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OXO Triple Timer
Perfect for multitasking, OXO's triple timer monitors three events at once, or long events with secondary intervals. A numeric keypad and soft buttons make setting each timer easy and intuitive, and each sounds with a unique alarm. The angled face provides clear visibility on countertops and shelves and a nonslip base offers stability and surface protection.
- Time three events at once or long events with secondary intervals.
- Each timer measures 100 hours on a specified line of the easy-to-read LCD.
- Numeric keypad has soft, easy-to-use buttons—even when hands are wet.
- Each timer sounds with a unique alarm.
- Display converts to clock mode when the timer is not in use.
- Batteries included.
Dimensions & More Info
- 3" x 4" sq., 2 1/4'' high.
- 5 oz.
- Made in China.
Use & Care
- Uses two AAA batteries (included).
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Shipping Information
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3–5 business days. UPS is unable to deliver to P.O. boxes.
Shipping Rates
The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping destination. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Next Day Delivery
For an additional charge of $26 per address, we can expedite delivery to most destinations. This service is not available for some oversize items, items shipped directly from the supplier (including perishable and custom-manufactured items), out-of-stock items and items to be shipped outside the contiguous 48 states.
Orders received by 9:00 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday will arrive the next business day; orders placed Friday through Sunday will arrive on the following Tuesday.
Return Policy
At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners and knife storage), please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
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Made to Order and Final Sale Furniture items are non-returnable and cannot be cancelled once the order is placed.
For returns of items purchased from your Williams Sonoma Gift Registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later. View Full Returns Policy.
OXO Triple Timer
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|OXO Triple Timer


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The Oculus is not your standard instance in any way. There are several elements not found in other places that make it a very interesting instance.
Once you enter the portal to the instance, you're confronted with a long, circular hallway. The trash needs to be cleared entirely up until reaching a portal on the other side. Crossing that portal leads to the first boss.
Drakos the Interrogator
Drakos might remind you of the first boss in Mechanar (non-heroic). He constantly spawns little mines that need to be avoided. Sometimes he pulls the entire raid to himself and spawns lots of mines. When he does that the boss needs to be kited away immediately into a safe zone. The rest of the group should do the same. It doesn't sound hard on paper, but, well… it isn't that hard in practice either. The only other ability that he has is a sort of bomb debuff like the one Murmur did at the end of Shadow Labs. He does this after a pull, which is why each member should look for his/her own safe zone.
With Drakos dead, the real fun begins. Three cages open, each with an NPC. Talking to an NPC grants you an item that allows you to summon a dragon to ride inside the instance (in case you want another one there's an option to exchange the one you have for the one you want).
Flight school – part one
The options are:
Emerald: healing drake. Has a poison attack that stacks up to 3 times, DoTs and heals the drake for the damage it does.
Ruby: tank drake. Has a chain-fire breath attack (think of chain lightning). Gains charges every time it gets hit by an enemy; these charges are then unleashed with a special evasion skill, which causes the next few attacks to miss (and consume a charge). Think of getting rage to activate shield block, and shield block charges protecting you from attacks but being consumed until you have none, and until you finished all your charges you're not getting any rage.
Bronze: DPS drake. Has a normal ranged attack (single target, uninteresting attack) and time stop. The latter does exactly what you might think, and also adds charges to enemies that will be affected by time stop. The charges for a Bronze drake are quite different in that they act like bombs, when you attack a target with charges the charges detonate, causing tons of damage.
Once the group is set up (ideal set up is one Ruby, two Emerald and two Bronze) you have to kill 10 centrifuge constructs. These are big robots like the ones in Mechanar and Botanica. You'll find three on a platform directly left of you, three on a platform directly right of you, and the other four in four different groups on the central platform. Those on the central platform are each surrounded by three to four casters, so watch out. Getting them nice and clumped up for easy AE tanking may be difficult, so you might want to CC some of those that are far away.
With all the constructs down, you just pulled down the shield around Varos Cloudstrider.
Varos Cloudstrider
Varos is standing on a platform directly opposite of where you first got your drakes. Clear ALL the trash around his platform (you don't want them to add during the fight..) Unlike Drakos, Varos actually can wipe you if you don't know what's going on.
The platform on which Varos stands is surrounded by a bunch of vortexes. After a while, he's going to start shooting beams that connect to tese vortexes (they come instantly and they are nice and straight, easily recognizable). If you stand in one of those beams you immediately need to get out. After a few seconds he starts to charge the vortexes, which means anyone in between him and the vortex he's connected to will get a nice smack in the face. Note that you won't avoid the damage just by not standing "directly" in the beam, you will only avoid it by going in an area not occupied by one. If you see two beams in close proximity, then the area in between is a no-go zone. If you see a nice space in between two, then you'll be safe there in between. Varos also summons drakes that do a sort of eye beam. These drakes can't be targeted (as far as I know) so just get out of the eye beams. You'll be dodging the other types of beams anyway, so it's just another thing to watch out when you're moving around.
Killing Varos immediately unlocks the third boss encounter.
Mage-Lord Urom
The self-titled mage lord is no different from his predecessor. He requires movement from the entire group, else you're toast. You can see him channeling some sort of spell if you look up and to the left from the platform where Varos was standing. If you go there and attack him, he'll run away and summon a bunch of adds. Grab them, tank them, nuke them down, and repeat another 2 times, at which point he'll go to the central pillar.
Now, Urom may not be as tricky as Varos, but he has his own abilities that can cause a headache. He periodically throws frost bombs at the tank, causing the entire area to turn white and DoT anyone standing on it. So, you guessed it, it's kiting time again. He also throws time bombs at random people, doing initial damage and then doing more damage after a while equal to the health deficit of the bombed target (so if he has 16k hp out of 20k, the bomb will do 4k damage.
The last thing he can do is teleport to the middle and cast an arcane explosion (Shade of Aran wannabe?). Instead of outranging it, however, you hide behind one of the pillars so you're out of line of sight. Rinse and repeat until he's dead.
Flight School – part two
Urom's death unlocks additional abilities for each dragon.
Ruby: can now misdirect damage done to another drake to itself. Think of a permanent intervene on a certain target.
Emerald: can now transfer own hitpoints to another drake. This establishes the emerald drake as the healer drake: it steals HP from an enemy and transfers the HP to its own health pool, and then further transfers those HP to another drake that needs healing.
Bronze: can now channel a beam that increases damage done to the beamed target. Also generates those funny charges that do a billion damage after a certain amount of damage has been done. This can start stacking up very fast, so be careful when you unleash the charges.
These abilities are absolutely necessary for the final encounter.
Ley-Guardian Eregos
As you might have already guessed, Eregos isn't fought conventionally, but rather on those funny drakes you've been using all the time until now.
Clear all the welps surrounding the upper central platform. Be careful not to venture too near the middle, else you may add the boss.
Eregos is a really simple encounter if you can manage the following:
The ruby drake needs to hold aggro at ALL times. Meaning the bronze drakes can NOT channel their beams, get 10 charges, unleash the 10 charges, and then go get more charges to do the same. They will get aggro and eventually die or cause the healers to drain themselves dry. So bronze drakes are mostly keeping their beams up and unleashing the charges very occasionally (about every 20 seconds).
Eregos summons welps every now and then; these need to be killed by the ruby drake. Some spawn close enough to be hit by the chain attack, others need to be targeted individually. Don't ignore the adds, they won't go away, and their damage isn't insignificant.
Eregos will periodically enrage; to counter this, the bronze drakes need to hit Time Stop. One time stop will cover one enrage phase, but the Time Stop cooldown allows it to be used only every two enrage phases, so set up a rotation.
And that's about it! The emerald drakes keep the red drake up and dot the boss to keep themselves up in the process, the red drake holds aggro and hits the evasion button to try and minimize the damage, and also kills the welps, while the bronze drakes channel their beam and hit time stop whenever an enrage comes.
On heroic difficulty, there is one more important twist. Eregos will sometimes fade, become invulnerable, and summon a bunch of globes. These globes will start to follow someone, and will explode after a while. When this happens, fly clockwise around Eregos (hold a little distance from the rim of the platform) and wait on the other side. Keep away from the globes – they will explode eventually. When this happens, Eregos will become active again and the fight continues.
When Eregos dies, you might wonder "Hey, how do I loot him now?!" No worries, his death unlocks a special chest on one of the smaller platforms surrounding the upper centra one (there's a beam of light shining on it, it's easy to see). Enjoy the loot

subset: commoncrawl


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London Transport Road Spotters shrapnel helmet. 1939-1945
Penny toy of a horse-drawn trotter, 1906
Piccadilly line train, 1933
One of the first BBC Television Broadcasts from Alexandra Palace. c. 1936
Portrait of Huldine Green, and her daughters Rebecca, Bonita and Charmaine, of Tottenham, 1986
Ilford Warship Week Float, used to raise money to purchase the HMS URCHIN, which fought throughout the Second World War. 1939-45


