text:
The Making of "The Syrian Bride"
Your first film, "On a Clear Day You Can See Damascus" (1984), deals with an Israeli spying for Syria, and is based on a true story. Does this new film mark your return to the Israeli-Syrian conflict zone?
Eran Riklis: I've probably always been drawn to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Besides, I've already observed that the history of this conflict is best reflected through this kind of small, naïve film about people with a mixed political identity who are experiencing personal problems. The film you just referred to, which, by the way, today I find very boring, focused on the juxtaposition of national identity and treason. Another signpost on my way was the film "Cup Final" (1990) about an Israeli soccer fan held hostage by the PLO in Lebanon and who shares his love for the Italian national team with his captors.
What role did your documentary film "Borders" (1999) play in this respect? You filmed it in four of Israel's border regions, and it also featured the story of a Druze bride living in the Golan Heights, which have been occupied by Israel since 1967.
Riklis: These were various short border stories about Jews and Arabs, smugglers and border soldiers. One of the episodes dealt with a wedding, which couldn't take place due to a bureaucratic mix-up. I was on the Israeli-Syrian border for a total of five hours, yet this one story and these people remain in my head.
Two years later, I took up contact with some Druze acquaintances living on the Golan Heights. I began to visit them every two months so I could listen to their stories. The idea for "The Syrian Bride" originated with this documentary film. However, the new production is primarily the result of my many visits with the Druze and the attempt to analyse the psychology of these people, who have to face their Syrian identity and life under Israeli occupation.
You began work on this film during the second Intifada and the wave of terrorist attacks – a time in which Israelis basically avoided movie theaters and foreign productions abandoned the country. At the same time, you knew that you would need foreign co-producers. Did you really have so much faith in this film?
Riklis: When I first wrote for the script the lines "Mona's wedding day was the saddest day of her life. She knew that once she crosses the border, she will never be able to visit her family in Israel," I knew at once that I would shoot a film about Mona's wedding within two years.
When it becomes clear in a filmmaker's head that he wants to make a certain film, he will do everything to bring this complex process to completion. Two months later, I had already met with the German producer Bettina Brokemper, six months later, I was in negotiations with French producers, and a year and a half later, I had already begun filming.
You call your film "The Syrian Bride." How Syrian do the Druze on the Golan Heights, an Islamic, though not an Arab community, view themselves?
Riklis: The older generation remains absolutely loyal to Hafiz al-Asad, his son Bashar, and the Ba'th Party. Their loyalty also has a practical aspect, as they don't want to be labeled collaborators with Israel if the Golan Heights are someday returned to Syria. Compared to the Palestinian territories, Israeli rule on the Golan Heights has been relatively calm, with the exception of the violent clashes in 1981 after the annexation of the region. Almost all Druze I know live peacefully with Israelis, not least because they are dependant on Israel.
On the other hand, I was surprised at the extent to which they feel occupied. Even when Druze tell me that that they appreciate my film and are grateful that I am highlighting their situation, they see me as a representative of the occupation, only because I am an Israeli.
In order to delve into the mentality of Druze women, you engaged the help of Suha Arraf, a Palestinian-Israeli, as co-writer. In addition, you almost exclusively employed Palestinian-Israeli actors. You don't speak any Arabic yourself. In what language did you hold the rehearsals?
Riklis: The screenplay was written in Hebrew and the rehearsals were held in Hebrew as well, until we reached the point where we had to work on the text. Then it was translated into Arabic. I have a good ear for languages in general, so I could "hear" the Arabic, without being able to understand it. The funny thing is, this never caused a single problem. Because I knew the text so well and the characters were ideal in their roles, I found that the production went as smooth as possible.
Only a single Druze plays in the film, and in a secondary role. Why?
Riklis: I began by looking for a Druze co-author, but couldn't find a suitable person, as the Druze have no tradition of cinema or theater. Adnan Trabshi, who plays Amin, the conservative and macho husband of Mona's sister Amal, is an Israeli Druze. But he doesn't live on the Golan Heights. The domestic culture of a classical Arab village in Galilee hardly differs, however, from that of a Druze village on the Golan. And this was Suha Aref's contribution to the screenplay.
What is your position on a possible return of the Golan in exchange for a peace agreement with Syria?
