The Albero Plant & Garden Festival runs until the 27th of December, so there is still time to get over there and explore the amazing home and landscaping elements in the special festival stall area west of Cioccolata.

There are a surprising amount of animals at the festival — a few of them have already been showcased on the blog here, but now let’s look at the LOLO. The LOLO is a leader in the virtual animal kingdom, and they have a shop up in Albero. They make great animals and interactive pets, from puppies to pandas to pterodactyls. Their stall festival features some of their smaller creatures: skunks (290L) and squirrels (490L). In characteristic LOLO form, the animals have a bit of personality — the skunk sprays avatars that bother it, and the squirrels give out acorns.

There are also LOLO butterflies (500L), and they are my favorite pick from this animal lineup — I have them in several of my virtual living spaces and they really add atmosphere both inside and out.

The LOLO also makes some fantastic environmental elements — I have their larger weather system snowing over one of my parcels right now and I use the mist all over in many ways. At the festival, you can pick up their mist and snow generators, both 450L and worth every penny. The end result is exactly what it should be, and there are lots of menu options to customize these effects to your taste.

And, of course, the LOLO wouldn’t be at a festival celebrating plants and gardens without some sort of greenscaping item — three different styles of their signature baobob tree are available for 500L each.

The LOLO’s festival stall: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/48/218/59

Have fun,
Mako

The region between Szeged, Arad and Timişoara is part of the northern Banat, a historical region. Administratively, it lay in the Kingdom of Hungary, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was divided by the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, which cut the rail network in many places. This proposal for a regional rail line Szeged – Lovrin – Timişoara is one of a series for the region. At Lovrin it would cross a similar regional line, from Kikinda to Arad.

The two lines form an X, inside a quadrilateral bounded by four rail lines. To the north is the proposed regional line Szeged – Makó – Arad. The Timişoara line would use this line through Makó, and split from it at Apátfalva. To the east is the existing Arad – Timişoara main line. West and south the area is bounded by the Szeged – Kikinda – Timişoara line, which would become part of a high-speed line from Budapest (HSL).

Extract from Romanian network map by Andrein, at Wikipedia RO, licence CC 3.0

The proposed line consists of the upgraded Hungarian line 121 to Apátfalva (37 km), a restored link across the river Maros / Mureş to Cenad, and an upgraded Romanian line 218, from Cenad to Timişoara Nord (75 km).

The lines in the quadrilateral are simple rural lines, built to give each village a railway station, not for speed and direct routing. The idea is to restructure them into a two-line regional network. Lovrin (population 4000), is not the central town, but is is the easiest place for the lines to cross. The largest town is Sânnicolau Mare (Nagyszentmiklós in Hungarian, population 13 000), which is 15 km north-west of Lovrin. The line would begin and end in large cities: Szeged (population 170 000) and Timişoara (310 000).

Click to enlarge: The base map is an Austro-Hungarian military map of around 1910, without the 1920 borders, and with older Hungarian spellings.

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The alignment from Szeged to Apátfalva is described under Regional line Szeged – Makó – Arad. The closed link to Cenad turned south after Apátfalva station, and crossed the river, which is now the Hungarian – Romanian border. At Cenad (Csanád or Ócsanád in Hungarian, population 4000), line 218 begins. The original alignment between them can probably be used, it is 6 km long (highlighted in red).

From there, the existing rural line would be upgraded – in reality closed and rebuilt, on the existing alignment. The low construction standards are visible at Sânnicolau Mare, where the line makes a rectangular diversion around the town (highlighted in blue). A completely new 4-km alignment, with a 2-km tunnel, could replace it (white dashed line). It would include a new station in the centre (possibly under the square with the circular flower-bed, on this image). The benefits compared to the existing alignment justify a tunnel, on this otherwise simple upgrade project.

The line at Lovrin is at the edge of the village, but in any case no complex interchange station is needed. The restructured lines would have frequent trains, and a vastly improved line speed: that would compensate for changing trains on some journeys. (Line 218 is currently operated by Regiotrans, with 5 trains a day, average speed about 30 km/h).

East of Lovrin, the existing alignment can be used as far as Becicherecu Mic (in Hungarian, Kisbecskerek). The winding section from that village to the main Arad – Timişoara line can be replaced, by a shorter connection to the Kikinda – Timişoara line, even if this needs additional tracks.

Approaching Timişoara, the original alignment of this line needs to be restored. The main station (Gara Timişoara Nord), is only 1500 m from the edge of the built-up area, because of its asymmetric location. Timişoara (Temesvár in Hungarian) is the economic centre of the region, and the largest city between Budapest and Bucharest. With the construction of the proposed HSL via Kikinda, trains between these cities would pass through Timişoara, and it is an interchange for other main-line and regional services.

The proposed line would be about 117 km long, from the Szeged HSL station to Timişoara, via a tunnel in Sânnicolau Mare. Of that, about 40 km would be shared with the Szeged – Arad line via Makó. It would be 71 km from Szeged to Lovrin, and 46 km from there to Timişoara. It is not intended as a fast route: the Kikinda line provides that. On an upgraded electrified line, with some new sections, a through journey time of close to 90 minutes should be possible.

This proposed line passes the Hungarian – Romanian border at Nagylak, the busiest entry point to Romania. The border was created by the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, which dismembered the Kingdom of Hungary. The present 47-km line from Szeged turns north just before the border – so it looks like it was re-routed after 1920. However, that is its original route, visible on the base map used here, an Austro-Hungarian military map of around 1910. The existing Nagylak station did serve a village of that name, but it is now across the border, and uses the Romanian spelling ‘Nădlac’.

On the other side of Nădlac, a 52-km local line runs to Arad. This is Romanian line 215, operated by Regiotrans, with 8 trains a day. There may once have been a track connection between the two lines, but there was no rail line Szeged – Arad as such. The proposal here is to create one. Szeged is 100 km from Arad, and they both have a population of about 170 000. The only town between them is Makó, with 24 000 inhabitants: otherwise the line serves rural villages. It generally follows the river Maros / Mureş, which flows through Arad, and joins the Tisza at Szeged.

