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LONDON (Reuters) - Electronic cigarette maker Gamucci is to open the world's first airport "vaping zone" for e-cigarette users at London's Heathrow later this month, highlighting the rise of the smoke-free devices.
The new indoor zone, measuring 30 square metres, will open on November 25 in the international departure lounge at Terminal 4, with entry restricted to those aged 18 and over, Gamucci said in a statement on Sunday.
Sales of e-cigarettes have boomed in recent years, prompted in part by restrictions on smoking. The battery-driven devices allow users to inhale nicotine-laced vapour and are seen as a less harmful alternative to smoking.
Governments are currently struggling to work out the best way to regulate them. Britain decided in June to regulate them as medicines from 2016 but European parliamentarians last month rejected the idea of doing the same across the European Union.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Jason Neely)


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October 2nd 2014
The Shellshock (or Bash Bug) vulnerability has recently been discovered by IT security researchers. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain control over an affected machine, access confidential information and perform unauthorised activities. The Bank has carried out investigations and found no vulnerability in our systems. We will continue to monitor our systems and the external environment to take necessary action if a threat is detected

subset: commoncrawl


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Have the last few season of Curb been really good? I really enjoyed the "pilot" and the first two season. But I really hated the third season. I found it very unfunny and contrived. Watching the entire third season was a chore. I gave up on the show after that.SenimSilla wrote:Prison Break, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Arrested Development are three fantastic shows.
LunchBoX wrote:I forgot about Entourage it hasn't been on TV in forever. I heard it might be canceled if the writers strike goes on.
If it does i will be a sad panda.
WannaB wrote:LunchBoX wrote:I forgot about Entourage it hasn't been on TV in forever. I heard it might be canceled if the writers strike goes on.
If it does i will be a sad panda.
It's only been off air since the fall started, and HBO shows are usually off air for nine months to a year before the new season of a show will start because HBO likes to rotate their original shows and always have something new every week.
The last year and a half for Entourage was unusual. They split the 3rd season into two parts. The first part aired in the fall of '06, and the second part aired at the end of spring/beginning of summer. At that point Entourage should've been off for a while, but because they split the season that gave them time to get to work on the 4th season. So they decided to split season 4 as well, and air the first half of season 4 immediately after the second half of season 3 finished airing. That way they had Entourage all summer. The end of season 3 was actually the episode where they filmed Medillin. So the second half of season 4 has been in production since the spring time I believe. They'll probably start airing new episodes sometime between March (when the current block of HBO shows with new episodes will finish airing), and May or June.
Allegedly that remaining half of season 4 might be the end, but they may continue it into a 5th season.
I wouldn't be surprised if the show ends with the guys losing everything, and either going home or trying to work their way back up from the bottom all over again.
Dr.Gonzo wrote:What ppvs in particular have you been watching?steven keen wrote:old WWF and WCW 80s ppvs
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Product Details
Polycotton Rear Row Taupe Seat Protector (DCC4302TP) by Canine Covers®. Durable polycotton drill fabric breathes for your pets comfort. Machine washable. With Durable Water Repellency. Held in place by headrest straps and pillow pods. Travel-restraint and seatbelt friendly.
- Do not install Canine Covers if any straps will interfere with side impact airbag deployment.
- Attaches to headrests and seat base
- Non-skid bottom prevents sliding around
- Grippy surface keeps pets secure
- Prevents abrasions and punctures
- Resists stains and odors
- Seat Belt openings to allow two-legged occupants to belt up
- Seat Belt openings also allow use of canine travel restraint
- Padded layer provides extra comfort for your pet
- Made in the USA
Why let mud, water, dirt and dog hair damage your interior? Give your pet a comfortable, safe ride in the back seat of your car while keeping the upholstery clean and in factory-new shape. Securely held in place by straps around the headrests, ingenious pillow pods that tuck in between the seat back and base, your Custom Rear Seat Protector will not slide around on the seat, thanks to a non-skid layer on the bottom where it rests on the seat base. Choose from one of several fabrics in an array of colors and patterns to complement your vehicle's interior. The fabric of your Custom Rear Seat Protector by Canine Covers is breathable for your pet's comfort. This is a well-made heavy-duty product that should last a long time in daily service, even if your dog is large or boisterous.
The top layer of fabric is engineered to resist tearing from sharp claws. Under this layer is a layer of waterproof nylon to Prevents stains from penetrating and to make cleanup simple and easy. Under the nylon is a layer of resilient padding for your pet's comfort, and to protect your car's upholstery from those sharp claws. The final, bottom layer is non-slip fabric, to keep the seat protector firmly in place regardless of how your pet moves around. In addition, you can simply machine wash it, although you may need a commercial machine because of its large bulk.
Seatbelts are accommodated by tailored holes in the cover, so the occasional 2-legged passenger can sit safely in the back without removing the Seat Protector. In addition, because the belts are readily accessible, a pet travel restraint, like the Ruff Rider is easy to attach, for your pets safety as well. An unrestrained passenger or pet is not only in danger for himself or herself, either of being ejected from the vehicle, or bouncing around the interior. This also endangers the other occupants of the car in the case of an accident. The Custom Seat Protector is also designed to work in concert with the Canine Covers® CoverAll Seat Protector, which attaches to the lower hem with hook-and-loop tape. The tape is already attached to both, and will turn your back seat into a warm, safe cocoon for your pet while you travel, regardless of whether the ride is just across town or across the country. Give your pet a comfortable, safe ride in the back seat of your car while keeping the upholstery clean and in factory-new shape. There's even a seam between the seats to let you and your pet access the front seat.
Canine Covers® is a daughter company of car cover and seat cover industry giant Covercraft®; they've been in the car cover business since 1965. The company grew from a two-man production team to a 400+ employee company with 3 manufacturing locations. Currently the company's library features over 55,000 precise-fit Covercraft cover patterns for specific year, make, model vehicles; they're constantly expanding their offered range with custom patterns for boats, motorcycles, RV's, and more. In addition to Covercraft covers, the company offers a variety of interior protection products like seat covers, pet travel items, vehicle front-end masks and much more. For over 40+ years the company has always kept to the highest standards of quality, working hard to make each car owner happy, helping them keep the vehicle protected. Covercraft entering the pet products market in 1998 with a number of items that they certainly have the expertise and facilities to manufacture. Their high standards for materials and workmanship in the car cover business is carried through to their pet products, of course. Their expanding Canine Covers, Pet Pad and Ruff Rider lines include pet-friendly seat covers, cargo area covers, pet beds and Ruff Rider travel pet restraints.
California Residents
WARNING This product can expose you to chemicals including 1,3-Butadiene, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. www.p65warnings.ca.gov


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Assignment objectives:
- Input / output
- Decision making statements
- Loops
- Methods
Shoot a watermelon from a cannon and write a program in JAVA to compute the following given the initial velocity and initial angle of trajectory:
1. Maximum horizontal distance
2. Maximum vertical distance
3. Total travel time
4. Elapsed time when it reaches maximum vertical distance
5. In addition if there is an obstacle in its path, would the cannon ball clear it or not.
Initial velocity, initial angle (in degrees), the obstacle distance from the canon and the height of the obstacle is given by the user, use any way you like to ask for the data.
The user must be allowed to try different set of inputs as many times as desired.
Formuals are;
x = vcos(x) * t
y= vcos(x) * t - (g*t/2)
Angles are in radians for the formals
Conversion :
radian=( degree * 3.14)/180
1. You must use methods for each of the above calculations.
2. You must use Dialog box for inputs from the user
3. Check the validity of input data
Sample output:
Initial velocity = ???
Initial angle = ????
Obstacle distance from the anon = ????
Obstacle height = ?????
Maximum horizontal distance = ?????


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Yet again Yahoo! goes live with new a Beta Version of its awesome web based email system, sporting some interesting colour changes, menu improvements and organization. But once again, they have dealt a heavy blow to the Opera Browser by distinctively excluding it from its list of supported browsers.
It may be true that currently Opera holds the least market share in the browser wars but I do not feel that is a justification for Yahoo! to consider leaving out the browser. In the previous iteration of its email client, the same approach was taken and the ever hard working team of Opera devs found a nice way to by pass the problem and allow their browser users to continue their daily work unabated by the tactics of the Yahoo! corporation.
I wonder what issue the Yahoo! devs have with the browser that make them consistently ignore it. Is it JS? Opera has one of the best JS engines in the running. Is it HTML5? I don't think that is the problem. Perhaps it might be the rendering engine not providing the same font-sizes and pixel counts as other browsers; but that should hardly ever be an issue.
I would be glad if a Yahoo! dev or someone who knows enough about the workings of the Yahoo! Mail development would comment on this issue and probably make me and hopefully the Opera browser developers know point blank the issues they have had with their browser. Or perhaps they should just openly state they don't provide support for it due to it minimal market share (but then that would be open discrimination, not based on technical reasons 🙂 ).


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Academic Professional
Dr. Kathryn Wingate started as an Academic Professional in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering in the summer of 2014. She received a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BS in Astronomy from the University of Illinois in 2005. After graduation she went to work for Northrop Grumman Space Technology in Redondo Beach, California. In her time at Northrop Grumman Dr. Wingate served as a material scientist specializing in the failure analysis of microelectronics on several defense satellite programs. In 2009 she left industry to pursue a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado, where her research focused on the development of novel biomaterials for cardiovascular tissue engineering.


