text:
note: Perfect Game recognizes that there are dozens of standout
performers at this year's 17u WWBA National Championship. The
thoughts provided below are first-hand observations from Scouting
Coordinator Jheremy Brown during the event's second day.
his frame isn't the most physical at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds, Beau
Ridgeway (2015, The Woodlands,
Texas) is able to create some very good arm speed with a short
and quick arm action. Throwing from a very low three-quarters to
almost side-arm slot, the University of Texas commit is able to
generate some serious life on his fastball with the ability to
command it well to his glove side.
release is very compact, creating more deception on what is already a
tough at-bat as Ridgeway worked in the 89-91 mph range in first
before settling into 87-89. With consistent, late life on the
fastball Ridgeway was able to induce numerous ground ball outs,
working both sides of the plate. Ridgeway's changeup is the more
advanced off-speed pitch in his arsenal at present, showing some late
dive at 77 mph low in the zone. He spun his curveball between 65 and
68 mph with short break, slowing up his arm action on it just a bit.
Johnson (2015, College Station,
Texas) generates very good bat speed from the left side with
strength, which translates into big power to his pull side. However
Johnson showed the ability to go with a pitch to hit the ball hard to
the opposite field in his first at-bat yesterday, lining a ball into
the left-center field gap for a standup double. A well proportioned
6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete, Johnson moves well for his size (6.86
60-yard dash), and what helps that speed play up in game is his
ability to read pitches in the dirt and take the next base, as he did
no denying the strength in the 6-foot-6 build of Luken Baker
(2015, Spring, Texas) who is a primary righthanded pitcher who
topped out at 94 mph with his fastball in Friday's outing. Baker
showed just how strong he was on Saturday with the bat, turning on a
fastball and putting it over the 335-foot mark on the left field
fence, despite a strong wind blowing straight in.This is Insider Level content. You must be a subscriber to read the rest. Want to read more???Click here for subscription info!(Already a member? Just log in at the top of the page.)
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Brian, I'm not the hockey fan you are but watched both games (thank you CBS 24-hour sports) and they were very entertaining. They look like a completely different team.
3/1/2013 – Michigan 4, Ferris State 1 – 13-18-2, 10-15-2 CCHA
3/2/2013 – Michigan 1, Ferris State 1 (shootout win), 13-18-3, 10-15-3 CCHA
it was messy, like we like it (MGoBlue)
After the Bowling Green meltdown from myself and the hockey team I vowed I was done talking about them. They'd just gotten blown out by BG and topped it off by letting a dangerous knee-to-knee hit slide without so much as a shove. They sucked, which was bad enough. That they did nothing when a guy wearing an A was on the ice after a cheap shot in an already-lost game was the end.
I spent the following two months of the season watching them in a depressed, cynical fugue state, dreading the ticket in my hand that condemned me to watch them get swept by Alaska for the first time since Alaska was a thing, not really caring if we missed half of a first period against Western because the waitress couldn't figure out how to change the channel, content to pick up twitter updates on the Ohio State series. I kept thinking of better things to do with 500 dollars, like use it to set my beard on fire.
Friday, I went to the ticket drawer, pulled out not one but two Ferris State tickets, realized that the home-and-home I expected was a two game home series, and sighed.
Friday started off rough with a penalty 30 seconds in; Michigan only killed it off with a couple of fine point blank saves from Steve Racine and then suffered another shift of heavy Ferris pressure. I was just prepping to enter fugue state when Michigan scored; Zach Hyman and young Lynch and Selman cobbled out a goal from some hard work. Guptill won a board battle and Andrew Copp made a cross-ice pass that Deblois buried, and Ferris got chippy.
Jacob Trouba probably got speared at some point, and another opponent knee met a Michigan player dangerously. This time there wasn't even time for me to put the Bowling Green game together with that incident before Copp came over and let that Ferris guy know he was marked. Roughing penalties followed; Trouba took an extra two late with Michigan up four. Michigan had incidentally dominated a 4-1 win, outshooting a decent team by 14. It was fun.
Saturday's ticket felt like an opportunity instead of a burden, and Copp—now ensconced in his role as the #1 center—started screwing with Ferris before the puck even dropped. He assisted on a first period goal, drew two penalties, intercepted stretch passes like he was playing for a Ron Mason Michigan State outfit, and spent large chunks of the game giving anyone who looked at a Michigan player funny the business. A pissed-off Trouba picked up a misconduct. I grew little grudges against Ferris State players, and was incensed by after the whistle business.
Michigan again significantly outshot Ferris. Racine stoned a couple of breakaways and then three straight shootout attempts. The team mobbed him for an unnaturally long time after the last one.
It felt like a team again, and Yost a place to be. It was Michigan hockey: end to end, pissy, ref-baiting, out-shooting, chippy fun. Michigan has always been a team with its heart on its sleeve, prone to dumb penalties of aggression that I used to loathe. They are far superior to the sleepwalk of the last year. By the end of Saturday's tumultuous draw Ferris's goalie was out in overtime and Yost was on its feet, moaning and screeching, full of hate and joy and fear. The new building seemed like the old one for a bit. Finally.
I don't know if Racine is going to keep up this level of performance or if Trouba's going to stick around or if Copp can really be the emotional center of a team as just a sophomore. I do have something to say about them that isn't randomly assorted swear words now. It's hard to see them winning two series and two at the Joe to extend that tourney streak, but at least I'll be pulling for them instead of silently hating everything. At least I've got a reason to renew.
Gongshow forever. I don't actually know if the refereeing in the Big Ten is going to be any better, but it's fitting that the last ten seconds of regular-season CCHA play saw Ferris State get a breakaway thanks to having seven guys on the ice. Here are four:
Here are two more:
This is okay since the goalie is out. This guy…
Not so much. Racine stoned the guy anyway.
Racine, come on baby. I was hoping he'd pop that save percentage over .900 with that weekend but he remains stuck at .892. Nonetheless, he was probably the star of the weekend if it wasn't Copp. Two goals against and many quality saves.
The one goal on Saturday was a little strange—still not sure if that was deflected or just unexpected—and is a bit concerning. Racine has had games like that where he makes a bunch of good stops and then lets some bizarre stuff in; it's a major weakness.
Despite it, the kid looked good… confident post-to-post, able to come out on shooters when it's appropriate, and seemingly technically sound. I was watching Saturday's game with a couple of guys who have played the position as kids and on the beer league level and they also thought he'd come a long way. My amateur impressions are that I see a ton of places where pucks can slide through Rutledge, and Racine provides not only a bigger guy but one with fewer gaps as he moves around.
Michigan should still try to find another goalie next year; I think Racine has a decent chance of developing into a quality guy. If he does, Josh Blackburn for president.
Copp. At the beginning of the year I said I thought he could be more than a fourth-line PK guy like the Swistaks and Fardigs before him who came from the end of the USNTDP bench. I didn't think he'd be centering the top line by the end of the year. I cannot overstate how excellent he looked this weekend: he played smart, made nice passes, took a couple of high-quality shots, and seems to have become the on-ice leader of the team. Not bad for a late add.
I'm guessing the split between football and hockey—he was Skyline's QB—held him back and now that he's finally focusing full time on one he's making a leap. At 7-9-16 he's ten points off the team leaders, but that's with very little PP time and after spending big chunks of the year down the depth chart. He's making a late-year leap and I bet he sees those points go up a lot next year.
Nieves. Another guy who is rounding into form as his freshman season comes to a close. A lot of guys who become stars start out slowly as freshmen and then emerge in the second half of their first year—Palushaj, Pacioretty (though he never came back), and Tambellini spring to mind. He's showing that he may be a guy Michigan can lean on heavily next year.
Next year. This was discussed in a UV last week, but it's all about offseason departures. Michigan loses Sparks, Lynch The Elder, Treais, Moffie, and Rohrkemper. Only three of those guys really play important roles. Sparks and Rohrkemper get scratched a lot. Moffie is the 4/5 defenseman if Clare is healthy. Lynch is okay but eminently replaceable. Only Treais might sting. Most schools are going to lose players more important than one guy with 20-something points, though.
But what with the rampant rumors about dissention in the ranks, an already-bulging roster, and a recruiting class that could have as many as eleven kids in it, defections are all but inevitable. Merrill, Trouba and Bennett will have NHL options; Di Guiseppe, Guptill, and Nieves will also. Other guys may just want to leave.
Michigan is committed to bringing in at least seven of those guys: forwards Evan Allen, Bryson Cianfrone, JT Compher, Alex Kile, and Tyler Motte plus defensemen Michael Downing and Nolan DeJong. Hockey is an equivalency sport so not all of those guys are necessarily on full rides and Michigan lost Daniel Milne midseason, but if they're going to keep the roster at its currently rather packed level they are going to suffer a defection. If they don't, they will carry nine defensemen into next year. If they suffer lots, then Max Shuart, Spencer Hyman, and Kevin Lohan may also join up, and then there's the goalie situation.
Michigan is a team that could go into next year featuring Trouba, Merrill, Bennett, and projected first-rounder Downing as their top four defensemen… or they could lose half of those guys and end up icing Mike Szuma quite a bit.
Meanwhile at forward, Compher is a high-end prospect expected to go in the middle of the first round; Allen and Motte are second and fourth in NTDP scoring. Cianfrone was projected as a first-round OHL pick before his Michigan commitment but has struggled in the USHL with a 3-14-17 line in 39 games. An emergency appendectomy may have something to do with that, he is small (5'8"), and he is young, but it looks like his star has fallen. Kile on the other hand has put up a PPG this year with Green Bay. At least one or two of those guys will probably end up on a big line.
Here it's less precipitous a dropoff if only because none of the forwards are near Merrill or Trouba's level, but Guptill's been playing well of late and it would suck to lose Nieves just as he starts rounding into a player.
In any case, find or grow a goalie and the talent will be there for a major bounce-back year as long as there's a guy to grab folks by the scruff of their neck. Please hockey Jesus, don't let Trouba's only year at Michigan be this floundering one.
Brian, I'm not the hockey fan you are but watched both games (thank you CBS 24-hour sports) and they were very entertaining. They look like a completely different team.
I would love Trouba to come back, but I just don't see it. I'll just be happy if he never, ever plays for Kitchener.
I'm not seeing a playoff run out of this team--the Hunwick run a few years ago featured a team that was very inconsistent but capable of playing great hockey when it put things together, which it did for six games. I don't know that this team has ever put that kind of hockey together, even on weekends like this where things go well.
But then, I didn't expect anything when Michigan went to Munn for a best-of-three, either.
I think the key is avoiding having to play a series at Notre Dame. I think it would take an upset in one of the first round series but Michigan can take Western at Lawson, I don't think they can take ND in South Bend.
I do think Racine will be solid going forward. Played both games without allowing a goal straight up - the Friday goal was heavily assisted by a guy interfering with him on a PP from a BS penalty and the Saturday goal appeared to be a strange deflection. For a guy seeing the puck so well to not react on that its pretty safe to assume it didn't beat him clean.
My main concern is that when Michigan plays Miami or ND and they inevitably give up the 3-5 grade A scoring chances from sloppy back checking or defensive giveaways will Racine stop those and will Michigan be able to score enough to win.
I'd still give a CCHA title about a 10% chance, they're still the most talented team in the conference, it's just a matter of working out of the position of disadvantage and being able to make less mistakes against potentially 3 different well-coached teams. Highly unlikely but I wouldn't be shocked.
and I was mad when NHL refs missed 6 penguins on the ice in the Stanley Cup Finals.
I love it. But colleg hockey is just 20 years of crushing my soul. Between all of the OT losses in the tournament followed up by so many good players leaving early, it just takes years off my life. I think we've lost 4 of the last 5 years in OT in the tournament. Wouldn't surprise me if we lost in OT in the CCHA playoffs this year.
Then every year I think "Look at all the players we have coming back!" and then we inevitably lose 1 or 2 of the best of them. I hope we can keep t least 1 of 2 of Trouba and Merrill (not holding my breath) and maybe 2 of 3 of Nieves, Di Giuseppe, and Guptill. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost 4+ guys though. Realisitcally, I could see any of PDG, Trouba, Merill, Nieves, or Guptill leaving
The Rangers have a ton of talent in the system right now and at his height, he is way too skinny to make the jump to the pro game this year.
Bennett and Nieves seem like good bets to be back. The real departure threats are Trouba, Merrill, Guptill, and Di Guiseppe.
Di Giuseppe seems most likely to leave because of Peter Karmanos and his views of college hockey.
Guptill may have one more year because Dallas has been stockpiling talent in the minors, but I have no optimism regarding Merrill.
With the suspension and the injury, the last two years in Ann Arbor have been rough for Jon. I don't see any circumstance that brings him back for a fourth year.
I think all of them have very good reason to move on. I think I feel best about PDG but that's only barely so
This freshman class coming in will be one of the best we have had in a long time.
JT Compher is a everything Michigan is lacking right now; defense, forechecking, penalty killing, and a grinding offensive style. Think about everything Copp does but better, like 1st round NHL draft better.
Kile was just supposed to be a checking forward until he exploded this year and captained the USHL top prospect team.
If he makes it to Ann Abor, which I don't know if he will, Evan Allen is going to be a superstar
because hockey is one of the few sports where it does seem you can swap out a senior for a freshman with not too much loss
The Compher family made it very clear that JT would not be playing in the CHL. Cianfrone and Motte were drafted by CHL losers.
Hopefully London doesn't get to Alex Kile, but I think if we lose someone it's Allen to Windsor.
Not enough points to create a thread, but at around 1:16, Bucci refers to Michigan and JMFT.
I honestly can't say enough about him and I've been trying for weeks now. I was at the games this weekend and it's been the first time in a while I've seen him and the team live. I spent quite a bit of time watching him and how he interacts with the rest of the players and I think it's pretty clear that the team is quite a bit "his", the way he responds to them and they respond to him is great. Like Brian, I immediately noticed when he immediately confronted the Ferris State player who just knee-d one of our players and was in his face. He plays hard, plays good defense, plays good offense, he's just the complete package. WIthout him, I'm not sure Michigan wins 10 games. The more I watch him, the more sure I am he has to be a C next year, he already acts like one they might as well make it official. I honestly think he might be as good a Captain as Ortmeyer and I only don't say better, because I'm not sure that's possible. I'm not sure he'll even put up huge, piles and piles of points, but he'll get his share and I have a feeling that a lot of them will be of the "big" variety.
I get the feeling that he's working on, at least Trouba and possibly the other flight risks as well, to get them all to come back and Michigan manages to keep Trouba or (I won't even say and, but in my deepest darkest dreams I think it's remotely possible) Merrill and all of Guptill, PDG, Nieves, I think that'll in no small part due to Copp's efforts. I realize I'm practically drooling everytime I speak of Copp, but damn, I like having that kid on my team.
As an aside, along with a few others, I really do think that this recruiting class, if it stays together, could replace the people that leave, regardless of who does. As junior players, they're special. Next year is a year to look forward to, regardless of what happens in the CCHA tournament or who leaves.
Also, according to Matt Slovin on twitter (https://twitter.com/MattSlovin), NMU's leading scorer, Matt Thurber (6th in the CCHA with 6-26-32) is confirmed out for this weekend's series at Yost.
Copp is the kind of player you need to have around your program. For a guy who was coming off a broken collarbone and was heading to the USHL, he has exceeded expectations from day 1.
Although I think he gets an A next year with DeBlois getting the C, he's going to accomplish great things by the time he leaves Ann Arbor.
you think deblois would jump Bennet for captain?
Nothing against Mac at all, the C isn't going to be his just because he has an A right now. I think DeBlois has everything Red wants in a captain, and just like Glendening if he shows those characteristics he will jump everyone.
Bennett doesn't get a C, I just don't think he'll get THE C. Based on how too much of this year went/seemed/felt, the current leadership corp wasn't really getting it done. I could see Red giving Bennett the next letter up, even just for appearances, but unless he's more spectacular than we've seen/thought, I have to think someone else will get a C also and that'll be the one that means more.
I think DeBlois is a really good candidate also and he's got two years on Copp, but there's just something special about Copp I think. I guess I'm OK if he "only" gets an A next year, but I really believe good things are going to happen because of him.
It felt like a team again, and Yost a place to be. It was Michigan hockey: end to end, pissy, ref-baiting, out-shooting, chippy fun. Michigan has always been a team with its heart on its sleeve, prone to dumb penalties of aggression that I used to loathe. They are far superior to the sleepwalk of the last year. By the end of Saturday's tumultuous draw Ferris's goalie was out in overtime and Yost was on its feet, moaning and screeching, full of hate and joy and fear. The new building seemed like the old one for a bit. Finally.
This quote resonated with me. I remember watching early in the year and not seeing any of that. It makes you wonder about things. Well, I watched Friday night, and I liked a lot of what I saw. If Michigan goes out of the CCHA tournament, I want them going out like the way they played Friday night. If someone is going to beat Michigan hockey, they should have to beat Michigan hockey.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Senators Forgotten Man Finds His Hands
Bobby Butler came into this season on a high, playing a vital role in the Binghamton Senators Calder Cup win after riding shotgun with Jason Spezza on Ottawa's top line for over 30 games. GM Bryan Murray inked the college boy to a one-way contract with visions of Butler greatly improving on his 10 goals as a rookie and almost everybody had him pencilled in next to Spezza going into camp, even though he had a new coach who wasn't going to be faithful to Cory Clouston's setup.
Then the sophomore jinx came and kicked his ass for a while.
He started camp slow, got injured, sat out a stretch of games and couldn't buy a goal when he was in the lineup. Going into tonight's match in Calgary, Butler was wearing cement shoes on a line with Zenon Konopka and Jesse Winchester. Meanwhile, fellow college kid Colin Greening was holding his spot quite nicely alongside Spezza up in first class.
60 minutes and two goals later (including the winner), Butler might just have remembered what made him successful in the first place - his shot.
That's his best asset, his one true weapon. It's not a hammer like Dany Heatley's, but it's sneaky. When Butler was scoring goals alongside Spezza, he was finding that vacated space around the circles and simply getting shots off quickly before goalies had time to react. Same thing tonight against the Flames. The first goal he does a basic deke and snaps the puck about one beat earlier than a lot of players would, and it looks clean, like Patrick Kane looks when he shoots. It's on and off the stick right away and the wrists barely move.
The second goal was much the same minus the deke. It wasn't ripped, but it was quick and a little early. It seems more like a product of hockey sense than it does plain physical skill, but it's obviously a nice combination of both.
If these two goals take off a lot of the dead weight that's been sitting on his shoulders in the early going, then the Senators may not need to go out and trade for another top six forward before Christmas.
All season the Senators have seemed to be one skilled forward short (actually a center), and that's mostly because Peter Regin shredded his shoulder again, Nikita Filatov didn't seem to be right and Bobby Butler most definitely wasn't right.
If he can snap out of it, and tonight was a hell of a start, the Senators might be able to go cheap on the pro scouting for a little while.
Black Aces Senators 3 Stars
1. Craig Anderson: Dominated before and after puck handling gaffe that led to tying goal.
2. Bobby Butler: Two goals in under ten minutes of play.
3. Jason Spezza: Had his wheels going and dominated the face-off circle.
Honourable Mentions: Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Phillips, Filip Kuba, Sergei Gonchar and Jesse Winchester
Lamest moment of the night: When Zenon Konopka and Tom Kostopoulos were engaged in a pretty good scrap early in the second period, the music guy at the Saddledome felt he had to play some loud MMA style metal in the background. Since when do fights get music in NHL rinks? I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's never happened in Ottawa so far. It reminded me of being at a Toronto Rock lacrosse game where music was blaring while the play was going on. .....Not sure what Zack Smith did to deserve a boarding penalty late in the first period. I suppose the hit made a loud noise, so maybe if your hits are too loud that's now considered a dangerous play. As Norm Macdonald said in Dirty Work, "ridiculous"..... The parents of those kids sitting directly behind the penalty box may want to stop their tykes from banging on the glass right after a Flame like Chris Butler takes a bad penalty in the 3rd period. Just saying....
....That was one of the more emotional Hall of Fame ceremonies in recent memory. They're always great each year but Mark Howe's induction speech was unbelievable. There were so many intense moments – like when he pointed out the late Brad McCrimmon's wife who came specifically for Mark's induction. Or when he threw on the #9 Red Wings jersey in honour of his father Gordie Howe, who watched the whole thing with tears in his eyes. It was almost too much to take. When Doug Gilmour closed his speech by saying that the late Pat Burns would someday join him in the Hall, I started waving the white flag at the TV. That's why hockey is the best sport in the world – it has the greatest guys playing it…..
.....Why does it still bother me that there are actually two Stanley Cups? The real one, which the players hoist at the end of the season and cart around to barbeques all summer, and the "fake" one (created in 1993) which fills in for the "Presentation Cup" at the Hall Of Fame when the real one is on tour. I've been to the Hall Of Fame many, many times but there's always the letdown knowing that the Cup you're looking at is not the real one (they do have the original bowl on display that was retired in 1970 for being too old and brittle – this was the one that was dropkicked into the Rideau Canal in 1905 by Harvey Pulford after Ottawa beat the Dawson City Nuggets. The Cup went into the canal near Laurier and Elgin and stayed there all night long while the Ottawa players slept off a nasty hangover). The HOF is very open about it and don't try to pretend the replica is the real Cup, but the purist in me thinks people would be okay with just having an empty stand where the one true Cup is supposed to sit if it's not there at the moment. That would make seeing it in person even more special. What should they do with the replica then? Maybe donate it to the Leafs so they can string it from the rafters of the ACC like a dangling carrot to their players. Plus, guys can try to hit it with pucks during practice….
......Tough times in Tampa Bay right now. They've lost both games since Flyers coach Peter Laviolette decided to make a mockery of Guy Boucher's 1-3-1 defensive system by instructing his defenseman to stand still if they weren't challenged. And they weren't. The Lightning won that game but they haven't looked right since. Boucher called the loss against St. Louis on Saturday "shameful" and basically bag skated his charges the morning of their game against the Jets. The Lightning responded by getting whacked 5-2 in Winnipeg and now you have to wonder if some of the vets on the Lightning were somewhat demoralized by that incident against Philly. You think a proud guy like Martin St. Louis enjoyed standing at the blueline for minutes at a time and getting laughed at by the Flyers bench? It probably embarrassed him and a few of his teammates. Ask any player and they'll tell you they want to skate and chase the puck, the way hockey should be played. Ask a coach like Boucher or Ken Hitchcock and they'll tell you they want to win above all else, no matter what it looks like. I'm sure Tampa will snap out of it once they get some of their top defenseman back but maybe Boucher needs to drop the intensity once in a while. He got in front of a microphone before the Jets game and talked about "going to war" etc. The guy is about a 9 on the tension scale all the time. That can get old rather quick with some players….
.....The Flames may not be very good, but their Heritage Uni's are as good as they come. Seeing them play the Oilers in these flaming orange sweaters is every 80's hockey fans dream come true.
.... And finally, congratulations to my brother Ben and his wife Michelle on the birth of their second baby boy today. I'm guessing Ben still found time to watch the game tonight. Ridiculous.....
3 comments:
You know what hurts the most is the... the lack of respect, you know? That's what hurts the most.
Except for the... except for the other thing. That hurts the most. But the lack of respect hurts the second most.
- November 16, 2011 at 9:15 AM
Hey...it looks like Nikita Filatov wants out. I wonder how many people saw THIS coming after the Kovalev fiasco and Gonchar dogging it for all but five or six games.
It's not like Murray didn't have others experience to make his decisions. Again, he just chooses to ignore it. Oh yeah, I forgot that Filatov worked SO HARD in training camp and that obviously means something...
Russian bum.
- November 16, 2011 at 4:57 PM
Watch Mark Howe when he's putting on the jersey. Look closely at it.
Last week the Globe and Mail released an expose on counterfeit jerseys. Mark's #9 Wings jersey CLEARLY shows one of the tell tale signs.
Just sayin....
- November 16, 2011 at 6:25 PM


