NY judge: Marvel wins Spider-Man, X-Men lawsuit

By LARRY NEUMEISTER - Associated Press Writer | AP

NEW YORK (AP) — Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk can save the world from evil through superhuman feats, but it took a federal judge Thursday to decide who legally owns the rights to their lucrative characters.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon ruled that they and other Marvel Worldwide Inc. superheroes will remain the property of the company, despite claims by heirs to the artist who played a key role in creating them that they are entitled to the copyrights.

The Manhattan judge cited statements made by artist Jack Kirby before his 1994 death to support her finding that his creations must remain Marvel's property.

She noted that he said in a 1986 affidavit that he did his work at a time when it was common practice that vested ownership of his creations belonged to the company that paid him to draw. She said he also signed a written agreement in the spring of 1972, well after the creation of the characters, admitting that he was not entitled to retain ownership of the work.

Marvel filed a federal lawsuit in January 2010 seeking to invalidate 45 notices sent by Kirby's heirs to try to terminate Marvel's copyrights, effective on dates ranging from 2014 through 2019. The comics were published between 1958 and 1963. Those at issue in the case included The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, The Mighty Thor, Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men, The Avengers, Ant-Man, Nick Fury and The Rawhide Kid.

Marvel had said the work was done "for hire," a legal term that would render the heirs' claims invalid. McMahon said the plain language of contracts she reviewed made it clear that all of Kirby's work for publications owned by Marvel was work for hire. She said the 1909 copyright law that applies to the case presumed that Marvel was considered the author and owner of Kirby's creations because the characters were made at Marvel's expense.

McMahon said the case had parallels to one involving a book about Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's account of World War II. A federal appeals court concluded in that case that the book was created at the expense of the publisher and thus was a work for hire.

"Like Eisenhower, Kirby took on none of the risks of the success of the many comic books he helped produce. His contribution to the enterprise was plainly critical, but Marvel, not he, bore the risk of its failure," she wrote.

A lawyer for the Kirby family did not immediately return a telephone call for comment. Kirby is survived by his wife and their four children.

In a statement, The Walt Disney Co., which purchased Marvel in 2009, said: "We are pleased that in this case, the judge has confirmed Marvel's ownership."

___

Follow Larry Neumeister at http://twitter.com/Lneumeister

Stolen from J.S. Wayne

Writer: (n) A supernatural creature with the ability to alchemically transform caffeine, nicotine, and a dictionary into literature.

J.S. Wayne [Red Roses and Shattered Glass,available now at www.nobleromance. com or www.amazon.com!]

Lucas loses UK battle over stormtrooper helmets by JILL LAWLESS - Associated Press | AP

LONDON (AP) — The Empire has struck out.

Britain's Supreme Court on Wednesday defeated a bid by George Lucas' company to stop a prop designer making and selling replicas of the iconic stormtrooper helmets from the "Star Wars" films. The court did, however, prevent him from selling them in the United States.

Andrew Ainsworth sculpted the white helmets worn by the sinister galactic warriors in the original "Star Wars" film in 1977, and now sells replica costumes, made from the original molds, over the Internet. Lucasfilm Ltd. has been trying for years to stop him, in a battle that has climbed through the British courts.

Lucasfilm's lawyers argued that the stormtrooper suits are sculptures and therefore works of art covered by British copyright law. Two lower courts ruled in 2008 and 2009 that the costumes were props, not artworks, and so covered by a much shorter copyright period that has now expired.

The country's highest court on Wednesday upheld those decisions. The panel of five judges said "it was the 'Star Wars' film that was the work of art that Mr. Lucas and his companies created. The helmet was utilitarian in the sense that it was an element in the process of production of the film."

But the judges agreed with Lucasfilm's lawyers — and a lower court — that Ainsworth had violated Lucas's copyright in the United States by selling costumes there.

Ainsworth's attorney, Seamus Andrew, said that means the designer may have to pay damages to Lucasfilm for the U.S. sales, but they are likely to be minor because he did not sell much merchandise there. The judges said Ainsworth had sold between $8,000 and $30,000 worth of goods in the U.S.

Andrew said that on the broader issue, "our client won, without a doubt."

He said the Supreme Court had been asked: "Could our client continue to manufacture and sell replica helmets and suits of armor without any form of license from George Lucas? And he can."

Ainsworth, 62, said he was delighted.

"I am proud to report that in the English legal system David can prevail against Goliath if his cause is right," he said. "If there is a Force, then it has been with me these past five years."

Lucasfilm said that "unfortunately" the court had upheld an "anomaly of British copyright law under which the creative and highly artistic works made for use in films — which are protected by the copyright laws of virtually every other country in the world — may not be entitled to copyright protection in the U.K."

The eminent Supreme Court judges may be experts in law, but their ruling revealed gaps in their knowledge of science fiction. The judgment said the "Star Wars" movies are set "in an imaginary, science-fiction world of the future."

Film fans know that they take place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."

Sexy, Romantic Stories for Your Mobipocket Reader

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The Good Old Days: Pre-Internet Sex—Prairie Family Whores

Two concepts that never mix quite properly in our mind’s eye are Sex and Old West. Think about those two things … together. You’re still inclined, or trained, well, we all are, to never really think of those two … together. Yeah, the men are aloof, tough and say “Yes, ma’am”; plus, the women are all either virgins—whether girls or women—or clean and happy whores.

But, then there’s human nature, reality, and taxes; more on these later.


[Good whore "Miss Kitty" with "friend"
Marshall Matt Dillon in TV's "Gunsmoke"]

Although I love his characters, American author Louis L’Amour (1908-88), king of the cowboy story, with his lone man against the elements and against other men (That’s gay!), and of course the one lone woman, in which he shows masculine, but gentlemanly interest.

She’s now a widow and clearly destined to be with “lone man,” after the book, while she’s presently living, uh, stranded on the prairie, alone, because her stupid and missing husband has actually gotten himself killed in an accident, after moving her out into the wide, flat nowhere, where any stray rapist male or wild animal (Hm, the same thing?) might….

Two sexless, American western frontier people, who are probably wearing out their wet, little fingers and hairy, hard palms far out of sight of violent but sexless L’Amour’s typewriter.