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Rule 4-8. Procedure For No-Merit Briefs, Pro Se Points, And Responses In Involuntary-Commitment Cases.
(a) After studying the record and researching the law, if appellantメs counsel in an involuntary-commitment case determines that the appellant has no meritorious basis for appeal, then counsel may file a no-merit brief and move to withdraw. Counselメs no-merit brief must include the following information:
(1) The argument section of the brief shall list all adverse rulings to the appellant made by the circuit court on all objections, motions, and requests made by the party at the hearing from which the appeal arose and explain why each adverse ruling is not a meritorious ground for reversal.
(2) The abstract and addendum shall contain all rulings adverse to the appellant made by the circuit court at the hearing from which the order of appeal arose.
(b) Appellee is not required to, but may, respond to a no-merit brief. Appellee may file a concurrence letter supporting the no-merit brief. Any appelleeメs response shall be filed within thirty (30) days of the filing of the no-merit brief.
(c) The Clerk of the Supreme Court shall mail the appellant, at the appellantメs last known address, a copy of the no-merit brief and the motion to withdraw. The Clerk shall notify the appellant in writing that the appellant may raise any points that the appellant chooses and that these points may be typewritten or hand-printed. The Clerk shall also notify the appellant that the points must be received by the Supreme Court Clerk by mail or other method of delivery within thirty (30) days from the date that the Clerk mailed the appellant the notification.
(d) The Clerk shall mail a copy of appellantメs points to the appellee and appellantメs counsel within three (3) business days after receiving them.
(e) Appellee is not required to respond to appellantメs points. Appellee may do so, however, by filing a response within thirty (30) days of the date the points were received by the Clerk of the Supreme Court.
Explanatory Note. In appeals in criminal, termination-of-parental-rights, and adult long-term protective-custody cases, appointed counsel may discharge their professional obligations by filing a no-merit brief and moving to withdraw. The Clerk must serve the brief and motion on the appellant, who then has the opportunity to file pro se points, which the appellee may in turn respond to. Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 4-3(j) and 6-9(i); see generally Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967); Linker-Flores v. Ark. Depメt of Human Servs., 359 Ark. 131, 194 S.W.3d 739 (2004); Adams v. Ark. Depメt of Health & Human Servs., 375 Ark. 402, ____ S.W.3d ____ (2009). This procedure balances the appellantメs right to counsel on appeal and due process with the lawyerメs obligation as an officer of the court not to pursue frivolous arguments. Involuntary-commitment cases raise similar constitutional and procedural concerns. But no Anders procedure currently exists in our rules for those kinds of cases. While the deprivation of liberty is neither as extended as a prison sentence nor as final as losing parental rights, involuntary commitment is nonetheless a モmassive curtailment of liberty,ヤ and thus constitutionally significant. Humphrey v. Cady, 405 U.S. 504, 509 (1972). The supreme court recently noted this issue, Dickinson v. State, 372 Ark. 62, 67, 270 S.W.3d 863 (2008), but did not decide whether an Anders procedure is needed in involuntary-commitment cases. Dickinson, 372 Ark. at 70ヨ71, 270 S.W.3d at 866-67 (Imber and Brown, JJ., dissenting). The new rule creates this procedure for these cases.


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For careers information
Media & PR enquiries
Ascent is the training design and delivery organisation appointed as the UK MOD's Training Service Partner. Our sole purpose is to provide the Military Flying Training System for the UK's Armed Forces. We provide this through a unique partnering arrangement with Royal Air Force No 22 (Training) Group and the UKMFTS Project Team from DE&S.
Ascent is recruitng now. Please visit our Careers page to learn more about the opportunities available.
Ascent is a proud sponsor of the Jon Egging Trust. Please visit our page to find out more about our work for this extremely worthy cause.
Delivering excellence. Please see our News page for recent articles which highlight the work of Ascent as part of the UKMFTS partnership.


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Author's Log 10242011
It's been one week since we left home on our five week voyage, and so far, morale remains high.
We experienced some troublesome maintenance issues our first two nights, first with malfunctioning sound dampeners next to the station's galley, and then with a poisoned air filter that left us with a nasty case of Betelguisian lung rot.
Or maybe that was an allergic reaction to the port's complimentary flip-flops.
Anyway, once we moved on to our next station the living quarters were up to optimal levels, and we were able to get some much needed rest.
Our first mission was to the Atlantans, a friendly people who presented us with bizarre tributes:
This one contained a yellow gelatinous substance marked "E. Spengler." We gave it a wide berth.
However, the local fare was undeniably delicious:
The natives themselves proved most agreeable under the placating effects of the baked goods, and fortunately our mission passed without incident.
From there we moved on to the region of Concord, home of excessively large shopping malls and confusing ground traffic. Here the tributes seemed to take an insidious turn:
Though thankfully the natives remained peaceful, no doubt due in large part to the addictive qualities of their peculiar edible totem:
By Emily & the BPA Club
In the region of Richmond, we discovered a new local custom:
Some of the natives dressed to match their edible gifts:
Right down to the fingernails!
It was unsettling, to be sure, but we put on a brave face and were careful to make no sudden movements.
Others there presented us with ghoulish visages, perhaps as some kind of colloquial good luck charm?
Certainly their tribute totem was terrifying enough to ward off any evil spirits:
By A Cake to Remember & Sugarbuzz Cakes
We did our best to show the proper respect, but despite our efforts the First Mate and I kept laughing. I blame the addictive nature of these insidious treats, but more "research" is needed.
In Baltimore we were given our most bizarre tribute yet:
An edible effigy of yours truly!
The individual tributes also flatly defied description:
Why is the deer so tiny?
Here, at least, they were able to vent their cannibalistic hostilities on my effigy...
...and we were able to escape unscathed during the melee.
The First Mate and I are continuing on to our next stop today, and we can only hope that it, too, will prove to be a piece of cake.
Yates out.
You can see all of the photos from our various shows on the Cake Wrecks Facebook page.


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'State Secrets,' Non-Denials And Lies: How The Government Tried To Bury Its 'No Fly' List Screwup
from the the-public-will-never-achieve-'need-to-know'-status dept
Our government lies.
This is an obvious statement but it needs to be put out there in black and white. We, the people, are represented and "protected" by a government that actively lies to its constituents to cover up its mistakes. The recent case of Rahinah Ibrahim, who was accidentally placed on the government's "no fly" list and only removed after a long legal battle, illustrates this truth about our government to a sickening degree.
FBI Special Agent Kevin Kelley marked the wrong box on a single form and locked Ibrahim out of air travel for nearly a decade. The government's refusal to even examine Ibrahim's case dates back to 2005, during the the Bush Administration. By the time the case was reinstated by a federal appeals court, the screw up wasn't even a screw up. Thanks to intersecting agency databases, Ibrahim's name, even though removed from one "no fly" list was now permanently tainted by 'terrorism" associations. Bureaucracy succeeded in accomplishing one thing: retconning a paperwork flub into canon. According to the government, Ibrahim deserved to be on this list. When pressed, it would cite "terrorism," the argument-ending word deployed most frequently by government officials over the last dozen years. When pressed further, officials would simply refuse to discuss it, invoking the holiest of non-denial denials, "state secrets."
David Kravets at Wired has collected several of the deflections deployed by government officials in order to bury Ibrahim's case -- an error so easily fixed, yet ultimately so damaging to the person Agent Kelley consigned to the ranks of terrorism suspects by checking the wrong box.
Note that these are the more pernicious (and more frequently used -- especially when it comes to national security issues) form of governmental lying: the refusal to confirm or deny accusations.
"My assertion of the state secret and statutory privileges in this case precludes defendant or any other agency from making any response, including through document production or deposition testimony, that would serve to disclose classified information regarding plaintiff or any other individual; the sources, methods, and means by which classified information is collected; and information which would confirm or deny whether information regarding plaintiff or any other individual is in NCTC's TIDE database." — James Clapper, director of national intelligence, April 23, 2013.There are more, but these are the most indicative of the national security mindset. Eric Holder's deferral to "state secrets" in 2013 was based on the belief that a single disclosure, especially if it prompted more, would lead to terrorists gaming the no-fly list. John Tyler, then-attorney for the DOJ, claimed in 2006 that Ibrahim's complaint was so inextricably intertwined with the utility of the "no fly" list that her case should be dismissed.
"Public disclosure of the identity of individuals on the No Fly List or Selectee List would compromise the safety and security of passengers by providing terrorists with information that may reveal which of their members have been compromised, and which of their members may board an aircraft without any form of enhanced security. For these reasons, TSA's regulations expressly prohibit the disclosure of the contents of Security Directives and Emergency Amendment…" – Joseph C. Salvator, Transportation Security Administration then-deputy assistant administrator for intelligence, May 22, 2006.
According to these statements, being mistakenly placed on the "no fly" list is just something those wrongly blacklisted will have to deal with. These citizens (and other foreigners) just need to resign themselves to the fact that they won't be boarding planes, possibly for the rest of their lives. Once you're on the list, you're on it. The list is apparently so crucial to national security that even admitting it may have blacklisted someone accidentally would turn the nation's airports into terrorist playgrounds.
A mistake was made made, but rather than looking for a solution, the government grabbed its "state secret" broom and swept it under the "neither confirm nor deny" rug.
The government cannot be so beholden to its own inflated terrorism fears that it willingly punishes a person for nearly a decade because of a paperwork error. There's plenty of middle ground between keeping the country safe and screwing someone over because an agent couldn't follow a form's instructions. But that's not the way our leaders, representatives and those beyond our limited power (the ODNI, for example) see it. To them, it's binary. It's all or nothing. Discussing the status of one person the government can "neither confirm nor deny" is on the list is portrayed to be as damaging as opening the entirety of the "no fly" list to public scrutiny.
The fear has destroyed the reality. Terrorists are supposedly one small step away from another attack on the US, even if billions of pieces of collected data have yet to result in the prosecution of these supposedly omnipresent attackers. The machinery -- some public, some private -- that thrives on this false narrative has managed to subvert due process, privacy and a variety of other constitutional "niceties" in its quest to create a lucrative, endless War on Terror. All objections are greeted with 9/11 / Boston Bombing rehashes and endless pages of retractions.
The machinery lies. The government lies. And those caught between the gears of both entities are ignored, lied to and buried underneath pages and pages of black ink and official denials.
Filed Under: fbi, no fly list, rahinan ibrahim