Click to enlarge…

The parallel road route is part of Trans-European priority Project 7, and will be upgraded to motorway. In Hungary, the M43 is already under construction. A double-track electric rail line on the same axis, is not unreasonable.

Szeged itself would be served by the proposed high-speed line from Budapest via Kecskemét. The original bridge over the river Tisza, near the existing Szeged station, was bombed in 1944, and never rebuilt. The proposed new link line would replace it, serving a new station for the high-speed line (HSL). The new bridge over the Tisza can also be used, to re-connect the Makó line to the rest of the network. At present, trains start from a small station on the other side of the Tisza: Újszeged, ‘New Szeged’.

The line to Nagylak forms part of line 121, an indirect rail route Szeged – Békéscsaba, via Nagylak and Kétegyháza. The first section would be upgraded as a line to Arad: the rest of line 121 (north of Nagylak) would remain as a rural line. Like other Hungarian rural lines, it has halts with somewhat simple facilities, or in some cases no facilities whatsoever. It is not surprising that they attract no passengers. Hungarian government policy is to close these lines, by simply abandoning them (without a legal closure).

Trains to Arad would start from the new Szeged HSL station, not from the city-centre station. In this scenario, Újszeged station would close: the first station south of the river would be at Szőreg. With extra tracks from the Tisza bridge (shown in blue), trains to Arad could use the existing Szőreg station. (It is also possible to retain Újszeged station as a terminal for some local trains, with a new footbridge to the city centre).

The next stations on the Nagylak line are at Deszk (population 3500) and Kiszombor (4000).

The line crosses the Maros into Makó. The line here has a double S-curve, with Makó station between them. Probably the bridge must be renewed anyway, so the station approaches can be realigned, if possible (dotted lines). Makó station itself is well located, 1100 m from the centre: it would be 31 km from the Szeged HSL station.

From Makó, the alignment to Nagylak is almost straight, with some slight curves near Apátfalva (population, with Magyarcsanád, 4500). Here a regional line to Timişoara via Lovrin would diverge.

At Nagylak, a new alignment is needed, to connect to the Arad line. It must bypass the large border post, and include a new station for the small town of Nădlac (population 8000). The simplest solution is a new 5-km alignment, with a cut-and-cover tunnel under the low-density housing. The variant shown is aligned with the street grid: that makes it longer, but minimises demolition.

From Nădlac, the existing line follows the river, via Semlac / Szemlak (this section is not shown on the base map). A new direct alignment is better, alongside the main road (E68). It would rejoin the existing alignment at Pecica / Pecska (13 000), the only other station before Arad. The existing line runs north of Pecica, before turning back south. The new alignment would run on the north edge of town, with a new station, and join the Arad line further east.

After entering Arad itself, the alignment is wide enough, but needs improvement. The S-curve at the crossing with Calea Aurel Vlaicu could be eliminated by a link line, north of this road. This is an industrial area, where construction of a new line (shown in red) should not be a problem. A new station could be located where it crosses the Calea Aurel Vlaicu.

Near the main station, the line from Nădlac joins the main line from Budapest via Békéscsaba. The junction needs realignment and grade separation, but there is more than enough room for that. Arad station is large, and reasonably well located. A wide boulevard leads to the city centre: it is about 1700 m to the Town Hall.

The regional line would be about 101 km long, from the Szeged HSL station to Arad station. Mainly due to the new section along the E68, it is a very direct route – only 8% longer than a straight line. It should allow a journey time of about 70 minutes for regional trains – and under an hour for fast trains, stopping only at Makó.

I’m back with more from the Albero Plant & Garden Festival! Trilby already covered some of the new stuff from D-Lab, but there are just so many good things to be had that we split D-Lab duty and I’m here to showcase some of the amazing items in the D-Lab festival stall. First off, just take a look at the stall itself. It’s one of the best looking, most interesting spaces in the entire festival and is brimming with plants, trees, animals and even furniture crafted by designer Dazai Voom.

It would be easy to just go around the stall and snap pics, but I wanted to show you guys how I’ve used some of my festival finds in my own virtual home. I made a small indoor garden in my skybox with items from the festival (and a fishbowl from Albero) that has a lot of personality and really warms the place up. The two small potted plants are Oyakin’s special festival plants: Albero vendors made special 20L plants for the festival which are available in front of their individual store locations (not at the festival itself) — just go to the display near the festival entrance for a showcase of the special plants and teleports to the shops. The special plants are outside the stores. The rest of the plants in the photo above are all from D-Lab, and — believe it or not — are all 35L or less!

One of my favorite D-Lab items at the festival is the new Tree House (600L). The build is quite large, so you’ll need space for it, but man, is it great. This is something you need to experience — there is a teleport to the demo at the D-Lab festival stall, and there is also a really beautiful furnished version out at the D-Lab mainstore in 6pi. Accompanying this build is the new Stump House (also 600L), an expansive living space built into the stump of a gigantic tree — there is a demo out for this too, and you should really go check these two new constructions out for yourself!

Also new from D-Lab are the Cyber Trees. Just look how amazing these things are — they’re unique but blend into the SL landscape and can be used in a really wide variety of settings. They come in 8 colors and come in a variety of perm options and packs that range in price, including 1000L fatpacks of four colors in both large and small versions. I’m a collector of trees and plants, and these Cyber Trees are really great new additions to the range of greenscaping options available inworld.

Next up are the animals from SHD Eleuthera — designer Mosley Sperber has a wagon near the D-Lab stall and festival entrance. I’m also a collector of virtual animals, and I was really, really excited to discover SHD — these birds and frogs are simply fantastic. The songbirds each have unique bird calls built in, and the frogs also have realistic croaks (note: silent versions are available too). They are all virtual recreations of actual animal species, which I appreciate, and there are wearable and non-wearable options. Mosley’s wagon also has some plants in addition to the birds and frogs, and there is lots more at the SHD mainstore — so grab a landmark from the wagon and get over there after you’ve browsed the festival. The birds are 100L each, the frogs just 60L.

