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Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Prometheus Problems
Well it wasn't.
As the final credits rolled my initial reaction was to physically shrug. I wasn't excited, or angry - hot tears of rage were not rolling down my handsome face - I didn't have any visceral reaction at all. There had been some good bits, and the whole thing looked great - but that was about it.
Let's list the problems. Geeks enjoy a list. Here's mine.
1) The engineers - our progenitors - are as dumb as a bag of spanners. For whatever capricious reasons they first gave life to us, then wished to destroy us. Fine - I'll get to why that's stupid in a bit - but let us suppose for the moment that makes some sort of sense. They build bio-weapons to do the job, but do so on a planet miles from anywhere, because the risk of screwing up on their home worlds is too great. Of course they could have done the work on Earth - they're about to screw it over anyway. And they do it with a bio weapon that can target them as well as native lifeforms/humans. They're really really advanced, and that's their best plan? They have spaceships the size of skyscrapers and a deadly self mutating bio weapon that hurts them as efficiently as it hurts us is their very most cunning plan? A few weeks with a hunting platform and a machine gun would probably have done the job thousands of years ago. Or a better targeted bio-weapon, or a chemical released into the atmosphere - or nukes given the time scales they deal in - almost any other method would occur to a biologist/chemist/physicist from the 20th century. So .. to recap - big thickie aliens.
2) Guy Pierce / Mr Weyland's appearance on the ship. Goodness me - what a surprise. And Charlize Theron was his daughter! And Luke was Darth's son! The shocks keep piling on! I especially liked her delivery of 'father' as if we hadn't seen that a billion miles in advance. Also, look for the staging of the scene - very similar to Bulletproof Monk - but that may have provided further hammy dissonance to a scene that only I noticed. But anyhoo - all terribly terribly obvious. Nice work putting Mr Peirce's name in the pre-credits by the way. "Hmmm" thinks audience to self, "we wonder if he might be turning up again..."
3) Guy Pierce's makeup. Why? Why not hire an old actor? If you're not going to get an aging-in-reverse payoff, what's the point? The makeup looks like makeup, so it's only worth the suspension of disbelief if we get a reason for it. Unless the reason is so the audience will *think* that might happen then be shocked by Mr Weyland's sudden death. That would however be intelligent and subtle, two non-distinguishing features of this film.
4) Bad Science. I'm not going to mention the bad physics in the film, but rather the absolutely terrible scientists aboard the Prometheus. One glaring example - "okay chaps, we've found an alien head - the single most important find in the history of almost every major field of science. Perhaps we should take tissue samples in a very carefully regulated laboratory environment? Or perhaps scan it using multiple topographic and deep scan systems before even *considering* touching it? Nah, let's pump it full of electricity for no reason, in an open room, after our robot chum has ripped it's helmet off, then watch it explode. We also like putting knives in the microwave to see what happens." It seems strange that by 2090 the scientific method has been thrown out of the window to be replaced by crass stupidity. It must be assumed that Elizabeth and her science chums have trouble getting accidental damage cover. Or any kind of insurance.
5) She was supposed to be English? I read afterwards that Elizabeth Shaw was meant to be English. Due to her intriguing wobbling accent in the film, this was news to me. I thought Russian, French or Swedish at various points. Noomi Rapace, I would ask the language coach you spent a pretty penny on for your money back - she/he stitched you right up.
6) DNA Dumbness. Okay, I can grasp the idea that we share DNA with the aliens - even the notion that we would use double stranded helixes or 23 chromosomes would be remarkable and perhaps conclusive - but our DNA is exactly the same? Hello! They have blue skin, are twice our size, are covered in weird black veins, have no hair - you might notice if one was sitting on the bus next to you! Unless he was wearing a hat. Clearly we're not genetically identical. Similar would be remarkable enough, unless you truly fear your target audience are morons.
7) Fearing your target audience are morons. And have shotguns. Elizabeth Shaw is the worst scientist ever, that much is certain. She also bases her .. let's charitably call it a theory, on belief. The evidence she has accrued should be enough for a testable hypothesis, but she explictly states that belief is her driving force. The plot does next to nothing with her faith - I think her crisis lasts about five minutes. But it's the whole thing with the crucifix that sticks in the throat - it seems as if somebody wasn't prepared to risk an American audience revolting at the idea we were created by aliens without hanging an absolutely massive sign over the film saying "don't worry, god is real, and he's out there, even if this film seems to run contrary to your favoured fairytale from the very first scene". If belief was a theme that was intended to add flavour to the central character, and not just an exercise in studio arse covering, then it simply didn't work. It wasn't presented powerfully enough to work as a central thread.
8) Advanced aliens are evil. Okay - this has been a problem for sci-fi ever since we've needed bad guys, but it makes absolutely no sense in the context of this particular film. Warlike bastard aliens with no empathy who utterly destroy everything they meet, including their own progeny make NO SENSE. How the fuck did they cooperate enough to build spaceships? But anyway, leaving that aside, what the hell motivates these chaps? If it's capricious fun, then why did the alien at the start of the film sacrifice himself in such a horrible fashion to create life? The other alien we saw fought like hell to survive, so life means something to these chaps. In fact, as they SHARE OUR DNA, everything that matters to us must surely matter to them. Empathy is part of our genetic heritage, along with a survival instinct.
9) What the bugger was the start about? I had to read up on the film afterwards before I realised what was going on with the initial alien. My own stupidity, or rotten scene setting... I first thought he was a simple alien chap on some unnamed world who had taken a magical potion that blew him to bits as part of a ceremony to celebrate the overhead spaceship turning up. Then I assumed he had been punished for some reason and was about to turn into the first prototype alien - what with all the black stuff swirling about and his body turning black. And by halfway through the film I'd mostly forgotten about him entirely. That was Earth was it? Ah, okay. He couldn't just drop the magical potion into the water? He had to get properly ripped to bits for the process to work? Best. Scientist. Ever.
10) The everything's fine guy. Every horrorish film has one - the chap who approaches the moment of his horrible death with blase insouciance. We have a biochemist (bioengineer? Biologist of some sort) who approaches the clearly-going-to-fucking-kill-him waving alien tentacle thing in a room he had already avoided, in an alien setting that we have established terrifies him, where an unknown moving thing has been detected, underground, cut off from the ship .. I mean - come on. You'd run like buggery to get away from that. What you wouldn't do is approach the hissing snake like alien lifeform, never encountered before in the history of your species, in a room full of oozing canisters (which weren't oozing before you turned up) near to the room you found earlier full of alien corpses, some of which you yourself had commented, had been eaten from the inside! Unless you were the very worst written character in the history of films since Jar Jar Binks.
11) 17 crewmembers, 5 characters, 12 dullards. Not a good ratio of interest to bodybags. Elizabeth Shaw is well acted and has a bit of backstory. The ship's captain established himself well with his rather cool seduction of Vickers. Elizabeth's sure-to-die boyfriend had some personality, even if it wasn't exactly that of a scientist. At least he was enthusiastic. David and Vickers were playing similar roles, but at least they were established - everybody else was disposable junk. Some of the crew had about three lines each, and those lines didn't exactly establish character. What I did learn near the end of the film, was that the captain's two loyal crew members were gay. But not for each other. Otherwise why exactly did they choose to sacrifice themselves instead of spending two years of insane bliss sharing a life support vessel with Charlize Theron? She might have been a bitch, but she would have come round in the end if you cooked her enough dinners. Perhaps they truly didn't trust the captain of their ship to hit the world's largest target, which begs the question what his major role was onboard ship - playing the accordion?
12) Let her live - she can't harm us now. Okay, so Elizabeth realises (is told) that she is now pregnant. She hits the two now evil medics in the face and runs to the Chekov's DIY surgery machine, which has been programmed with data for just one of two sexes popular with humans. At no point does anybody come to get her. They don't chase her - and when later she finds them, they don't throw her out of the airlock. In fact they invite her along. Why not - up until now there has been literally no reason for Weyland to even have her on the ship - may as well bring her along - her and her simmering resentment.
13) David's remarkable programming. David can speak out loud a cuneiform language he has only seen written down - perhaps he extrapolated what it might sound like using his magical robot brain. That said it was a bloody confident first sentence - he could have been asking the gigantic alien spaceman if the fridge door has been left open and where the nearest boulangerie is. But there's more - David, when discovering an alien ooze he has never encountered before and could not realistically have been pre-programmed to expect to encounter, immediately decides to give some of it to one of the humans on board the Prometheus. Was his plan to get Elizabeth pregnant for later study? That's a rather convoluted plan - going via a third party. Was he just pre-programmed with general purpose be-a-bastard routines? If getting her pregnant was the goal, why tell her? If impregnanting women with alien dna is his default setting - you know, just in case they land on a planet full of alien bio-weapons - why not bring along a cargo hold full of kidnapped street walkers? Has he become randomly psychotic after two years watching David Lean movies? We never really get to know enough about him to work it out. Or care.