Riklis: The Golan is truly beautiful and even the Jewish inhabitants are very attached to it. Yet, it doesn't have the emotional significance for the Jews as, for example, the city of Hebron. What ties us to the Golan, in end effect, are security issues, and these can be solved. I regard the Golan Druze as Syrians, because that is how they define themselves. I got on with them quite well, so I have the feeling that Israelis will also find it very easy to get along with the Syrians. This is why I believe there will be a peace settlement with Syria in the relatively near future.
Do you believe, keeping with the style of your first film, that you will one day be able to see Damascus?
Riklis: I believe that I could travel to Damascus to finally show the film there. That would be really nice. Especially since I have the feeling that the Syrians would like "The Syrian Bride."
Interview: Igal Avidan
© Qantara.de 2005
Translation from German: John Bergeron
Interview with Hany Abu-Assad
Shooting "Paradise Now" amid Israeli Rockets
The film "Paradise Now" by Hany Abu-Assad, which was shown in competition at this year's Berlin Film Festival, is the first feature film to take on the theme of suicide bombers. Igal Avidan interviewed the Palestinian filmmaker
Interview with Hany Abu-Assad
New Creative Impetus for the Palestinian Film
Palestinian cinema was showcased at the last film festival in Cannes with two productions at once. One of these was "Rana's Wedding" – an extremely poetic film. Amin Farzanefar interviewed the film's director Hany Abu-Assad
Interview with Michel Khleifi
Film as a Political Work of Art
In the summer of 2002, Palestinian director Michel Khleifi and the Israeli director Eyal Sivan traveled along the border determined by UN Resolution 181 in 1947, according to which Palestine was to be divided into two states. From this trip they created a film that will soon be shown in Berlin. Youssef Hijazi spoke with Michel Khleifi


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32. Indianapolis Colts (0-12) - Previously: #32 - I have some sad news to report. I believe that famous GameCenter user Taton has been banned. That's what usually happens when there's no recent activity, as you can see by clicking the link.
What could have caused Taton to be banned? Hmm...
After the Colts screwed up in the end zone, down 3-0:
- Dane orkovsky sucks incomlete! orkovsky put penas in Coach Caswell's mouth!!!!!
When the Patriots established a 31-3 lead:
- Brady brady brad y Stop throw tochdown!!! Brayd is homosexall like Coach Cadwell!!!!
When Dan Orlovsky drew the Colts within seven:
- Come on come on cmon on Colt score one more touchdwn at beat gay new england patriot!!!!
After the game:
- Cach Cadwell and Jim Isray and Cristis Prainter have butt sex in lockar room!!!!!!!!!!!
31. St. Louis Rams (2-10) - Previously: #31 - I'd like to see the Rams and Colts play each other. I think Indianapolis might be better.
Speaking of comparing teams, I once again have to complain about NFL.com's Game Edge meter:
If a 20-point favorite isn't anything more than a "slight edge," then I give up. Seriously, why even have a meter like this if everything is a "very slight edge" or a "slight edge?"
If Patriots over Colts is a slight edge, then the following graphic may apply:
Not that there's anything wrong with willingly having sex with Jerry Sandusky.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9) - Previously: #30 - Did you know that the Jaguars still have a chance at the Super Bowl? It's true. After all, a GameCenter user had this to say about the Monday night game:
come on jags u need to step it up this is our game chargers stink philip rivers peeeeeeee uuuuuuu JAGS TO THE SUPER AND THEY WILL WIN
With so many idiots on GameCenter, Taton won't be missed too much.
29. Cleveland Browns (4-8) - Previously: #28 - The Browns suck, so here are more Notes from NFL.com GameCenter (the first one from Facebook friend Jay B):
This man would die of a heart attack five minutes later.
2. "yup blowout the pats will win by at least 21 and will bench the starters in the forth"
And so on, and so fourth.
3. "Sean payton is the master of yodas..he always has something noones seen yet....I am sure he has the lions a thing or two....Watch out detroit the yoda is on you. Who Dat!"
A very stupid GameCenter poster he is, hmm!?
28. Minnesota Vikings (2-10) - Previously: #27 - My prediction that Sage Rosenfels would sign before Donovan McNabb came to fruition. Go me.
By the way, we're only a few weeks removed from McNabb telling the media that he should be starting. I'm shocked the feeling wasn't mutual. I mean, what team wouldn't want a fat, lazy, out-of-shape, unmotivated, whining, washed-up, inaccurate, me-first, delusional quarterback starting for them?
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8) - Previously: #22 - The Buccaneers were once 3-1. They're now 4-8. What happened? Some say it was the Gerald McCoy injury. Others figure that a lazy Raheem Morris has lost the locker room.