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Where can I use MocaDeco photos?
Part of Website or Mobile App
Print Marketing Materials
Image Placeholders for Bloggers or Websites
Image Placeholders/Backgrounds in Templates for Sell
Part of Template for Sell
All Personal & Commercial works
What cannot I do with MocaDeco photos?
You can't sell the photo as it is.


text:
Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Education
Performance Enhancement in Sports
Three semester hours.
This course will examine the mechanisms by which athletes can exceed their perceived physical limitations. Strategies such as visualization, meditation, hypnosis, autogenic training, biofeedback, and progressive relaxation will be examined. Prerequisite: PSYC 2301 or equivalent course approved by graduate advisor.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
Academic Undergraduate Regulations -
Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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Subscribe To Oldboy Updates
Subscribe To Oldboy Updates
Oldboy (2013)
Oldboy Synopsis
Oldboy Release Date
In Theaters November 27, 2013
Oldboy Credits
Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharlto Copley
Written By: Mark Protosevich
Directed By: Spike Lee
Produced By: Roy Lee, Doug Davison and Nathan Kahane
MPAA Rating: [ R ]
Distributor: FilmDistrict
External Info: Oldboy Official Website
Movie Clip 1
Movie Clip 2
Latest Oldboy News
The Year In Movies: A Gif Look-Back At 2013
I'll be recapping the highs and lows of the movie business experienced over the past 12 months. 2013 has been a pretty fascinating time for film, full of reversals of fortune, dizzying successes and even some truly polarizing pictures. So let's look back and GIF out!
Kristy Puchko Dec 24, 2013
The Year In Movies: A Gif Look-Back At 2013
Oldboy Hammers Home Four Awesome Posters And A Comic Prequel
While my anticipation for Spike Lee's upcoming Oldboy remake is just slightly higher than my anticipation for his Kickstarted Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, I really have to give it to the guys creating the film's posters.
Nick Venable Nov 22, 2013
Oldboy Hammers Home Four Awesome Posters And A Comic Prequel
Oldboy Green-Band Trailer Proves Thor Isn't The Only Dude With A Hammer
I'm no Oldboy purist. And if a studio wanted to bankroll an Oldboy remake, I can absolutely see handing it to Spike Lee, who has dabbled in dark, violent genre films from time to time.
Sean O'Connell Nov 08, 2013
Oldboy Green-Band Trailer Proves Thor Isn't The Only Dude With A Hammer
Oldboy Featurette Reveals How Josh Brolin Transformed For The Role.
This latest featurette appeals to those who crave a mesmerizing performance, by showing all the work Oldboy star Josh Brolin had to do behind the scenes to go from schlubby mess of a man to a lean and mean man on a mission.
Kristy Puchko Oct 24, 2013
Oldboy Featurette Reveals How Josh Brolin Transformed For The Role.
New Oldboy Clip Puts The Spotlight On Elizabeth Olsen
Spike Lee's Oldboy remake may look alarmingly similar to the Korean original. It may require its own screenwriter to defend its existence in front of a Comic Con crowd. But if the movie has anything going for it over the 2003 Park Chan-wook original, it's Elizabeth Olsen. And good for them for recognizing that and highlighting her in this newly released clip
Katey Rich Oct 14, 2013
New Oldboy Clip Puts The Spotlight On Elizabeth Olsen
New Oldboy Hotel Viral Invites You For A Comfy Stay
The film begins as a man named Joe Doucett (Brolin) is kidnapped and held prisoner for two decades. One day he wakes up in a trunk outside and discovers that he has been released, which leads him on not only a mission of revenge against the person responsible for his kidnapping, but also a mission to discover why he was imprisoned in the first place.
Eric Eisenberg Sep 17, 2013
New Oldboy Hotel Viral Invites You For A Comfy Stay
Spike Lee's Oldboy Pushed Back A Month, To November 27
What does it mean when a film changes release date? Nothing, and everything, depending on how you look at it and what that change is. So you can choose to read nothing into the fact that Spike Lee's Oldboy has changed release dates from a planned October 25 bow to November 27, a full month-long switch that puts Oldboy in the thick of some serious competition.
Katey Rich Aug 02, 2013
Spike Lee's Oldboy Pushed Back A Month, To November 27
Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake Reveals Mysterious Teaser Poster
That's Brolin climbing out of the trunk, looking mighty clean-cut and purposeful for someone who has just broken out of a 20-year solitary confinement. And we assume that's Elizabeth Olsen standing in the background, holding a yellow umbrella with the hash marks that have been part of the marketing from the very beginning-- Olsen plays the young woman who helps Brolin's character in his quest to find out why he was imprisoned
Katey Rich Jul 08, 2013
Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake Reveals Mysterious Teaser Poster
Spike Lee's Oldboy Gets Pushed Back
It's about time we got a proper poster or some stills or a teaser trailer. Right? Just give us Samuel L. Jackson scowling and saying something ominous, and we'll be good...for a bit.
Kristy Puchko May 23, 2013
Spike Lee's Oldboy Gets Pushed Back
Oldboy Teaser Poster Counts Down The Years
The key to a good teaser poster is to give only a hint of what you've got in store. When you're bringing a remake or a sequel, that hint can be incredibly small, just a quick tip of the hat to fans and a placeholder for what's to come. That's exactly the tactic for this teaser poster for Oldboy, Spike Lee's remake of the modern Korean classic that's coming to theaters on October 11. Those hash marks add up to 20
Katey Rich Apr 15, 2013
Oldboy Teaser Poster Counts Down The Years
Oldboy, R.I.P.D. And More Reveal New Posters At CinemaCon
It's a four hour drive to get from Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada, a trip that's composed entirely of long stretches of highway that extend through the deserts of the south west. And once again we have braved the heat and the sand paving the way to this year's CinemaCon.
Eric Eisenberg Apr 14, 2013
Oldboy, R.I.P.D. And More Reveal New Posters At CinemaCon
Spike Lee's Oldboy Set For October 2013 Release
With Spike Lee's remake of the Korean revenge classic Oldboy going into production, we've still got plenty of questions about how his take on the material will compare to Park Chan-wook's original-- and we're confident that, no matter what Lee does, some fanboys out there will just hate it regardless. But now all those fans will at least know how much time they have to sharpen their knives
Katey Rich Oct 19, 2012
Spike Lee's Oldboy Set For October 2013 Release
James Ransone Replaces Nate Parker In Spike Lee's Oldboy
What's bad news for Parker is good news for James Ransone, who will take his place in the chilling remake. Like Parker, Ransone has worked with Lee before, first on 2006's Inside Man, and most recently on Red Hook Summer. To date, Ransone might be most recognizable from his various roles on HBO series like The Wire, but he can currently be seen in theaters as the eager investigator dubbed Deputy So-and-So in Scott Derrickson's latest horror thriller Sinister.
Kristy Puchko Oct 16, 2012
James Ransone Replaces Nate Parker In Spike Lee's Oldboy
Elizabeth Olsen Explains Changes For Spike Lee's Oldboy
"It's not trying to redo the [Chan-wook's] film – it's coming at it from a different point of view. As well as focusing on the primary source of the Korean film, for our film there's also the Japanese Manga, so we're using the primary source of the illustrated novel, really."
Kristy Puchko Oct 01, 2012
Elizabeth Olsen Explains Changes For Spike Lee's Oldboy
Spike Lee's Oldboy Gets Distributor And Reveals Synopsis
The upstart distributor, which previously brought you the surprise hit Insidious and the arty favorite Drive, announced today that they have picked up the United States distribution rights to Oldboy, which they say is set for an expected 2013 release date. They also included a synopsis that gives us some hints at how this new version of the story will differ from the original
Katey Rich Sep 07, 2012
Spike Lee's Oldboy Gets Distributor And Reveals Synopsis
Spike Lee's Oldboy Casts Nate Parker
With small roles in the Spike Lee-directed Red Hook Summer and the Spike Lee-produced Red Tails, Nate Parker has been emerging this year as a star to watch, but also apparently one of Spike Lee's favorites. Parker is now set to reunite with the director for a third time, taking a small role in Oldboy
Katey Rich Sep 04, 2012
Spike Lee's Oldboy Casts Nate Parker