14) The poorly chosen crew. So, your name is on the side of the ship, you own the company but you feel you need to travel in secret. Your crew is not made up of insanely loyal Weyland corp workers, but a rag tag bunch of hired types and even some unnecessary scientists whose loyalty to you is so variable you feel the need to travel in secret. Why? Why does any of that stuff make sense? Why isn't meeting the aliens the purpose of the trip? It's your company remember?
15) Everything else. The variable chain of command (at least 4 different people seem to think they're in charge of the mission, one of whom actually has Captain rank, but clearly isn't.) The baby alien that as many other people have pointed out, grows to twenty times the size without any available food. Does it have magical swelling cells? Does it eat furniture? I didn't even realise it was the same thing initially - it didn't occur to me it could have grown by a factor of that much until I twigged that must have been where it came from - after all we had already encountered a great big tentacle thingy in the cave - that seemed a more likely source. Other things that make no sense - running in a line that is the same line the enormous falling spaceship is rolling in - why would you do that? One look behind you and you'll start running at an angle. Unless you are a complete halftard. And the big-head-for-no-reason room. And the fact that every ancient tablet had the same set of stars on the side. Did the aliens travel around with their star charts written on the side of their spaceship? There are many other problems with this film, but I've only watched it once, so this will have to do - other than to mention the inadequate script, the throwaway characters, the fumbled science and the complete and utter absence of a point to the whole venture.
That said, it filled a couple of hours with pleasing effects and it was much better than a Lucas prequel. I also hope Charlize Theron and the chap who played Captain Janek get a film together - look at the above screenshot - they should have been the protagonists of this story.
Robin Jubber.
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All Kettles
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subset: commoncrawl


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When the game started, it looked like Super Bowl XLV would go down as one of the worst in history.
It ended with Aaron Rodgers taking his place at the game's highest level thanks to the affirmation that comes with being a Super Bowl champion. Rodgers threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Packers to a 31-25 victory and their fourth Super Bowl title. His performance earned him a well-deserved MVP award, although Greg Jennings also needs to get a mention for his two touchdowns and key fourth quarter catch to set up a field goal. Rodgers got the nod, though, because he kept his head about him as the Packers were losing a huge lead and a couple of key players to injuries.
Charles Woodson and Donald Driver each missed the second half because of injuries and the Packers went from being up 18 points to being in a dogfight during a third quarter that saw them get just one first down. Rodgers led them to 10 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday, and through 15 season-ending injuries in the regular season to confirm once and for all all whether or not the Packers were right to dump Brett Favre to hand him the job.
Rodgers's huge night was a welcome diversion from the comedy of errors that was Dallas's foray into the world of Super Bowl hosts. The weather created one disaster after another, culminating in people getting hurt by ice falling off Cowboys Stadium. Gameday proved no respite as Sunday began with news that 1,250 fans were going to be forced out of their seats because no one with the NFL or the Cowboys bothered to make sure that the seats they sold were actually usable by human beings who spent a lot of their own money to get there.
The league did find seats for 850 of those affected, with the other 400 given triple the face value back along with the chance to watch the game on monitors in Cowboys Stadium. There had to be 400 employees of the league or its member teams at the game, all of whom should have been watching from those monitors instead of fans who made the pilgrimage to the game. The fact that there was so much temporary seating in the first place was because of Jerry Jones's demented goal of having more people at this Super Bowl than at any other. He fell short, even though he counted media members, people watching the game on TV outside and everyone in Texas who is a registered Republican.
Thank goodness for small favors, although we can't thank anyone for being exposed to Christina Aguilera's whack at the National Anthem. It was overlong, oversung and would have been much worse if she had actually bothered to learn the words before stepping up to the microphone. Every fan at the game should get triple their money back for having to sit through that.
Once the game finally started, things didn't get much better. Both teams struggled early, until the Pack finally got on track with a Jordy Nelson touchdown catch. An interception return by Nick Collins made it 14-0 and Jennings got his first score a bit later to make this start to resemble one of the ugly games from the 90's.
How bad did it get? There was a moment in the second quarter when it seemed like half the viewing audience might disappear.
The Steelers were down 21-3 with a Black Eyed Peas halftime abomination looming as a threat to destroy whatever goodwill the NFL has built up over the last five or six decades. Ben Roethlisberger stepped up, though, and led a strong drive that culminated in a Hines Ward touchdown. That kept people watching, even if they flipped channels during the excruciating halftime, and they were rewarded for their efforts when the Steelers made it a one-score game early in the third quarter.
The Steelers comeback was all the more impressive because of the way they kept shooting themselves in the foot. Roethlisberger threw two interceptions, Rashard Mendenhall fumbled and the Packers turned all three into touchdowns. Mike Tomlin also quaked under the pressure of the moment by opting to take a 52-yard field goal with the score 21-17 in the third quarter. He could have pinned the Packers deep or gone for it, but instead tried a long kick with Shaun Suisham. If he was surprised that it was an unforgivable shank, he was the only one.
Thankfully for the Steelers (and the viewing public), the Packers complied with mistakes of their own. Jordy Nelson and James Jones provided both quality and quantity of dropped passes to keep the game closer than it probably should have been. Nelson dropped three balls to greatly mitigate his otherwise effective play while Jones dropped what would have been an absolute dagger of a touchdown in the third quarter. Those drops, combined with the injuries, helped keep Pittsburgh in the game. We should probably be thankful for that, but it didn't make for a sparkling watch.
So, in the end, it wasn't a game that quite lived up to the hype. Too many blunders and errors marred the proceedings to call it one of the best games we've ever seen. It was close, though, and the Steelers had a chance to win on their final drive. You can't ask for much more than that out of a Super Bowl, even one that had as many bad vibes around it as this one.
For a time, it seemed like Roethlisberger might be the one authoring a sterling final chapter. Media members who confused escaping punishment for alleged sexual assault for actually overcoming obstacles had turned him into a redemption story, but it fell short when he couldn't complete a fourth down pass to Mike Wallace with 49 seconds to play. Not sure how that plays into the narrative created for him -- is he now back to being a bad guy? -- but he's not going to be the story.
Rodgers is the headliner because he's now the newest member of the NFL's quarterbacking elite at this hour. His ascent is the defining storyline of Super Bowl XLV and, given the age and talent of the Packers roster, it's not likely to be his last shot at the trophy named after the former Packers coach. If he makes good on those chances, we'll be talking about how he stacks up next to Bart Starr instead of the guy that will hopefully be in Mississippi for the next football season.
All in all, it's a pretty nice way to wrap things up for the 2010 season. The Packers are the champions of the world and 31 other teams are already gunning for them.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.


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Boulder Psychotherapy
An interactive brain is an engaged brain
A healthy brain talks to itself in a balanced way. This means that no part overtakes at the expense of other parts. See it as an orchestra, where every instrument plays its notes when it's called for, with the right intensity and force, and in tune and attuned to the other players.
The distinct centers in a healthy brain listen and talk with each other very much like the players in the orchestra. The interconnectedness between the brain centers is what is called the neuro-network. And only a balanced neuronetwork will perform a beautiful symphony. A broken neuronetwork will just produce chaos, ADHD, depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, confusion, numbness, fear and so on.
In an orchestra we have sections: the strings (violins and cellos) in the front, the percussion in the back wings, and the woodwinds in the center and the brass in the rear. Your brain has sections too:
- The past: recalling memory.
- The present: doing and the senses, pleasure, and feeling.
- The future: thinking (in the way of planning, analyzing, scheduling, sequencing, logic).
Psychotherapy Boulder
There are more parts that don't fit that easily in one of these categories, because they span across, or are more complex, such as morals, motivation, and creativity. They may start in memory, go to a future thought, and result in a bad feeling, all within a split second.
A well balanced person has a fine tuned brain that is used only when needed, where needed and at the right intensity; not more and not less. The point here is that we don't want to oversimplify, but I want to give you a better understanding of the terrain by creating a simplistic brain map, similar to the mapped out seating sections in an orchestra. These sections are not the absolute, but are a helpful mean for the conductor to connect with her players.
Let's face it: the complexity of the brain is mind boggling. So that's where a brain map comes in very handy. The map can tell you where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. Having said that, the map is not the experience. It's not the view, the adventure, the meeting, the exchange, or the sense of purpose or destiny that you will feel on your trip.
Tune Your Brain
So what can happen when your brain's players are not in tune, are not listening or talking the same language on the right volume?
- How can you cook a meal if your memory is disconnected from your sequencing function?
- You will be shunned as a geek, if your rational mind isn't connected with your empathy.
- You'll be stuck in hell when your emotions overwhelm your ability to access your analyzing (rationalizing) mind.
- Ruminating about fearful experiences from the past can prevent you from connecting with a vision of how good things can turn out to be.
- Physical pain or emotional self-pity can make one lose sight of the bigger picture of the goodness of life, the wonders of the creation, or the limitless possibilities of the universe.
