Olio Digest

Pirates of Penzance

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:06:42 -0500

You don't have to be am avid fan of opera to have become aware of ‘The Pirates of Penzance'. Yet few people know a lot about the story and the success that the opera has had.

The Pirates of Penzance was one of Gilberts and Sullivan's most popular comic operas. The story offers the character of Fredric, who has just completed his 21st year on a pirate apprenticeship to a band of Pirates. He then comes across Mabel (a women of which he falls deeply in love with). Unfortunately for Fredrick he soon discovers that as he was born on the 29th February then his birthday only happens every leap year, which mean that to fulfill his dusty of an apprenticeship until he reaches 21 he must work along side the pirates for another 63 years. Luckily for him Mabel agrees to wait for him.

The Pirates of Penzance was the fifth offering by the much admired Gilbert and Sullivan and brought us the much parodied Major-General Song. The Opera saw the opening night in New York and due to a slackness in copyright laws the play was re-in-acted in other venues across the world with out any royalties to be paid to the writers.

A 1981 production on Broadway (Over 100 years since the original) was opened and ran for an astounding 787 performances and went on to win a Tony Award for best revival as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance.

This is a great show to go and see, offering entertainment and song with comedy to meet the need of most senses of humor. A play that will make even the most un-cheerful soul crack a smile or two. If you are a lover of operas than this is one for you, combining humor and song in a way that make the whole journey enjoyable and pleasing to watch.

Pirates is one of the most frequently referenced works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The Major-General's Song, in particular, is frequently parodied, pastiched and used in advertising. Its challenging patter has proved interesting to comics, a notable example being Tom Lehrer's song "The Elements", and it is used in film and on television, unchanged in many instances, as a character's audition piece, or seen in a "school play" scene. Examples include: * In Family Guy, in the episode "Peter's Got Woods", there is a clip in which Brian Griffin sings "Sighing Softly", with Peter Griffin appearing in the middle to sing the tenor line. * In Animaniacs, Yakko Warner, in the episode "H.M.S. Yakko," sings the famous pastiche, "I am the very model of a cartoon individual"; * The computer-animated series ReBoot ended its third season with a recap of the entire season, set to the song's tune; * In the Babylon 5 Episode "Atonement", Marcus Cole uses the Major-General's Song to drive Dr Stephen Franklin crazy on a long journey to Mars. * In the Doctor Who Big Finish Productions audio, Doctor Who and the Pirates, the Doctor sings, "I am the very model of a Gallifreyan buccaneer" (and other songs, from Pirates, Pinafore and Ruddigore, are parodied); * The Muppet Show (season 3, episode 61)[40] staged a duet of the song with guest host and commedienne Gilda Radner and a six-foot tall talking carrot (The scene bore an ironic parody to another scene in Pirates, as Radner had requested a six-foot tall talking parrot, but was misheard); * David Hyde Pierce's monologue, as host of Saturday Night Live, was a parody of the song; * In the Frasier episode Fathers and Sons, Frasier, Niles and Leland Barton sing the first verse of the song. Martin tries to join in but confuses the lyrics, singing about a "scary hippopotamus" (instead of "the square of a hypotenuse").

It is interesting to see that a story produced such a long time ago can have such a successful impact in today's society. It seems that ever though society changes over time there are something that we still find value in that people enjoyed over a century ago.

Instructional Bingo

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:45:18 -0500

Bingo nowadays has been so very useful not only for earning an extra income or breaking away from dull moments but it has also been improvised for teaching purposes. Some teachers are using this game to teach the students easily the subject need to be taught and to have fun yet learning is still applied. This is used to teach not only in lower grades but also to higher levels like in high school but this scenario is mostly found in the lower ones. It is because young children easily get tired and bored and the span of time of their concentration for a certain subject is only limited. Therefore, as much as possible teachers have to find some resources that could shift their students' attention directly when boredom is already happening inside the class.

Bingo can be used in teaching different subjects. For most young children who are mostly in preparatory years learning while playing is the best way that is suited for them. A teacher can teach shapes or colours using bingo. Though it needs a lot of preparation and is time and energy consuming, it is still believed to be worthy. The teacher has to prepare the cards for each of the students he has in the class and instead of numbers to be printed on each card, he has to use shapes or colours printed on it. It must not be exactly the same to the rest of the cards.

The teachers' main goal is not only merely teaching the idea of the subject to the students but it is also their responsibility to monitor the retention of the subject matter among students. That is why some teachers prefer to use this game for mastery purposes. During the class, the teacher gives each of the students a card with the pictures on it. If the subject matter that they are supposed to master is the different shapes therefore the pictures printed on the cards must also be the shapes. Each student holds his own card and monitors it well. The teacher draws rolled papers with different shapes written on them one at a time and the students has to mark the shapes being called out by their teacher. The student who creates the pattern first wins and gets the prize prepared by the teacher. The pattern varies upon the teacher's instruction. It also depends to the teacher if how many times a student wins. If the teacher allows the students to win once then there will greater chances for all students to win and get the prize.

Neighborhood Story and Ai Yazawa's Other Mangas

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:58:47 -0500

Ai Yazawa, the famous shoujo (girl manga) author, was born on March 7, 1967 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Her literary nickname comes from a Japanese singer, Eikichi Yazawa. She started publishing manga in 1985 resulting in over 10 series in Ribon so far. While most of her manga still circulates in Japan, series like Paradise Kiss now come up in magazines such as Zipper.

The English-speaking know Yazawa mostly for I'm Not an Angel, Neighborhood Story, Paradise Kiss, and Nana. In 2003 the latter got the Shogakukan Manga Award as the best girl manga.

Yazawa's manga appeals basically to the female audience as her plots tend to describe girl society. The characters are very stylish thanks to the author's deep sense of fashion. They're also standalone, often rebellious.