Finally, I made a little scene using some of my festival finds, with the main showcase being on D-Lab and SHD. There are many many items in this photo, and so I’ve broken it down with a key in the second picture. All the red dots are plants from D-Lab and are priced between 5-35L (yeah, that’s right, I said 5L). The blue dots are all animals, including the SHD frogs and birds mentioned above. Dazai has a wide range of D-Lab’s awesome kawaii animals for sale in his festival stall (the ones shown here are all 150L), including the recently released monkeys. The green dots are all special plants from some of the Albero vendors — in this photo, I’ve got plants from Miu, Oyakin and Rooms. And the purple dot is a sprig of mistletoe available at the SHD wagon for just 15L.

Get over to the festival and experience all this for yourself!
D-Lab’s stall at the festival: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/116/204/61
SHD’s wagon at the festival: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/133/221/62

Have fun,
Mako

Mairu!

Here I am once again to give you another review for Shinkenger. This time, I’ll be reviewing episode 2 entitled “The Guaranteed Stylish Gattai”. Gattai means “Combination”. With the title given, you’re expecting to see a “combination” which we didn’t saw in the previous episode.

As we start the episode, the commentator gives us an explanation of how Gedoushuus exist throughout hundreds of years and how the power of Shinkengers are passed through parents to children. I think this kind of setup/storyline is somewhat interesting and unique compared to past series.

Past Shinkengers

Wooden Shodophone

Oh look at that, a Shodophone. What’s a PHONE doing in the past era? Hehe. Nevermind the flaw, let’s continue with the story. Like the Shinkengers using Shodophones to transform in the past, this method for transforming is always used through generations.

After the commentator’s explanation, we now see the “retainers” practicing their word power also known as Mojikara. As Jii was saying, “To those who become Shinkengers must become proficient with more than just the sword. The power of words they inherited must be mastered”, he sees Chiaki having difficulties on writing kanji for wood.

Knowing Chiaki from the first episode, he said that he shouldn’t have missed the special training assigned for him although he managed to defeat a bunch of Nanashi Renjyuu. So, Jii pounds Chiaki’s head and tell him that the order of strokes in writing is wrong.

With his mischievous nature, Chiaki draws out the Kuma(Bear) Origami(Paper-folded God) from his jacket and orders it to bite Jii’s leg. After what one of his retainers did, Takeru himself confronts Chiaki regarding his will in fighting as a Shinkenger.

The confrontation ends with Chiaki having a tiny beef on our Tono(Lord)-sama.

Before I go on with the review, I just want to say something about the opening sequence. Compared to the first episode, we now have a proper sequence in this episode. My head’s still singing the song up until now.

To continue, we see a ship in the middle of a “red” sea. What is that place? It’s the rumored Sanzu River. Inside it are some of the Gedoushuu creeps. Chimatsuri Doukoku is drinking his sake as usual and blabbers about the human world sinking to the bottom of the Sanzu River while Usukawa Dayuu is playing her shamisen. Ridiculous but threatening.

Shiitari finds a method on how to make the water of the Sanzu River rise through gathering human screams and despair. Dayuu agrees to it and recommends Doukoku to try it. The drunkard general calls up the Ayakashi, Ootsumuji(Big Whirlwind) to test the method.

Okay so we know where this is going, right? The Ayakashi goes to the human world and disturb the peace of the people. This is somehat a standard-operating-procedure. A little bit boring and we can’t do anything about it. Before this, let’s try to go over a side story regarding Kotoha.

Chiaki’s still disturbed of what Takeru told him earlier and talks about it with Ryuunosuke. Knowing the kabuki guy’s respect for the Lord, he disagrees with what Chiaki has to say. Where is this conversation leading them to? Of course, it leads them to an argument but before they could even start, Mako interrupts them asking where Kotoha is.

Their search leads them to a place where they see Kotoha training. Chiaki asks her why she was training. Duh, she wants to become stronger. Kidding aside, the three were touched with how Kotoha explained them how she became a Shinkenger. Ryuunosuke cries in joy, Chiaki pities her for being brainwashed, and Mako hugs her tight.

As the side story ends, we see Ootsumuji getting hit with the Shishi(Lion) Origami. We hear a drumroll and a bunch of kuroku guys setting up the white background for the Shinkengers to transform in front of the Ayakashi.

ShinkenRed, Shiba Takeru!

Onajiku Buru, Ikenami Ryuunosuke!

Onajiku Pinku, Shiraishi Mako!

Onajiku Gurin, Tani Chiaki!

Onajiku Iero, Hanaori Kotoha!

I admire the concept of kanjis as patterns for their visors. It’ll be difficult for Disney to adapt this Sentai into Power Rangers. Let me discuss a bit about the Shinkenger’s weapons.

Rekka Daizantou, literally means Raging-Flame Giant Cutting Blade. Look at the size of it. GIANT. Haha. The first time I saw it in episode 1, I was freaked out. If you thought about it in reality, who could wield such a size of a sword?

It can be used in two ways: Attack and Defense. When we say attack, the sword functions as it usually does. In defense, the sword can be used as a shield from melee and long-ranged attacks.

Water Arrow, is Ryuunosuke’s weapon. Actually it’s a bow but it shoots out water-like arrows. One special thing about this weapon is that with only a pull of the trigger, the weapon shoots out multiple arrows dealing a massive damage to the enemy.

Heaven Fan, Mako’s weapon. As you can see, there goes the kanji for “Heaven” on the fan. Well, nothing special now because all I see in the attacks are just whirlwinds. Why is AIR associated with HEAVEN?

Wood Spear, Chiaki’s weapon. Seriously, can you see wood on those blades? None. Duh, it’s because Chiaki’s Mojikara is Wood. That doesn’t mean the blades should be wood but I can’t help myself but ask why. As seen in episode 1, it seems Chiaki is good with these kinds of weapons.

Land Slicer, Kotoha’s weapon. Could this get any worser? I mean, boomerang could have been a cool name for the weapon.

So after some trash-talking from Ootsumuji comes a little drama for the Shinkengers. During Kotoha’s fight with a bunch of Nanashi Renjyuu, she accidentally exerts a lot of force on the Land Slicer causing it to go towards Takeru, giving the Ayakashi an opening to attack.

With this given, Takeru get blown away with Ootsumuji’s attack. As the Ayakashi decides on giving ShinkenRed the finisher, Kotoha and the others stand in front to receive the attack. Boom, there goes the cancellation of their Shinkenger form. Haha.