These are just examples out of millions of possibilities. Why millions? Because the number of ways to get from A to B in our neuronetwork is countless, and the number of dead-end streets, pot holes, ravines, depressions, road blocks, speed limits, cut offs, traffic jams, and stop signs is endless too.
The thinking part talks to the memory part, talks to the doing part, talks to the thinking part.
On a more granular level we can see even smaller brain components such as:
- creativity
- logic
- processing of senses
- motivation
- morals
- sequencing
- problem solving
- feeling your own feelings
- empathy with others' feelings
- spirituality, as in knowing what your place and destiny is
- pleasure, and more.
All brain functions are interconnected in this beautiful neuronetwork called brain.
That same network can become suffocating when one or more parts are hardly ever playing their role, and others are mostly overacting. Because of the mind's boggling complexity, it is hard to analyze where all these problems come from. In such overwhelming situation the objectivity of an independent professional psychotherapist, and even the advice of a good friend can be very helpful, because they are not necessarily stuck in the same way as you are, and thus can help clarify the situation you're in.
Neurofeedback Training
Understanding better what is wrong with your mental processes is not automatically a solution or cure, but a very good first step. Problems stemming from two or more disconnected brain sections will not automatically be fixed by seeing the lack of brain interaction. More needs to be done:
- Training
- Positive reinforcement
- Feedback
- Experiencing directly how it feels when the disconnected parts harmonize and start playing together.
These breakthrough exercises and experiences are very important, because they show the way. Together we will rewire your brain. But not only that. Through exercise the brain must be taught to use the new circuitry, and naturally reconnect and harmonize the once blocked and unbalanced brain centers. It's like learning to walk again. That requires training too.
Retraining the brain through repetition, exercise and games is what we do as therapists. We do talk about problems like the traditional Boulder psychotherapists do, but we also use physiological feedback and training techniques to make changes permanent, and to allow your brain to naturally self-regulate.
Continue reading our next Boulder Psychotherapy page to learn what we can do for you. And naturally, if you live in Longmont, Broomfield, Arvada, Westminster, Louisville or Golden, then you're included too.
Go to Debi's ADHD Blog
© Interactive Brain Analysis 2013


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Numerology and the Divine Triangle
Para Research, 1979 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 265 pages
At last a truly comprehensive and authoritative text on numerology! Part I is a complete introduction to esoteric numerology. Part II includes extensive delineations of each of the numbers 1 to 78 and, for the first time in book form, a synthesis of numerology, astrology and the Tarot. Each number is explained as personal number vibrations, as a temporary number vibration, in terms of its astrological correspondence and in terms of its Tarot symbolism. Each of the Tarot cards is illustrated. Numerology and the Divine Triangle is the book to which all books on the subject will be compared from now on.
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LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - dragonasbreath - LibraryThing
This numerology book takes you a little more in depth than the standard cookie-cutter book you find in the tabloid stand. Covers Life lesson, Soul number, Outer Personality, Destiny Number ... Read full review
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This is the best numerology book I have ever read. It is syncronized with the Tarot, and the Kaballah, and astrology, lots of symbolic meaning.. I call it my Numerology Bible. I have been using it for 20 years! and have never seen a book that compares to it.
Common terms and phrases
ability achieve Ada Wynn add the higher add the single age experience age Arcana Aries ASTROLOGICAL CORRESPONDENCE attainment balance become birth birthdate blueprint body bring Cayce's conscious mind consciousness creative Cups decan desire Destiny Number develop Divine Triangle earth Edgar Cayce emotional energy express Five of Swords fulfillment goals happiness harmony higher number human ideas inner inspiration intuitive keyword King of Cups King of Wands Knight of Cups Knight of Wands Lesson live Major Arcana master number material world mental minor process nature negative November 12 numerology Outer Personality Number Path of Destiny peak cycle Pentacles perience period PERSONAL NUMBER VIBRATION physical plane positive Pythagoras represents result rewards sense side single digit Soul Number spiritual Step subtract the single success Swords talents TAROT SYMBOLISM TEMPORARY VIBRATION things Third decan tion understanding vowel Wands wisdom youth square zodiac
References to this book
Tarot Decoded: Understanding and Using Dignities and Correspondences
Elizabeth Hazel
Limited preview - 2004
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Dream Images and Symbols: A Dictionary
Kevin J. Todeschi
No preview available - 2003


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Jamaican sprinting phenom Asafa Powell—the former world record holder well known for his speed and, ahem, "bulging" muscles—won the Men's 100m at the Golden Spike in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Twice.
Powell's best run of the season was disqualified when a false start was called late, reports News 24.
[Powell] crossed the line in 9.97sec, improving his season's best of 10.02sec, but referees called the runners back over a false start when the pack was more than halfway through the race. Half an hour later, the 30-year-old Powell covered the distance in 10.06sec.
Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis placed second in 10.08. Team USA's Mike Rodgers won the bronze in 10.16. Several more images and watch the video AFTER THE JUMP ...


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I think it is only a matter of time before we start seeing more below-the-knee coats.
The real trick to getting the right fit is not really the length of the coat but how it fits at the shoulders. A correct fit at the shoulder will be essential to keep from looking overwhelmed in a larger coat.
However, some people look for that feeling of cocooning that a giant coat can offer, like we see here and here.


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In case you missed it, the amazing Diahann Carroll appeared on MSNBC's PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton on Tuesday nght. The actress reflected on her six decades in entertainment and her trailblazing role in NBC's Julia. The series ran from 1968 to 1971 and debuted in the Top Ten. It was one of the first television weekly series "to depict an African American woman in a non-stereotypical role." Julia also marked the first time that a Black actress lead a dramatic network television series.
"I really didn't think about [the historical significance] then," Ms. Carroll admits. "When I heard all of the accolades that came along with the part, I was thrilled about that ... But later, I became aware of the fact that it had made quite a statement. And it made me very proud."
It would be another 38 years until a Black woman starred in a network television series. That actress is Scandal's Kerry Washington. Ms. Carroll presented Ms. Washington with the NAACP Image Award's President's Award for special achievement last Friday.
Diahann Carroll reflects on her former friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement AFTER THE JUMP ...
You May Have Missed:
Kerry Washington's Amazing NAACP Image Award Speech


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PiPe Dream Theatre Opens Steam-Punk Show THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING Off-Broadway, 12/1
PiPE DREAM THEATRE has announced the world premiere production of Liz Muller and Collin Simon's THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING, directed by Liz Muller. THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING will play a limited engagement at Off-Broadway's Beckett Theatre (Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street). Performances begin Wednesday, November 28 and continue through Saturday, December 15. Opening Night is Saturday, December 1 (8 p.m.). $25 tickets are available at telecharge.com.
In the steam-punk world of THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING where Clara-Marie lives, she doesn't fit in, surrounded by cruelty, ugliness, and people who don't understand her. One Christmas, in a loving gesture, her Godfather Armand, gives her a Nutcracker to protect her. That evening, Clara-Marie travels to the land of Colossus, where toys are larger than life-including her Nutcracker-and humans small. As she journeys through the land, she encounters evil characters including the Mouse King and his cronies who are trying to enslave Colossus' dolls. At last she meets the Mouse Queen and her children who are trying to thwart the king's evil plans.
Upon returning home to the Land of the Great Reach, Clara-Marie tells her family of all that she's seen. They don't believe her, thinking her imagination is useless, except for her twin brother Colby. Intrigued by her story and wanting to hear more, the two fall asleep while recounting the story. To their surprise, they awake in Colossus and help take down the Mouse King and regain control of Colossus.
Told through music and dance (not ballet) THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING is a classic holiday story told through the re-envisioning of these dedicated group of artists.
The production features scenic design by Liz Muller, costume design by Vanessa Price, and lighting design by Stephanie Goldman. Collin Simon is the sound engineer and Stephanie Goldman is the stage manager.
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING plays the following regular schedule through Saturday, December 15:
Tuesdays at 7p.m.
Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Thursdays at 8 p.m.
Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sundays at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $25 and are now available online at www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Row Box Office, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Running Time: 90 minutes no intermission
For more about the show, visit www.pipedreamtheatre.com.
Liz Muller (Director/Musical Director/Producer/Lyrics) has had the fortune of being able to play in the theatre for most of her life. She has directed college and community theatre throughout NY including: Urinetown, The Mikado, Into the Woods, Godspell, 12 Angry Men, The Seagull, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Wait Until Dark, Midsummer, Mrs. Warren's Profession, and Once on this Island. Favorite acting roles include Lady Macbeth (Macbeth A Musical), Pitti-Sing (The Mikado) and Olivia (Twelfth Night). Muller is the lyricist for four full-length musicals (Macbeth, Briar Rose- the Tale of Sleeping Beauty, 3 Ghosts, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King) two oratorios (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Masque of the Red Death) as well as songs for a number of plays and movies. She is currently the Musical Director and Production Supervisor for Wine Lovers The Musical (directed by Holly-Anne Ruggiero). Muller is the lyricist for www.JusticeWoman.com. Muller has a full length CD - It's Only Me, released in 2004, and has sung on all the original cast PiPE DREAM recordings - Lady Macbeth (Macbeth A Musical) The Ghost of Christmas Past (3 Ghosts), Avarice (Briar Rose), Katrina (Sleepy Hollow), Fountine (Red Death), and Olivia (Twelfth Night).