In Embraced by the Marine Blue Wind published in 1990 the heroine has to choose between love and friendship... Tachibana works at a beach cafe, wandering in the sands with her dog. Her friend Ippei loses a surfing challenge to a newcomer who shockingly appears Arikawa, her 1st love and heartbreak. After 4 years he's back from the U.S. thinking Tachibana doesn't like him. But even before talking Ippei challenges Arikawa to another surfing match facing a hurricane!

I'm Not an Angel (1992) features a senior pupil, Midori Saezima, falling in love with a handsome and caring fellow at 1st sight. After accidentally entering the student council, she eventually runs into and has a love affair with the mysterious boy there. As new top students, they are about to change school ways and develop their relations.

1995 saw the Gokinjo Monogatari release. Its characters Mikako, Tsutomu and their friends attend a high art school in Tokyo. Mikako and Tsutomu live next door being friends since childhood. In their relationship they overcome high school.

In Kagen no Tsuki (1998), Mizuki tries to escape reality. Behind her ironic smile, she grows sad inside. Her dream lover is Adam, an English singer identifying Mizuki with his dead Japanese ex-girl. Strangely but nobody, apart from a girl meeting her at the heaven gates, can see Mizuki.

Paradise Kiss manga (1999) had all 5 volumes released in English by Tokyopop. The manga proceeded into a 12-series anime in 2005 dubbed in English in 2007. Here we meet familiar personages like Mikako, her little sister Miwako from the "ParaKiss" group and unfamiliar such as Isabella.

Yukari strives to be a worthy child and a good student. But she gets kidnapped by fashion maniacs - the "Paradise Kiss" group. Suddenly thrown to the glamorous show business, Yukari blossoms into her friends' top model.

Nana manga (2000) is Yazawa's biggest manga with 84 chapters (21 volume) and 3 side-story chapters about some characters' early lives. An anime (47 series) and 2 successful movies followed it in Japan. Mind that the anime begins from manga volume 2 to end with its volume 12, making the manga screened less than in half. After watching the anime, you can follow up with the manga.

Its heroine, Nana "Hachi" Komatsu, moves to Tokyo to start anew and leave her capricious love behind. Nana Osaki arriving parallelly plans to make a rock 'n' roll star. Despite different backgrounds, the girls quickly become best friends in the craze of top society!

In her manga Ai Yazawa as no one else highlights her characters' clothes design. No wonder after her fashion school classes leaving a trace through her works. Yazawa's fans can't wait to read her English versions and more mangas!

Iowa Cornhole Set: A Great Way To Honor the Iowa Hawkeyes

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:49:37 -0500

The University of Iowa is a state-funded public research university with its main campus located in Iowa City, Iowa. The university is organized into eleven colleges that offer undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. The school is well known for its academic excellence as well as the prowess of its athletic teams. There are plenty of ways to honor this storied school; the Iowa cornhole set is a great, portable way to do just that.

UI was founded February 25, 1847 as Iowa's first public institution of higher learning. The school came into existence a mere 59 days after Iowa became a state. The first instructors offered classes beginning in March 1855 to students in the Old Mechanics Building. Seashore Hall is on that spot now. By September of 1855, there were 124 students, 1/3 of which were women( a huge percentage for the times). The 1856–57 class list included nine departments offering: ancient language, modern language, intellectual philosophy, moral philosophy, history, natural history, mathematics, natural philosophy, and chemistry. Leigh Hunt was the first president appointed for the school.

The University of Iowa Hawkeyes athletic teams are in Big Ten Conference of the NCAA 's Division I. The football team plays at Kinnick Stadium and the basketball team plays in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeye football team has had quite a bit of success in recent years. They have earned six bowl appearances since 2001 and have shared Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2004. The Hawkeyes won their last bowl game in 2008. Despite their success in football, UI is better known for its wrestling team. Through 2010, the Hawkeyes wrestling team has won 23 national titles and 34 Big Ten titles. The team won nine straight NCAA national team championships between1978 to 1986. Iowa's 51 NCAA individual champions have won a total of 77 NCAA titles. Furthermore, Iowa has had 132 all-Americans who have reached all-America status a total of 269 times. 4 time All-American and Olympic champion Tom Brands is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

With a legacy of academic and athletic excellence, many alumni and Iowa fans want to honor their favorite team. The Iowa cornhole set is a great way to do just that. Each set displays the Iowa logo and comes complete with a set of eight Iowa cornhole bean bags so you can enjoy your new game from the minute that you open the box.

Using a gambling system

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:18:26 -0500

Using a gambling system is welcomed by a casino. Card counting is probably one of the most effective gambling strategies and one of the most difficult too especially in the game of Blackjack. However, other than card counting, there is not another system that could possibly change the house edge on casino games. Other gambling systems or strategies could only influence the fluctuations in a player's bankroll for the short term.

Most gambling systems fall into the three basic categories: positive progressive, negative system and a hedge system. However if you do not want to lose more than you can afford, the best "money management" system you should use is this rule: bet more if you are winning and bet less if you are losing.
This is a very easy formula to remember but in reality is quite difficult to implement. This is because some casino players would want to continue playing even if they are on a losing streak until they win.

A good strategy when you are winning in a casino game is to just slowly increase your bets when you win. If you lose, then reduce your bet to the minimum amount. This is what positive progressive system means.

Negative progressive system is when you increase your bets each time in order to make up for a loss. The Martingale System which is a good example of a negative progressive system asks that you double your bets after you lose. This strategy is extremely dangerous and not advisable at all.

Hedge system is when you make two bets to offset a lose. For instance, in playing craps, players would bet $10 on a don't pass bet then bet on a 6 & 8 at $6 each. When a shooter sevens out, you just lose two dollars. If he throws either sixes or eights before he sevens out then you win more.

The hedge and positive progression systems work because there are fluctuations in probability in the short term. That is why the player should quit as soon as he accumulates a nice profit. Remember that the winning streak could be short term.

Casinos always win in the long term no matter how effective the system a player uses. Players should not grow complacent and think their system or strategy is unbeatable because in all probability it isn't.