We’ve been encouraged by film and elementary history, but human nature negates our teachings. That long ago life was much less like sexless Gunsmoke and closer to “there’s sex in this story; but we don’t really dwell too much on it” with sweetie, white teen Natalie Wood being kidnapped, from the prairie, as a little girl (little sister in a pinafore Lana Wood) and sexed up by a “blue-eyed faux,” middle aged red Indian—.

“Oh, the mixing of the races and premature, not properly married under a Christian ceremony! Rescue her so we can humiliate her. But, at least she’s not preg—.” In John Ford’s The Searchers.


[Unknown Deadwood, Arizona prostitute]
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/sd-deadwoodpaintedladies.html]

Nope, those long ago days are closer to HBO’s Deadwood meets Little House; Bowdlerized, cleansed for youth fiction commerce and general-rated American entertainment; our descendants purifying the family links.

In 1865, newspaper editor Horace Greeley said, “Go West, young man,” and his words were a major drive for decades, along with found gold, silver, old growth timber, and the general advertising of adventuring, which sent men west.

And when these men got West, they discovered their cocks were hard, dry, and cuntless; since they’d left wives and girlfriends back East, because adventurin’ was man’s work (Fun!!!) or because they felt they hadn’t enough gold, silver, or whatever to afford a “good” woman, or any woman, as wife.

“Women are expensive, boy; but shore are convenien’, when the gonads get to achin’.”

So in a land filled with squaw rapists looking for white meat, enter adventurous women, desperate women, or women abandoned, or whatever. They came West, too.

Some “found men,” like a “good” woman should, to “take care of” them, way out in the middle of nowhere, far out on the scratchy, dusty, yards deep sod where stray, lonely men occasionally stop in for hospitality and a woman cooked meal….

John Ford again, with his half blind, eye patched view, and with a song and a passing of the jug, too. Or would that be a passing of the jugs.


[Actress Megan Fox as old west prostitute for film "Jonah Hex"
http://chud.com/articles/content_images/5/meganfoxjonahhex.jpg]

Well, think about all that western stuff in our heads and synthesize it with true human nature, and the cold reality of self- and family-interest/survival. What’s more important to them, raised on the Holy Bible, especially the mean Old Testament, which talked about a host protecting omnipotent Angels from violent and sexual men by pushing his own daughters out to these men, which he did. Gladly.

Yes, this is in the Old Testament and there’s a thing of ancient hospitality and a general disrespect in the Bible for sex-aged women, too; but that’s another comment.

What was more important to those in the Old West, because our grandparents spouted that same kind of reasoning, such as giving charity, but never accepting it.

Do you think these men ever wanted to suffer the humiliation of returning—unsuccessful and whipped—to their old eastern homes, as masculine failures? With their hand out for: charity, food, and a roof over their heads?

What wouldn’t they do to prevent that?

Greeley was a city guy, and probably never farmed a day in his life. Farming’s hard and weather erratic, cattle ranching, too; what is safely consistent are a man’s needs: drink, food, occupation, and women, well, something or someone in which to stick his cock.

Which makes him start to think and reason when his single friends come to his soddy house and eventually get around to asking, then begging, provided they’re nice and not overly violent enough to just take:

“Can I fuck your wife, please, please, please. I’d let you fuck my wife. How about the girl, she’s small; but at full woman’s price, a bargain.”

So, what’s more important to a husband and father, like that: not appearing to be or actually becoming a failure? Or their wife or daughter’s “purity,” “honor,” “innocence”?

“…pay your taxes, finally put down payment on that new plow blade.”

It’s a heartbreaking bit of reality, after all that virginity, Bible talk they were raised on, to find they’re not with fantasy King Solomon worshipping his fantasy woman but locked in the reality of what aloof, tough frontier men can really be like, when they’re cunt deprived, and you have a cunt.

And dad needs cash not grain, not cows, to pay the taxes, or the bank, or he loses everything.

“One hour with the girl.”

Or dad’s found that working a farm or ranch is harder than he thought, being a city kid, who “went West.”

“Forty-five minutes?”

Or he has done it before, but this isn’t lush Ohio with perfect farming land, this is cutting through yards of hard saw grass, pounded down by a few million years of tons of bison herds, before you can even get to the great farm land way beneath it. Oh, yeah, and the grasshoppers and locusts will eat all your grain you’re growing, so you have nothing to feed the cows or sell for cash.

“Fifteen minutes and I’ll marry her, if I get her with child.”

The frontier was a place where women died before their time, or prayed they would, because of the hard work, roving men, and bad birthing techniques, plus refusal of men to wear condoms (Just like many today! And those were the really thick kind then; but, that wasn’t the reason.).


[Old West prairie sod house family;
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Rawding_family_sod_house.jpg]

“Good” women, if they knew what they were for, would refuse to have condoms, or “French Letters,” in their presence because men only wore those with whores, and a “good” woman’s not a whore. Of course not, she’s a yearly baby making machine, who’ll be replaced with a new wife to tend all her kids she left behind, when her uterus explodes and bleeds her out dead.

Ick. But true.

“What did you say? How much you’ll pay me, f-for…?”

“Steve’s interested, too. And Whitey. You could make serious progress on that bull stud.”

And, not so suddenly, your fourteen or so aged daughter is old enough for marriage, which her wedding trousseau will cost you.

Or her whoring, which pays you.

But, gentle reader, don’t think of a fourteen or twelve year old in that time as a teenager or adolescent, because both terms in the manner in which we use them, as implying a time between childhood and adulthood, which is extended childhood not true adulthood, didn’t exist then.

You were a child; you were grown. Children in England, in the 1800s could give consent for sex and sell their bodies at age eight or (If luckier?) begin their work lives in general. At least this way, it stays in the family.

—Neale Sourna

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Neale Sourna's North Coast Academies' Diary (NCAD),Vol. 4, Issue 1 [Vol. 4.1]

ISSN 1553-8656
Volume: 4
Number: 1
Neale Sourna’s North Coast Academies’ Diary

Tad: The Switch-hitter, His Twink, and His Teacher--A Lust Novella (M/M/M)


[edit]

“Undress me, Thaddeus.”

