text:
A few days ago I got a Facebook post from one of my brothers who was wondering with his wife if they could somehow meld their fall vacation with a week-long mission trip. He asked me if there was "a need for two caring individuals to come help people in any way around [my] area", which is currently Bogotá, Colombia. My initial thought was "no way, and it's naive to think that you can make a meaningful difference in a week, especially in a new country where you don't even speak the local language." I didn't respond that brusquely with him, of course, but the idea of peppering a vacation with volunteer service activities just seemed wrong on several levels, and I know first-hand the dangers of unintended consequences that "service" done by well-meaning people can have. In the past, I've even used "service tourist" derisively toward fairly committed volunteers who seemed more driven by their desire for adventure and travel than by a serious call to serve humanity or the planet. But this was my own brother, and I know the sincerity and purity of his and his wife's hearts. I don't want to be too quick to judge.
Nicholas Kristof's "disgusting" family vacation
Something just seems unsavory about vacationing too close to human suffering. Last week (on June 28), the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof posted this seemingly innocuous update on his Facebook page:
"Spent the day in Jerusalem with family, showing sights — including a great tour of Western Wall tunnels. We had a bunch of rocks thrown at us by Palestinian kids in one neighborhood where Palestinian homes are slated for destruction: ya'ani, big rocks, but none hit us."
This set off an avalanche of several hundred comments. Among them were these:
"Not sure exactly how you live with yourself. There you are walking around on vacation while some families are losing everything they've ever had."
"What's despicable is that people can enjoy themselves on vacation while being so closely to massive suffering and despair."
"You're doing the 'tourist thing' with your family in Palestinian neighborhoods in Israel?? Really?? Treating it like a day trip with the family to the beach is kinda heartless. I'd throw rocks at you too if I were them."
"I find it disgusting."
"If it's for reporting, that's one thing…But taking your kids there for pleasure? Just makes me sick."
These are pretty harsh words for a man who makes his living going to the hard places in the world to bring the stories of suffering people to the attention of an otherwise uninformed readership. Why this visceral and acerbic reaction? Perhaps it's the incongruity of taking leisure where people are suffering. It may be admirable to serve in Haiti and vacation in Hawaii, but it's somehow despicable to serve in Hawaii and vacation in Haiti. Is this fair?
Just because someone is on a beach in Hawaii doesn't make the suffering in Haiti any less real. Yet we castigate the person who vacations near suffering and remain indifferent to the person who steals away a safe distance and vacations in some insulated resort while people continue suffering out of sight and out of mind. Granted, there is still something morally repugnant with having a picnic on a hillside with your children while watching artillery shells rain down on the city below, but maybe there is some ethical room for bringing leisure into proximity with suffering, especially if the leisure time is designed to address the suffering.
An uncomfortable party
When the levees surrounding New Orleans failed catastrophically following hurricane Katrina in 2005, most of the city and many of the surrounding parishes were flooded. It was a true disaster area with widespread and prolonged human suffering. Many people felt it would be heartless to go party in the city just six months later, but that's exactly what the city asked them to do. The Mardi Gras celebration brings thousands of people and millions of dollars into the city each year. Getting the tourists to come back was vital to city's economic recovery.
Many developing countries are in a similar yet amplified situation. Places like Tanzania, Guatemala, and Cambodia are home to millions of people living in abject poverty and crisis, and yet each of these countries also has a thriving tourism industry. When you speak to the people living there, even the very poor,* they are overwhelmingly in support of tourism. They want people to come, spend money, generate employment, and value and share in the place they call home. When I was in Sri Lanka a year after the devastating tsunami, people all along the southern coast were desperate to bring the tourists back, even though many were still living in temporary shelters and mourning lost love ones. The truth is, there are many beautiful places on the earth that offer vacationers spectacular scenery, unparalleled adventure, and warm hospitality, as well as a front-row seat to the indignities and injustice of abject poverty. Should people be squeamish about vacationing in these places, not only would a critical source of income be lost, but the vacationers would miss an opportunity to be exposed to and impacted by the realities of life in these places. Vacationing in Vale, Paris, or Miami only brings more to those who already have much, and keeps those "other places" out of sight and mind.
A New? Vacation Market
I think there may be a progressive link between adventure tourism, eco-tourism, and service tourism. As more and more mainstream vacationers surf the beaches of Costa Rica, hike trails to ancient ruins in Peru, drive mountain bikes through rain forests in Indonesia, ride boats up rivers in India, and tour temples in Cambodia, they are confronted with two unexpected realities: 1) the possibility that their activities are going to ruin the place, and 2) lots and lots of poor people. This inserts a rather uncomfortable feeling into their vacation that maybe they're doing something ethically questionable. Are they enjoying their leisure at the expense of the place and its people? But instead of planning the following year's vacation in Hawaii, many decide to do something really different. They go back and look for ways to connect their vacation with the sustainable development of the place and its people.
Of course there are lots of other contributing factors to the growth in popularity of volunteer vacations. In a sense, you could point to the creation of the Peace Corps in 1961 as the start of service tourism in the U.S. (In the UK, you could similarly point to the founding of Volunteer Service Overseas in 1958.) Certainly most of the volunteers who have served since have done so with a humanitarian heart, but many have also (rightly?) seen their terms a government-sponsored adventure vacation. The sharp rise of academic study abroad programs during the 1970s similarly combined two incentives – to learn and to travel. The real boom began in the 1990s, though, as both tourism operators and service organizations began to realize the potential of combining adventure vacations with activities that supported local sustainable development projects.
Now both tourist operators and volunteer service organizations are scrambling to keep up with the demand for both sustainable vacations (eco-tourism) and volunteer vacations (service tourism). And they are having to learn how to work together in ways that benefit both as they both compete and collaborate in these new markets. Today, ecotourism is a multibillion dollar a year business, and service tourism is a rapidly growing market. It's hard to say just how big the market for volunteer vacations is, however, since it's not clear when to categorize short-term volunteer service as such. But with Volunteer Vacations being offered on core travel sites like Travelocity (Travel For Good) it is clearly a profitable mainstreamed market. What is also clear is that more and more service assignments are being billed as volunteer vacations. For example, Global Volunteers, which has sent out over 25,000 volunteers in the past 25 years, now refers to their volunteer assignments as "Volunteer Vacations". Similarly, Global Service Coprs, which has a 15-year history of providing "Service Learning Programs", has rebranded itself as a provider of "Volunteer Vacations" without actually changing what they do. With all of this rebranding of volunteer service trips and mission trips as "adventure service travel" or "volunteer vacations", one has to wonder if taking volunteer vacations is what young service volunteers have been doing all along. But, perhaps this rebranding is attracting new recruits; people who wouldn't otherwise sign up to be volunteer might do so if it's sold as an adventure vacation with some service activities patched in.
Red Flags Waving
As voluntourism goes mainstream, and the market for volunteer vacations grows, the dangers of unscrupulous operators getting into the game also increases. The evolution of ecotourism is instructive for what surely lies ahead for voluntourism. As the economic incentives increased, some tourist operators simply rebranded their nature tours as eco-tours and essentially used marketing to "greenwash" thoroughly unsustainable practices, such as driving jeeps off-road through the wilderness or paying indigenous people to dress up and role-play to the stereotyped expectations of outsiders. Well-intentioned eco-tourists ended up on vacations as environmentally destructive and economically and culturally exploitative as they come. There are even cases of governments evicting local indigenous people to make room for ecotourism developments from the Philippines to Bangladesh, Brazil, Botswana, and South Africa.
So what lies ahead for voluntourism? The customer-centric focus elevates the experience of the traveler over that of the community where the volunteer activities take place. One website advertises volunteer vacations under the headline "Volunteer On Demand…At Your Convenience." This may make good business sense – the traveler is paying, the community is not – but there is bound to be some conflict with what the traveler wants and makes good sustainable community development sense. Sales pitches of "getting re-energized", taking a "tax-deductible vacation", and gaining an "amazing sense of camaraderie" with fellow volunteer team members beg the question of who is serving who, reduces the community to a tourism product, and sells access to them as part of an experience package.
One has to wonder where this leaves vulnerable communities. When making a profit drives business decisions over traditional service values like "do no harm" or community agency, one has to be a bit pessimistic about that the impact of the volunteer service. That said, I would guess that there will be marked difference between the for-profit tourist operators who begin offering volunteer vacations as part of their portfolio of products and the not-for-profit volunteer service agencies that simply rebrand their learning and service trips as volunteer vacations. The core business experience of a tourism operator is less well suited than that of a volunteer service agency or a development NGO to ensure that the voluntourist's activities contribute to the development objectives of the community in a culturally sensitive and sustainable manner.
Hope for the Future
Obviously, I'm not the first to feel uneasy about the concept of voluntourism and several organizations are making efforts to help the new market avoid getting corrupted by the economic incentives. A number of ethical codes have been developed for ecotourism operators. One of the earliest is from the Ecotourism Association of Australia, which adopted a Code of Practice in 1994 and has an Eco Certification Program in place. They even have some guidelines for the ecotourists, which I think is great idea. Something similar should be developed for voluntourism. A consortium of legitimate and ethical providers of volunteer vacations would have a market incentive to do this and pay for the operation of a certification program.
Ethical Volunteering is a site that offers guidance to would-be volunteers about choosing a volunteer program. I like this approach; most tourists are just not going to know what questions they should be asking about volunteering or sustainable community development, and they are going to go with what feels good – something that any savvy tourism operator or marketer will know how to manipulate. Ethical Volunteering offers suggestions like exploring how the volunteer program partners with local organizations, asking what eco and ethical policies are in place, and what the time frame is on the project the volunteers will be involved with. These are key questions. If the local community is not involved in decisions about the design and ongoing management of the project, then they can just as easily be a victim of the project as a beneficiary of it. And if the organization offering the volunteer experience has no long-term and regular presence in the community, then questions about disruption and sustainability naturally arise.