Upon seeing them hurt, Takeru doesn’t give a damn. He says, “The weak gets in the way. Just trying one’s best isn’t enough to save people!” Woah, talk about serious Samurai business.

The battle continues as the four of them realized what their Lord said. Kotoha says, “It’s meaningless unless we protect everyone.” and Ryuunosuke says, “From his position, kindness is useless for samurai.“

Convinced with what their Lord wants to imply, they decided to transform once again to fight beside their Lord.

Done with the drama and after the Ayakashi-busting, comes this series’ first mecha combination.

Origami Daihenge!

Origami Daihenge means “Folded God Big Change”. It is written on the origamis using the shodophones. With this said, their hand-held Origami became gigantic mechas.

The origamis are based on animals and a mythical creature. Shishi(Lion) for Takeru, Ryuu(Dragon) for Ryuunosuke, Kame(Turtle) for Mako, Kuma(Bear) for Chiaki, and Saru(Monkey) for Kotoha. What’s funny during this episode was Ryuunosuke’s way of commanding the combination. He didn’t do any inscription causing the origamis to pile on top with each other except for Takeru.

When Gattai(Combine/Combination) is written, the origamis gather and combine into Shinken-Oh(Sword King?).

Shinken-Oh

There you have it. Shinken-Oh, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger’s first giant mecha. Oh, I forgot to mention that the Nanashi Renjyuu can also fight in “giant form” when an Ayakashi desires or summons them. They are called Oonanashi Renjyuu literally “Giant Nameless Bunch”.

So far, we get to see some samurai action and some sword clashes. Not yet fun. Hehe.

Here’s the preview for episode 3. I hope you enjoyed this review for Shinkenger.

Ja ne!

Shinkenger, mairu!

From the first post of this blog, I told you that the review will be available anytime next week. Guess what? It’s here. An episode review for Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. Too early?

To start the review,

Nanashi Renjyuu (Nameless Bunch)

These badass guys appear from crevices connected to the Sanzu River. Where is Sanzu River located? It’s said in the story that it is located at another world. What do these guys want from the citizens? Their cries, screams and pain. It’s one cause that makes the water of the Sanzu River rise. Water? Yes, water. I don’t know what exactly is the purpose of rising the Sanzu River’s water.

ShinkenRed

Takeru is the 18th head of the Shiba Clan who fought the Gedoshuu for 300 years. In this part of the episode, he fights them alone. He’s been fighting them for several years. Ain’t he tired swinging the Shinkenmaru? Haha.

What’s a Shinkenmaru? Basically, it’s the sword they use to fight the enemies. How does it work? Duh, you have to chan chan bara chan bara bara swing it of course.

Shinkenger’s First Opening Sequence (Credits to SuperSentaiClips from Youtube and from his source Momotaros. Of course, they don’t own this. Duh. Toei does.)

Seriously… During the opening sequence where he fights the Nanashi Renjyuu, you might’ve observed him getting a disk from the buckle of his belt and flipped it mid-air. It’s called a Hiden Disku, translated as Secret Disk. There are several Secret disks. One of which is the Shishi Disku, translated as Lion Disk.

Where are his other team mates or should I say vassals? Heh, here they are.

Ryuunosuke gave up Kabuki in-order to fulfill his role as one of Takeru’s retainers/vassals. It was a hard decision but for him, serving the Lord(Takeru) comes first. Upon seeing Takeru riding a white horse, he immediately bowed down in respect to his “highness”.

Mako is a teacher for a playgroup class. She has a thing for kids and looks cute when smiling. After she saw the message in the arrow about the Shinkengers’ gathering, men in black transported her to the area with a palanquin. There’s nothing interesting in her yet but expect more in the succeeding episodes. Of course, I’m finished watching this episode.

Kotoha works for a bamboo shop. Like Mako, she’s cute but a little clumsy. She wasn’t originally the choosen person to become ShinkenYellow. You’ll discover why she became a Shinkenger in the next episode. Spoiler much?

Chiaki is your typical teenager. He loves playing video games and eat meatbuns. Unlike the others, he doesn’t take the “retainer” thing seriously and abandoned his training, which resulted to some difficulties during his first fight with the Nanashi Renjyuu.

Now with the episode itself…

The choreography during the fighting scenes is superb. I can almost picture Takeru like Kenshin Himura from Rurouni Kenshin. The Lord-Retainer style kinda made the story interesting. With regards to the character development, I believe this will turn out to be a great series. Takeru is a badass guy, Ryuunosuke is a goof, Mako is a beauty, Kotoha is a klutz, and Chiaki a double klutz. Almost perfect!

Doukoku(Top) seems to be a hell of a general. He drinks a lot of saké(rice wine) and yells a lot. Shiitari(Bottom) is a squidhead and cares about the future of the Gedoshuu. Usukawa Dayuu(Mid) is a snob. Nothing interesting as of the moment.

The title for this episode is The Appearance of the Five Samurai.

After each episode, the series give PREVIEWS for the next episodes. As a teaser for episode 2, here’s the preview.

Ja ne!

Shinkenger, mairu!

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, translated as Samurai Squadron Shinkenger, is the title of TOEI’s 33rd entry in its long-running Super Sentai series of Japanese Tokusatsu television series— description is TOO long.

Better get down to business.

The show’s motif is that of traditional Japanese culture. I wonder how Disney would Americanize the series since they use “Mojikara”(Word power) in kanji. I’d like to see Disney go “WTF? Can our actors write kanji?”

A little overview for Shinkenger: (Provided by Wikipedia)

For 18 generations, samurai of the Shiba House have suppressed the evil intentions of the Gedoushuu(Heretic Party), malevolent spirits that enter the world of the living from gaps between buildings and other structures. Now, the youngest head of the Shiba Clan must gather his four vassals to battle the Gedoshuu as the Shinkengers.

