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"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe[a] in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going."[c] 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know[d] my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me[e] for anything, I will do it.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
15 "If you love me, you will keep[f] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[g] to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in[h] you.
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
25 "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate,[i] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.
a. John 14:1 Or You believe
b. John 14:2 Or If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you
c. John 14:4 Other ancient authorities read Where I am going you know, and the way you know
d. John 14:7 Other ancient authorities read If you had known me, you would have known
e. John 14:14 Other ancient authorities lack me
f. John 14:15 Other ancient authorities read me, keep
g. John 14:16 Or Helper
h. John 14:17 Or among
i. John 14:26 Or Helper
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


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@nikki: i know one thing i would love to see you do as rikku x-2 XD "snakeeee snakeeee" XDDD if you get it kudos
@nikki: in the game X2 she would say that anytime you fight against a snake like enemy when you first start the battle. also another thing you can reference is her fear (or old fear) of lightning that could be a fun one, if you get someone who can cast it or uses it, and if you survive, and your next opponent tries to use it, you can say "that doesn't work on me anymore " and maybe use a lightning attack or something? i donno. just giving out some ideas here >.<
When someone dies, put your hands on you head and shake it saying "This is disasteriffic"
also nikki here are her abilities: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Rikku#Rikku_in_Battle
I got an Idea if I'm Roy, he'll get desperate and try human Alchemy and all the dead characters can gang up and kill him for failing miserably. Ending with him getting dragged to the grave yard.One year I want to be a chess master and Cosplay Fujiwara No Sai XD Stand behind some person moving my pieces XD
It was ._. I am 'Legs'
Yes. . .-//////////-
No another Stalker TT.TT
I hate my memory T.T I can't remember
If anyone goes against me, I hope they like having a giant wooden Sotoba stuck in their face before getting creeped to death >.> That's all I got
thank god your on my team lolI however have no idea what to do I got one idea and it sounds good >3
I'd have just walked everyone to their death just 'cause. I'd have killed my sister first xD

subset: commoncrawl


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(Images: © Hermann und Clärchen Baus. The Elektra shown is Iréne Theorin, not Janice Baird.)
Klytämnestra – Waltraud Meier
Elektra – Janice Baird
Chrysothemis – Eva-Maria Westbroek
Aegisth – Robert Gambill
Orest – René Pape
Orest's Tutor – Oliver Zwarg
Young Servant – Benjamin Hulett
Old Servant – Josef Stangl
Overseer – Orla Boylan
First Maid – Maria Radner
Second Maid – Martina Mikelic
Third Maid – Stephanie Atanasov
Fourth Maid – Eva Leitner
Fifth Maid – Anita Watson
Confidante – Arina Holecek
Trainbearer – Barbara Reiter
Nikolaus Lehnhoff (director)
Daniel Dooner (associate director)
Raimund Bauer (set designs)
Andrea Schmidt-Futterer (costumes)
Duane Schuler (lighting)
Denni Sayers (choreography)
Martin Kern (video)
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus (chorus master: Thomas Lang)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Daniele Gatti (conductor)
Elektra was the fourth and final of my Salzburg operas in 2010. Despite the virtues of the preceding three, Strauss's greatest opera indubitably received the best performance and production of all. Given the cast, conductor included, I had suspected that it might, but expectations can all too often be confounded. Not so here. Whilst the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, a jewel in Salzburg's crown second only to Mozart himself, proved excellent in all performances, I was simply astounded by its contribution on this occasion. Playing for a conductor it loves, such as Daniele Gatti, it remains without a shadow of doubt the finest orchestra in the world. The sweetness of string tone is one of the wonders of the world, likewise the mellowness of its horns and trombones; I could go on, and probably should… But what was especially striking here was its willingness to respond to the brazen modernism of Gatti's reading. Greatly experienced not only in Mahler but also in Berg and Schoenberg – I recall a stunning Moses und Aron in Vienna – Gatti married the quintessential Vienna sound to savagery of attack and a revelatory orchestral phantasmagoria, which made one wonder why Strauss spoke so dismissively of Schoenberg's Op.16 orchestral pieces. And yet, whilst I may never have heard Strauss sound so close to Schoenberg, he never actually sounded like Schoenberg. The composer's voice sang through, not least in the swing of his dance rhythms, in the kaleidoscopic intimations of Der Rosenkavalier, and in the soaring lyricism that even here foreshadows the composer's fabled 'Indian summer'. Gatti heard, and the VPO played, with a structural command that would surely have impressed Furtwängler: heard in one gigantic breath, this was Fernhören indeed.
I admit that my heart sank when it was announced that Iréne Theorin had succumbed to the filthy weather Salzburg was experiencing, confined to her bed with a sore throat. Janice Baird had responded to a telephone call the previous day, leaving her holiday in southern Spain. Carping excessively, there were occasional odd vowel sounds – her opening 'Allein' incorporating one of them – but otherwise, one would never have guessed that she had not been giving an acclaimed performance all the way through the run. This is, by any standards, a killer of a role, yet Baird emerged having given an intelligently conceived, dramatically urgent account, superior to many that grace the world's foremost operatic stages. Waltraud Meier's Klytämnestra was a subtler portrayal than one often hears; it is all too easy to turn the character into a caricature, a witch-like figure meriting little proper consideration. Here, Meier sometimes made one strain to hear, though one always could. There were splendidly dramatic gestures, but more common were passages of Lieder-like intensity. Eva-Maria Westbroek may well be the best Chrysothemis I have heard. The 'normality' of Elektra's sister generally seems weirder than anything else; such is a valid reading. But Westbroek actually made some sense of her desires, her femininity, her hopes, and her determination. She sang gloriously, like the fine Sieglinde she is: radiant, but also meaningful.
René Pape's Orest was just as fine. His voice is so extraordinarily rich and beautiful that one can sometimes find oneself mesmerised; one should resist the temptation, for he uses Hofmannsthal's words just as intelligently as Strauss's notes. The Recognition Scene, ever intensifying, was at least as moving as any I have heard. Why some critics claim Elektra suffers from longueurs I have never understood; if not quite so concise as Wozzeck, it is not far off. Certainly the intensity of the performance would not let one's attention wander for a single second. Robert Gambill sounded in better voice than the typical Aegisth, yet without undue heroics that would have detracted from the character's despicable weakness: a very tricky task to bring off, but Gambill did. All of the smaller roles were well taken; I especially liked the rounded high tenor of Benjamin Hulett's Young Servant.
Nikolaus Lehnhoff has perhaps excelled himself here too, aided by Raimund Bauer's striking, almost apocalyptical stage design. Indeed, one felt that this might have been a contemporary version of the Elektra Lehnhoff's mentor, Wieland Wagner, had planned with Pierre Boulez, but which, owing to Wieland's death, never materialised. There were no gimmicks; instead, we experienced an unremitting intensity of single-minded vision, born of myth, never fetishised, with hints of the early twentieth century, without undue specificity, convincingly welded into a dramatic whole. The starkness of the sets, of Andrea Schmidt-Futterer's costumes, and Duane Schuler's lighting provided the perfect setting for the musical drama to emerge. There was no attempt to overshadow, to foist an irrelevant concept upon the drama; the production emerged all the stronger for it. The final revelation of the palace, Klytämnestra hanging, thus elicited a true horror, rather than the grand guignol lesser directors might have imparted to proceedings. (A certain recent Salome springs to mind.) It seems almost unconceivable that I should have emerged elated from Elektra, still less that I should readily have seen and heard it again immediately, but such was the case.