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After highlighting summer crops in last month's edition of Create a Sprawling Garden, Tree Classics will now take a look at four lovely flowers that are perfect for beginners. Not only are these blooms easy to grow. They also handle the extreme heat of summer very well.
1. Red Valerian
Most other plants wither under the summer sun, but the red valerian thrives in such conditions. In fact, this drought-resistant plant can exist in just about any condition except for wet climates. Originally from the Mediterranean region, red valerians are now commonly found in most western states such as California, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, and Hawaii.
Depending on how you look at it, the self-sowing seeds of the red valerian can either be a convenience or a nuisance. If you don't want them to overpopulate your garden, make sure you deadhead your red valerian before the next bloom. A bi-weekly watering schedule and some bone meal placed in the soil should also be enough to take care of this summer bloom.
Let red valerians cascade from an elevation or grow along paths, rough slopes, and steep banks. Their lasting blooms enliven any dull and listless garden.
2. Moonbeam Coreopsis
The moonbeam coreopsis flourishes even in the brightest of daylight. You can plant this perennial flower in average or poor soil and it will still blossom radiantly. Because of its endurance, the moonbeam coreopsis is ideal for gardens in humid states, such as Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas.
As with most summer plants, this coreopsis cultivar does not require too much attention. One thing to note, though, is that for the moonbeam to bloom without hassle, you must regularly prune the flowers right after they fade. You can do this for a few times during the summer, and then allow the plant to go to seed at season's end to reproduce new ones.
The pale yellow bloom of the moonbeam coreopsis adds contrast to the large leaves typical of perennials. Use the moonbeam coreopsis to balance the rich purples and blues of other blooms.
3. Daisy Fleabane
Native to the West Coast, fleabanes are considered one of the most durable summer flowers. It regularly blooms all throughout the harshest conditions of the season, from June to September.
In planting your daisy fleabanes, keep an eye out for "legginess." It is a condition in which the plants do not get enough sunlight. They grow long thin stems that do not stand upright. When this happens, cut off these plants and remove them from under the shade.
If you're looking for flowers to place in front of stone walls, then daisy fleabanes are for you. The slender ray petals give a splash of vibrancy to the naturally bland color of stone. Also, the long stalks make these cultivars a classic choice for flower arrangements.
4. Goblin Blanket Flower
Also known as the kobold, the goblin blanket flower can withstand arid climate and, with enough leaf mulch, remain in bloom through winter. Similar to other summer flowers, it can survive even on low-quality soil as long as it has good drainage. If you plant them in moist garden loam, the stems tend to grow too far apart.
True to its namesake, the goblin blanket flower has an unusual way of growing. Unlike other plants that develop better in rich soil, this flower benefits more from thriving on poor earth. It is not advisable to enrich the soil by adding compost or other fertilizers. Goblin blanket flowers also do not grow properly in heavy clay.
The dark maroon center and golden yellow tips of the petals give the goblin a sunny appeal. Baring some striking resemblance to the sunflower, it also has a wide bloom that ranges from three to four inches. When planting the goblin in a group, you can place it beside taller flowers with warm tones.
Flowers have a unique way of enlivening any space. Try planting these colorful summer blooms to help you define the aesthetics of your outdoors.