Xola Consulting is a group that works with tour operators, government tourism boards, and NGOs to develop adventure and volunteer travel programs that are sustainable and capable of promoting economic and environmental development. I would think that as the market for volunteer vacations grows, the market for consultants like Xola would grow with it. The hope would be that such consulting firms would be as concerned about the well-being of the communities impacted by voluntourism as the economic viability of their client's volutourism projects. Again, now would be the time for established volunteer service programs to step into this market to help ensure the ethical and sustainable qualities of the volunteer service activities as tourism operators move into the voluntourism market.
There are dozens of organizations providing volunteer vacations, and many (not all, but many) seem to have a well-thought out, balanced, and ethical approach. Among these are VolunTourism.org, Globe Aware, and Global Volunteers.
In the future, the lines will continue to blur between adventure tourism, ecotourism, and voluntourism. The market will continue to grow for these alternative vacation experiences. Inevitably, unscrupulous operators will enter the market as it grows richer, and the service aspect is likely to get watered down as the focus of short-term volunteer opportunities moves toward customer satisfaction and away from quality, ethical, and sustainable community development. But, there is hope too if the legitimate volunteer organizations recognize that this shift in the tourism market is both an existential threat and a fantastic opportunity. If they step in now to provide consulting services, to shape a code of ethics, and to operate a certification program, they can help ensure that voluntourism does right by both the tourist and the communities they volunteer in.
* I'm not saying this hypothetically; I've spoken with people who are among the very poor in each of these countries about their tourism industry and how they feel about it.
(The third image of photographers and children is from Tourism Concern.)


text:
Ready-to-Wear: Applejack (My Little Pony Week)Posted: November 4, 2012 Filed under: Ready-to-Wear | Tags: Abercrombie & Fitch, applejack, cowgirl, Diesel, Dirty Laundry, mlp fim, my little pony, my little pony friendship is magic, Pieces, polyvore, San Diego Hat Co., western 1 Comment
Hello everypony! The third season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic begins next Saturday, November 10! To get ready for new adventures in Ponyville I've asked the stylish and generous Rarity to help us with Ready-to-Wear Pony Week!!
Helloooooooo, Equestrians! And all you little ponies outside our beautiful nation on the 'internet'. I am so very pleased to meet you and share my fashion tips. I will be here every day this week to discuss the couture of my very best friends. Everypony has their own unique chic, the trick is to make it your own!
Today we start with Applejack. Applejack is an Earth pony and a member of the Apple Family who work tirelessly at their farm to bring us all the most appletastic treats and superb cider.
Why thank ya, Rarity.
Of course, darling.
Applejack's style is Western and as down-to-earth as she is. She likes to keep things casual and most importantly, she never goes anywhere without her hat.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Similar in shape to the original windscreen, the MRA TouringScreen includes a raised extension approximately 2-3 inches (5-7 cm) taller than the original windscreen. Available in clear, smoke gray and gloss black.Overall length: 15 inches (380 mm).
This motorcycles original windscreen is attached with non-reusable fasteners or rivets. As the original hardware is not reusable, replacement attachment screws are included with MRA windscreens for this motorcycle.


text:
Watch Live Glass Blowing
Watch us blow glass Thursdays through Mondays, 11am-5pm.
- This event has passed.
Glass Blowing 10am-4pm
May 18 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pmFree
Watch us blow glass and learn about the process (free). Avalon Glassworks, 2914 SW Avalon Way, Seattle, WA 98126. Demonstrations continue throughout the day. Shop for gifts and home décor while in our gallery or online at our Etsy store, https://www.etsy.com/shop/AvalonGlassworks
We are located at the foot of the West Seattle Bridge, next door to Luna Park Café. 2914 SW Avalon Way, Seattle WA 98126, (206) 937-6369. This is where to see live glassblowing in Seattle. Watch glass blowing up close!
Gallery open daily, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat-Sun 10am-5pm.


text:
Jennerex Presents Positive Clinical Data from Phase 2 Trial of JX-594 in Sorafenib-Refractory Liver Cancer Patients
Key Clinical Endpoints Met: JX-594 can be Safely and Efficiently Delivered Through Systemic Route, and Standard-of-Care Sorafenib Can Be Safely Administered Sequentially After JX-594, Opening Door to New Clinical Perspectives
BERLIN, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennerex, Inc., a private, clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class targeted oncolytic immunotherapies, presented Phase 2 clinical data of JX-594 delivered first intravenously and subsequently through intra-tumoral route demonstrating safety as well as disease control and tumor responses in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer, HCC). The data were presented in an oral presentation at the International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) Annual Meeting in Berlin, Germany, by Mong Cho, M.D., from Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, South Korea.
Twenty five Asian patients with advanced HCC, 20 of whom were refractory to sorafenib, were treated with an initial intravenous dose of JX-594, and the majority of patients then received sequential intra-tumoral doses of JX-594 at week one and three. The majority of patients subsequently received treatment with sorafenib.
The primary objective of this study was to determine the safety of JX-594 followed by sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC. The sequential treatment regimen was well tolerated with transient flu-like symptoms and transient leukopenia being the most common side effects related to JX-594. The sorafenib side effects observed were consistent with the expected toxicity profile of this product.
Secondary endpoints included the effect of the sequential treatment of JX-594 followed by sorafenib on disease control and tumor response. Evidence of antitumor activity was observed in both sorafenib-naive and sorafenib-refractory patients.
Importantly, this trial also demonstrated the feasibility of the systemic administration of the product (through intravenous injection).
"Our ability to deliver JX-594 intravenously to liver cancer tumors, further confirmed by these encouraging data, is a key attribute that sets it apart from other therapies in the class of oncolytic immunotherapies," stated David H. Kirn, M.D., founder, chief medical officer and president of R&D of Jennerex. "In the Phase 2 trial presented at ILCA, JX-594 demonstrated its ability to selectively target and destroy tumors following intravenous infusion. This finding confirms the ability of JX-594 to target both primary and metastatic, or distant, tumors which we believe is important in this HCC patient population and most cancers."
"We have treated more than 160 patients with JX-594 to date and are actively enrolling a multinational Phase 2b study in second line treatment of liver cancer patients, a Phase 2 all-IV trial in first line HCC patients, and a Phase 2 study in colorectal cancer. The data presented today build on the growing body of promising clinical data showing that JX-594 has a direct anti-tumor effect and can stimulate an immune response killing cancer cells," stated Laurent Fischer, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Jennerex. "We are excited with the progress we are making in our JX-594 program and believe it has the potential to advance patient care across multiple types of cancer."
The abstract (#2012-1304) entitled "Phase 2 Trial Of JX-594, A Targeted Multi-Mechanistic Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus, Followed By Sorafenib In Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)" was presented at the International Liver Cancer Association Annual Meeting in Berlin.
About this Trial:
Twenty five Asian patients with advanced HCC, 20 of whom were refractory to sorafenib, were treated with an initial intravenous dose of JX-594, and the majority of patients then received sequential intratumoral doses of JX-594 at week one and three. The majority of patients subsequently received treatment with sorafenib.
Following treatment with JX-594 alone at four weeks, 62 percent of patients had disease control as measured by modified RECIST (tumor burden measurement). Tumor biopsies of four patients following intravenous infusion showed four of four patients had local infection of JX-594 in tumor tissue while normal liver tissue was not affected, providing further evidence of JX-594's tumor selectivity and the ability to administer JX-594 intravenously. Furthermore, after six or 12 weeks, 59 percent of patients had disease control as measured by modified RECIST and 75 percent of patients had objective responses by Choi criteria. 85 percent of patients had disease control by mRECIST and /or Choi response.
JX-594: A Multi-Mechanistic Approach To Targeting Cancer
JX-594 is a proprietary, engineered oncolytic immunotherapy designed to selectively target and destroy cancer cells through three diverse mechanisms of action: 1) the lysis of cancer cells 2) the stimulation of an immune response against cancer cells, (i.e., active immunotherapy), and 3) the shutdown of the blood supply to tumors. Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials in multiple cancer types to date have shown that JX-594, delivered either directly into tumors or intravenously, induces tumor shrinkage and/or necrosis and is well-tolerated (over 160 patients treated to date). Objective tumor responses have been demonstrated in a variety of cancers including liver, colon, kidney, lung cancer and melanoma. JX-594 has had a favorable, predictable and generally mild safety profile to date which includes flu-like symptoms that resolve in 24 to 48 hours.
JX-594 takes advantage of the natural attributes of poxviruses and was engineered to target and destroy solid tumors both systemically and locally. The vaccinia virus backbone of JX-594 has been used safely in millions of people as part of a worldwide vaccination program. This strain naturally targets cancer cells due to common genetic abnormalities in cancer cells. JX-594 was engineered to enhance this cancer-selectivity by inactivating its thymidine kinase (TK) gene and encode the immunogenic GM-CSF gene, to enhance the immune response against cancer cells.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Global Unmet Need
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer death, with over 600,000 new cases diagnosed annually resulting in more than 90 percent mortality. The annual incidence rate in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China are estimated to be 20,000, 55,000, 40,000 and 350,000 patients, respectively. The only treatment approved for HCC is sorafenib. There is no treatment approved for patients who fail sorafenib.
About Jennerex's Partners for JX-594
Transgene (NYSE Euronext Paris: FR0005175080), a bio-pharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immunotherapeutic products, holds an exclusive license to develop and commercialize JX-594 in Europe and neighboring countries. Green Cross Corporation, a leading company in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of viral vaccines and other biological products, holds an exclusive license to develop and commercialize JX-594 in South Korea, and Lee's Pharmaceutical Ltd. holds an exclusive license to develop and commercialize JX-594 in China.