Best Things to See and Do at Gold Coast Theme Parks

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:14:07 -0500

The gold coast is recognized as one of the best undisputed to tourist capital of Australia.According to one survey report, almost 4.2 millions of visitors a year also arrive at this place to find a remarkable place for a holiday.Most of the people are thinking that Gold coast is just a lazy beach side resort town with too many high rise buildings, too many tourists and too many cheesy attractions.This is not true, the beauty of the Hinterland Mountains to the historic buildings of South port, there is more to the Gold Coast than you are probably realizing.

The Gold Coast has a wide range of public and private Transport options from cars and bikes to buses, rail and monorail.The car is the dominant mode of transport for Gold Coast but with the increasing population that leads to more traffic congestion.There are many private transport agencies are providing their services to their clients.By hiring this gold coast transport, you can travel in the city, but also go beyond the limits as well.The city is jam-packed with adrenaline rides like jet boating, whale watching and theme attractions, including Dracula's Haunted House, which offers an opportunity to create some exciting holiday memories.

The Gold Coast is Australia's entertainment capital, offering an enormous range of sights and attractions to delight visitors of all ages. From theme parks and wildlife sanctuaries to adventure sports, day tours and cruises, the holiday options are almost endless.

The Gold Coast is home to Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World, Dreamworld, Wet'n'Wild Water Park and other award-winning theme parks which each provide a great day of entertainment. Wildlife parks like Currumbin Sanctuary offer the chance to get close to unique Australian animals including koalas and to hand-feed kangaroos and brilliantly colored wild birds. As well as self-drive, touring options include 4x4 safaris, mountain biking, helicopter flights, open cockpit flights and Harley Davidson rides.

When it comes to gold cost tours, there are many travel agents offers different tour packages.These gold coast tours offer spectacular and exciting sights for night tours. A night tour is an affordable and ex citing option for a special evening.Some of the private transport companies are providing limousine services. Step into your limousine and go for a world class view of surfer paradise and the Gold cost Hinterland.

The main attractions of the Gold coast are the sporting events.There are dozens of fine beaches that stretch along the coastline and feature some of the worlds best surfing spots.There are also some heavily built-up to family beaches with every conceivable facility.Finally, there are some well established and experienced travels agencies are providing their excellent services to their clients. For more information and details, please do not hesitate to visit their valuable website.

Comedy Manga by Rumiko Takahashi

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:11:06 -0500

Rumiko Takahashi is a most famous, respected mangaka and a richest woman in Japan thanks to her works. They feature an interesting plot with unconventional denouements of critical situations, many impressive characters, rich action and humor.

While at Japanese Women's University she attended a manga creator school and published some short stories in its limited-circulation journal. After graduation she devoted herself to manga creation despite her profession. As a result, her fans and all readers know her as the author of Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Mermaid Saga, Ranma 1/2, InuYasha and some other mangas.

Manga Urusei Yatsura is one of her 1st prides (34 volumes from 1978 to 1987) enjoying great appeal and better known in the West as Lum (or Those Obnoxious Aliens). For this 1st professional piece of her work she was awarded the Best Young Artist prize. Its plot is rather simple - space invaders give mankind a chance if its representative wins against theirs.

A lot of humor, amusing characters and adventurous plot development define this and most subsequent works. It also provides good info on Japanese culture and mythology. Next manga plots and their characters grew more complex with this manga as probably the funniest.

It gave birth to an anime series, some movies and OVAs. Compared to the other Takahashi's screenings, this series is the longest (almost 200 episodes) starting 3 years after the 1st manga release for 1978-1987.

Unlike all her other mangas, Maison Ikkoku has almost autobiographical narration for not telling about herself, but for reflecting her life impressions during her beginning career in a tiny apartment with 2 assistants and heaps of drawing supplies.

Maison Ikkoku was released simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura and depicts inn dwellers like Takahashi's past neighbors. The manga was on sale for 1980-1987 laying a basis for an animated series and some movies.

Manga Ranma 1/2 is a story of a guy, Ranma Saotome who after falling down a legendary damned spring in China was cursed to turn into a girl in cold water and backwards in hot water. He settled in his dad's friend's dojo (both martial arts masters) and will have to marry one of his daughters. Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura contain many comic elements about Ranma's opponents and his new family members.

The manga went out 1987 to 1996 with great success resulting into an anime series of 6 seasons. Its 1st 3 seasons copy the manga action with the rest as a separate narration related to the manga only by characters. The series wasn't popular probably due to its 1st half targeting the male audience like the manga while the 2nd drama-like half more interesting for women.

Her another manga (the biggest with 56 volumes) is InuYasha telling about a half-demon and high school student, Kagome transferred from modern Japan to the middle ages. There she became a reason for reviving the demon-man InuYasha and destroying the Jewel of 4 Souls giving its owner unimaginable power. On a trip with InuYasha, Kagome tries to return the jewel to its keepers by collecting its pieces.

Like earlier Mermaid Saga, InuYasha is an adventure novel with little humor but not so pessimistic. Its characters try to unite the Jewel of 4 Souls, each with his own aims.

InuYasha circulated for 12 years (1996 - 2008) winning the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2002 as the best shonen manga of the year. It grew into an anime series of 167 episodes, some animated movies and an OVA. The series covers just the 1st 36 manga volumes, so a sequel may follow.

In 1995 the writer's millionth book was sold with the current edition 100+M copies. 2009 saw the release of her new manga, The Boundary of Rinne (Kyoukai no Rinne) in the Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan) magazine about a girl, Sakura Mamiya meeting with a ghost.