COLLIN SIMON (Composer/Producer/Graphic Design) began writing for community theaters when he was 13, composed the music for his first documentary when he was 16, and his first film when he was 18. By the time Collin was 20, he worked in a professional theater in California arranging, performing, and composing original musicals. After moving to New York in 2005 he and Liz Muller began working on various theater projects together. Eventually they began writing one-act musicals; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and The Masque of the Red Death, and full length original musicals; 3 Ghosts, Macbeth, Briar Rose, and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, all of which Collin wrote the music and co-wrote the book for. Collin has written music for plays, films as well as nationally aired commercials. He also continues to write underscoring for PiPE DREAM shows as well as arranging songs for their Shakespeare productions such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night. You can hear more of Collin's music at collinsimon.com.
DIANA PETTERSEN (Choreographer/Mutant Soldier) a NYC-based emerging choreographer. She graduated Manhattanville College's Dance & Theatre department with the honor of Distinction and a special award for ''Excellent Academic Achievement and Notable Investigations as an Emerging Choreographer''. In the past year, Pettersen's work has been showcased at SUMAC Choreographer's Workshop, ARTs East New York "Her Love Made Visible Event", PiPE DREAM theatre's More Dance, QMAD's Itinerant Performing Arts Festival, Left Hip Choreography Showing, The GRC Dance Lab and the 3rd Annual Suite Summer In-Sight Dance Festival.
STEPHANIE GOLDMAN (Producer/Production Manager/Stage Manager) is an elementary school teacher at Harrison Central School District. An avid theatre enthusiast, Stephanie can be found working in various theatre venues throughout Westchester County and the 5 boroughs as a stage manager and technical director. Notably she is a member of the board of directors of a small Production Company in Armonk, organizing concerts in the park and play readings, and is the stage manager of Be Mused children's theatre in Westchester. She has worked shows ranging from Annie, Footloose, and Little Shop to Peter Pan, Millie, and Beauty and the Beast. Stephanie was the stage manager and producer of PiPE DREAM's off off Broadway premieres of Briar Rose, Macbeth and 3 Ghosts as well as their performances of Dreams, The Mikado, Greater Tuna, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 3GD, Twelfth Night, and Masque of the Red Death.
PiPE DREAM theatre is dedicated to the creation of meaningful productions that challenge the way people view theater. Our cast and crew is comprised of both professional and community players.
We are constantly challenging what is considered traditional moments and moods for the musical numbers. Our view of the music, as well as the story lines we tackle, is not only to be easily enjoyed by everyone, but to have a depth that will give it a timeless appeal. The music is melodic, but with energy and excitement, and the story lines are scrutinized to keep the pacing high, even in dramatic situations. We strive to embrace any part of a story even if it isn't something you would typically see in a musical, such as epic fight scenes or magical elements.


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text: MEXICO CITY (AP) - This sprawling metropolis of honking cars and 22 million harried people has been brought to its knees, not by an earthquake or its ominous smoking volcanoes, but rather a small contingent of angry school teachers. Some 10,000 educators protesting a government reform program have in the span of a week disrupted international air travel, forced the cancellation of two major soccer matches, rerouted the planned route of the marathon and snarled already traffic-choked freeways. The disruptions have shown how little it takes to push a city that is snarled on a good day over the edge. Taxi drivers are so desperate they are refusing fares to certain frequently blocked parts of the city, and residents have turned to urban survival skills - driving the wrong way down streets, using rental bikes, clambering over fences and piling into the back of police pickups to get to their destinations. The city even been launched an app on Tuesday that warns drivers of protest locations, with a little orange icon of what appears to be a city resident climbing a mountain marking each blockade or march. 'It's terrible. There's no business ... people don't even want to get into a cab, because the traffic isn't going anywhere,' taxi driver Ernesto Gallegos said disconsolately Wednesday, standing beside his parked cab on the curb of the city's main boulevard. 'People will get out and say, `I'll walk instead.' They'll get on these eco-bikes,' he said, referring to the city's bike-sharing program. Cesar Juarez, 30, who works repairing wireless systems for a telecom company, sat in his car at an intersection blocked by protesters, shooting photos with his cellphone to show his boss why he couldn't reach a client. Others stuck in frozen traffic near the protests busily dialed in to postpone meetings. 'I've had to cancel two appointments so far today,' fumed well-dressed bank employee Arturo Gutierrez, 47, rapidly texting away on his Blackberry. 'That's lost economic activity.' 'I just told my wife: `Let's go live in the countryside. What are we doing here?'' The cause of this upheaval is a government reform program that would subject teachers to periodic evaluations in the form of standardized tests, and end the unions' power over hiring. That would be a jolt to an education system in which some teachers can actually inherit their jobs from their parents. Juan Melchor Roman, one of the leaders of the striking teachers, said the union was aware of the growing anger among city residents. 'But we think that is being whipped up by the news media,' he said. 'We are asking the public to understand the teachers' struggle ... and understand us a little.' The union says a standardized test is an unfair way to evaluate a teacher's entire career, and argues that parents and student evaluations and other factors should be taken into account. The government counters that teachers will have multiple chances to pass the test, and says failing teachers won't be fired, but re-assigned outside the classroom. But those arguments were hardly the first thing on the minds of the suffering masses trying to make it through the day in Mexico City. City police have taken to routing traffic the wrong way down one-way streets - something the government euphemistically calls 'reversing' streets. The country's first-division soccer league announced it was cancelling two Mexico City matches because the police it would normally assign to keep the peace were too busy managing the protests. And the situation looks like it may actually get worse. On Saturday, the striking teachers plan to join other protesters in a giant march against the government's proposed oil industry overhaul, leading to fears that some demonstrators might resort to breaking windows and trashing stores, an unfortunate tradition in some past marches. Already, the teachers have managed to paralyze a city that sees itself as one of the cultural and intellectual capitals of Latin America, an embarrassment for the leftist government that runs Mexico City. And it's not just disgruntled 'chilangos,' as Mexico City residents call themselves, who are noticing. Tourists and travelers were forced to take a torturous route to the Mexico City airport last week after teachers blocked the main expressway leading to the terminal, causing severe flight delays. Some travelers pulling suitcases were forced to walk down the expressway, scale a chain-link fence or climb into the back of police pick-up trucks that drove them around the blockade and into the terminal. Their problems haven't ended as they seek to navigate the city. Luis Torres, a tourist from Caracas, Venezuela, wandered across the city's protest-blocked main boulevard Wednesday looking for the bright red double-decker tourist bus that normally stops on the corner. 'You come to such a historic place, only to find that the tour bus has been re-routed and all your plans are delayed,' Torres said. In a comparison that few Mexico City officials would be pleased to hear, Torres compared Mexico City to his protest-clogged home country. 'It's not just the traffic, even the protesters' slogans sound like the ones in Venezuela,' he quipped.


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Drives: Camaros................
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Grosse Pointe Farms, MI (suburban Detroit)
Posts: 4,513
My thoughts of the 2014 Camaro and the Z/28......
The past week has certainly been eventful and its certainly caused a lot of conversation ..
But before I get to that let me apologize. I hate lying to anyone. And I lied. I lied when I said to some There isnt a Z28 which, now that I think about it, is a half-lie if there is such a thing. You see, there ISNT a Z28 rather, we unveiled a Z/28 and there IS a difference quite a big one .but more about that in a minute or two Anywhoo I had to lie about there being a Z/28 - -because to talk about it would have cost me my job. If Id even put a winkie after some of your posts, I would have been summarily fired.
We were so security conscious that we had an internal name for the new Z/28 .
When we talked about shooting steve - -no one would have thought about us taking pictures of a Z/28, now would they?
( .although it may have made a few people in law enforcement sit up and take notice )
One would think that working on the Camaro CORE team is nothing but nirvana.
To a point, it is but let me assure you that there are many rough spots and there are long hours and missed family engagements, and weekends are usually non-existent. That goes with the territory. But as to the privilege of being custodians of the brand, its necessary that we give up a lot in order to ensure that the Camaro and all that surrounds the design, engineering and building of these legendary cars is as is it should be and we must hit all the targets deserved by such a hallowed brand.
Please note: NO ONE within Team Camaro takes their job or their responsibilities lightly.
Decisions are agonized over because its THAT important to you as a valued Camaro Enthusiast. More importantly and I think this is something overlooked by many of you: We are Camaro Enthusiasts, too. And weve been Camaro Enthusiasts for many, many years -- (in some cases long before many of you could even say Camaro!)