Yes!! I screamed within me, because he likes us to be controlled and civil, if not fully civilized, in his presence; I merely nodded, and began.

He has a lean, tight body; well-muscled and fine, and he swims, in the school pool, in Speedos™ swim trunks, and thank God for that sopping, dripping wet, minimal bit of material over his big, fleshy cock and fine, muscular ass.

It’s his best outfit. Fucking yes! And I’m not the only one in school who knows so.
But, I can’t say how many times I’ve imagined nor dreamed of Dr. Hupper coming out of the pool, water streaming heavily down his lean-sculpted, brown body, to stand in front of me, pull his meaty cock out of his clinging wet trunks, and command me to kneel and put its spongy fat mushroom head, into my hot, wet mouth.

His wish is my great eagerness.

After I hungrily taste him my first time, he seizes me by the hair and pushes his full, rigid length down my stretched throat, into my guts.

Then, having had me that way, he’d make me turn around on all fours to present my ass to him, and he’d, with ruthless force, tug down my dressy school trousers—somehow I always have them on, not trunks, or just be naked; huh, the illogic of dreams and even of daydreams full of fucking weird subconscious and emotional subtext.

Dr. Hupper would piss on and into my hole, his lube of choice, and then penetrate me, spear my tan ass wide with his black cock, right there at poolside, as the swim team practices their laps, as he, literally, rides my ass, banging his heavy, great, black balls against my own tan ones, until we both cum to our destinations.
Fuck dreams, this is real.

Dr. Hupper was bare to his dark, six pack waist. He reached up and pushed down on my taller shoulder, a gesture I’ve used with Cassie and other lucky cocksuckers of all sexes and cock - in - ass holders, oh, so many times.

I kneeled my paler, naked self down before him, in this worshipful reality not a fucking, frustrating dream, and undid his trousers, sliding them down, anticipating the dual pleasures of seeing that monster completely undressed and close to my face, in clear light, without a desk over my head, and to palm my fairer-skinned hands over his hard buttocks and down his flat belly and hard thighs, pushing his pants all the way down, as his ass-busting monster sprung out from his deliciously musky and hairy balls to kiss me.

God, it was gorgeous and he smelled great, and sexy. He made my mouth water.

[edit]

Dr. Hupper pushed his body into mine, his fat cock pulsing hot and deep in me, bare and hard, like he was trying to shove his entire slim, dark-skinned, muscular body inside of mine, cock fucking first into my bowels, until they’d burst out my belly with him.

He felt so damn good, too, throbbing hard with the pulse of his heart, squirting and squirting more and more of his lust cream into the center of me, warming my belly from the nether end this time, as my ass sphincter grasped and sucked on him—-the best its ever tasted.

And I should know, that his cum’s the best; since I’ve tasted and swallowed belly’s full of distilled Dr. Hupper love juice—-quarts and quarts.

He loves seeing me do it, too.

Extra credit, under his desk, like a fucking cheap whore, in case the janitor or principal has something to say to him.

[edit]

He blinked at the closest wall mirror, while gazing at me from it, his angry features softening, as if the visual I’d mentioned—of him with me, while I’m with Quen—-had finally just materialized before his mind’s eye and the sensual possibilities of it....

“You and Quen?” He looked at me, directly. “You? Sandwiched? Between us?”

All right. He was intrigued. I went to him, on my knees on his bed, his toy boy, play toy begging Master’s great favor and condescending indulgence.

Iago couldn’t have done better to seduce Othello.

“Sir, I’ll fuck Quen like he’s a wet, horny bitch, which he is, jam it in his pink, puckered shithole, his virgin pink hole between those slim, tight white halves of asscheeks, and stretch him wide, bang the boy, hard tan scrotum to tender pink scrotum, like he’s dreamed it.

“I’ll pound him to jelly, sir, make him cry for joy for the rough trade, right in front of you, for your eyes and pleasure only. And I’ll jerk his rosy cock and balls, so hard, they’ll explode like shrapnel when he blows his load, when I finally permit him to blow his aching load, totally controlling him, like you control me, like you just did; but you’ll .”

He looked over my shoulder and I’m pretty certain he was gazing at my asscheeks still rosy from his pounding, still slick with ass love gel. He smiled just a bit, like he does in class, pleased—-I bet he was thinking that my bowels were filled with his cream, marking his territory inside me.

“You’d be fucking that sweet, young boy, and I’d be fucking you, my cock whore, deep, again, in that snug and willing young ass of yours.”

That’s what I wanted to hear. I waited. Bottoms wait all the time for their Tops to catch the infection of their Bottoms’ desires.

He gazed a long time into my hazel brown eyes, shining bright for him, and I didn’t stare him down nor look away, until he finally jerked his chin at me, a gesture anyone in his class knows well.

It means, “Proceed.”

[edit]

Not more than ten minutes passed before someone knocked softly at the back door, like a cat scratching to get in. I let Quen in; he was rosy red cold and shivering; I’d brought him along with me, since Dr. Hupper’s place was pretty far away from home.

The busses are irregular for most suburbs this late in the evening, and Quen doesn’t have transportation.

I’d left him a few blocks away for our mentor’s safety—-two pretty teen boys slipping into his back door at the same time? That just screams sex.

My inferior, my fellow classmate, slim Quen, warmed to the matter, instantly with delight, to see me so close, completely naked, and smelling of man sex, as I led him through the kitchen into the dining room.

His tight, faux leather pants tented, and then nearly ripped apart at his inseam and zipper when beautiful Dr. Hupper and his naked black rod came into view.

I petted and gently squeezed Quen’s eager offering-—but not too hard a squeeze, I didn’t want him shooting off just yet; especially, if his skinny jeans hid the rocket explosion from view.

I petted the boy all over his body, as I peeled his jacket and tight clothes off his slim body, for Dr. Hupper’s viewing, revealing Quen’s nearly completely untanned, hairless, white skin with the “girl pink” nipples, as we call his nibs in school, where some of the guys find his nipple color “disturbing.”

Oh, yeah, I think that’s pretty funny and indicative of some kind of fear of possible latent homosexuality or latent bisexuality or whatever.