Samuel L. Jackson Joining Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
An anonymous source would not elaborate on Jacksons' involvement in the picture, though the Times elaborates that Sam would play a villain who is brutally tortured by Josh Brolin's character – a man who has been detained by mysterious adversaries for years with no explanation.
Sean O'Connell Aug 19, 2012
Samuel L. Jackson Joining Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
Sharlto Copley Confirmed As The Villain In Spike Lee's Oldboy, Joins The Cast Of Open Grave
The search for an actor to play a villain has been a tough one. Many great names have been asked to join the production, but each one of them turned it down due to scheduling or other reasons. At one point or another we reported that Christian Bale, Colin Firth and Clive Owen were all offered and then rejected offers. The search, however, is over now that Sharlto Copley has officially signed on.
Eric Eisenberg May 01, 2012
Sharlto Copley Confirmed As The Villain In Spike Lee's Oldboy, Joins The Cast Of Open Grave
District 9's Sharlto Copley Offered The Villain Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy
After many, many months of trying to get a cast together, Spike Lee may have finally found someone to play the villain in his remake of Oldboy. Josh Brolin has long been attached to play the lead originated by Min-sik Choi, and Martha Marcy May Marlene star Elizabeth Olsen has agreed to play the female lead.
Eric Eisenberg Apr 12, 2012
District 9's Sharlto Copley Offered The Villain Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy
Elizabeth Olsen Is The Latest To Be Offered The Lead Female Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy
Spike Lee's Oldboy remake hasn't had the easiest time finding its female lead so far. While the situation is even worse on the villain side (Christian Bale, Colin Firth and Clive Owen have all turned down the part), both Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska were given the chance to play in the film but have turned it down. Now a third actress has entered the arena, but will this one actually stick?
Eric Eisenberg Feb 28, 2012
Elizabeth Olsen Is The Latest To Be Offered The Lead Female Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy
Clive Owen The Latest Actor To Pass On Oldboy Remake
So while the role seems open again, who do you want to play the villain facing off against Brolin? Are there any English-speaking actors who can match the original? And don't say you want them to scrap the film entirely-- it might not be the most popular opinion, but this remake is still looking interesting
Katey Rich Jan 06, 2012
Clive Owen The Latest Actor To Pass On Oldboy Remake
Mia Wasikowska Offered Female Lead In Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
I wonder if the Korean director guided Wasikowska toward Lee's project? She's a fabulous actress who quietly shattered souls in Jane Eyre opposite Michael Fassbender and managed to be one of the bets things about Tim Burton's bizarre Alice In Wonderland. But I'd never think of her for Oldboy, which means it could be a brilliant stroke of stunt casting.
Sean O'Connell Dec 16, 2011
Mia Wasikowska Offered Female Lead In Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
Clive Owen Offered The Villain Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy
It's never great to be the third choice to do something, but I'd imagine it's a whole lot worse when the entire world knows that you are the third choice. In the past few months, the role of the villain in Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy has been offered to both Christian Bale and Colin Firth, both of whom ended up turning the part down.
Eric Eisenberg Dec 16, 2011
Clive Owen Offered The Villain Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy
Colin Firth Passes On The Oldboy Remake
With the exception of Josh Brolin, who is set to play the film's lead, Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy is having a bit of trouble finding actors to fill the other roles. In recent months we've heard stories about both Christian Bale and Rooney Mara being offered the villain and female lead roles, respectively, but both ended up turning the offers down.
Eric Eisenberg Dec 08, 2011
Colin Firth Passes On The Oldboy Remake
Oldboy Remake To Have Darker Ending, Tweaked Hallway Scene
One of the most controversial upcoming remakes currently in development is the American-made version of Chan-wook Park's Oldboy. While the project has been in the works for years, originally going to be directed by Steven Spielberg and star Will Smith, the project has been revived in recent months, with Spike Lee officially set to direct and Josh Brolin attached to star. But how will the new movie connect to the South Korean original? Producer Roy Lee has cleared up some of those questions.
Eric Eisenberg Nov 28, 2011
Oldboy Remake To Have Darker Ending, Tweaked Hallway Scene
Colin Firth Offered The Villain Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
I feel I say this every time I write up a story about the Oldboy remake, but here it goes again: I still don't understand why they are making this movie, but at least they are putting in every effort to make sure that it's the best movie they can make. The quality of actors that they're going for is off the charts, however, I do still have my reservations about Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend, The Cell) writing the script.
Eric Eisenberg Nov 11, 2011
Colin Firth Offered The Villain Role In Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
Rooney Mara Won't Be In Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
The Korean revenge flick by Park Chan-wook has become a cult classic over the years, so it's no surprise that Hollywood wants to wring the life out of it as a remake. If it has to be remade, Lee is almost certainly a better fit than Spielberg and, God help us, Will Smith. The casting has also been pretty solid so far, suggesting that if the remake fails or flounders, it won't be for lack of talent on hand. It won't, however, be in the company of Rooney Mara.
David Wharton Oct 19, 2011
Rooney Mara Won't Be In Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake
Rooney Mara Could Be The Top Pick For The Female Lead In Spike Lee's Oldboy
Come late December you can expect Rooney Mara to skyrocket into the A-list. While it was big enough news last year when it was announced that she would be playing Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher's English-language remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, all signs are pointing to her becoming a must-have name when the movie comes out at the end of the year.
Eric Eisenberg Sep 28, 2011
Rooney Mara Could Be The Top Pick For The Female Lead In Spike Lee's Oldboy
Spike Lee Plans A 2012 Release Date For Red Hook Summer
Lee directs from his own screenplay about an Atlanta resident who spends a memorable summer in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook. The filmmaker also plans to revive his character of Mookie from his seminal, Oscar-nominated work Do the Right Thing, which came out in 1989
Sean O'Connell Sep 16, 2011
Spike Lee Plans A 2012 Release Date For Red Hook Summer
Denzel Washington Offered Lead Role In The Secret In Their Eyes Remake
Winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Eyes tells a mystery that spans generations as a retired legal counselor continues to investigate a case the plagued him when he was young, inexperienced, and in love with his female supervisor. Ray can handle the material – his Shattered Glass was damn-near flawless – particularly with Washington as a collaborator.
Sean O'Connell Sep 15, 2011
Denzel Washington Offered Lead Role In The Secret In Their Eyes Remake
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text: Home/ Adult Education Welcome to Adult Education at Hills Road See our latest Prospectus... At Hills Road you can join classes in recreational, academic or vocational subjects. These are offered part-time during the day or evening and sometimes on Saturdays. Most courses last for one term of ten weeks, but a few of the academic and vocational courses last for an academic year. To be sure of a place you should enrol as early as possible. You can now enrol onto your chosen course(s) online! You just need to choose the course you would like to enrol onto and click the 'enrol now' button next to the course. You can also enrol by telephoning the Adult Education office on 01223 278002. The next Enrolment evening is on Tuesday 3rd September 2019 17:00-20:00 should you wish to personally speak to a subject co-ordinator before you enrol on to a course.