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Why do people even buy SCTs???
Posted 29 November 2013 - 10:55 AM
None of the manufacturers flock the inside of the baffles, and gee, if the manufacturers only did this, it would improve the contrast by 50%.
And the obstruction is huge. If they left off the secondary baffle, they could reduce the obstruction by 4%.
And they don't come in a Truss design.
And the corrector is not in the right spot. By making the tube 30% longer and moving the corrector, they could make it better.
And seeing makes them useless for planetary observing. You can't even get the moon into focus it affects SCTs so bad.
Oh, and cooling. You can't even see stars I guess unless you put in cryogenic refrigeration plumbing. I mean why bother using them at over 75x when you can use a refractor at 75X and see the same size true field. Sure, nebula and extended targets will be brighter, but they are wiggling around so much and they are sooo blurry that what it the point????
I just don't get it. How can so many people be so happy with what is more of a kit car than a telescope it would appear. The thing is practicallly unusable out of the box. You have to take it apart and competely rebuild it to make it work as well as a 100mm APO.
I will never buy another one. I just don't have the time to rebuild it in order to get it to be even marginally useful.
Just kidding of course. I get the "ATM" spirit.
But all of these "Mod" posts really make me wonder sometimes if the commercial SCT is worth the time and effort if so many mods need to be made to get it to perform well?
I have just been so thrilled with my SCTs in the past. Most of them were really able telescopes that presented me with hundereds of hours of wonderful observing. And none of the mods I tried seemed to make any meaningful difference for my own observing needs that I stopped chasing the "Mod of the day" a long time ago. And the bigger I went, the more I enjoyed them. The more I could see. More deep sky, more planetary detail, more stars in clusters. No mods or anything. I just went bigger and bigger and saw more and more.
The SCT is not the scope people love to hate, it is the scope people hate to love.... It seems like so few people "Believe" in their SCTs.
These forums make it hard for me to continue recommending SCTs to people though. I used to make the C8 my "Standard" recommendation for people wanting their first telscopes. Enough apeture to do great all around observing. Inexpensive, easy to store and transport, comfortable to use, and just a great telecope.
But these days, I am more inclined to recommend a small refractor. Nothing to do. Just plug and play.
That is the world we live in.
I am starting to get the refractor forum's superiority complex.
Modders, please do not take offense. This is not directed at any individual. Rather it is just a rant about how so many people perceive so much wrong with a design that I have loved dearly over the decades, but now feel as if may be damaged by the perception that there is so much wrong with them.. So sad. Great telescopes.
At least one person loves them just the way they are...
Posted 29 November 2013 - 11:17 AM
but hardly use it because of the pain in my back it gives me!
Newtonian, have that too, quite sharp, but I live in IOWA the windiest part of the Nation,dont believe me? just ask the 20,000 Migrating birds that run into all the Wind turbine
generators each year!
So I'll keep my stubby, Ugly, Blurry Worthless sct
Posted 29 November 2013 - 11:20 AM
Posted 29 November 2013 - 11:21 AM
Posted 29 November 2013 - 11:23 AM
all these may be formed to one: why people do dumb things?
What you think, why?
i think, in general, because most of people is that, about what Einstein says "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
Posted 29 November 2013 - 11:33 AM
Posted 29 November 2013 - 12:17 PM
Posted 29 November 2013 - 12:20 PM
Posted 29 November 2013 - 12:20 PM
SCT's have one fatal flaw. They cannot hold their own against telescopes 10x their price.
they cannot hold even against cheaper newtonians. newtonians have smaller central obstruction, less light loss and scatter taht catadioptrics. imho only cat's pluss in general is their compact size. all another compared to newtonians and refractors, is minuses...
Posted 29 November 2013 - 12:23 PM
i love scts they are called the best all round general telescope, not the best in a specific field, but i think it does give decent views on most stuff.
Its the size that makes it one of the best selling kinda scopes.
I cant imagine using a 12" F/10 refelctor ( i dont even think they make one)normally in this size its an F/4.8 to 5.
At about 2ft long no other scope in its size class can match the portabililty, and iam sticking to this LOL
Posted 29 November 2013 - 12:41 PM
they cannot hold even against cheaper newtonians. newtonians have smaller central obstruction, less light loss and scatter taht catadioptrics. imho only cat's pluss in general is their compact size. all another compared to newtonians and refractors, is minuses...
Newtonians are fine if you just want to look. If you decide you want to do more than that, the SCT is far more versatile and adaptable.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 12:55 PM
Some just like to come to Cat&Casses and leave newt (or other) bombs. Clearly too much time or too many cloudy nights or maybe they just got lost?
By the way, my first serious scope was a 8" newt. Very nice and great memories.
Love is not a word I associate with a telescope. I am strongly attached to my Edge14. The best scope in its class I've ever used. I like my refractors and Mak, but that SCT is special.
One thing though, in my climate the TEMP-est fan system has clearly improved cooldown. At least for me. If I lived somewhere were temps did not fall like they do here I would not even need that.
The C8 is an ideal starter scope. Celestron's sales record for them is a clear indication that many have had plenty of enjoyment from them.
Can we all just get along and enjoy the heavens and avoid or ?
Posted 29 November 2013 - 01:07 PM
SCT's have one fatal flaw. They cannot hold their own against telescopes 10x their price.
they cannot hold even against cheaper newtonians. newtonians have smaller central obstruction, less light loss and scatter taht catadioptrics. imho only cat's pluss in general is their compact size. all another compared to newtonians and refractors, is minuses...
That does kind of go back to my point about their price. With an SCT, you get a build quality that you don't get in the cheaper newts. I would say the build quality of SCT's is well beyond the starting price newts. And after the starting price points, Newts jump. Personally, I think AT needs to boost the build quality and introduce premium imaging newts.
It's also nice to not need a coma corrector.
But, most people seem to be comparing Edge to refractors. An Edge vs a Newt would be an interesting shootout.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 01:17 PM
Just kidding of course. I had a 10 inch dob and while it showed more than the C8, it wasn't comfortable for me to use. I also didn't like that the optics were open and got dirty quickly.
Both designs have their benefits and while I may buy a bigger dob some time in the future, the C8 is the scope I use when I have more than an hour to view.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 01:26 PM
It's a very versatile design that gives a lot of options for visual and imagers alike. You just have to know how to treat them to get the best out of them.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 01:56 PM
Clear Skies,
Posted 29 November 2013 - 02:11 PM
I used to hate them. Then I bought one. The only mod I made was Bob's knobs, but it is rarely necessary to touch them.
Which is odd considering the main reason I never liked them before is because I had literally never looked through one that was properly collimated. Finally a friend (who knows how to properly collimate a scope) bought a used Dynamax and I was blown away by the sharpness of the image.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 02:15 PM
I believe the SCT has an excellent bang for the buck. The SCT has some of the larger after market accessories available to them. I am an amateur telescope maker and have made several newtonians but I still much prefer my SCT for viewing and imaging for these reasons.
Also collimation in an SCT is easier than a RC telescope. I have a 6" AT6RC and collimation is a HUGE pain the but. My C11 SCT holds collimation very well and produces excellent images. Plus my SCT central obstruction is considerably smaller than the Ritchey Chretien.
I dont understand the point of this thread. The SCT is an excellent scope for viewing and imaging. And if you dont like the heavy curvature of field for your SCT for imaging, get a good field flattener/focal reducer. There are plenty of them out there made JUST for them. Other telescopes dont have as many options IMHO.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 02:18 PM
Posted 29 November 2013 - 02:40 PM
Posted 29 November 2013 - 02:51 PM
They fill the need of people needing to get around to work, shopping kids from school and the occasional road trip. Good all around. Inexpensive, able to do most things well but not outstandingly.
SCTs are the telescopic version. A good scope to learn on and is all most people will ever need. Does imaging and visual; is easy to maintain and keep clean; and is useable most of the time.
Newtonians have the edge for imaging faint objects visually but are heavier and need more adjusting; Maksutovs also stay cleaner and well adjusted and are heavier and more expensive; corrected D/K's and R/C's are suited for demanding imaging with higher costs and less utility for visual use
Posted 29 November 2013 - 02:59 PM
Now you have your SCT.
And you start moding it. Bob's knobs is just for start.
Somewhere in the moding process, one might make it a Newtonian again!
Posted 29 November 2013 - 03:03 PM
be more real. look at interferometer test on mr. Rohr or on VAGO - these objectively show us most SCT "quality" - strehl ratio even without central obstruction be about 0.5 !
yes, there are some exemplars who show strehl about 0.85 and up, even 0.96 or so - but when we count central obstruction, who in general is larger than on newtonians, big problem with thermal equilibrium, a rough corrector plate plishing and so on - SCT have no chances to good newtonian, imho.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 03:08 PM
Nope. Apples to pomegranates.
Posted 29 November 2013 - 03:08 PM
built quality?
SCT have no chances to good newtonian, imho.
So... What is a good Newtonian?
Strehl doesn't matter if your focuser cannot hold your CCD camera.


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Is your town growing or shrinking? This map gives you an answer for your area — both now and 10 years ago.
Using data from the last census and a decade ago, the Census Bureau put together an interactive map showing the difference between where in the U.S. the population was booming 10 years ago (below) and where it's booming now (above).
Ten years ago, the fastest growing areas were in the American South and West, now though North Dakota and west Texas are the hot spots for growth, a trend the census bureau suggests has to do with economic growth in the energy industry. Ten years ago, North Dakota's population growth was mostly either negative or stagnant — now the Census bureau says that half of the 10 fastest growing areas of the country are located there.
Is your area on the map? Tag your locale and tell us whether your town is growing or shrinking — and just what you think is behind it.