Transgene, a member of the Institut Merieux Group, is a publicly traded French biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of therapeutic vaccines and immunotherapeutic products in oncology and infectious diseases, and has five compounds in clinical development: TG4010 and JX-594 (TG6006) having completed initial phase II trials, TG4001 in phase IIb trial, TG4040 in phase II trial and TG4023 in phase I trial. Transgene has concluded strategic agreements for the development of two of its immunotherapy products, an option agreement with Novartis for the development of TG4010 to treat various cancers, and an in-licensing agreement with U.S.-based Jennerex Biotherapeutics, Inc., to develop and market JX-594 (TG6006), an oncolytic product. Transgene has bio-manufacturing capacities for viral-based products. Additional information about Transgene is available on the internet at www.transgene.fr
Green Cross Corp. is a publicly traded and leading Korean biopharmaceutical company specialized in development and commercialization of vaccines, plasma-derivatives, recombinant proteins and therapeutic antibodies in oncology and infectious diseases. Green Cross Corp. has been collaborating with Jennerex in Korea since 2006 to jointly conduct the Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in patients with liver cancer. Additional information about Green Cross Corp. is available on the internet at www.greencross.com.
Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited is a public biopharmaceutical company with over 16 years operation in China's pharmaceutical industry. It is fully integrated with solid infrastructures in drug development, clinical development, regulatory, manufacturing, sales and marketing in China with global perspectives and currently markets nine products. Lee's Pharma focuses on several different areas such as cardiovascular and infectious diseases, dermatology, oncology, gynecology and others. It has more than 30 products under different development stages stemming from both internal R&D as well as from the recent acquisition of licensing and distribution rights from various U.S. and European companies. The mission of Lee's is to become a successful biopharmaceutical group in Asia providing innovative products to fight diseases and improve health and quality of life. Additional information about Lee's Pharma is available on the internet at www.leespharm.com.
About Jennerex
Jennerex, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class, breakthrough targeted oncolytic immunotherapy products for cancer. The Company's lead product JX-594 is currently in an international, randomized Phase 2b clinical trial (TRAVERSE) in patients with advanced primary liver cancer who have failed sorafenib therapy. In addition, JX-594 is being tested in the same patient population in combination with sorafenib. JX-594 is also in a Phase 1/2 clinical trials in patients with treatment-refractory colorectal cancer. Published studies designed to establish optimal dose levels and the safety profile of JX-594 have shown its ability to selectively target and cause destruction of a variety of common solid tumor types and trigger a potent immune response. JX-594 and other product candidates under development are designed to attack cancer tumors through three diverse mechanisms of action: the lysis of cancer cells through targeted viral replication, the ablation of the blood supply to tumors and the stimulation of the body's immune response against the cancer. Jennerex is headquartered in San Francisco and has related research and development operations in Ottawa, Canada and Pusan, South Korea. For more information about Jennerex, please visit www.jennerex.com. For studies evaluating JX-594 please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.
SOURCE Jennerex, Inc.
PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1nyhB)
This blog is all about current FDA approved drugs to treat the hepatitis C virus (HCV) with a focus on treating HCV according to genotype, using information extracted from peer-reviewed journals, liver meetings/conferences, and interactive learning activities.
Risk Of Developing Liver Cancer After HCV Treatment
- Home
- Newly Diagnosed With Hep C? Or Considering Treatment?
- All FDA Approved Drugs To Treat Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis C Genotypes and Treatment
- Mavyret (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir)
- Vosevi (Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir/Voxilaprevir)
- Epclusa® (Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir)
- Harvoni® (Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir)
- VIEKIRA XR/VIEKIRA Pak
- Zepatier(Elbasvir/Grazoprevir)
- Cure - Achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) in hepatitis C
- HCV Liver Fibrosis
- FibroScan® Understanding The Results
- HCV Cirrhosis
- Staging Cirrhosis
- HCV Liver Cancer
- Risk Of Developing Liver Cancer After HCV Treatment
- Treating Elderly HCV Patients
- Fatty Liver Disease: NAFLD/NASH
- Current research articles on ailments that may be related to HCV
- Is There A Natural Way To Improve Liver Fibrosis?
- Can Food Or Herbs Interact With Conventional Medical Treatments?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Positive Clinical Data from Phase 2 Trial of JX-594 in Sorafenib-Refractory Liver Cancer Patients
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
New! �TurtleBack� Cane Holder
The new TurtleBack Soft Leather Cane holder come with a plastic swivel clip, and gives you freedom of movement. When sitting, the cane holder can rotate 360 degrees and can also be detached from the main clip. The case measures 8 1/2" high by 3" wide, by 1 1/2" deep, with an open bottom. This case can accommodate the 4 - 6 section folding cane. The TurtleBack black leather case is made of high quality leather that is soft to the touch. This case has dual functionality, as it can be clipped to your belt or can be slipped thru your belt.
Canada: Frontier Computing at (416) 489 - 6690
With further modifications by Electron Jungle LLC.


text:
If you need to buy a gift but you're on a budget, try our Sale section for the ends of line items we have just added!Two pages of goodies to choose from >>>
Hi Lesley,Just to let you know that our Wall art Panels arrived safely last week. They are fabulous! A little bit of home in my home. Thank you for the excellent packaging, they arrived in perfect condition. Thanks again and kind regards, Paula, UK 15 May 2017
Hi LesleyI just wanted to thank you, my kapa Haka Dresses arrived today and they are perfect. Thank you for your fantastic service and I have shared your details on the kiwi mums fab page here. Lisa, Dubai, 4 April 2017
Kia ora Lesley,I am very pleased to say that a few days ago I received my parcel. It made my day. It was great to receive a few things from home - yes I am a Kiwi. Living in Holland for the past 37 years. Once a Kiwi always a Kiwi.Irma, Netherlands, 23 Jan 2017
Hi, just wanted to let you know that the NZ Santa arrived today. The Santa is for a friend who is a marathon swimmer. She swam the Cook Straits a few years ago. We were in NZ to cheer her on. I got a small Santa then and gave to her. A friends dog eat it and so I am very happy to be able to replace that Santa with another.Dave, USA, 16 Dec 2016
Trusted New Zealand Online Retailer Since 2000.
Being New Zealand owned and operated, we specialise in offering unique New Zealand gifts and classic Kiwi souvenirs. With our huge range, we reckon you will find the perfect New Zealand gift or souvenir to take home or send overseas.We specialise in New Zealand designed products such as tea-towels and Manuka Honey skincare, Maori souvenirs, NZ books, bone and greenstone jewellery, delicious Kiwi treats, t-shirts, and much more. Whether you are looking for gifts for special occasions - a Korowai Cloak for a graduation, a milestone birthday, or a gift for a homesick Kiwi – we've got something for everyone and for every occasion!Wanting to order in bulk for a corporate event or looking for a Kiwi inspired corporate gift for a colleague? We can help with that too! Email us today with your query.
Stay Connected


text:
User Guide
Jump down to Essential Google Earth Pro Functions :: The Menus
This is an introductory user guide for students, educators, and anyone else who would like to learn to use Google Earth for education or fun. It includes instructions and diagrams on how to perform common tasks associated with viewing or creating map data. It also provides links to other sites that offer additional information.
Google Earth is a geobrowser that offers satellite and aerial imagery, ocean bathymetry, and other geographic data over the internet to represent the Earth as a three-dimensional globe. Geobrowsers are also known as virtual globes or Earth browsers. Google Earth provides search capabilities and the ability to pan, zoom, rotate, and tilt the view of the Earth. It also offers tools for creating new data and a growing set of layers of data, such as volcanoes and terrain, that can be displayed in the 3D Viewer. Google Earth is available on the web for free as well for purchase in more advanced versions at the Google Earth web site.
Below are presented techniques for performing essential functions in Google Earth Pro. Each section concludes with a link to the content in the official online Google Earth User Guide that offers additional details about that function. For comprehensive information about those and other functions, see the Google Earth User Guide.For a one-page summary of some of these essential functions, see the Google Earth Pro Tip Sheet (Acrobat (PDF) 5.5MB Aug1 18).
Essential Google Earth Pro Functions
The Google Earth Pro User Interface
When you launch Google Earth, the Earth appears in the 3D viewer within the Google Earth user interface, which also includes a set of panes, a menu, a toolbar, navigation controls, and a status bar. The 3D viewer shows you aerial and satellite imagery and information about places represented on the map as points, segmented lines, polygons, image overlays, photographs, and 3D models. When the terrain layer is activated, the landscape appears in three-dimensional relief.
The Google Earth Pro Toolbar
The Google Earth toolbar contains tools that perform tasks related to the configuration of the user interface, the creation of objects to place on the map in the 3D Viewer, recording a tour, showing historical imagery, showing sunlight in the 3D Viewer, a ruler for measuring lengths of lines and paths, emailing a representation of the 3D Viewer, saving or printing an image of the contents of the 3D Viewer, and viewing the data in Google Maps.
The Google Earth Toolbar offers tooltips that pop up to identify each tool as the mouse passes over it. For example, the Hide/Show Sidebar button toggles the visibility of the three panes on the left side of the user interface on and off. The Add Placemark, Add Polygon, Add Path, and Add Image Overlay buttons are for creating new data. The functions of some of these tools are described below. In addition, the Google Earth User Guide identifies the components of the user interface, and offers comprehensive information on how to use them.
Navigation is the process of changing the position of your view of the Earth. The position of the view can be changed through the navigation controls, mouse navigation, key combinations, searching, or visiting pre-defined places.
Drag the ring with the "N" on it to rotate the view. Click the "N" to orient the globe so that north is at the top.
Keyboard and mouse controls for navigation and other Google Earth techniques differ, in some cases, between Windows machines and the Macintosh. For a list of these controls, see Google's Keyboard and Mouse Controls page.
