having seen the video, I honestly think that there's a bit more to it than an officer trying to gain control over an uncontrolled situation. The situation was pretty much under control after the first minute or two. During the time of the traffic stop, nurses were sent down *twice* to verify the situation plus a Plano officer arrived on the scene to see if he could help get Moats to his mother-in-law's bedside. There is no reason it should take around 20 minutes for a traffic ticket. It honestly felt like most of it was the officer abusing his power to purposefully delay Moats and his father-and-law...although I will not speculate on what the reasons may be here.

That story and video made me sick with anger. I concur that the officer handled the situation completely the wrong way. There was *no* reason to delay Moats that long, particularly when informed of the extraordinary circumstances. It was such an abuse of power and and I feel that he should be stripped of his badge and fired.

30 days in jail and fined more than $3,000? Why the hell haven't revoked her license?!?

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Lol, well I'm sure these two should be Heroes, and I tried to convince him to do Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, but he liked the magical cat.

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Well, who can resist the allure of the marvellous, the magical Mister Mistoffelees!?

Lovely artz KaraIblis!

Thai fireman in 'spider-man' rescue of autistic boy
AFP
Tue Mar 24, 4:37 am ET

BANGKOK (AFP) – A Thai fireman turned superhero when he dressed up as comic-book character Spider-Man to coax a frightened eight-year-old from a balcony, police said Tuesday.

Teachers at a special needs school in Bangkok alerted authorities on Monday when an autistic pupil, scared of attending his first day at school, sat out on the third-floor ledge and refused to come inside, a police sergeant told AFP.

Despite teachers' efforts to beckon the boy inside, he refused to budge until his mother mentioned her son's love of superheroes, prompting fireman Sonchai Yoosabai to take a novel approach to the problem.

The rescuer dashed back to his fire station and made a quick change into a Spider-Man costume before returning to the boy, he said.

"I told him Spider-Man is here to rescue you, no monsters are going to attack you and I told him to walk slowly towards me as running could be dangerous," Somchai told local television.

The young boy immediately stood up and walked into his rescuer's arms, police said.

Somchai said he keeps the Spider-Man costume and an outfit of Japanese television character Ultraman at the station in order to liven up school fire drills.

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Here ya go

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TA is the pretty, prettiest princess of them all!

*runs for safety*

*grabs crayons*

*tacklehugs Foo*

I can barely even type 'cause I'm so excited! She's beyond awesome!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Squee!!

(and you totally got her right, more bad[censored] than hurling cats )

Darn, maybe next time.

Congratulations EnnVee...that's a mighty fine piece of art that you have there!

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I am just in love with your style. Very nice.

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Indeed! Lovely work Lousy!

*takes note to fav some of Lousy's artz after I get home from work*