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Consider this hypothetical. In the final hour of your shift, you stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. After entering the name of the driver into an NCIC query on your squad computer you receive a message that says, "Warning, approach with caution. This individual is of investigative interest to law enforcement regarding association with terrorism." The message on the screen is accompanied by a toll-free phone number. What do you do? You make the call, right?
If your answer was "yes," you'd be connected to a call center — staffed 24 hours per day, seven days a week, 365 days a year — designed specifically to help cops on the street find and apprehend terrorists, would-be terrorists, and people who support terrorism. The people staffing those calls work for the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), and they have at their fingertips the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), the largest and most comprehensive watch list of known or suspected terrorists in the world.
Prior to the creation of the TSDB, information about known or suspected terrorists was dispersed throughout the U.S. Government and no one agency was charged with consolidating it and making it available for use in terrorist screening. In fact, three of the 9/11 hijackers — Mohammed Atta, Ziad Jarrah, and Hani Hanjour — were stopped by state or local law enforcement for traffic violations in the days leading up to the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history. Because there was no central system with which law enforcers could identify them as having an association with terrorism, they were free to make their attack.
With TSC, such a system is not only in place, it's successfully catching would-be terrorists and their associates on a daily basis.
How — and Why — TSC Works
"When the officer calls us," Timothy Healy, Director of the Terrorist Screening Center, said during an exclusive interview with Police1, "we have the ability to go high-sight information — top secret information. What the officer has is identifying information. We take the identifying information — the subject's name, date of birth, height, weight. We're looking at the information and talking to the officer on the street. That happens live. It happens every day between seventy-five and a hundred and fifty times per day, and of those, between thirty and fifty percent are positive."
Traffic stops, Healy explained, account for about a third of the positive encounters TSC has with known or suspected terrorists within the United States. Given the numbers Healy is talking about, that means state and local police officers have contact with anywhere between 15 and 25 known or suspected terrorists every single day. And that's just the number we know about! Some cops, Healy lamented, still don't know about TSC so they may not make that phone call.
Let's continue with our hypothetical traffic stop. During your initial contact you observed that that the driver has only two fingers on one of his hands. Maybe you didn't think much of it initially but as your interaction with TSC continues, you soon realize that you've got a very important piece of information.
"We're looking at our information and find out that this officer is dealing with a bomber — a bomb-maker — and on his right hand he's got three fingers missing," said Healy. "We wouldn't ask the officer to check his hand for three fingers missing. We'd say, 'Can you describe his right hand?' If the officer would say, 'There's three fingers missing,' we'd know we have a match. So at that point, we'd tell the officer that they're dealing with a positive match, and then we'd automatically rout that to the terrorist screening operation unit of the FBI."
The FBI would notify the case agent in charge of the investigation on that individual, and coordinate what the law enforcement approach should be. From the time our hypothetical officer stops the vehicle with the three-fingers-missing bomb-maker inside, to the time that the case agent is notified and begins to coordinate a response is between three to seven minutes.
Maintaining Timely Information
Interacting with law enforcement officers is just half of the job — the other half is making sure the information they're working with is timely, accurate, and maintained in a manner consistent Constitutional protections of privacy and civil liberties ensured to American citizens.
TSC makes between 1,200 and 1,500 additions, modifications, or deletions to the TSDB every single day. Every time a counterterrorism investigation on a person is opened, the individual is added to the TSDB. When additional information is found during that investigation, the subject's record in TSDB is updated. Investigators may get to the point where they've exhausted all the intelligence and decide a case can be prosecuted. Or they'll discover that the suspect is getting ready to conduct a terrorist act, and they'll make an arrest to stop it. In each instance, the TSDB is updated with the latest information. And of course, if at the end of the investigation it's determined that the individual has no connection to terrorism, they're removed from the TSDB.
It bears repeating: There are between 1,200 and 1,500 updates to the TSDB every single day. With information being changed that frequently, how do you ensure that the officer on the street has up-to-the-minute intelligence? Without getting too deep into the computer science weeds, Healy explained that the TSDB interacts with NCIC through what is known as a transactional interface.
"Every state and local cop when they stop someone on the street, they query NCIC ...in some cases, right from their car, in other cases they may have to call the dispatcher. In any event, they'll query the subject's name. We actually have a transactional import, which means, the second we identify a known or suspected terrorist and we incorporate it into the Terrorist Screening Center Database, that information is immediately available to that state or local officer. We have this connectivity with NCIC so that when we decide, 'yes, this person is a terrorist,' that information is made available to the officer."
In essence, the two databases "talk to each other" in real time, all the time.
Two Not-So-Hypothetical Situations
We know that it's not unusual for an officer making a traffic stop to identify all the people in the car. Sure, in some states it's illegal, but in most of them it's not, and in those states where it's permitted it's commonly practiced. Healy told Police1 of a case in which a savvy cop was able to help three different counterterrorism investigations by doing precisely this.
"We had a subject stopped in L.A. and there were two other people in the car. One was a subject of an FBI CT investigation in New Orleans, another one was a CT investigation I believe in Phoenix. Neither the Phoenix nor the New Orleans case agent nor the L.A. case agent knew that their subjects were associated somehow. Nor did any of them know that their subjects were together, and none of them knew that the subjects were in the same car together kind of hanging out."
The law enforcement officer, Healy explained, was able to obtain positive intelligence for each investigator that they didn't know.
"I used to do a presentation and I would, at one point during the presentation, pop up this card ... a picture of a driver's license. It would have information about the individual, it would have information about a couple cell phones that the guy had, and then phone numbers that we're called. I'd say, 'Where do you think I got this from?' and people would look at me and say, 'You got it from a cop'."
But Healy didn't get it from a cop — he got it from the CIA.
"Yes a cop did gather that information. Yes the case agent did coordinate with the police officer, yes the case agent did get that information, submitted it back through the process, and it got entered and added into the very highly classified, top-secret information. That information was available to the intelligence committee, as it is to any FBI agent working a particular case. And so then you had the agency call me to say, 'Well done, Terrorist Screening Center, this thing actually works.' You had the CIA call to say, 'The information that law enforcement officer obtained during his normal traffic stop was helpful to our terrorism cause in the CIA.' That is truly connecting the dots."
State and Local Law Enforcement is Key
Remember, Oklahoma State Trooper Charles J. Hanger caught Timothy McVeigh during a traffic stop on an interstate shortly after McVeigh killed 168 people in the Alfred P. Murrah Building.
"The success of the Terrorist Screening Center would not be the way it is right now, and we would not have the intelligence we have, if it wasn't for the professionalism of the state and local officers — specifically when they encounter known or suspected terrorists — in terms of how they act, how they proceed, and the intelligence that they collect," Healy concluded. "So when you have somebody from the agency providing accolades to a state or local cop — that somebody stops to say, 'Hey, well done,' — that to me is something that I've never seen in my twenty-five years of being in the FBI."
TSC is staffed by individuals from myriad government entities, including law enforcement personnel from federal agencies such as Customs & Border Protection, Immigration Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. To schedule a TSC training session for your police department, contact the TSC at 703-418-9586 or email@example.com.


