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"The world may or may not be your oyster, but it can certainly be your classroom." -- Maureen Anderson, The Career Clinic
Want to make a change?
Despite our economic difficulties - or perhaps because of them - this might be the best of times to look at changing one's life.
There are nearly as many ways to go about setting off on a new career path as there are people to write about it, but let's get some advice from several people in the know.
As author of the best-selling career guide, What Colour Is Your Parachute? Dick Bolles is an easy first choice for guidance. But his advice isn't about your education or level of motivation; it starts from someplace much simpler. "Use your gifts," Bolles advises. "They have a kind of energy, and if you don't let that out, you will go crazy."
Find expression for the things that matter, Bolles writes in Maureen Anderson's book, The Career Clinic, based on her syndicated U.S. radio show. Each of us, he argues, has talents of which we may be unaware which enable us to do certain things. One person, for example, might be a whiz at saving money, while another exhibits great listening skills.
Add to that the fact that we love using some of those skills, like a friend who is simply transported by painting or another who derives great pleasure in community work.
"You may have a gift that other people have," Bolles writes, "but you also have other gifts, and it's the way you string those gifts together, much like the beads on a necklace, that makes you the person you are."
The message here is to know yourself before you figure out where you fit in the world. This is a lesson from career consultant Dave Swanson, who used to think that finding a career means trying lots of things until one of them stuck. Over the years, he learned that career planning can't be rushed.
"Take time to create a clear, detailed picture of your life," he writes. "Then go find it."
What you decide you want has got to really matter. Swanson often asks people to complete the sentence, "I have to ________," recalling the words of famed U.S. choreographer George Balanchine, who said that he doesn't hire people who want to dance; he hires people who have to dance.
Don't be in a hurry, Swanson advises, because career planning is one of those things worth doing slowly. So go into an interview fully briefed on the company and people you're meeting, and set yourself a high standard by dressing well, being on time, showing respect.
Prioritize your skills, he says.
"What is the No. 1 thing you have to do to be happy? You now have a target. It's much easier to hit a target if you have one."
Help find that target by using opportunities that come your way, writes Anderson, like internships, volunteer work or helping a friend whose work interests you.
Expanding your search for the job that will make you happy isn't the same as staying open to anything, which is the modus operandi of most college graduates.
"Let's say we're talking travel as opposed to career planning," Swanson writes. "You're lost, and someone offers to help. 'Where do you want to go?' he asks. And you say, "Anywhere is fine.' He'll probably just stare at you before walking away. But if you tell him where you want to go and point to that location on a map, he can help. He wants to help."
Granted, there may be some pain involved in taking the time to understand what really matters, because you may have taken some wrong turns along the way and have to backtrack or make some really big changes.
"You just have to ask yourself if you really do want to be happy," Swanson writes. "There isn't necessarily a recipe for that. You won't know the answers in advance. But where would the adventure be if you did?"


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When we first stepped foot on the 1,000 acre lands of the Kongoni Game Valley, the property surrounding Kongoni Lodge, it was like a dream location. Everything is lush and verdant as you go up the hill among the grasses on the private road.
Gazelles, zebras, giraffes and warthogs are prancing around, and as you ascend you realize you are coming into an unbelievable panoramic view of lake, mountains and lush lands of the area. And it's only a two-hour drive from Nairobi. Then you enter the very expansive and artistic lodge - and you realize you are in heaven.
The spacious and luxurious lodge was built in 1927 by a Franco-American couple who spared no expense. The verandas, the courtyard inside, the enormous six bedrooms, the large windows with vistas from every corner - are something you just don't see every day unless maybe you visit the palace in Granada or other noble properties in Europe. Every detail is finely crafted.
The furniture, much of it original from the time, was handmade in Malinda Kenya. The wooden floors throughout look as though they must be exotic (probably now endangered) wood. In the back of the property there are two more separate cottages with three bedrooms each, done in similar style.
The appointments have been upgraded in the most up-to-date luxury. The large bathrooms, which are tiled throughout, have large glass-enclosed showers, huge tub, and lots of space. The bedrooms are likewise enormous and equipped with king-sized beds and lovely duvets. (Did I mention there are only six bedrooms?)
The food is wonderful, made to order for any diet. The cuisine is international, including local, Indian and Italian dishes. You can choose to be served on the veranda, in the dining room or by the pool.
There is a lovely couple, Cindy and Rob Mills, who are guest hosts and managers, accompanied by a large staff. Cindy was very kind about showing us around and sometimes being our chauffer. One morining she drove us to the nearby salty lake to watch the flamingos and other birds. Beautiful!
Delicious and hand-tailored meals are served absolutely at the whim of the guest. There is room- upon-room of various sitting, lounging and dining areas throughout. Wi-fi is turned on. Beautiful and unique animal and African art adorn every foot of the establishment. If you are lucky, you might get a glimpse of Ava and Jade, the Mills' two baby girls.
The land also includes an even higher area with a 360-degree panoramic view where guests can be taken for a traditional "sundowner" with a bonfire and cocktails to watch the sun go down.
If you want to do nothing, this is the place to do it. If you want to explore the area, visit Lake Naivasha and its hungry hippos, or the salty lake nearby with is gorgeous flamingos.
Or you can hike in the beautiful Hell's Gate National Park gorges up the road. Or go on a game drive of any kind. It is all available to you. This is an idyllic place for private tourists as well as for weddings and corporate events. You decide, and it is all part of the package.
"Wildlife is our top priority," says Cindy. "Guests get educated about our charity (Animal Rights Reserved). It's like an exclusive home away from home." Yes, very exclusive indeed. In fact, I have never watched zebra, giraffes, fox and warthogs - and even hippos - prancing around on my lawn at home!
Not once as at Kongoni Lodge, has a zebra come to drink from my pool! Never at home have I been privy to the level of caring and service that is offered inside. They make it feel like your private palace, the way they cater to you, with a friendly staff of thirty.
Kongoni Lodge was gifted by a wealthy Polish telecommunications mogul to his wife about two years ago. Margaret Zak, a lifetime animal and Africa enthusiast set about to make what was already a treasure into a masterpiece. Besides adorning the lodge, she immediately purchased another 1,000 acres nearby as a sanctuary for wildlife.
Together with her daughter Ola Zak and manager Rob, they created Animal Rights Reserved (ARR) to help wildlife in the area. So part of the of the Kongoni Lodge property includes an orphanage for mostly young animals that have been found in distress. (Please see my accompanying article on the vet rescue work of ARR.) Ola's partner Edward Winter, is helping to expand the possibilities of Kongoni Lodge. In the near future they will have photography excursions and classes, as well as a volunteer program for those who want to help with animals.
So when you book a stay at Kongoni Lodge, (about $300/night per person includes full board, sundowner and game drive), you are setting yourself up for a royal and magical experience. In addition, you are contributing to the welfare of animals and ensuring the growth of a charity that hopes to minimize the current problems of human-animal conflict. You are enabling an important forward-looking mission for animals to sustain itself.
Photos courtesy of Kongoni Lodge and Georja Umano.
Georja Umano is an actor and animal advocate.
To see more, visit www.kongonilodge.com and

subset: commoncrawl


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Facebook helped the FBI bust an international crime ring that infected 11 million computers and caused $850 million in losses, according to reports.
The FBI, working with several international law enforcement agencies, arrested 10 people suspected of infecting the computers with the malicious program "Yahos,", then stole credit card, and other personal information, according to Reuters. Facebook's security team helped the FBI when Yahos targeted Facebook users from 2010 to October 2012. Facebook helped identify those involved and accounts that were affected.
The FBI, working with the U.S. Department of Justice , said the accused hackers used the "butterfly botnet," a network of compromised computers that can be used to attack other computers. Those arrested were from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, New Zealand, Peru, the United Kingdom and the United States, but only after search warrants and many interviews.
U.S. & World
The FBI declined to break down the $850 million in losses.
We probably know that Facebook keeps tabs on us despite what privacy settings we use, so news like this shouldn't surprise anyone. In this instance, Facebook may have caught the bad guys and stopped them from further wrongdoing, which is admirable -- but where does that start and where does it end? As always, we caution putting much information on Facebook unless you are OK with it being read by several other people you don't know including the FBI.