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SoniaCrystall video. More videos (3)SoniaCrystall webcam
SoniaCrystall webcam
I am a very friendly and romantic person looking to meet people like me! Visit my private room and be convinced i'm the kinkiest girl on the face of Earth, i am a certified entertainer and you will be in good hands! I'm waiting for you darling! :*


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Bradley Cooper gets a different kind of hangover in his new movie.
In "Limitless," the "Hangover" star graduates from beer-guzzling, fun-loving dude to Eddie Morra, an author-turned-businessman who gets hooked on NZT, a drug that lets him use 100 percent of his brainpower. Before long, Eddie catches the attention of a Wall Street titan (Robert De Niro), the Russian mafia and some long-stemmed socialites.
His latest on-screen image came with new responsibilities. The Philly native is not only the star of the film, he's an executive producer as well. Cooper embraced the challenge of making the "hard" decisions while carrying the darkly comic thriller that opens Friday.
"I loved it," he said at a New York City news conference to support the film. "I love being a big part of the storytelling process. It really fulfills me. Whether or not I get that opportunity again, I don't know. I hope to. If this movie is successful, I probably will. If not, it will be harder to."
Chances are he will. Cooper, with his steely blue eyes and dusty blond hair, has movie-star looks and a successful comedy franchise in the form of "The Hangover" and this summer's "The Hangover II," which he refers to as "the 'Apocalypse Now' of comedy."
He has worked with some of the top show runners in TV, including Ryan Murphy ("Nip/Tuck") and J.J. Abrams ("Alias"), and co-starred in memorable movie romcoms such as "He's Just Not That Into You" and "All About Steve."
If that's not enough, Cooper holds his own opposite co-star and two-time Oscar winner De Niro in "Limitless." Cooper, an honors graduate of Georgetown (English degree) who earned his MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, considered De Niro his idol.
"That was just icing on the cake," Cooper said. "He's the reason I became an actor, pretty much. He came to our school and I asked him a question, which meant, like, the world to me. It was a wonderful experience working with him and I hope to do it a lot more in the future."
Cooper first met De Niro in 1999 when the Oscar winner recorded an episode of "Inside the Actors Studio" while Cooper was a student there. Cooper asked his idol about his technique in the film "Awakenings," and De Niro said it was a good question. It exceeded Cooper's wildest dreams.
Years later, in between "Wedding Crashers" and "The Hangover," Cooper sent De Niro a homemade audition tape to get cast in the actor/director's "Everybody's Fine." The tape earned Cooper a brief audience with De Niro, who told him, "Not gonna happen."
But Cooper campaigned hard for the role of Morra, who with the help of those NZT pills has the ability to recall everything he's ever seen, heard or read in any language.
"To play a guy who just goes from A to Z like that would be incredible," Cooper said. "I like the idea that when we meet him he's at a point where his life isn't fulfilled."
Given a chance, Cooper said, he would be interested in exploring the benefits of NZT. Becoming a better actor is one of Cooper's immediate goals, but he also has aspirations to direct and produce films. NZT, obviously, could help.
"I think, for sure, I'd try and learn as many languages as I could right away," he said. "I'd learn as many instruments as I could. ... But I would still be an actor and a director because I'd finally be getting off my ass and facing the fear.
"All I really want to do is direct movies anyway. I just haven't done it."
"One with a lot of laughter, where I'm amazed at how relaxed I am, where I have a sense of time changing."
Latest RedEye
—Bradley Cooper, describing his best date
"I can't answer that."
—Cooper, responding to a question about actress Renee Zellweger, with whom he has kept company for nearly two years


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Archibald Lox
Darren's new children's/YA fantasy series, about a young locksmith who discovers another universe. Expect at least three Volumes, with at least three books in each Volume.
Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds
Archibald Lox and the Empress of Suanpan
Archibald Lox and the Vote of Alignment
Darren Dash
Darren has now started publishing his adult books under the name of Darren Dash. As with Darren's other books for adults, these are not recommended for younger readers. If you wish to learn more, and be redirected towards the Darren Dash site, please click here: http://www.darrenshan.com/verify/
The Evil And The Pure
An Other Place
Midsummer's Bottom
Molls Like It Hot
A 12 book series (with a short, additional 13th book that takes place after book 6) about B Smith, a teenager who must struggle to find a place in a world of racism, zombies and darkness.
Zom-B Underground
Zom-B City
Zom-B Angels
Zom-B Baby
Zom-B Gladiator
Zom-B Circus
Zom-B Mission
Zom-B Clans
Zom-B Family
Zom-B Bride
Zom-B Fugitive
Zom-B Goddess
Hagurosan is a short book intended for reluctant readers and children with dyslexia.
Lady of the Shades
A one-off book for adults. Ed, an American author on the hunt for a story for his next book, arrives in London and finds himself in the middle of a situation far more twisted than any he has ever written about. Can YOU solve the mystery of the Lady of the Shades?!?
Lady Of The Shades
The Saga of Larten Crepsley
A 4 book series about Mr Crepsley's life before he met Darren Shan at the Cirque Du Freak. 200 years in the life of a tormented, valiant vampire. The final book, Brothers to the Death, debuts in the UK and USA simultaneously on 26th April 2012.
Birth Of A Killer
Ocean Of Blood
Palace Of The Damned
Brothers to the Death
The Thin Executioner
Jebel Rum is a thin, scrawny boy. His father is a famed executioner. When Jebel is humiliated in public, he sets off on a quest to gain great strength and invincibility. If successful, he will be able to compete in a gruelling contest to prove himself and replace his father as the wielder of the axe. Failure, on the other hands, means certain death...
The Thin Executioner
The City Trilogy
The City trilogy is a noirish, gritty urban fantasy for adults and older teenagers. Set in a city of merciless gangsters, mysterious Incan priests, and shadowy figures who belong body and soul to the world of the night. This is a dark, brutal series about power, corruption and the price of one's soul.
Procession of the Dead
Hell's Horizon
City of the Snakes
The Demonata
"The Demonata" is a ten-book series which takes readers into new realms and universes, all of them populated or threatened by demons. Fast-paced and bloody, horrific and fantastic, frightening and exciting. You might never look at the world in the same way again...
Lord Loss
Demon Thief
Blood Beast
Demon Apocalypse
Death's Shadow
Wolf Island
Dark Calling
Hell's Heroes
Koyasan was a book which I wrote for World Book Day in the UK and Ireland in March 2006. It has since been published in some other countries too, and is now on sale as a Kindle book on Amazon stores worldwide.
The Saga of Darren Shan
Darren Shan's an ordinary schoolboy, until he and his best friend Steve get tickets to the Cirque Du Freak. When they encounter a vampire among the performers, their lives are changed forever, and Darren is reborn as a child of the night...


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How To Find The Minecraft Area In Borderlands 2
Listing all of the pop culture references and silly nods in Borderlands 2 would take forever, so we decided to make a quick video of one of its biggest tributes. You may have heard about a hidden Minecraft area in Gearbox's huge sequel, and we're here to show you exactly how to reach it.
Watch below to learn about its location in Caustic Caverns, where you'll earn Minecraft head and outfit customizations by taking out some Creepers.


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Beginners Woodworking Plans – Finding the Best Plans to Start Woodworking
What may seem to be a complicated hobby at first, woodworking has had a long following among experts and beginners alike. Everybody needs to find have a place to start with though, and even experts can learn a thing or two from beginners woodworking plans if they are careful in their craft. The typical plans … Read more Hello world!


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The sun had already risen above the mountain tops and there was a lot of haze in the sky. It was the perfect place for breakfast on this, my last morning in the park!
I decided to revisit the Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace, specifically the Upper Terrace where there was actually a road that wound its way through the area. Driving the "long way" around, going south then west then north, it took me nearly 3 hours to reach the Terraces. Of course, I did stop a few times along the way...
And, wow, what a difference a day makes! With a good nights rest and better lighting conditions, the terraces looked completely different than they did the previous day.
Prospect Spring, which flows into the Highland Terrace, and those microscopic thermophiles that make it so colorful.
Leaves and twigs fall into the shallow waters and are transformed by the minerals in the water.
Thermophiles (those heat-loving microorganisms) create tapestries of color where hot water flows among the terraces. Colorless and yellow thermophiles grow in the hottest water; orange, brown, and green thermophiles thrive in cooler waters. The colors also change with the seasons.
The terraces are formed by a combination of factors: The hot water beneath the surface dissolves carbon dioxide that makes a solution of weak carbonic acid. As the solution rises through rock, it dissolves calcium carbonate, the primary compound in limestone. At the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine, the rock that forms the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.
There is a constant state of flux as the water moves over the surface and the terraces grow.
Over the years, the terraces grow and expand, encroaching on areas where trees had thrived.
The above photo was taken when I visited the park in July 1979. It is a lower angle and doesn't show as much of the "face" of the terraces but, with the position of the mountains in the background, I think it was taken in the same area as the next two photos.
Of course, 34 years have gone by, and some change was to be expected, but this is a lot of change! The Park Ranger stated that the boardwalk in this area has been moved back twice and will have to be moved again within a few years.
Growth and change, dependent upon the flow of water.
I was enthralled by the various colors of the pools of water in the smaller terraces.
And by what is left behind when the water no longer flows.
This visit to the Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces was the perfect ending to my short stay at Yellowstone National Park!