Dragging the mouse while the left or right button is held down can also be used to navigate. To use the mouse to pan the 3D Viewer, hold down the left mouse button and drag the view in the direction that you would like to move it. With the right mouse button held down, you can rotate the 3D Viewer clockwise by dragging the mouse to the left, and you can rotate it counterclockwise by dragging the mouse to the right. The mouse wheel can be used to navigate as well. To zoom in with the mouse, turn the mouse wheel away from you. To zoom out with the mouse, turn the mouse wheel down toward you. With the right mouse button held down, you can also zoom in by moving the mouse down, and zoom out by moving it up.For additional information, see Google Earth User Guide: Navigating in Google Earth.
The Google Earth Pro Status Bar
The Google Earth Status Bar shows the imagery date, latitude, longitude, elevation, and eye altitude of the current view. It is visible at the bottom of the Google Earth User Interface when the Tour Guide is closed.
In the Search pane, your can use the three tabs, respectively, to:
- Search for places
- Get directions
- Show a list of recent searches
- Get directions
- Copy search results to the Google Earth My Places folder
- Copy search results to the clipboard as KML
- Print search results
As the Search pane is pictured here, we have flown to Yosemite National Park, after clicking the Search button.Addresses can be specified in a variety of formats. For example, you can fly to 37.42197, -122.08414. In addition to natural features, you can search for cities, towns, countries, types of businesses, or other types of establishments such as schools, airports, churches, temples, mosques, hospitals, or police stations.
The Get Directions button will get you driving directions between two places that you specify. The resulting directions can be saved or played as a tour.
For additional details, see Google Earth User Guide: Finding Places and Directions.
Working with Places
The Places pane is where third-party data and your own data are listed and organized. Data that has been loaded or created during the current session generally resides in the Temporary Places folder. Documents, folders, and placemarks can be dragged to reorganize them in the Places pane.
A great deal of third-party data is available on the web. The Google Earth Community and other web sites listed below are good sources of this data. However, in many cases, you may sometimes discover that there is insufficient data for a topic that you would like to cover in an educational setting. One remedy is to download the data that exists for that topic and add additional data to it. In some cases, it may be necessary to start from scratch. But in either situation, it is likely that you will need to:
- create placemarks to identify particular points on the map, and possibly include descriptive information, images, and hyperlinks that appear in an information balloon when the placemark is clicked. For example, a series on rock outcrops can be identified by placemarks, with descriptions and closeup photographs placed in the information balloons.
- draw paths to identify routes or other linear features. This might be useful for a virtual guided tour along a trail.
- draw polygons to identify or outline areas or features of interest. Polygons might be used to enclose areas of similar soil type or vegetation.
- overlay maps or specialized aerial imagery on the Google Earth imagery. For example, a USGS topographic map overlay may help interpret a glacial landscape or a series of waterfalls.
Data that you download or create can be saved within the My Places folder so that it is available in subsequent sessions. You can either drag it into that folder or click Yes, when asked whether to save the items that are in the Temporary Places folder in the My Places folder when you exit Google Earth. However, it is a good practice to explicitly save your data. To save an item that is listed in the Places Pane, right-click it (ctrl-click on the Mac) and choose Save Place As from the contextual menu that appears. In order to make informed decisions about how to save your data, you need to know something about the format of Google Earth data.
Google Earth data, including placemarks, paths, polygons, and overlays, consists of KML (Keyhole Markup Language) markup that can be saved in text format with a kml file extension, or, most commonly, in compressed KMZ format with a kmz file extension. A kmz file is actually a zip archive which contains a doc.kml file with KML code, and possibly other supporting files such as images. The KMZ markup for a place or a container can be viewed by right-clicking it (ctrl-click on the Mac), choosing Copy, and pasting it into a text editor.
Google Earth can open or import a variety of data files, including the standard KMZ and KML formats, as well as images (jpg, bmp, tif, tga, png, jpeg, gif, tiff, ppm, and pgm), gps (gpx and loc), and Collada models (dae). Google Earth Pro can open additional formats, including ESRI shapefiles (shp) and MapInfo (tab) files. Once opened in Google Earth Pro, most of these formats can be saved as kmz files, which then makes them available to be used in the free version of Google Earth.
Creating a New Placemark
To create a new placemark, first navigate to the location in the 3D Viewer where you would like to put the new placemark. Then you can create it by clicking the Add Placemark button on the toolbar or right-clicking the container listed in the Places Pane in which you would like to put the new placemark, and choosing Add, and then Placemark. There are other means of initiating this process as well. In either case, the New Placemark dialog box will appear.
While the New Placemark dialog box is open, the information inside can be edited and the placemark can be dragged to adjust it to its proper position. The various tabs can be used to access the placemark's properties including its name, description, the icon that is used to represent the placemark in the 3D viewer, the color of the icon and the label, and the orientation and zoom level of the 3D viewer that results when the placemark is double-clicked in the Places pane. You can create your own custom icons for your placemarks. Placemarks and other items can be edited after they are created or opened in Google Earth. Right-click (ctrl-click on the Mac) the item in the Places pane or in the 3D Viewer to open its Edit dialog box. While a placemark's dialog box is open, the information inside can be edited and the placemark can be dragged.
Placemarks can respond to mouse clicks by displaying information balloons that contain text, images, hyperlinks, and other structures that can be implemented in HTML. Information intended for display in the balloon should be entered into the Description text area. Images can be embedded directly into kmz files or can be stored on a server, such as Flickr, and referenced via http. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method of offering images.
It is important that you save your data periodically in a proper manner, so that if a problem occurs, you have safe copies of it. To save data properly, you need to understand how the items in the menu bar and pop-up menus function concerning the process of saving data.To save an individual placemark, right-click its name (ctrl-click on the Mac) in the Places pane and choose Save Place As. Navigate to a folder where you would like to save the item as a file, give it the name you would like, and click the Save button. Your choices are to save it in KMZ or KML format. The default name for the file is based on the name of the item to be saved, and the default file type extension is kmz. In general, saving the file as a KMZ file is a good choice, because if the placemark contains embedded images that reside on a local storage device, copies of those images will be incorporated into the KMZ file, minimizing the likelihood that the file will become separated from essential content. It is also a good idea to make backup copies of your saved files.
Save to My Places is a less secure option, since it moves the placemark to the My Places folder, and depends upon Google Earth to save it for a future session. In a public facility such as a computer laboratory, where machines are shared by multiple users, the machines are often configured to log the user off after a certain duration of inactivity. It is possible that the managers of the facility have arranged for the My Places folder to be purged of added content when the session terminates.It is a good idea to keep multiple copies of KMZ files and any other saved material that you value. Folders, documents, paths, polygons, and overlays, which are discussed below, can be saved in a similar manner to placemarks.
The File menu in the Google Earth menu bar provides another means of saving information. To save a feature or container as a file, make sure it is highlighted in the Places or Search pane and choose File -> Save -> Save Place As in the menu bar. Navigate to a folder where you would like to save the item as a file, give it the name you would like, and click the Save button. This option is risky, since if you have the wrong item highlighted you may mistakenly overwrite a needed file with content that you did not intend to save.
For additional details, see Google Earth User Guide: Using Places and Google Earth User Guide: Marking Places.
Drawing Paths and Polygons
The Add Path and Add Polygon buttons on the toolbar initiate the process of creating new paths or polygons, respectively. Once the corresponding dialog box opens, you can draw the path or polygon by either clicking or left-dragging the mouse. The tabs in the dialog box provide access to various properties.
Creating a new path in Google Earth. Points along the path can be added, dragged, or deleted and the information can be changed while the New Path dialog box is open. The Edit Path dialog box can be opened to alter the path after it has been created.
An elevation profile can be viewed along a path by selecting the path, then clicking Edit, Show Elevation Profile. This can also be done by right-clicking the path and selecting Show Elevation Profile.
The elevation profile will be in the units specified in the project, areas along the profile can be correlated to the corresponding line by moving the mouse within the cross section view.
Creating a new polygon in Google Earth. Points can be added, dragged, or deleted and the information can be changed while the New Polygon dialog box is open. While editing a polygon, it is a good idea to remove its fill so you can see the underlying imagery. To remove the fill, activate the Style, Color tab in the dialog box, and use the pulldown menu for Area to specify Outlined. The Edit Polygon box can be opened to alter the polygon after it has been created. Note that after you have selected a point in a polygon or path by dragging it or just clicking it, the next point you add will be topologically after that point. If you want to continue adding points, instead, after the most recent point you added, you will need to reselect that point first.
As is true of other work that you do, it is important to save your paths and polygons either by saving them individually, or by saving the containers, namely folders or documents, in which they reside.
For additional details, see Google Earth User Guide: Drawing Paths.
Creating Image Overlays
Digital maps can be added to the Google Image 3D Viewer as image overlays. They need to be adjusted to conform geospatially to the underlying Google Earth imagery.
To create a new image overlay, first navigate to the location where you would like to place the new imagery. Then click the Add Image Overlay button or right-click the container listed in the Places Pane in which you would like to put the new overlay. There are other means of initiating this process as well. In either case, the New Image Overlay dialog box will appear.
Use the slider to control the transparency of the image so you can move, rotate, and stretch it, using the available green handles, to fit the underlying Google Earth imagery. Once you are satisfied with it, you may make it opaque again. The tabs allow you to control other properties of the overlay. One of the useful settings is the Draw Order which is available in the View tab. Since overlays cover the area where they are situated on the globe when they are visible, they inevitably obscure other overlays that they overlap if those overlays are drawn first. If you have a preference for the order in which overlays in a set are drawn, assign low Draw Order numbers to the ones that you would like to appear on top so that they are drawn last. The ones with the highest numbers are drawn first, and get covered up by ones with lower numbers if they occupy the same parts of the globe. Click OK when you are satisfied with the overlay's location and other properties. Remember to save your work in a file.
While you are creating overlays, it is a good idea to have the Terrain layer deactivated. During the creation of overlays of map images that include national or state boundaries, it may be helpful to have the Borders and Labels layer active as a guide for adjusting the placement of the image. The Terrain layer does need to be activated in order to get the elevation reading in the lower right of the main window to work.