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Discussion Forum
Dreams, health, yoga, body mind & spirit
See: Cube; Four.
Dreamhawk is the website of author and dream analyst Tony Crisp. It contains a fully searchable online Dream Dictionary, Dream Enclopedia, and many other articles
This online dream dictionary and encyclopedia contains thousands of dream interpretations, dream meanings and articles which I compiled during 50 years of dream analysis
Copyright © 1999-2010 Tony Crisp | All rights reserved


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Go to the official BlackBerry World website and register to join us at BlackBerry World 2011, to be held May 3-5 in Orlando, FL. If you buy at the early bird rate youll save $400 off the full conference pass - but this special rate ends today, February 25th, so be sure to buy your conference pass before the prices go up. As a new offer this year - because we know people have busy schedules - you now have the option to purchase a one-day pass for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (your choice), if you cannot make it for all three days. Sarah, from the BlackBerry Business Blog gives us some more details:
WES tracks, for customers:Quote:
Having organized and attended my share of conferences, Ive found that there are two things every great conference has to deliver. First, the content presented should be timely and relevant, so you can walk away equipped with the information and resources to do your job more effectively. And second, you should be able to connect with your fellow attendees to make new contacts, learn whats working for others, and get inspired to see what else is possible. Today I want to share how were aiming to meet the first goal with the BlackBerry World conference. Ill talk about networking opportunities in a future post.
- Mobile Strategy: The Key Trends Shaping Decisions in 2011
- Mobilizing the Enterprise for Business Impact
- BlackBerry Products and Deployments
- BlackBerry for Your Organization and Industry
Channel tracks, exclusively for BlackBerry Channel Partners:
- Tapping Into the Consumer Market
- Targeting the Enterprise Opportunity
- Gaining Competitive Edge in the Small to Medium Sized Market
- Everything BlackBerry
The session catalog can be found on the BlackBerry World website, with more sessions being added over the next few months. What are you looking forward to experiencing at BlackBerry World? Let us your feedback below...


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The lights are on
The World's Greatest Detective finally has one of the world's greatest games to call his own. Looking for tips on how to rack up 40-move combos? Need help finding all the Riddler trophies? Just want to complain about how stupid Bane looks? This is the plac
You've all heard about the next Fall season release of Batman: Arkham Asylum. So far they have an intro for its gameplay, A colorful cast of characters with drama and gloom, and new environments to explore.
I understand each division of Arkham City has more venturesome tasks and advantages. Like the phone booths with Zsaz on the other line, or the Dive Bomb, done from high roofs or towers.
Other then the tight ropes and new combat being given,
What more from Arkham City's environment do you hope to see or interact with?
i hope there are still a ton of walls to suprise enemys with
I hope there are extreme unexpected twists and turns
Bad guys everywhere. thats one thing i love about the batman games
To mean that
nothing ... Where they would say something, and he would finish it, like he
knew it!
I can't wait to slowly pick off enemies from the shadows!