Youth Gone Wild and Nicky Lee's Other Mangas

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:19:01 -0500

Nicky Lee is a penname of Li Chung Ping, a popular manhua creator (Taiwanese comics like Japanese manga). She focuses on teenage girls in her comedy, drama and romance mangas. She also founded fashion manhua in Taiwan and works as a leading artist at Taiwan's Tong Li Comics. Her fame comes mostly from Youth Gone Wild and The One. Her mangas published so far are:
* Paradise City (1994)
* Youth Gone Wild (1996)
* Provence (2004)
* The One (2005)

Born in 1992, Lee started her activity by submitting a story, Paradise City, to Tong Li's manhua monthly, Flower Girl. It marked her long cooperation with Tong Li. Her 2nd work, Youth Gone Wild (5 years since 1996), became her longest and best. The magazine has published her 4 manhuas with one still in print.

Nicky Lee's bio is mainly revealed by her notes in book margins and some interviews. Married, she has no kids and refers to her mother as her mentor. She adores the 1980s American heavy metal and pays tribute to Fuyumi Souryo (Mars) and Shimizu Reiko.

Her 1st big work serialized in Flower Girl, a 4-volume Paradise City, sprang in 1992. This manga was also translated and published in Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, mainland China, North America and elsewhere. Its narration turns around a popular rock singer, J.B. Ike, who had to face his opponent Carl trying to overthrow Ike in pop music and figure out his feelings for actress Renee.

Manga Youth Gone Wild (1996) aka Rock Fever or Raging Tide has seen 14 volumes for 5 years. The manga often refers to music bands like Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Garbage and Skid Row and describes a young rock band eager for stardom.

Fired from a record label by her boss, a spoiled movie star, Yating joins a pub featuring a famous group, Gangster, with a divinely voiced singer. Luckily, her retiring uncle sets up his own record company inviting her to co-create a top rock band in Taiwan. Now Yating as a new manager starts her own business and music career.

Nicky Lee's intention was to color some Youth Gone Wild and Paradise City pages categorizing the book into Rock&Roll Era and Fashion. But after consulting her editor, she concluded the number of pages and cost would be too great. So they added only the fashion section.

A 2-volume manga Provence came out in 2004. Provence is a popular cafe by siblings, Hayes and Hayumi. Many girls come there to date Hayes. The 1st volume features Yune, a senior schooler illustrating kid books and loving Hayes. The intrigue is how she hides her feelings. The 2nd volume describes Alan with his undivided love for Hayumi and determination to win her over.

The One manga saw light in 2005, so far in 9 volumes as Lee's 2nd biggest work after Youth Gone Wild. Like her other stories, it was published in Tong Li Comics and now is serialized in Star Girls Magazine. Its heroine, Cane Lele, was born in a fashion family of Taiwan's top models. After her parents tragically die in an airplane crash Lele begins hating the shallow fashion industry. Then she's adopted by her grandmother. Lele hardly comes of age when convinced by her aunt, model agent Ye Fei Hong, to model after seeing a photo session of American supermodel Angus Lanson. So she approaches modeling as an art form. Lanson visits a top fashion meeting by Ye Fei Hong's magazine editor. Invited to meet him, intrigued Lele confuses him with his twin elder brother, Eros Lanson. It paves the way for Lele's career - NYC fashion, a top model and even love.

Funny Videos - Why These Funny Videos Are Getting So Much Popular?

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:44:58 -0500

I would like to share a few words regarding funny videos and why these videos are getting so much popular in these days.I am working as a software professional in a large organization from the pat five years.When it comes to the daily schedule,every day is hectic to me.My life has become so much stress and mechanical.I am unable to spend most of the time with my family. At that time,my doctor suggested me to watch these funny videos.

After watching these videos,I would like to say one thing that most of the people would like to watch comedy ad things that are funny,silly or sexy really those types of programs will attract use attention and intension also. Even though some of the advertisements in these days are using a perfect content that is really funny, pretty silly.The reasons behind this one are they would like to attract the viewers in a funny way.So, most of the people are able to find something funny all depends upon the individual in question.

And now a question raised in your mind that how to find these videos.There are so many websites in internet are offering these videos to their clients. Most of the websites are offering these videos online for free of cost.Some of the sites will charge few dollars as a member ship fee.Moreover,there are wide ranges of videos available on the age group wise.And some of the websites are also offering online games to kids.

The great thing about this video is that it can improve anyones day.

Sharing a funny videos with family and friends can help make their day a little better,and that is why millions of people search for these videos online for free to share.It is also why people care about finding great and historical video clips to share with others.For more information and details, please do not hesitate to visit their valuable website.

Tsukasa Hojo and His Detective Stories

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:27:48 -0500

Tsukasa Hojo was born March 5, 1959 in Kitakyushu, Japan. He's famous for Cat's Eye, City Hunter and Angel Heart. He began drawing manga as a technical design student at the Kyushu Sangyo University. After short stories he released manga series:
* Cat's Eye (Weekly Shonen Jump, 1981-1985)
* Nicky Larson (City Hunter) (Weekly Shonen Jump, 1985-1992)
* Gift from an Angel (Weekly Shonen Jump, Fresh Jump, 1988)
* Parrot (Weekly Shonen Jump, 1988)
* Sakura no Hanasaki kukoro (Weekly Shonen Jump, 1993)
* Komorebi no Shita de (aka Under the Dapple Shade; Weekly Shonen Jump, 1993-1994)
* Rash!! (Weekly Shonen Jump,1994-1995)
* Shounentachi no Ita Natsu (Shuueisha, 1995)
* Family Compo (Manga Allman, 1996-2000)
* Angel Heart (Weekly Comic Bunch, 2001-current)

Hojo's manga features excellent humor and always adventurous plots. Apart from a mangaka, he's a character designer for the Fist of the North Star anime created by his friend, Tetsuo Hara. For the 2006 movie he designed Reina's character and co-worked on its 2008 series movie. He also taught Takehiko Inoue who assisted him in releasing City Hunter. Inoue's best works include Buzzer Beater, Chameleon Jail and Slam Dunk.

Hojo's 1st big manga Cat's Eye, was released 1981 to 1985 in 18 volumes. Looking for their lost father, once a prominent artist, 3 sisters steal his public pictures to let him know. "Cat's Eye" is their gang and coffee shop. This case's investigator, Toshio, falls in love and even engages to the middle sister, Hitomi... The story proceeded into the same 73-scene anime series.