See Google Earth User Guide: Using Images as Google Earth Overlays.
Using Layers
Google offers a huge amount of mappable data from its database through the Layers Pane. The growing set of layers include roads, volcanoes, 3D buildings, terrain, borders and labels, weather, photographs, earthquakes, news, YouTube video, and much more.
The layers are arranged hierarchically, with some of the layers containing several levels of sub-layers. To expand a layer listed in Layers Pane, so that you can see a listing of its contents, click the + sign to its left. You can collapse it later by clicking the - that appears. As with items in the Search and Places Panes, you can control visibility of the layers with their checkboxes.
The Terrain layer has a special status. While it is activated, the Earth's landscapes appear in 3D. This especially apparent when the 3D Viewer is tilted so that there is a horizontal component to the user's perspective.
Organizing Your Work
Vectors (placemarks, paths, and polygons) and overlays can be organized into containers such as folders and documents. Vector features can be assigned styles, which in the case of placemarks control color, opacity, size and the icon, and with paths and polygons, control color, opacity, and thickness of lines. Polygons can be filled or outlined.
Making Sure you Save Your Work Properly
When saving your work, be sure to specify the container that contains your data as the item that will be saved. When the container is saved in a KMZ file, the contents of the container will be saved along with it. Right-clicking (ctrl-click on the Mac) the item in the Places Pane and choosing the Save Place As item in the contextual menu that appears is the best way to save your work because it minimizes the likelihood that you will be mistaken about what you have saved.
For additional information about saving your work, see Google Earth User Guide: Saving a Point of Interest
The Menus
Some of the functions of Google Earth can be accomplished through the menu bar at the top of the interface.
The File menu offers options that deal with opening and saving files
The Save Place As option in the File Menu has a similar function to the Save Place As option in the contextual menu that appears when you right-click an item in the Places or Search Pane. If an item is highlighted when you choose this option from the file menu, the dialog box will enable you to save that item. If nothing is highlighted you may be prompted to save the My Places folder along with its contents in the Places Pane. The hazard with using this option from the File menu is that if you are mistaken about what is highlighted, you may not be saving the work that you intended to keep. There is a danger that when you exit Google Earth, your work will be lost. The safe thing to do is to right-click and save the intended item through the contextual menu.
The Options item in the Tools menu opens a dialog box that enables you to control many settings for Google Earth. With the five tabs that are available, you can control the units that are used to display latitude and longitude, and elevation, the vertical exaggeration of the terrain layer, fonts, tour settings, and many other parameters. On the Macintosh, the Options item is in the Google Earth menu.
The Help Resources item in the Help menu takes you to the Google Earth User Guide web site.
Google Earth for Chrome
Google Earth for Chrome is a browser-based version of Google Earth that allows quick viewing of kml and kmz files on a map. Its ease of use is beneficial, but it has some limitations, such as difficulty in creating kmz files, and inability to calculate area of polygons, producing elevation profiles, animations, and many others.
If one has difficulty with loading Earth for Chrome, it is recommended to edit Chrome browser settings so that hardware acceleration is enabled.
Earth for Chrome can be used to search for locations, view tours from the Voyager, load kml and kmz files, and measure distance.
To import kml files in Earth for Chrome, the settings must first be edited to enable kml file import.
Creating a placemark in this new, browser-based Google Earth requires a bit of a workaround. First, one must go to mymaps.google.com and create a new map. Then, one must add a layer. This new layer should be renamed for clarity. Add a marker or line, then export it to a kml. Now the kml can be loaded into Earth for Chrome.
Earth Engine
Earth Engine is available as a development interface for viewing and running analyses on remotely sensed imagery. The Explorer can be used to view datasets that are available to the public. After signing in to a google account, users can also import data, run simple analyses, and export the results. The Engine Code Editor requires signing in to a google account and also registering for Earth Engine access by providing information about institutional affiliation, etc. Logging in to the Engine Code Editor allows the user to write their own codes to customize image and vector processing tasks.


text:
Suggested by: Thisisnotabookclub
What is reading, anyway? Novels, comics, graphic novels, manga, e-books, audiobooks — which of these is reading these days? Are they all reading? Only some of them? What are your personal qualifications for something to be "reading" — why? If something isn't reading, why not? Does it matter? Does it impact your desire to sample a source if you find out a premise you liked the sound of is in a format you don't consider to be reading? Share your personal definition of reading, and how you came to have that stance.
This seems like a question without an answer.
My first reaction is that if you are sitting with a book in your hand, it is reading. But what about audiobooks or e-books? I'm reading right now: checking blogs in the Google Reader. Is that 'reading'? I didn't think audiobooks were reading until I used one. It's definitely reading. I was processing the words in my head the way I would with a book. Reading the listings off the TV guide is not reading, not to me.
I think it's the mental process used that counts. I have gotten frustrated with my daughter as she learns to read this year. She gets much of the information from the pictures, where I am asking her to 'sound out the words'. I had a discussion with another mom who said that the teachers encourage this, that it's part of the learning process. It's so different from how I learned. I wish we'd get a guide or something at the beginning of the year! So, I guess looking at the pictures is also reading, as she's getting the information she needs to understand the story. I guess that's how graphic novels work as well.
I suppose reading isn't reading unless you can discuss it in some way. "I read this article on MSN..." or "Read the book before you see the movie, it's awesome" or "What do you think he meant when he wrote..." or "Mommy, that's a really hairy spider." You can't really discuss the TV listings!


text:
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Well since you're still going with the reviews I might as well volunteer Flying Tigers - find out how it's going before it goes too far.
LibertyCabbage wrote:Website: At first I thought the yearbook- and scrapbook-themed pages were a good idea, but then I realized they set my expectations too high because the characters are way more interesting in the side pages than they are in the actual comic. And how come Dr. Chan, one of the most prominent characters in the comic so far, isn't shown on the cast page, while Naomi, a character who hasn't even appeared yet, is?
LibertyCabbage wrote:Aside from that, the background color looks terrible, the navigation drop-down doesn't work, the HTML for the Facebook plugin is sloppy, and there's a huge Twitter box taking up space on the home page that has nothing to do with the webcomic.
LibertyCabbage wrote:Art: There are a massive amount of problems with every facet of the artwork, to the extent that it seems pointless to even begin to get into details. Instead, I'm going to suggest the creator drops down to a once-a-week schedule, and uses that extra time to either put more effort into the pages or practice with other artwork. He may also want to consider switching to doing black-and-white pages in order to focus on improving the line art. In any case, the comic's in terrible shape right now and requires drastic change.
LibertyCabbage wrote:Writing:
LibertyCabbage wrote:The story falls into four main sections so far, which can be labeled like this:
1) Harli almost gets gang-raped
LibertyCabbage wrote:2) Harli hangs out with two attractive male friends while in an undershirt and panties
LibertyCabbage wrote:3) Harli strips naked in her bedroom
LibertyCabbage wrote:4) Harli catches a pervert stalking her, then bends over in front of him
LibertyCabbage wrote:For what I'm concerned, this comic is 100% about Harli being degraded as a sexual object. She also looks dangerously anorexic, although she's never overtly conveyed in the comic as having an eating disorder. And she shows zero personality or emotion -- amazingly, her most emotional moment in the comic is when she gets laughed at for doing the laundry the wrong way.
LibertyCabbage wrote:I'm baffled at what the creator's trying to accomplish by this. I considered the comic might be trying to make some sort of hyper-feminist "society brainwashes girls to be sex robots" statement, but I don't view the writing as nearly sophisticated enough to be that subtle. And even if the comic is feminist, it'd still fail pretty hard at being political.
LibertyCabbage wrote: No, I think the answer's more simple than that: The creator enjoys drawing super-skinny teenage girls with huge eyes, and that enjoyment has manifested into a 40-page webcomic called Flying Tigers. And if doing this makes the creator happy, then that's great. But I'm not going to continue to read it, or really even regard it as a legitimate project, and I don't expect others to, either.
LibertyCabbage wrote:Overall: I haven't felt this put off by a webcomic since I read Boston and Shaun http://badwebcomics.wikidot.com/boston-and-shaun , which I feel dirty even mentioning. I'd like to be able to offer a friendlier perspective, but I have literally nothing positive or encouraging to say about Flying Tigers, which goes beyond being merely awful by being obscene as well.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Which left me wondering what exactly is that supposed to say about me? What kind of creepo am I coming across as here?
RobboAKAscooby wrote:What had me so upset was something beyond the nature of a harsh review and I'll explain that later but first I'll start with the constructive stuff (and apologies for simply deconstructing your review but it's the easiest way to address things right now):
RobboAKAscooby wrote:The obvious answer here is I haven't gotten around to this yet, most of the supplemental pages are still very much a work in progress. Which is part of the reason I haven't exactly been going wild on promoting the comic (another part being the story hasn't gone anywhere yet as I said earlier in the thread).
RobboAKAscooby wrote:I can't argue here, the HTML is shocking, it won't center for some reason and I've given up for the time being trying to fix it. As for the twitter, I'm hardly the only comicker out there with their own personal crap on their site and at least it's not the usual massive blog underneath each comic, it's just a simple twitter feed which also gives readers a way to contact me if they wish and I've put it out of the way of the comic itself.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Yes there are plenty of problems with my artwork. It's stiff, the line-work can be shaky (blame my ruined hands), colouring can be a little messy, backgrounds are often poorly done or non-existent - this one for example was just plain lazy - the camera angles are unimaginative and on a couple of occasions I re-used the same artwork over a few frames. Not to mention the style isn't for everyone (although it does have its fans).
I am well aware of my artistic faults, although I'm sure there's more that could be pointed out to me.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:And here's where I started feeling sick - but I'll get to that.
First though I'd like to point out my writing flaws from a technical stand-point.