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JACKSONVILLE, Ill.-- The Lady Panthers traveled to MacMurray for their last regular season match of 2013 and swept the Highlanders 3-0. The victory means that Greenville confirms the team's first place finish in the SLIAC.
The team swept the match in three sets with scores of 25-19, 25-16, and 25-13.
Corinne Coon led the Panther offense with 12 points on 10 kills and a service ace. Savannah Sells and Nicole Schaeffer each added 8 points for GC. Sells recorded 5 kills and Schaeffer had 7 kills and 10 digs. Ellen Lueking had 31 assists and 10 digs. Libero, Jamie Schollenbruch was credited with 18 digs.
The win improves the Panthers record to 24-6 (17-1 SLIAC). The impressive record means that the team clinched their first outright league championship and their 4th SLIAC first place finish in 4 years.
The women will host the Conference volleyball tournament with matches at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. in H.J. Long Gymnasium on Saturday, November 9, in Greenville.


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I've heard that latest version of SL 5.5 has support "manual partiotion" in text part of Anaconda installer. When I've downloaded SpinBase 5.5 and try to install one, I didn't find "manual partition" item. Sadly, It doesn't has manual partition yet. I love Sabayon and I say that Sabayon is the best linux distro! but without this simple feature like split partition manually, it makes distro very unusable. I and other people wish to see this feature in next releases. Please, add manual partition in text part of Anaconda.
Sorry my poor English.
Best Regards.


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A blog devoted to the study and preservation of cemeteries, transcriptions of tombstones,Grave Markers,Memorial Plaques, War Memorials, Burial Customs and other such items that are memorials and deserve to be recorded.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Memorial Plaque - Albert Dock, St Helier, Jersey
Posted by Julie Goucher at 18:46
Labels: Bryan, Channel Islands, Coleman, Fallis, Ferrand, Hobbs, Jersey, Mauger, Moody, Parr, War Memorial
2 comments:
nice post! It's something I have never thought about, really, but it makes a whole lot of sense. Thanks for sharing information related to Memorial PlaqueReplyDelete
It feels great to remember the ones who lost their lives while serving the nation, i truly appreciate the efforts of those people who are behind the unveiling of this plaque.ReplyDelete
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Backyard Tourist Fun
Play tourist in your own backyard! So…the kids are antsy and your fuse is getting shorter. The whines in your worlds don't go with cheese! They're booooored. What is there to doooooooo? Plenty. Tell those little ingrates to be happy they're living in one of the great vacation capitals of the world – and then prove that statement right by [...]Read more ›


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Forum:Questions regarding GTA IV's story
In the cutscene at the begining of "To live and die in alderney",Niko asks Phil Bell if he could help him out with something because he needs to find out something about someone. What excactly is Niko reffering to? Also, are the russians that have the coke dealing alliance with the Ancelottis just random russians, or the ones led by Dimitri Rascalov? A-1,02:17,March 11,UTC
- When Niko asked Phil for help, he was refering to the search for Darko Brevic. Even though he had United Liberty Paper working the search already, I guess Niko felt that they weren't doing anything for him, seeing as he hadn't been contacted by them in a while. And for your second question, what exactly which Russians are you refering to? Could you possibly refer to a mission where they appear, so I can answer your question?--User:Black Artist 20:25, March 11, 2010 (UTC)
I mean the russians you fight off and kill in "Catch the wave" and "Liquidize the assets. It wouldn't really make sense if these particular russians were the ones being led by Dimitri,so they must be either some unknown 3rd russian mafia or Kenny Petrovic's guys. I don't know, maybe this is all cleared up in "episodes from liberty city". Anyway,thanks for your help. A-1, 01:11, March 12, 2010 (UTC)
Episodes from LC is just the same story in the eyes of an other protagonist, you will see other features but the story won't change.. Dont forget that, the Main reason for Niko to come was to find out who betrayed his bettailon in the Yugoslavian Wars. As you can read, 3 man survived. Niko, Florian and Darko (Clunchyman)
I know "Episodes from Liberty City" revolves around the same events as IV without changing it, and I know why Niko came to Liberty City. I asked who those russians that deal with the Ancelottis and have all that coke are, because its confusing. A-1
- Clunchyman, your response doesn't make any sense o_O, seeing as it answered something already did. Anyway A-1, I don't know who these Russian members belong too, they might be random thugs that don't have any affiliation to any known gang in the game. Let me play the game through again until I reach this mission and try to answer your question.--User:Black Artist 23:24, March 15, 2010 (UTC)
- Oh, thanks alot, Black Artist. I really appreciate that. I just replayed through the game to get ready for "episodes" and I got to that mini-story-arc with the russians,the Ancelottis, and the coke and I was like "Wait,what?". It doesnt really make sense.Although,it just occured to me that the russians I've been reffering to all along could be part of Ray Bulgarin's drug cartel. User:A-1,08:12,March 16,2010 (UTC)


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Stories from the Field: Creatively Advertising H1N1 Vaccine
March 2, 2010
Community Outreach
A challenge now faced by many local health departments (LHDs) nationwide is a surplus of H1N1 vaccine and not enough demand. To overcome this obstacle, LHDs are brainstorming and implementing both creative and innovative ways to provide H1N1 vaccinations and education. LHDs are stepping up their advertising campaigns in an effort to communicate with hard-to-reach audiences in their communities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recognized the importance of reaching out to places of congregation. During National Influenza Vaccination Week in January, the CDC offered educational material for distribution at churches and other places of worship.
Since young adults can often be a difficult population to persuade to receive the vaccination, the LHD also promoted H1N1 vaccinations at two popular nightclubs with armbands that promoted free H1N1 shots and the Okaloosa County Health Department's Web site.
An H1N1 vaccine clinic was set up at the Virginia Zoological Park, and free admission and rides were provided to children and daycare providers. At the end of the day, 169 shots and 76 doses of FluMist® were administered.
Norfolk Department of Public Health Director, Dr. Demetria Lindsay, says partnering with the Virginia Zoo "just made sense: a chance for children to have an educational and fun experience combined with an opportunity to get the vaccine."
Comments about this post


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Owners Richard Malouf and Eddie Broome will send out their
4-year-old filly Raro in Monmouth
Park's Sunday feature, a
$40,000 allowance/optional claiming event.
Since paying $30,000 for the daughter of War Chant out of a claiming
race at Gulfstream this February the new connections have enjoyed a solid
return on their investment, visiting the Monmouth Park
winner's circle on two occasions.
"She's a
real nice filly to be around," said Broome, who conditions Raro. "She's very easy around the barn."
With a nice
versatile running style, Raro enters Sunday's race off a win here on Aug. 10,
where she led almost every step of the mile on turf. In her three prior Monmouth starts this year
she was a stalker, pacesetter and closer, all adding up to a 2013 record in
Oceanport of 2-1-1 from four starts.
"She's a
very consistent filly," Broome said.
"She tries every time and has run some very nice races for us here this
leading rider Paco Lopez back in the irons, Raro will break from post seven as
she faces some strong rivals in flat mile on turf, among them last out winner
Malibu Red and 3-1 morning line favorite Will to Shine.


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With summer prey species flung hither and yon by Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent northeaster, striped bass have been dining on crabs, at least that's what dockside post mortems have been revealing.
The usual bottom-feeding crab eaters seem to be making up for whatever lost time occurred during the height of Sandy. Blackfish fishing has been productive in recent days. As for stripers in these waning weeks of the season, gannets have been seen diving presumably into schools of herring, high on the striped bass menu this time of year, a promising sign.
Point is, bass are still around, most small by all accounts, but with fish in the teens mixed in with bluefish, according to Fred Kalkstein, an organizer of the Montauk SurfMasters tournament for striped bass caught from the beach. Mike Cappola, a contender and former tournament winner, reported catching three teen-size fish on Saturday night.
He also observed the "dusty" look of the water, most likely the result of the fine silt or clay licked from Montauk's earthen bluffs during the back-to-back storms.
According to Kalkstein, Atilla Ozturk, another SurfMasters contender, turned googin (fisherman klutz) on Sunday night while fishing on the north side of Montauk Point. Atilla said the water was beautiful, fishy. He was casting and failed to notice he'd lassoed the rod tip, a not-uncommon occurrence, when casting.
After casting his lure to the wind with no takers for some time, he finally got "a strong bite," but as usually happens with a looped rod tip, the fish broke off. In the old days, the scene would be acted out on stage at the tournament finale dinner. This year it will be held on Dec. 8 at Gurney's Inn. Who knows, Ozturk might re-enact the scene if prompted.
As though the storms left a curse behind, Sam Doughty, a veteran fisherman, was fishing the North Bar, again north of Montauk Point, with a good-luck plug he'd found on the beach, one on which he could always depend for a fish when other lures failed. He reported catching a bass he estimated to be in the 40-pound range — "a big whack," according to Kalkstein's version of the story.
The fish turned and came straight to shore. Doughty reeled and reeled to keep tension on the line, the fish turned again and popped it. An examination of the terminal end showed where the fish's gill plate must have worked through the leader, and Doughy lost his good-luck plug. Two veteran casters, two victorious fish.
Kathy Vegessi, shoreside support for the Lazy Bones party boat, reported "red hot" striped bass fishing on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning, and "with a lot of throwbacks of undersized fish." Lazy Bones went fishing post-storm after its dock in front of Salivar's and Swallow East restaurants was repaired.
Blackfish angling continues to be productive, with the West Lake Marina reporting an exceptional fish being caught by Hugh Chancey off Block Island over the weekend. The big tautog weighed 13.35 pounds. West Lake also reported steady striped bass fishing from boats working the North Rips out to the Midway spot. Eels were doing the trick.
A reminder that the state bow season for deer is now under way and will continue until Dec. 31. The shotgun season will run from Jan. 7 through 31, weekdays only. A three-day turkey hunt will begin on Saturday and run through Wednesday. The bag limit is one bird of either sex per day.
Russell Drumm