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Drug information provided by: IBM Micromedex
Talk to your doctor about the possibility of getting a flu shot if you have not had one yet. This medicine works best if used as soon as possible after exposure to people who have the flu. If you already have the flu, continue using this medicine for the full time of treatment even if you begin to feel better after a few days. This will help to clear up your infection completely. If you stop using this medicine too soon, your symptoms may return. This medicine should be taken for 5 days.
Inhaled zanamivir is to be used only with a special inhaler (Diskhaler®). Do not mix this medicine with other solutions. Do not use this medicine in any nebulizer or mechanical ventilator.
This medicine usually comes with patient instructions. Read them carefully before using the medicine. If you do not understand the directions or you are not sure how to use the inhaler, ask your doctor to show you how to use it.
To load the inhaler:
To use the inhaler:
If you are also using another inhaled bronchodilator (e.g., albuterol, Atrovent®, Combivent®, or Serevent®), use it before you use zanamivir.
The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.
The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.
If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
If you miss a dose or forget to use it, use it as soon as you can, except if it is less than 2 hours before your next dose. Use your next dose at the normal time. Do not use extra medicine to make up for a missed dose.
Keep the medicine in the foil pouch until you are ready to use it. Store at room temperature, away from heat and direct light. Do not freeze.
Keep out of the reach of children.
Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.
Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2020
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We'll put down some serious cash for a quality, plain, white T-shirt, and we'll definitely spend more than the average person on a sweatshirt (especially if they're as elaborate as these). For items we have no chance of creating ourselves, we'll happily save up to shell out.
But if there's one item that pains us to pay retail for, it's a pair of cutoff shorts. Don't get us wrong — in our eyes, the combination of that perfect fray, that just-right angled hemline, and that perfectly long rise is like a sartorial symphony. But as seasoned crafters, we know that all that wonderfulness can be achieved with a sharp pair of scissors and a run through the spin cycle. Don't believe us? Check out our step-by-step DIYs that'll have you digging around your castoff pile for those ratty jeans.


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DeKalb County smoking ban goes into effect | News
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- The rules for DeKalb County smokers just got tougher. On Wednesday, the county implemented a public smoking ban.
The smoking ban prohibits people from smoking in public parks, playgrounds and public service lines and was passed by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, earlier this year.
According to the DeKalb County Health Department, second-hand smoke costs DeKalb County households $548.00 per year.
Other nearby cities have enacted similar bans like Alpharetta, Decatur, Marietta and Roswell.


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WWE Rey Mysterio Finger Ring
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Officially LicensedWWE Rey Mysterio Black and Green "No Mercy" Finger Ring.This ring is made of brass and featuresan adjustable shank that fits rings adult sizes 6 to 12 with ease. The Ring is shipped in a black jewlery box with the WWE Logo printed on the inside of the box. These new Rey Mysterio character finger rings will be the first in aseries of character rings featuring the most popular WWE Superstars.Look for new releases in 2010 to include Triple H, John Cena as well as The Undertaker, coming soon.
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Power Outage Maps for South Dakota Ice Storm [AUDIO] [UPDATE]
Here are a list of the websites with links to power outages.
Here are some valuable links to find where some of the areas crews are working on downed power lines.
Jerry Dahmen spoke with a representative from Excel Energy, Joe Anderson Friday morning to get an update: Listen to that audio here.


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ERRIS (Engage in the Romanian Research Infrastructure System) is a platform developed and hosted by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI), within the framework of the "Improving the efficiency of the electronic data monitoring of R&D activities" European funded project.ERRIS is the first Romanian online platform which connects the research infrastructure owners with potential clients (researchers and company representatives).
The portal is a booking gate for services provided by the public and private Romanian research infrastructures.
Its aim is to promote the infrastructures at the national and international level and to increase their services and equipments visibility. Moreover, ERRIS is a client oriented platform which responds to all users' needs.
For further information regarding the TIC project, please visit: http://date-cdi.ro/ro
For information about UEFISCDI, please visit: http://uefiscdi.gov.ro/