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This course examines and compares significant works of visual art, literature and philosophy produced in Europe during the eighteenth century. In the midst of radical changes in political institutions and social life, works of creative imagination such as paintings, novels and speculative essays helped to define and re-define the nature of "human nature." Although sometimes called an age of reason, this was equally an age of feeling and belief, and rational approaches to the improvement of human life went hand in hand with confidence in the truth of the emotions. An experimental attitude charges much of the religious, political and philosophical writing of the period, and "thought experiments" of various kinds were carried out in the subject matter and technical innovations of engravings, paintings and architectural designs. As we shall see, the idea that individual liberty should not be constrained by established doctrine is a major feature of intellectual and artistic discourse in this period, and one that was closely associated with the idea that human beings are fundamentally creatures of nature, subject to the laws of physics and driven by passions and appetites. Readings include philosophical tracts, novels, poetry, and art criticism by Winckelmann, Diderot and others. We will study paintings by Boucher, Fragonard, Greuze, Chardin, Joseph Wright, Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun and Angelica Kauffman, among others.
4. Modern and Contemporary
Course Requirements:
2 short papers; 2 slide-essay exams; 1 term paper (10 to 15 pages)
Intended Audience:
upper-level undergraduates
Class Format:
seminar, meets 1 ½ hours twice per week


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Military, Products
By By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief | April 25, 2013
Send Feedback
A full scale mock-up of Northrop Grumman's MQ-8C, the unmanned platform that is to succeed the MQ-8B, was on show earlier this month at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space exposition at National Harbor, Md. The MQ-8C is built around the Bell 407 helicopter while the MQ-8B was originally modeled around the Schweizer 333 platform (UTC absorbed Schweizer in August 2004 and the company is now a subsidiary of Sikorsky).
Michael Furqua, director of business development tactical unmanned systems, said of the MQ-8C: "This is the rotary wing UAV of the future. It will have 14 hours endurance and triple the payload of the MQ-8B—that's 600 lbs." The MQ-8B has an endurance of around eight hours with a 170-lb payload.
MQ-8C mock-up at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Expo. Photo by Andrew Drwiega
Fuqua said that the U.S. Navy currently operates 28 MQ-8Bs. The UAS has seen service in Afghanistan since May 2011, as well as Libya and Africa with AFRICOM (U.S. Africa Command). Missions have focused on Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations as well as over-watch with daily operations sometimes reaching up to 17 hours. Deployments have reportedly exceeded 500 flight hours and by the end of March 2013 the whole fleet had exceeded 8,000 flight hours. Ships such as the USS Robert Bradley have been conducting Fire Scout operations.
Although there has been widespread international interest in Northrop Grumman's MQ-8B/C program, international export is restricted by the Missile Technology Control Agreement (MTCA), under which UAS are classified. Fuqua said that there were potential exceptions within this understanding depending on the country.
The MTCA is self-described as an "informal and voluntary association of countries which share the goals of non-proliferation of unmanned delivery systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction." Within its classifications is the following: "Category I items include complete rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems (including ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles, sounding rockets, cruise missiles, target drones, and reconnaissance drones)."
Fuqua added that, "porting architecture from the MQ-8B to the MQ-8C is the key to success—and with non-recurring costs."
In March the U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $71-million contract for a further six MQ-8Cs (bringing the total on order to 14) with a target fleet size of 30 of the larger Fire Scouts. However, sequestration cuts look to reduce the number of MQ-8 UAS purchased over the next few years as follows: FY13 – six; FY14 – one; FY15 – five; FY16 – eight; FY17 – two; and FY18 – two (source: Department of the Navy FY14 President's Budget, April 10, 2013).
Related: Unmanned News


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share(redirected from sharable)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia.
A certificate giving the person or company listed a portion of ownership in a stock, mutual fund, or some other investment vehicle. A share is the smallest unit of ownership. They may be bought or sold on or off an exchange.
1. A single unit of a class of ownership in a corporation, represented by a stock certificate.
2. A single unit of ownership in a mutual fund.
3. The portion of a market controlled by a particular firm.
A share is a unit of ownership in a corporation or mutual fund, or an interest in a general or limited partnership. Though the word is sometimes used interchangeably with the word stock, you actually own shares of stock.


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I suppose I could be a tad blinded by Jeff Teague's second-round production in these playoffs, but it's not as if the 16/2.5/4, with 1.5 steals he's averaged after four postseason games against the Bulls is somehow disconnected from his future. This time last year, after the Hawks took flight from the postseason, then-coach Mike Woodson said he'd give Teague "first crack" at starting in 2010. Then Woodson was fired. So there went that … until co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. re-iterated Woodson's plan. So they tried him out, ran him hard in the preseason and he stunk. They went with Mike Bibby instead and tried out Teague again in February. And he stunk. So then they went with Hinrich. Then Hinrich hurt himself against Orlando and Atlanta chad no choice but turn to Teague in the Chicago series. And even though Teague's season hasn't ended yet, the 22-year-old has already shown he can play in this league. So what might Teague offer fantasy owners next season?
/Looks at what Teague might offer fantasy owners next season. Frowns. Re-checks the stats sheets. Pours a shot of leftover Kentucky Derby bourbon. Then another. Remembers that bourbon tastes like ignited hair. Runs to the kitchen sink. Dunks head under faucet. Loses breath. Gets water inside eardrum. Now everything is muffled. Tries to remember what caused all this. Remembers Jeff Teague.\ Okay, first the bad (and most of it is bad). Teague played in 70 games, all but seven coming on as a reserve. He averaged four more minutes and two more points this year than in '09 and boosted his FG% from an atrocious .396 to a terrible .438. The bright side is, his PER went up, his ORtg went up, his USG% went up and he displayed better defense during the 2010 regular season than he did a season earlier. Now, of course, those increases are inches in a game of miles. At 14 mpgs, Teague was like a middle-aged white guy and the Hawks were a Sly Stone concert: he just couldn't find his rhythm. Teague shot .485 from the floor in his final year at Wake Forest, and one should assume he'll climb his way back near that level over the next few years. Split the difference between his last college year and his first two pro years (.420) and it's not too much to imagine him shooting at least .440 next season. Mingle that in with his improved defensive rating (105) that proved to be better than Kirk Hinrich's (109) and we might be onto something. Again, the Hawks brass have said they want Teague to helm the team in the future, not Hinrich (a player many have labeled as a great back-up anyway). J.T. was rough in 2010, but he's played better in his last four games than either Bibby or Hinrich in any four-game stretch this season – and in a much higher-stakes situation. I'd rather own Teague's 14/3/5 upside in 2011, than Hinrich's guaranteed 10/3/4.


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James Franco, one of the hardest working men in Hollywood and guy whose interests run far broader and deeper than your average A-list hunk, has set his sights on adapting perhaps the darkest novel by one of America's greatest living writers.
Franco plans to direct a big-screen version of "Child of God," Cormac McCarthy's 1974 novel about a truly vile human being. From CormacMcCarthy.com, which called "Child of God" McCarthy's "most extreme challenge to the limits of propriety," comes this description:
Its hero, Lester Ballard, is a murderer and necrophile, expelled from the human family and eventually living in underground caves, which he peoples with his trophies: giant stuffed animals won in carnival shooting galleries and the decomposing corpses of his several shot victims, male and female. This is the child of God.
U.S. & World
The announcement, such as it is, came in response to a fan at the Toronto International Film Festival asking if rumors of Franco adapting McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" were true.
"We shot a 20 minute test of it ("Blood Meridian") that turned out pretty well," said Franco, according to We Got This Covered. "We were gearing up to do the feature but that for various reasons is on hold, but we are going to make a movie based on his (Cormac McCarthy's) third book, 'Child Of God.'"
We read this book nearly 20 years ago, and we can assure that it's as disturbing and haunting as the above paragraph suggests. Would it make a good film? Hard to say...
McCarthy has had three other novels made into movies, "All the Pretty Horses," "The Road" (which won McCarthy the Pulitzer Prize) and "No Country for Old Men," which earned the Coen Brothers Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture at the 2008 Oscars.


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1. The Production Supervisor/Manager reports directly and immediately to the person performing the "Produced by"/Line Producer or UPM functions.
2. The Production Supervisor/Manager has the primary responsibility for the logistics of the production of the motion picture, from pre-production through the completion of production.
1. The Production Coordinator reports to the person(s) receiving the "Produced by"/Line Producer credit, or the Production Supervisor/Manager or UPM.
2. The Coordinator interacts with various studio and production departments concerning any and all logistics of production and is responsible for facilitating production requirements including, but not limited to, equipment contracts, purchase orders, film inventory, insurance, day player contracts, crew deal memos, travel and shipping, call sheets, production reports, cast and crew lists, and compliance with various union report requirements.
1. The Post Production Supervisor reports directly to the "Produced by"/Line Producer.
2. The Post Production Supervisor is responsible for the coordination and oversight of the entire post production process, but not primarily as a production company executive.
1. The Post Production Coordinator reports directly to the Post Production Supervisor.
2. The Coordinator is responsible for facilitating post production functions as assigned by the Post Supervisor, which can involve interaction with various studio and post production departments concerning any and all aspects of the logistics of post production, such as working with the vendors, helping prepare day player contracts and crew deal memos, scheduling ADR, making travel arrangements, distributing paperwork, maintaining crew lists, etc.
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8/24/2020Windows On Series: Current Opportunities for Producing Muslim Content, Here and Abroad - 8/24
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Jay-Z & J. Cole Performing A Star Is Born Live (First Time On Stage Together)
Jay-Z @ Penn State - A Star Is Born (ft. J.Cole). Shout out to Mr. Exclusive
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These Poetic Geniuses Wrote Your Favorite Songs of All Time
List Rules Vote on whether or not you think the songwriters should be considered the best of all time
If you ask anyone who has ever tried, it's tough to write one song, nevertheless a batch to be considered a songwriter. Add to the mix that the song actually getting recorded and becoming a hit, it's pretty hard to be a great songwriter. Yet that's what make the greatest songwriters different from Average Joe who has tried to pen a song. The best songwriters usually have written multiple hits that not only their most ardent fans know, but also casual listeners.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney are considered two the best songwriters. The Beatles were fueled by this legendary duo's prowess and are debatably the greatest band because these two outstanding songwriters.
Similarly to Lennon and McCartney, Bob Dylan is another songwriter who can be considered one of the greatest of all time. Dylan's songwriting introduced powerful imagery and themes that were deeply layered within the context of his writing. His songwriting influenced an entire generation of bands, songwriters and fans, including another member of this list, Bruce Springsteen.This is the Ultimate List of the greatest songwriters of all time. Everyone on this list is considered one of the best at his or her craft. Vote for the songwriter who you think is the greatest, which shouldn't be too easy with a list like this one.


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Puffin Brooch Badge, Bird Brooch, Gifts for Mum, For Her, Gift for Girls
Puffin brooch badge, the design is hand-painted onto a mini ceramic tile and fired to give a lovely glossy finish, a brooch pin is securely attached to the back of the little tile. It comes with a display card and gift box.
A great gift for bird lovers!
Each brooch measures approx 2.5cm x 2.5cm.
Made in Mundesley, North Norfolk, UK.
It will be posted first class Royal Mail within the UK and standard airmail to all other locations.
Shipping & delivery
This item will be posted to you by Puffin Cove within 3 days of receiving payment.
|Shipping destination
|Additional items
|United Kingdom
Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, France, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Austria, Latvia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar
|United States
|Rest of the World
Returns Policy
You have 14 days, from receipt, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item.
Unless faulty, the following types of items are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements; items which deteriorate quickly (e.g. food), personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken.