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MOSCOW – Ukraine's effort to retake government facilities from pro-Russian separatists faltered on Wednesday as gunmen seized a column of six armored vehicles from Ukrainian soldiers and narrowly failed to grab three more.
Ukrainian media reported that 30 armed men captured another building, municipal headquarters, in Donetsk, the main city of eastern Ukraine. Unconfirmed Russian news reports said about 300 Ukrainian soldiers deployed in the area had laid down their arms.
A defense expert said that the government bid to push back the separatists was "already a disaster, bordering on a complete fiasco."
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed that the armored vehicles has been lost to the armed separatists in the town of Kramatorsk.
It said the six vehicles were on an operation in the town when they were blocked by local residents, and that gunmen were in the crowd. It said it was trying to clarify what had happened to the crews of the vehicles.
The convoy, already flying the Russian flag, rolled into the nearby town of Slovyansk to a jubilant reception from crowds of local residents, a witness said.
"A majority of people in Slovyansk are happy that our region may soon join Russia," Anna Adam, a 37-year-old instructor at an orphanage for the mentally handicapped, said in a telephone interview. "They want Putin to come and help them, give them bigger salaries and pensions."
She said it was no secret to local people that the armed men who seized the town's police station last week were Russian commandos. "Local residents take good care of them, bring them tea and sandwiches and hang around their positions during the day," she said.
Hromadske television said another convoy of three Ukraine armored personnel carriers narrowly escaped being captured in Kramatorsk.
The report by the private television company said a Ukrainian soldier pulled the pin of a grenade to force a crowd blocking it to disperse. A bus with 30 armed men inside stopped pursuing the convoy when soldiers opened fire, it said.
Interfax, a Russian news agency, reported that earlier in the day about 300 Ukrainian soldiers deployed near Slovyansk laid down their weapons and left the area. The Ukrainian military did not confirm that report.
But the military analyst said there already was ample evidence that the operation was going badly.
Dmitry Tymchuk, head of Kiev-based Center for Military and Political Research, said authorities had enough security and riot police in the area, even if working under strict orders to avoid civilian casualties.
"No one seems to want to take responsibility in a situation when, more often than not, armed terrorists are surrounded by crowds of civilian sympathizers," he said.
"Another week or two of such indecision and Russia won't even need to invade in force, because our eastern regions will begin to fold one by one and hold illegitimate independence referendums immediately recognized by the Kremlin," Tymchuk said.
The UNIAN news agency said about 30 armed men captured the city council in Donetsk. Separatists had previously taken control of the regional administrative offices.
First Vice Premier Vitaly Yarema acknowledged that some Donetsk police had joined the separatists. "The situation in Donetsk is very complicated," Yarema was quoted by UNIAN as saying. "There are police officers who defend the position of Ukrainian independence and don't cooperate with separatists, but there are policemen which have put on St. George's ribbons [a Russian army symbol] and are now serving the separatists."
Special correspondent Victoria Butenko in Kiev contributed to this report.


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American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2007 - Afghan national security forces and coalition forces engaged and killed several Taliban fighters near the Nahr Surkh district of Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday. The combined force was conducting a reconnaissance patrol near the district when a significant number of insurgents engaged friendly elements with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire. The combined force immediately engaged the Taliban fighters with small-arms fire and close-air support, killing many of the insurgents.
"The Taliban is desperate for a success, but at every turn (Afghan national security forces) and coalition forces have successfully stopped them," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman.
In other news, Afghan and coalition forces have refuted Taliban claims of control of the Tarin Kowt-Kandahar road, a major road used for transporting commerce between Kandahar and Oruzgan provinces.
The Taliban claimed Nov. 6 that they had taken control of the road. In response, Afghan and coalition forces quickly launched a mission to secure the road. Once the combined force arrived, they discovered traffic was flowing and that the Taliban's claims were false. Afghan forces are providing security for the route and remain in control of this ground line of communication.
"In the absence of any military success, the Taliban routinely rely on false reports in a vain attempt to deceive the Afghan people," Belcher said.
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)
Friday, November 09, 2007
Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill Taliban Fighters in Helmand Province
Posted by Raymond Foster at 6:31 PM
Labels: afghanistan, army, military, taliban
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Flash Player 184.108.40.206 is now available on Adobe.com for the Solaris x86 and SPARC platforms. This update also addresses the issues in Security Bulletin APSB07-20 for Solaris. The one big known issue listed in the release notes is that the full screen hardware scaling feature is not supported on SPARC platforms at this time.
Thanks to everyone who tested and provided feedback on the Adobe Labs beta!


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Can Tebow play the 2?
What makes matters worse is the Shumpert injury. I hope he is ready to go next season but I doubt it. More than likely out till December-January.
Anyone who didnt expect to get blown out by the heat was in lala land. They are better than the sorry Knicks on their worst night even with a Lebron no show and he has 2 rounds before he starts that
The Knicks are less talented than the Heat, and deserved to lose. When you get smoked by 35 points, they were the better team...
But the refereeing in that game was disgraceful and LeBron is the biggest ***** on the planet. I hope he never wins a championship. I prefer Kobe getting 6 to LeBron getting one.
I mad.
I want Steve Nash this offseason.
3yr MLE. We need Someone to make amare look good again and both their contracts would expire at the same time.
Not to mention he shoots 50 40 90 and makes every player around him better.
Here's hoping that the Heat are so overconfident and balls deep into cuban supermodels for the past 48 hours that we steal game 2.
Lol... Amare punched the glass casing of a fire extinguisher after the game... Lacirated left hand...
We're just not talented enough, no one can break down the defense.
Melo/ Tyson/ Shumpert are the only championship caliber rotation players.
Amare is an insult to basketball, the worst defender in the league.
I wish we could go back in time and use the Amnesty Clause on Amar'e instead of Billups.
Give Amare a break. Very tough year. Back injury, death of brother.
Have no idea why they didnt tank games to play Bulls.


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Are you talented programmer that creates WordPress Plugins or creates Facebook Apps / Software? Maybe you have digital product almost ready to go. We work mainly in the IM Niche but have experience with other niches.
I have a Digital Publishing Agency and we are looking to Partner / Joint Venture With You. If you are Bad A$$ Coder and lack the knowledge of launching product then we should talk. We have done ClickBank, Self Hosted and forum launches.
As Gordon Gekko once said " Money Doesn't Sleep. There is someone out there ready to buy your product. We like to move fast and we are only looking to work with those that are looking to take action.
We are only looking to work with a select number of developers and product creators. If you are a coder we have some products in the pipeline ready to be created. We can collaborate and work out a % of the product moving forward.
In order to having a successful product launch a lot of pieces need to come together. We can take care of the following:
* Pre-Launch Strategy
* Sales Funnel Creation
* Front end and upsell Copy
* Product graphics and branding
* Video Sales Letter
* Create or ideas for Upsell's /OTO's
* JV Contest and setup
* Affiliate Management
* Back-end Strategy
* Webinars that convert prospects to buyers
* Video Training Creation
* Membership or download page setup
* Test Traffic to A/B Split Test the funnel
* List building
We are looking to talk to you if:
You have a killer product but havent launched it yet
Bad A$$ Programmer that can Code WordPress Plugin or Facebook Apps
Private message me with your contact info. Include your skype if you have it.


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(editor's note: tickets for the May 28 Chicago show are scheduled to be on presale April 5 and on sale to the public April 8, 2013.)
(CNN) -- Don't look for Mick Jagger and the boys to talk retirement anytime soon.
On Wednesday The Rolling Stones announced their "50 and Counting" tour which will kick off in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on a date to be determined. The tour will include shows in Oakland, San Jose, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Toronto, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia.
The group -- consisting of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood -- have been rocking out for more than five decades. To celebrate their 50th anniversary last year the group did a few tour dates.
"50 and Counting" has been "pretty amazing so far," Jagger said in a statement. "We did a few shows in London and New York last year ... and had such a good time that we thought ... let's do some more. It's a good show."
Richards agreed.
"From day one at rehearsals it sounded so fresh," Richards said according to a press release about the tour. "You could tell that everybody was dying to get their teeth into it. It was like ... open the gates ... let us out! 'Cause man, it is the life and blood of us to play in front of people."
Mick Taylor, who was a member of the group from 1969-74, is set to perform with them as a special guest throughout the tour.
Tickets for the shows in Oakland, San Jose, Toronto and Chicago will go on sale to the general public April 8 and will also be available at Rollingstone.com.
TBA Los Angeles STAPLES Center TBA
May 5 Oakland Oracle Arena On sale April 8 @ 10AM PST
May 8 San Jose HP Pavilion On sale April 8 @ 10AM PST
May 11 Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena TBA
May 15 Anaheim Honda Center TBA
May 25 Toronto Air Canada Centre On sale April 8 @ 10AM EST
May 28 Chicago United Center On sale April 8 @ 10AM CST
June 12 Boston TD Garden TBA
June 18 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center