Let me begin with the introduction:

Shiba Takeru

The 18th head of the Shiba line and descendant of feudal lords, Takeru was reared since childhood by Hikoma Kusakabe to carry out his family’s legacy. He is Shinken Red. (Refer to the pic above)

Ikenami Ryuunosuke

Ryunosuke is a very serious young man who dreamt of becoming a kabuki actor in spite of his parents’ wish for him to be a samurai. Though a loner, he takes his role as Takeru’s vassal seriously. He is Shinken Blue. (Refer to the pic)

Tani Chiaki

Though cheerful and honest, Chiaki had no interest in becoming a vassal and often clashes with Takeru. While he is the most childish of the group and had abandoned his training early, Chiaki is a great strategist. He is Shinken Green

Hanaori Kotoha (girl at the left)

Kotoha is a pure-hearted girl who worked in a bamboo shop and is skilled in martial arts. She became Takeru’s vassal when her older sister fell ill. She is ShinkenYellow.

Shiraishi Mako (girl at the right)

Mako is a gentle-hearted girl who fights for her ideals. She loves children and worked at a kindergarten before becoming a vassal. She is ShinkenPink.

Hahaha! By just looking at their faces, you might have the impression that this is a comedy series. Well, it’s not. It’s more serious than the 2 earlier series. Expect action and at the same time, some drama.

So basically, these five teenagers become Shinkengers using the Shodophone by writing their assigned kanji (fire, water, earth, wood and air) mid-air. You do wanna know what it looks like, right? Better start from the beginning. I mean, start watching the series as early as now. Don’t worry, the series is still in its 39th episode with the 40th episode to be aired on Sunday.

A Super Sentai Show usually runs 50 to 52 episodes. So there’s still 10 to 12 episodes more until the series is finished. I guess this wraps up the introduction for Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.

Ja ne!

Actors: Schwarzenegger Arnold,Chamberlain Wilt,Mako,Walter Tracey,Roach Pat,Corey Jeff,Thorsen Sven-Ole,Fleischer Bruce,Mayne Ferdy,Andre the Giant,Conner Matt,Action,Fantasy,Adventure,

Conan The Barbarian Questions?
I watched "Conan the Barbarian" and then "Conan the Destroyer", and felt a bit giped that the story of Conan’s ascent to kinghood was never told. I know of the film "Red Sonja", and I know that Arnold is in it, but I have never seen it. My question is then 1) will they ever tell the story of how Conan becomes king? or did they? 2) How does Red Sonja relate to the other two films?

hay_frend | Nov 06, 2008

I am sorry to inform you, I have no answer for you. Forgive me.
Somebody | Nov 06, 2008

On a cart at the Albero Plant & Garden Festival is the Fallen Tree 01 from [Rooms]. I own this and love it — I use it in my forest skybox (photos at the bottom) and it’s really a great piece that comes with many features (as you can see from the photo below). There is a scared cat hiding in the tree itself — click it and it gives a sad little meow. The flower that is growing on the fallen tree will burp particles when clicked, which is surprisingly fun. And you can change the textures on both the pillows and the grass itself. Really, it’s very versatile. And just 9 prims! Also included as a separate piece is a little picnic basket (this adds 7 prims), which is nice. All in all, it does a lot for 350L and is worth every penny, in my opinion. Head over to the festival and pick this up!

[Rooms] cart at the festival http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/152/222/62

Have fun,
Mako

I have seen a lot of princess in my life, both real and fake, but this is the actually the first that I have seen a princess who has her very own fanart collections; most likely done by lolicons since she is only 16, but I have to say…she is kind of cute (^_^;)

This is Mako-chan, Akishino Mako.  She is the princess of The Imperial House of Japan, however most otaku probably treat her more like an idol than an お姫ーさま(Ohime-sama; Japanese for princess).

Real Life:

Fanarts:

The Albero Plant and Garden Festival is in full swing in a new space next to Cioccolata and there are some amazing vendor booths that you really cannot miss. MiaSnow is one of these vendors — her booth is a wonderland of awesome color and fantastic plants. Take a look:

Mia is selling some new stuff and some of her classic garden items like the blueberry field. Everything is a staggering 111L — that’s practically pennies for these gorgeous items (including some multicolor packs), so do not miss this chance to grab all her garden things. Shown below are six of the twelve items she has out for sale.

The booth itself is an incredible installation and gives you an idea of how MiaSnow garden items can be used and layered to create truly unique environments. I just parked myself in her installation and took the photo below — it’s raw from SL, no Photoshop work or overlays. Mia’s items are doing everything in this photo, and it looks like I’ve landed on a strange and beautiful new planet.

On the other side of the booth are some of her grasses and undersea items like the kelp and coral. I couldn’t resist putting on my octopus rig (and one of MiaSnow’s recently released Mythical Crystal skins) and taking a few photos. How often do you get to be a crystal octopus swimming through a blueberry ocean, even in Second Life?

MiaSnow at the Albero Plant & Garden Festival: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/53/205/61

Have fun,
Mako

RC Cluster is now in Cioccolata! This is really exciting news — RC Cluster is one of my favorite stores in all of SL and a great fit for Cioccolata. Redd Columbia is the genius behind these products, all of which are fun, affordable and usually have something a little extra built in. I guarantee, once you swing by RC Cluster in Cioccolata, you’ll want to visit the mainstore for more. And take a picture — RC Cluster’s Polaroid is just 25L and comes with a shaking animation.

An example of that something extra — RC Cluster’s Q-Swabs come scripted with an animation that has you look at the swab after you’ve used it. It’s this touch of realism and humor that really elevates RC Cluster above other novelty and gag shops in SL. Q-Swabs are also 25L.

Who doesn’t like cotton candy? RC Cluster’s Cotton Candy is just 25L for six colors (including goth black, which is hilarious) and an optional “cute animation”.

With the RC Cluster Paint Everything, you can get busy bringing more color to the virtual world around you — you can even paint your friends, if you’re so inclined. The animated painting set is 100L and comes with paint can, paintbrush and a smudge of color for the wall.

The Picnic Lunch is lots of fun and is a working picnic basket with a carrying animation built in. You can open it up and look inside, or click it and it will dispense a tasty lunch. It’s just 100L, which is considerably less than this type of thing costs elsewhere.

One of my favorite parts of the Cioccolata RC Cluster is the fact that Redd herself is watching you from above the main marquis.