A GameCenter poster had a different theory:
fellow buc fan's we've been lost at sea for a month now arrrrrrr.
I like that last explanation the best. It came from a pirate, after all, and pirates know what the hell they are talking about.
26. Kansas City Chiefs (5-7) - Previously: #29 - Watching that Bears-Chiefs game was like sitting in a dentist's chair for three hours. On the bright side, in 50 years, you can tell your grandkids where you were for the Kyle Orton-Kansas City Chiefs era.
25. Washington Redskins (4-8) - Previously: #24 - Rex Grossman struggled against the Jets after playing well the two weeks leading into that game. What happened in those two games?
The Adventures of Derek Anderson's Magic Flask!
Rex Grossman: I'mmm Ruxxx Grossmnann and I plllay qurbaack reeell geewwdd.
Derek Anderson: Heyyyyzzz iffff yewww wannnaerr playy qurrbback betturr havvve a sssipp offff thissssss hic!
*** Ten minutes later... ***
Rex Grossman: What is going on here? Nothing's spinning around. I can think clearly. I don't see five of the guy I'm throwing to. Hey, this quarterbacking thing got much easier!
Maybe Grossman should hire Anderson on retainer.
24. Philadelphia Eagles (4-8) - Previously: #19 - "We did OK, we just gotta take care of some turnovers and we're good." - Vince Young after the loss to Seattle.
Wow. Speaking of wow, here are some crazy facts, courtesy of BOOP Stats:
- It's been 18 games since the Eagles have given a carry to a running back on their first offensive play of the game.
- Prior to Thursday night, the last time an Eagle quarterback has thrown an interception on the first play of the game was December 2007: A.J. Feeley was guilty of this against - drum roll - the Seahawks.
- Vince Young's throws of 15-plus yards this year: 16 have been completed; eight have been intercepted.
23. San Diego Chargers (5-7) - Previously: #23 - A recap of the Chargers-Jaguars game:
1. I LOVE Jacksonville's young quarterback. He's tough. He's gritty. He's great in the locker room. He helps Maurice Jones-Drew in the running game. He wins games. He doesn't pass very well, but is getting better each week.
Oh, wait... my bad... I thought we were in a parallel universe where everything made sense and the Jaguars drafted Tim Tebow in April 2010. My bad.
Jacksonville's real quarterback sucks. Blaine Gabbert (19-of-33, 195 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) doesn't look like anything close to a franchise signal-caller. He's skittish in the pocket and doesn't take any chances downfield. Aside from a shovel pass to Maurice Jones Drew (20 carries, 97 rush yards, 6 catches, 91 rec. yards, TD) that turned into a big gain, Gabbert's longest throw went to tackle-eligible Guy Whimper for 17 yards. This offense is just so limited and bland.
2. As for the other quarterback, Philip Rivers looked much better Monday night than he had in recent weeks. He finished 22-of-28 for 294 yards and three touchdowns despite not getting much protection from a patchwork offensive line. Going against Jacksonville's injury-ravaged secondary helped, as did having Malcom Floyd (4-108, TD) back.
Something funny about the Bastard of the Trident was a video clip ESPN showed prior to the game. Linebacker Stephen Cooper stood next to Rivers on the sideline and complained, "I need two more touchdowns for my fantasy league!"
3. This game was bad, and the announcers matched that. At one point in the second half, Ron Jaworski called Norv Turner an "excellent football coach." As I wrote on Twitter (@walterfootball), "That's like calling Emmitt Smith a grammatical genius."
It's weird - people insist on having football people in the booth, but this is precisely the problem with that. Jaws is friends with Turner, so he's going to do everything in his power to make sure his buddy isn't fired. I'm aware that people hated him for some strange reason, but I miss Tony Kornheiser. He didn't know the Xs and Os, but at least he didn't say completely idiotic and biased things each week.
4. As mentioned, this game was trash. But hey, at least we didn't have to watch the Rams play the Seahawks, or anything. Oh wait...