Personally, I always thought his rather large aureoles looked tasty and something I’d love to jack cum on one day, if not today. This evening we had so much to do, in so little time.

I’d tugged down his skintight pants and undies, his white ass even whiter than the rest of his so damn white skin, then took the boy’s stiff pink love toy in hand.
It was already maddened to a soft purple.

And it would be clear to anyone, if they’d been in the room or just outside a window peering in through the heavy and drawn draperies, that nearly swooning Quen was “putty in my hand.”

Hard putty—-a generous amount of it, for such a little guy.

Dr. Hupper came to us and I released Quen and pushed him, stumbling with his clothes tripping him, to our teacher, who slid his large black hand down the boy’s white, hairless belly, the pale skin turning rosy red with easy lust wherever we touched.

Then, Dr. Hupper felt around Quen’s young and eager cock, without touching it, feeling the soft, but firm texture of Quen’s hairless nads, like sweet, young fruit about to give up its tasty juice to anyone lucky enough to take it in warm hand and exploring fingers, squeezing gently, to test its ripenes .

“Ah!” Quen stiffened more, the tension spreading to his body, as if he were about to cum, just from such brief contact with an older man’s hand, our professor’s gentle and black manly hand.

Ah, the power of imagination, anticipation, and desire.

“You’re killing Quen, sir.”

“He’ll rise again, for us, won’t you, sweet, young Quen?”

“Uh-huhn, yesss. Pleesh.”

Already Quen couldn’t talk, as I took a hand to him, too, stroking his rosy rod, as we men both tightened our ruthless grip on the boy, making him rise up on his sneakered toes, tight pants and undies around his calves and ankles, as he went ever more rigid all over, unti—.

[edit, tons more…]

22 horny chapters, 25,139 words total

***Back Issues of “Neale Sourna’s North Coast Academies’ Diary” [NCAD] http://north.neale-sourna.com

[22 horny chapters, 25,139 words]

Gorgeous, biracial rich kid, Tad, gets whoever he wants, male or female, and he has a relentless hard on for his English professor, Dr. Hupper, whose magnificent black cock Tad's stuffed down his eager, tan-white throat and given hand jobs; but, youngster Tad wants serious, naked alone time with his favorite teacher's ebony body.

While fellow student, Quen "the queen," a blonde twink, whose smooth and hairless, boy toy ass virginity is reserved for Top Tad. Bottom boy Quen's in love and dying to be his doormat and cum catcher.

So, do you think delicious Tad will get BOTH of his conquests in one room, in one bed, all completely naked, with himself sandwiched between his Quen's sweet bottom and that masterful black assbuster?

Oh, I know my greedy Switch boy Tad will.
-----------------------------
Mutual handjob masturbation, in classroom, with teacher, after school, with hidden classmate voyeur Quen the queen twink watching; mild humiliation, as a teen Top gives his teen Bottom final permission to whack off, then lick cum off the scuffed class floor-yuck!;

An invitation to a favorite professor's sex hideaway for a little fuck fun, with black cock in biracial (white / black) teen student's tan ass;

A surprise for teach is teen Top bringing his teen twink Bottom, who gets his first ass filling, sucks his Top's tan cock in front of prof and then gets to be bottom layer, on his back, of a three-way male sandwich of white bread ass, thick tan meat, and long, black cock.

Plenty of cocksucking, assfucking, ball banging, and squirting, creamy cum!

These naughty boys put on a great show and are insatiable, even when they're fucked red raw, they want more, in the shower, in the car home, in the garage with the Top, his Twink, and his hard cocked Top Twin.

Plus, a couple of hot, golden showers and a sexy real shower or two.

22 horny chapters, 25,139 words total
All On Sale NOW: MS Reader, Mobipocket / Kindle and other formats coming soon!

New Spring Reads, New Summer Reads, New Fun Reads--Great Sexy Books/Ebooks, Fiction for Adults--On Sale, All Summer From PIE: Percept and Neale Sourna

Available, erotica romance author Neale Sourna’s new short story series [5000 words or more] “North Coast Academies’ Diary, Volume 1, Number 1, Laila: Cozy With Daddy,” with more issues to com; “Steve’s Monkey’s Paw & MORE,” a new sampler of short stories and novels excerpts; and a reprint/update of a romance award-winner BlackRefer.com Best Erotica Winner of 2004 “Hobble”--for readers and lovers of great storytelling from and about multiracial, interracial, African, and Native American contemporary literature.

Cleveland, OH (Press Release)

Publisher PIE: Perception Is Everything’s all-seeing-eye logo is overseeing its primary author erotica romance writer Neale Sourna’s new and revised book and journal issue catalog releases.

Just available are:

** an exciting new short story series, each published individually or in small groups [5000 words or more] “North Coast Academies’ Diary [NCAD], Volume 1, Number 1, Laila: Cozy With Daddy” [ISBN 0-9741950-5-7, ISSN 1553-8656, erotic obsession fiction, available as ebook Adobe/MS only at present, print version later this year] Neale Sourna’s NCAD is usually one short story per issue [i.e., approx. 5000 words / approx. 15 6.14”x9.21” story issue pgs], under the theme of sexual diary/journal entries of an academic community;

** “Steve’s Monkey’s Paw & MORE” [104 pages, US$3.95 SRP; also ebook Adobe, MS Reader], a new sampler of short stories [horror, enslavement, love, romance, and more] plus new novel and novella excerpts are included; and

** a reprint/update of a romance award-winner BlackRefer.com Best Erotica Winner of 2004 “Hobble” which also has bonus story materials [novel, explicit, 291 pages trade paperback, also ebooks Adobe, MS Reader, Palm, phone orders for print only 1-877-BUY-BOOK.

All for readers and lovers of great storytelling from and about multiracial, interracial, African, and Native American contemporary literature. No loincloths here, until Neale’s western is fully published.