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Year of publication
- 2000 (1)
Document Type
- English (1)
Has Fulltext
- yes (1)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (1)
- rheology (1)
- wall slippage (1)
A suspension of PMMA spheres in a density matched saccharose solution is investigated with a classical Searle rheometer and a NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectrometer. Here the NMR is used to measure the radial distribution of the PMMA spheres in the rotating cell, in addition to the local velocity profile of the suspension. The influence of particle concentration on the wall depletion is studied. Further analysis are carried out with computational fluid dynamics software. The velocity field as well as the solid distribution in the couette flow is simulated with a two-phase model including the Darcy law and compared to the experimental data.


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Toji Suzuhara wrote: »It's pretty cool so far. You're giving your backgrounds as much personality as your characters, which really helps set up the impact of the demolition. There are a few odd things (the timing of the loud talk radio text appearing and how relatively hidden it is in the panel, the offset of the panels in the first row on page 2) that are kind of odd choices, but don't break anything. They might make more sense if you repeat the elements enough in future pages.
I would suggest keeping the toning consistent, though. I think the moiré going on in the first two pages fits nicely with the semi-refined rough lines, and then when it suddenly gets slicker in page 3, it's a bit awkward. The texture coupled with the fewer grey tones was complementing your linework more.
And the head in the last panel just doesn't work, perspective-wise. It would have to be more of a bird's eye view for the head to be that far down in relation to the door. It looks like you wanted to get a sort of reaction shot in, but didn't work it into the composition before drawing the cool machinery and rubble. I'd say ditch the head for more rubble and make the panel/page completely first person, or add an inset reaction panel showing us his face as he sees his building being destroyed.


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AIG's Small London Office May Have Lost Big
Feds, Brits Probe AIG's London Office on Losses
JAY SHAYLOR, LAUREN PEARLE and TINA BABAROVIC
March 10, 2009
Ground zero for AIG's spectacular implosion, which has soaked up more federal bailout money than any other entity, appears to have been a small London branch office that may have put as much as half a trillion dollars at risk.
The disastrous deals were built up in a decade and, when the crisis hit, the man who ran the unit for the last eight years retired after making $280 million for himself and leaving with a $1 million-a-month consulting contract.
The struggling New York-based insurance giant has avoided collapse with the massive infusion of $160 billion in taxpayer money. The U.S. government has agreed to prop up AIG because it fears that AIG has such extensive financial involvement around the world that its failure would be far more costly.
Britain's serious fraud office and U.S. regulators are combing through the records of AIG's Financial Products Group, formerly located on the fifth floor of an office building in London's Mayfair section.
The unit's small group of traders risked nearly half a trillion dollars to insure U.S. mortgages and other debt using complex financial products called credit default swaps, according to recent congressional testimony.
"AIG financial products was the core, the hottest point of the global financial crisis," freelance investigative reporter Peter Koenig told "Good Morning America" today. "It was the epicenter."
The group's traders "found a crack in the system that was unregulated," Koenig told "GMA."
Joseph Cassano, an American who ran the group for eight years, declined through his lawyer to talk with ABC News. But ABC News obtained a tape of Cassano from August 2007 telling investors just how confident he was.
"It is hard for us with, and without being flippant, to even see a scenario within any kind of realm of reason that would see us losing $1 in any of those transactions," Cassano bragged.
Koenig said Cassano "had total confidence in his judgment. And he put no money against the fact that he might be wrong."
For years, the system worked fine for Cassano and, during his eight-year reign as head of the Financial Products Group, Cassano pocketed $280 million in salary and bonus. But about one year after Cassano boasted that he wasn't worried about losing a single dollar, AIG began bleeding billions.
AIG Says London Unit 'Nearly Brought Down the Company'
"For about a decade it went OK," Koenig said. "And then, when the U.S. housing market fell out instead, they suddenly realized they had to come up with a half a trillion dollars and all they had was a couple of million in the bank."
The collapse became so severe that AIG warned the U.S. Treasury Department last month that if it wasn't given more federal aid, its failure "could potentially bankrupt or bring down the entire system."
AIG admits that Cassano's unit nearly destroyed the insurance giant.
"It was clear that this small unit engaged in trades that nearly brought down the company and it's still sound insurance business," AIG told ABC News in a statement.
AIG said it is in the process of winding down the group.
Cassano, who has homes in London and Connecticut, was forced to retire from AIG on March 31. Critics say despite the fact that the company is hemorrhaging money and being kept alive with taxpayer cash, Cassano has been allowed to keep his windfall.
In addition, according to Cassano's signed retirement agreement obtained by ABC News, he was to be paid $1 million a month by AIG for "consulting services" through the end of last year.
The insurance arm of AIG is believed to be in good shape, but the fallout from AIG's financial products arm is still rippling through the U.S. economy and around the world.
In a 21-page memo marked "strictly confidential" and obtained by ABC News, AIG pleaded for an additional $30 billion in federal aid last month by warning the Treasury Department that the "failure of AIG would cause turmoil in the U.S. economy and global markets and have multiple and potentially catastrophic unforeseen consequences."
Sir Alan Sugar, often referred to as Britain's Donald Trump, told "GMA" that you can't blame London for the AIG problems.
"It may have started here, but it's an American company," Sugar said. "It just happened to be their place where plots were threaded."
Sugar said that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown -- a "good friend of mine," he said -- "secretly blames the American businesses, banks that Europe looks up to."
Sugar described the American fiscal atmosphere before the crisis as "over enthusiasms in business, greed. You maxed out over there, as you say."
"You went mad, financial Disney World, slot machine in Vegas and every time you pulled a lever someone won, and it usually was a bank executive."


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March 10, 2023 – The City of Midland reminds residents to help keep our local waterways clean and free of garbage and pollutants.
In addition to being a violation of the City's Code of Ordinances, dumping materials into waterways has the potential to harm the environment and increases the likelihood of overland flooding during rain events.
Here are some tips for keeping our waterways in tip-top shape:
For flood safety and Midland floodplain information, contact the City of Midland Planning Department at 989-837-3374. For information on catch basin maintenance, contact the Department of Public Services at 989-837-6900.