The pacing is a bit uneven - especially in the current conversational part, a few of those pages could have been combined. The characterization of secondary characters is pretty much non-existent so far (by design, their personalities will be revealed through the storytelling) all that's known is Eric gets into trouble, Doc loves his job and Brad's a perve.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:True. And a rather efficient way of setting up exactly the kind of vile people the Cobras are, you don't need to know anything about the rivalry between the Tigers and the Cobras to know they're bad people.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:I see absolutely nothing wrong with this, Eric is a close friend and Doc is her legal guardian/big brother figure, it's not like she's in tiny lingerie - hell this is practically pjs - not to mention her pose is hardly sexualised and rather casual, she's just chilling out.
Granted the nature of Harli and Doc's relationship hasn't been explicitly stated yet (perhaps something I should have done in the cast page) but she clearly lives with him and is obviously not involved with him (she has Storm).
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Which is a very blunt way to describe 2 pages where she gets dressed, ignoring 3 other pages that set the day in motion as well as gives insight into the character of Harli - her dedication to her surfing, her hero Bethany Hamilton, a little bit of grumpiness and her relationship with Storm.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Actually she catches Brad spying on the cheerleaders (or bubbleheads as she calls them) getting changed - which will be stated in this weekend's pages - and she clearly reacts with disapproval but like most groups of guys and girls there's the occasional perve whose friends just roll their eyes at because they're a harmless dork. (as for the bending over, she's picking up the stick to poke Kai with, I should have drawn an extra frame but I didn't)
And again you discount the entirety of 10 other pages where Harli is searching for Kai and the others are discussing the previous night (ie Eric's break up and the attack on Harli) to focus on a 3 page gag introduction.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:With the exception of the Cobras attempt and Brad's cheeky peek Harli is never really sexualised - you could argue the 2 pages getting dressed
RobboAKAscooby wrote:The mood is more bored "alright I better get dressed" than "look at my boobies".
RobboAKAscooby wrote:She's not anorexic, tiny maybe but clearly in fitting with her body frame.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Yes absolutely no personality or emotion
RobboAKAscooby wrote:I honestly don't know what to think about this, I think this says more about your opinions than my intent.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:No my motivation is simple, storytelling, I just chose to tell the story of a teenage girl (surfer/martial artist/lesbian) whose about to go through one of the the hardest years of her life.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:And now we get to the crux of the issue - the reason why I spent most of a day feeling like the worst person on Earth
RobboAKAscooby wrote:You compared my comic to one of the most vile, misogynistic, fetish comics out there.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:For some reason you've looked at what was certainly never intended to be in anyway offensive and read into it some sort vile sexist misogynistic subtext that I am baffled trying to find.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Made doubly troubling by the fact I know where the story is going - Harli's coming of age story should be empowering in the end as she goes through lot (including the death of a friend as hinted on the first page) and eventually succeeds in her dreams - but right now all that I can think about is how it's going wrong.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:But the more I've thought about it the more I've realised this is less about my intentions and more about your perceptions, you are the one seeing this sexual context - and you might blame it on poor characterisation which would have been perfectly legitimate - you've taken a few pages that displeased you and completely let it colour your opinion.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Your attitude comes across as a "White Knighter", you've perceived a wrong and gone after it blindly.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:As yet not a single other person has laid such accusations against the comic (even the more sex-related parts of my other comic didn't get this reaction), although it is certainly possible that others here at CG may chime in to agree with your assessment - at which point I would have to seriously reconsider the situation - for the time being I have to conclude this issue is yours.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:If you had called Flying Tigers boring, poorly characterised with a little too much fan-service for your liking and the artwork is rat-shit. Also there's some technical issues.
I would have thanked you for it, for pointing out the flaws.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Heck as it is I thank you for pointing out some technical issues and would thank you for pointing out issues with the art and writing if your comments actually contained more than just "it's bad", but still it made me re-examine my comic which is always a positive.
That's the thing (fan-service aside) there's very little personal libido motivation going on.
McDuffies wrote:Yet I think that it's pretty apparent that lots of what you see as perverted in Scooby's comic is accidental. Here's an example: his main character may look anorexic, but only if you ignore his drawing flaws. These flaws are pretty apparent in other character's designs which suffer from similar, though not exactly the same, insufficiencies. Said in "criticize the comic" phrasing, she looks anorexic compared to characters of some other, more expertly drawn comic. Compared to characters of her own comic, not so much.
McDuffies wrote:More accidental things: Scooby is not a good writer. Attempted rape is a cliché, a common place of bad writers trying to cause emotional distress. One characteristics of bad writers is, they have a small toolbox, and this toolbox is mostly taken verbatim from elsewhere. I've seen literally hundreds of comics where rape or attempted rape was used as a plot device for unearned drama to erase it from my toolbox forever. There are some other clichés in Scooby's toolbox taken from typical webcomicker's repertoire, and many of them are of sexual nature. We may perhaps try to psychoanalize group mentality of webcomicdom that perpetuated those clichés.
Anyways, Scooby's bad writing also accounts for one-dimensionality of his characters, which coupled with sexual themes and cliches, means that Harli seems like a sexual object. I think he does try to imbue Harli with character. Has he succeeded, he would be able to get away with much more sexual situations than he does now.
But even with bad writing and sexual object character, we still have an average sexploitation comic, dozens of which you've surely encountered so far, dozens of which do much better than most of good comics do. But then there's also Scooby's drawing, which in this stage is very un-sexual. Not only does it make his "sexy" scenes unsexy and therefore pointless, but also it unfortunately connects him to loads of elderly guys who are making badly drawn pornography all over internet. My theory is that, because you were aware of these "porn-amateurs" who are by now practically a meme, through this connection you saw Scooby's comic as more pornography-oriented than it really is, and perhaps imagined him as older than he is.
McDuffies wrote:I can imagine that Scooby was upset because many things that are in fact accidentally wrong, were marked as intentionally wrong. Surely you could have expressed more clearly that "this is how a reader might see it" which again would be a very valuable information to scooby, but it's certainly not the same as "this is how I saw it" - cause you're not a reader, you're a reviewer (see title of the thread) so unlike a reader, you are analytical, you talk about causes as well as consequences, at least that's what a reviewee expects from you.
McDuffies wrote:But actually I'm provoked to rant about what you said in the other thread.That's the thing (fan-service aside) there's very little personal libido motivation going on.
When authors say things like "that was necessary for the story", it always sounds fake. I came to thinking that there are infinite ways to tell one story in a good, honest fashion, and that it's pretty much author's decision whether he'll tell the story with or without, say, sexual content.
You'd say, surely it's not possible to tell stories of sexual perversion and people's secret fantasies in a direct and honest fashion without getting explicit and brutal? But wait, Luis Bunuel has been doing that exact thing his whole life, with no more nudity than Deneuve's bare back. So I think it would be also pretty possible to talk about sexuality of teenagers without anything explicit or any "fanservice".
Wasn't your decision to write a story about teenagers? Wasn't your decision to focus on sexual situations? Wasn't your decision, when portraying a vicious gang, to do it through a sex-related crime, instead of equally vicious, sex-unrelated crime? Would your comic's integrity be in danger if you drew your character sleeping in her pajamas instead of shirt and panties?
Wasn't it all at least partly motivated by the fact that, ahem, you like drawing girls in clothes, that you like writing and drawing sexual situations? By, you know, your libido.
The thing is, there is nothing wrong with your libido, and there is nothing inherently bad about desire to draw sexual stuff. Hell if someone called you, say, a pervert, that's practically a non-insult. Picasso was a Pervert (check out any exhibition of his sketches), Fellini was proudly a pervert, Bukowsky as well. David Lynch too. It's because they're perverts, not despite it, that they're great. Hey, taking Bunuel as an example again, do you think he shot Jeanne Moreau's legs walking extensively because it was helping him underline the social message of the movie? No, he did it because he had a foot fetish. And those legs are among the most memorable scenes in his oeuvre.
Pervert is sometimes just another way of calling a sexually-frank person. But if you deny sexual motives in your work, then you're hardly frank (primarily to yourself), and there's incongruity between what you say and what you write/draw, which make you more prone to being called 'pervert' (in bad sense of the word) by others than if you were completely frank.
McDuffies wrote:It's important to mention, I think, that a great deal of why people might react negatively to sexuality in your comic is your drawing skill. I think there's many things that would barely warrant a shrug if they were drawn by someone more able to convey sexy or erotic.
I'll admit I do rely on cliches a fair bit.
I really wish I could write my comics as well as my books but it really is a different language.
If the comic is coming across as sexploitation though, then I do have to fix it - McD, do you think removing the sexual nature from the initial attack would help?
Yeah sorry about that McD, I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind when I said that so I kind of misinterpreted it to mean I was getting off on it rather than that I allow my own attractions into my work - which I do (and everyone does), blue eyes and long legs pop up a lot in my work (I know, my attractions are so mundane) - and enjoy drawing the occasional bit of fan-service.
This does also fall into my thoughts on webcomics vs books/movies - the fact that with a comic you're releasing it as it goes means that readers don't have the advantage of the full story in front of them.
McDuffies wrote:This does also fall into my thoughts on webcomics vs books/movies - the fact that with a comic you're releasing it as it goes means that readers don't have the advantage of the full story in front of them.
Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas and Dostoyevsky also published most of their works in a serialized format, piece by piece in papers.
McDuffies wrote:At this point using a rape or something of that kind in a webcomic is really an instant minus for me. I don't have that kind of opinion for other media though. Thing is there's a lot of rape stories in webcomics, all of them handled as tearjerkers, means for instant "serious" points and in a contrived way which betrays people who don't have any understanding of how traumatized people act and feel.