Neale says, “I like and or have been compared to Zane, Jaid Black, and Anne Rice, but I see more parallel with Emily Bronte’s wild, sensual, sensuous, and mildly incestuous ‘Wuthering Heights’ in my stories; highly passionate, but with more sex and lovemaking, lots more. My hip-hop artist nephew recently came up with this -- ‘sex, romance, deception, manipulation, and vindication’ -- as his take on ‘Hobble,’ which is a good standard of my work in general. I’m adding his quote to my marketing. I also love that many have commented that they can’t get the novel back from their significant other. I love when they’re passionate about my storytelling and I love writing for adults and not family-oriented only. Remember, mature-rated is good, kids should have to wait like we did for the ‘good stuff,’ but we adults shouldn’t give up all that’s mature until the kids are grown enough. That’s ridiculous. The world’s not PG-rated, so why should daily, public, adult media pretend otherwise? Besides, which is more immediately corrupting, seeing murders and assaults on screen and in life or adults doing ‘icky and stupid stuff,’ like sex?”

“North Coast Academies’ Diary” Volume 1, Number 1-- “Laila: Cozy With Daddy” -- Brainy, multiracial, private school virgin, Laila, chooses her handsome seducer for her deflowering. 7857 words;

“Steve’s Monkey’s Paw and MORE” -- Steve is a horrid bad boy, envious of friend Alex’s turn-around attitude with his soon-to-be new love, Kara, but grandma’s monkey’s paw, gives Steve complete control over anyone he wants; even Alex’s sweet new lady; against her will.... Plus more, there are more stories published [PLAYGIRL] and fascinating excerpts from more novels soon to come.

“Hobble” -- Bennet Gillespie, a successful, yet burned out half Native American medical professional, a healer with psychic talent, crashes into a recuperating “innocent” beauty on the beach; beginning an obsessive and intense sexual triangle with the seductive, young African American, DAY, who’s jealously guarded by Hopkins, her overbearing, elderly British stepfather, and lover. [Neale is the model of Hobble’s cover, in full character as the deadly beauty, DAY]

Handsome Benn’s a genius and a master manipulator, but he could, in fact, literally lose his heart, his life, and his soul to the "knife-happy," legally insane Day, who’s desperate to be free of the prison mental ward lockdown to which she will be returned when the old man dies and free of this wealthy, well-connected man, who may have crippled her, and whom Benn may yet discover that their incestuous bond is closer by blood than she says.

Who is Neale Sourna?

Neale’s first novel to publish "Hobble" won the BlackRefer.com Year's Best Erotica Award and has published with PLAYGIRL Magazine, Distant Echoes military veterans’ magazine, and around the internet.

Neale’s favorite compliments she's received as a writer include an astonished comment from rocker-publisher Johnny Temple of Akashic Books and Girls Against Boys who, after reading his first excerpt of "Hobble" said he completely believed Neale was a man, which she plainly isn't in person. She says she hopefully is "a dude, mentally, when writing from a guy’s POV; which is a gift not a fetish." Another compliment comes from Traci, a young business owner in Cleveland who says Neale’s writing to her is better than Zane’s. Wow! So do we.

Visit the publisher at http://www.PIE-Percept.com/pr.htm and most online search engines for more detailed information and excerpts of Neale's works. Search Amazon and other online stores, or ask your local brick and mortar store to order Neale’s works.

###

Tyra Banks Is Enrolled at Harvard Business School

Tyra Banks has been attending Harvard Business School since last year. [Yeah! Hoped she'd be this smart--to return and upgrade her schooling and future; and she is.]

Enrolled in the Harvard Owner/President Management Program, the model-turned-mogul, 37, is intent on building her business savvy. "It's pretty exclusive," she told CBS News.

Pricey too. Banks is shelling out $31,000 a year to spend just three weeks on campus for three years. "But I feel like it is so, so worth it," she said. "In order for my company to grow and be the best, and to reach these women, and to serve them, I needed the best. So I went to the best."

The ex Victoria's Secret stunner has been interested in going back to school since dropping out of Loyola Marymount University to purse modeling at age 17. "The day I put college on hold because I got discovered....was one of the most difficult decisions of my entire life," she said.

So how do classmates react to the model-student? "I get mixed reactions," she said. "There are little facial expressions....The chin goes back, like, 'Really?'...it's like why is a model going to Harvard? But that's actually a good thing, because when people have low expectations, you're just constantly going, 'Ta-da!' And they're like 'Wow.' It doesn't take a lot to wow them."

Dwayne McDuffie Dead at 49, But He Rules Forever

On February 21, 2011, one day after his 49th birthday, McDuffie died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, of complications from emergency heart surgery. He lived at the time in nearby Sherman Oaks, California. He was survived by his wife and his mother.

Dwayne Glenn McDuffie (February 20, 1962 – February 21, 2011) was an African-American writer of comic books and television, known for creating the animated television series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited (JLAU), and co-founding the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic-book company Milestone Media.

Donnie Darko_Yeah!!! S. Darko_Fuck No.

Just rewatched the original Donnie Darko, not the Director's or the release with extra title explanations. Always excellent, profound, emotional.

The so-called sequel IS NOT. It is a clarion call for never letting your ownership rights to your best characters get away or abused, just like your live children.

It's not an homage; it doesn't respect the previous work as the makers have said elsewhere.

What it is is that someone had a new Red One camera (nice imaging in the film) and Fox or someone supplied some cash to get on the back of cult beloved Richard Kelly's creation Donnie (teen comedy, angst, thriller, mystery, family drama, psychological, sci-fi, and horror) combined all its subgenres perfectly, with affection, humor, and intelligence.

While the S.D. is a lesson in bad writing, bad direction, and bad producing; although they successfully made a film, but, however, made it incomprehensible and illogical and even nonsensical.

They clearly have not seen Donnie, or saw it and comprehended NOTHING; just looked at stills and pulled images, and then jumbled up motivations and established conventions.

You guys really didn't understand the water spirit spears, did you? Admit it, I know you didn't. Was he in alpha state wakefulness or full dream walking with eyes open? If you can't answer this question--and you can't--then you shouldn't have made this crap.

It makes no sense in any dimension, has no soul, and is only to be seen if you are a writer, director, producer or just someone wants to see how to take great images, some money, and then ENTIRELY MISS ALL THE POINTS and make something SO BAD IT HURTS.

The s. Darko group didn't get it. They didn't understand...

Seeing the TRUTH and completely understanding it, while all around you do not?

Do you understand SACRIFICE? Donnie's sacrifice?