Also sold in the Cioccolata location is the RC Cluster Empathy Belly — Rach is wearing it below, along with several other items available in the mainstore like the fantastic wheelchair. The Empathy Belly is 250L.

RC Cluster in Cioccolata: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/208/207/62

Have fun,
Mako

[direktlink]

album: mako (ep)
year: 2009

Bulletproof Monk 2003

Director: Paul Hunter

Writers: Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris

Starring Chow Yun Fat, Seann William Scott, Jamie King, Karel Roden, Victoria Smurfit, Mako and Marcus Jean Pirae

    Chow Yun Fat in a martial arts centric film makes it a given that I will see it.  I was a little wary of this one though, since I don’t connect martial arts action with Seann William Scott.  Thankfully though, this film combines high octane fights with some great comedic elements, and they could not have got anyone better than Scott for this kind of role.  The film is fast paced, but has just the right amounts of down time that a action film like this needs.  Fat is a great mentor to the burgeoning talent of Scott’s character and it is a hoot to watch their interactions.  The plot is something reminiscent of the likes of Indiana Jones and it fits really well in the fantastic world of this film.  This is a film that meshes all its ingredients together well and at the end you have a fun as hell action film.

    The plot basics are this. the film opens at the end of World War II where a Tibetan monk (Fat) has passed the final tests to guard a ancient scroll that can either help or hinder mankind.  Suddenly, the temple is attacked by a group of Nazis led by Strucker (Roden).  The monk escapes and is adept at evading the Nazi for 60 years.  Flash forward to the present day, where the monk is till being chased by the Nazi and his goons and he runs into Karl (Scott) a pickpocket that the monk sees much potential in and he decides to stick with him and see how he develops.  This leads to Karl allying himself up with another street person, Jade (King).  It all leads to the Monk being captured by Strucker and getting superpowers and youth from the scrolls, and now it is up to the Monk and Karl to put a stop to Strucker once and for all, but will Karl be up to the task?

    This is a damn good action film.  The direction by Hunter is very fast paced and frenetic, which really works in tandem with the story.  Hunter’s past work is in music videos and that really works to his benefit on this film.  The script is good too, very funny when needed and moving the plot quickly as needed too.  The characterization of the 3 main characters is quite believable.  The cast is great too, Fat as the monk is very believable and charming.  Scott as Karl, the flawed hero, does a expert job, balancing humor and action very deftly.  King as the romantic interest is very good too and she holds her own in the fight scenes as well.  Roden, as the Nazi heavy is quite despicable and very fun to watch.  The action sequences in the film are great, my personal favorite was Karl’s fight with Mr. Funktastic, was very well staged and a delight to watch.  This is definitely recommended to martial arts fans and specifically to fans of Jackie Chan or Sammo Hung, as the film is very similar to some of their more comedic films.

This one gets 3 out of 5 

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Programajánló

Jókai Színház, Békéscsaba:

Egressy Zoltán: Sóska, sültkrumpli

November 5-6. 19.00

Makó: Gáz van, a kanadaiak abbahagyják a kutatást

Somlyai Dóra, a kutatásban szintén részes Mol Nyrt. magyarországi kommunikációs igazgatója elmondta: a partnerek most értékelik a munkaprogram eddigi eredményeit, a továbblépésről később hoznak döntést.

Október 9-én a Falcon azt közölte, hogy az ExxonMobil két fúrást végzett 4358 és 4200 méterig. Mindkét esetben jelentős mennyiségű víz is a felszínre került, valószínűleg egy víztározó természetes törésvonalába ütköztek. A kanadai cég akkor jelezte, valószínűleg leállnak a kutató fúrásokkal.

Az azóta végrehajtott újabb fúrás, immár 3850 méteres szinten, szintén kedvezőtlen eredményeket hozott. A 130 óra alatt a kezdeti napi 560 köbméteres gázhozam, 200 köbméterre csökkent, bár ugyanekkor a feltörő átlagos vízhozam 540 köbméterről 50 köbméterre esett. A Falcon a harmadik eredmény alapján úgy döntött, hogy ideiglenesen leállítja a további kutatást ennél a kútnál.

Forrás: Index

Mafiiagyilkosság miatt elmarad a kupameccs

Szeged: Oroszországban ismeretlen tettesek a nyílt utcán lelőtték Sabtaj von Kalmanovicsot, a Szeviép-Szeged Euroliga-ellenfelének, a Szpartak Moszkva női kosárlabda-csapatának 60 éves tulajdonosát. Az izraeli hírportálok információi szerint a hétfőn brutálisan meggyilkolt Szpartak Moszkva-tulajdonos, Sabtaj von Kalmanovics az 1980-as évek elején a KGB alvó ügynökeként segítette a szovjetek hírszerzését. Az izraeli kormányzati körökben a feladatának megfelelően rendkívül jó kapcsolatokat szerző Kalmanovics végül 1987-ben bukott le kémkedés vádjával, és kilenc éves börtönbüntetést kapott az országban, azonban egészségügyi okok miatt mindössze öt évet töltött rács mögött és 1993-ban szabadult.

Az Izraelből Sierra Leonébe távozó üzletember gyémántkereskedéssel alapozta meg vagyonát az afrikai államban és 1994-ben tért vissza Oroszországba, ahol tegnapi kivégzéséig egyebek mellett az ország kosárlabdázásának egyik legfőbb mecénásaként tartották számon.

A tulajdonos erőszakos halála miatt elmarad a mai Szeviép Szeged – Szpartak Moszkva női kosárlabdamérkőzés az Újszegedi Sportcsarnokban.

Forrás: Délmagyar.hu – Szegedindex

A Dél-Alföldi RIB ülése

A Dél-alföldi Regionális Idegenforgalmi Bizottság (RIB) november 4-én tartja következő ülését, melyen részt vesz Dr. Kovács Miklós, az Önkormányzati Minisztérium turisztikai szakállamtitkára, aki a turizmus aktuális kérdéseiről, a jövőbeni tervekről és lehetőségekről tart tájékoztatót – értesült az OBJEKTÍV Hírügynökség.