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Kelly Layman
Executive Director of Communications
ACTIONS TAKEN: May 18 Board of Governors meeting, State University System of Florida, via conference call
In regular business, the Florida Board of Governors took the following actions today via conference call:
The Board of Governors received a briefing from Vice Chair Dean Colson – also chair of the Legislative Committee – regarding the 2011 Session. Detailed information regarding Session activities and results are posted on the web site www.flbog.edu in two places – at the link leading to Board meeting materials off the home page as well as under "Press Room." (Under the Press Room tab, there are two press releases – one with a recap of budget items along with four embedded budget documents in the release, including a by-university budget spreadsheet. The other press release focuses on the policy items passed by the Legislature as part of the Board's legislative priorities. There are also two Session-related statements – one from Chair Ava L. Parker and one from Chancellor Frank T. Brogan.)
Board meeting thanked the current student representative on the 17-member Board of Governors for his outstanding service the past year. Governor Gallop Franklin II, as the elected president from among the student body presidents in the Florida Student Association, served a one-year term on the Florida Board of Governors. He is a pharmacy post-graduate student at FAMU, now on his professional rotations. A new FSA president for the next year will be elected shortly from the student body president members of the FSA, and that person will sit by position on the Florida Board of Governors, joining the June meeting.
During the 2011 Session, 25 of 27 appointments by the Board of Governors to the universities' Boards of Trustees were confirmed by the Senate. (See new developments on this item, in the Trustee Nominating Committee section below.)
From the Budget and Finance Committee (Chair Tico Perez)
A series of regulations regarding tracking state equipment and furniture – written in consultation with and developed at the request of universities – had been noticed at a previous meeting, and final action was taken at this meeting. All four regulations were voted upon favorably. The updated or new regulation content in Board regulations 9.001, 9.002, 9.003 and 9.0031 deals with streamlined controls when recording and marking property. The regulations also add efficiencies related to the extensive requirements of the Division of Financial Services under the State Chief Financial Officer. The Board's regulations also address inventory activities and the disposition of property. Full content is on the web site in the agenda back-up materials.
From the Audit and Compliance Committee (Chair Norm Tripp)
Florida law requires an audit plan be developed for each state entity, and the plan for the Board of Governors was previously approved by this Committee. The plan was today formally received by the Board of Governors. The Board had previously delegated to the Committee the authority to develop the plan. At its November 2010 meeting, the Board of Governors accepted the Audit and Compliance Committee Handbook. The Handbook is a complement to support the strong compliance activities being carried out at the 11 universities currently.
***New Item – not on noticed meeting agenda***
From the Trustee Nominating Committee (Chair Mori Hosseini)
Outside of the noticed agenda, Chair Parker asked Chair Hosseini to address brand-new developments with the Trustee nominating process. Chair Hosseini briefed the members of the Board of Governors that the Committee has re-opened the applicant pool for the remaining open seats on several universities' Boards of Trustees. They are: UCF (3 seats), UF (2), UNF (2), and FIU (1). The application process has been re-opened now due to the activity level accomplished to date with appointments made by the Board of Governors and the appointments made to date by the Governor. The deadline for applications for these remaining seats – for the appointments to be made by the Board of Governors only – is June 15. (Applications should not be sent to the individual universities for processing, or to the Governor's office for a Board of Governors appointment.) Chair Hosseini re-instituted the Board members assigned to previous review teams. The application period was opened May 16 for a 30-day time period the Board traditionally follows. For Trustees already appointed this year and newly in their seats, an orientation sponsored by the Board of Governors will be offered twice. Dates and locations will be determined and noticed soon.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Board of Governors will be held in Tampa, June 22-23. (A link to all Board meetings, scheduled through 2012, is here:www.flbog.edu/pressroom/news.php?id=361.)
An extensive agenda is expected for the June meeting, including presentations for the entire day on June 22 (8:30 a.m. to approximately 5 p.m.) by all universities of their annual "work plans" in determined time blocks on a coming agenda. This is the second such year of these presentations, which comport to the Board of Governors' Strategic Plan 2005-2013. The agendas and all back-up materials, as usual, will be posted to the web site approximately one week prior to the Board meeting. Any and all proposals for tuition differential (up to a maximum 7 percent increase) from universities will be heard at this meeting as well. For the first time, each university's first working draft of its Legislative Budget Request (LBR) will be taken up along with its "work plan" and a tuition differential proposal, if applicable. The Board of Governors each fall submits the LBR for the State University System.
Also, the Board of Governors has formally embarked on an initiative to update its Strategic Plan beyond 2013 – this is important because it also will take into account information currently being developed and reviewed to fulfill the legislative mandate of a report on the future of the higher education in Florida, and the role of each of the various higher education delivery systems. This report is due by December 31, 2011, from the Higher Education Coordinating Council, of which Chancellor Brogan is a member, as chief executive for the State University System and the public universities' delivery system. For more on the Council – which convened last year as a result of the 2010 Session legislation calling for its creation – see www.floridahighereducation.org.
The State University System of Florida is governed by a 17-member Board of Governors, a constitutional body and led by appointed public servants. The System is the fourth-largest in the nation in terms of enrollment, with 321,503 students as of Fall 2010 among its 11 institutions. For more, see www.flbog.edu.


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VARs Select The Top 10 Vendors For Financial Rewards
For this year's Channel Champions awards, solution providers picked the top companies in the area of the financial rewards, including such factors as competitive pricing, increase in sales, amount of product margins, SPIFs, and rebates received and the amount of services attached to the sale.
The results showed that if solution providers sold nothing but networking products, storage, or some combination of both, they'd probably be a richer group of people.
Six of the top vendors were in the storage business, while three of the winners were in the enterprise networking hardware business.


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What a handsome boy you are Grizzly :) ! Not only you are devoted to your humans, and very loving dog, but you are superb! I love your chocolate color. I can't find the right words for such a beautiful boy! :cool:
Congratulations, and keep on taking care of your parents who also love you so much for many many years!!!
PS. You look very much like my parents' dog, except for the color:


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September 16 – Happy Birthday Mel Hall
Just three days ago, this blog celebrated the birthday of Bernie
Williams, the last great Yankee center fielder. Last year on this same date,
the PBB celebrated the birthday of Tim Raines, a Williams' Yankee
teammate who was also one of the soft-spoken outfielder's best friends
and biggest admirers. Today we recognize Hall, who was also a teammate
of Williams. But unlike "Rock" Raines, Mel Hall was not a friend or
booster of Bernie's. Instead, he was one of the talented
switch-hitter's biggest detractors and most unrelenting antagonists. In
past interviews, Williams credits the ongoing barrage of insults hurled
at him by Hall during Bernie's 1992 rookie season with the Yankees, as
one of the driving forces behind his development of the mental toughness he now
credits for helping him achieve the success he did during his 16-season
pinstripe career. When that 1992 season ended, the Yankees dumped Hall,
traded their starting center-fielder, Roberto Kelly to the Reds for
Paul O'Neill, who then teamed with Williams to form the core of an
outfield that would lead New York to perpetual postseason appearances
and four World Series rings.


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Many Germans come to love beef when they move to places where it's plentiful...
A German who had never had mashed potatoes?
I think the german friend is missing the vinegar/potatoe combo
Quote from: Amava on July 22, 2012, 08:38:03 AMA German who had never had mashed potatoes? She asked me if it was porridge.
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I've had the NWZ-S754 for some time, with the EU volume limit. When I got it I found that like every other Sony model you can get into the Service Menu but can not change limiting or country destination.
However you can change (and save) settings in the DAC sub menu. I don't think this widely known.
I previously tried it on a X1050 (no EU limit) but there was no way to save these things on that model.
The S754 with tweaks is not as loud as the X1050 (or my previous S639f) but it's very close. And I think it sounds better than previously as well.
Get into Service Menu:
Press Back until in the multi-icon menu.
Switch Hold ON Then fairly quickly (but does not have to be super-speed):
Right Left Vol-UP Vol-Down Right Left Option Back Option Back
Switch Hold off.
Colour Bar will appear, press DOWN arrow
Move down until DAC is highlighted, move highlight to B-GAIN Press PLAY
(displayed default settings for Bass, make a written note)
Use UP/DOWN arrow to change DAC BASS GAIN to 12.0
Use OPTION to change DAC BASS FC to 250Hz
Press PLAY to save. You will now highlight T-GAIN
Press PLAY on T-GAIN
(displayed default settings for Treble, make a written note)
Use UP/DOWN arrow to change DAC TREBLE GAIN to 12.0
Use OPTION to change DAC TREBLE FC to 5Hz (5kHz)
Press PLAY to save.
Move highlight left, then go down and highlight EXITTEST, press PLAY then press PLAY again.
Unit will switch off. Wait 2 seconds and press OPTION to switch on.
All Done.
Obviously there is no risk to your music.
You might wish to adjust the normal EQ to suit the new sound.
I don't know if this works on the 16GB S755. Probably.
I don't know if this is changable on non-EU models.
I didn't know there is no formatting in this forum! Best to cut and paste the above into a WP and format it to make sense of it all.
EDIT: a-ha, had script blocking on. Fixed text formatting.
What a friendly forum, bye bye.
oh no a 2nd thought!
Bye! Have a good life. :)
I was in process of writing a post welcoming you and asking for more info when you decided your thoughts were too precious to be merged and decided to nasty up over being informed of forum standards. Oh well, I'll leave the post as someone might find it useful in the future but I won't spend any time being concerned because you feel butt-hurt over a post merge.
It is very important to verify whether the EU-version of this device has different resistors/capacitors. Merely boosting the volume firmware-wise without changing those parts (if any) can result in audible distortion and artifacts. See MZ-RH1.
I can confirm that this works on the US NWZ-755 16GB. Before the changes, I could listen comfortably with the volume at about 13-14, and now I'm good at 8-9. I'll have to give it a try on the commuter train sometime and see if the volume boost helps there.
I didn't do an A-B test, so I can't say if it sound better than before, but it definitely sounds good and undistorted.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:10 AM.