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In an essay for the Sunday New York Times he writes:
. . . there is widespread agreement among environmental economists that a market-based program to deal with the threat of climate change — one that limits carbon emissions by putting a price on them — can achieve large results at modest, though not trivial, cost. There is, however, much less agreement on how fast we should move, whether major conservation efforts should start almost immediately or be gradually increased over the course of many decades.Lest there be any confusion:
What you hear from conservative opponents of a climate-change policy, however, is that any attempt to limit emissions would be economically devastating. The Heritage Foundation, for one, responded to Budget Office estimates on Waxman-Markey with a broadside titled, "C.B.O. Grossly Underestimates Costs of Cap and Trade." The real effects, the foundation said, would be ruinous for families and job creation.So technology is favored by those evil conservatives? Emissions are to be treated very much like a limited "resource," like land? The goal of pricing carbon would be to encourage "conservation"? Say what? No wonder climate policy is a complete mess.
This reaction — this extreme pessimism about the economy's ability to live with cap and trade — is very much at odds with typical conservative rhetoric. After all, modern conservatives express a deep, almost mystical confidence in the effectiveness of market incentives — Ronald Reagan liked to talk about the "magic of the marketplace." They believe that the capitalist system can deal with all kinds of limitations, that technology, say, can easily overcome any constraints on growth posed by limited reserves of oil or other natural resources. And yet now they submit that this same private sector is utterly incapable of coping with a limit on overall emissions, even though such a cap would, from the private sector's point of view, operate very much like a limited supply of a resource, like land. Why don't they believe that the dynamism of capitalism will spur it to find ways to make do in a world of reduced carbon emissions? Why do they think the marketplace loses its magic as soon as market incentives are invoked in favor of conservation?
Absent from Krugman's discussion is any discussion of energy technology (other than to disparage it) in favor of an almost mystical confidence in the magical effectiveness of the market to lead to conservation. Guess what? We cannot decarbonize the U.S. economy based on "conservation." To suggest otherwise is a pretty clear sign that one really doesn't understand the nature of the challenge.
Paul Krugman may have a Nobel Prize and be an excellent economist. However, his analysis of climate policy is utterly absurd. Someone needs to introduce him to the Kaya Identity;-)


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From the Hans Christian Andersen biography "The Life of Hans Christian Andersen. Day By Day", written by DPhil Johan de Mylius:
7 November
H.C. Ørsted's 50th jubilee at the university is celebrated. The state awards him with the honorary residence of Oehlenschläger, "Fasangården" as a life-time home. HCA takes part in the celebrations and has penned a motto for a portrait of Ørsted which is based on a painting by Gertner. The final lines of the motto are:
"And through all the beauty in truth
To God you lead us, with an open view!"
[The expression "an open view" refers to the fact that for Ørsted - as for HCA himself - it was possible to draw nearer to God by using one's intellect].


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TULSA, Okla. – A judge has refused to dismiss charges against a man accused of sending lewd and indecent proposals to a 14-year-old girl he met when he worked as a janitor at a Tulsa megachurch.
Judge William Kellough on Tuesday rejected a defense motion to dismiss charges against former Victory Christian Center employee Israel Castillo.
Castillo has pleaded not guilty. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 1.
Defense attorneys say Castillo didn't know the girl was 14. Prosecutors say he met the girl at a church youth camp and knew her age because he had known her for two years.
Castillo faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Another former church employee was sentenced last month to 55 years in prison for raping a 13-year-old girl at the church.


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[Matt Richardson] built this on-air light to indicate whether a Make streaming show is currently in progress. Despite the obvious cord leaving the bottom of the base (it's a power cord) his creation is pulling data from the Internet wirelessly. He's using an Xbee module along with an Arduino to pull this off.
In addition to the light itself there's a base station that we haven't seen before. The hardware is a Digi ConnectPort Zigbee-to-Internet Gateway. That's a mouthful but it's just a box that acts as an Xbee node and facilitates communication between its own Ethernet port and other Xbee devices in the network. So no, you don't need a computer but you do need an Ethernet connection somewhere for the base station. [Matt] is running an open source software package on the ConnectPort call Xbee Internet Gateway (xig). Watch the video after the break to see the configuration for this package. It's a snap, and if you've never used an Xbee module before this gives you a good idea of how easy it really is.


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It's probably not surprising that, on the heels of recent record-setting prices in all classes of cattle, prices for bulls have been setting new records this bull-sale season as well. But despite the record prices, there seems to be a lot of sentiment among producers that this is the year to purchase bulls because bull prices the next 3-4 years – especially for calving-ease bulls – are going to climb ever higher as the industry expands.
These record prices have created at least three new dynamics:
• At first glance, it appears that there is a record spread between the top 15% of bulls and the average. This is probably true from a gross-dollar standpoint, but the actual value differences might be understated at today's prices.
For example, take bulls that are identical for every EPD but calving ease and yearling weight. Let's assume bull A has two additional live calves and boasts 30 lbs. of additional yearling weight. Let's assume that bull A has a yearling price of $150/cwt., and that bull A sires 100 live calves vs. 98 for bull B and that they are 30 lbs. heavier at yearling stage. That equates to a tremendous difference in value (100 x 800 x $1.50 = $120,000, 98 x 770 x 1.50 =$113,190)!
Everything else being identical, bull A is worth nearly $7,000 more than bull B. In fact, one good cattleman made the comment to me recently that he figured it was almost impossible to pay too much for a good bull, while a below-average bull would cost him money – even if it was given to him.
• Because I make my living selling bulls, the second dynamic pains me a bit. At these higher price levels for bulls, artificial insemination (AI) is becoming a more economically viable option. Don't get me wrong; I've always been a huge fan of AI. However, I would always argue that the value of AI is in consistency, in getting a higher percentage of cows bred in the first 21 days of calving season, uniformity, and the lack of risk associated with proven genetics.
It's not difficult to find yearling bulls with EPD profiles that exceed most AI sires, and to go 100% AI generally isn't feasible. However, the economics of AI vs. purchasing a bull have improved significantly at the current price levels for bulls.
The website IowaBeefCenter.org is a great resource with which to make some of these comparisons. Labor and time have always been a concern for producers looking at AI; however, if you have adequate numbers, turnkey solutions are available. Still, AI will likely play an increasing role as we move into expansion and begin to retain heifers at an aggressive rate.
• A third interesting trend is one probably derived from the changing marketplace of higher out-weights and improving margins for additional pounds at all segments. But in addition to the premium being paid for calving ease, there appears to be a noticeable push for more power and growth in bull selection by producers. A good economist argued that the increase in carcass traits, etc., has more than kept pace with the increase in the value associated with growth, but weight is easiest to measure when the checks are written.
It does require a pretty sharp pencil and some thought when it comes to designing a genetic program. It used to be that as long as you avoided big mistakes, you were okay. Today, avoiding mistakes is still critical but little details can equate to big differences.
Article Shared from Beefmagazine.com