I use the word agonized because we know that no matter WHAT we do or choose, we will be wide open for someone to be critical. Thats just the nature of an automobile that creates such passion. That said, its sometimes very difficult to have horrible insults thrown at you or worse, the insults directed at that labor-of-love youve worked so hard to make better.
Dateline: New York Wednesday, March 27, 2014:
Approximately 50 Camaro Enthusiasts were invited to the unveil of the 2014 Camaro at the New York Autoshow. Frankly, there were hundreds more Camaro Enthusiasts there because many members of the press and other people who work in and around autoshows happen to be Camaro enthusiasts in addition to their jobs.
I wish each of you could have felt the excitement as the SS/RS drove onto the stage there were cheers and roars of approval and clapping.
I also caught some looks of surprise when the Red Rock Metallic SS/RS did not pull onto the turntable in the middle but rather to the side it was like .what????.......
And then the excitement grew as the sound of an LS7 V-8 roared to life behind the stage and then the LED screen exploded (figuratively not literally) with the sights and sounds of Z/28s of the past and then from behind the stage came the new 2014 Z/28 to cries of joy.
I was so happy to be able to watch this thru other peoples eyes. Thats just the greatest feeling. I was delighted with the response to both Camaros ..
My Blackberry started to vibrate as dozens of emails landed nearly all of them overwhelmingly positive. I suspect that was to be expected as a lot of the dyed in the wool enthusiasts happen to have my corporate email account.
( .that can be a double edged sword at times ..)
..and then I went onto a couple of enthusiast sights that evening and was dismayed at some of the language being used by a few people and even more upset to see some people bashing our engineers and designers - and even worse, the Disciples.
I continually remind myself that much of this behavior is driven by passion. Im also not naive enough to believe that its all passion. It stuns me to see remarks turn into a contest of sorts to see who can hurl the best insult. I dont know when this became proper behavior in our society but in my book, its improper and some people should be ashamed. Frankly, Im more inclined to take opinions from well thought out posts than one that utilizes bad language and insults.
Now for my thoughts on the 2014 Camaro:
Everything we do on Camaro is to improve it make it better offer more than expected and to keep it fresh. The Camaro was first offered to the public in early 2009 just about 4 years ago this month. We know that styling is one of the top reasons for purchase in this segment. Thus, its crucial that we update the styling if we dont, the volume will simply deteriorate. Deteriorated Volume doesnt bode well for any brand its the way brands disappear into the history of the automobile industry ..
The bad news? No matter what you do in terms of styling or content, youll be criticized by some. Thats just the way it is.
People complained about the tail-lamps in the Camaro Concept. Not everyone was a fan but we made the commitment to ensure that the production car looked as close to the concept as possible. Nevertheless, I received some nasty-grams about them
When it was discovered that the car would have a B-Pillar some questioned if we the members of Team Camaro -- had all just escaped from an asylum.
When people saw the back-up light slits in the rear fascia, some questioned as to whether or not we could even spell the name Camaro ..
When they saw the original 2010 Camaro steering wheel, some were certain that wed time-travelled back in time to cause the Lindberg Baby Kidnapping .
The SS fascia versus the V-6 fascia? We evidently created the hurricanes that devastated various parts of the world .
Color changes? Well according to a few, we simply cant walk and chew gum at the same time .
and yet the new Camaro became number one in the segment.
And people got used to seeing all the things that caused so much uproar. And we continued to wow the enthusiast community at large
.and THEN we changed the steering wheel.
Some claim this caused 50,000 people to become sterile for simply laying their eyes on such hideousness. (some of the very people who HATED the original steering wheel now claimed that it was the most magnificent steering wheel the world had ever known and that in changing it, we should be hanged by sundown.....how they now forget or try to hide the past posts they made ..)
And then we changed the SS wheels for 2013 .. Theres a vicious rumor that this caused peoples teeth to fall out .
And then we discontinued Imperial Blue ( .in order to offer Blue Ray Metallic .) Some claim this caused thousands of dear little kitties and puppies to suddenly throw themselves in front of cars, trucks, and high-speed trains ..
( are you noticing a trend here?)
Fast forward to earlier this week.
The new SS/RS was shown to the public.
The SS hood has evidently caused millions of people to suddenly slap their Mamas
The rear tail lamps? Spring Flowers will no longer bloom.
And yet I suspect that once 90 percent of the people see the new 2014 Camaro in person, theyll realize that perhaps they overreacted.
And the sun WILL come up tomorrow .
The Camaro MUST ALWAYS be recognizable as a Camaro.
It must have Camaro styling cues.
We refreshed the front fascia to make the car more intimidating. We made the car look wider. AND we made the SS look different than the V6 model. (at your request, by the way .) Further, theres more differentiation between an RS Camaro and a non-RS Camaro both in the front AND rear. (again, by your request )
The tail-lamps are a tribute to the 1969 Camaro. (go study the 1969 Camaro tail-lamps -- both RS and Non-RS and youll start to appreciate why we did what we did.)
Remember those poor unfortunates who hated the slits in the rear fascia for the back-up lights? Well we listened to you. Shame on us.
The back-up lights have been moved into the tail-lamp assemblies. For those of you who felt the rear was too busy or too tall well we fixed that ..
For those of you who told us we should have put LED tail-lamps in the car? Well we did on the RS models .
Some hated the mail-slot front fascia on the SS. (some even went so far as to fill the slots on their Camaros in with various types of filler ) Well we listened to you as well. (off with our heads ) The air extractor on the SS? Its functional. (you asked for it .) It also just happens to be the same width as the reverse Mohawk in the roof.
And for the record the V6 does not have the extractor in the hood once again differentiating the SS from the non-SS.
Somehow, I suspect that Spring Flowers WILL bloom and that most people in the coming months will say either:
I LOVE it
Well .that wasnt so bad after all
A few others will still hate something about the front or the back -- Just as there are still Camaro Enthusiasts however few that still dont like the 5th gen, period luckily they are far and few between as sales figures prove
So for those who were disappointed in the changes I sincerely hope youll be able to see the new 2014 Camaro in person real soon and that youll find that the changes are in keeping with what makes a Camaro a Camaro
Drives: Camaros................
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Grosse Pointe Farms, MI (suburban Detroit)
Posts: 4,513
1. Now on to the Z/28 ..
Ive said many times: Wanna get a good fight going? Ask Camaro enthusiasts which is the top Camaro Z28 or SS ..
-- and then put on a crash helmet and watch the fur fly ..
Everyone has their opinion and 90 percent have an opinion that THEY are correct in their beliefs and that those with a different opinion are completely wrong and perhaps motivated by the Devil himself .
The new Z/28 has blown some people away and were getting emails and letters and phone calls saying THANK YOU! You FINALLY understand what a Z/28 really is after all these years of ruining the nameplate!.....
It also has some people saying:
You RUINED it! I cant get *insert favorite option here* and so you are a bunch of ..*insert foul words here* .
what do you MEAN its not a drag car???......
..this car should come in at 40K!... (even though weve not discussed price as of yetand frankly, 40K is as attainable as me being elected as President of the United States .)
(and for those who think the Z/28 should be 40K take a 1LE and start counting the costs of all the awesomeness weve added to the Camaro in order to make it a true Z/28 and then take into consideration the costs for engineering and validating and then consider we have to ensure we dont lose money on the program .)
Lets take a walk down memory lane, shall we?
The ONLY reason for the original Z/28
(note I once again used Z/28 and not Z28)
.. was to go road racing. SCCA Trans Am racing had a rule that no competing car in the series could have an engine displacement larger than 305 cubic inches.
Our Camaro SS-396 was FAST ..but it wasnt really a track car. So the purpose of the Z/28 was to compete in Trans Am Racing meaning it had to stick to the road like Velcro. Tidbit: None of the 602 1967 model year Camaros with option code Z28 had a nameplate that said Z/28 on them. It really wasnt meant to be a main-stream entry.
As we moved into the 2nd gen years, the SCCA engine rule went by the wayside .. And with increasingly stringent fuel and emissions standards, performance was on the wane at a startling rate. Fast-rising insurance rates certainly didnt help things And by the early 70s, there really wasnt room for both a Camaro SS and a Z/28 as we knew them. By 1974, performance was so diminished that the Z/28 was dropped at the end of the model year because it had become to many of us a caricature of what it once had been. The SS had been taken from the line up at the end of 1972 .
When the Z28 came back in 1977 (note the difference in the name ..there was no / .) it was definitely a road hugger and it DID offer more performance than any other From then on whether right or wrong, the Z28 was the performance Camaro .until the IROC came along. The Z28 was then relegated to 2nd fiddle and that didnt set well with Z/28 purists. But on the other hand, the Camaro was the International Race Of Champions chosen brand and one could go down to their Chevy Dealer and buy a new Camaro an IROC Camaro that sure looked a lot like the real race car.
.And then Chevy pulled out of IROC racing -- and the Z28 was once again the ultimate Camaro that is, unless you ordered one with 1LE.