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If you know a scene is not good enough, why would you possibly think it would get through the system? More than that, why would you want it to get through the system?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Things Not To Do In Animation
If you know a scene is not good enough, why would you possibly think it would get through the system? More than that, why would you want it to get through the system?
12 comments:
- Andy Latham said...
I'm extremely ashamed to say I have done something like this. I haven't shown a scene that's not good enough, but I have done less than I could have done.
The reason in my case is that I don't know what the lead animators want. And even though I ask, I get no real answers. So if I really break my back to animate something wonderful, it gets pulled to pieces. If I rattle off a run-of-the-mill scene, it seems to get criticised less. I get rewarded with less hassle if I try less.
It makes me feel like crap to do that, but what choice do I have when my best work gets ripped out of the end product?
- July 7, 2009 at 12:43 PM
- Unknown said...
On the other hand, if I keep trying to get something perfect, I won't get it done. So I could see someone, especially someone inexperienced enough that they don't trust their own judgment, or someone like Andy, frustrated that his own judgment doesn't correspond with what he is asked to produce, might start doing this sort of thing as a way of testing what he can get away with.
- July 7, 2009 at 2:57 PM
- Bitter Animator said...
That's interesting, Andy. And something that's not easy to give advice on.
One way or another, you should be getting answers. I can't say anything about the people you work with - I don't know them. But, in my mind, someone who is a 'lead' anything, in order to lead, needs to be able to articulate what they need from those they are supposed to be leading.
What often happens is that lead animator is a position that is given to the best animator. Whereas it should be given to the best leader.
So not knowing exactly what you're supposed to deliver is a very real problem.
But, with that, observation becomes a huge factor. Learning what is getting approved and what isn't getting approved and aiming to do the best within the parameters.
And there are two other things to consider with this. Two possibilities that could be happening -
a) You have already outgrown your projects or those involved in shaping the project.
b) You haven't yet figured out exactly what you could offer or should be learning from the project or people above you.
Option A is actually quite common. Unfortunately, more often it's actually Option B that is the reality but we think we're on A at the time.
Every job is different. And believe me when I say they aren't always good. But some are better than we think they are. We just have to find the limits.
If animations are being rejected, it's entirely possible they just aren't right for that project. You could be pushing in a different direction. You may see scenes that aren't getting rejected as being dull. And maybe they are.
But, if that's the case, the question I'd be asking in your position is this - how can I deliver the most entertaining scene I can make in the style of the project and within the limits that I know exist?
And that doesn't mean pushing in the direction you want to go until you hit that limit. Then, you'll only end up with a watered down version of what you want. It's truly accepting the direction and limits of the project.
Like beer and wine, I guess. If you feel you want to make wine but you're working in a company that makes beer, adding grapes to the beer to make it more like wine isn't going to make for better beer.
Accept you're making beer and aim to make the best damn beer you can.
Man, I'd love a beer right now.
- July 7, 2009 at 2:59 PM
- Red Pill Junkie said...
All 3 comments are very good.
And of course, there's also the apathy than comes from the realization that, since most of the other people involved in a project don't give a shit, why should I?
This is something I have almost never done; but a recent project tested my limits. I gave it my best effort, and it was ruined by the incompetence of others; so when the time came to see the results, I was so frustrated by it that I told my boss "I don't care about this anymore"; like Pillatus I washed my hands, because I was annoyed that I seemed the only one trying to give his 100% to the project, while the rest were performing subpar. I felt that I was back in Highschool, where you're stuck with a bunch of lazy underachievers and despite your best efforts you get a C, when you should deserve an A and the rest a D :(
- July 7, 2009 at 5:30 PM
- Andy Latham said...
Thanks Bitter, you raise some interesting points, and I love your beer/wine analogy :)
There are a number of factors that cause problems where I work. There seems to be no clear idea between the leads of what they are aiming for with the scenes. There are two lead animators that I deal with, and above them is the head animator who has overriding say over every aspect of all animation output by the company. Now one of the leads seems to encourage us to spend time putting some life into our characters, giving them personality. The other lead is more concerned with keeping the scenes as short and snappy as humanly possible, which usually means stripping out any character-related animation. So right from the word 'go' with each scene, the goalposts are different depending on which lead is supervising. Once the scene is approved by the lead in question, it then goes off to the head animator, who often fundamentally changes scenes. These changes really should be picked up at the storyboard phase or at the very latest the key-posing phase. Storyboards are often not studied enough by the leads. Huge errors get through to the animators who go ahead and animate the scene, even though it's wrong and will have to be changed.
I believe most studios have an animation bible that gives at least some detail on how to animate their characters. Ours has no such thing, despite the head animator's agreement with my repeated requests for one.
The most we have got is a list of the scenes from previous projects that are considered 'good'. However on studying these, I see the same mistakes that I have been pulled up on in my own work.
Continuing what I said in my first comment, this all got so annoying that I did a complete rush-job on one of my recent scenes. I had to rush really because of a tight deadline, and so I was really unhappy with the result. I showed it to my lead, apologising for it not being very good. I believe it holds my record for the least changes requested! It's sad because I really don't want to get into the situation where I'm just rattling out scenes and not enjoying it, particularly because I love the characters we are animating and want so desperately to make them as good as they can be.
Ultimately I need to answer your question of how to make the best beer I can.
- July 7, 2009 at 6:06 PM
- Red Pill Junkie said...
Andy, have you considered the possibility of writing a memo to the lead animator stating your viewpoints regarding these problems? Maybe even volunteering to do that needed Animation Bible? That would be a way to say that you're not only complaining, but also offering solutions.
Things are pretty bad around here. Work is at an all-time low, and my boss is decided to almost blame ME for not having something to do —after finishing my list of obligations of course— It it were not for the fact that he had to sell his car, I'm sure he would demand that I go wash it if I have nothing better to do! This is so deteriorating because it has the pernicious double outcome of feeling guilty for receiving a paycheck —even though I haven't received a salary raise in 2 years, in part to show solidarity to this idiot's current predicament!
"So why don't you look for something better?" would be the obvious question, right? Well, the thing is, once I start looking at the ads, I always arrive to the same impasse: the jobs to which I feel qualified pay peanuts, and the handsomely paid positions are off my league or have to deal with sales, and I couldn't sell a glass of water in the desert! I'm a designer for Fuck sakes, a designer is meant to design.
It's so frustrating because I end up feeling I don't know anything, and that my job is worthless :(
PS: To end my long whining, I do feel that I need a vacation —just staying home playing videogames and reading would be so nice— but obviously under the current conditions, asking for a holiday could be the last straw... and I'm not so brave as to quit and then go find something better after taking a couple of weeks off, I have payments to make.
- July 7, 2009 at 7:27 PM
- Andy Latham said...
Good point about the memo, Red Pill. I have expressed a number of my views both to lead animators and the head animator. I am usually met with the response of "we don't have time" when I request things like an animation bible. They fail to see the amount of time wasted with all the fixes we end up making.
To be fair, a page has been set up on our intranet system for animation tips, but so far it goes no further than to tell us not to let joints appear to be popping out. I'd doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that one out. I'm assured they will be adding to it, but then it has taken the best part of a year of requests for them to put up what they have.
I understand of course, that they will be under pressure from higher rungs on the company ladder, so I try not to get too frustrated with them. I have no idea what it's like to have their jobs, but this being the industry that it is, it's safe to assume they are being crapped on by bigger birds and I try to keep that in mind. It does make me wish that they might try to consider what it's like for us doing our jobs too. Maybe they do, but it doesn't show.
By the way, I don't think you should be thinking what you do is worthless. In monetary terms, it might seem like that, but if you are doing something that you enjoy and/or are developing yourself, then it does have value to you.
- July 7, 2009 at 11:28 PM
- David said...
The times I've done work I know is subpar have been when I'm working for a studio that's doing outsourced work for ANOTHER studio who blew out their schedule. The work needed to be done fast. I picked and chose a few A scenes to take some care with, then blew through the others quickly.
Sometimes there's been some animation notes to follow, often none. Usually the boards were "to be ignored".
In the worst case, suggestions I made which would have avoided major revisions down the line were ignored, I think because my employer wanted to seem on top of things by not calling the director with "questions about every little thing". This, of course, led to tears.
Even when I'm being paid badly or I feel I'm being "mistreated", I try to do good work, for my ego if for no other reason.
But there are definitely times when you need to wash your hands and give the director/lead/whoever what they think they want, even when you consider that subpar. You can still get a tiny, tiny bit of personality in there, usually.
And then they redo all your animation after you're gone...
- July 8, 2009 at 1:35 AM
- Red Pill Junkie said...
"By the way, I don't think you should be thinking what you do is worthless. In monetary terms, it might seem like that, but if you are doing something that you enjoy and/or are developing yourself, then it does have value to you."
Thanks; and yeah, as I wrote on some other occasion, one of the main reasons I decided to stay here is because a)I have loads of creative liberty, which is like sniffing Cocaine out of a $500 hooker's bum crack for the types like us (pardon the rather vivid imagery) and b)Because here I'm presented with projects that continuously challenge me; it's not like spending every day of the year doing exactly the same thing, one day I'm designing a table, the other a staircase and maybe tomorrow I'll even have to make a marketing poster of something. Sometimes I question if that level of flexibility has hurt me professionally instead of rather focusing on one smaller and more specific area... but one thing is sure: doing the same thing over and over would be boring as hell.
"And then they redo all your animation after you're gone..."
Oh, man! that's usually the worse. When you make what you think is an excellent work, and then some time passes and you find out that your boss decided to make some dumb changes, AND without telling you. Oi...
- July 8, 2009 at 2:13 AM
- Bitter Animator said...
RPJ - That feeling of being in a place where nobody gives a shit can be soul destroying. I read an article about workplace gripes a while back and the number one complaint, over salaries, bosses, whatever, was co-workers not pulling their weight.
And I've seen that happen a lot. I have no idea what to do in those situations either other than to recommend to those in charge to dump them and hire someone new. And doing that can often sour relationships that weren't good to begin with so that's not good advice either.
In many cases (unfortunately not all), eventually those who do jack shit will be found out. Those who do good work will survive in their industry and move on and up.
I know well that feeling of wanting more but not being willing to jack it in and take a chance on something new. Something like that is a major risk and could seriously backfire. I don't think I've had the balls for that. It's frustrating.
In ways, I really wish I was willing to take more risks. I don't. But what I try to do (and can't always) is ask myself how I can make my current situation better.
There isn't always an answer to that.
Andy, what you're dealing with is a too many chiefs scenario. You should not have two superiors telling you different things. That simply should not happen. If there are many people calling for different things, that should be filtered through a director or whoever so that you get one voice. One set of instructions leading to one vision.
I was in a place with two directors with totally different visions once. It was a nightmare and the morale of everyone working there was in tatters. Eventually, the situation blew up, one of the directors stormed out never to be seen again. He was probably the more talented of the two.
But once he left, a sense of calm came over the whole place and, within weeks, it was a whole different studio. And the quality of the work shot up.
I believe ultimately there can only be one definitive creative voice in any project.
And the thing is, if you had that consistency in the direction, you wouldn't need an animation bible because you'd all be going in the same direction naturally. I've worked on many projects without bibles that have been great because there has been one person shaping everything as we went along. But to deal with two creatives on that, each contradicting the other? Recipe for disaster.
And, yes, in that scenario, a bible would make a hell of a difference.
RPJ's idea of the memo is a good one but you need to be damn sure you know what you're doing. My biggest career jump came from a letter I wrote to the owner of a studio outlining what I thought were the problems in the studio and what he should be doing to fix them. It went as far as to call the owner blind to what's happening in his own studio. I also criticised the director and brought up any and all personality clashes.
When I did that, I knew one of two things would happen - I'd get fired, or I'd get promoted. And I was prepared to take either.
I got promoted.
But, it could just as easily have gone the other way. And it could have turned nasty. If you're going to do something like that, get it to the right person and be sure that you mean everything you say and that you're prepared for any and all consequences.
David, you've been in one of the worst situations of all - outsourcing upon outsourcing on a project already in trouble. The first animation I ever did was on a project like that. Aside from just cacking myself because I was way out of my depth, I felt totally alone because I was so far removed from the creative process. I was just doing scenes. Unconnected scenes.
There are times when you just have to hold on and hope the next job is better.
- July 8, 2009 at 9:44 AM
- David said...
A project I worked on suffered from many problems, unchanged after months of production.
I told the producer what I thought was wrong with it, in as constructive and calm a way as I could. I'd thought about it for ages. Ages.
I hesitated at first because the leads (I was a lowly animator) had already made much the same complaints to him, with no result. The only reason I went to him myself is because I was shortly to leave the production. I also hesitated for this reason; I didn't want it to seem like a spit in his face as I left.
In retrospect, I probably should have gone directly to the owner of the studio, but at the time I felt it would be unwise to "jump the ladder". I don't know if things would have been different had I done this.
I regret leaving a talented crew, and in the process closing a door for myself, but I don't regret being out of that toxic atmosphere.
I absolutely agree with Bitter Animator's statement:
"If you're going to do something like that, get it to the right person and be sure that you mean everything you say and that you're prepared for any and all consequences."
I was just lucky that my first experience in animation production, years before, was with a great group of guys who were organised, dedicated and made the job fun (even at deadline time)... so I knew that not ALL productions were like this.
- July 8, 2009 at 10:25 AM
- Andy Latham said...
I have often thought of voicing my opinions to someone higher up the ladder, if not the guy at the very top. I'm terrified of doing that though. Firstly, I'm scared of getting fired. Secondly, I'm scared of souring the relationships I have with the lead animators. I get on with both pretty well, which is one reason why I don't hate coming to work every day. I'd hate to feel awkward around the people I work with, especially if they have the power to make my life hell! I get the impression that the relationships you make with people in this industry can follow you around long after you change jobs. Everyone knows everyone else. I'd guess it's probably a case of two degrees of separation.
So, as per your advice Bitter, I think I shall keep quiet until such a time comes when I can accept any eventuality. Once I have got enough experience with the company to be confident of getting a job elsewhere, I may voice my concerns more and see where it gets me, but until then, I'll just keep trying to make that beer better. Well I'll do that once I work out whether it's lager or bitter that they want!
By the way thanks for the comments from everyone, they are a big help to me :)
- July 8, 2009 at 12:47 PM