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One thing that's not in short supply during rock singer Adam Lambert's performances on the "American Idols Live" Tour -- underwear.
The openly gay American Idol contestant dished in an interview with Details magazine that he's bombarbed with intimate items from both men and women while performing onstage.
Fans' offerings include everything from lacy bras to a jock strap that boasted "JOCKS LOVE ADAM" in sequins, according to Details.
U.S. & World
But Lambert doesn't just store the underpinnings for a later laugh -- he uses them as props onstage. "A lot of times I'll pick up a bra and play with it during a song. It's a way to connect. It's like, 'I threw my bra up onstage and you're spinning it around. Cool. Yay."
The rocker said is particularly pleased with the female attention, given his sexuality.
"I think it's weird that I'm having this effect on women. It's flattering... I think it's beautiful. That's the way it should be. It shouldn't matter what a person's sexual preference is. It doesn't change their appeal."
Lambert was one of the favorites to win last season's "American Idol," but came in second to eventual winner Kris Allen.


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Well that info card makes him a bit better imo. I'm diggin the green energy weapons that he will come with! Stuff like that totally fits a time traveler dude.
Well that info card makes him a bit better imo. I'm diggin the green energy weapons that he will come with! Stuff like that totally fits a time traveler dude.
wait, the mini cosmic key looking thing is now a pseudo Lightsaber/lightwhip?
FINALLY!! GLIMMER IS IN MY SHELF!! Crita is coming... Now I NEED SONGSTER! The Awesometastic Bard!
as a super hero character to go up against such people as Spider-Man or the X-Men then he looks fine, no worse than a lot of official super hero characters
as a MOTU character I do not like him, his design just doesn't say MOTU to me at all
I rather like the character. I know some people aren't interested in anything that isn't from their preferred "era" but this guy is cool. I am interested in his bio, how they work him in, and I think it could be cool. One of the things I enjoyed about Star Wars was the diverse character assortment. I don't see why we can't have the same in MOTUC. This isn't a knock on anyone's opinions, it's just that I think he will be a cool addition. If we want MOTU to last, and last a long time, obviously we need somewhat of an "expanded universe". Will this hurt sales? maybe, but I don't see why. I just think he looks cool. I admit, I was never a fan of Fearless Photog, a guy with a camera for a head doesn't appeal to me much, but Mighty Spector does. He has an aura of mystery behind him it seems, and a very cool addition in my opinion.
ACtually I like the concept drawning MUCH more than the figure.
SO maybe it is the 4 horsemen scuplt that exceptionally doesn't catch the atmosphere of the MightY Spector.
By the way I can't allow the spade symbol on his chest, unless he has some connection with the Earth Poker players of Texas Hold'em. And this is UNLIKELY.
I don't like him to be honest and he's an easy pass. He does look like a Marvel/DC character and does not look like a MOTUC character to me.
I also don't like this figure at all, and I was going to say that maybe the 4H should've done some kinda revamp to him or something to update his look to be more MOTU, but it looks like they (or someone) tried to do that with the drawing on the previous page, and it still doesn't work.
Glad there are some who dig him, but he looks way more like a DC/Marvel villain to me.
also may i make a note with the whole proportion thing in mind it is pretty amazing how well the NA and POP design hold up even when you apply these proportions to them....
that says ALOT about design...
Be apart of the "Gatchgrey and Royal-T present: the Bug-Shido Staction Character Contest"
details here http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/...d.php?t=176988
*Adding Marvel's Constrictor to list of comic characters this figure combines*...
I'm all for diversity in the line. And I would even love to see the Meteorbs re-done here. But this character doesn't work for me at all. Since I'm gonna get the figure through the sub, I'm most likely gonna use Bow's non-mustache head and a couple Weapons Pak items to turn Spector into something that at least kind of fits into my display.
"Why's Dragstor riding on Night Stalker?" "Cause he can."
Easy pass.
Glad for the people who like the doll though.
Would prefer some Filmation (e.g. Shokoti) & mini-comic characters (e.g. Lodar) soon.
Funny Fan Fic: Meet the Rea-Por! (Heroic & Villainous Deaths) & The Mighty Spector's FIRST EVER FAN-FIC
& not so funny Fan Fic: War of Attrition
Trade feedback & WANTED: Bow/SLL style boots!
This "Mighty" Spector figure is made almost exclusively with parts that are reused. Only some small accessories (and maybe some work on the head, which seems to be based on the Faceless One) are new.
I don't think this is worth my hard earned money. You want my money, Mattel ? Then you'd better create COOL and AWESOME characters, with enough new parts to make them stand out !
Spector is not worth the price we pay (20 or 30 dollars, or even much more). I feel he's a ripoff, to be perfectly honest.
I don't like the fact that Mattel tries to cover the lack of genius of this figure by making him an important character with his biography.
I also resent the fact that he's called a time traveller when it is Eldor, with his Book of Living Spells, who has the power to change the past, the present and the future, and Gwildor who can travel through dimensions with the cosmic key. As such, Spector is redundant. I'd have prefered an Eldor figure to this Marvel or DC superhero design.
In my opinion, Spector is one of the weakest figures so far. Only Mo-Larr is worse, I think.
I won't buy this figure, no matter if he's the son of Skeletor, a powered-up Lt. Spector or anything else. And ot doesn't matter to me that the bio makes him a powerful and important character.
To me, this figure is not worthy of a 30th anniversary figure. There will be 2 figures "created by Mattel". We saw the first one. I'm already scared to discover the second one...
If this trend (poor design, cheap figures) continues, along with Mattel's antics (price increase, veiled threats about subscriptions, alienation of the cherry pickers and of the international fans), I don't see a long survival for this line.
Now, if some people are happy with him, then fine. But my personal opinion won't change. Easy pass, epic fail.
Last edited by Prahvus; September 25, 2011 at 02:29pm.
No Illumina, because of "lack of support" and yet this...this...GARBAGE is being produced???
Bland design. Amalgamation of too many existing characters. Nothing "MOTU" about this thing.
Mattel has further cemented my satisfaction in forgoing the 2012 Subscription.
They better under-produce the heck out of this...thing. Otherwise, it'll be in the store forever.
Successful trades/purchases
Squishy Duck Man, Man-E-Toys, JOAH-MAN, Jawbridge, Zuff-Man, Mern-Ra, He-Ryno, tattoojunkie74, zodak74, bigassbuzz
Last edited by RockinHard; September 25, 2011 at 02:53pm. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
To me he simply isn't MOTU...and this is worst if you think that it's a 30th anniversary! Personally I expected something different...
Epic fail! Worst figure to date...
Plain design and coloration, nothing that gives me the impression of being a MOTU character.
It would be okay, if TG`s figure would be a killer, but it isn`t...
This is not the method to promote a sub...
Can't say i'm very keen on Spector at all. He would fit better as a Galactic Guardian than a Heroic Warrior but the design seems a bit bland and 90s superheroish to me.
I'm at the con, seeing it in person. The more I look at it, the more I like it. Not my favorite figure, but the accessories are really cool. Not so sure about the spade on his chest, but I like the vibrant colors.
Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.
You can join the Illumina Facebook page here!
Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.
You can join the Illumina Facebook page here!


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Breast changes
Your breasts will get bigger. They may be sore sometimes. Your nipples will probably get darker. You might see bumps and veins that weren't there before. It's all a natural part of being pregnant, and a sign that your body is preparing to breastfeed your baby. If some of these changes bother you, there are things you can do to feel better.
- Wear a bra that gives you good support. Padded shoulder straps and bras made from cotton are the most comfortable.
- Try wearing a sleep bra at night.
- Buy a bigger bra. You might need to go up a cup size more than once.
- Consider buying some nursing bras. You'll need them later, anyway!
- If your breasts are leaking, you can buy breast pads to put inside your bra.


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HomeReady® Mortgages
HomeReady® is built for today's home buyers. HomeReady® offers expanded eligibility for financing homes in designated low-income, minority, and disaster-impacted communities. This program is ideal for first-time home buyers.
Features of a HomeReady® Mortgage:
Extended households may help you qualify
If your household includes members who won't be included on the mortgage – such as relatives or roommates – their income may help you qualify.
Others who don't live in the home can join you on the mortgage
Co-borrowers on a HomeReady® Mortgage are not required to live in the home, so relatives or other individuals may assist you with your home purchase.
Low down payment option available
Ideal for home buyers who cannot afford to make a large down payment
Homeownership education to help you succeed
Convenient online education that prepares you to buy a home and own a home for the long run.
Savings over the life of the loan
With private mortgage insurance that may cost less over time – may be eligible to be cancelled once 20% home equity is reached, unlike mortgage insurance on government-insured loans.
HomeReady® is a registered trademark of Fannie Mae.


