All about Mnemiopsis leidyi, the sea walnut comb jelly

Note: This was written for a school project. It will be featured as a chapter in an Apple iBooks textbook released by Duke University about Beaufort marine invertebrates. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Latin Name: Mnemiopsis leidyi (Sea Walnut)

Taxonomy: Animalia (Kingdom) > Ctenophora (Phylum) > Tentaculata (Class) > Cyclocoela (Subclass) > Lobata (Order) > Bolinopsidae (Family) > Mnemiopsis (Genus)

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Gods of Asgard graphic novel by Erik Evensen review: learn real Norse mythology the fun way

With the sequel to Marvel's blockbusting Thor due in theaters this November, interest in Norse mythology is bound to explode. Watching that original Thor certainly kindled the desire in me, and on top of ordering a Mjolnir necklace pendant (a replica of an artifact found in Sweden) from Viking-Shield.com, I took to researching the mythology. This culminated in my purchasing Gods of Asgard: A graphic novel interpretation of the Norse myths by Erik Evensen, a fortuitous decision for anybody interested in not just learning, but really experiencing, the tales.

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Tugboats of Morehead City State Port, NC

One of my secret guilty pleasures in life is a fascination with tugboats. I blame my grandfather for infecting me with the tug bug. One day while we were out on his bass boat, he pointed to a huge barge. "What do you think pushes that big, heavy barge?" he asked. No older than ten, I replied, "A humongous gigantic ship!" He laughed, and then the tug boat, dwarfed in size by the barge, came into view. This unexpected sight made quite the impression on me, I was thoroughly amazed with the tug's power. They quickly became mythologized in my mind as tireless, hard-working, under-appreciated folks of the boat world, while useless divas like yachts got all the attention.

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Why I loved my ugly yellow truck...

Most people called my truck ugly, but I prefer to say it had character. I bought it because I really like trucks, and the GM V8 engines are always a great platform for going fast. Through just a little bit of research I had found that GM truck motors are capable of some scary horsepower numbers even in stock trim. With some people having broke 700whp on a practically stock 4.8l V8 I just knew I had to find a GM pickup truck.

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Pivot 3-Drive-BLP Review & Installation

Note: Originally posted on the FT86Club Forum.

First off... What is it?!? The Pivot 3-Drive-BLP is a throttle controller and throttle blipper all in one package. Basically it's for lazy people like me who don't want to heel-toe. Simple as that.

Alright, well I will start with my review so that you people can decide if you want my tips on installation before you read the install segment. I have been driving with this unit installed for right around a month now, and have been loving it the whole time.

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1987 Jeep Comanche Chief: upcoming project & why I love Jeeps

Last month we decided to finally buy a truck, but Eric and I had very different ideas about what to get. His last truck was a banana yellow GMC with pink-and-blue pin-striping (an unsightly purchase justifiable only because he claims it was a "good deal" - but it thankfully got traded in when he bought his FR-S), so I was worried when he found a retired school systems GMC that guess what, was a horrible nacho cheese yellow. Fortunately, the taco sold before we had a chance to snag it, which sent our quest back to Craigslist. As we searched, I kept my mouth shut when Eric looked exclusively at large heavy-duty trucks, passing over the smaller nimbler ones I liked; after all, the truck was mainly for him. However, when I saw an ad for a Jeep truck, I couldn't resist; I grabbed the mouse and opened the ad in a tab. I fell in love immediately, but Eric merely grumbled while I played up the truck's features: we wanted a manual and a four wheel drive, at $1650 it was much cheaper than the behemoths he was considering, and as a 4-cylinder, it would be easy on gas*. Plus, it was a Jeep.

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Tomb Raider: hotter & better than ever

I can't praise this game enough. Let's start at the beginning. I'd never played Tomb Raider before. When the series really hit its heyday, I was in my early teens and actively avoiding any game centered around large breasts (even though this was probably an inaccurate assessment, this was what 13-year-old me ascertained based on what the males my age were praising in the game). However, when I saw the Tomb Raider advertisement in GameStop, I was intrigued. Lara seemed like a bad ass, and her body had believable proportions - but don't get me wrong, the new Lara was still sexy as hell, just in a more intelligent, capable way. I dug it. Enough that I immediately shelled out cash to buy the game.

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