Next came City Hunter manga, Hojo's biggest manga with 35 volumes. Released 1985 to 1992, it underlay several anime seasons (100+ series), short movies and a 1993 movie with Jackie Chan as Ryo Saeba. Saeba is a Tokyo "sanitarian" ridding the city of the rabble and helping out the desperate. His only minus is male hormones sometimes turning him into a fool near ladies. However his friends try keeping him in hand.

1988 released a 1-volume story collection, Gift from an Angel. In 1 story a constantly quarrelling couple realizes their love only seeing their daughter. The book also contains 2 early City Hunter scenes.

That year saw another 1-volume collection, Parrot, co-created by Nagata Futoshi and Mayuko Nishiyama for CG. Unlike a typical black-and-white manga, it was colorful. The lead story is 9 scenes about Parrot, a cute voice imitator.

After completing City Hunter in 1993, Hojo released a 1-volume collection, Sakura no Hanasaki Kukoro, of 4 stories.
1. Family Plot
After amnesia Hideyuki, a photographer, digs for the memories of his son and beloved.
2. Sakura no Hanasaki Kukoro
A prequel to Komorebi no Moto de...
3. Taxi Driver
A night taxi is run by a vampire thirsty for easy victims. A girl asking for his help suddenly changes the scene...
4. Shoujo no Kisetsu - Summer Dream
Misako has a childish aquaphobia torturing her in dreams that bring her to a weird imaginary place....

1993-1994 released a 3-volume manga, Under the Dapple Shade (Komorebi no Moto de...). Tatsuya Kitazaki wants to cut down a tree falling from which paralyzed his sister. But stopped by a strange girl, Sara Nishikujo, appearing to speak with plants, he hears the tree's surprising version of the accident.

Rash!! is a 2-volume comedy manga released in 1994. Pretty Yuki takes over as a jail nurse causing troubles and chaos around, including detective Tatsumi, a childhood friend and neighbor.

1995 saw another collection, Melody of Jenny (Shounentachi no Ita Natsu), about personal WWII tragedies.

1996 launched a new big manga, Family Compo, finished in 2000 with 14 volumes. Prior to a university, Yanagiba Masahiko loses his dad in a car crash. And that after his mother's death at 4! But he was lonesome even before as his father was either busy or far away. Yanagiba's uncle adopt him to his family which however hides a terrible secret why the parents had stayed away from their relatives. The truth also concerns his cousin's past...

Manga Angel Heart is Hojo's latest and not finished yet manga. Released in 2001, it has 30 volumes published so far. Its plot develops in the City Hunter universe. The heroine, a Taiwanese assassin girl aka "Glass Heart", committed suicide but incredibly resurrected through heart transplantation. Her recovery dreams bring her to Japan in search for her donor appearing the City Hunter's ex-affiliate. The manga's 1st 18 volumes based an anime series since 2005.

Dragon Princess Warrior and Johji Manabe's Other Mangas

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:31:59 -0500

The English-speaking know Johji Manabe best as writing the Caravan Kidd, Outlanders and Capricorn mangas. He also co-created anime like A Dog of Flanders (1975), Galaxy Express 999 (movie, 1979) as an animator and co-wrote anime after his own Outlanders (OVA, 1986) and Capricorn (OAV, 1991).

Born in 1964 in Japan, he debuted as a mangaka in 1984. His plots develop in his inner sci-fi and fantasy worlds with huge bio-mech warships, action, hilarity and sword-swinging amazons stealing your heart.

Besides, he's famous for amateur manga (Doujinshi) after own and other author works. He also released the Tail Chaser, Ogin and Koisuru Ushi-Chichi mangas also belonging to hentai. His mangas published so far are:
* Caravan Kidd (1986)
* Outlanders (1986)
* Capricorn (1988)
* Drakuun - Ryuuhimehei (1988)
* Ginga Sengoku Gunyuuden Rai (1991)
* Wild Kingdom (2000)
* Ginga Sengoku Gunyuuden Rai Ibun (2004)
* Ogin (2004)
* Boukun Tyrano-san (2005)
* Oniku de Chu (2005)
* Tail Chaser (2005)
* Tobari no Uchi Derakkusu (2006)
* Rin x Mama (2008)
* Koisuru Ushi-Chichi (2009)

Outlanders manga (1986) combines action, comedy, drama, ecchi, romance and sci-fi elements. It features Wakatsuki Tetsuya, a photo reporter witnessing and involved in ET invasion. Finding himself after consciousness loss on their spacecraft run by Princess Kahm, he has to play her fiance. Like most Manabe's works, it blends sci-fi with some fantasy pieces - the swordsmen theme penetrates his many mangas. The manga is easily read containing many comedy and ecchi elements. It's one of his biggest works - 8 volumes.

A similar story is Caravan Kidd manga (1986) set on an Earth-like planet. Wataru escaped from home for new impressions and met Babo, an immoral businessman and his future partner in their suspicious deals. They familiarize with Mian Toris, a mysterious girl easily destroying aircraft with a sword stroke, considered an Armageddon forerunner and a most dangerous and wanted criminal. For rescuing her life she thanks Wataru and Babo by making them her slaves. Behind a criminal story image, it's a funny adventure manga with a lot of humor and ecchi.

The Drakuun manga (1988) is more of fantasy with some sci-fi, ecchi, romance and comedy. Set in 2077, the Romunilian Empire controls the Griffel continent except some separatist states like Ledomiam. Dragon Princess Karula, of its Olzen dynasty, comes to the imperial city of Belgorand for alleged ceasefire but actually to assassinate Emperor Gustav. In her escape Karula loses her dearest.

Gustav survives to mobilize the empire against Ledomiam with a war or Karula ultimatum. She has to flee to a free trade city of Zaaru, Nopland where she joins a circus as a sword-swinging star Raym and companions Chen and Dard, a border guard commander. They rush to rescue her sister Queen Rosalia captured by the empire.