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Operating under the American Airlines name, one of the most recognized brands in the world, the combined airline will have a robust global network and a strong financial foundation. The merger will offer benefits to both airlines' customers, communities, employees, investors, and creditors. Customers will have access to more choices and increased service across the combined company's larger worldwide network and through an enhanced oneworld® Alliance, of which American Airlines is a founding member. With firm orders for more than 600 new mainline aircraft, the combined airline will have one of the most modern and efficient fleets in the industry, and a solid foundation for continued investment in technology, products, and services.
Thomas Horton, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Airlines, will serve as Chairman of the combined airline's Board of Directors through its first annual meeting of shareholders, and will also serve as the combined airline's representative to the oneworld Alliance, of which he is currently chairman, and International Air Transport Association for the same duration. Doug Parker, Chairman and CEO of US Airways, will serve as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Parker will assume the additional position of Chairman of the Board following the conclusion of Mr. Horton's service. The Board of Directors will initially be made up of twelve members. The Board will be comprised of three American Airlines representatives, including Tom Horton, four US Airways representatives, including Doug Parker, and five AMR creditor representatives.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, US Airways stockholders will receive one share of common stock of the combined airline for each share of US Airways common stock then held. The aggregate number of shares of common stock of the combined airline issuable to holders of US Airways equity instruments (including stockholders, holders of convertible notes, optionees and holders of restricted stock units) will represent 28% of the diluted equity of the combined airline. The remaining 72% diluted equity ownership of the combined airline will be issuable to stakeholders of AMR and its debtor subsidiaries that filed for relief under Chapter 11 (the "Debtors"), American's labor unions, and current AMR employees.
The merger is to be effected pursuant to a plan of reorganization (the "Plan") for the Debtors in their currently pending cases under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The Plan is subject to confirmation and consummation in accordance with the requirements of the Bankruptcy Code.
In connection with the merger agreement, AMR has entered into a support agreement with certain unsecured creditors holding approximately $1.2 billion of prepetition unsecured claims against the Debtors. Pursuant to the support agreement, the creditors party thereto have agreed, subject to certain conditions, to support a plan of reorganization implementing the merger and incorporating a compromise and settlement of certain intercreditor and intercompany claims issues. Provisions of the support agreement relating to the treatment of prepetition unsecured claims against the Debtors and the treatment of existing equity interests in AMR are summarized further below.
The combined airline will offer more than 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations in 56 countries. The combined airline is expected to maintain all hubs currently served by American Airlines and US Airways, resulting in more travel options for customers. Both airlines expect that the regional carriers they own – AMR Corporation's American Eagle and US Airways' Piedmont and PSA – will continue to operate as distinct entities, providing seamless service to the combined airline. The company will be headquartered in Dallas-Fort Worth and will maintain a significant corporate and operational presence in Phoenix.
"Today, we are proud to launch the new American Airlines – a premier global carrier well equipped to compete and win against the best in the world," said Tom Horton, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of American Airlines. "Together, we will be even better positioned to deliver for all of our stakeholders, including our customers, people, investors, partners, and the many communities we serve.
"The combination of American and US Airways brings together two highly complementary networks with access to the best destinations around the globe and gives us a strong platform to provide our customers the most connected, comfortable travel experience available. The operational and financial strength of the combined airline is expected to enable continued investment in new products and technologies and will create exciting new opportunities for our people, even as we deliver strong cash flow and sustainable profitability.
"Over the past year, the American team stood tall as we established a rock solid foundation for long-term success through an efficient and effective restructuring. As part of this process, after months of exhaustive analysis and a thorough review of all alternatives, we concluded that this merger is the best outcome for our company, delivering not only the greatest value for our financial stakeholders, but also positioning us well for sustainable success over the long term.
"This merger provides enhanced potential for full recovery for our creditors. In addition, I am pleased that we were able to obtain the support of a sizable portion of our unsecured creditors for a plan that provides a recovery of at least a 3.5% aggregate ownership stake in the combined airline for our shareholders. It is unusual in Chapter 11 cases – and unprecedented in recent airline restructurings – for shareholders to receive meaningful recoveries. I look forward to working closely with Doug Parker, whom I have known as a friend for more than 25 years, and with the leadership teams of both companies to assure a smooth integration and the creation of a new industry leader."
Doug Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of US Airways, said, "Today marks an exciting new chapter for American Airlines and US Airways. American Airlines is one of the world's most iconic brands. The combined airline will have the scale, breadth and capabilities to compete more effectively and profitably in the global marketplace. Our combined network will provide a significantly more attractive offering to customers, ensuring that we are always able to take them where they want to travel, when they want to go."
Parker continued, "Today's announcement is possible only because of the important work carried out over the past year by Tom Horton and the American team. No one cares more about the long-term success of American Airlines and its people than Tom. Through a successful restructuring and this merger, Tom and the American team have established an excellent foundation for the new American Airlines to become a premier global airline. I am grateful for all that Tom has done to ensure that American is in the best position possible for future success and am delighted he has agreed to remain on board to assist with the transition.
"I am particularly pleased for the employees of both US Airways and American. This merger will create a stronger company, with the path to improved compensation and benefits and greater long-term opportunities for all our employees. We are grateful to have the support of both companies' unions and thank them and their leaders for their hard work and vision. We look forward to a bright future for our employees and enhanced service and choice for our customers. With today's announcement, we start becoming one team and one new airline."
More Choices, Increased Service, and an Enhanced Travel Experience for Customers
Thetransaction will combine American Airlines' and US Airways' complementary flight networks, increasing efficiency and providing more options for customers. The result for consumers is a highly competitive alternative to other global carriers. Importantly, the combined worldwide network will offer superior breadth of schedule to high value travelers.
The combined airline is expected to:
- Provide the most service across the East Coast and Central regions of the U.S., including the East Coast shuttle, enhancing the combined carrier's competitive position
- Expand its presence and further strengthen the network in the Western U.S.
- Bolster American's industry-leading position in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Enhance connectivity within the oneworld Alliance – including joint businesses with British Airways and Iberia across the Atlantic and with Japan Airlines and Qantas across the Pacific – creating more options for travel and benefits both domestically and internationally
- Serve 21 destinations in Europe and the Middle East
- Maintain current hubs of both American Airlines and US Airways, resulting in more choices for customers
- Improve traffic flows through the existing hubs of both carriers
- Expand service from those hubs to offer increased service to existing markets and service to new cities
- Provide an industry-leading travel experience through innovative initiatives intended to increase comfort and connectivity for all customers
- Improve valuable loyalty program benefits through expanded opportunities to earn and redeem miles across the combined network
In addition, American Airlines' landmark agreements with Airbus and Boeing, designed to transform the American Airlines fleet over the next four years, will solidify the combined airline's fleet plan into the next decade. The combined airline is planning to take delivery of more than 600 new aircraft, including 517 narrowbody aircraft and 90 widebody international aircraft, most of which will be equipped with advanced in-seat inflight entertainment systems offering thousands of hours of programming, inflight Wi-Fi offering connectivity throughout the world, and "Main Cabin Extra" seating with 4-6 inches of additional legroom in the Main Cabin. The combined carrier's fleet will also feature fully lie-flat, all-aisle access premium seating on American's new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and Airbus 321 Transcontinental deliveries slated for later this year. Similar to US Airways' Airbus A330 international Envoy service, American will also retrofit existing 777-200 and 767-300 aircraft to include fully lie-flat premium seating in an effort to provide a consistent experience for customers flying on the combined carrier.
Customers can continue to book travel and track and manage flights and frequent flyer activity through AA.com or USAirways.com, and will continue to enjoy all benefits and rewards of the AAdvantage and Dividend Miles frequent flyer programs. At this time, there are no changes to the frequent flyer programs of either airline as a result of the merger agreement. All miles in both programs will continue to be honored. Upon merger approval, additional information will be provided to customers of both frequent flyer programs on any future program updates, including account consolidation or benefit alignment.
Employees to Benefit from Greater Long-Term Opportunities
Employees of the combined airline will benefit from being part of a company with a more competitive and stable financial foundation, which will create greater opportunities over the long term. Each carrier's employees will receive reciprocal travel privileges as quickly as possible. The merger will also provide the path to improved compensation and benefits for employees.
"Together we will combine the proud histories of both airlines and create one team that recognizes the contributions of all employees to our airlines' great customer service and financial success. Our future has never looked brighter thanks to the outstanding people of both American Airlines and US Airways," concluded Parker.
As previously announced, the unions representing American Airlines pilots, flight attendants and ground employees, as well as the union representing US Airways pilots, have agreed to terms for improved collective bargaining agreements effective upon the closing of the merger. In addition, the union representing US Airways flight attendants has reached a tentative agreement that includes support for the merger. The American Airlines unions representing pilots and flight attendants are working with their US Airways counterparts to determine representation and single agreement protocols.
Superior Value for Stakeholders
American Airlines stakeholders and US Airways shareholders are expected to benefit from the significant upside potential of the new combined airline, which is expected to have approximately $40 billion in revenues based upon the combination of each company's projected 2013 performance. The combination is expected to deliver enhanced value to American Airlines stakeholders and is projected to be significantly accretive to EPS for US Airways shareholders in 2014.
The transaction is expected to generate more than $1 billion in annual net synergies in 2015, including $900 million in network revenue synergies, resulting predominantly from increased passenger traffic, taking advantage of the combined carrier's improved schedule and connectivity, an improved mix of high-yield business, and the redeployment of the combined fleet to better match capacity to customer demand. Estimated cost synergies of approximately $150 million are net of the impact of the new labor combined contracts at American Airlines and US Airways. The companies expect one-time transition costs for the merger of approximately $1.2 billion, spread over the next three years.