2011 NFL Power Rankings: The Rest:
11. Dallas Cowboys (7-5). Previously: #8
12. Detroit Lions (7-5). Previously: #11
13. New York Jets (7-5). Previously: #15
14. Atlanta Falcons (7-5). Previously: #12
15. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5). Previously: #14
16. Miami Dolphins (4-8). Previously: #17
17. Tennessee Titans (7-5). Previously: #18
18. Seattle Seahawks (5-7). Previously: #21
19. Arizona Cardinals (5-7). Previously: #26
20. Chicago Bears (7-5). Previously: #10
21. Carolina Panthers (4-8). Previously: #25
22. Buffalo Bills (5-7). Previously: #20
WalterFootball.com Now on Twitter:
Subscribe to the WalterFootball.com RSS Feed:
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Sales Tips and Sales Advice - Tons of sales tips, sales techniques and sales advice, including a Sales Mock Draft: The 32 Worst Things You Can Do in Sales.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
(status and where's the code)
(more details)
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== Where is the code? ==
== Where is the code? ==
Selkie is developed inside the Project Silk git repository on Gitorious.org.
Selkie is developed inside the Project Silk git repository on Gitorious.org.
[[http://gitorious.org/project-silk|Project Silk on Gitorious]]
[[http://gitorious.org/project-silk|Project Silk on Gitorious]]
== Is it stable? ==
== Is it stable? ==
Selkie is a standalone web application shell. With Selkie, you can use Web Applications as first-class citizens on your desktop. Selkie WebApps appear as full applications in your desktop. Entries of these web applications are added to the start menu, then can be found in KRunner on the KDE desktop, they appear as their own entry in the taskbar and window-switching machinery.
Selkie allows you to create customized web application. You can add actions to Selkie applications that can be triggered from the toolbar, or on loading webpages. With these actions, you can "inject" Javascript and run them in the context of the website. This allows you to manipulate the contents and behavior of your web application at runtime. Selkie plugins do not contain any "compiled" or native code. The plugins are simple .desktop files that contain the information about a specific webapp. Likewise, actions are .desktop Files as well. They either contain a JavaScript one-liner or point to a Javascript file which is then executed "inside" your web application. From these scripts, you can also access functions Silk offers you, such as triggering notifications on the desktop, or logging to the console.
Selkie is built using WebKit and makes use of KDE's plugin system and Toolbar / Action system. Selkie can load and execute greasemonkey scripts as well, so there are literally hundreds of actions available.
Selkie has four main components. Selkie itself is the application that can run a number of web applications ("WebApps"). Those WebApps are plugins that can be loaded into Silk. The WebApp plugins contain meta information about the web application (icon, name, comment, plugin name). The plugins also contain information about the WebApp itself, such as at which page to start, or which URLs should be opened in the WebApp itself. This allows for sand-boxing the web application and opening external URLs in the default web browser.
Selkie is developed inside the Project Silk git repository on Gitorious.org. You need a recent Qt (>=4.5) and KDE development tools and headers installed (4.3.x should do).
Not at all. It eats kittens and babies. Selkie is not feature-complete, nor widely tested either, it is in a proof-of-concept stage. The code is currently in a "proof-of-concept" stage, but not feature-complete. You can already create WebApps and actions for them, filtering based on URLs and wildcards has been implemented.
Creating WebApps by adapting the .desktop files by hand is possible, an editor for WebApps is in its very early beginnings.
... todo.


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All Comments (116)
I squirted right with her....damn that was awesome
j'adorerais avoir une copine qui m'envoie des vidéos comme ça...
Oh this is a very very nice pussy.
very nice and more
Darf ich deine Pussy lecken
If you turn the volume up, you'll hear here squirt. Beautiful.
i hope people realize tht towards the end... that was not cum. she was peeing herself. disgustingg. thumbs down.
Nice pussy but not perfect video only pussy whole video no tits no face a little scream a 2 times squirt not best exactly 7.5 of 10
lovely, this pussy knows how to love herself good and she doesnt stop...oh yeah my pussy gets so wet thinking about her. so pretty mmmmmm she looks like shes outside so her neighbours are probably jerking off their cocks and clits watching her. so lovely , so wet, so sexy i love watching her beautiful orgasms. mmmmmmm o h yes oh yes im there im cumming to your pretty pussy mmmmmmmm
She didnt squirt , if you watch she peed... it came from a little hole on top thats her urethra . When she "squirts" near the end its even yellow, other then that this is extremly hot , my pussy is throbbing
thats a wet one all right. wish my cock was deep inside her feeling her juices all over the shaft of my hard on.
mmmmmmmmmm, I want to lick that pussy after all that....delicious!!!!!!!!!!
i am soooo wet!