text:
* Mediacom 907c, Momo11 Bird, JXD S9000, Eken A90 (first revision) and clones need 907c_compatibility_1.2.x.zip.
* Visture V3 and clones need visturev3_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip.
* Mediacom 910i, Teclast A10t and clones need 910i_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip.
* ICOO D90W and clones need d90w_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip.
* CEMA10N7 "unknown" device needs cema10n7_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip.
* Bmorn V99 needs v99_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Mediacom 711i, Momo9 and clones need 711i_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Protab2XXL needs protab2xxl_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Sanei N83 needs n83_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip (note: internal bt doesnt work and will never work)
* Hyundai A7HD needs a7hd_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* MOMO9 needs momo9_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Onda Vi40 V3 needs vi40_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* LY-F1 and clones need lyf1_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Protab2XXLv2 needs protab2xxlv2_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* TNT Singularity and clones need singularity_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T01 needs t01_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T02 needs t02_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T05a V1 needs t05a-v1_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T05a V2 needs t05a-v2_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T05a V3 needs t05a-v3_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T05a (unknown version) needs t05a-unk_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T10 needs t10_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Eken T10 with mxc622x g-sensor needs t10-2axis_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip
* Sanei N10 needs n10_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip (note: internal bt doesnt work and will never work)
* Onda Vi30 Deluxe V3 needs vi30-deluxe-v3_compatibility_1.2.x.zip
* Onda Vi40 Ultimate needs vi40-ultimate_compatibility_1.2.x.zip
* Onda Vi10 Elite needs vi10-elite_compatibility_1.2.x.zip
* Ainol Novo7 Elf needs elf_compatibility_1.2.x.zip
* Sanei N83 Deluxe needs n83-deluxe_compatibility_1.2.x.zip compatibility zip (note: internal bt doesnt work and will never work)
Tablets supported with legacy support (see FAQS section for more infos)
* Mediacom 917i and 927i need 917i-927i_legacy-compatibility_vX.zip comp zip
* Gemei G2 needs g2_legacy-compatibility_vX.zip comp zip
* Gemei G9 (those not working fine with "regular" 907c comp zip) needs g9_legacy-compatibility_vX.zip comp zip
* Sanei N90 needs n90_legacy-compatibility_vX.zip comp zip
* Ainol Novo7 Aurora v1 and v2 need aurora-v1-v2_legacy-compatibility_vX.zip
* Ainol Novo7 Aurora v3 needs aurora-v3_legacy-compatibility_vX.zip
* MK802 PC-on-a-stick needs mk802_legacy-compatibility_vX.zip
You can check "testing" section of my AndroidFileHost space to find out few more tablets that require some testing to be approved
You can get them on this website
* Bluetooth USB dongle support (btusb and ath3k)
* USB GPS support (cp210x and pl2303)
* Xbox 360 gamepad support (xpad)
* PS3 USB gamepad support (hid-sony)
* Generic / chinese (Pantherlord / GreenAsia) gamepads support (hid-pl and hid-gaff)
* OpenVPN support (tun)
* NTFS and ExFat support
* Veno congestion control algorithm
* USB audio support
* Upload zips to MicroSD or internal memory.
* Boot into CWM keeping pressed VOL- (MENU) and POWER for 3 secs, than release POWER and after another sec release VOL- (or use Novo7 tools if it doesn't work for your device)
* Select "wipe data/factory reset"
* Select "install zip from sdcard" -> "choose zip from sdcard" (or "choose zip from internal sdcard" if your files are into internal memory) and flash, in this order, rom / gapps / compatibility zip
* Now go back, and select "Reboot system now"
* Enjoy cm9
Note: when you update to a newer build you don't need to do a full wipe, you just have to wipe cache and dalvik cache
2012-09-13 *** This will be the latest release. Rom development is now discontinued since I moved to other SoCs *** * Full spoof as SGS2 (GT-I9100) for better GameLoft / EA compatibility * Fixed FC on license check of some games (specially gameloft one) * Bluetooth dongle now supports hotplug * Cyanogenmod's option to hide status bar now will permanently hide it (not only if the app requests the FULLSCREEN flag). You can enable/disable this option using the included ToggleBar app or checking/unchecking the option from "combined bar"'s settings. * Added WiFi wakelock (change WiFi sleep policy to "Never" or the tablet won't sleep) * Updated upstream sources 2012-07-21 * updated: cm9 sources 2012-07-11 * !!! WARNING !!! Compatibility zip 1.2 is required !!! WARNING !!! * bump kernel version to 3.0.36 * updated: cm9 sources 2012-06-24 * added: devlistener, a small daemon to set write permissions for supported usb bluetooth dongles * removed: u3gmonitor (tell me if your 3g dongle was working with previous version and now it doesn't) * changed: build fingerprint to match SGS2 * changed: minor change to HDMI kernel code according to a patch submitted by Quarx2k that behaviour was consuming 5-8% of cpu for nothing * updated: cm9 sources 2012-06-15 * Do NOT flash "fix_mxc622x.zip"! It's already included * added "gsensor special coordinate settings" menu entry that solves problems for some gsensor in some games (note that on mxc622x many games won't work because it has only 2 axis) * added preliminary support for usb audio playback (thanks tsynik for the hint) * updated kernel * updated: cm9 sources 2012-06-10 * !!! WARNING !!! You need to download a new compatibility zip, 907c/MOMO11/S9000 users now requires one too !!! WARNING !!! * now rom is based on the community developed 3.0.31 kernel (every tablet but A7HD that now has a "legacy" support) * changed some "cosmetic" things like a wrong buttons layout when sysbar volume control was disabled; prevent camera app from going to fullscreen when combined bar auto-hide is enabled; add menu options to enable (default) or disable gsensor orientation when HDMI cable is plugged in; fixed (thanks turl) screen off animation * in "Misc" section of Update Me now you'll find an "Ad-Hoc enabler" zip. Flash it if you wanna connect to adhoc network but note that you'll lose WiFi Direct capabilities, WiFi AP should work anyway * updated: cm9 sources 2012-06-07 * fixed: ip-up sets up NAT, now wireless tether (from tablet) works * added: smartassV2 new default governor (not on A7HD because it uses a different kernel, read my request on slatedroid if you wanna use it * added: volume control from system bar (it can be controlled from display settings; press "recent app" button to apply changes after toggling the checkbox) * updated: cm9 sources 2012-06-04 * fixed: upside down problem of hw accelerated video playback on some devices * added: forced landscape when connected to hdmi * changed: wifi module with powersave options enabled (you can download the one without ps capabilities from Update Me) * updated: cm9 sources 2012-05-31 * fixed: (hopefully) hw accelerated flash videos random issues * updated: cm9 sources 2012-05-29 * added: some HID kernel module to enable PS3 usb gamepads and some generic/chinese gamepads * added: minfree to tweak ram usage according to supercharger v6 recommended value for 1 gig devices * updated: cm9 sources 2012-05-26 * WARNING: 910i/a10t needs compatibility zip v1.0.5; V3 needs v1.0.4 * added: usb ethernet support (I need feedbacks because I don't have any usb nic) * added: display settings now has an "HDMI resolution" menu entry * fixed: missing apns, now supported 3g dongles should connect out of the box * updated: cm9 sources * note: while connected to HDMI you have to enable 'combined bar auto hide' from 'settings - system - combined bar' to be able to watch them in fullscreen 2012-05-24 * added: tcp veno congestion control * added: WiFi direct * added: WiFi AP * added: workaround for Ad-Hoc networks (have a look at Misc section of Update Me) * fixed: WiFi driver now loads faster * updated: cm9 sources 2012-05-23 * !!!!!! you have to re-download compatibility zip (hopefully for the last time) !!!!!! * fixed: hdmi audio playback * changed: some things in compatibility zip, a10t/v3 users report if you have gsensor issues (you shouldnt) * changed: init.rc to make it more cm9 compatible 2012-05-22 * !!!!!! you have to re-download compatibility zip !!!!!! * changed: some wifi related stuff (report if it works better) * fixed: camera recording * fixed:/dev/ppp is now writable and pppd shouldnt bother anymore * removed: some useless kernel module to free some space and avoid errors on devices with only 256mb of space in system partition * updated: cm9 sources 2012-05-21 * added: Update Me * added: stagefright video hardware acceleration (flash, etc.) * fixed: cyanogenmod's camera app * updated: cm9 sources 2012-05-19 * fixed: UMS now handles both internal and external memories * fixed: "reboot -> recovery" from cyanogen's power menu * changed: kernel/modules from MOMO11 Bird 20120515 rom (you have to re-download compatibility zip to match this new kernel, link's been updated) * removed: oc_daemon from startup, if you wanna use it you have to change permissions of file /system/etc/init.d/89virtuous_oc to 755 (remember that only performance and fantasy governors are working fine, the other can cause reboots; i suggest you fantasy, it's something like interactive/smartass) 2012-05-18 * Works pretty much everything, it's an almost perfect daily use build. Known bugs: * I had to replace Cyanogen's camera app with Allwinner's because preview frame was incredibly huge and buttons couldn't be pressed. * When you take a picture using camera the thumbnails that appears in Gallery are corrupted, but you can use an alternative (and better) app like QuickPic as workaround. You can even disable Gallery app and use MX Player as video player which works pretty fine in HW mode (you don't need any codec) * Reboot to recovery doesn't work, it just reboots the tablet.
Download link
* Androidfilehost.com
* 2012-04-29
If you have a /system partition of 300+ MB you can flash "official" gapps from goo.im/gapps, you'll have a working Face UnLock as a bonus.
* To manage volume from the sysbar you can install this app
* Legacy compatibility zips include stock kernel with extra modules (like bluetooth, gamepads, ecc.). It's enabled for ad-hoc and wifi direct won't work. USB Audio and DVB-T kernel modules won't work either.
* Sanei N10 users (and other with "internal sdcard" on /dev/block/nandj device) can use this version of cwm.
* Github repository