And SAVING THE WORLD with the pain of your own love? Clearly NOT.

No One Can Live Without Fresh Water_Charity: Water

Every $1 invested in improved water supply and sanitation yields $4 - $12 in income. We think that's huge.

You may be able to double or triple your impact through your workplace! To see if your company matches donations visit www.charitywater.org/donate/match.php

'Miral' director Julian Schnabel gets Film's R-rating Overturned

Mar 10 2011

by Kate Ward

Image Credit: Jose Haro

The MPAA has overturned their R-rating of Julian Schnabel’s March 25 film, Miral. The feature, which stars Freida Pinto and follows the real-life story of a Palestinian girl coping with war while growing up in East Jerusalem, was slapped with an R-rating for “violent content, including a sexual assault.”

Schnabel and producer Jon Kilik argued that younger generations should be able to see such a film about a teenager, particularly one dealing with such a serious issue.

The MPAA listened by changing the rating to PG-13.

“I understand the MPAA is by nature a protective organization, but I felt very strongly that they didn’t need to protect teenagers from my film,” Schnabel said in a press release obtained by EW. “Quite the contrary, teenagers are the intended audience for Miral’s story. I am very happy the MPAA proved to be open minded and ultimately agreed.”

Miral is based on Rula Jebreal’s semi-autobiographical novel, also named Miral.

Why women really are better at almost everything: Q&A with author Dan Abrams

by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff, on Tue Mar 1, 2011

Contrary to jokes and one-liners, women are better drivers than men. They’re also better at getting the joke. And better with hammers. And video games. And social networking. And did we mention, they get dressed faster than guys? This isn’t opinion, it’s fact, and Dan Abrams can prove it.

In his new book, Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else, Abrams collects research from leading studies over the past few years to make the case for the ‘fairer’ sex.

A legal analyst for ABC News and former lawyer, he approached the topic as a defense attorney, using evidence that already exists to debunk popular myths about women.

“In nearly every field, statistics and studies show that women are better collaborators, are more cautious and more adept at navigating treacherous terrain,” writes Abrams in his book’s opening statement.

“I am not convinced that women as a group play basketball or read maps better than men. The evidence here will show, however, that women are living longer and evolving better than men.”

It takes a lot for a man to admit his own weaknesses (there’s a chapter on how women tolerate pain better), so we wondered why Abrams would make the case for women. Turns out, it’s a man’s job.


Shine: How did you decide to do this book?
Dan Abrams: I was hired to write a light article for a magazine about certain areas that women are better in than men. Some of the evidence surprised me, so I went and looked into the underlying research. Most of it was true, some was exaggerated, some anecdotal. But I kept finding more and more real studies and the evidence is compelling when you look at it all together. I couldn’t believe there’s been no major book about it.

Shine: Why now?
D.A.: There’s a lot more evidence now. A lot of the studies from the book are from the last three years. It’s only been in the last twenty or so years, that women have been on a relatively even playing field in terms of work to do many of these studies. We weren’t able to make fair comparisons before, because women were a fraction of the working world. Now we’re see women taking over the majority in many professions. But only recently has there been enough time to look back to compare men versus women and only recently has there been real interest.

Shine: Which gender is leading these studies?
D.A.: Of the studies I looked at, a vast majority of lead researchers are men, but the broad trend trackers are women.

Shine: What finding surprised you the most?
D.A.: I was most surprised at how conclusive the evidence was for the fact that women tolerate pain better. They endure more pain throughout their lives, in more bodily areas and with greater frequency, according to researchers at the University of Bath. According to the medical journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, women have an average of 34 more nerve fibers per square centimeter of facial skin, while men have an average of 17. New research is suggesting the fact that women tend to endure pain more makes them more immune to it. It’s the old aphorism, “That which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

Shine: Are women really better at tasting beer?
D.A.: The evidence is clear that women have a better sense of smell. In one study, researchers questioned whether men or women be better able to smell sweat behind fragrances, and women were fooled far less. But also they have a better sense of taste, and can apply it to just about anything. Taste is based on smell, as well as the number of taste buds a person has, and women are more likely to have a greater number of more-sensitive taste buds. And it’s not just beer that they’re better at tasting, but wine as well.

Shine: What about sports—men are better at sports, right?
D.A.: There’s no question that men have larger muscles, so they tend to be better at most sports. But there are certain areas—particularly endurance sports—where women are better. Studies show that estrogen is a disadvantage for muscle development but an advantage when it comes to endurance. Another advantage for women is that their bodies more efficiently process oxygen.

When it comes to ultra-marathons—say, a 135 mile race without sleep—women can beat men. It’s reflective of something we see throughout the book— when it comes to race of life, women won’t sprint but they'll run longer. In baseball terms, men may hit the home run but women hit the singles and doubles more often and end up with a better average. This is true in financial fields as well: women are better long-term investors.

Shine: It makes sense that women are hard-wired for endurance, considering another chapter in the book entitled, “Women Live Longer.”
D.A.: Women live an average of five years longer than men. The reasons for this are both genetic and behavior-based. First of all, women have stronger immune systems, again due to estrogen which aids the fight against disease-inducing enzymes. But women are also less likely to engage in risky behavior.

For example, I found that women are hit by lightning less often than men. That’s because the guy may not get off the roof when there’s a thunderstorm coming.

Shine: Does the same theory apply to women being safer drivers?
D.A.: Men are more likely to engage in reckless behavior, like driving drunk. One study found male drivers have 77 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than women. It’s translated to insurance rates, women have 7 percent lower rates on the whole because they’re less careless drivers.

In Australia, they actually petitioned to have more women bus drivers, because they found they’re more likely to treat buses better and have fewer accidents.

Shine: Bus drivers aren’t the only jobs women excel at, according to your research. What other jobs are women better at than men?
D.A.: Women were found to be less corruptible as cops. In both Lima, Peru and Volgograd, Russia where police corruption was a major issue, the governments campaigned to hire more women cops. There’s another study that women are more effective as political leaders than men.

It suggests, we’d be a better country if there were more women in the highest echelons of politics.