Amazing reminds me of myself
i fucking com in my pants love it would eat that pussy out allday
u made me feel like i was their eating your pussy and you were cumming in my mouth
I wanted to see her shove that pink vib in her nice little ass and that big dildo in her twat at the same time....
why is all that skin hanging out like that with all those folds.
trop bien
nein , dass ist eine schöne geile zuckende fotze, meine übrigens auch
skip to : to see her squirt
My Pussy is so fucking wet. Beautiful.I came so hard after watching this.
She's hot
so geil... mir ging einer in die hose ab ...
mmm good pussy yoda just ate
wow! nunca había visto un orgasmo tan largo y delicioso!
i would like licking her wet pussy......mmmmmmmmmm
Fucking shit!!! We have a squirter!!!
so fujcking hot
What a beautiful thing would love to taste it
That pussy seems so tasty, I would love to lick all that juices !
Whatever it is it's looking good
thats piss.
i want see more
most of the "cum" was actualy urine turn off :(
Tu est bonne, je peux te baiser ?
Simply orgasmic juicy sweet & tasty I bet yumyum more please.
wow. and lucky me, my wifes pussy exactly. the pumping action is excellent! But...I did not know she made a video though lol awesome pussy there baby. I am so fucking hard now!
So beatiful. Your moaning and pink pulsating pussy just helped me blast a big sticky load ;) Would love to ram my thick 26 year old cock in there!!!
OMG Fan Fucking Tastic! I blew 2 loads watching this! MORE MORE MORE!
By far, the most exciting video of a female orgasm EVER!!!!
i want this pussy!
God this made my pussy so wet
Damn... I don't know for sure but that seemed pretty real. What a turn-on!
i wanna suck your pussy
i wish my tongue was there.
Now I am horny as fuck.
during looking this video my cook becames so hard... a very good video from the pussy... now i have to masturbate and looking again... oh my gooooooooood
you don't prefer a dick for your pussy ?
I could watch this 100000 times! What a real Orgasm ! My pussy is wet now
I like to tease my clit and rub and cum.....OH im so wet
my pussy gets wetter than this
Being a straight chick, this vid really turned me on. Well fkn done! LoL!
Oh my gosh... I've never seen beautiful pussy like urs before .... I really loved watching this
My wife cum the same way you do she is Spanish I love make me wanna cum baby an she like it to
congratulation girl.. you just made it great!
This just helped me have the most intense orgasm of my life, my whole body was shaking for about 3 mins after orgasm (100% seriose)
she peed. The yellow liquid came from her urethra. u guys are so dumb.
What a gorgeous pussy, makes me so wet.
20 stars! holy fuck i love this, my pussy is so wet. i need to b licked...
I need moreeee
its me on the vid
thanks everybody ! it's me on the video
That girl know how to tighten:D
very goods
holy fuck that was intense...more vids like this please.
really guyz, soz for saying this, cause i do enjoy squirting and stuff, but this girl is just pushing herself to pee, and stop, and make it look like its squirt. ive seen this into another video too, where the girl actually farted at some time cause she was pushing too hard. Although i am not happy to say so, this is fake :S
i like this pussy..... makes my cook hard an me wanking........... oh my goooood.......... it let me come soooooo hard
Would love to lick and suck this beautiful pussy!
omg ummyyyy
Made in BRD?
best i seen great real close up pulled so wide open u could c everything wet wet wet squirting was great quivering and jerking brilliant u could c the squirt hole never seen that before beautiful cunt great fingering action i was fingering myself in the first ten seconds just lookin at it u could c rite up her hole i loved it really beautiful cunt im still soakin wet i watch this great cunt all the time five stars r not enough cant get of her hole god its so close up u can smell it i really wanted to push my fingers rite up her hole and suck and pull that clit so much and no hair so u could c every tiny line lovely flaps i just wanted to pull on them really hard and push my tongue rite up inside u i want to eat that cunt of yours rite up lucky man how did the cam guy keep his fingers out of u i love it best ever couldnt of gonna watch the cunt again
hey nice pussy does ur husband care
soms ppl think thay know every thing about a pussy here.. who gives a fuck just enjoy it!
i cummed like 3 times on your pussy :D
my pussys throbbing n drippin wet just thinking bout suckin them flaps
Where's the rest of it? She had just started to cum...