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Last updated:
SAIIER - Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research
SAIIER promotes and coordinates most of the educational and cultural programmes in Auroville, keeping them focused on Auroville's aims and ideals. The Institute also acts as a financial and administrative umbrella for all these programmes. It receives funding for this purpose from India's Ministry of Education, the Foundation for World Education (USA), Stichting De Zaaier (Holland), and various units and individuals from within and outside Auroville.
The Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER) was founded on 28th February 1984, to coordinate and further develop educational research in Auroville through many experimental fields. Over the years SAIIER has evolved into an umbrella organization that has sponsored diverse research units and nurtured several educational initiatives in Auroville, an experimental township that came into being in 1968. The experiment itself is an attempt to work out, give content and practical shape to the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother on the future evolution of humankind.
Sri Aurobindo foresaw that great changes were coming upon humanity – changes of an evolutionary nature. On the one hand, the development and exercise of the mind, the mental faculty, would lead to great discoveries in science and result in increased technology. On the other hand, the human race would progressively find itself unable to effectively deal with, let alone master, the gigantic structure of civilization and life that would thus get built up. When times of crisis arose, such as we have been living through of late, it simply would not know how to proceed further.
Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, far ahead of their times, foresaw the need to create a laboratory where "an actual human unity" could be manifested. This laboratory is Auroville. The agenda set for Auroville by The Mother, embracing the vision of Sri Aurobindo, is based on a deep vision of the goals of human existence, the processes at work that go to make human life, the forces at play that affect it, and the present thrust of these forces. In Auroville we aspire to materialize this vision. One of the key elements of the vision is that no lasting change can be effected in human affairs unless there is a radical change in consciousness. Humanity's present consciousness is at best a mental consciousness, which can only conceive of things in parts; the whole eludes its grasp. It is necessary that human consciousness be centred in the inner psychic and spiritual parts of our being, if we are to realize a lasting peace and harmony in human affairs.
"Education for Human Unity" is our long-term project. Included in this category are many sub-themes essential to the main one – perceiving education as an unending process, education of the integral personality, perceiving each being as unique, and giving the freedom and opportunity to each person to pursue his or her own path of growth and progress.
The Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research, located near the Town Hall opposite the Matrimandir, possesses unique potential for research and experimentation in education. The very special characteristic of all the research teams is that they are composed of dedicated volunteers from different countries and cultural backgrounds. In the year 2012, twenty-eight years after SAIIER's inception, there are 216 researchers working under its umbrella, organized in research teams around the following themes:
- Experiments in objectives, content and methods of a new system of education
- Experiments in fine arts
- Experiments in village extension work
- Experiments in physical education
- Research on special themes, such as Indian Culture, Evolution and Sri Aurobindo's epic poem, Savitri.


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ProQuest Revives The Statistical Abstract of the United States
ProQuest has published the 2013 edition of the Statistical Abstract of the United States, rescuing one of researchers' most valued reference tools — the premier collection of statistics on the United States and its people. The ProQuest Statistical Abstract is available in new online and print editions. The work that went into producing the online edition leverages ProQuest's particular expertise creating superior digital statistical references. The print edition — published in cooperation with Bernan Publishing — strongly resembles beloved past editions.
"ProQuest has a unique set of strengths that made this project a perfect fit for us. We have a staff experienced in working with statistical data, a deep understanding of how the 'Stat Ab' is used by researchers and a relationship with government statisticians that could enable a smooth transition," said Susan Bokern, ProQuest Vice President, Information Solutions. "So, when the Census Bureau announced that it would cease production of the Statistical Abstract after the 2012 edition, we felt a responsibility to step in and ensure this essential research tool would continue. It turned out to be a labor of love and we're confident that researchers will be delighted with the results."
ProQuest's Bethesda-based staff of 25 statistical editors has been acquiring, indexing and republishing Federal statistics since 1973, building a reputation for accuracy and precision annotation. As a result, ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States 2013 continues its dual role as answer book and source guide, presenting high-value data in a way that makes it simple for users to locate just the right nugget of information.
ProQuest has enhanced both editions of the ProQuest Statistical Abstract. The online edition boosts researcher productivity and precision with...
- Line-item access to tables
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The print edition resembles the Census version that users know and love. Roughly 99% of the tables in the 2012 edition are republished in the new edition, fully updated if new data has been issued this year. New tables have been added on such topics as same-sex households, student loan debt, "under-water" mortgages, and trade with China. Additionally, the ProQuest version includes updated introductory sections, bibliographic documentation, and a back-of-the book index.
Volume discounts are available for the print edition. Call Bernan Customer Relations at 1.800.865.3457 for more information and to order.
Free trials of the online version of ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States 2013 are available and encouraged. To learn more, click here.
About Bernan (www.bernan.com)
Bernan is a leading distributor of essential publications from the U.S. government and intergovernmental organizations. Founded 60 years ago, Bernan created its publishing imprint, Bernan Press, to meet the demand of its customers for popular U.S. government statistical reference titles that are no longer being printed by the government. Bernan is part of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., one of the nation's largest independent book publishers.
About ProQuest (www.proquest.com)
ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company has forged a 70-year reputation as a gateway to the world's knowledge — from dissertations to governmental and cultural archives to news, in all its forms. Its role is essential to libraries and other organizations whose missions depend on the delivery of complete, trustworthy information.
ProQuest's massive information pool is made accessible in research environments that accelerate productivity, empowering users to discover, create, and share knowledge.
An energetic, fast-growing organization, ProQuest includes the ProQuest®, Bowker®, Dialog®, ebrary®, and Serials Solutions® businesses and notable research tools such as the RefWorks®, and Pivot™ services, as well as its' Summon® web-scale discovery service. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.


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Jeffco Public Schools' vision document, Jeffco Generations, was released in October and contained a new suggested organizational value for our school system: an entrepreneurial spirit. Simply put, like our kids and the rest of the world, Jeffco Public Schools must have the courage to adapt, innovate, take calculated risks, and evolve. Commerce, communication, and competition are pervasive, instantaneous, and relentless in their pace and demands and it is into this lightning-fast global economy our students will find themselves sooner than later. The future of our students, and the very existence of school organizations such as Jeffco Public Schools, is going to depend on our ability to adapt and meet the challenges of our ever-changing world. But what would an "entrepreneurial spirit" look like in Jeffco Public Schools? Well, I'm pleased to report that Jeffco has embraced this idea and we have some exciting and important changes underway. One idea was a proposed school of art and design. While the initial proposal was met with some resistance, and no small amount of fear, I am pleased to report that we worked with our art, music, and theater teachers to both explore how we might better support our existing programs and create a school of art and design that would add value to our system of schools in Jeffco. Much work remains to be done regarding fully exploring this idea and bringing it into reality, but I'm excited about what the future holds for this concept and how we can build something that adds to our current excellent music, art, and theater options in Jeffco. Another example of this entrepreneurial spirit is the exploration of several new school concepts across Jeffco. Our schools already offer an impressive array of choices for students in our neighborhood, option, and charter schools. But, going forward, I expect the growth of specialized and customized school options to only continue to expand. For example, we're looking at expanding Expeditionary Learning options, STEM schools, arts integration schools, and career academies in more locations across Jeffco. Also, we are considering a Jeffco School of Business, a homeschool support center, and expanded early childhood education options in the district. The list of concepts and ideas is truly inspiring. In addition to the excitement of what may be on the horizon, we're also working to lift up and highlight the incredible and innovative choice options which already exist. For example, Wheat Ridge High School has very impressive apprenticeship and Gifted & Talented programs. And, last week at the Board meeting, we heard about the fantastic variety of career programs that are up and running at Green Mountain High School. These examples, along with the district's robust Montessori charter options and quality core knowledge options, form an incredible and exciting landscape of choices for families. We've also started something we call the Innovation Acceleration Fund as a way to provide micro-grants to our employees, where they can get start-up funds for ideas and innovations in their work. The big idea is to supercharge the entrepreneurial spirit in Jeffco. Part of the fun in doing innovative work is that we aren't always sure where these efforts will take us. But when we put them on top of a solid foundation of quality offerings and the tradition of excellence for which Jeffco is known, it creates a catalyst for future possibilities and growth. Hang on, Jeffco – this is going to be fun!
Jeffco students, parents, families, staff, and community members may engage with Dr. Glass via Facebook, Twitter @COJasonGlass, and through his blog, advancejeffco.blog.