Sadly, some of his works like Capricorn (1988), Wild Kingdom (2000), Ginga Sengoku Gunyuuden Rai (Galaxy Warring State Chronicles, 2004) weren't translated into English. Only a Capricorn-based OAV was shot and translated.

Galaxy Warring State Chronicles is the writer's biggest manga with 27 volumes. The hero, Rai, starts as a galaxy army soldier trying to unite all the galaxy and takes on a huge spaceship with brave friends. A 52-piece TV series, Thunder Jet, was shot after the manga and we hope it'll also be released in English.

Johji Manabe's manga won't make you bored as his plots are always in action. If you like adventures in a world of modern technology and "medieval" swordsmen, full of humor and romance, stick to any of the above-mentioned works that won't leave you disinterested.

Play Online Games For Free - Truth About Free Online Games For Free

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 06:43:55 -0500

In most of the time, the online gaming world gives players lots of options. In some time, you are able to visit the game maker's website anytime you want o play your favorite game. And some of the websites will allow you to download games to your computer for offline play only. From the past few years, it has been observed that there are many online games. You are able to play online games for free from these websites. These games allow you to sign up to play against people online, and actually interact with each other in real time.

For example, are you playing one of the good guys who is trying to kill an evil alien? In some other games, you can team up and chat with other players around the world while you work together to strike that alien down. When it comes to these free online games, players have the option of creating simple levels of hills and chasms. After playing enough user generated levels, it is clear to see that the creativity of the level design is limited only to the player's imagination.

There are many websites in internet offer these free games. You are able to play online games for free from their website or on the social networking sites, in which the player social networking friends can join in and help the player complete tasks and gain experience. Some of the websites are providing blog community services to their clients. Some of the registered users through some of the issues that they need to think through regarding choosing a blog community.

However, when you are choosing a blogs community, you need to consider many things. If you have never had any experience in creating a blog or website before and are not a technologically minded person then there are some blog communities and platforms and set up that will be much more suited to your needs than if you know a few of the basics, or at least are willing to learn them. Finally, there are some well established and experienced websites in internet are offering this blog community and play online games for free services to their clients. For more information and details, please do not hesitate to visit their valuable website.

Marmalade Boy and Wataru Yoshizumi's Other Mangas

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:21:32 -0500

Wataru Yoshizumi is a Japanese mangaka born as Mari Nakai on June 18, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. She finished Hitotsubashi University as an economist to start combining her office work with manga writing. Her debut, a yomikiri (short story) Radical Romance, was published in 1984 (Ribon Original's summer issue).

Yoshizumi's most mangas target girls (shoujo manga) with later works for maturer readers in the josei genre. She's mainly published in Ribon and Chorus. Her mangas published so far are:
* Radical Romance (1984)
* Quartet Game (1988)
* Handsome na Kanojo (1988-1992)
* Marmalade Boy (1992-1995)
* Kimi Shika Iranai (1996)
* Mint na Bokura (1997-2000)
* Random Walk (2000)
* Ultra Maniac (2002-2004)
* Datte Suki Nandamon (2005)
* Cherish (2006)
* Happiness (2006)
* PxP (2007)
* Spicy Pink (2007)
* Cappuccino (2008)
* Chitose etc. (2009)

Manga Handsome na Kanojo (aka Handsome Girlfriend) is Yoshizumi's 1st big manga (published 1988 to 1992). Its 9 volumes underlay a 37-minute anime in 1991. The heroine, Hagiwara Mio, is a teen actress in love with her neighbor and coactor Morimoto Teruomi. Her drama role upsets her with its bossy antagonism against her friend Sawagi Aya. However Teru's part there makes Mio take the role. But when another coactor gets discontent with her job, her career becomes too problematic.

Another big shoujo is Marmalade Boy printed 1992 to 1995 in 8 volumes. Unlike Handsome Girlfriend, it underlay a full anime series of 76 episodes and a 26-minute animated movie. Besides, 1995 saw its Game Boy and Super Famicom-based game release. Miki Koishikawa's idyllic family life ended with her parents hosting another couple (as in swinging). Now she faces 4 parents, her cute stepbrother Yuu and their strange soap opera. But Miki escapes to a world of loving friends, hateful schoolmates and crushes on Ginta and Yuu!

Kimi Shika Iranai (aka I Need Only You) was released in 2 volumes in 1996. Young Totoki Atsumu tries to win back his only love Kurihara Akane. But her vague past makes that rather troublesome...

A 6-volume Mint na Bokura (We are Mint, 1997-2000) describes 2 close twins, Maria and Noel. To follow her in her new basketball school he has to pretend and play a girl due to no boy spots there! In a follow-up comedy Noel falls in love with a fellow girl, while being courted himself.

Random Walk, Yoshizumi's popular manga, came out in 3 volumes in 2000. The story depicts Yuka, a newly senior pupil next door to her mystery writer dad and his new wife. He taught Yuka only to live in love. In high school she looks for her one true passion. Will this always be just a dream?

Ultra Maniac (2002-4) underlay a 26-episode anime series in 2003 covering the 1st 3 volumes out of 5. It's Yoshizumi's 1st fantasy manga. There teenaged Nina Sakura hides her true identity of a transfer student from a fantasy witch school! At a real middle school she hopes to improve, socialize and charm her unaware fellows.

2005 featured Datte Suki Nandamon in 2 volumes about Moka's brother Megu returning from New York City. An art lover, at a library she meets Masato-kun whom she starts liking. But will Moka's determination change this latent playboy?

Yoshizumi's allegedly 1st josei, Cherish manga also includes Happiness. In Cherish its heroine Chihiro enters the university of her deceased mother and stepfather. She opens this new chapter with thrill but faces her past reminders! While ex returns, she feels someone's chase.

One-shot from 2 Happiness chapters was also published beside Cherish. In it young Akatsu-kun loves his cute coworker, Kayano-san. Once he saw a little boy reading Playboy in a store to realize he was Kayano-san's son!