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The Delumper 1075 LP crusher reduces hard or soft, heat-sensitive, sticky, or wet agglomerates and lumps at high volume without degrading the material or causing rise in temperature. The unit's low-friction cutting action is ideal for large quantities of sludge cake, agglomerated chemicals, plastics, fats, waxes, or solid waste. The crusher employs extended cutting teeth that rotate completely through a heavy bar cage, self-clearing the slots with each rotation. Each tooth is built for precise balance, interchangeability, and smooth operation. Output sizes are adjustable by changing the speed or the comb. The size of the material handled can be as large as the throat opening. The unit is provided with a one-piece seamless uni-body housing.
Franklin Miller Inc., Livingston, NJ 973-535-9200 www.franklinmiller.com
For related equipment reviews, articles, and news, visit our Size Reduction Equipment Zone
Click here for information about International Powder & Bulk Solids Conference & Exhibition


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South Korea has confirmed that a 40-year-old military officer exchange program with the Republic of China (ROC) would end soon because it will launch a similar program with China, a Taiwanese government official said yesterday.
"We are in the middle of negotiating with the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea before this plan is finalized [later] this month," the official told the Taipei Times.
Taiwan was able to authenticate the information, first disclosed by Japan's Asahi Shimbun on April 21, after the Taipei Mission in Korea talked to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record.
Although the Korean Mission in Taipei declined to confirm the report when approached for comment, the Korea JoongAng Daily, an English-language publication under the JoongAng Ilbo, reported yesterday in Seoul that the South Korean government had decided to end the personnel exchange program with Taiwan.
The Korea JoongAng Daily said a South Korean military official told the JoongAng Ilbo that military authorities in Seoul and Beijing had agreed to start an exchange program for major-level officers to study at their respective army, navy or air force academies for one year.
The official was quoted as saying that the agreement with China came after South Korea promised to stop its program with Taiwan.
Beijing had strongly insisted that Seoul stop the exchange program with Taiwan, the reports said.
South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin and his Chinese counterpart, General Liang Guanglie (梁光烈), will confirm the exchange program in Beijing at the end of this month, as well as the establishment of a military hotline, along with other measures to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries, the newspapers said.
One ROC officer is currently studying in South Korea, while two South Korean officers are in Taiwan, a diplomatic source said.
Sha Tsan-son (沙春生), a retired military attache who had served in Seoul, said ending the ROC-South Korea program was aimed at breaking the "brotherhood that has existed between the Republic of China military and the Gwangbokgun," the armed forces of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (the 1919 to 1948 government-in-exile in China), since it was established in 1941.
In an interview with the Taipei Times on Tuesday, the retired officer, who took part in the exchange program in the late 1970s, lamented the changes in relations between Taipei and Seoul and those between Beijing and Seoul over the decades.
One main reason Taiwan was able to maintain the program — even after Seoul abruptly broke diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1992, in what was widely regarded in Taiwan as an insulting way — was "the profound relationship between the ROC military and the Gwangbokgun" that dated back to a time when both countries were facing hard times, said the former officer, who retired about 10 years ago.
As China's clout grew in terms of its economic relationship with South Korea and its influence with North Korea, Taiwan had to reduce the number of officers it sent to Seoul from three when the program began in 1974 to one, said the retiree, who is now president of Taiwan Education Center in South Korea.
"I cannot remember the exact year, but at one point South Korea barred Taiwanese exchange officers from wearing their military uniforms," he said.
What Taiwan gained from the program was not what its officers learned of military techniques, but "the strong bonds it built between the two countries," he said.
In the early 2000s, several requests by Beijing that Seoul end the exchange program with Taipei were bluntly turned down by South Korean military leaders, who themselves had studied in Taiwan as part of the program, he said.
A paper published in October by Hwang Jaeho, a professor of international studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said the exchange program had been an impediment for South Korea in achieving a strategic cooperative partnership with China, a goal his country has been pursuing since South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) in 2008.


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Former veterans helping veterans with gift
Fulfilling the wishes of a couple who served in the U.S. military, representatives with the state and county Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organizations accepted a $100,000 check this week to help veterans with training and transportation.
On behalf of Lt. Col. Marie Bilyj and Col. Stephen Bilyj, Susan and Tom Stinebaugh presented the check Wednesday to state DAV Commander Michael Stith and State Adjustant Will Davis. Stinebaugh is a nephew of Marie Bilyj.
"This money will go to the service of veterans 100 percent — it will provide job training and help with the local filing of claims for service connected disabilities," Stith said. "We have troops who fought during their service in six hospitals and this money will go for vans to transport these veterans. The vans are driven by volunteers.
"This donation here will get us at least a van if not two through a fund supported by the Ford Motor Co.," he said.
Stinebaugh said the couple never forget their brethren they served with in the military.
"Although Stephen and Marie enjoyed their time together after the military, they never forgot the importance of God, country and their fellow men and women whom they served side-by-side with to protect our freedoms," Stinebaugh said. "It is with humble hearts that their family carries out the Bilyj's final wishes with this donation on their behalf to the Disabled American Veterans."
Earlier this year, Stinebaugh presented a $100,000 check to the Wapakoneta Area Community Foundation to start a scholarship fund for high school students planning to earn a degree in nursing.
Stephen Bilyj joined the U.S. Army on July 25, 1946, and served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict. During his 30-year career, he held many offices and received numerous medals and commendations.
After retiring from the Army on April 27, 1970, he served in the Army National Guard for several years.
Marie Bilyj, who earned her nursing degree from St. Rita's School of Nursing in Lima, enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict.
While serving overseas during the Korean War, Marie and Stephen Bilyj met and then later married in San Francisco in 1964. The couple continued to serve through the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict, Stinebaugh said, at times going months without seeing each other.
They visited or were stationed in many countries throughout their service including France, Germany, Korea, China, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam.
Both were award the Army's medal of Commendation and Stephen Bilyj earned the Bronze Star.
After nearly 50 years in the service combined, the Bilyjs retired to Dover, New Hampshire, to be close to Stephen Bilyj's mother. When Stephen Bilyj died in 1998, Marie Bilyj moved back to Wapakoneta to be close to her sisters and 23 nieces and nephews.
Marie Bilyj, who was born July 10, 1923, in Crawfordsville, Ind., the daughter of Clenna (Odle) and George Galloway, died Dec. 27, 2011, at Otterbein-Cridersville.


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Nature "Crows" at 7 pm
Crows do not have the best of reputations. They are generally dismissed as spooky – Hitchcock used them quite successfully to frighten moviegoers, or as a general nuisance – scarecrows were, after all, invented to scare crows away from crops. But their image is about to take a real turn. New research has shown they are among the most intelligent animals in the world, able to use tools as only elephants and chimpanzees do, and to recognize each other's voices and 250 distinct calls. They are very social, mate for life and raise their young for up to five years. And they are able to recognize individual humans and pick them out of a crowd up to two years later. Crow experts from around the world sing their praises and present us with captivating new footage of crows as we have never seen them before.
NOVA "Mind Of A Rampage Killer" at 8 pm
This program is part of KLRU's & PBS' After Newtown specials. Find out more
What makes a person walk into a theater or a church or a classroom full of students and open fire? What combination of circumstances compels a human being to commit the most inhuman of crimes? Can science in any way help us understand these horrific events and provide clues as to how to prevent them in the future? As the nation tries to understand the tragic events at Newtown, NOVA correspondent Miles O'Brien separates fact from fiction, investigating new theories that the most destructive rampage killers are driven most of all, not by the urge to kill, but the wish to die. Could suicide and the desire to go out in a media-fueled blaze of glory be the main motivation? How much can science tell us about a brain at risk for violence? Most importantly, can we recognize dangerous minds in time — and stop the next Newtown?