text:
Disposal at sea permit 4543-2-03742
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to section 127 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), disposal at sea permit no. 4543-2-03742 authorizing the loading for disposal and the disposal of waste or other matter at sea is approved. The permit is published on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Registry on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.
1. Permittee: Norland Ltd., Burnaby, British Columbia.
2. Waste or other matter to be disposed of: inert, inorganic geological matter.
2.1. Nature of waste or other matter: inert, inorganic geological matter; all wood, topsoil, asphalt and other debris are to be segregated for disposal by methods other than disposal at sea.
3. Duration of permit: permit is valid from April 14, 2020, to April 13, 2021.
4. Loading site(s): Lelem Village - 5380 University Blvd, Vancouver, British Colombia, at approximately 49.26562° N, 123.23676° W North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83).
5. Disposal site(s): Point Grey disposal site, within a 1-nautical-mile radius of 49.25666° N, 123.36500° W (NAD83).
6. Method of loading: loading will be carried out using land-based heavy equipment, trucks or conveyor belts.
7. Route to disposal site(s) and method of transport: most direct navigational route from the loading site to the disposal site via hopper scow or towed scow.
8. Method of disposal: disposal will be carried out by bottom dumping or end dumping.
9. Total quantity to be disposed of: not to exceed 45 000 cubic metres, place measure.
10. Fees: the fee prescribed by the Disposal at Sea Permit Fee Regulations shall be paid by the permittee in accordance with those regulations as modified according to the provisions of the Service Fees Act. The applicable fee rates for April 1, 2019, are in effect for the duration of this permit.
11. Inspection:
11.1. By accepting this permit, the permittee and its contractors accept that they are subject to inspection pursuant to Part 10 of CEPA.
11.2. The permittee shall ensure that records of all loading and disposal activities are kept on site for the duration of the permit and are available for inspection by any enforcement officer or analyst, for two years following the expiry of the permit.
11.3. Ships operating under the authority of this permit shall carry and display a radar-reflecting device at all times mounted on the highest practical location.
12. Contractors:
12.1. The loading or disposal at sea referred to under this permit shall not be carried out by any person without written authorization from the permittee.
12.2. The permittee shall ensure that all persons involved in the loading, transport or disposal activities authorized by this permit conduct these activities in accordance with the relevant permit conditions.
13. Reporting and notification:
13.1. The permittee shall provide the following information at least 48 hours before loading and disposal activities commence: name or number of ship, platform or structure used to carry out the loading and/or disposal, name of the contractor including corporate and on-site contact information, and expected period of loading and disposal activities. The above-noted information shall be submitted to the Environmental Enforcement Division of the Department of the Environment, Pacific and Yukon Region:
Fax: 604-666-9059
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
13.2. The permittee shall submit a written report to the minister, as represented by the Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Pacific and Yukon Region, within 30 days after the expiry of the permit. This report shall contain the following information: a list of all work completed pursuant to the permit, including the location of the loading and disposal site(s) used, the quantity of matter disposed of at the disposal site(s) and the dates on which disposal activities occurred. The report shall be sent to the Regional Director at any of the following coordinates:
Regional Director
c/o Michael Buckland-Nicks
Environmental Protection Operations Directorate
Pacific and Yukon Region
201-401 Burrard St
Vancouver BC V6C 3S5
Fax: 604‑666‑6800
Email: email@example.com
13.3. At all times, a copy of this permit and of documents and drawings referenced in this permit shall be available at the loading site and on all powered ships directly engaged in the loading and disposal operations.
14. Special precautions:
14.1. The permittee shall submit a written excavated material disposal plan to the minister, as represented by the Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Pacific and Yukon Region, identified in paragraph 13.2, for approval by the Department of the Environment prior to the commencement of the first excavation operation authorized by this permit. The plan shall address procedures to accurately measure or estimate quantities of excavated material disposed of at the disposal site(s), vessel tracking, and a schedule for use of the disposal site(s). Modifications to the plan shall be made only with the written approval of the Department of the Environment.
14.2. The loading and disposal at sea referred to under this permit shall be carried out in accordance with the mitigation measures summarized in the document titled "Lelem Village - 5380 University Blvd, Vancouver - Loading and Disposal at Sea of Excavated Material - Permit #4543-2-03742" (March 2020).
Saul Schneider
Regional Director
Environmental Protection Operations Directorate
Pacific and Yukon Region
On behalf of the Minister of the Environment
Signed on March 26, 2020
Report a problem or mistake on this page
- Date modified:


text:
Current productions
The first autobiographic documentary about Ennio Morricone's life, music and films. >>
The tragicomedy Alberta tells the story of Freek, a successful advertising man, who ends up in a midlife crisis, despite his wonderful wife. >>
A documentary about the impact of the Second World War on the 2nd and 3rd generation of Jewish people in The Netherlands >>
Early 1920s. Young, talented Han van Meegeren paints like his idols Rembrandt and Vermeer: with almost photographic precision >>
Liza is in touch with reality. She's in a relationship and a mother of a three-year-old boy. Liza never knew her Italian father Mauro. >>
Haarlem, 1572. While Alva's army forcefully surpresses the Dutch revolution, widow Kenau Hasselaer runs her dock as if the war doen't exist. >>
Amazon Prime made available seven Dutch films with English subtitles. From now on "Alberta", "A Real Vermeer", "Meet Me In Venice", "S■skind", "The Blitz", "Milo", and "Tirza" will be available in the United States and the United Kingdom. >>
Eisenstein in Guanajuato selected for official competition of 65th Berlinale International Film Festival!
EISENSTEIN IN GUANAJUATO, the new film by Peter Greenaway, is selected for the official competition of the 65th Berlinale International Film Festival. Its been ten years since the last Dutch movie was selected for a Golden Bear. >>
Today, Thursday 30th January, Peter Greenaway has started shooting his new film in Mexico, Eisenstein in Guanajuato. It is a feature film about the world's greatest filmmaker, with Finnish actor Elmer Bðck (The Spiral) playing the title role of Sergei Eisenstein. This international co-production is led by producers Bruno Felix and Femke Wolting from Submarine (Last Hijack, Meet the Fokkens, Rembrandts jAccuse) and San Fu Maltha from Fu Works (Blackbook, Winter in Wartime, S■skind and Kenau). The entire film will be shot in Guanajuato, Mexico. >>
Marc Bechtold has been nominated for a golden calf for Milo in the category best editor on the Dutch film festival. The film festival nominates the most esteemed film of the year i.a. best music, best directing, best actric/actor and best editing. The award ceremony will take place on the 4th of October in Utrecht. >>


text:
NBA Basketball
Injury-riddled Spurs face retooled, optimistic Nuggets
NBA Headlines
- Pacers' Oladipo out of season restart
- NBA emphasizes mental health in 'bubble'
- Gobert looks forward after virus
- Heat close facility after 2nd positive
- Florida virus numbers loom over NBA
Losing Paul Millsap for more than three months was tough on the Denver Nuggets. Mason Plumlee then went down, and Denver's frontcourt has been compromised for a couple of weeks.
The Nuggets have a reason to feel sorry for themselves, but heading into the last two games before the All-Star break, their injury issues are nothing compared to what San Antonio has gone through this season.
The Spurs played the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Saturday without Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker (back) and Dejounte Murray (ankle), and then forward LaMarcus Aldridge joined the list of wounded with his chronically sore knee. The team announced Monday that Aldridge wouldn't play in the Spurs' last two games before the break, so he sat out Monday night's 101-99 loss at Utah and will also sit at Denver on Tuesday night.
San Antonio (35-23) is barely holding onto the third seed in the Western Conference while trying to get healthy for the last 23 games of the regular season, and sitting Aldridge was a decision to keep him in the lineup going forward.
"He's just getting a treatment on his knee," coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News before Monday's game. "There's a certain amount of rest that has to happen. He's doing it now so he won't have to miss any games after the break.
"He can either miss games now or miss games later."
The silver lining for San Antonio is Parker and Murray played Monday, but the Spurs gave up an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose for the fourth time in five games.
The Nuggets (30-26) won't miss facing Aldridge as they continue to battle for positioning in the lower half of the Western Conference playoff race. They won't have Plumlee (calf strain) or Millsap (left wrist surgery) but they will have new backup point guard Devin Harris.
Denver acquired the 34-year-old veteran in a three-team deal at Thursday's trade deadline to help stabilize the backcourt. They shipped out Emmanuel Mudiay, the seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft, to New York after Mudiay had fallen out of the rotation with the emergence of Jamal Murray.
Harris played in the Nuggets' 123-113 win at Phoenix on Saturday night, his first game with Denver since the trade.
"I didn't know what to expect but I was needed," Harris told reporters after scoring nine points and getting two steals in 22 minutes. "I just try to do the best I can with that -- just read the situation and try to make plays when I could."
With Harris now in the rotation it means Will Barton will not be used as much at the point guard position. Barton has been used at both guard positions and at small forward, but he will be able to concentrate on scoring off the bench instead of playmaking.
Harris went from a team in Dallas that is in rebuilding mode to one that boasts one of the younger rosters in the league -- which became a little older with him in the fold -- fighting for a playoff spot. He has plenty of experience, has been to the NBA Finals and can be a calming influence down the stretch.
"We have the resources," Harris told the Denver Post on Monday. "We have the talent to do so. Can we win enough games? We control our own destiny to make that playoff push."
Updated February 13, 2018