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Conversations With a Bear
"Stocks Likely To Crater From Here," read the subject line of an email that landed in my inbox last week.
"Sequestration cuts, weakening GDP growth, higher taxes and high gasoline prices are all but a few reasons why author and economic researcher Chris Martenson PH.D foresees the stock market likely to plummet within the coming months," it warned.
I usually ignore such hyper-specific emails, but I gave this one a look for one reason: I feel better about the economy now than I have in a while, and in an attempt to avoid confirmation bias, it's always best to bounce your thoughts off someone who disagrees with you.
So Chris and I exchanged a back-and-forth chat about the economy and investments. Here's the transcript, condensed for clarity.
Morgan Housel: You cite an increase in taxes and gas prices as a reason you expect stocks to plummet. But the last time we raised taxes in the early 1990s, stocks surged. Same with tax hikes in the 1950s. And gas prices are up 40% over the last three years, yet stocks are up by more than a third during that time. I'm not saying it's causation; just that the relationship is much more complicated than we often think. I just don't see the evidence that higher taxes or higher gas prices automatically lead to poor stock returns. (And for what it's worth, gas prices have been falling for a month now).
Chris Martenson: My thinking here is that stocks do respond poorly to are falling earnings and recessions are a powerful driver for falling earnings. Rising energy prices are well correlated with recessions and so I see high gasoline prices as a headwind to economic growth. The US economy is barely above stall speed when measured in terms of real GDP, and is a tick below the 3.7% nominal growth threshold that has been breached in every recession stretching back to 1980 (and at no other times, I should note). It is in the context of a weak economy that I wish to observe that the recent tax hikes and spending cuts of the US government provide yet more recessionary weight to the current environment.
Morgan: So the call, then, is for a looming outright recession? I agree that recession would be bad for stocks, of course. And while you can never rule out the possibility of a recession -- we're very bad at predicting them -- the negatives of higher energy prices and tax hikes can be countered by a number of things going right in the economy. Housing starts are rising at an annual rate of more than 25%, and will likely keep rising given low inventory and demographic trends. Household debt payments as a share of income are at a three-decade low, and there's evidence that consumer deleveraging is now complete. Energy production is booming. The near-stagnant GDP growth in the fourth quarter was almost entirely due to a big pullback in defense spending, which itself was the echo of a big rise in defense spending in the third quarter. And while gas prices have risen since last fall, prices are lower today than they were a year ago, and considerably lower than they were in mid-2011 -- to say nothing of real prices after nominal wage growth.
I would never rule out a recession, but the odds of one occurring in the coming year seem rather low to me, perhaps one in five. What odds do you place on a recession occurring?
Chris: I consider one to be far more likely than not, well over 50% in the US ... and the combined impacts of the sequester and Obamacare which I peg at between -1.5% and -2.5% for 2013. The sequester is easy to peg, that's going to be 0.6% full year, but at an annualized rate of -1% between here and Oct 1, 2013. ...
You cite many positive aspects, including booming energy production, and I'm pretty much in agreement with all of them with two caveats. First oil production is up, but this isn't your grandpa's oil, it is expensive oil. With the all-in cost of production for new oil in range of $70-$90 per barrel, we'll see a nice reduction in our import requirements, but not in the hits to disposable income. By my records at $3.50 gal avg., gasoline is twice as expensive as it was a decade ago, and that is an important factor to consider.
Second, household debt payments are as low as they are principally because of low interest rates, and less so because less debt is being carried, an essential part of the definition of (and psychological benefit of) deleveraging. To put numbers to this, the Debt Service Ratio (DSR) has fallen from a bit over 14% at the end of 2007 to 10.4% today for a decline of ~35%. However, household debt has declined from $13.763 trillion (Q108) to $12.844 trillion or by just a bit over 7%. ... I feel it is essential context.
All told, I am increasingly convinced that the risks of recession are higher than not and that prudence will serve investors better than greed.
Morgan: So let's say we're heading for a recession this year. What's should an investor do with his or her money?
Chris: I am especially leery of high yield bonds which have just hit all time, as in never-before-seen, highs. The class of companies that comprise the high yield bond universe do quite poorly in times of stress, for obvious reasons.
My general advice goes like this:
Get out of high interest debt that is higher than your likely investment returns. Paying down credit card debt, auto loans and the like is one of the better investment moves you can make. Plus it feels good.
With your next tranche of funds, invest in your house, if you own one. Investments in things like insulation ,energy efficiency, solar hot water and/or geothermal typically have double digit returns, sometimes even triple digit, where your only risk is that energy prices fall dramatically. It's time to broaden the definition of 'investment' to include prudent investments to day that reduce your future cash flows tomorrow.
Put a minimum of 10% of your portfolio in gold. I have been giving this advice since 2003 and continue to give it because gold is the only monetary instrument I know of that is not simultaneously someday else's liability. Given all the QE and other overt forms of debasement ongoing in the world, coupled to negative real interest rates, and high deficit spending by governments gold has a natural tailwind for price appreciation. However, I am most enamored with gold's hidden option potential. Seeing that various cross-border currency stresses and imbalances are only increasing, there is a non-zero chance that gold is one day remonetized. While that is a small chance, it remains a possibility and this gives gold an embedded call option. Should that option value ever be realized the gains should be rather exemplary.
Got money left over? Then have your wealth managed carefully and safely with an eye on return of principal rather than a return on principal. This is no time for buy and hold, but to carefully weigh the risks and rewards. With the Dow and bonds at all time highs financial assets are as pricy as they've ever been and require a very generous future to distribute more gains to all their holders.
Morgan: I agree with a few, and disagree with others.
High-yield bonds -- yes, they're lurking with danger. Housing -- agreed, when valued against average rents or average incomes, they're by and large a great deal.
Gold, I'm skeptical. With prices surging over the last decade, the gold market appears to be well aware of the policies you describe. As an investor, my worry would not be that high inflation will soon take off, but that gold is already priced for such an event. What's more, gold has a low correlation with inflation over time. It correlates fairly well with A) negative real interest rates, and B) Market panic, either of which are entirely possible going forward, but less likely in a strengthening economy (which you and I seem to respectfully disagree on). And deficit spending is declining rapidly, with deficits as a share of GDP falling by a third over the last three years. I wouldn't count gold out, but I feel the past decade's returns have created a dangerous perception that it is a particularly safe asset, which history is not kind to.
Furthermore, I think the last decade has shown that trying to time the market's ups and downs can be dangerous. Buy and hold, on the other hand, has performed remarkably well. No one consistently buying and holding a low-cost S&P 500 index fund over the last 13 years has lost money -- even in real terms, with dividends reinvested -- yet the number who have lost out by trying to jump in and out of the market is off the charts. The S&P 500 trades at 14.3 times expected 2013 earnings, which is nowhere near the priciest of all time. On a CAPE basis, the index now trades at 22.5 times earnings, versus 19.5 average since its inception in the 1950s. Robert Shiller, who pioneered the method, recently said he expects stocks to produce annual returns of 4% real, or 6%-7% nominal, going forward. Not a king's ransom, but very likely more than one will earn elsewhere.
Let's say I'm an investor who can stomach volatility and has a long-term outlook. Doesn't it make sense for me to sit tight?
Chris: Well, I guess that depends on your definition of 'long-term.' For myself here at the tender age of 50, I consider anything over ten years 'long term' and on that basis I am just not a fan of equities (in general) here for reasons that go well beyond the possibility of a near-term recession.
Warren Buffet once noted that corporate profits are unlikely to grow faster than 6% per year and that when people forget this they are likely to get into trouble. The reason for this is that it is impossible for corporate profits to grow faster than nominal GDP for very long, let alone forever. Today corporate profits are near 11% and the main reason for those excessive profits can be traced to government deficits and reduced personal savings. As you note, government deficits are on the way down and, if that is a structural condition of the next ten years (hopefully!) then we have a serious headwind to corporate profits that will tend to bring them into alignment with historical norms. As a believer in reversion to the mean, I have a pretty strong affinity for the idea that corporate profits are due to moderate.
But more importantly, I have serious doubts about nominal GDP growth even managing to achieve the 6%+ necessary to even support normalized corporate earnings over the next ten years. The reasons are related to structurally and permanently elevated oil prices (new finds are required to keep production up and they average $70-$90/barrel, so this is the new floor) and the still entirely too high debt levels that, although moderated from the recent peak, remain over 350% of GDP. To me this provides sufficient cause for concern that equities might badly underperform both their recent and historical performance over the next ten years. On the basis of cyclically adjusted earnings stocks are anything but cheap here. ...
If one does have a stomach for volatility and a long term outlook I do think there are companies and sectors that make sense, so I am not saying one must be entirely out of stocks, but the broad indexes are very much out of my favor at this time and will remain so until fairly valued and earnings are back in a middle historical range. I'd hate to pit myself against Robert Shiller and his call for 4% real gains in equities, but until and unless nominal GDP roughly doubles from here, I think a strong case could be made for returns near zero over the next 5 -- 10 years.
Morgan: Thanks, Chris.
The article Conversations With a Bear originally appeared on Fool.com.
Morgan Housel doesn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Chris Brown -- Club Owner Says Singer Never Shoved Girl
Chris Brown Club Owner Says Singer Never Shoved Girl
Chris Brown's female accuser is full of it ... so says the owner of the nightclub where the singer allegedly assaulted the woman -- in fact, the owner tells TMZ, CB never even touched her.
The owner of Heat Ultra Lounge in Anaheim tells us, "Based on the information which we have gathered from our security company, mall security, and other party goers which were at HEAT on Saturday night; It is apparent that the alleged incident regarding Chris Brown is false."
The owner says 24-year-old Deanna Gines had repeatedly tried to jump on stage during Chris' performance at the club -- and later tried to rush Chris in his roped-off VIP area.
The owner says Gines got tossed as a result of her behavior -- and while being taken out, the owner says Gines took off her heels and threw them at security.
The owner says police were called to arrest Gines, but eventually let her go home with her friends.
As for any potential injuries Gines may have suffered while being kicked out, the owner simply said, "Heat staff and security did what they had to do ... [Chris] was a complete gentleman."