You might rewrite that part, I'm not sure how that'll go well, I've seen other kinds of traumatic events tend to be handled by webcomickers similarly, albeit tackled with less frequency, I think all in all it depends on how you handle it, and not which particular event you handle. I told you on earlier occasions to focus on future, that I think that redoing old stuff may be counterproductive in regard to your improvement, I'm sticking to it.
McDuffies wrote:I'll tell you one observation that might help you. Conventional wisdom says that compassionate eye turns away from the violence, while sadistic eye lingers on it for what seems like hours, always wanting to get one more look at the sight. Somewhere in the middle is the eye of an impassioned observer. It is also noted that every graphic violence eventually gets glamorized even despite intentions of the author, except the violence that is never shown in the first place. Many authors, in their zeal to look the truth directly in the eye without flinching, have an opposite effect, which is why folks like Larry Clark get tagged as exploitative even though sex and violence in their movies, technically speaking, is essential for the story. So can a comic artist be stuck between an opportunity to draw a great-looking scene and a question "is this scene actually supposed to be great-looking?"
McDuffies wrote:Yeah sorry about that McD, I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind when I said that so I kind of misinterpreted it to mean I was getting off on it rather than that I allow my own attractions into my work - which I do (and everyone does), blue eyes and long legs pop up a lot in my work (I know, my attractions are so mundane) - and enjoy drawing the occasional bit of fan-service.
Return to Technique Tips and Tricks
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


text: Hanoi Its ideal riverside location has made Hanoi a coveted city since imperial times, attracting Chinese invaders and French colonisers. This rich historical background made the charming capital city of Vietnam what it is today -- a lovely city teeming with cultural gems and well-preserved heritage buildings, with traces of influences of Sino-Vietnamese and French elements. This is truly a place where East meets West in perfect harmony. Top 5 Must Do's Ha Long Bay Located three hours away from Hanoi is a bay of exceptional geological beauty that would've fit perfectly in an oriental painting. It's easy to imagine that this is where mystical creatures come to play, as Ha Long Bay means "Bay of Descending Dragon". Enjoy this UNESCO World Heritage Site with a cruise on a traditional junk ship to discover hidden beaches and lagoons. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Why visit a Mausoleum? Because this is one of the most iconic landmarks of the city formerly known as Saigon! Ho Chi Minh (that's his name) has his body eternally enshrined and his memory forever preserved under glass in the cold central hall. Beware as there are strict rules on dress code and behaviour, so mind your p's and q's here. One Pillar Pagoda This is a replica (built late 1950's) to replace the original one destroyed by the French Union during the First Indochina War, but its beauty, tranquillity and well-wishes behind the one pillar structure remain. The great Emperor Ly Thai Tong erected this marvel in 1048 as a result of a good dream that brought his kingdom good omen. Think it's too much for just a dream? Not when you look upon the pagoda standing on a pond like a lotus stem, pure and unattached to worldly desires. Hoan Kiem Lake People-watchers rejoice! The scenic lake is considered the centre of Hanoi's public life and also the place where the iconic Huc Bridge and Turtle Tower are. Visit the lake in the morning to see locals young and old go about their activities, from Tai Chi to aerobics. If you're lucky, you might also encounter a turtle or two, as the lake is full of them (there HAS to be a reason why it was named Turtle Tower in the first place, right?). Street Food Nothing beats the feeling of eating your hot bowl of noodle soup while sitting on a small plastic chair on a sidewalk, oblivious to the many stares of passers-by. This is street food -- Vietnamese style! Aside from the famous Saigon-style pho bo (beef noodle soup) and pho ga (chicken noodle soup), there are other delicious food to try like bun (rice noodle), xoi (sticky rice), banh cuon (rice noodle roll) and many more. Bring a bib if needed! To and from Noi bai Airport Transportation To Duration Fare Bus Number 7 Cau Giay Bus Station Approximately 30 mins Approximately VND 8000 Number 17 Long Bien Bus Station Approximately 50 mins Approximately VND 8000 Airport Minibus Hanoi downtown Approximately 45 mins Approximately VND 35,000 (Vietnamese) or 40,000 (foreigner) Taxi Hanoi downtown Approximately 45 mins Approximately VND 330,000 Your awesome getaway awaits you right here! Book now Quick Facts Currency Vietnamese Dong (VND) Electricity 220V 50Hz LanguageVietnamese Time zone UTC +7 Tel code +84 4 Religion Indigenous religions, Buddhism, Christianity Want to read more? Download FREE Discover Indochina & Myanmar Travel Guide now! Weather Nov - Apr Northeast Monsoon - Cool and dry 17°C - 23°CTravel note: Pleasant weather, ideal time to visit Hanoi May-Oct Southwest Monsoon - Warm and rainy 25 °C - 31°CTravel note: Prepare for rains and typhoons. Hold on tight to your designer hats! View how you can fly in with our interactive map! Map it out Check out these other destinations! Australia Gold Coast Melbourne Sydney Cambodia Siem Reap China Changsha Hangzhou Kunming Shanghai Wuhan Xi'An Hong Kong Hong Kong India Kochi Indonesia Bali Bandung Jakarta Solo Yogyakarta Japan Osaka Tokyo Malaysia Kota Kinabalu Kuala Lumpur Kuching Langkawi Miri Penang Myanmar Mandalay Nepal Kathmandu Singapore Singapore South Korea Busan Taiwan Taipei Thailand Bangkok Chiang Mai Krabi Phuket Surat Thani Vietnam Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City


text:
As November's American presidential elections approach, Barack Obama's message on Iraq is being widely interpreted as "flip-flopping" and a "retreat" from a previously unequivocal stance of fully withdrawing the US occupation forces. This is to misunderstand Obama, who is not someone who shoots from the hip. There is much more to his words than cursory reading could unravel.
His remarks before the 2003 invasion resonated well within the American antiwar movement. His scathing references to the Bush administration's folly and his demands for "ending the war" were probably decisive in winning him the Democratic party nomination against Hillary Clinton, whose vote for war in 2003 ultimately crippled her credibility as the commander-in-chief who would bring it to an end.
Obama himself has reacted angrily to claims of a policy U-turn: "For me to say I'm going to refine my policies is I don't think in any way inconsistent with prior statements and doesn't change my strategic view that this war has to end and that I'm going to end it as president." Earlier this month he resorted to an op-ed article in the New York Times to emphatically state: "On my first day in office, I would give the military a new mission: ending this war."
As always in examining the words of politicians, let alone Obama (who now has 300 foreign policy advisers), the devil is in the details. Here, Obama's "ending the war" declarations begin to look far from reassuring, even before he "refines" his line after meeting the US commander, General Petraeus, in Iraq.
Obama sees Iraq as part of a wider theatre of war and potential wars engulfing the entire Middle East, where US strategic goals and interests are at stake. So his obvious shift on the "surge" operations in Iraq (underlined by deleting criticisms of it from his website last week) is strengthening his call for "redeployment" from Iraq to Afghanistan. His current strategy could be summed up as: de-escalate the war in Iraq, escalate it in Afghanistan, and talk to Iran. On Iran, his offer of talks was coupled with an alarming, Bush-style threat. "I'll do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Everything," Obama told a gathering of the pro-Israel lobby group, Aipac, in April. He is echoing the sentiments of his famous anti-Iraq war speech in 2002, in which he repeatedly stressed that he was not opposed to all US wars.
Never Miss a Beat.
Get our best delivered to your inbox.
It is worth noting that the term withdrawal, let alone a full unconditional withdrawal that will satisfy most of the Iraqi people, has never been part of Obama's vocabulary. His first carefully considered statement on Iraq was made in January last year, when he introduced the Iraq war de-escalation act to Congress. It was then that he envisaged stationing troops in Iraq on a longer-term basis: "A residual US presence may remain in Iraq for force protection, training of Iraqi security forces and pursuit of international terrorists." Using similar phrases, this is what he outlined in the New York Times last week.
To distinguish his policy from that of his rival for the White House, Obama declared: "Unlike Senator McCain, I would make it absolutely clear that we seek no presence in Iraq similar to our permanent bases in South Korea." But it doesn't require rocket science to know that keeping "residual" forces requires heavily fortified areas, installations and a state of readiness to go to war. Unless Obama has discovered something new, such areas are known as military bases. So it is the word "permanent" that separates the two, as McCain may want to stay "100 years" in Iraq. The comparison with South Korea is not heartening, considering massive US bases have been in that country for over half a century.
Obama has even pre-empted a possible line of attack from hawks by chillingly suggesting he would possibly invade Iraq again if necessary. His website states: "He would reserve the right to intervene militarily, with our international partners, to suppress potential genocidal violence within Iraq." The word potential is worth pausing over; it is salutary to remember Bush and Blair occupied Iraq and caused the death of perhaps hundreds of thousands of innocent people for "humanitarian" reasons.
Neither is Obama opposed to signing a military treaty with Iraq. He has two conditions to make Bush's current attempts to impose a pact acceptable: the pact should get Congressional approval, and renounce "permanent" military bases. However, leaked drafts of this colonialist-style pact do not mention the word "permanent" at all. And his "benchmarks" for continued support for the corrupt Iraqi politicians protected by US forces in Baghdad's Green Zone are strikingly similar to those of the Bush administration.
Tactical differences and issues of style aside, Obama's message on occupied Iraq is deeply troubling - not because it has U-turned but because it has been consistent. His 300 foreign policy advisers are making sure that he will not stray from protecting US imperialist interests, even if it does mean launching new wars and bolstering puppet regimes and corrupt dictatorships throughout the "greater Middle East".


text:
1982 (Statik Selektah & Termanology) (Feat. Xzibit & Cassidy) - Goin Back
Statik Selektah & Termanology combine to form "1982." They return with a video for "Goin Back," their collaboration with Xzibit & Cassidy. The video was shot on location in Los Angeles & New York and was directed by John Colombo.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Mini-controversy in Columbus, as veteran ref Paul Devorski allegedly responded to taunting fans by showing them exactly what they can do to themselves.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Devorski made a "crying face" (think fists to eyes, "wah wah" gesture), and pulled out the old classic, "giving them the middle finger while pretending to scratch his face." It wasn't that surreptitious, as about 15 fans independently contacted the paper about it shortly after it happened in the third period of last night's Blue Jackets game.