text:
Alliance College Polish Collection
Alliance College and Its Polish Collection
Alliance College, founded by the Polish National Alliance (PNA) in 1912 "to provide opportunities for Americans of Polish descent to learn about the mother country, its culture, history, and language," closed in 1987. From 1948 until its closing, the college was an accredited four-year co-educational liberal arts institution. Student matriculation peaked at 629 in 1968. (1)
Called "a great masterpiece of the Polish immigration," (2) the college did not just provide its students a college education and book learning about their heritage. Through such extra-curricular activities as the Kujawiaki folk dance ensemble and various exchange programs with Jagiellonian University in Cracow, students and faculty were able to participate in the culture of their heritage first-hand. The Polish collection in the library was an integral part of this educational experience.
By the time of the college's closing the Polish collection had grown to approximately 35,000 cataloged and 15,000 uncataloged volumes. The material is primarily in Polish, and is particularly strong in Polish language and literature, history, and the Polish experience in the United States. Also included are such additional subject areas as Polish music, art, folklore, science, economics, sociology, government, and foreign relations. The current collection represents acquisitions since the time of the disastrous fire of 1931, which destroyed both the college and its library. Periodically evaluated by librarians and scholars from Poland, it was developed systematically using both purchase and exchange. It was also the recipient of various grants and a substantial number of gifts from Polish Americans.
The collection contains a number of noteworthy items and sub- collections. Included, for example, are complete runs on microfilm of the weeklies "Tygodnik ilustrowany" (Warsaw, 1859-1939) and "Zycie" (Warsaw, 1887-1890) as well as the monthly "Zycie" (Cracow, 1897-1900).. It also contains a significant percentage of world Polonian publishing output from the nineteenth century to 1985, including books, newspapers and other serials, pamphlets, and ephemera. A 176-volume collection of clippings from U.S. Polonia publications gathered by Pawel Widera represents a unique resource on the subjects of Polonia in general, Polonian organizations, and Polish affairs affecting Polonia. (Pitt continues to collect Polonica actively.) The reference collection is also well-developed, including not only such essential standard works as Karol Jozef Teofil Estreicher's but also less commonly held works, e.g., Samuel Orgelbrand's third edition (1898-1912). We are still in the process of cataloging some of this material.
Rena Lamparska, the librarian at the time, described the collection in 1973 as capable of supporting master's level work in Polish language, literature, and history. Exchanges had been greatly expanded the previous year, and in 1973 the Polish collection received a grant from the United States Office of Education, allowing an increase in purchases.(3) Thus by the time the college closed, the Polish collection was nearly capable of supporting doctoral-level research in these areas.
Why the University of Pittsburgh?
According to Frank J. Draus, a member of the Alliance College Board of Trustees and associate dean of Pitt's Dental School:
"Pitt was chosen as the recipient of the collection because of its reputation as a leader in the teaching and fostering of the Polish language, literature and culture, which can also make the collection available to international scholars. Further, the Pittsburgh area has a large, active Polish community which will benefit from the collection being so easily accessible. The sentimental attachment of Alliance College to Western Pennsylvania was also considered in the decision-making process by the Polish National Alliance and the Board of Trustees."
The University of Pittsburgh has a longstanding commitment to the area of East European studies. The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers a B.A. in Polish studies, in addition to graduate degrees (M.A. and Ph.D.). Other academic departments, as well as the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and the School of Education also prepare M.A. and Ph.D. students whose research concentrates on Poland and who use material in Polish.
Pitt's commitment to Polish studies means that high priority is given to language instruction. The head of the Polish program, Oscar Swan, is a specialist in Polish linguistics and a recognized leader in the field of Polish language instruction. His textbooks are used in Polish classes throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. Pitt offers three years of Polish in regular classes and additional advanced instruction on a tutorial basis. The University also gives intensive Polish instruction during the summer.
Presently Pitt has 45 faculty members whose research and teaching focus on the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Current enrollment in courses related to the area exceeds 3000 students annually. In addition to language instruction, Pitt also offers other courses devoted specifically to Poland, e.g., Polish Literature (Swan) and Modern Polish History (Donnorummo). Many related courses include Poland or Polish, e.g., West Slavic Linguistics (Votruba). The University's Center for Russian and East European Studies is one of the few such university interdisciplinary bodies selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Resource Center.
How to Use the Alliance College Polish Collection
- Are you are looking for a particular author, title, or subject? Check PITTCat+. Thousands of Alliance books and other material from and about Poland are already in the Hillman Library stacks. If you do not find what you are looking for, see final item below.
- Would you like simply to get an idea what is in the collection? You can find a list of all the Alliance books and journals cataloged to date by doing the following in PITTCat Classic: From the PITTCat+ main page, choose "Search/Location Limits". From the "Search/Location Limits" page, choose "Polish National Alliance Collection" from the drop down "Location Menu". Click OK. Next, choose "Guided Keyword" as your search type. On the "Guided Keyword" page enter the term "polish", then click Search.
- Do you want to see part of the collection? For the benefit of researchers we have not separated Alliance material from the rest of our Polish collection. The greatest concentration of Alliance books will be found in the Hillman Library stacks, on the 4th floor in the call number range PG6000-PG7904 (Polish language and literature), and on the 3rd floor in DK4000- DK5706 (history of Poland). Some older books on the history of Poland can be found nearby in DK400-DK449. You might also like to look at the huge, ongoing biographical dictionary Polski slownik biograficzny in the Reference Collection on the ground floor at CT1230.P65 1935.
- For research assistance, contact Dan Pennell, Slavic Bibliographer at 412-648-7791 , firstname.lastname@example.com, or through the Information Desk at Hillman Library. For additional information about the collection, to donate books, or to contribute money to assist with cataloging, contact Dan Pennell or inquire at the Information Desk.
(1) Walter Smietana, "Alliance College, a Brief History (Working Notes and Draft)." Typescript, Alliance College, 1987?: 1, 12. Donald E. Pienkos, PNA: A Centennial History of the Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America. Boulder, Co.: East European Monographs, 1984: 266, 272.
(2) Bohdan Pawlowicz in column "Droga zycia," Ameryka-Echo, March 24, 1963, cited in Smietana, op. cit.: 1.
(3) Rena A. Lamparska, "The Polish Library of Alliance College." Typescript, Alliance College, 1973: 1, 3.
(4) Our original estimate of 10,000 for the size of this group of books seems to have been about one-third too low.


text:
The Nets have found their replacement for Brian Scalabrine and filled the spot that Robert "Tractor" Traylor was expected to have.
Veteran forward Scott Padgett has agreed to terms on a multiyear deal with New Jersey, pending a physical examination that he will take next week, Nets president Rod Thorn said Saturday.
The 6-foot-9 Padgett, who has averaged 4.6 points in 355 games for the Jazz and Rockets, will get the $1.6 million the Nets had remaining on their midlevel exception. That was originally supposed to go to Traylor, but he failed his physical and the Nets voided their deal with him last week.
With Padgett, the Nets would have 13 players under contract. They are expected to add one more, and it could be Lamond Murray.
As expected, the veteran swingman, who played college ball with Jason Kidd at California, was waived by the Toronto Raptors on Friday. Once Murray clears waivers, the Nets could offer him a minimum contract, which is all they have left under salary-cap rules.
Other shooters who are on the Nets' radar are Wesley Person, Jason Kapono, Casey Jacobsen and DerMarr Johnson.
full story
the Nets worked a lot on their roster, what are the chancess to finish ahead of us?