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I second that.
Best "Knight" movie Heath Ledger was in! He really did the Joker perfect.
He really did. I can't imagine that it's possible for anyone to ever play the Joker better. I was expecting a good movie, but frankly it surprised me by how much it exceeded my expectations. He should certainly win an Oscar for that. Easily the best supporting actor role of the year, even without seeing the films from the last half of the year.
I'd argue that the Joker was the real 'star' of this film. I suppose he was a supporting actor, but he stole the show.
Disappearing Pencil Trick!
Bearing this in mind, I don't think I ever want to see the Joker play "hide the salami" with Harley Quinn.
Because Heath Ledger deserves one.
End of story.
Yes, they can.
Peter Finch [wikipedia.org] (who won Australia's first Acting Oscar?) has got the only posthumous Oscar for Acting (there are others in other categories).
Sadly, another Australian may get one this way..
Because Heath Ledger deserves one.
This is not a troll, but a legitimate question. I have only seen the trailers of the new Batman movie. I have read in a lot of places that the joker character is is very good.
However, from what I have seen on the trailer, the joker does not seems crazy like the one impersonated by Jack Nickolson. Thus my question to the people that have seen the movie would be, Is the Joker character by Ledger better than the one by Nickolson?
And to the compic purists (I am not one of them...) which of the two characterisations is closer to the one in the comics?
Yes, without question. Ledger's Joker actually acts legitimately crazy, complete with the tongue thing. You can tell that he is rational in his own mind, and not trying to be funny, as Nickilson's Joker tried to be.
You really have to see it to understand what I mean. It really is the best villain I've seen.
Ledger's Joker seems to have been based on Mark Hammill's Joker in the edgier of the animated episodes/movies.
Well, kinda...
Ledger's Joker is based more on the comic series which always had the Joker as more of a psychotic than a jokester. Perhaps it was the Adam West series's softening of the character that gave the Joker that impression in the general public. In the 70's when the Joker became even a bit more grittier, and through the Dark Knight and similar gn's, the "darkening" of the Batman universe came to influence Dini, etc. in how they developed the character for TAS, though a bit softer still since it was a kids show.
Ledger's version is easily the closest to the original Joker concept of a true psychotic criminal, one who not only revels in his own altered version of the world, but finds the humor in the differences of what is considered our normal and what he considers normal, and uses that humor as part of his villainy.
Nicholson's Joker, while following closely to The Killing Joke origin of the Joker (and in my mind a weak cause for the level of the Joker's psychosis as required for the original character), was more along the lines of the 50's and 60's prankster Joker.
Either way, it will take a lot to find another actor who can come close to bringing the Joker to life in the same way Ledger did.
Agreed. Over the decades, the Batman comics moved from dark to campy to dark again. Nicholson's Joker was some strange amalgam between dark and campy. Ledger's Joker on the other hand is indeed pure psychopath, the Joker as characterized by Frank Miller and Alan Moore.
Of the people I know who are familiar with the Joker character from having read comic books, all who have seen Dark Knight agree that Ledger's Joker is the best interpretation.
I'd put this further as saying Nicholson played a great comic book Joker.
Ledger played the Joker as a real human being. That gives a LOT more emotional shock value in the end, since you could actually imagine Ledger's Joker existing in the real world.
I second this. The Keaton / Nicholson films took place in a world that was Willy Wonka-esque. You had to just roll with it and say "oh, it's a movie!" to believe it. I unashamedly did, and I loved those movies for years (okay, the Burton ones.). Chris Nolan just took a flamethrower to the old ones and said "No. This is right here and right now." and created something insanely beautiful.
Jack was completely over the top and all "Look at me! Look at me!" and Ledger played it as "You look at me and I'll gut you..." His Joker is what I imagine it would be like to have a camera crew following Jeffrey Dahmer or J.W. Gacy around. He's just pure, undiluted id waiting for a chance to set you on fire and giggle as you scream.
Ledger's performance is not as over the top as Nicholson's. Having said that, Ledger's Joker is a far more frightening thing. He has no name, no history, no nothing. He is just a pure chaos.
As for comic accuracy, both are accurate.
Nicholson's is more akin to the Joker from the Detective Comics and Batman from the 70s and early to mid 80s. Over the top crazy and homicidal.
Ledger's is more like the Joker from Batman #1 from 1940 as well as Miller's Dark Knight Returns (1986). Chaos personified. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. Pure evil and utterly creepy. Terror for no discernible purpose aside from causing terror. I, personally, don't think it is as much like the Joker from Killing Joke (1988) as many others do.
The terror experienced by Gothamites which follows the news "The Joker is Free" in the comics I could not see Nicholson's inspiring. I can easily see Ledger's doing so.
You have to see it.
There is no backstory; the Joker is not some business man that tragic things happened to. There isn't a plan, there isn't a motivation, there's no rhyme or reason.
He is Just. Fucking. Crazy.
Given any situation imaginable, his only concern is "what will cause the most entropy". That's it, there's nothing else.
And the performance is otherworldly. I never once looked at the joker and thought "That's Heath Ledger". He disappears into the role.
If you want to get an idea, just peep this quote (from wikipedia):
The Herald Sun and The Mercury quote Michael Caine, who portrays Alfred Pennyworth, as saying that Ledger topped Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. "He's gone in a completely different direction to Jack. Jack was like a clown figure, benign but wicked, maybe a killer old uncle. He could be funny and make you laugh...Heath is like a really scary psychopath. I did one scene with him and he was ready to go and had to come up in a lift and raid our place...I didn't see him for rehearsal and when he came out of the lift he was so incredible I forgot my lines. He frightened the life out of me.
... I'd never met him before. He's a lovely guy and his Joker is going to be a heck of a revelation in this picture."
He made MICHAEL CAINE, one of the most acclaimed and professional actors in the WORLD, forget his lines ON SET, he was so freaky.
Just... go see the movie.
Joker did it for the lulz.
It didn't disappoint me. I enjoyed the portrayal of The Joker. I'm sure there'll be much debate about Ledger vs. Nicholson (as well as endless Batman/Alternate Universe Joker-on-Joker slashfic).
I also enjoyed that there wasn't any silly microwave/waterborn silliness. I know, I know, comic book movie. But still...
Cesar Romero [wikipedia.org] is the only real Joker.
Yeah, Joker was awesome - but the biggest criminal of all time of course is Batman's alter ego, Mr. Wayne.
Mr. Bruce Wayne is the better class of criminal [dealbreaker.com] that the Joker talks about - someone who would make the white collars on Wall Street look like children.
So, being behind white collar crimes when you are a superhero at night is fine, but you don't enjoy others doing the same? Interesting take, this Batman movie thingy.
I'm sure there'll be much debate about Ledger vs. Nicholson
I doubt it.
Here are my thoughts.
The Good
The Bad
Other than that, I really enjoyed it. The Joker really did have an awesome performance.
I haven't seen Sixth Sense yet, you insensitive clod.
Just rented it & was planning to see it tonight.
Is it just me or was the Bat-Bike the slowest fast thing that you've ever seen in a movie? It always looked like on a relative scale that it should be or was moving fast, but it wasn't actually going that fast at all on an absolute scale. It was weird.
Great move though. I can't wait for more!
Obviously Cmdr T won't be reading this, but the Lloyd Center cinemas are very close to the OSCON venue - two stops on the MAX, or about half a mile if he feels like walking.
http://www.fandango.com/regallloydmall8cinema_aaapq/theaterpage [fandango.com]
or about half a mile if he feels like walking
What kind of true geek walks anywhere? You think we get these perfectly round bodies by doing anything even remotely close to exercise? YOU INSENSITIVE CLOD!
That's about the reaction I had, which seems to be unusual -- most people I know thought it was fantastically amazingly wonderful, with a small minority who thought it sucked. Very much like Batman Begins: I may be the only person I know who thought it was
The editing was better than in BB, which pleased me; the abrupt jumps of that movie really irritated me. Bale is, as before, good but not great. Ledger's Joker performance deserves all the praise that's been heaped on it -- it's not just the glamor of a Star Tragically Dead Before His Time(tm). He's genuinely scary, and he pretty much owns every scene he's in. (As opposed to whatsisname who played the Scarecrow in BB, and makes a brief cameo appearance in TDK, who I thought was one of the least interesting and charismatic bat-antagonists of all time.) Everyone else is, again, pretty good.
[shrug] The 1989 version remains the definitive Batman film adaptation for me, but this will do for now. If they keep the franchise going, Bond-style, maybe they can bring Bale back in a generation or so to do TDK Returns. That would be cool.
There was a (probable, but subtle) allusion to Catwoman in TDK. When Fox gives Batman his new suit, he makes it a point to say it will protect against cats.
The ethical dilemma on the two ferries toward the end of the flick was excellent. The Joker's rants are enough to make you think (if you haven't already) but that one line was really, truly excellent:
"Well, we're still here, which means they haven't pushed the button."
Above all else, the best thing about this movie was the trip into the different aspects of the human condition. Whether it's the chaotic Joker, fair Two-Face, pure Fox, kind Alfred, or incorruptible Batman, or any of the others, we get, as The New Yorker paraphrased, a rare glimpse into the abyss.
Tiny Lister had a great role in that scene, convincing the warden (or whomever he was) to give him the detonator. What great writing.
I thought this was the best scene in the whole movie! To me, it distinguished between the common criminal (Tiny) and the truly evil one (Joker). Even the common criminal has rules, where Joker played by no rules what so ever.
It also showed the Common Criminal has the balls to do what should have been done. But that was the point, wasn't it. Awesome!
The ethical dilemma on the two ferries toward the end of the flick was excellent. The Joker's rants are enough to make you think (if you haven't already) but that one line was really, truly excellent:
Too cliched... They took the safe, predictable way out of that one - the scary prisoner with the heart of gold makes the noble choice to save the innocent citizens, while the citizens are cowardly and ready to toss aside the prisoners, but end up not able to make that decision either. We've seen this exact outcome to the Prisoner's Dilemma every time it's come up in a movie.
Then again, what could the writers do? Blowing up either one of the boats would have made the movie a hell of a lot darker.
So the insane killer guy tells you that the detonator will blow up the OTHER boat. That you would be SAFE?!?
And you fucking BELIEVED him?
THAT was the problem I saw with that scene. Wouldn't the Joker do something more
First I want to say I loved it, easily the best movie I've seen this year. Nolan did a great job at keeping it dark and gritty, and I can be satisfied with that alone. Some of the aspects of the movie really did seem forced though. For one thing it seemed like Harvey made the transition to Two Face very quickly. Yes, there he went through a lot, but his character never gave off a sense that it affected him all that much until the end. There was only one scene to really show that he might've been unhinged somewhat before becoming Two Face, and even then he seemed to be very much in control. It just seemed like there wasn't enough foreshadowing that he was capable of being a true monster. Aaron Eckhart gave a great performance, but I think if Harvey had been given more a backstory (such as how they introduced him in Batman: TAS, talking to a shrink) the overall effect would've been more profound.
I think that was the point -- the Joker even commented that the descent to madness takes just a little push. That's what the hospital scene was -- Harvey was holding it together even through everything that happened until a little push, then his whole personality crumbled around him.
Hmmmm, you have a point. Still, even with "just a little push," it didn't seem like his personality up to that point was that fragile. Of course, my argument goes against my other nitpick about the movie, which is that the Joker spent a lot of time explaining his motivations to the audience rather than leaving it up to them to deduce. Can I have my cake and eat it too?
Anybody else catch that?
Anybody else think of Bush when they caught it?
Don't get me wrong, he's good - very good - but it's not Academy Award level acting. If he had lived, nobody would be discussing an award.
Certainly, it will get nominations for cinematography for Pfister (who will win), writing for the brothers Nolan, and production design for Crowley (who will also win), but that's it.
If the Academy chose to recognise the efforts of the only people who actually knowingly risk their lives for film, stunt people, then this would win as well. But, the Academy is blind to this irony, so they won't.
One thing I noticed, and liked, was the fairly obvious nod to the old comics when it came to how they handled Two-Face's disfigurement.
The bit with the back side of the mouth, looking like he's going "grrrr!", and the eyeball floating in the socket - that look is pretty much lifted straight from some of the old Batman comics, as far as how Two-Face looked.
It kinda sent a chill up my back - when he first turns his head, I had a flashback to my youth when I was big into comics, remembering how Two-Face was illustrated back then.
You know the part where the sleezeball lawyer wants to reveal Batman's identity, and the Joker threatens to blow up a hospital if nobody kills him? Why didn't they just kill the lawyer?
Yeah. You go ahead and trust that maniac. The rest of us will be over here in Rational-Land where we don't give someone whatever they want when they say they're going to blow up a hospital.
Because then the Joker says, kill 10 people or I'll blow up a hospital.
Or kill 100 people or I'll blow up a hospital.
Or kill 1000 people or I'll blow up a hospital.
The moment you accept killing one innocent person is OK to save many more innocent people, then how do you propose we weigh their lives? Does society even work when we permit such madness to reign?
Loose bits sink chips.