A program részeként Dr. Köteles Lajos, a házigazda Szent István Egyetem Egészségtudományi és Környezetegészségügyi Intézet főigazgatója a turisztikai szakemberképzésről és oktatási kérdésekről tart előadást. Az ülés keretében továbbá Dr. Tokaji Ferenc, a Dél-alföldi RIB elnöke a turisztikai kiállításokról és rendezvényekről, valamint az aktuális kérdésekről, Gulyás Péter, a Magyar Turizmus Zrt. Dél-alföldi Regionális Marketing Igazgatója (RMI) pedig a Kulturális Turizmus Éve tapasztalatairól és az RMI szerbiai marketingtevékenységéről tart beszámolót.

Hírforrás: OBJEKTÍV Hírügynökség

Claire has school so I’m free to do some adventuring. 75 degrees and sunny — sounds like fishing weather to me!

How to Sneak onto a Charter

OK, sneak isn’t quite accurate. But here’s what you do: Put the word out at several local charter boat places that if they need a ‘filler’ (someone to fill the boat’s quota) you are available, but only at a discounted price. Then, you bide your time until some corporation or tour group doesn’t quite have enough people. I got on a trip that goes for $1,200 for up to a dozen people, but they only had six. My cost? $75. Pretty sweet.

This was an early morning trip, leaving at 5:30 AM and returning around 1 PM. The boat takes you about two and a half miles out from Darling Harbor and is billed as ‘reef fishing’. And they have some odd fish down here…

A Leather Jacket

The popular catch was flathead, which went into a cooler for cooking later on — I guess you fillet and batter them for deep frying. There was none of that catch and release nonsense… these folks intended to eat what they caught, not just take a picture of it. Besides the fish to take home though, they had a gas fed ‘barby’ right on the deck. Lunch was fresh caught fish (a half hour ago is pretty fresh) served with an Aussie wine. This was pretty well the end of actual fishing for me, I spent the next hour lazing around on a deck chair watching the others fish. The group was out of Sydney, a corporate deal where they were getting rewarded for good year over year sales. The talk was mostly about how Christmas was going to be and the economy overall. I’d forgotten the US recession/depression. Although you can follow the news from the States and it’s mentioned (at least the highlights) on foreign (to me) newscasts, I’m not much for watching TV.

Jim, a store manager, hooked onto a Mako shark just before it was time to head back.

Makos will bite your hand off

Now that’s a fish! He fought it for something like twenty minutes until they finally got it on deck. This one we let go. No one wanted to deal with it. There’s something inherently evil about a shark. They twist around completely to bite you if you grab their tails and they flop with mouths open trying to snap anything in range. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever seen in person hauled from the sea though.

If you do take this trip, invest in a nice floppy brim hat. The sun on the sea can be a killer otherwise. I ended up taking a few snappers back with me and Claire cooked them up. That is one tasty fish.

I NEED YOU HELP!!!

I need your help, I’m on a mission to connect 1,000,000 people with 1,000,000 cars, I have recently partnered with a few companies in the tri-state area that have an OVER STOCK of vehicles that need drivers, yes these cars need drivers. They range from bank repossessions to trade ins, these vehicles range from 6 months old to 25 years old, manufactures from AM General to Yugo, trucks to motorcycles, forklifts to bulldozers, what ever you are looking for I can offer at a discount to any advertised retail price. The inventory changes daily, I come across many vehicles.

I am working mostly in the New York, New Jersey area, this does not make a difference, even if you are in a different state or country I can still ship and/or export you the car you are looking for.

I like to work with individuals, but I will take on a legitimate businesses looking to liquidate or up grade their fleets.

I’m not looking for anyone to sell anything all I’m asking is if you know someone looking for any kind of car THAT DOES NOT WANT TO PAY FULL RETAIL PRICE, forward this e-mail and my phone number and this is what I will do for you and anyone that buys a vehicle.

I’m going to give away 10% on the purchase price of any vehicle up to $1000 to your favorite non-profit charity in your name. I’m not only going to give the store away, I’m going to give it away in someone else’s name. What is he crazy! No I just know if I help others help others, life is better for all. This means if you or someone buys a car or light truck for $2500 I will give $250, buy for $4000 I give $400, buy for $6,000 I give $600.00, etc on up to $1000.00

Listen to what I am saying I am going to give away most if not all of my profit in your name to YOUR charity this is a win win for all. We all know someone who needs a car or wants to upgrade to a newer model and wants to save some money. You get a tax deductible donation that did not come out of your pocket, and your charity gets the help it desperately needs, if that’s not giving I don’t know what is.

That’s all I’m asking this in not a joke I am very very serious. Please read all attachments, if you have any questions you can call between 8am-6pm. At 631 671 9779 You can e-mail questions and vehicle request at ejacksoniaia@gmail.com, I will need to talk to you to verify all emailed info so don’t forget the best phone number to call you back

There’s a new avatar at Oblique! Designer Jez Oh has created Gossamer, a semi-transparent shadow version of her Lost avatar. It’s just 200L and lots of fun — especially this time of year when anything ghostly is in high demand.

My girlfriend Rach and I put on Gossamer, grabbed some tiny cars and had a great time racing. You can see video of it and get a sense of these avs in action here.

Oblique Avatars in Cioccolata: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/168/137/62

Have fun!
Mako

Evento itinerante de fotografia, aconteceu em Salvador, contando com os maiores nomes da fotografia do Brasil.
Tivemos o prazer de estar lá dividindo o nosso conhecimento com mais de 200 congressistas, numa experiencia maravilhosa.
Queremos mais uma vez agradecer o convite da Editora Iphoto e a recepção dos congressistas, muito obrigado a todos.

Maiores informações:
O que rolou?
Inclusive a denominação do autor da foto nós adoramos: “Deuses da Imagem”

Clipe com os participantes – por Tyto Neves

Abaixo seguem algumas fotos do evento – por Tyto Neves, Reinaldo Martins e Fernanda Marques

More from the inimitable Rachel Breaker! Rachel’s latest releases are the FamHelmut of the Gods, which is nothing less than a steal at just 277L. This thing makes an amazing amount of noise — not to mention it blinks, flashes and spins in all the right places. It’s truly an amazing piece of headgear.

I have to give a shout out to Rachel for making me a special Mako helmet — I wear it with pride! The lights in my name light up like a marquis and it’s just plain cool to have your own custom helmet. Thanks again, Rachel!