Fast forward once again to the advent of the 4th gen. We offered a Camaro Sport Coupe with a V6 engine or a V-8 Camaro Z28 with an LT1 small-block with a blistering 275 horsepower.
(to some of you young-uns that was a LOT of horsepower in 1993 .)
Yes the Z28 was the ultimate Camaro back then and then Ed Hamburger at SLP Engineering came to us and said something along the lines of: .Chevy -Youve done a magnificent job with the Z28 but Ive got plans to take it to the next level
and we said Sure! and the Camaro SS roared back to life. That also put the Z28 as second-in-line and again, Camaro Z/28 purists were not happy! I very much remember getting several phone calls, letters, and emails that werent shall we say charitable in their content ..
It all became moot when the Camaro went onto Hiatus in the late summer of 2002 ..and I continued to say to you, our Camaro Enthuiasts to keep the faith - -that GM understood the importance of the Camaro nameplate. Yes, there were a few people within the corporation that proposed moving the name to the J-car platform.
( .they were last seen being shoved into a fleet of black suburbans never to be seen again .)
As John Heinricy said in a meeting that I attended: The ugliest sight I can imagine would be tire smoke coming from the FRONT tires of a Camaro!..)
As Id said before, as Custodians of the Brand, it was crucial that we ensure that the 5th gen Camaro build upon its rich 35 year heritage. And yet, as I mentioned earlier in this article, we were questioned at every step of the way. And thats not a bad thing, I suppose.
We felt so strongly about the heritage of Camaro and ensuring that the new Camaro would check all the boxes that were important to Camaro Enthusiasts - that we drafted the 15 members of the Camaro Enthusiast Advisory Board (better known as The 12 Disciples of which there are 15)
Soafter all that: The 5th gen Camaro hit the streets and blew people away ..its still #1 in the segment so I think the team did a pretty good job, dont you agree?
At the same time, wed been working on a Camaro that took performance way past our SS. It had been in the product plan for some time but with the Housing Melt-down of the mid to late 2000s and the resultant Bankruptcy of GM (and Chrysler and many vendors) the HP Camaro was put on ice. That the HP car was put back into the program was a miracle in and of itself. Interestingly, it was internally called the HP and kept top secret .. but the intended name was to be Z28. Talk about controversy. There were emails, letters, threats, banging-on-desks and perhaps some thinly veiled threats made and it was finally decided that the original Z/28 had a naturally aspirated V8 engine. The HP Camaro was to have a supercharged engine .so perhaps the Z/28 moniker wasnt really appropriate. Our President, Mr. Mark Reuss himself a Camaro Enthusiast since the time he was able to recognize a Camaro made the final call ..the HP would be christened ZL1. What you DONT know is that he had another plan in mind for the Z/28.
(Note the / ..)
Volumes will be written about the 2014 Z/28 but whats important to understand is that while we made Z28 enthusiasts happy over the years with 275hp and then 285hp and then an LS1 based Z28 we continually disappointed the Z/28 purist.
The 2014 is dedicated to the Z/28 purist. This is a track car that makes no excuses. That this car is a full three seconds faster on a track than the mighty ZL1 speaks volumes to its intent. Make no mistake this isnt a slap at the mightly ZL1. Far from it. If you want a car that blows other cars off a road course on Saturday and Sunday and yet will get you to the office in comfort on Monday morning the ZL1 is the car for you. If you want blistering track performance at a reasonable cost the 1LE is prescribed. And if you want to shame exotics on a road course with an automobile thats not meant for daily driving, then the Z/28 makes no apologies and may grab you by the collar shake you silly -- and shout LETS GO MAKE HISTORY!
Sothats been a lot of words.
And thats my take on why weve done what weve done.
Many already understood before I started typing away.
Some others now have a better understanding.
Yet others will say Scott go take a long walk on a short dock .. Some of those are true Camaro enthusiasts and just are upset that what weve done isnt in keeping with what theyd like or prefer.
And then there are the trolls .who like nothing more than to start something .
As I said at the very beginning ..we at Team Camaro are The Custodians of the Brand and we take our jobs very seriously. Every decision is in many ways, agonizing. But we have to make hard and fast decisions.
And yes it hurts when were constantly called on the carpet and yet rarely if ever get an apology afterward. We have broad shoulders and our skin is tough but it IS discouraging and a bit frustrating to be constantly insulted. And for an old codger like me (Im quite certain Im the oldest in the group ..) I tend to lose my temper more than I used to when people become surly ..
So in the final analysis
.we hope youll go check out the family of 2014 Camaros when they become available. We hope that the family Camaros will offer you a great spread of choices
Let me introduce the family .
>323 horsepower LS and LT
>400 horsepower SS
>426 horsepower SS
>426 horsepower SS/1LE
>580 horsepower ZL1
And the new Camaro Z/28 .
every one of them designed, engineered, and built to instill Perma-Grin.
Whats not to love?
Thanks for taking the time to read my ruminations and I hope youve got a better understanding of why ..
Its the best time EVER to be a Camaro Enthusiast.
Note: The opinions shared in this email are the opinions of ME .and not necessarily those of the company for whom I work.....
I could write a long, eloquent reply about how badass the Z/28 is or how you fulfilled your promise that GM wouldn't disrupt the Z/28 tradition by giving us an inferior example of Camaro excellence. I could thank you for the continued feedback and input GM has considered from some of our harshest critics, which also happen to be enthusiasts, many times on Camaro5. I could express my appreciation for your patience with us and that you keep posting here. Instead, I'll post a picture.
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warn 145:159 ban
Drives: 13' ZL1 Red M6
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Posts: 8,473
Interesting reads.
Roto-Fab Intake, WW Res. kit & Big Gulp Air Scoop, Elite Catch Can, ATI Super Damper & 18% OD Pulley, LF Idler pulley bracket, Metco CC breather, ID850 Injectors, Stainless Power Headers w/ ceramic coating, TR71X Spark Plugs, JMS Fuel Pump Booster, Bo White TB, Tuned by Ted @ Jannetty Racing, Ron Davis HX, D3 Reservoir, Pfadt 1" Springs, Moreno Camber Plates, ZL1 Addons Splitter guard washers, Tow Hook kit & rock guards, Hurst Shifter Billet Plus 6 Speed Short Shifter, ZL1 DRL lighting harness, ZL1 Recaro Seats.
Drives: '10 2LT/RS, '13 GT/CS, '10 Flex
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kansas City, MO & Del Mar, CA
Posts: 2,480
Thanks for all the hard work!
I have to admit the rear is starting to grow on me so let me offer the first apology on the thread for hating on the rear so hard in the huge thread - and the front end over all is a cool improvement.
Great job!
Drives: 2013 2SS/RS 1LE
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 907
I'm pretty excited to see the 1LE... and then order it... and then drive it.
Drives: -
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: MN
Posts: 1,654
I love the refresh. Congrats to the Camaro team for a job well done.
Drives: 2010 Callaway SC572
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Richmond Hill, Ontario
Posts: 518
Scott, seeing as you used the code name "Steve" for the Z/28, I think its only fitting that you send me one so I can properly evaluate my name sake........colour doesn't matter too much, and since the plant is only about 20 minutes away, I'll pick it up myself to save you shipping charges
2010 Callaway SC572
Drives: 2017 Hyper Blue Metallic ZL1
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 196
Thanks for your words, Scott. As always, you have a way of putting the rubber to the road.
2017 ZL1 HBM/A10/CF Hood/PDR/NAV
1100 1/26/17
6000 4/14/17
Drives: 2012 45th Vert 2LT/RS
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: SE MI
Posts: 298
I completely agree! But I think much of the uproar was from the people who saw the SS refresh on TV before the official release. It looked absolutely terrible from the few pictures we got. I think you should have a long talk with whomever decided that was a good idea.
If I could afford a Z/28 let me tell you, I'd be heading to my dealer as soon as I could!
Drives: 2013 Camaro 1LE
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Verona, WI
Posts: 1,782
Very well written Scott....as always. And seeing a car in person definitely gives someone a different perspective than pictures do.
The problem with pictures is no matter how good the camera is...it is still taking a 3D object and trying to turn into a 2D representation. You just cannot capture all of the same viewpoints, angles, and light reflections on camera that the eye can see in person.
On a side note I also get a lot of entertainment watching many of the over reactions that are typed on these forums with out much thought as to why some of the decision were made. Being a mechanical engineer myself and having worked for a few different companies involved in different types of markets (some consumer products and others being commercial products) I completely understand the difficult decisions that need to be made when it comes to new product development. It is no easy task by any means. I commend and applaud the entire Camaro team for making the Camaro as successful as it has been so far and I think this refresh will continue the Camaro success.
Thanks for all of the hard work Camaro Team!!
Drives: 2014 Corvette Z51
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Livermore, CA
Posts: 32
Maybe he has a BB, but he was also getting emails in 1993. Tech forward!
I'm good with the refresh.
Sent from my Nexus 4
2014 Night Race Blue Corvette Stingray Z51/2LT - DD
2013 Blue Ray Metallic Camaro 2LS - traded on wife's DD (Caddy ELR)
Drives: IBM 2SS/RS 6sp.