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Best of the Forum: Would a new F650 GS make a good FIRST bike
BMW thumpers are an entry bike for some and a life long passion for many forum members. With a brand new motorcycle endorsement in hand chtucker went to the Thumpers ÔÇô F & G bikes forum to see if a F650GS would be his starter bike. During the life of the thread he received advice encouragement and found his F650GS. In other threads he asked questions about gear and Colorado riding information. I donÔÇÖt know where he has ridden his GS but his starter bike thread has ridden to the Best of the Forum.


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Nothing too exciting for Valentine's Day here. I worked (only myself and the principal in the office and got more work done then the last few weeks combined), the girls had school, the both had parties in their classrooms, and they even had George Washington come to school yesterday and talk about his life. This week is reading week at school. I am still trying to figure out a storybook character for the girls to dress up as on Thursday.
Here was the Valentine pictures we sent to some people:
Here are some other Valentine Day pictures of the girls: (Lilly was not interested in having her picture taken or to have her picture taken with the girls. )


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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
We Should
Follow His Steps
Send a link to a friend
Years ago,
Charles Sheldon wrote a book that became one
of the best-selling books of all time. His
book, In His Steps, told the story of
a church that was challenged by their pastor
to ask themselves, "What would Jesus do?"
before they made any decision.
Several years ago
there was a rebirth in the popularity of
this book, and the W.W.J.D. (What Would
Jesus Do?) fad affected even unbelievers as
many wore the paraphernalia with these
initials on them.
There is a Book
far greater than Charles Sheldon's than also
instructs us to follow in the steps of
The Bible tells
us in no certain terms in I Peter 2:21 that
we are to "follow His steps." In Mark
1:9-15, we see Jesus beginning His ministry
by traveling to three places. We need to
Follow Him to these same three places if we
want to be blessed and to be a blessing.
We Should
Follow Jesus To the Baptismal Waters.
1:9 says, "And it came to pass in those
days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of
Galilee, and was baptized of John in
Jesus began His
public ministry by the public act of
baptism. I heard a well-known preacher say
that he had never known any Christian to do
much for God until he had first been
The Lord had no
need of being baptized since He was the
sinless, spotless Son of God. He did it to
"fulfil all righteousness," to set an
example for us.
He also in this
passage clearly demonstrated the method of
baptism. Mark 1:10 says, "And
straightway coming up out of the water…"
You cannot come up out of something that
you have not been under. Scriptural baptism
is not by sprinkling or splashing; it is by
God the Father
was pleased with what Jesus the Son had
done. He declared in Mark 1:11, "Thou
art my beloved Son, in whom I am well
Have you taken
the first step of obedience for a believer?
Have you been scripturally baptized? If
not, what are you waiting for? Why not talk
with your pastor and get that taken care of
We Should
Follow Jesus To the Barren Wilderness.
after this monumental moment in our Master's
life, he faced a great struggle. He was
alone for 40 days in the desert, battling
the devil.
Teen, life is
filled with difficulties, discouragements,
and sometimes defeats. These trials often
come right on the heels of victories in our
life. After the mountaintop, there is a
valley. After a triumph, expect a testing.
After a blessing, be ready for the battle.
We know that
Jesus was exactly where He was supposed to
be during this 40-day ordeal because the
Bible says that "the Spirit driveth him
into the wilderness." Sometimes God
will allow us to go through times of testing
and even put us on the boat that He knows is
headed for a storm. Why?
Everyone the Lord uses greatly has first
been through a wilderness experience. Someone said, "You will never
bless until you bleed." The Savior's "Spiritual Boot Camp" that
prepares us for ministry is the Barren Wilderness. Follow Him there
if you really want to be used by God!
We Should Follow Jesus To the Blessed
Work. After the difficult
time in the wilderness, some would have gotten discouraged and
quit. When Jesus returned from His battle, things got worse. He
discovered that His cousin John the Baptist had been imprisoned.
This bad news would have caused some to
get bitter. The Lord, however, refused to get detoured. He
realized that there was a work for Him to do.
Mark 1:14 says, "Now after that John
was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of
the kingdom of God." Our Lord was a man on a mission. He was
determined to do the will of His Father.
There is a work for you to do as well.
Young man, perhaps God wants you to preach His Word. Maybe the Lord
wants you to serve Him on the mission field.
Young lady, God has a work for you as
well. Perhaps He desires you to be a Christian School teacher,
missionary, or the like.
Follow Him to a bus route, weekly soul
winning, and to reach a lost and dying world.
Too many young people live a life of
questions. "What Would Jesus Do?" is not the issue. We have the
Bible and can know what we should do by following the example of
Instead of W.W.J.D., perhaps we should
focus on D.W.J.D. (Do What Jesus Did).
Mark 1 tells us exactly what He did. He
got baptized, he endured the barren wilderness, and he got involved
in the blessed work God the Father had for His life.
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text:
Thank you for all of the emails sending your thoughts and prayers to my Mother and I as she had surgery for the removal of cancer yesterday. I appreciate your thoughts so very much.
Last night the surgeon gave Dad and I the news. It was better than we dared think; I guess a part of me thought it would be the worse case, then I would be prepared. The surgeon told us last month that she would lose a large amount of blood, that he would be removing any organ that showed cancer, that it could be in her colon, liver and stomach. Well, good news. Well, the bad news I suppose is yes, there was still cancer in her abdomen and her pelvic region, even after we went through this three years ago. Flippin' ovarian cancer. It's chronic. It's horrible. However, upon removal of over 150 lymph nodes, it doesn't look as if the cancer had permeated any organs. He left all of her organs intact and she didn't lose any blood. The surgery was an agonizing 4 hour affair, but she came out better than expected. Thank You God.
It was wonderful to be in her room last night when she finally opened her eyes. I gave her a big smile and told her she still had all of her organs. The cancer was only found in your lymph nodes! (Who ever thought that would be considered a GOOD thing?) She gave a big smile and lost about 10 years in her face. Fabulous.
So, after a week of recovery at Mayo, she'll head on home to begin the rotten course of chemo, again. But hey, it may give her another three or more years. So, chemo is then, a good thing.
Thank you again for all of your well wishes. Again, I appreciate it more than you know.
As for me...I'm off to Rochester..


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Locality: Martinsville City
UpTown Martinsville
3 Starling Avenue
Martinsville, VA 24112
Start a new Thanksgiving Day tradition, come out and walk or run the Turkey Day 5K and Family Fun Run as an individual or as a family! The Turkey Day 5K and Family Fun Run is a partially wooded course that starts at the YMCA and winds along the Silverbell Trail, the Dick & Willie Passage and then through Uptown Martinsville. This event is guaranteed to get your holiday season off on the right foot!
Awards will be given for the top three overall male and female finishers and to the top male and females in 5 year age groups beginning with 9 and under and ending with 70 and over. Awards will also be given to the first three families to cross the finish line together!
Run time is 9:00 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. Packet pick-up will be held Wednesday, November 21 from 12-6:00 p.m. and from 7-8:30 a.m. on Race Day at the Martinsville Y.
Your entry fee includes race swag, on-course aid station and post-race food. The cost to join the fun is $25 until November 12, $30 from November 13 to November 22 and $35 on Race Day. Registration is now open for the Turkey Day 5K and Family Fun RunRead more...
Pet Friendly
Thursday, November 22, 2018 (9:00 AM - 11:00 AM)
Admission Fee: $25-$35
(276) 632-1772


