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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQAmC_O8Ec2pjgF9uSzZMTQLeH7gD9BSPO2O0

A friend was on the mind of Vince Gilligan, executive director of "Breaking Bad," when the role of Walter Jr. was formed. Gilligan said he was thinking of a dear college pal, a man "with an infectious personality," who died in recent years.

"It must have been I wanted to represent him in such a fashion when I created the character of Walter Jr.," Gilligan told a recent industry forum on the hiring and portrayal of people with disabilities. "There was no reason for him to have cerebral palsy. It just seemed like, 'Why Not?' There's no better reason than that, I suppose."

http://titanpublishing.com/iphone/
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the first ever screening of Wallace and Gromit, we are delighted to present their first ever digital comic, the first of which will be FREE for a limited time!




THE W-FILES

When strange shapes and flashing lights are seen in the night sky, there are only two paranormal investigators that can solve the problem. Sadly they aren’t available, Wallace and Gromit might as well have a crack at it. After all, what could possibly go wrong?
Download for FREE at the Apple App Store

sixwordstories
Whether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.

Tags: flash fiction, sixwordstories

dailyfoodie
Delicious, ambitious, and occasionally nutritious dishes make for an eclectic, all-you-can-eat feast. Whether you're searching for recipes for your next dinner party or you're jonesing for a late-night brownie fix, your cravings are sure to be well sated. A warm and inclusive community that welcomes all orientations, from carnivores to vegans, from gourmands to junk-food junkies. Guaranteed bias-free, food-positive, and pan-epicurian.

Tags: dailyfoodie, food, photography

Some gorgeous portraits courtesy of the lovely Frank Spotnitz

Start here:
http://network.biglight.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=grovesa16&page=1


These photos here:
http://network.biglight.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=grovesa16&page=8

http://www.mitchpileggi.net/Mitch_Pileggi/Greys/Greys_Anatomy_6_06/default.htm
http://www.mitchpileggi.net/Mitch_Pileggi/Greys/Greys_Anatomy_6_08/default.htm
http://www.mitchpileggi.net/Mitch_Pileggi/Anarchy/Season_2/Fa_Guan_Caps/default.htm

and Latimes blog review says he is 'superb'
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/11/greys-anatomy-jessica-capshaw-shines-as-arizona-robbins.html

Gay characters make problems for Scholastic | csmonitor.com

Will they or won’t they? That had been the question. Would a book with a pair of gay characters appear at Scholastic’s book fairs? If not, there was angry talk of a boycott. And if so, well, there is also angry talk of a boycott. The book in question is a novel called “Luv Ya Bunches” by Lauren Myracle. The book is aimed at readers ages 9 to 12 and it tells the story of four girls with nothing in common except that they are all named for flowers. Basically, it’s a story of friendship and the trials and triumphs of growing up, but it appears that children’s book publishing giant Scholastic had a concern about including “Luv Ya Bunches” in its elementary school book fairs this fall due, in part, to the fact that one of the girls in story has a pair of same-sex parents. At least, that’s what was reported by School Library Journal.

“Don’t expect to see Lauren Myracle’s new book ‘Luv Ya Bunches’ at Scholastic school book fairs this year,” wrote SLJ. “It’s been censored – at least for now – due to its language and homosexual content.”

Myracle told SLJ that Scholastic had asked her to remove the gay characters from her story if she wanted to see the book carried at the fairs. She  called the decision “appalling.” Scholastic defended the move. “Authors are often given the opportunity to make changes in the books to meet the norms of the various communities that host the fairs,” Kyle Good, a Scholastic spokeswoman told SLJ.

But now Scholastic says the book will appear – with gay characters intact – at middle school fairs in spring 2010.

(click here for the entire article)

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Comment at Librarians do it Between the Covers.

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

Tags: csi, photos of the week, postcards, rss, spam, writer's block

She died this past Monday from complications associated with her surgery.

This is terribly sad news. He wants to thank everyone for their help and support during her illness.

phil