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Valdosta Ga
Posts: 541
IMO 2014 Z/28=best looking factory Camaro ever. So from me yall deserve a bro hug and a highfive thanks for the hard work and a lot of our empty wallets.
Drives: 2018 HBM Camaro 1SS A8 NPP
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Orlando, Fl
Posts: 40
Well said Scott. I think Team Camaro did a great job on the '14 refresh and especially bringing back the Z/28 to its proper roots. Thank you and your team for all you do and continue to do. I'm sure more people will change their minds on the '14's when they see them in person. Looking forward to seeing how the 1LE looks.
Ah SS vs Z/28. I remember many of those epic "debates" on another Camaro site even back when the 5th gen was still in its "keep the faith" stages
|Thread Tools


text:
Supreme Court rules
Petition archive
13-02 BBE Waiver of Fees for Qualified Veterans
In the Matter to create ss. SCR 40.145 Relating to the Waiver of Fees for Qualified Veterans filed 01/30/13 by Jacquelynn B. Rothstein, Director, Board of Bar Examiners.
Rule petition 13-02
Supporting memo
Past hearings
|February 28, 2013
|Open rules conference
Responses to petitions
|February 26, 2013
|Comments from Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary John A. Scocos
|February 11, 2013
|Comments from Steven Levine


text:
Even though I feel like I just got home from my amazing Siesta weekend, I'm heading out again. My sweet husband is sending me to the GBC Minister wives retreat, it was part of my Christmas! I'm going right by myself and don't know anyone else that is going but I kind of like that. It will be neat to see who God brings into my life from this weekend!
I was sharing with Mrs. Janet (FBCW's first lady) about going to this retreat by myself and she said, "you're like me!" I'll take that compliment any day!!!
So any way the retreat ends Saturday so I'll be away from the computer for a few days.
I hope you have a blessed weekend. If you have some time, stop by my cousin Kaylan's blog. She's written an interesting post and could use some godly advice.
Love y'all dearly!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
On the road again.....
Even though I feel like I just got home from my amazing Siesta weekend, I'm heading out again. My sweet husband is sending me to the GBC Minister wives retreat, it was part of my Christmas! I'm going right by myself and don't know anyone else that is going but I kind of like that. It will be neat to see who God brings into my life from this weekend!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 9:53 AM 3 thoughts from Y*O*U
Labels: retreat; random
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
No eye has seen........
Y'all I can't even begin to express what an amazing weekend I experienced. Caleb and I left Saturday to head to ATL. He had a weekend getaway with Grandma and Paps while I spent some time with the "Siestas." I got a little late start because we left a few things at home (my Bible and Caleb's Curious George.) So I got to mom and dad's later than I planned. I was supposed to meet the Siestas at 6pm for dinner. On my way to meet them, I realized that my wallet was in the diaper bag.......at mom and dad's......uggghhhh. The enemy was doing all he could to keep from meeting up with these ladies. I finally got to the restaurant and I had a great time getting to know these wonderful ladies.
On Sunday, we met up for worship at FBCW and heard an amazing message by Pastor Johnny. That afternoon we had a luncheon planned, a Mexican Fiesta to be exact that Tammy planned for us! We were having a wonderful time, fellowshipping and enjoying the chocolate fountain, when in walked BETH MOORE, aka "Momma Siesta."
We were all so stunned but so overjoyed. She shared with us how much the blogging community has come to mean to her how grateful she was for us! She is EXACTLY the same in person as you've seen in a video or on a stage. She wanted to take a group picture with us and as we were trying to figure out where to take it, she began pushing a table out of the way. I started to help her but then realized I better not but I remember looking at her and thinking, "Beth Moore is standing right here beside me, moving a table!" I'm a goofball I know!
She was only able to hang out for about 20 minutes because she had other commitments before the concert but after the group picture she began hugging some of the ladies so I walked up behind her and just gently rubbed her on the back and said, "I dearly love you." She turned around and hugged me and to my surprise, posed for a quick picture which Fran was able to take! Thanks Fran!
I look absolutely cheesy in this picture but what can I say?!
After she left we all headed to the sanctuary to wait for the concert. The doors didn't open til 5pm so we just sat around and waited. It was during this time that I got know some of the other ladies even better. It's amazing how God can take the internet and use it to bring friends together.
Fran and I waiting!
The concert by Travis Cottrell was out of this world! It was truly a picture of what Heaven will be like someday.
Here's some more pics from the concert and the rest of the evening~
Me and Sophie, aka BooMama
Laura and I meeting Gov. Perdue.
Melinda and I.
Kim and I after the concert.
Beth worshipping right by our seats!
Before the concert I saw a sweet lady that I hadn't seen in years!
Mrs. Anne was my roomie on my very first mission trip. We went to Ukraine in 1992!
Then after the concert, I ran into a sorority sister that I hadn't seen in many years. We knew that each other was going to be at the concert but are plans to meet we're uncertain. But God ordained it and we were able to see each other!
Me and Stacey.
On the way home from the concert, I was just overwhelmed by God's goodness to me and how he had chosen to give me a weekend that I will never forget. And I said early that the concert was a glimpse of what Heaven will be like but really and truly my whole weekend was a glimpse of Heaven. You see, I was able to meet one of my heroines in the Faith, I saw people who God brought into my life for a specific purpose, I saw friends who will always be life long friends and I met people who I wouldn't have ever met if it wasn't for our bond of Christ. And that's exactly what it will be like in Heaven. We'll get to meet our heroes (with no time constraints!), we'll get to see all our loved ones and we'll get to meet fellow believers and we'll all be together for the sole purpose of worshipping the ONE who created us and saved us!
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9
Thoughts from Cheryl at 1:04 PM 8 thoughts from Y*O*U
Labels: beth moore, FBCW, Heaven, Siestas, travis cottrell
Saturday, January 24, 2009
I'm so excited........
I have been counting down the days until today and it's finally here! After Dougie's b-ball game today, Caleb and I are headed to ATL. for this~
Travis Cottrell will be leading the worship tomorrow at FBCW and then performing a concert tomorrow night. Although I'll miss my FAVORITE preacher in the morning, I'll get to hear my 2nd favorite, Pastor Johnny. And during the concert tomorrow night, Beth Moore will be speaking! It is going to be an amazing day!
And if things couldn't get better, I'm meeting up with about 30 other Siestas to enjoy this wonderful day together. We're going to meet tonight for dinner. I'll be meeting her, and this sweet lady who organized everything and many, many others. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share when I get home.
Hope you have a blessed weekend!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 7:12 AM 4 thoughts from Y*O*U
Labels: beth moore, Siestas, travis cottrell
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Another first!!!
For Christmas, one of Caleb's 'gifts' was a potty. I know, but he's only 2, he doesn't get it yet!
Since then, he's sat on the potty maybe 5 times. Although, I'd love for him to be potty-trained before the baby comes, I realize that he's still pretty young, so I'm not getting my hopes up (or my stress level!)
This morning, Caleb asked to sit on his potty. So we took off his diaper (which was dry) and he sat down. Unlike the times before, I left the bathroom because I figured he'd sit there for 30 seconds and be done with it. A few minutes after leaving the bathroom, I heard him yell, "Mommy, what's that? Mommy, come look!" And I couldn't believe it, my little 2 year old had made 'pee-pees in the potty'!
We immediately called Daddy and then called Grandma to celebrate! Maybe it won't be so bad after all.
Happy Wednesday Y'all!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 9:39 AM 7 thoughts from Y*O*U
Labels: caleb, potty training
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
This and That
I haven't been very good about blogging lately. And today isn't any different but I want to share a few things that have happened.
Yesterday, I had to go take the glucose test and since I had to fast before I took the test, I went as soon as I dropped the kids off at school. Mondays are usually my laundry day, so I knew I'd be behind by the time I got home. When I got home around lunch time, Steven had gone to a Pastor's luncheon but I saw that before he left, he had started the laundry. **smile** But upon further observation, I noticed that he didn't get the kids laundry baskets and his sorting of clothes was not exactly the way I would do it. I found myself aggravated but I just got the kids clothes and added them to the piles Steven had already made.
When he got home a little while later, I faced a decision. My flesh wanted to be irritated at him and let him know by telling him, "could you make sure you get the kids clothes too and when you sort the clothes I really like it this way."
But fortunately the Holy Spirit intervened and said to ME, "why don't you just show him your gratitude?" So that's what I did. When he came in the door, I told him (with a smile on my face), "Thank you for starting the laundry." As much as I wanted to add a 'but' to that sentence, I didn't.
Sometimes it's hard to be an encouraging wife but it sure makes for a more peaceful home when I am!
We bought some new Thomas the Train sheets to go on Caleb's big boy bed. Caleb was so excited about them. After he and Steven finished putting the sheets on the bed, Caleb took a step back, looked at his bed and starting singing....the Hallelujah chorus! Y'all I'm not kidding!!!!