Two guys in front of us started giving the refs (grief) after they clearly missed a call," said Ritter Hoy, who was seated five rows up from the glass in section 109. "Happens at every game, right?
"Well, the No. 10 official put his fingers up and rubbed his eyes and made a crying face, like 'what are you going to do, cry?' They started giving him more (grief) and he put his middle finger up to his chin and acted like he was scratching his face. It was very, very blatant. The whole section saw it and went crazy."
Aaron Portzline of the Dispatch says the fans' reaction was audible from the press box. While many of them sound like the took it with good humor, Devorski probably could have picked a better game to do it than one in which the Wild had seven power plays to the Blue Jackets' zero.
The league is looking into it, though don't expect much punishment. Devorski's universally respected, and who could stay mad at the guy?
Fans Claim NHL Official Taunted Them [Blue Jackets Xtra]


text:
Alyana Lace Kurung is layered with intricate lace for a subtle elegance.
Item Code: Lar-011Material: Moss crepeTop Measurement:
Free size (Bust: 96.5cm, Shoulder: 38.5cm, Length: 70cm, Sleeve: 56cm)
Skirt Measurement
Free size (Waist: 66-96.5cm, Hips: 94cm, Length: 101cm)
Ships in 1-2 business days.
All measurements given are taken laid flat.You may cross check against your existing clothing for best fit.
labelmira collection was established since 2013 to provide our customers with latest styles at affordable prices. For more info, please read FAQ.


text:
Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slams
Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slams from March 2008. Semi-finals were held are the MoMa of San Francisco and the Finals at the SF Opera House in front of 3000 people. HBO is filming a documentary on national teen poets this year, keep an eye out for it. The poets are all teenagers from 13-19 years old and some have just started this as a way to verbalize the world they see. The generation can speak for itself!Read More


text:
In his book The Art of War, Sun Tzu famously wrote, "The best laid plans may not survive first contact with the enemy." Former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking was lucky; just about every plan he formulated resulted in glorious victory. Right up until he tried to take over the VW empire.
Wiedeking would probably have succeeded had the global financial crisis not thrown a massive spanner in the works, drastically diluting the income from new car sales, the vital ammunition for his growing armory of VW shares. In mature markets like the U.S., and growing markets like Russia and China, sales of even the versatile Cayenne tumbled, leveling Porsche's cash mountain just at the critical moment. In this case, VW Advisory Board Chairman, Ferdinand Piech, was the lucky one, and the tables were turned. Timing is indeed everything.
Love it or hate it, the first-generation Cayenne was instrumental in Porsche's ongoing financial success, producing steamroller profitability during the Wiedeking years. Less obvious to industry outsiders was the fact that the Cayenne was also the engine of significant growth for the aftermarket tuning industry, allowing hitherto unimaginable profitability for companies like Gemballa and TechArt.
These two kings of the German Porsche tuning industry were best positioned to capitalize on the worldwide sales potential of the Cayenne, and their success with personalized Cayennes mirrored that of the basic car. It was thus no surprise that their most highly tuned and individualized versions were delivered with an invoice value roughly double that of a highly optioned Cayenne Turbo.
When all was said and done, TechArt had sold more than 900 Cayenne-based Magnums. Today, as the world continues to shakily dig itself out of the miasma created by bankers and politicians, buyers have embraced the second-generation Cayenne, whose better quality, lower weight and greater efficiency conspire to make it a significantly better car.
The new TechArt Magnum was first unveiled at Geneva this year. Two months later, I'm able to get behind the wheel of the very first customer car, barely days before it is delivered to its Russian owner.
Sitting on the tarmac, the white Magnum tries to outstare you, and there's no doubt that you will blink first. From its larger front grilles to the extended wheel arches, filled to bursting by 22-inch five-spoke alloys, the Magnum conveys a take-no-prisoners image of purpose backed by sheer muscle. Extra visual malice is thrown in for good measure by the bulged and side-vented black carbon-fiber hood, which also removes a few pounds from a critical area.
The bigger main grille, flanked by two smaller ones with LED running lights, are further supplemented by three underbumper intakes. Collectively, this array allows the flow of as much cooling air as any boosted engine could possibly consume.
Together with headlamp trim rings that emphasize its "eyes," the resulting visage is far from friendly, and the very sight of this open-mouthed monster closing rapidly in your rearview mirror delivers a top score for autobahn overtaking presence. One glance at this sinister looking apparition, and you think you'll be either Hoovered up or run over.
The new front and rear bumper sections, wider arches, side skirts and tailgate spoiler are all molded from carbon composites. Other than the wide arch extensions, which are bonded to the steel bodywork, all the new components are attached using factory mounting points.
Both customers and press alike have criticized the lozenge-like taillights of the new Cayenne, which give it a rather nondescript look from the rear. The stepped edges of TechArt's body-colored tailgate spoiler do double duty in changing the shape of the lamps to something with a more clearly defined edge to it.
The final body styling additions are the black carbon rear underbody diffuser, flanked by the four polished stainless steel exhaust outlets, and the carbon rooftop spoiler, which can either be color-coded to the bodywork or left au naturel, as on this car.
In a world of predictably boring matte-gray and black tuner test cars with black interiors, I'm relieved that this car is white to better show off the bodywork. And while the two-tone blue and white leather interior is down to personal taste, there's no doubt that it's enticing to the camera lens.
Just as major car manufacturers have begun to offer black carbon-fiber trim in their cars, the days of black carbon trim inserts in high-end tuner cars appear to be numbered. Customers who want heavily personalized cars are bored to death with black carbon, and we're seeing more and more colored carbon fiber being used for interior trim and engine covers.
The Magnum's owner wanted blue carbon trim to match the blue leather, and this color-coding works very well in practice. The blue carbon also appears on the top of the flat-bottomed steering wheel, center console, gearknob, and the dashboard and door trim strips.
The small, chromed trim rings that Porsche include as a design feature to disguise the meeting places between the door and center console grab handles and the surrounding leatherwork articulate the visual and textural contrast with the similarly colored carbon fiber. Another neat detail from TechArt's trim shop craftsmen is the contrasting blue stitching on the white leather, and the white stitching on the blue leather.
Whatever you think of the color scheme, there's no question that as craftsmanship goes, TechArt is one of the very best in the industry. Here, even the smallest leather and carbon details pass close scrutiny with flying colors.
If you've wondered why TechArt's Cayenne and Panamera conversions have been pegged at 580 hp, when the first-generation Magnum was billed as a 700-hp car, the answer is simple. As with all the other aftermarket tuners, it has taken TechArt's electronics experts nearly two years to crack the multi-layered encryption of the new Siemens ECU used on these cars. Once the electronic bypass has been established, the engineers will be able to swap out the two turbochargers for larger ones, along with the higher-flow injectors and other hardware required to match the 700-hp output of the first-generation Cayenne engine conversion. Only then can the painstaking process of remapping ignition and fueling take place, and durability testing begin.
For now, power-hungry customers will have to be content with the 580-hp output from the TechArt ECU and exhaust upgrade. As with the similar Panamera motor, this uses a bespoke unit piggybacked onto the wiring loom to intercept and modify data between the engine and factory ECU.
Thus modified, the power curve rises at an angle closer to the ideal 45 degrees, peaking with 580 hp at 5500 rpm. Incidentally, 95 percent of that enhanced output is present from 5000 to 6000 rpm, giving it very strong top end thrust. Peak torque is a mighty 612 lb-ft, with 590 lb-ft of torque on a plateau from 3250 rpm all the way to 5000 rpm. The extra shove in the back is clear and present in every situation where you need it. Overtaking is swifter and surer on country roads, and the charge to higher speeds when you join the autobahn from a slip road is perceptibly stronger.
Having experienced this tangible lift in performance granted by the extra 80 hp and 96 lb-ft, few owners will wish for more. But for those who do, the 700-hp conversion should be up and running by year's end.
The big brake conversion helps to counter the high velocities reached, while the sheer mechanical grip of the large, low-profile rubber helps this big and heavy car to defy the laws of physics in a way that most people will find truly eye-opening.
In the air suspension's Sport mode especially, the Magnum's cornering ability is quite remarkable. The car's 4,800-pound mass requires the time-honored slow-in, fast-out approach, but once you're on the apex and the way is clear, the performance-biased four-wheel-drive system allows you to fire the Magnum out of a bend with its twin-turbo V8 howling like a banshee and real lateral g-forces abating as you wind off steering lock at the exit.
The only dynamic aspect to suffer from the big wheels is the ride. Despite the vastly better comfort offered by the latest air suspension, the 22-inch wheels still carry nearly as much unsprung weight as the factory 20-inchers, and the stiffer sidewalls of the low-profile rubber don't help. In Comfort mode the ride is fine, but you should stay away from Sport on anything but billiard table-smooth roads unless you have a good massage therapist on call.
The second-generation Cayenne Turbo is a huge step forward from the original in almost every way. The TechArt Magnum builds on the strengths of Porsche's most versatile model, giving an owner the chance to create a truly individual SUV with attention grabbing looks and supercar beating performance.
Love it or hate it, the first-generation Cayenne was instrumental in Porsche's financial success, producing steamroller profitability.
TechArt Magnum 2
4.8-liter V8, dohc, 32-valve, twin-turbocharged. TeachArt ECU, sport exhaust
Wheels and Tires
TechArt five-spoke alloys, 10.5x22
Michelin, 295/30
Peak Power: 580 hp @ 5500 rpm
Peak Torque: 612 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
0-60 mph: 4.2 sec. (est.)
Top Speed: 175 mph