Yoshizumi's another josei is a 2-volume Spicy Pink (2007). It shows Sakura, a busy shoujo mangaka without private life. At a goukon she meets a tough doctor who surprisingly starts courting her.

A 1-volume PxP manga (Baby It's You, 2007) is the author's mystery genre try. A school council discusses a strange case of "P", a mysteriously hired thief stealing only particular items.

One of Yoshizumi's latest complete mangas is Cappuccino (2008), also in josei like her most ones. It's a bittersweet love story of Kojima Ari and Fujitani Sousuke living together without marriage.

After writing over a dozen mangas for the last 15 years, Wataru Yoshizumi keeps pleasing her readers with new activity. So 2009 had Chitose and others released. As a social mangaka, Yoshizumi likes traveling and shopping. She also befriends fellow authors - Naoko Takeuchi, Ai Yazawa, Miho Obana and Megumi Mizusawa.

Movie Training - No Budget Filmmaking Guide

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:55:31 -0500

If you are trying to find a way to make a movie without having a budget for it, there are ways that you can create the movie that you want. You can find a way to get the filmmaking tips that you need to start creating your movie using the basics of film training and learning how to use the materials that you have to make it work. There are a lot of people who have a great idea for a film, but do not have the budget to make it, if you are looking for a way to make the movie that you want, you can find the ways to make it work.

When you take movie training, you can go online and find the information that you need that will help you to learn how to find the best places to film for less, the right kind of equipment that you can use that is affordable and how to create the sets and effects that you need even if you do not have a budget. You can find ways for low budget filmmaking that will help you to still be able to make the movies that you want, without having to spend the money that film companies spend. You can get the film training that you need that will give you the information that you need to start making the films that you want and get the best tips for creating films with no budget.

You can go online and check out the movie training that is available and learn the tips from the professionals who can show you what to do to be able to make the movies that you want even if you do not have a budget. You can learn to work with the different materials that you already have to create the special sets that you need. You can also learn how to find the best tips for using lighting and other effects that will help you make the film look professional.

If you are ready to start making the film that you want and you do not have a budget to work with, you can check out the film training and learn what you need to be able to start making the films that you want. You can use the great tips that are in the training to be able to go out and make the films that you want and not have to worry about spending a lot of money on the best equipment or lighting. You can use what you have and make the films.

How to apologize for cheating on your girlfriend

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:28:43 -0500

I'm a cheating bastard. That's what my girlfriend thinks, anyway. I prefer not to discuss the details of how she got that impression. But even once the stains are vacuumed up you realize there are some things that're even harder to get out. It's not like I'm cracking jokes in a time like this, it's just I really didn't know what to do. I've known her for six months and Jess is the best girl I've ever been with. She's funny, she's beautiful, she's usually pretty forgiving too but this time I screwed up, big time.

I bought her flowers, I even got her concert tickets that were way overpriced (didn't tell her that though). Wouldn't accept either one. She said through her friend it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. So you better believe me when I say was depressed. I was desperate to do something to get her attention. She wasn't speaking to me, she wasn't returning my phone calls or Facebook messages.

Jess always joked about me not remembering our days, and I wanted to prove that I'm not that stereotypical guy that just forgets our anniversary and everything else. So I wrote down all of our days. That would be

http://www.buyownday.com/2010/02/09
our first date (right before Valentine's Day, that was a story in itself), February 9.

http://www.buyownday.com/2010/06/15-2010/06/22
June 15 to 22, 2010 - our week-long trip to Yellowstone National Park, and the best vacation of my life

http://www.buyownday.com/2010/08/01
and August 1, because as of July 31, it was the first day of the rest of our lives together

I was surprised because even though we hadn't been seeing each other for too long, we already had so many days that were so amazing. This wasn't nearly as hard as I thought! But just calling her up to read her a list of days wouldn't really do it for her, even if she did pick up the phone. I'm not much of a poetic type either.

Then I got on this website, http://www.buyownday.com/, and decided that everybody should know about us. Maybe Jess will realize that I'm not afraid to tell her how much I love her in front of everybody. Buying her days was a little cheaper than some of the other things I'd tried already, but at least it was a little original. Nobody ever bought her a day before, right? The days were still open on the calendar, so I bought them right away. I added the little messages to set the tone just right so she would know that it's me. Then I e-mailed her the links. That way she could see what I wanted to say, without having to talk to me personally. She never responded to my e-mails before, but she finally responded when she bought her own day, August 3:

"What is wrong with you. GO TO HELL Matt!!"

So I basically just wanted to thank the guys who set up this site, for giving me this opportunity. Don't know what I'm going to do now though. I don't think they really meant it for people like me to use this site... but maybe they did.

Gun Books - An Easy Way to Find Working Phenomenon of Fire Arms

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:28:54 -0500

Most of the people around the world would like to study books while they want some relaxation. There are many books will give relaxation to your mind. However, there are some gun books that will give you working phenomenon of fire arms. These gun books cover early development of gunpowder and firearms and explain the evolution into the modern cartridge and rifle. It covers the components of the rifle and ammunition, bullet selection and sights. Much of the information is applicable to selecting the proper equipment for hunting specific game and or terrain.

These gun books give a lot of insight and experience for the novice or experienced shooter. The Shotgun chapters cover key topics such as sight picture, stock fit, proper patterning procedure, and much more. The book contains quality and quantity of information. It was well written and easy to read for the beginner not familiar with terminology.

The next and excellent section is Sniper books. These Sniper books are highly readable and extremely valuable training book covers the practical, field-tested details of sniping three great skill areas - marksmanship, field craft and tactics. Rifles, scopes, ballistics, target detection, stalking, hides, counter sniping, special ops, police vs. military and much more.