Also new are Rachel’s Funputers. These are fun, clangy, beepy, blurpy machines right out of a cartoon office in the late 70s — approach Rachel’s Cioccolata shop and you will probably be able to hear them before you see them. Like a lot of Rachel’s stuff, they’re fantastically low-prim and affordable at just 277L. There’s a cabinet, a printer and a console, and all three are lots of fun.

Finally, Rachel’s got new friends in the shop: the Frowny Bunnies. Meet FrownyDOO and Frowny PAYUP! Like her dinosaurs, these bunnies have lots of personality. They’re mod, too, so you can make yours giant or the opposite, and are also 277L each. Bonus detail: Frowny PAYUP! is brandishing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle dollars.

Rachel’s shop is full of great stuff, and there is a lot I didn’t have room to feature. Follow the noise and get down to Rachel Breaker’s soon — and swing by the Gatcha Gatcha Fair while you’re at it!

Rachel Breaker in Cioccolata: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/219/205/62

Have fun,
Mako

Estamos aqui presentes no PhotoShow Etapa Nordeste, que acontece em Salvador Bahia. Acabamos de assitir a palestra com Danilo Russo que nos falou sobre a Produção de um Ensaio de Moda e Publicidade.

Danilo Ruso é italiano, mora no Brasil e faz diversos trabalhos na área de editorial de moda e publicidade por todo Brasil É conhecidíssimo no seu trabalho pelo seu talento. Extremamente habilidoso no set, Danilo Russo mostra como dirigir uma modelo, produzir uma boa iluminação e como vender bem o seu trabalho.

Assista trecho da abertura do evento:

Visite seu site: http://www.danilorusso.com.br/_danilo/index.html

Mako here! Been a while, so I have lots to show you this week. The Gatcha Gatcha Fair is still going strong in Cioccolata, and there are even some new items in machines. Like these Random Kitten garbage carts (20L each), which are new releases and really fun to pull around — looks like you’re working hard to clean up the sim.

Random Kitten also has these great wearable, rideable Halloween Moons, just 10L each. These are popular, and you usually see someone wearing one around Cioccolata. They’re great for Halloween and come in several different colors and styles. I’m sitting on the rusty version, Rach is posing on the jewel version.

Fishy Strawberry has some cool colored Fae-ban sunglasses that are 30L each. They’re fun to wear with the blabbits from the nearby rbcg machine. The blabbits come in several different versions, from bubblegum-chewing blabbits to a secret special rare blabbit, and are 20L each.

One of my favorite gatcha scores are these sunglasses from Melatonin Hax of Split Pea. These glasses are awesome and capture the illustrative artist spirit of Cioccolata and hand-drawn creativity in SL — and the machine is just 10L per try. She has hats and other wearables in her machine too, including mouth flowers and wheat-themed items, which I enjoyed.

Other favorites are the gatcha Halloween monsters from D-Lab. There are six total, and they’ve taken me over. There are even some animation options for the flying monsters! 20L gets you a piece of this amazing kawaii D-Lab style.

Mocorin has some great headbots called robogurumi, which are just 10L a pop. The grouchy dog (robogurumi moco) is my favorite.

There are quite a lot of glasses at the Gatcha Fair, and December’s No.26 specs are a nice buy at 30L. Designer MandyMandy McMillan’s glasses are usually several hundred lindens, so these are a good deal and a simple, classic style.

Finally, one gatcha machine I really had fun with was at Taklamakan — this machine is in front of the shop, near the fair machines but not out in the middle of the neighborhood like the others. These karururyatu heads come in a bunch of different colors and are lots of fun to wear. And they’re just 10L each, so keep trying until you get the secret rare one.

Much more to come! The Gatcha Gatcha Fair is filled with amazing stuff. Meanwhile, right next door, the Autumn Fair has started in Albero, so be sure to swing by for both events.

Have fun,
Mako

Cioccolata Gatcha Gatcha Fair: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/166/149/62

New image in the cats photography contest

…
Mako photography picture

Mako here, getting in with a big last minute post to showcase the final round of my Gatcha Gatcha Fair finds. The fair runs through the 31st, so get over there while you can and hit those machines up for lots of fun stuff!

Isruel has an awesome old-school Nintendo-style video game HUD for 20L in their machine. Click the HUD to rez the brick box, then jump to knock the bricks… just like Mario.

Outside the Tresor Kowloon store, you’ll find a gatcha machine that dispenses a variety of mouth grenades for just 10L. The sign cautions: “Don’t Eat the ATRocket”… The same sign also says: Explode OK!

Meriken Co. has a gatcha machine full of sweaters — these are some of the few wearables for men at the Gatcha Fair, so I wanted to give them a shoutout. 55L gatcha play gets you a sweater in both male and female versions, and there are several styles available.

Cache-Cache was hands down my favorite gatcha for Halloween themed items. There are 14 items total in this gatcha, and it’s not too late to get over there if you need a toy or costume for a Halloween event. Here’s there gatcha ad, you can see the variety of items available (ghost avatars, flying brooms, wands, witch wearables and more). All for just 30L per play.

The Cache-Cache closets can be used year round and come with poses built in. They’re low-prim and come in several colors, and are a nice find.

The Cache-Cache Witch Broom is amazing. It spouts stars and sparkles and looks fantastic. And the lovely Rach is sitting on her broom wearing the Cache-Cache Witch Dress. All these items are in the Cache-Cache gatcha for 30L each.

A gatcha stop that deserves another mention is Split Pea. I showcased the funky handdrawn space glasses in my last post. Here’s a look at more items in the machine, from wearable wheat to flower pots to cowboy hats. These items are all just 10L.

Random Kitten added another gatcha machine at some point along the way (there are three total, and I’ve showcased each one — the ridable moons and the garbage carts are in the other two machines). Now, for just 20L per play, you can snag yourself some excellent crazy cocktails. My favorite is the Purple Haze. It literally knocks you out, so consume with caution.

Remember, the Gatcha Gatcha Fair ends October 31st, so get over here while you can!

Cioccolata Gatcha Gatcha Fair: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hyssop/209/130/62

Have fun,
Mako