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Bad Bad Leroy Brown™ is a specially formulated low bleed, high pigment, non-phthalate plastisol screen printing ink. Its creamy texture makes it easier to print using either automatic or manual screen printing presses.
Need more than a quart? Get ICC 788 Brown Plastisol Ink!
Type: Plastisol Ink
With Bad Bad Leroy Brown™, you'll get better performance, production speed and excellent penetration into fabrics when printing through fine mesh counts. It is designed to print easily, allowing you to use a finer screen mesh to achieve the same opacity. That means less ink is needed, and prints are thinner, with a softer feel.
Bad Bad Leroy Brown™ is ready-to-use, with a medium gloss finish.
It can be used on 100% cotton and 50/50 poly/cotton blends.
A Poly White underbase is recommended for 100% Polyester.
Underbasing with white is recommended on dark fabrics.
It flashes very fast and cures with excellent wash-fastness.
Plastisol screen printing ink for apparel is brighter and more opaque than water-based screen printing inks. It holds up better under pressure and fades less, ensuring that your shirts can be worn for years.
There's a reason that most of the shirts you see in stores are printed with plastisol ink.
Plastisol pops with bright, luscious color.
It's a durable and reliable choice that makes creating shirts easier.
Professional screenprinters love it because it doesn't dry in the screen or container.
It doesn't erode the emulsion on your screen, so you can print a lot more shirts without adding an emulsion hardener.
It's easy to clean up with merchmakr™ Wipe Out™ press wash.
|Recommended Fabrics
|100% cotton, some cotton/polyester blends and polyester. Always test print fabric before beginning a production run.
|Ink Application
|Bad Bad Leroy Brown™ can be printed right out of the containers without any modifications. If thinning is desired for special applications, use ICC 1110LF Curable Reducer for best results. For softer feeling prints, add 10% to 20% by volume, to the ink. Reducing the ink withICC 1110LF Curable Reducer and using finer screen meshes can also greatly improve the softness of the finish print.
|If thinning is required, use 1% to 10% by weight of ICC 1110LF Curable Reducer. Adding any reducers or additives can lower the bleed resistance, opacity, or increase cure times of ink. STIR the ink prior to printing on press and after addition of reducers or additives.
|Screen Mesh
|Standard colors: 110 to 305 t/in or 43-120 t/cm Monofilament
High Pigment colors: 61 to 110 t/in or 24-43 t/cm Monofilament
|Any direct or indirect lacquer proof emulsion.
Use 20 to 30 micron capillary film for light colored fabrics and 35 to 70 micron film for dark fabrics.
|70 durometer sharp edge squeegee.
|Cure Temperatures
|325°F (163°C) entire ink film. Test dryer temperatures before a production run. Wash test printed product before beginning production run.
|Any environmentally friendly plastisol screen wash. For best results, use Merchmakr™ Wipe Out™ Press Wash.
|65° to 90°F (18° to 32°C) Avoid storage in direct sunlight. Keep containers well sealed.
Adding any reducers or additives can lower bleed resistance, reduce opacity, or increase cure times of the ink. Always stir the ink prior to printing and after the addition of reducers or additives.
Test dryer temperatures and wash test printed product before and during a production run.
This product will spot dry, with a very low after flash tack. Dwell time is dependent on the spot dryer used. In some cases, you may have to lower the heat of the spot cure unit because too much heat may actually make the ink tacky. When you spot dry, you are only partially fusing or gelling the surface of the ink. The ink should just be dry to the touch, with no lift off, but not totally fused. Totally fusing the underprint white may cause inter-coat adhesion problems with the inks printed on top of the white ink. Final fusing or curing will occur in the dryer.


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While the IMF seem to be more aware of the scale of the problem than the Spanish government currently are, they do seem to be putting all of the emphasis for recovery on some much needed labour market reforms, but personally I don't think even these are playing in the right ball park, we need a big picture "breakout" escape plan, to cut loose from the pincers of cash drought, corporate bankruptcy, construction dependency, large scale contraction and price deflation. It's a big mess, and will need an equally bold and ambitious plan to get to grips with it.
One point which is obvious at this stage is that Spanish government forecasting - which has currently built a 1% expansion into the 2009 budget - is getting ever more out of line with the economic dynamic. Really this is the first thing which has to change. Spain urgently needs someone leading the country who is able to turn the page, put some realistic numbers on the table, and try to work to meet objectives, instead of simply failing to achieve them time after time. What do I mean by this, well, if you seriously think that the contraction next year will be of 2% of GDP then it is better to say 3%, and beat your target, than say its going to be 1% growth and come in with a 2% contraction. Not only will your citizens be getting more and more fed up with all of this (and the impact on morale should not be treated lightly) but much more to the point, since Spain is heavily dependent on foreign finance to buy the debt that the government is going to need to issue (see more below) to finance the fiscal deficit, then each and every failure to achieve target is likely to be punished with a higher cost of financing debt (as the yield spread on the risk rises). So as well as the credibility cost, this kind of playing fast and loose with the forecast is now likely to carry a real financial cost.
Of course, in true wooden-bureaucrat style (where are we here, back in the old USSR?) a spokeswoman who declined to be named in line with ministry policy informed Bloomberg that while the Finance Ministry shares the IMF's analysis of the economic situation, it doesn't back the specific IMF forecasts on growth and the budget deficit. Obviously the spokeswoman not only decline to be named, she also declined to enter the Byzantine discussion of how it is possible to share the analysis without sharing the conclusions. On the other hand the man who is hotly rumoured to be pencilled in as Pedro Solbes successor in the next facelift - Economy Secretary David Vegara - was rather more elegant when questioned about the estimate by reporters "To me it's reasonable, I always think the IMF and OECD do their work with first class technical groups,". Exactly, although of course, in the forecasting game even the best of technical teams can get it wrong, which is what the IMF allow for when they talk about "downside risk".
Vergara was also of interest yesterday insofar as he specifically denied that Spain faced a deflation problem, although he did admit that inflation was likely to reach a very low level. I think, yet one more time, this is "ostrichism" (avestruzeria), since the drop in prices is now so evident, and the contraction in Spain is going to be so sharp, that Spain has to be the one developed economy where price deflation is now a near certainty, and you can quote me on that. As I go to my local bar for the morning coffee, I always take a look to see whether the 1.15 euros they currently charge for a cafe con leche has been brought down to 1.10 euros. Not yet of course, but when will that happen? In March? In June? I bet it happens before August next year (and I will report). And when it goes down to 1.10 euros, the next move will be 1.05 euros, and so on..... depending on just how long the deflation continues.
So Just How Much Will The Spanish Economy Contract In 2009?
Well, I think this is a very hard question to answer. I think a 1% contraction is a done deal, and my own previous best guess was in the 3% to 5% contraction range, which is, of course, very strong indeed. And there I was happy to leave it, until that is Deutsche Bank came out with their latest 2009 forecast for the German economy, where chief economist Norbert Walter has said that Germany's gross domestic product could contract by as much as 4 percent next year. This has to be "bottom of the range" estimate, but then, it might happen, I mean these are not just numbers spun out of thin air, they are backed by analysis, German manufacturing is contracting very rapidly at the moment (but not as rapidly as Spanish manufacturing). The German government itself is forecasting a 1% contraction, and the IFO institute came out today with 2% contraction for 2009 estimate (the median forecast?). At this point I won't go so far as to modify my original forecast for Spain, but what I will say is that if German GDP contracts by 4% in 2009, then Spain's will contract in the 5% to 7% range, since on every important reading Spain is contracting more rapidly than Germany at this point, and there really is no bottom in sight, just what appears to be a "black hole", sucking us down.
But what About The Sovereign Debt? What Is Going On With All That Government Spending?
This I think is the big point.
At the risk of boring to tears all my regular readers I would first like to stress that what we have in Spain is not a simple garden-variety housing correction. Spain is a country which was allowed across the 2000-2007 period to develop massive macroeconomic imbalances, which to some extent were reflected in a huge housing boom. But the imbalances (current account deficit of 10% of GDP, massive migrant flows - 5 million people in 8 years, rapidly rising household and corporate debt - rising at 20% pa, and reaching around 90% and 120% of GDP in 2008 respectively) and not the housing are the key to the problem. Thus Spain's economy is not reeling under the weight of the unwinding of the property boom, but rather Spain's property boom is reeling under the impact of the unwinding of the macro imbalances, and this unwinding became more or less inevitable once the US sub prime crisis broke out in August 2007. I think it is no accident that the two countries who noticed most the shell shock from the sub prime turmoil were Spain and Kazakhstan, since these two countries were the most dependent on selling some type of paper or other in the wholsale money markets to finance their imbalances, and the doors to these markets effectively closed in September 2007.
So what we need to think about is the impact Spain's financial system problem is having (due to difficulties in financing the current account deficit) on the housing bubble and the construction industry, since this I think is the way the causal arrow works in this case, and not the other way round. And it has been the failure to appreciate this causal chain, in my opinion, that has lead so many people to have had so much difficulty understanding the extent of the problem we have here in Spain.
Basically the housing boom had masked the enormous problem Spain had acculumlated in terms of its current account deficit, for the simple reason the funds which were happily flowing in to fuel the boom meant the books balanced easily enough each and every month. But once people became just a little bit nervous about what was happening to that boom, and how sustainable it was, the flow of funds suddenly dried up, just like that, in September 2007, and the size of the hole in the flagship side suddenly became apparent. Since that time the bilge pumps have been busily trying to drain all the water which has been flowing in, but alas without notable success.
When I say the bilge pumps have been working, I am talking about attempts by the ECB and others to provide liquidity to the Spanish banking system, but if we look at what has been happening to lending in Spain in recent months, we will see that this particular cocktail still isn't managing to reach the parts "the other beers cannot reach". Below we have a chart (based on Bank of Spain data) which shows net additional lending to households on a monthly basis.
What is clear from a quick glance is that lending since June has been virtually stationary, which means basically new funding is being provided for mortgages only at the same rate as old ones are paid up. This effectively means that if something can't be paid for in cash or with a credit card, then it really isn't being sold, and every time less so. To get things in perspective, new lending to households was running at the rate of about 10 billion euros a month up to the summer of 2007. It also means that a business sector which had become accustomed to having new business at the rate of 10 billion euros a month has no found itself with virtually nothing (as I say, simply the business you can do on the basis of recycling the old credits which are being paid off).
But there is new money every month, the CA deficit (which is reducing) is being squared, so where is the new money going. Well that's easy isn't it, it's going to the government to finance the growing deficit, and to Spain's corporates, who need to keep refinancing all that debt, debt which is only mounting, of course, because no one has money to buy the products they want to buy... and why, you may ask, don't they have money? Because the money needs to go to keep the companies afloat, or to fund government rescue plans, to help the firms (possibly via the banks) who can't sell becuse the customers don't have money to buy. Oh, I see.
Of course the solution to this macarbre vicious circle is not to lend the money to the customers who are in any event far to deep in debt, but to reduce the current account deficit which lies at the heart of the problem, possibly by encouraging some people abroad to borrow a bit more money, and then selling them something they need, at a price they may be interested in. It's called "export".
In fact Spanish corporates received a net 19 billion in additional lending over the three month July-September (while households received a net 800 million) but as we can see, all this extra debt isn't moving us forwards very fast, and indeed we are actually going backwards.
As I say, Spain's big problem is the current account deficit, which reached 10% of GDP last year (see chart above). At the present time this deficit is dropping slightly as imports collapse, but it is not falling as fast as it should be, and meantime, as I am saying, the Spanish government is raising its borrowing needs. Spain has movied in 2008 from having a 2% of GDP surplus in January to a 3% deficit in December (ie a shift of 5% of GDP), in 2009 we will move up to at least 5% (as the IMF suggest, and we could even move higher depending on what happens to GDP).
The fiscal response has been swift and large. The government has taken 4 percent of GDP in structural measures for 2008-09 to assist the economy-bigger than many EU partners and ahead in timing. Together with automatic stabilizers, this results in deficits of 3 percent of GDP in 2008 and over 5 percent in 2009-a swing of more than 7 percent of GDP in the headline balance (compared with an end-November 2008 estimate of 1¾ percent for the euro area as a whole). While the mission notes the focus in the 2009 package on spending for labor-intensive local public works, the authorities need to ensure that this is channeled to its most productive use. The mission sees this fiscal effort (with built-in unwinding as the exit strategy) as temporarily boosting demand.
IMF Article IV Consultation: December 2008
So in 2010 we could find ourselves with a CA deficit of around 8% of GDP and a government fiscal deficit rising up into the 5% to 7% region. If this does prove to be the case, then I think the financial markets are absolutely going to see red (there are already problems with the eurozone sovereign 10 year bond spreads, see the charts below - click on the image to see it better) and Spain could find itself just where Hungary was in 2006.
As ECB Council Member Jürgen Stark said in an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, the environment for conducting economic policies, and in particular monetary and fiscal policies, has now become extremely "challenging". One part of this challenge is going to be the funding of all the extra borrowing that euro-area governments will need to do to make good on all their promised support for the banking system, most notably the funds for recapitalization and guarantees for interbank loans. Stark estimate that to date, the envelope of funds for possible recapitalizations and guarantees amounts to some €2 trillion, or roughly 20% of euro-area GDP. This is a very large number.
As Stark also notes many euro-area governments failed to use the past boom times to consolidate their public finances (although this was not especially the Spanish case). As a consequence, many euro zone governments are now entering the current downturn with high deficit and debt ratios. Given the weak growth ahead and the costs of the bank bailouts, these ratios are inevitably set to rise. Stark estimates that in a year's time the deficits in many euro-area countries will be between 5% and 7%, up from around 3% now, while public debt may rise by 10 to 20 percentage points. Again these numbers are very large, and financing them is going to be, as Stark would say "challenging".
As can be seen from the chart above, interest-rate spreads for government bonds are already high (and rising) in a number euro-area countries, and I would draw special attention here to the cases of Greece and Italy, since they have been constantly warned about the danger of this kind of development. And governments are having growing difficulty selling paper, as both the Netherlands and Austria found out this week. The Dutch government failed to raise as much as it had targeted for three bonds - maturing over five, six and seven years, respectively - while the Austrian government saw one of the weakest auctions in years for 12-year paper. These difficulties highlight the potential problems that may be faced with the vast pipeline of government and government-backed debt following the announcements of big fiscal packages to stimulate economies and bail out banks.
And analysts are warning that while the problem isn't a big one right now, these early signs of stress, following so closely on the back of the announcement of big fiscal stimulus programmes, are a clear warning of potential problems next year when record volumes of debt are due to be issued. More than $1,000bn of government debt is expected to be raised in Europe in 2009, while close to $2,000bn is forecast in the US.
The Austrian government found itself forced to pay 13 basis points more than comparable 12-year bonds for its €1.1bn issue, while the Dutch government only managed to raise a total of €2.46bn for the three bonds being sold after indicating that it wanted between €2.5bn and €3.5bn. Since the Netherlands is normally considered one of the strongest and safest of credits,then frankly this does not augur well.
The thing is, Spain's downturn is now pushing the country's former fiscal rectitude into the distant past of historical memory. Worse, the debt is being levered up, not to buy a piece of the future for a country in the process of a thoroughgoing renewal, but rather to keep one group of already moribund and walking dead corporates alive, just as long as it remains possible to keep selling Spanish Sovereign debt at prices which don't swallow up most government revenue simply paying off the debt. But as those spreads move skywards that point will be reached, most probably in 2011. By which time Spain will be perfectly poised for one of those classic twin deficit national-bankruptcy scenarious financial crisis theorists like to write so much about.
Short-run fiscal policies need to be embedded in a long-run context to explain how the debt can be lowered once the economy stabilizes. Public debt, while still manageable, is poised to jump. To boost confidence in light of high aging costs, the authorities should present a plan how to lower the debt again once activity stabilizes, including with pension reform. The mission encourages the authorities to develop an intertemporal public sector balance sheet for publication in the annual budget. It would show the debt already incurred, and also the present value of the projected stream of future deficits (a forward-looking debt) under unchanged policies. This provides perspective on long-run fiscal sustainability.
IMF Article IV Consultation: December 2008
Keynes once recommended paying people to dig holes in the ground and fill them in again rather than leaving them languishing on the dole. The Spanish government seem to have gone one stage further, they are only paying us to dig the hole, there is no plan to fill it in again, unless that is they have a prepaid contract with Komatsu or Caterpillar to come over (in the eventuality this is needed, which it will be) with some earth moving equipment, and shove the soil back in to bury the lot of us.