The abovementioned provisions of the support agreement relating to the treatment of prepetition unsecured claims against the Debtors and existing equity interests in AMR under a plan are summarized as follows:
- Holders of existing AMR equity interests will receive an aggregate initial distribution of 3.5% of the common stock of the combined airline on the effective date of the plan, with the potential to receive additional shares if the value of common stock received by holders of prepetition unsecured claims would satisfy their claims in full;
- So-called "double dip" creditors (i.e., holders of prepetition unsecured claims as to which both AMR and American Airlines are obligors, either directly or indirectly) will receive shares of mandatorily convertible preferred stock equal to the full amount of their claims. These shares will convert into common stock of the combined airline at 30 day intervals during the 120 day period following the effective date of the plan, based on a formula tied to the market price of the common stock of the combined airline;
- So-called "single dip" creditors (i.e., holders of prepetition unsecured claims that are not guaranteed) will receive a combination of shares of the same class of mandatorily convertible preferred stock as the "double dip" creditors will receive and shares of common stock of the combined airline; and
- American Airlines' labor unions and other employees will receive an aggregate of 23.6% of the common stock of the combined airline ultimately distributed to holders of prepetition unsecured claims against the Debtors.
The support agreement can be terminated in certain instances, including the failure of the Debtors to achieve certain milestones toward confirmation and consummation of the plan.
Clear Roadmap to Completion
The merger is conditioned on the approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, regulatory approvals, approval by US Airways shareholders, other customary closing conditions, and confirmation and consummation of the Plan. The combination is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2013. During the period between the signing and closing of the transaction, a transition-planning team comprised of leaders from both companies will develop a carefully constructed integration plan to help assure a smooth and sustainable transition.
Rothschild is serving as financial advisor to American Airlines, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Jones Day, Paul Hastings, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and K&L Gates LLP are serving as legal counsel. Barclays and Millstein & Co. are serving as financial advisors to US Airways, and Latham & Watkins LLP, O'Melveny & Myers, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, and Dechert LLP are serving as legal counsel to US Airways. Moelis & Company and Mesirow Financial are serving as financial advisors to the Unsecured Creditors Committee. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Togut, Segal & Segal LLP are serving as the Unsecured Creditors Committee's legal counsel.
Tax Benefit Preservation Plan
In conjunction with execution of the Merger Agreement, US Airways also announced today that its Board of Directors has adopted a tax benefit preservation plan designed to help preserve the value of the net operating losses and other deferred tax benefits of US Airways and the combined enterprise resulting from the merger with AMR. The tax benefit preservation plan, which is effective immediately and will remain in place no longer than the closing of the merger, is designed to reduce the likelihood that changes in the US Airways investor base would limit the future use of the tax benefits by US Airways or the combined enterprise, which would significantly impair the value of the benefits to all shareholders.
As part of the plan, the US Airways Board of Directors has declared a dividend of one common stock purchase right, which are referred to as "rights," for each outstanding share of US Airways common stock. The rights will be exercisable if a person or group, without the approval of the US Airways board or other permitted exception, acquires beneficial ownership of 4.9% or more of US Airways' outstanding common stock. The rights also will be exercisable if a person or group that already beneficially owns 4.9% or more of the common stock of US Airways, without board approval or other permitted exception, acquires additional shares (other than as a result of a dividend or a stock split). If the rights become exercisable, all holders of rights, other than the person or group triggering the rights, will be entitled to purchase US Airways common stock at a 50% discount. Rights held by the person or group triggering the rights will become void and will not be exercisable. The rights will expire immediately upon the occurrence of certain events, including the closing of the merger or the termination of the merger agreement. In addition, the certificate of incorporation of the combined company will contain limitations on certain acquisitions and dispositions of shares effective from and after the closing of the merger, also with the objective of preserving the value of net operating losses and other deferred tax benefits.
US Airways shareholders with ownership positions near or above the 4.9% threshold specified in the tax preservation plan are urged to review its terms carefully. Further details about the plan will be contained in a Form 8-K to be filed today by US Airways with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Additional information about the benefits of the transaction is available at a new joint website launched by the airlines at www.newAmericanarriving.com. Customers are also invited to learn more at www.aa.com/arriving and www.usairways.com/arriving.
Conference Call and Webcast
American Airlines and US Airways executives will discuss the transaction on a conference call today, February 14, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. ET / 5:30 a.m. PT. To access the conference call, please dial (877) 681-1320 (U.S. dial-in) or (973) 935-2840 (international dial-in) at least 20 minutes prior to the start of the call, referencing conference ID# 99288242. A replay of the call will be available until March 14, 2013 by dialing (800) 585-8367 (U.S. dial-in) or (404) 537-3406 (international dial-in) (conference ID# 99288242). The call will also be webcast with accompanying slides on the investor relations sections of www.aa.com and www.usairways.com, as well as the new joint website www.newAmericanarriving.com.
Press Conference and Webcast
Tom Horton and Doug Parker will also be discussing the transaction at a press conference today, February 14, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT. A live video feed of the press conference will be available at www.aa.com/201302Press and a replay will be available on www.newAmericanarriving.com.
Analyst Luncheon and Webcast
American Airlines and US Airways executives will also be discussing the transaction at an analyst and investor luncheon today, February 14, 2013, at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT. The event will be webcast on the investor relations sections of www.aa.com and www.usairways.com, as well as the new joint website www.newAmericanarriving.com.
American Airlines b-roll is available at: https://vimeo.com/59532586
US Airways b-roll is available at: https://vimeo.com/59421912
About American Airlines
American Airlines focuses on providing an exceptional travel experience across the globe, serving more than 260 airports in more than 50 countries and territories. American's fleet of nearly 900 aircraft fly more than 3,500 daily flights worldwide from hubs in Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. American flies to nearly 100 international locations including important markets such as London, Madrid, Sao Paulo and Tokyo. With more than 500 new planes scheduled to join the fleet, including continued deliveries of the Boeing 737 family of aircraft and new additions such as the Boeing 777-300ER and the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, American is building toward the youngest and most modern fleet among major U.S. carriers. American's website, AA.com®, provides customers with easy access to check and book fares, and personalized news, information and travel offers. American's AAdvantage® program, one of the most popular frequent flyer programs in the world, lets members redeem miles for flights to almost 950 destinations worldwide, as well as flight upgrades, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays and other retail products. The airline also offers nearly 40 Admirals Club® locations worldwide providing comfort, convenience, and an environment with a full range of services making it easy for customers to stay productive without interruption. American is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest airlines in the world, including global brands like British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia Airlines, Japan Airlines, LAN and Qantas. Together, its members serve more than 840 destinations served by some 9,000 daily flights to nearly 156 countries and territories. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir or Facebook.com/AA. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AMR Corporation common stock trades under the symbol "AAMRQ" on the OTCQB marketplace, operated by OTC Markets Group.
About US Airways
US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates nearly 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs more than 32,000 aviation professionals worldwide, operates the world's largest fleet of Airbus aircraft and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 21,500 daily flights to 1,356 airports in 193 countries. Together with its US Airways Express partners, the airline serves approximately 80 million passengers each year and operates hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Aviation Week and Overhaul & Maintenance magazine presented US Airways with the 2012 Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) of the Year Award for demonstrating outstanding achievement and innovation in the area of technical operations. Military Times Edge magazine named US Airways as a Best of Vets employer in 2011 and 2012. US Airways was, for the third year in a row, the only airline included as one of the 50 best companies to work for in the U.S. by LATINA Style magazine's 50 Report. The airline also earned a 100 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality index for six consecutive years. The Corporate Equality index is a leading indicator of companies' attitudes and policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and customers. For more company information visit usairways.com, follow on Twitter @USAirways or at Facebook.com/USAirways.
Additional Information and Where To Find It
US Airways, AMR and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and certain members of management may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of US Airways in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of US Airways is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2012 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 27, 2012. Information about the directors and executive officers of AMR is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, which was filed with the SEC on February 15, 2012. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the registration statement, prospectus and proxy statement and other relevant materials when and if filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This document includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "project," "could," "should," "would," "continue,""seek," "target," "guidance," "outlook," "forecast" and other similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on AMR's and US Airways' current objectives, beliefs and expectations, and they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and financial position and timing of certain events to differ materially from the information in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and financial position and timing of certain events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: failure of a proposed transaction to be implemented; the challenges and costs of closing, integrating, restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; the ability to retain key employees; and other economic, business, competitive, and/or regulatory factors affecting the businesses of US Airways and AMR generally, including those set forth in the filings of US Airways and AMR with the SEC, especially in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of their respective annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, their current reports on Form 8-K and other SEC filings, including the registration statement, proxy statement and prospectus. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof or as of the dates indicated in the statements. Neither AMR nor US Airways assumes any obligation to publicly update or supplement any forward-looking statement to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting these forward-looking statements except as required by law.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60354-the-new-american-airlines