All of these books will cover the historical evolution of shoulder arms since the invention of gunpowder to the semiautomatic rifles. It has detailed rifle development with photos and gun data from different countries. It also covers paradox guns, tube guns and other unusual guns. It has the German manufacturing codes table and a chapter for foreign rifle markings. All of these books are very well written by famous authors, lots of data, and many details. This is a must-to-own book for the gun collector. Finally, there are some well established and experienced book selling providing these books to their customers. For more information and details, please do not hesitate to visit their valuable website.

Party Tips for Outdoor Parties

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:24:53 -0500

Organization is important when planning for an outdoor party. You should have all the basics before getting started to keep the fun going throughout the event.

Some of the special occasions which call for outdoor parties include: Graduation parties, Weddings, Baby or bridal showers, Neighborhood block parties, Re-unions and Company picnics.

Suitable Locations

Outdoor parties can be held in various locations depending on the space and convenience. You should always have a plan-B incase the weather wrecks havoc on the d-day.

Outdoor parties can be held in:

• Your own front or backyard.

• At a parking lot

• At a park or playground

• At a lake or river

• At the beach

Outdoor Party Themes

A theme will provide focus and bring together all the aspects of the party. Some theme ideas for outdoor parties include:

• Mexican fiesta

• Hawaiian Luau

• Traditional barbecue

• Pirate theme for beach parties

• Garden theme for picnic parties

• Presidential themes for fourth of July parties

Food Safety and Storage

Safe food handling is an important aspect of outdoor parties. Place cooked food on clean plates. Avoid placing foods on plates that were used to transport meat or sea food. Perishable dishes should be eaten cleared during the function if there no cold storage facilities to store them.

Cold food should be stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and hot foods need to be kept above 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mayonnaise has high acid content from the lemon juice and vinegar that makes it. It does not contribute to food poisoning contrary to popular belief. It actually reduces bacterial growth in food. Foods such as eggs, potatoes and meat when combined with mayonnaise are what spoil quickly.

Take out meals should be consumed within three hour of purchase. Otherwise they should be chilled well before packing in coolers.

You should discard leftovers that have sat out for more than two hours. This is largely due to hygienic reasons.

Carry lots of water for the guests. Pour out a small amount of water from bottles before freezing to allow for expansion.

Night time Outdoor Parties

You can string tiny white lights in a few trees around the garden to create an enchanted look.

Use citronella candle pots or torches to make the party more special. These are both practical and beautiful. They keep away bugs with their distinct smell and also look great.

Steps and steep paths should be well illuminated to prevent mishaps from occurring.

Outdoor Party Tips

• Paper plates can be reinforced by taping down solid color plastic plates with double stick tape.

• Caution female guests not to wear spiky heels to an outdoor event.

• Make sure there is ample seating for ill or elderly guests. You can hire a small party tents to provide shade for those who need it.

• Always locate food stations, guest seating and reception lines in the shade. You can hire a canopy tent or marquees if necessary.

• Ensure you carry sunscreen and mosquito repellant spray.

Early planning is important for the success of the outdoor party.

Girls Tattoos - Why Girls Want to Have Tattoos on Their Lower Back

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:32:05 -0500

Tattoos are an easy way to convey the message to people. In earlier days, these tattoos are only for boys. In these days, these tattoos are not only for the boys anymore. More and more girls are making their mark in the wonderful world of tattoo art. In most of the times, girls are interested to create fun and sexy tattoos that can be easily covered up, or put on display for a sensual look. There are many possibilities of a girl tattoo that is endless. However, the most popular tattoos that can be found girls are fairies, butterflies, pixies, flowers and hearts.

One of the best and popular is Heart tattoos; you know girls seem to be very romantic, so it would not be surprising to see a name of lucky guy inside the heart. However, most of the people are warned that tattoos are forever, the relationship may not be. So if a girl decides to get guys name on her body, she had better made sure it is permanent, or have a nice amount of cash to eliminate it or cover it up.

Once you have chosen the design, the next consideration is placement of your tattoo. Most are placed on the shoulder, hip, lower back or ankle. As is the case with any type of tattoo, the exact location is up to the wearer. These are not the only places for girl tattoos, but they are the most popular. Some girls have tattoos placed on their arm, leg, back, etc. When placed here, however, they lose some of their femininity as these are common placements used for male tattoos.

In these internet technology days, finding perfect girl tattoos, it will not be hard to choose. You can get inspired by your favorite actress, sport star, celebrity or simply have a heart with your local tattoo artists, so you guys decide what girl tattoo will be the perfect fit for you. Finally, there are some well established and experienced websites in internet are offering excellent girl tattoos for their clients. For more information and details, please do not hesitate to visit their valuable website.

Gucci Handbags: For the Stylish and Trendy People

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:36:31 -0500

Handbags are the most important accessories in any woman’s wardrobe and every woman would cherish to have a great collection of the branded stuff. Gucci handbags are one such brand which has won over the hearts of ladies all across the world. Gucci understands perfectly well the utility aspect that is involved in these bags and keeps the many views of ladies in mind to churn out various designs that would fit the bill perfectly well.

Original Gucci bags only accentuate the taste that one has for fashion. As Gucci understands the importance of staying in vogue, it comes forth with many new designs month after month, excelling in quality and functionality with every passing day. The brand spells fashion and luxury too but is available at extremely affordable prices.

Available in multiple hues and designs, and made out of exquisite leather and quality products Gucci handbags help you become a more confident person amidst a huge gathering. Take it for granted, you will have people look at you with awe and silent appreciation for the kind of selection you have made.

The brand Gucci carries enormous value and so one has to exercise caution while buying the bags lest they should land up buying the replicas. Gucci bags are undoubtedly the onlookers’ envy and the owner’s pride. No doubt, they make a wonderful and ideal gift to the person you care for. Take your loved one by surprise by getting one of the loveliest of the Gucci handbags shipped to her address!

Buying from the online store is an added advantage for you could benefit heavily from the discounts that the online stores announce on the entire range of Gucci products. Pamper yourself with one of the most luxurious and trendiest of accessories and enjoy the attention you garner!