text:
Download Tender Is the Night Study Guide
(Critical Survey of Literature for Students)
Rosemary Hoyt is just eighteen years old, dewy fresh and full of the promise of beautiful maturity. In spite of her youth, she is already a famous actor, and her film Daddy's Girl is all the rage. She has traveled to the south of France with her mother for a rest after having become very ill as a result of her diving repeatedly into a Venice canal during the shooting of the motion picture.
At the beach, Rosemary meets Dick Diver and suddenly realizes that she is in love. After she becomes well acquainted with the Divers, she also comes to like Diver's wife, Nicole, a strikingly beautiful woman, and Dick and Nicole's two children. Rosemary's mother approves of Dick. At one of the Divers's famous parties, Rosemary tells Dick outright that she loves him, but he makes light of her declaration.
During the party another guest, Mrs. McKisco, sees Nicole behaving hysterically in the bathroom, and on the way home she tries to talk about it with her husband and Tommy Barban, a war hero. Tommy makes her keep silent. Resenting Tommy's interference, Mr. McKisco provokes a quarrel with him that ends in a duel in which several shots are exchanged but no one is hurt. Rosemary is greatly moved by the incident.
Rosemary travels to Paris with the Divers, where they all attend a round of parties and tours. She makes frequent advances to Dick, but he puts her off, apathetically, until one day a young college man tells of an escapade in which Rosemary was involved. Then Dick begins to desire the young woman. Although their brief love affair is confined to furtive kisses in hallways, Nicole becomes suspicious.
An acquaintance of Dick, Abe North, a brawling composer, offends two black men and involves a third in the dispute. While Dick is in Rosemary's hotel room, Abe brings one of the black men to the room to ask Dick's help in resolving the mess. Dick goes with Abe to his own room, leaving the black man in the corridor. The two other black men then kill the waiting man and lay his bleeding body on the bed in Rosemary's room. When the body is found, Dick carries it into the hall and then takes Rosemary's bedspread to his bathtub to wash it out. Seeing the bloody bedspread, Nicole becomes hysterical and accuses Dick of many infidelities. Her breakdown is like the one Mrs. McKisco had earlier witnessed.
Some years before, Dick had been doing research in advanced psychology in a clinic in Zurich. There he one day met a pathetic but beautiful patient, young Nicole Warren. At first merely attracted to her professionally, Dick later learned the cause of her long residence in the clinic. Nicole came from a wealthy Chicago family. When she was eleven, her mother died, and after that her father initiated an incestuous relationship with her, which led to Nicole's breakdown. Her father, too cowardly to kill himself as he had planned, had placed her in the Zurich clinic. For many reasons, Dick became Nicole's tower of strength; with him she was almost normal. Finally, motivated by pity and love, Dick married her. For a time, he had been able to maintain her in a healthy equilibrium, and the marriage seemed to be a success. This was aided by the fact that Nicole's family was rich—in fact, Nicole's older sister was able to buy Dick a partnership in the clinic where he first met Nicole.
For some time after the episode involving Rosemary, Nicole is quite calm but too withdrawn. Then she receives a letter, written by a neurotic woman, accusing Dick of misdeeds with his female patients. The accusations are baseless, but Nicole believes them and has another relapse. She leaves her family at a country fair and becomes hysterical while riding on the Ferris wheel.
At one time, Dick had shown great promise as a writer and as a psychiatrist. His books had become standard reference sources, and many of his colleagues considered him a genius. After Nicole's hysterical fit on the Ferris wheel, however, he no longer seems able to do real work. One reason...
(The entire section is 3,130 words.)


text:
James Cameron won Best Director for "Avatar," much to the shock of even himself.
"I'm gonna make this quick, cuz I have to go to the bathroom something fierce," Cameron confessed. He then went on to say that he was unprepared for the honor, having assumed, like every other sighted person on Earth, that his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow would win.
Unfortunately Cameron then thanked his actors in Na'vi, the language he created for the film -- seriously, what level of self-absorbed uber dorkery does it take to do such a thing?
U.S. & World
"Avatar" is a spectacle, to be sure. But "The Hurt Locker" was the most complete piece of film making in an admittedly down year. This thing between Bigelow and Cameron will be properly decided at the Oscars.