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derekodwyer needed a new stationery design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 73 designs submitted by 27 freelance designers.
Adept Business Services provides Administration and Support Services for business who cannot justify the position as a full time position. We offer services suchfrom basic phone answering, recruitment scheduling, typing, marketing, credit control. This is done on a fee basis and clients will be charged a retainer for this. The Word adept means skilled or very proficient.
Adept Business Services
Expert Administrative Resources when YOUR business needs them, but never on the payroll.
Desired Color Scheme:
Dark Blue and blood red
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Professional, Powerful, Trusting
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai)
I'd like to create an image that conveys professionalism, is clear and strong. My preference would be for a dark blue and a blood red colour scheme. Our vision is be the premier business services business in Ireland by enabling our clients to maximise their profitability focussing on their core business.
Our strapline could be..
Adept Business Services -Â
Expert Administrative Resources when YOUR business needs them but never on the payroll.Â
Our terget market is the small and medium sized business


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International Service Providers Sue GCHQ For Potentially Hacking Their Networks
from the could-get-interesting deptA group of seven smaller international ISPs, many of which tend to be used by activists, are now suing GCHQ via the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, for hacking into their networks. The focus of the lawsuit is on the GCHQ's now infamous hacking of Belgian telco Belgacom, via a quantum insert, to get access to a variety of communications. While those revelations don't name any of the service providers filing suit, they note that "the type of surveillance being carried out allows them to challenge the practices in the IPT because they and their users are at threat of being targeted." The seven service providers are:
Riseup (US), GreenNet (UK), Greenhost (Netherlands), Mango (Zimbabwe), Jinbonet (Korea), May First/People Link (US), and the Chaos Computer Club (Germany), along with Privacy InternationalThere may be a big question as to whether or not any of those organizations really have standing if there's no evidence they were actually targeted by GCHQ, but I don't know enough about how the Investigatory Powers Tribunal works when it comes to the question of who has standing to judge at the outset. Either way, the service providers note that GCHQ's activities violate the European convention on human rights:
First, in the course of such an attack, network assets and computers belonging to the internet and communications service provider are altered without the provider's consent. That is in itself unlawful under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in the absence of some supervening authorisation. Depending on the nature and extent of the alterations, the attacks may also cause damage amounting to an unlawful interference with the internet and communications service provider's property contrary to Article 1 of the First Protocol ("A1P1") to the European Convention on Human Rights ("ECHR").Certainly a case worth watching if it can get past the standing issue.
Second, the surveillance of the internet and communications service provider's employees is an obvious interference with the rights of those employees under Articles 8 and 10 ECHR, and by extension the provider's own Article 10 rights. As Der Spiegel reported in relation to a separate attack on Mach, a data clearing company, a computer expert working for the company was heavily targeted: "A complex graph of his digital life depicts the man's name in red crosshairs and lists his work computers and those he uses privately ('suspected tablet PC'). His Skype username is listed, as are his Gmail account and his profile on a social networking site. […] In short, GCHQ knew everything about the man's digital life." It is not simply a question of GCHQ confining its interest to employees' professional lives. They are interested in knowing everything about the staff and administrators of computer networks, so as to be better able to exploit the networks they are charged to protect.
Third, the exploitation of network infrastructure enables GCHQ to conduct mass and intrusive surveillance on the customers and users of the internet and communications service providers' services in contravention of Articles 8 and 10 ECHR. Network exploitation of internet infrastructure enables GCHQ to undertake a range of highly invasive mass surveillance activities, including the application of packet capture (mass scanning of internet communications); the weakening of encryption capabilities; the observation and redirection of internet browsing activities; the censoring or modification of communications en route; and the creation of avenues for targeted infection of users' devices. Not only does each of these actions involve serious interferences with Article 8 ECHR rights, by creating vulnerabilities and mistrust in internet infrastructure they also chill free expression in contravention of Article 10 ECHR.
Fourth, the use by GCHQ of internet and communications service providers' infrastructure to spy on the providers' users on such an enormous scale strikes at the heart of the relationship between those users and the provider itself. The fact that the internet and communications service providers are essentially deputised by GCHQ to engage in heavily intrusive surveillance of their own customers threatens to damage or destroy the goodwill in that relationship, itself an interference with the provider's rights under A1P1.
Filed Under: gchq, hacking, security, surveillance, uk
Companies: chaos computer club, greenhost, greennet, investigatory powers tribunal, jinbonet, mango, may first, people link, riseup


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I'm a goal-oriented person. With almost everything I do in life, I set a clear goal for what I want to accomplish, then I do the research needed to figure out how to get there, then I work at it tenaciously.
The same is true for parenting. I know quite well it is impossible for me to raise my children to have every possible positive character trait, so I decided long ago to focus on a small handful of them and push my parenting in a direction that encourages those behaviors.
Really, there are three such goals.
I want my children to be self-reliant and feel like they can handle almost anything life throws at them. I want my children to value learning (and talking about things they've learned) and make it a normal part of their life.
And perhaps most relevant of all (to Money360, anyway), I want my children to not derive their self-worth from the stuff that they own or don't own, but instead from who they are and what they've accomplished.
I have several prongs in my approach to this.
We're very picky when it comes to the media they consume. We have a DVR and use it to record specific programs, usually nature documentaries or PBS shows. That, along with some films on DVD, is all they're allowed to watch on television, and we cap that pretty tightly, too. The big reason is that we don't want them to watch commercials where children seem very happy due to owning a particular toy on a repetitive basis.
We steer our own conversations away from "who owns what." This actually has a dual benefit. Not only does it keep us from creating the appearance that stuff defines people for the kids, it helps to break that connection in our own minds, too.
Instead, we try to focus on the qualities of various people. I usually make it a point to identify – and usually try to point out – a good quality about a person when that person comes up in a family conversation. "Your friend is really energetic! I bet he's really good at playing soccer!" and so on.
We focus our praise mostly on hard work. What does this have to do with keeping them from being a consumer? It builds their self-worth around their positive character traits instead of leaving them empty and searching for something to feel good about – which can often be their possessions. I don't praise everything they do, but I strongly praise their effort in a positive direction, especially when that effort is producing a good result (like my son's ongoing journey towards reading).
We actively work against defining other people by their stuff. This hasn't been an issue yet for our children, but it has come up a time or two. "I don't like person X because he has a Batman" is the prime example I can remember from the recent past. I take a lot of time to talk about things like this and tear away the material possession from the personal choice. Here, we brought it down to a sharing issue – it is nice to share, but you shouldn't expect someone to always share what they have, and it's a good idea to set a sharing example first.
Do you have any additional ideas on how to keep our kids from focusing their energies on consumerism?


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Belgian(redirected from Belgian Red Cattle)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
having some relationship to Belgium.
Belgian barge dog
see schipperke.
Belgian black pied cattle
black, Belgian dairy cattle.
Belgian blue
dual-purpose cattle; blue, white or blue roan. Bred by crossing Dutch Friesian with British Shorthorn. Calves are large and dystocia common.
Belgian canary
one of the oldest breeds of canaries, popular in the Victorian era. Characterized by a straight, upright back, but lowered head and neck so the shoulders are the highest point.
Belgian cattle dog
see bouvier des flandres.
Belgian fancy
long, slim canaries with flat chests, long necks and tail feathers, with an unusual posture of the head drooping down and a semicircular silhouette. Called also Slims, Scottish Fancy.
Belgian hare
not a hare at all, but a breed of rabbit. It has a long, fine body and a deep red, tan or chestnut agouti coat.
Belgian horse
heavy draft horse, mostly red-roan or chestnut but may be bay, brown, dun or gray; 16.1 to 17 hands high. A basic breed for many draft breeds. Called also Brabant. Full name is Belgian Heavy Draft. Affected by congenital cataracts and aniridia, which are inherited as a dominant trait.
Belgian Malinois, Belgian Tervuren
two varieties of Belgian sheep herding dogs, recognized in the United States as separate breeds. See Belgian shepherd dog (below).
Belgian red cattle
red, dual-purpose cattle from Belgium.
Belgian red pied cattle
red and white, dual-purpose Belgian cattle.
Belgian sheep dog
see Belgian shepherd dog (below).
Belgian shepherd dog
there are several varieties in this breed. All are medium-sized with erect ears and are used as sheepdogs, guard dogs and for police work. The Groenendael, the most common variety, has a long, straight, smooth black coat. In the United States, it is recognized as a separate breed and called the Belgian sheepdog. The Malinois has a short, red, fawn or gray coat with black mask and frosting on the muzzle. It is called the Belgian Malinois in the United States. The Tervueren has a long, red, fawn or gray coat and is called the Belgian Tervueren in the United States. The Laekenois has a short, wiry reddish-fawn coat with black shading.