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The Rolling Stones and director Martin Scorsese deliver an impressive visual and auditory masterpiece with the upcoming documentary film, Shine A Light. Stocked with an arsenal of 2006 performance footage from New York City's Beacon Theater, the two hour film, distributed by Paramount Classics, is produced by Steve Bing, Michael Cohl, Zane Weiner and Victoria Pearman, executive produced by band members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. Jane Rose serves as co-executive producer. The film, slated for theatrical release on April 4, is is dedicated to the memory of Ahmet Ertegun.
Having been in St. Louis in 1987 to write a review for Billboard Magazine on the two concerts that were held to generate footage for Taylor Hackford's feature film, Hail, Hail, Rock And Roll, A Tribute To Chuck Berry, for which Stones guitarist Keith Richards served as musical director, and my later having reviewed several other Rolling Stones films, among them, the reissue of that film on DVD, as well as The Biggest Bang, Rock And Roll Circus, Four Flicks, my cherished limited edition release of Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos: Live At The Hollywood Palladium, and my owning numerous other Stones films, a few of which include Let's Spend The Night Together, Bridges To Babylon, Live At The Max, Gimme Shelter, Sympathy For The Devil, plus the rest of the footage that is stashed in my shelves, I knew I would be more than qualified to make a comparison, when seeing what Martin Scorsese would bring to the mix. Many years ago, ever since a friend of mine had given me a bootleg copy of Cocksucker Blues, which featured the legendary vision of Keith Richards and Bobby Keyes throwing a TV set out of a hotel window, I was hooked. Since then, I have somehow also acquired numerous other bootleg Rolling Stones videos recorded around the world. By now, I was more than ready to finally witness what the director of brilliant works like Taxi Driver, The Last Waltz, Good Fellas, and No Direction Home would create when intersecting with the Glimmer Twins. The result is priceless.
In the early moments of the film, Scorsese and Jagger pontificate over potential song lists, an immense feat in itself, considering the band's prolific catalogue, in addition to the many cover songs the Stones have performed over the years. Scorsese wanted a sequenced set list prior to the show, in order to be fully prepared to get the shots he would ultimately need. With almost twenty cameras simultaneously filming various angles, choosing the shots to be included in the film would require skillful editing, which would subsequently be done by David Tedeschi. The resulting choice comprised of countless close-ups and well-chosen pan shots make the film move quickly. Among personnel working the cameras were longtime pros that include Al Maysles, dual Oscar winner John Toll, and two time Academy Award winner Robert Richardson.
As preparations for lensing the concert are made, a model of the stage set is viewed by Jagger, who comments, "It looks like a doll house." The set is different than other shows on the Bigger Bang tour. Here, there is no B-stage rolling towards the back of the venue; there are none of the usual backdrops or tongue logos. Nor are there pre-fabricated, graphic-filled video screens to watch in addition to seeing the band, itself, on stage. In this sense, the house is scaled down, with the focus solely on the performers and the music.
We see glimpses of the rehearsals, for numbers including "She Was Hot," for which Jagger referred to a lyrics sheet. As expected, the band looks great throughout the film. Bassist Darryl Jones is particularly dapper this evening, fine-tuned for a peak performance. Richards is strikingly elegant, donning a black, glittery bandana. Jagger's energetic non-stop drive is punctuated by his many changes of clothing, well chosen for the evening's attire. The vocalist's glittery jackets and shirts sparkle as they attract attention, while he prances like a firefly, or conversely simmers down at other times during the evening's performance.
Interspersed throughout the film, older Stones catalogue is heard in the background, including snippets from "Paint It, Black," "Under My Thumb," and "Have Your Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow?"
An amazing accomplishment of Shine A Light is the impeccable sound of the film, an audiophile's dream, sound that was masterminded by sound mixer Bob Clearmountain, a highly esteemed producer and studio engineer, who has worked on albums with the Stones and many other artists.
Concert footage from the Beacon includes performances of "Jumping Jack Flash," "All Down The Line," and "As Tears Go By," a song that was also recorded by Marianne Faithfull. The audience is also treated to "Shattered," with its shots of interplay between Jones and Richards. During "Loving Cup," the band is joined by Jack White of the White Stripes, who plays acoustic guitar, as does Jagger throughout the song. Christina Aguilera steps in for a rowdy version of "Live With Me." The tongue-in-cheek number "Far Away Eyes," features Ronnie Wood on his Emmons pedal steel guitar, and back-up vocalist Blondie Chaplin on acoustic guitar. During the chorus, the band harmonizes, making the song as authentically countrified as Willie Nelson, himself, could. Richards laughs during the country gospel tweaked harmonies that strikingly ring as a work of perfection, with tonalities so clearly appropriate for this song.
The film is rated a PG-13. Although during the performances, certain lyrics differ from their original studio recordings, particularly during the live performance of "Some Girls," in no way does this detract from the film, and most of the band's fans likely already have all of the original studio recordings anyway. Some lyrics are changed for apparently no reason at all. During "Some Girls," Jagger inexplicably changes the lyrics from, "Some girls I give all my bread to, I don't ever want it back," to "Some girls I give all my love to, I don't ever get it back." While performing the Temptations' "Just My Imagination," Jagger, playing an electric guitar, ad libs, "But in reality, she doesn't fucking know me."
Back-up singer Bernard Fowler, sporting short dreads, is performing next to back-up vocalist Lisa Fischer, who is wearing an alluring black, mid-calf length dress. They both look and sound incredible. Chuck Leavell is seen on keyboards near Tim Reis on horns, as the band covers the Temptations song "Just My Imagination." "Champagne And Reefer" by Muddy Waters is taken on by the band, who are joined by Buddy Guy, and as would be expected, Jagger proficiently plays harp. The band rolls "Tumblin' Dice" during the performance, and other live sequences include "Connection."