This morning, Emma left her lunch in the van so I had to turn around and take it back to her. Since her class is in a trailer, I decided to just take it to her instead of taking it to the office. When I opened the classroom door, all the students were seated quietly so their focus was on me. Emma walked over to get her lunch from me and in front of her whole 5th grade class, with everyone's attention on us, she gave me me a kiss and said, "love you Momma."
****sigh**** I just love that girl!
Happy Tuesday Y'all!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 11:17 AM 5 thoughts from Y*O*U
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
New Year's Resolution
I checked my archives from last year and I explained this but most of you didn't read my blog back then, so I'll tell you again!
In 2004, I stopped making resolutions and instead asked God to give me a verse for the year. This idea came from the headmaster of the school where I was teaching at the time.
Here are my Resolution verses from the past years:
2004- Romans 12:2
2005- Isaiah 43:18-19
2006- Matthew 6:33
2007- Colossians 4:2
2008- Psalm 86:11-12
And really and truly, without realizing it, I began doing this in 2003. Because you see, 2003 was the year I went through my separation and divorce and I CLUNG to Jeremiah 29:11-13.
When I look back at these scriptures and the things that I faced during each of these years, it amazes me how God plants these scriptures in my heart to prepare me for whatever that year may hold!
I commit these verses to memory and last year, I even memorized Psalm 86:1-13. But I don't think I'll be able to memorize the chapter that contains this year's verse~
Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Psalm 119:133
I have some thoughts running through my head about why I think God may have chosen this verse for me but ultimately I think it's because He wants everything that I do to line up with His word. I'm looking forward to this journey!
Happy New Year!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 4:44 PM 6 thoughts from Y*O*U
Labels: new years, resolution, scripture
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas Recap- this is going to be long!
Ok, I realize I'm kind of late but for all 2 of you who actually care what we did over the holidays I'm going to recap anyway!
We celebrated Christmas with Steven's family on Christmas Eve day. Emma and Dougie were with their dad so they didn't get to go with us. We had some great bbq, Brunswick stew and had a great time hanging out. If this family keeps growing, I don't know how we'll fit into Grandmomma and Grandaddy's house!
We came back for our Christmas Eve service at church and then Emma and Dougie came home later that evening. Instead of leaving cookies for Santa, we left him some oreo truffles, which he greatly appreciated. He even said so in the note he left the kids. After we got the sweets and milk ready, Emma and Dougie said they had something else to leave for Santa. Unbenownst to me, (did I just really use that word?) they had made thank you cards for Santa and Dougie's even wished him a safe trip! Santa was VERY impressed with that too!
After opening presents and eating breakfast, we loaded up
the truck and moved to, sorry, the van and headed to my mom and dad's in ATL. We spent the afternoon hanging out with my immediate family and then later in the evening we went to my aunt's house to see some other family. It was a busy day but definitely worth the effort!
On Friday, my parents, my brother and his family headed down to south Ga. to spend a few days at my grandparents farm. Emma and Dougie went with them but Steven, Caleb and I stayed in ATL. Since Steven took the last Sunday as a vacation day, we wanted to attend FBCW on Sunday. Even though Pastor Johnny didn't preach it was a great service and we got to see lots of friends!
On Monday, we joined the rest of my family at the farm. The weather was warm, so the boys did a lot of hunting. Dougie has discovered the fun of squirrel hunting. He actually wanted me to cook the ones they shot but I told him he could forget it!
Here's some pictures of Dougie and Max doing some target shooting on New Year's Eve day.
Now here's Emma shooting. Yes, she's in her pj's and barefooted but maybe that's the trick.....
because she got closer to the bullseye than either of the boys!
All of my family left the farm that day, so we rang in the New Year by taking Emma, Dougie, Caleb and Jessi (another cousin) to Burger King. We couldn't watch the ball drop on tv because at the farm you only get 1 channel and believe me PBS is not something you really want to watch on New Year's Eve. So we spent the evening playing Phase 10 and watched the time on my cell phone!
Right after it turned midnight, Emma and Dougie shared their resolution. They said that they weren't going to argue with each other. I kid you not, at 12:04 am they were arguing!!! We played cards til 1am and the kids finally went to bed. Caleb gave it up about 11pm.
The next morning we lounged for a little bit......
I was desperately trying to finish Twilight, yes I've been sucked in. (sorry I couldn't resist!)
We came home, watched lots of football over the weekend and are getting ready to get back into a routine tomorrow!
We had a blessed Christmas season!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 2:57 PM 6 thoughts from Y*O*U
Friday, January 2, 2009
Caleb's New Year's Resolution
Happy New Year y'all! We've been gone a lot since Christmas and I haven't posted any pics yet. I hope to get them up soon. We got home yesterday from my grandparents farm. When it came time to go to bed, Dougie asked Caleb if he wanted to sleep in the bottom bunk of his bed. Caleb of course said, "sure!"Over the past week or so, Caleb has slept on a sofa bed, an air mattress and in a double bed with his cousin, so we knew he could sleep in a regular bed. We've been talking about when to move him from his baby bed to a regular bed but last night was not what I had planned!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 10:18 PM 8 thoughts from Y*O*U
Labels: caleb


text:
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Rory McIlroy holed a ten foot birdie putt at his last hole of the day to establish a two shot clubhouse advantage after day three of the Maybank Malaysian Open.
A rain delay of three hours and 25 minutes, coupled with two and a half hours lost to lightning on Friday, meant the leaders could only complete nine holes of their third round before dark at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
Northern Irishman McIlroy shared the halfway lead on 11 under with Sweden's Alex Noren, and the 21 year old kept his nose in front with eight consecutive pars at the start of his round.
"I felt I probably should have been a couple better," said the World Number Nine. "I hit a couple of good shots that if they went a foot either way would have been great – the tee shot on eight and second shot on six - if they had just stayed.
"But it's ok. It's a solid start. I could have been two or three shots better off but it's obviously nice to hole that putt right at the end on the ninth and finish on a positive note. I've still got the lead but it is going to be a long day tomorrow.
"You've got to make every shot count out there. 27 holes in that heat tomorrow is going to be tough. I've got myself into a good position going into tomorrow and that's all that counts."
Former Omega European Masters champion Noren mixed three birdies with two bogeys and a five at the par three fourth to be ten under – and he will return to a lengthy birdie putt on the ninth on Sunday morning.
France's Gregory Bourdy made the most significant move of the day with five birdies in his first six holes.
He added another at the eighth and then holed from six feet at the tenth to briefly share the lead, only to bogey the 13th.
However, the three-time European Tour winner was still six under for his round with five to play and tied for second with Noren and Italian teenager Matteo Manassero.
"I played well on this course," said Bourdy. "It was wonderful .Made just one mistake on the tee shot on nine.
"Everything was good – my putting and driver, which was longer and straighter.
"It was nice to be six under after 13 and thought I'd make a birdie on the 14th but just missed."
Manassero, who turns 18 on Tuesday, first had the job of completing his second round when he returned to the course and birdies at the last two holes lifted him to a share of fourth place.
And an outward 33 saw the former British Amateur Champion move into contention for a second European Tour title.
Chile's Felipe Aguilar amazingly started his round with five birdies in a row, and after a par at the sixth a dazzling approach left him a tap-in birdie at seven.
Looming large alongside him on nine under is World Number One Martin Kaymer, whose precision iron play saw him play the 15 holes possible in six under par – the highlight his tee shot to within a foot at the par three eighth.
There will be no redraw for Sunday's final round, with the third round resuming at 0740 and the final round starting at 0845.
|Player name
|MANASSERO, Matteo
|BOURDY, Grégory
|MCILROY, Rory
|CABRERA-BELLO, Rafa
|NOREN, Alexander
|AGUILAR, Felipe


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Something I envisioned when I started HB nearly three years ago was a home for Christian bloggers. I still want to do this. I realize that most of you who are HB members already have blogs; this post isn't really for you unless you're looking to move yours or to start a new one (which is totally cool with me!).
If, however, you haven't tried this blogging thing and want to try it, it's very easy to get started, and I would be happy to set you up with a free blog. Your blog would have a HawaiiBeliever.com URL (such as yourname.hawaiibeliever.com) and you'd have an optional email address like email@example.com. Your free blog would run the Wordpress software, which is whats used at Wordpress.com. Also, HB members Champuru, GypsyLika, and kaholo4him all run the same blogging software, to give you an idea of how flexible and popular the software is.
You can use your free blog to detail your daily thoughts or perhaps as a daily prayer and devotional log. You could also get a group of friends together and do a collaborative blog. I really believe in the benefits of this kind of public journaling, and encourage you to consider signing up for your own free space at HawaiiBeliever.com. You don't have to live in Hawaii, but there are some reasonable restrictions you'd have to agree to about content. You know, no porn or...that kind of thing.
If you are interested, please post a reply below, or send an email to me at scrivener at hawaiibeliever dot com.


text:
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