Shine: In the field of medicine, the findings are also in favor of women.
D.A.: One of the most definitive studies in the book was done in 2009 by the British government. They collected a database of information on all the investigations of medical misconduct or incompetence over a period of eight years. It was the largest study of medical performance ever.

They found that while forty percent of doctors were women, 80 percent of those under investigation were men.

In the U.S., there were similar findings. Male physicians were twice as likely to be sued as women.

Shine: With all this counter-evidence, why are women still subjected to the same old stereotypes?
D.A.: Women weren’t allowed to vote in this country 100 years ago. We’re still in the period of catch up. We still haven’t had a female president, or that many women running Fortune 500 companies. When we get to point of seeing just as many women in the top levels of every profession, that's when we'll see a sea change at lower levels.

Shine: How is the internet giving women more of an advantage?
D.A.: One of the clichés about women is that they’re more communicative—those who want to demean women say they like to gossip more. That’s a pejorative way of commenting on the fact that women are more involved in social media.

A 2010 study found women were six percent more exposed to social networking sites and spent more time on them. Other research found women were less likely to be victims of internet fraud.

Shine: Are you worried about backlash from men?
D.A.: I already had one men’s rights group send a petition to get me fired from my job. They wrote, “Dan Abrams is penning a sexist book claiming male inferiority.” But this book is not about my musings or opinions. This is me approaching the topic like a lawyer. Is there some hyperbole in the headline? Sure, but the reality is the trends here are significant and important.

The goal of this book is not be viewed as a feminist book but an objective book. Someone with no bias is examining the evidence and coming forth to say it’s compelling. I’ll get mocked by many men, but a woman who made the same findings would be discounted for writing this book because of her bias.

Shine: You've provided a lot of evidence that women are better at some of life's most important tasks. What are men better at?
D.A.: Men are better at parking, they’re better dieters, they have better distance vision, they read maps better. One study suggests they even treat their friends better.

But my next book won’t be about making the case for men. Overall I found that men’s biggest problem is that they’re too confident and women’s biggest problem is that they’re not confident enough. Truth is, I think the evidence is overwhelming in favor of women.

Character Dialog, Internet Suggestion: 21 phrases to use to help you FIGHT RIGHT with your sweetheart

by Gretchen Rubin, on Thu Feb 17, 2011

Almost all couples fight; the secret is to fight right.

I’ve posted before about what NOT to say during a fight. Here are some phrases that will actually help.

When the Big Man and I are arguing, I find that the single best technique to apply is HUMOR. If one of us can laugh and joke around, the crabby mood lifts instantly. But during an argument, it can be hard to see the funny side of things.

Failing that, here are twenty-one phrases that help turn down the heat of anger:

Please try to understand my point of view.
Wait, can I take that back?
You don’t have to solve this—it helps me just to talk to you.
This is important to me. Please listen.
I overreacted, I’m sorry.
I see you’re in a tough position.
I can see my part in this.
I hadn’t thought of it that way before.
I could be wrong.
Let’s agree to disagree on that.
This isn’t just your problem, it’s our problem.
I’m feeling unappreciated.
We’re getting off the subject.
You’ve convinced me.
Please keep talking to me.
I realize it's not your fault.
That came out all wrong.
I see how I contributed to the problem.
What are we really fighting about?
How can I make things better?
I’m sorry.
I love you.

I actually get tears in my eyes when I read this list. Such is the uplifting power of fighting right.

* Sign up for the Moment of Happiness, and each weekday morning, you'll get a happiness quotation in your email in-box. Sign up here or email me at gretchenrubin1 at gmail dot com (don't forget the "1").

One Sided STD/Cancer Protection FINALLY Drops the Other Shoe: Half of men (boys, too) may have HPV infections: study

By Julie Steenhuysen – Mon Feb 28 Reuters

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Half of men in the general population may be infected with human papillomavirus or HPV, the human wart virus that causes cervical and other cancers, strengthening the case for vaccinating boys against HPV, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

U.S. vaccine advisers have been weighing whether boys and young men should be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, as they already recommend for girls and young women, but some worry the vaccine is too costly to justify its use.

HPV infection is best known as the primary cause of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women worldwide. But various strains of HPV also cause anal, penile, head and neck cancers. Vaccinating men and boys would prevent some of these cancers.

Anna Giuliano of the H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues studied infection rates among more than 1,100 men aged 18 to 70 in the United States, Brazil and Mexico to get a snapshot of the natural progression of HPV infection in men.

"We found that there is a high proportion of men who have genital HPV infections. At enrollment, it was 50 percent," said Giuliano, whose study appears online in the journal Lancet.

The team also found that the rate at which men acquire new HPV infections is very similar to women.

And they found that about 6 percent of men per year will get a new HPV 16 infection, the strain that is known for causing cervical cancer in women and other cancers in men.

Vaccines made by Merck & Co and GlaxoSmithKline both offer protection against this strain of HPV.

"The biology seems to be very similar (to women)," Giuliano said in a telephone interview.

"What is different is men seem to have high prevalence of genital HPV infections throughout their lifespans."

She said it appears that women are better able to clear an HPV infection, especially as they age, but men do not appear to have this same ability.

Vaccine experts said the study builds momentum for widespread HPV vaccination among boys. [not just hysterical vaccinations and advertisements for girls]

Currently, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Gardasil vaccinations for girls and women between the ages of 11 and 26. Gardasil had sales of more than $1 billion last year.

And while doctors are free to use the vaccine in boys and men ages 9 through 26, U.S. health officials so far have declined to recommend routine vaccination for males. [they never do, they even pull all commercials about anything faulty in the male between belt and knees, if it isn't about getting and retaining a hard on and "more satisfaction"--not for jock itch, male smell, urinating frequently and need to wear diapers, etc]

"This study highlights the high incidence of HPV infection in men, which emphasizes their role in transmission of HPV to women," [EXACTLY! But the commercial advertisements NEVER mention this.] Dr. Anne Szarewski of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London said in a statement.

"It must surely strengthen the argument for vaccination of men, both for their own protection, and that of their partners."

In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Merck's Gardasil HPV vaccine for prevention of anal cancers in both men and women, based on studies showing Gardasil was effective in men who have sex with men, a group that has a higher incidence of anal cancer.