Richards greets the crowd by saying, "It's good to see you. It's good to see anybody!" He then performs "You Got The Silver," joined by Ronnie Wood on acoustic slide. Richards, who has silver trinkets hanging from his hair, is also wearing a skull, with two red swords crossed through it, pinned onto his jacket. Richards acknowledges Wood's contribution to the song's performance. "Sympathy For The Devil" is also offered, featuring more shots of Charlie Watts. "Start Me Up" is performed, as is "Brown Sugar," with Bobby Keyes' transcendent saxophone solo. The anthemic "Satisfaction" makes it onto the set list, as well.
Most of the humor in the documentary comes from Jagger. The film flashes back through interview footage from decades ago, in which Jagger tells one reporter, "I never thought we'd be doing it more than two years. I think we're at least pretty well set up for another year." A flashback from a 1972 episode of the Dick Cavett Show offers a view of a heavily mascaraed Jagger, wearing red lipstick with blue glitter on his forehead. Jagger is asked, "Can you picture yourself at age sixty doing what you do now?" to which he replies, "Oh, yes. Easily."
When drummer Charlie Watts is asked subsequent to their second tour in the Sixties about the immense success of the band, and "What happened," his innocently quiet response is, "I don't know."
In other interview footage, Richards is asked what he thinks about during his performances. "I don't think on stage," responds Richards, "I feel." Through Scorsese's lens, in turn, we inherently feel Richards, and at times, the experience is nothing less than hypnotic. Scorsese flawlessly zeroes in on such moments, as he shines a light on Richards. The highlight of the film is haunting, and where Shine A Light is at its most powerful, in the poignant, yet almost painful, cinematographic moment that is so elegantly captured on film, as Richards is seemingly drained on stage, accentuated by his demeanor. Seeing Richards in this immensely exhausted state after his intense performance, we are left as breathless as he is. The impact of the scene effectively drives home the magnitude that Richards has given of himself, both emotionally and physically to millions of fans for over forty years, pouring out both his spirit and soul on stage. The moment is heart-rending, expressive and as compelling as is Richards' performance. Beautiful, yet making one feel awkward and awestricken at the same time, we are taken aback, as we witness Richards' delivery and his alluring presence. We become acutely aware of how much we take from him, and the demands we make, for which he always delivers far more than what we ask.
This passionate scene shows Richards' humanity, bringing to the screen a person who sweats and bleeds, rather than simply redelivering the one-dimensional stereotype that the media has perpetually doled out about Richards for several decades. Here, we see Richards in his most human form, not just the so-called "human riff," but the man, himself, behind the riff.
A segment of the media is another aspect included in the film that is interspersed with press footage, both in black and white and in color, from various tours, going back into the Sixties. Members of the press ask the band ridiculous questions, and are often unprepared for their interviews; despite their credentials and job titles, they are unqualified in a variety of ways to be reporting on the band. One reporter giggles while asking Mick Jagger his age. One portion of footage shows the absurdity of Jagger being confronted by a former Attorney General and religious leaders for promoting "anarchy," as the singer explains that he is not attempting to be a role model for religion. Jagger and Richards are questioned about drug busts, after the two had been released from arrests, and a flurry of rumors had subsequently hit the press. The band is asked about creating controversy, as the next sequence in the film shows the band posing in drag for promotional photos. A late seventies interview gets the response from the band, "Every tour they say is the last tour."
President Clinton makes an appearance on stage, as he had previously done at a Los Angeles Staples Center gig during a 2003 "Forty Licks" gig, and he is briefly seen with his wife Hillary. Jagger very briefly comments on Clinton's environmental organization. Meanwhile, Richards is seen, joking, "Hey, Clinton, I'm bushed!"
The film's ending scene shows the band leaving the venue, as the final shot transcends into a magnificent, panoramic view of New York City, ascending into the night skyline, and then dramatically, the full moon splendidly turns into a tongue logo.
First the sun, and then the moon. One of them will be around soon.
PHYLLIS POLLACK lives in Los Angeles where she is a publicist and music journalist. She can be reached through her blog.


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It's going to be a quite an awards season!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Clark Gregg and Rizzoli & Isles' Sasha Alexander announced the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations in L.A. on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The show will be handed out in 38 days on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014, and will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Here's the complete list of nominations:
Male Actor, Lead
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Forest Whitaker, Lee Daniels' The Butler
Male Actor, Supporting
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Brühl, Rush
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini, Enough Said
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Female Actor, Lead
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Female Actor, Supporting
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler
Cast in a Motion Picture
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Dallas Buyers Club
Lee Daniels' The Butler
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
All Is Lost
Fast & Furious 6
Lone Survivor
The Wolverine
Male Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Jeremy Irons, The Hollow Crown
Rob Lowe, Killing Kennedy
Al Pacino, Phil Spector
Female Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Angela Bassett, Betty & Coretta
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
Holly Hunter, Top of the Lake
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
Male Actor, Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Female Actor, Drama Series
Claire Danes, Homeland
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Male Actor, Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Female Actor, Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Ensemble, Comedy
30 Rock
Arrested Development
The Big Bang Theory
Modern Family
Ensemble, Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
The Walking Dead