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Rolling out the red carpet for digital movies
A life-long film buff and former industry executive is taking Carson Valley's only movie theater into the digital age.
Jim Sheehan, along with two business partners, purchased Minden's Ironwood Cinemas out of bankruptcy last year. The way he talks about his investment, in light of the film industry itself, there's no way forward but digitalization.
"The industry is going digital," Sheehan said in an interview Thursday. "I think there will be no more film by the end of 2013. You either have to convert to digital or close your doors. There's no in between."
He wasn't exaggerating. Four outdated film projectors sat on the pavement on the north side of the theater on Thursday. Four more were in the days-long process of being removed and disassembled for parts.
"They're dinosaurs right now," Sheehan said, standing over the relics. "There is a lot of money here in scrap."
Nearby, a crew of film technicians was carefully unloading digital projectors off a freight truck. By the printing of this article, Sheehan planned to have installed eight digital projectors and two 3-D screens at a cost of roughly $500,000.
"From all standpoints, digital is cheaper, more efficient and better than film," he said. "The public can tell the difference."
The making of a film buff
Sheehan's life story seems like the stuff of movies. He became an usher at the age of 18 and, in a way, never left the theater.
He was a college freshman at the time, studying history at Stonehill College in Massachusetts.
"I made a dollar an hour," he said. "The year was 1965. It was good money in those days. Halfway through a history degree, I realized I would like running the theater, so I switched to business."
It turns out the company he was working for, General Cinema, was on the verge of becoming a national chain. After graduating, Sheehan "volunteered" to move to California, where the company had been building several new theaters. He was 22 when he became assistant manager of a new facility in Hayward, Calif., quickly working his way up to manager.
In 1972, totally enthralled by the movie-going experience, he pounced on an opening in L.A. The position was for a film buyer — the person who negotiates with distributors, selects and books films for the big screen. Sheehan spent five years in the position, ascending to General Cinema's western vice president of film.
In 1977, he made the jump to Mann Theaters, becoming president and chief operating officer of the large regional chain. For the next two decades, he worked similar leadership roles on both the exhibition and distribution side of the film industry, all along nurturing a desire to start his own company.
"I wanted to go out on my own, buying, developing and operating my own theaters," he said.
In 2005, Sheehan realized his dream. He opened his first two theaters in the Bay Area. As business grew, so did his holdings. He owned five theaters in California when he decided to sell more than two years ago. His wife had passed away, and he decided to focus on his two Internet businesses, Wild Birds Forever and Candles Forever, which he still operates.
But he couldn't resist the lure of the silver screen, especially when a unique opportunity presented itself:
"This place (Ironwood) was 4-5 months from closing if Silver Point Capital hadn't come through the bankruptcy and hadn't lined things up the way they did."
Opportunity knocks
Ironwood Cinemas opened its doors in 1998, just when Hollywood was entering a new era of movie-making. Blockbusters that year included "Armageddon," "Saving Private Ryan," and "There's Something about Mary." But behind the scenes, technological changes were dramatically shaping the industry. DVDs began replacing VHS tapes, and digital cameras began replacing film.
In 2007, Galaxy Theaters at Casino Fandango opened its doors in south Carson City. It was a $15 million project, a 10-screen digital multiplex with stadium seating.
Looking back on that time, Sheehan said Ironwood Cinemas, still relying on traditional film projectors, took a huge hit and never really recovered.
"It lost that high school audience that was within walking distance to the theater," he said.
In 2011, Ironwood Cinemas went into bankruptcy. Connecticut-based Silver Point Capital acquired the operation, but, as Sheehan pointed out, "didn't know anything about theaters and didn't want to learn."
"They gave me a call out of the blue," he remembered. "They asked me if I knew the theater. I said it was a beautiful theater in a great town, but the rent was high. They asked me what it would take to get me in there. I gave them a figure, what I was willing to pay for rent, and there was silence on the other side."
That silence translated to acquiescence. Sheehan and two other partners formed Fog City Cinemas, doing business as Ironwood Cinemas, to operate the new business.
Bill Longen hails from San Francisco, where the company originated, and handles "the tech side" of the firm. Richard Blacklock hails from Los Angeles and is the company's programmer and film buyer.
After the sale, Sheehan relocated to Minden to be managing partner. Silver Point also offered the building.
"We're still in escrow," said Sheehan. "Fourteen months we've been here, and we've made small changes. The theater was in good shape, but we did upgrade the sound system and the concessions stand. We steam cleaned the carpets and seats and put in new light bulbs and new tile. In the industry, we call that the low-hanging fruit."
The high-hanging fruit was digital conversion.
"Every time we play digital rather than film, the film company saves a lot of money, about $900," Sheehan said.
As part of a national digitalization campaign, the movie industry has been offering a rebate program that pays small exhibitors approximately $705 for each digital film played. Given the standard lease time of 2-6 weeks per title, Sheehan estimated Fog City Cinema will recoup the cost of the conversion within six years.
Going forward, Sheehan said, Ironwood Cinemas will be in a good position to compete with Galaxy or any other digital operation, especially with gas approaching $4 a gallon.
"We only have one chance to impress people," he said.
A changing industry
If Sheehan, a veritable film veteran, is nostalgic about film projectors, film reels, and spot-riddled screens, he doesn't show it. He passionately argued that digital is better on every front.
"Film is made out of polyester," he said. "After six weeks, it's scratched. Against the heat of a 2,500-watt Xenon bulb, it does fade. It's like leaving your car on the beach for two years."
Besides durability, digital filmmaking is more economical all around, Sheehan continued.
"It's economical for studios to release movies in digital, and it's economical for directors to film digitally. Directors are constantly going through miles of film that will never be used," he said.
He argued digital is even better for independent and art-house filmmakers, who can record their movie on a hard drive for about $400 versus $1,300 for a film print.
For exhibitors, it means getting 2-D and 3-D discs together, with Spanish subtitles already included, compared to purchasing separate prints for each showing.
"The savings are enormous," Sheehan said.
When asked if traditional film still produces higher quality shots, as some auteurs have argued, Sheehan pointed out the highly specialized, German-made port glass that will be installed in front of every digital projector.
"It's about $1,000 a pane," he said. "But the quality of color going through the screen is incredible. The blues are bluer, the reds are redder."
Yet despite every advantage, digital technology cannot save a bad movie, Sheehan pivoted with a grin.
"It all comes down to one thing," he said. "Bad movies are bad movies. Good movies are good movies. The industry is getting better. They're not just making movies that appeal to teenage girls and boys. They've realized baby boomers are starting to go to the movies more often."
Record ticket sales in recent years also belie the notion that home viewing is replacing the multiplex. It's an argument Sheehan has heard before.
"Theatrical movies are the engine that pulls the entire ancillary chain of Netflix, DVDs, all that," he said confidently.
Plus, there's another draw:
"We think we have the best popcorn in the Valley," Sheehan said. "Apart from the fact that we use the best raw corn available, we cook the kernels in coconut oil and don't over season the corn. We also pop our corn fresh at least three times a day, and more as needed on the weekends."
Ironwood Cinemas is located at 1760 Highway 395 in Minden. For more information, call 782-7469 or visit ironwoodcinemas.com.


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LOS ANGELES — Reality television in China will help cast the next "Transformers" flick.
Backers of the fourth installment in the blockbuster franchise say four people will win roles through the "`Transformers 4' Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show."
The televised series will begin airing in June and will be open to professionals and amateurs. Two of the "Transformers" roles will go to professional Chinese actors and two will go to people with no acting experience.
The judges include "Transformers" producer Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Sid Ganis, former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president. He now heads Jiaflix Enterprises, which helped broker a production-assistance deal for the film between Paramount Pictures and China Movie Channel.
Starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Michael Bay, "Transformers 4" is due in theaters in June 2014.
Please don't typecast them!!


text:
(...with brief cameos by DCH and Aranyer Din Ratri)
Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, on the face of it, trades similarities with her younger brother's debut film Dil Chahta Hai. Both are about three friends finding insights about their life and their dreams. One of the many things that is common to both is the idea of a road-trip; while in DCH, it is just a pleasure trip, a great way to introduce a good song that lays out the attitudes of its characters, in ZNMD, it is the entire film (i.e. "the journey", lit. and fig.)
ZNMD is everything people initially accused of DCH of being. We took offence to DCH's nonchalant in-your-face affluence and its carefully coordinated blue-white hues. But as sense and time have prevailed over strangely moral indignation, we recognised in it something deeper: that life can often be complicated; it's not just the poor that have a monopoly on loss, sadness, and the obligations of relationships; and that poor little salad-eating rich slacker boys are human after all. (And it had *that* misdial scene.)
I doubt sense or time will be that kind to ZNMD.
ZNMD is like watching 3 hurdlers preparing to run a race, jostling for position, unsure of whether their legs would be up for the straddle. And then finding all the hurdles missing and the race reduced to a stroll through a lovely park.
ZNMD is a "for loop" of simple computations; where each character is allowed to iterate through his choice of lit. and fig. adventure, with a 100% guarantee of meaningful insight (or the storyteller will refund the money for the trip). In DCH, everyone loses something in their gain: Akash his pride and self-assurance, Sid his lady love, Sameer (presumably) his less complicated self. In contrast, here things unravel themselves in such technicolor hunky-dory-ness that you think that had they continued in Spain or gone to Greece for another week, the Eurozone debt crisis would have resolved itself with a shower of gold from the heavens.
Great plots demand conflict; they demand that its characters suffer. By all means, fling resolutions at them in the end, but put those hapless story puppets through the wringer. In ZNMD, even the potentially embarassing and revelatory meeting with a lost dad ends up being highly underwhelming. Hearts are purged of fear all too easily, love is discovered and conquered with ease, embarassments dissolve at the first sight of daylight. In short, the day is short and begging to be seized without a fight. So why should that interest me?
ZNMD is a visit to the nearest convenience store, where distress turns out to be the inability to find fresh Shiitake mushrooms, conveniently resolved (or your money back, remember) by finding it in the hands of a pretty girl in the neighbouring aisle, who decides she is willing to walk with you into the sunset (or out to the parking lot) forever.
And there's not even a queue at the payment counter. Cease the day.
Post Script: Earlier the same week, I saw Satyajit Ray's "Aranyer Din Ratri". Strange as it sounds, there are parallels to be drawn between these two films. In both, a set of friends decide to escape into less familiar, more natural environs. There they have experiences that change them fundamentally. Both sets find and lose love, and both are principally character-driven plots.
All images from Wikipedia