Anal cancer is one of the less common types of cancer, with an estimated 5,300 new U.S. cases diagnosed each year, but the incidence is increasing.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

The most typical face on the planet By Liz Goodwin

National Geographic Magazine released a video clip, below, showing the most "typical" human face on the planet as part of its series on the human race called "Population 7 billion."

The researchers conclude that a male, 28-year-old Han Chinese man is the most typical person on the planet. There are 9 million of them.

The image above is a composite of nearly 200,000 photos of men who fit that description.

Don't get used to the results, however. Within 20 years, the most typical person will reside in India.

You can check out the video below:

(Screenshot from National Geographic)

Human Character: 5 signs she’s into you By Cate Mitchell

You and a pretty redhead are tucked away in a corner table at that impossible-to-get-into new French bistro. And lo and behold, you notice she’s laughing at your jokes, twirling her hair, and giving other crystal-clear signs she’s into you.

Or is she?

Problem is, it can be hard to tell sometimes whether a woman is truly interested or just going through the motions. But luckily, there are plenty of ways to tell the difference. The signs below are the real deal.

1. She touches herself up

If she’s excusing herself to the restroom between courses, it’s doubtful she has a weak bladder. Nope, more likely she’s in there freshening up her makeup or making sure her hair is in place... all for you.

“If she’s into you, she’ll be concerned with how she looks,” says Alison James, author of the forthcoming Better Off Wed? “Or, if she’s at the table, she’ll be fixing her shirt or brushing her hair back, maybe checking that her bra strap isn’t showing or adjusting her necklace — the kind of stuff you do when you’re worried about your appearance.”

2. She asks about your family

“When a woman likes a guy, she doesn’t want to get to know just him,” says Jillian Straus, author of Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We’re Still Single. “She wants to know about his family and friends — she’s looking for clues about what life with him would be like.”

Indeed, especially if you’ve been set up or are on a blind date and know very little about each other, your relationship with your family says a lot about you — and a woman interested in you won’t hesitate to probe.

“I think family is very revealing about a person’s personality,” says Tina Andreadis, 35, of New York City. “If he’s close with his family, it shows that he’s probably a warm person who values relationships and who would want a family of his own. If I am not interested in him, I won’t even ask because I just don’t care.”

3. She’s attentive

Let’s put it this way: no matter how busy she is, she’s not whipping out her BlackBerry if she’s interested in what you have to say.

“If she’s not checking her watch, email or cell phone, it’s just one more sign that she’s paying attention to you,” says James. “When you like a guy, you’re hanging on his every word. When you don’t, you’re distracted easily.”

Same goes for any preoccupations she has with the immediate environment, whether she’s people-watching or admiring the restaurant décor or even the food.

If she’s saying things like, “This restaurant is beautiful. Hey, doesn’t that girl over there look like Marisa Tomei?” she may be enjoying herself, but not necessarily because you’re there.

4. She’s touchy-feely

If you find your date engaging in a little physical contact along with witty banter, chances are you’ve made a very good impression. From tapping your knee to emphasize a point or touching your forearm to get your attention, if a woman’s attracted to you, she won’t hesitate to reach out and let you know.

Megan, 35, from New York City, employs this trick with guys she finds attractive.

“I pretend to steady myself when I don’t need to be steadied,” she says. “When I’m climbing onto a stool, I’ll grab onto his shoulder or leg when I clearly don’t need to,” she laughs.

5. The date lasts longer than you expected

Ask any woman desperate to wind down a date, and she’ll tell you she skips dessert or declines an after-dinner stroll.

Naturally, then, if she’s having a great time and doesn’t want to see you go, she’ll gladly take the waiter’s suggestion and try the chocolate cake, or join you in the cab ride home. And if you’ve agreed to meet for coffee and after a few sips she takes you up on your offer of dinner? That’s a bright green light, my friend.

“Only if I’m into the guy will I agree to go to dinner if he suggests it on a ‘meet for coffee’ date,” says Diana, a 38-year-old from Boston. “If I’m meeting a guy and I’m not into him, I’m definitely not going to agree to get food after.”

So now that you know the signs that she’s really enjoying your time together, use them! Ask her for another date, have a goodnight hug or smooch... and things should move in a most positive direction.

Cate Mitchell is a freelance writer in New York City.
Article courtesy of Happen magazine, www.happenmag.com.

Bidding by game word rate?

Answer to a LinkedIn independent writer's question.
--------------------------------------------------------
Because like you said, in game narratives, you spend a great deal of time, brain, and emotional energy choosing the right single word or trimming phrases to keep the word count down; but still retain a coherent story with emotional and psychological depth, for more than one layer of comprehension for your readers.

You are charging for that, as well, your expertise in storywriting, not just word count.

I stress this in my bids and proposals, and sometimes I win and sometimes I lose, just like with any bidding process.

But I've also been given praise for improving a game script by changing only a few words.

And there are too many stories of all kinds I've read with glaring holes and gaffs because materials aren't edited in NYC or anywhere else like they used to be "in the good ole days."

Your expertise includes not just twenty words here and forty there but intelligence and polish that will close those holes and eliminate gaffs like a baby's eyes and hair changing color or an adult heroine's height changing within about five pages. [Yes, these are real published, glaring mistakes editors and publishers have published.]

As a professional storywriter, you're holding continuity in your brain and making certain it's on the page. I can't tell you how many times I've check a thing in a story here or there, to be certain logic, continuity, reason, and emotion, and just common sense are lined up properly.

Check at Guru.com and Elance.com through past bids of the type you're doing, see who won and do the math, to see if you're in the ball park. Don't underbid unless you have to; an unhappy writer, who's doing a lot a work for a little pay, makes unhappy copy; and no repeat client.

Oh, and if you feel you're charging a little higher, say so and say what they get for that: expertise, continuity, and x amount of rewrites or tweaks. I usually keep the rewrites within the job but say I'll do a tweak, after completion, if needed. Since, those stray words and misspellings do trip us up.

This is just great customer service without getting into the groveling, I'll do anything for cheap cents. Because, if they're that cheap or poor, the client should write it themselves, that's how I learned to write, or hire their kid or their kid's friends.

Helpful?