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BOSTON (Reuters) - After spending the weekend reading blog posts claiming that he was seeking an "extremely adventurous female human" to bear a cloned Neanderthal baby - which was news to him - Harvard geneticist George Church said it may be time for society to give some thought to scientific literacy.
Church became the subject of dozens of posts and tabloid newspaper articles calling him a "mad scientist" after giving an interview to the German magazine Der Spiegel.
In the interview, Church discussed the technical challenges scientists would face if they tried to clone a Neanderthal, though neither he nor the Der Spiegel article, which was presented as a question and answer exchange, said he intended to do so.
"Harvard professor seeks mother for cloned cave baby," read one headline, on the website of London's Daily Mail.
But Church explained on Wednesday that he was simply theorizing.
Still, the readiness of bloggers, journalists and readers to believe he was preparing an attempt to clone a Neanderthal, a species closely related to modern humans that went extinct some 30,000 years ago, led Church to ponder scientific literacy.
"The public should be able to detect cases where things seem implausible," Church said in an interview at his office at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Everybody's fib detector should have been going off. They should have said, 'What? Who would believe this?' ... This really indicates that we should have scientific literacy."
Despite the spate of articles comparing him to the character in the book and movie "Jurassic Park" who attempts to open a theme park filled with living dinosaurs, Church said he plans to continue speaking publicly about his research, which focuses on using genes to treat and prevent disease.
Given the number of policy debates driven by science - from how to address climate change, to space exploration, to public health concerns - scientists should not back away from talking to the media, Church said.
"We really should get the public of the entire world to be able to detect the difference between a fact and a complete fantasy that has been created by the Internet," he said.
In the Der Spiegel article, which Church said reported his words accurately, and his recent book "Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves," Church theorized that studying cloned Neanderthals could help scientists better understand how the human mind works. Scientists have already extracted DNA from Neanderthal bones.
But such experiments would pose a host of ethical concerns - including how many Neanderthals would be created and whether they would be treated as mere study subjects or as beings with their own rights, Church said.
"I do want to connect the public to science because there are so many decisions to be made if the way they learn it, if they learn it faster by talking about Neanderthals than they did by getting rote learning in high school, that's great," he said.
Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Phil Berlowitz


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Debuting during a panel at this weekend's Rooster Teeth Expo in Austin, Texas, the "Terminal" trailer for the Halo: Master Chief Collection gives Keith David's Arbiter even more words to say, so it wins.
The enemy gone good (or did he?) will play a big role in Halo 5: Guardians, to the point where Keith "The Arbiter" David got to narrate the official E3 2014 trailer for the game. So naturally when it comes to highlight the coolest aspects of the series-spanning HD collection, Halo 2's playable alien pal is the go-to guy.
"I have had many names in this long war. The humans knew me as the destroyer. To the Covenant, I was Supreme Commander. The Prophets named me Arbiter. And your Master Chief calls me Friend. How well do you know your friend, human. And what will you call me when you learn the truth of what I have done."
Still calling you Shooty McAwesomePants.


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Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our Nation's natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to tribes.
This material is partially based upon work conducted under a cooperative agreement with the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
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...by one additional year, locking him up through the 2008 season.
I know some fans out there aren't going to like this, but I think he's got the organization on its way. The series of articles that Dejan wrote in the P-G yesterday were very insightful into some of the changes that Littlefield and the Pirates have implemented (the one about the increased presence in Latin America was terrific). The piece about how Brian Graham tracks the progress of these prospects (the "Pirate Plan" stuff) was also a pretty interesting read. I'm not sure how much that kind of stuff went on when Bonifay and Mickey White were running the show.
I think the problem a lot of people have with the Pirates is that it takes a lot of patience to see this stuff through. Unfortunately, casual fans look at the way the things can be fixed relatively quickly in the league the Pirates' neighbors play in. In the NFL, free agency helps make things a little easier to turn things around (two years ago, the Steelers were 6-10) or mask mistakes in personnel (Zo Jackson, for example). A lot of casual fans probably expect the same "quick fix" stuff to happen here, and when they don't get it, they don't want to invest time and money into the product. I can't say I entirely blame them.
I'm willing to give Littlefield more time because I think he's got it going in the right direction. Bonifay invested five years in a plan that blew up in his face. It's taken Littlefield time to blow it all up and start over, but I think it's finally starting to look up a little.


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Screen Rant's Kofi Outlaw Reviews X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class has been a controversial film ever since it was first announced. Comic book purists said that the filmmakers were straying too far from the source material with their interpretation. Film purists said that the production was being rushed and the movie would suffer - while fans of summer blockbusters remained unaware (or unmoved) by all the missteps in the movie's flawed marketing campaign.
Well, whether you're a fan of the comics, the movies, or just summer blockbusters, X-Men: First Class has something to offer you. After two poor entries (X-Men: The Last Stand and Wolverine) this franchise is getting a much-needed injection of life from director Matthew Vaughn and all the talent surrounding him.
...But that doesn't make the film perfect.
The story is pretty simple at its core, but slightly convoluted in its execution: We start with the childhood years of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, the men who will become Professor X and Magneto, respectively. Charles is raised in a world of wealth and privilege; Erik, on the other hand, has a horrific childhood in the Nazi death camps (a scene that pays homage to Bryan Singer's first X-Men movie), where his control over magnetic forces attracts the eye of a Nazi scientist/evil mutant named Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who pushes Erik to develop his power by way of trauma and pain.
Flash-forward to 1963 (an homage to the year the first X-Men comic book was released) and Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) are two young men on very different paths. Charles is now a prominent academic, while Erik is a haunted man, touring the world on a quest for revenge against Nazi war criminals and the mysterious Shaw. Meanwhile, the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union is intensifying, threatening to annihilate humanity in a nuclear holocaust - which is exactly what Sebastian Shaw and his cabal of evil mutants want. When CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) catches wind of Shaw's plan, the CIA tasks Xavier to gather a team of mutants to battle Shaw and his henchmen, setting in motion a chain of events that will inevitably create the X-Men, as well as the lifelong rivalry between Charles and Erik.
Matthew Vaughn moves this multifaceted story at a brisk, controlled pace. With a runtime of more than two hours there's a lot that happens, but thankfully the time passes quickly. Most of the attention is focused on developing the characters of Charles and Erik, their friendship and eventual falling out, and this is the glue that holds the film together. McAvoy and Fassbender are excellent in their respective roles and have awesome chemistry together; the most moving and interesting scenes in the film belong to them alone. Despite complaints from comic book purists about the liberties this film takes with the source material, it manages to present both Xavier and Magneto as fresh and rich characters who are both worth exploring.
This reinterpretation not only makes First Class interesting as a movie, but in my opinion (as a longtime fan of the comics) improves upon these characters' backstories in ways the comics never have. Seeing Xavier as a naive man - who has not yet learned the tact and ethics that go along with mind reading - makes for some interesting themes and humorous moments. Seeing Erik as a sort of twisted super-powered James Bond is thrilling, and Fassbender brings an intensity that makes this another breakout role for the quickly rising star. The two leading men don't try to mimic the performances of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen from Singer's films - instead they make the roles their own.
However, while the Charles/Erik storyline is the main focus (and is worth the price of admission in and of itself), the title of this film would imply a story about a larger team coming together. This aspect of the film (the actual X-Men team) is not as developed or interesting, and some fans will have a major problem with that. We do meet a group of mutants in the film, but with the exception of the pivotal role of Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), the rest of the mutants (good and bad) are mostly just there to fill out the action scenes - or in the case of Emma Frost (January Jones), fill out some ridiculous outfits (which the film does manage to justify... sort of).
For her part, Lawrence is great as Mystique, adding subtlety and depth to a character that was mostly eye candy in previous films. As with Charles and Erik, Vaughn manages to explore Mystique's character in a way that is more interesting than either the films or comics have really presented her - even though we know where her arc will inevitably lead. The other performance of note is by Kevin Bacon, who makes Sebastian Shaw a charmingly menacing supervillain, without crossing over into campy or hammy territory.
Some people will be disappointed that the actual X-Men team members are little more than stunt actors in this film, but the battle scenes with the mutants are impressive. As with Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn proves that he is a fantastic director when it comes to action sequences, and First Class arguably has the best high-flying superhero action this side of X2 or Spider-Man 2. Whereas Singer's films tended to fetishize every moment of mutant power use, Vaughn implements the powers (and the special effects to create them) into the film so matter-of-factly that it makes suspension of disbelief almost effortless (though seeing a blue-furred Beast still doesn't feel quite right).
The '60s aesthetic and historical footage are also blended into the film well, at once honoring that era, while still feeling modern enough as not to seem like a period piece. There are some wonderful stylistic tricks Vaughn employs at different points (first-person POV, split-screen montages); however, now and again the film feels a little unbalanced or unpolished in its editing (likely due to the rushed production schedule), though average movie fans are not likely to notice these seams sticking out.
Like most origin or prequel films, the nature of the story inevitably results in a truncated ending. The climax of First Class must fit all the players into their predetermined places, and the speed with which these transitions occurred felt rushed, even though Vaughn does capture some powerful moments in the dissolving of Charles and Erik's relationship. The rest of the characters (literally) stand aside and then take sides, which again shortchanges them in terms of development or interest.
Thankfully, the rich Xavier/Magneto dynamic, fantastic action, and a handful of fun Easter eggs are enough to keep comic fans, movie fans, and summer blockbuster enthusiasts all sufficiently entertained by the majority of what this film gets right. Matthew Vaughn and Co. have definitely given the X-Men franchise a bright new future, and hopefully in the next film the actual team dynamic will be the nexus, rather than a distant secondary focus.
If you want to see more of the film, check out the X-Men: First Class trailer below, and be sure to hop over to our X-Men: First Class Spoilers Discussion to talk about the film once you've seen it.
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