text:
"Do you prefer prescribing drugs that are more effective? Or less effective?"
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Survey Fun
"Do you prefer prescribing drugs that are more effective? Or less effective?"
23 comments:
Now why would Dr. prescribe a drug that was less effective? What a dumb, stupid, idiotic question to ask. Hey Mr drug rep, why don't you take a drug that's less effective, and let us know how it works for you.
- November 5, 2009 at 6:58 AM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
Drug rep didn't ask the question. It was a market research guy.
- November 5, 2009 at 7:05 AM
- Julie said...
seriously scary .....
- November 5, 2009 at 7:26 AM
- The Good Cook said...
I know when I go to the DR I always ask for the LEAST effective cure....
- November 5, 2009 at 8:21 AM
- Ron said...
I think my doc's been giving me the less effective ones just for the repeat business.
- November 5, 2009 at 8:51 AM
- ERP said...
You should say "I prefer to prescribe drugs whose producers take me out to the best dinners" just to mess with them.
- November 5, 2009 at 9:00 AM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
ERP- I've done stuff like that. They just write it down and move on.
- November 5, 2009 at 9:02 AM
"Do you prefer asking questions that are more inane, or less inane?"
- November 5, 2009 at 9:26 AM
Oh, yea, as a patient I like to take less effective medications; I'm all into 'woe is me' and persecution complexes.
- November 5, 2009 at 9:49 AM
- November 5, 2009 at 10:00 AM
- Mari-Ann said...
I sometimes carry a roll of Smarties and pretend they are medication and they are pretty darned effective.
- November 5, 2009 at 10:45 AM
- ERRN4U said...
Less effective of course! Keeps 'em coming back for more and supplies you with endless amounts of material for us your loyal readers! :)
- November 5, 2009 at 10:53 AM
- Arps said...
of course the best prescription is the one for a less effective drug..!! that way the patients keep coming back.. :D and bringing in the $$
- November 5, 2009 at 12:15 PM
- Frank said...
The best prescription is always for the least effective, yet most expensive drug. That way, the insurance company can deny the claim, and force the patient to pay some horrific out of pocket expense for a drug they think will save their lives. It will thus make them THINK it is more effective, and therefore soooooo much better!
- November 5, 2009 at 12:28 PM
What ARPS said.
- November 5, 2009 at 12:33 PM
- The Duchess said...
Effective is immaterial, you silly drug rep! Now, whatcha got that has more than 10 life-altering side effects, must be taken on funky schedules, and costs enough to stimulate this tanking economy. Hmmmm?
- November 5, 2009 at 1:59 PM
- Chris said...
"Oh, I MUCH prefer prescribing the less effective ones, just as long as there are interesting side effects involved."
- November 5, 2009 at 11:11 PM
- Dragonfly said...
Less effective obviously.
- November 6, 2009 at 6:58 AM
- knitalot3 said...
I think my insurance only pays for the less effective drug, regardless of the cost.
They know I don't really need the effective one.
- November 6, 2009 at 1:41 PM
Of course the obvious question is how many people in the survey answered "less effective"
Could have been a control question to see if the subject was paying any attention at all.
- November 6, 2009 at 3:43 PM
- ausduck said...
*scratching head*
I'm wondering what data is trying to be captured by that survey question!
Of course, could be a control question as suggested by Anonymous.
And companies are paid to come up with these surveys. And you don't get the pens, post-its & teddybears anymore, Dr G. At least that would mitigate the 'stoopid' a little lol.
- November 7, 2009 at 3:33 AM
A market research guy? With a
one-answer question like that,
whoever sent him would have saved
money with an online poll on some
blog somewhere. As Bugs Bunny
would say, "What a maroon!"
- November 7, 2009 at 9:20 AM
- Kimbra Kasch said...
Less effective - of course - 'cuz I want to help regenerate the economy and then peeps will need to buy more, companies will need to produce more, it's all about jobs. And, I'm just trying to do my part.
That's what I would have said.
- November 7, 2009 at 11:56 AM


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"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" finished its opening weekend with the biggest box office debut in Hollywood history.
Grossing an estimated $168.6 million at the box office between Friday and Sunday, the final film in the Harry Potter franchise bested the previous opening weekend box office record, held by the 2007 Batman epic "The Dark Knight."
On its opening day, the Potter finale made $92.1 million—more than any other movie ever had on its opening day or a single day. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" had previously topped the opening day list with a $72.7 million opening.
U.S. & World
"Deathly Hallows" also demolished a handful of other box office records in the process. Its midnight screenings made more than any other movie's with $43.5 million, and its IMAX opening did, too, with $15.5 million.
The movie managed to rake it in nationwide—even in Los Angeles, where a weekend shutdown of Interstate 405 known as Carmageddon threatened to dampen ticket sales.
"The two major cinemas most directly affected… both did outstanding business," said Warner Bros. executive Dan Fellman.
The movie's financial momentum reflected the enormous popularity of the Harry Potter franchise on and off the screen. British writer J.K. Rowling, who penned the best-selling books on which the films were based, became the world's first billionaire author with the series over seven years ago.
It also reflected widespread critical acclaim for the movie, which won accolades for being what The New York Times called "deeply satisfying."
Selected Reading: Today, The Washington Post, E! Online


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Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 / Bombay)
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The Ballad Of Minepit Shaw
About the time that taverns shut
And men can buy no beer,
Two lads went up to the keepers' hut
To steal Lord Pelham's deer.
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text: The Wisdom of Buddha The Wisdom of Buddha It is better to travel well than to arrive. Share With OthersTweetShare on TumblrPrintEmailPocketWhatsAppTelegramLike this:Like Loading... Related Published by lynette_starfire I am a Solitary Practitioner. For those of you who don't know, that means I am 100% witch. I have no Path that I follow but I do lean toward Celtic rather heavily. I have interests in other Paths. Since I am a Solitary, I pull what I need from other traditions and weave it so it suits my needs. I also have other interests beside witchcraft. I like to ride horses in the cool Spring mornings and late in the Summer evenings. I love to go for nature hikes, I love animals (all shapes and forms). I like making as much of my food as possible. I am not really into anything store bought. I am a pure Naturalist. View all posts by lynette_starfire


text: Choose Options Compare Favero LED Soccer Sport Substitution Board with Travel Case C$793.73 Used by professional referees in Major League Soccer, Premier League, and Copa America Centenario! LED substitution board for the highest professional appearance for soccer referees. Useful for displaying the number of players entering... Choose Options Add to Wishlist


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BRUSSELS - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday the NATO coalition has turned an important corner in Afghanistan, and has come too far and spilled too much blood to let insider attacks or anything else undermine the mission there.
While he and other ministers refused to provide details of the expected withdrawal of troops in the coming two years, he said that from mid-2013 onward the U.S. and its allies will operate from fewer bases and the flow of military supplies and material out of Afghanistan will begin to grow.
Panetta also used his time during the closed session of the NATO conference here Wednesday to urge the other defense ministers to help fill the shortfall of military training teams in Afghanistan. The teams, he said, are critical to building the capabilities of the Afghan forces so they can take control of their country's security by the end of 2014.
Panetta asked that NATO allies provide the roughly 60 teams that are needed - which would bring the total to 465 - and give those commitments by later next month. It has been a persistent plea from the U.S. for the last three years, as NATO worked to increase the Afghan security forces to about 352,000.
"The U.S. has filled a disproportionate number of these teams in recent years, and I ask for your help to fill the gap," Panetta said, calling this a "critical moment" in the war.
He later told reporters that ministers responded positively. He said they told him they would try to provide the teams. But he also acknowledged that, as in the past, the U.S. would continue to provide additional teams as well.
The overriding theme at the conference, repeated by Panetta and others, was that NATO nations went into Afghanistan together and will go out together, and violence and challenges there have triggered no decline in commitment to the fight.
"Whatever tactics the enemy throws at us ...we will not allow those tactics to divide us from our Afghan partners, and we will not allow those tactics to divert us from the mission we are dedicated to," Panetta told reporters. "We've come too far, we've fought too many battles, we have spilled too much blood not to finish the job."
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen echoed those sentiments, saying that no one will be able to drive a wedge between the Afghan and coalition forces. "The insider attacks will not change our strategy," he said.
Already this year insider attacks, in which Afghan forces or insurgents dressed like them, have killed or injured 130 allied forces.
Officials here also formally announced that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John Allen, will be the next NATO supreme allied commander. Allen is slated to take over in the spring, and Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the assistant Marine commandant, would take the top Afghanistan job. The changes must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
During the meeting, Allen and Panetta assured the ministers that commanders have come up ways to reduce the insider attacks.
The tactics to reduce the attacks have largely been in place for some time. They include increased vetting of Afghan recruits, enhanced training and cultural awareness, greater use of so-called guardian angel troops who stand guard to protect their comrades, and a new system that requires partnered operations with small units to be approved by top commanders.
Rasmussen seemed to reject any idea that there will be any acceleration in the drawdown, despite concerns about the insider attacks.
"This is not about speeding up," said Rasmussen, adding that the coalition will execute a careful, deliberate and coordinated process for the transfer of security to the Afghans by the time the NATO combat mission ends in 2014. "This is not a rush for the exit."
At that time, NATO will change to a training and advisory mission. NATO ministers are expected to endorse a broad framework for that transition during their meeting here.
That mission is also likely to include continued counterterrorism efforts by the U.S. There have been suggestions that a force of as many as 20,000 troops could remain in Afghanistan after the end of 2014, but no decisions have been made. Allen is expected to provide some recommendations before the end of the year on the pace and number of U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan beginning in 2013.
Dunford has been assistant commandant since October 2010. Allen took over the Afghanistan job in July 2011, after serving as the acting commander of U.S. Central Command for a short time.