On many vidieos you wonder if the girl is faking. No questions about the authenticity of this one!
holy shit how u do that?my pussy doesnt make such things =p
Im very Bi and i would love to lick that pussy so fukn hot and have her cum drip down my face!!! Oohhh i want pussy now..
too experience
This is soooo sexy!
great!! I love that pussy
Fine negler
I'm a girl and I happened to come to watthis video and...whoa!this made me soooooo wet... ! 5 stars!
Gr8 pussy
my pussy is throbbin
I'm off for a wank NOW!!
What a fantastic video.She really knows how to turn herself on and every one else as well.Rock hard now,going to have to watch again so I can wank to get this 8inch to go down.Will be coming back to this girl again.So horny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW
so tasty...
me encatan las chicas squirt
Amazing woman. Wish I could meet up with her. Would love to suck that pussy to numerous orgasms! :)
Finally some realistic squirting/orgasmic contractions/wetness....finally...great vid


text:
Once you collect your donations, you can submit them online with a credit card or simply download the donation submittal form which includes mailing instructions and send it in with your check.
CU4Kids' Holiday Icon Campaign
Save the date for Credit Unions for Kids' third and final national compaign for 2012. From November 1 through December 31, credit unions are encouraged to provide members the opportunity to display their name on a winter-themed paper icon in exchange for a dollar donation to your local CNM Hospital. There are a variety of fun shapes to choose from including footballs, snowflakes and snowmen.
Click here for more information or to order your icons today!
To participate in the Corporate One CIF Option, credit unions invest in a government-issued security or a federally insured CD. As interest is paid on the investment, a share of the interest is returned to investing credit unions, with the remaining share being split 50/50 between the NCUF and ICUF. NCUF uses the remaining portion of the CIF interest to support its national programs such as BizKid$ and CUAid.
Questions? Contact Marybeth Foster at 800.860.6180 x3001.


text:
Sanbolic to Discuss how to Optimize Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS) for XenApp and XenDesktop Virtual Desktop (VDI) Environments
January Webinars will Also Cover How to Ensure Enterprise Application High Availability in the Public Cloud; How to Enable Enterprise Scale Out with Server-Side SSD and Flash Storage; as well as How to Simplify the Management of Highly Available Microsoft SQL Server Clusters
Jan 03, 2013, 09:15 ET
WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
When: Wednesday, January 9, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Sanbolic Webinar: Optimizing Citrix Provisioning Services for XenApp and XenDesktop with Melio
This webinar will discuss how Sanbolic's Melio™ unified data management platform enables efficient data consolidation, application availability and scalability, as well as enhances storage utilization to reduce storage-related cost for desktop (VDI) and application virtualization deployments. Attendees will learn how to use Melio's innovative and extensive data and storage management capabilities in conjunction with Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS) to enhance the availability, scalability, performance and management of virtual desktop (XenDesktop) and application delivery (XenApp) infrastructures. If you're considering, piloting, or already using Citrix to virtualize your desktops (VDI) and/or applications and would like to take advantage of Citrix PVS to create, manage, deliver and maintain your XenDesktop and XenApp server images from a central location, this is one webinar you won't want to miss!
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110620/NE22418LOGO )
When: Wednesday, January 16, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Sanbolic Webinar: Ensuring Enterprise Application High Availability in the Public Cloud
This webinar will detail how organizations can ensure enterprise application high availability in the public cloud. Attendees will learn how to leverage Sanbolic's AppCluster™ to extend the availability, scalability, performance, protection, and management efficiency of business critical applications and data, while dramatically increasing flexibility and reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO). By removing the hardware limitations imposed by current clustering platforms, attendees will see how AppCluster enables its users to not only to mix different hardware platforms, but also mix hardware and virtual machines in the same cluster group. In addition, by utilizing and benefiting from the already shared storage platform provided by the industry proven clustering capability of Melio FS and Melio VM, AppCluster completely removes the extreme complexity of configuring and managing existing clustering solutions.
When: Wednesday, January 23, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Sanbolic Webinar: Enabling Enterprise Scale-out using Server-Side SSD and Flash Storage
This webinar will focus on application performance, availability, and scalability using server-side flash and Sanbolic's distributed data management platform, Melio. Leveraging Melio's unique features and extensive capabilities, this webinar will show how organizations can introduce flash storage into their legacy storage infrastructure to improve application performance, while simultaneously enhancing the availability and scalability of their business-critical applications such as Microsoft SQL Server. Attendees will learn how to effectively utilize Melio in pure flash and mixed environments (spinning disk and flash) to create flexible, highly available pools of shared storage that reduce data and storage administration costs and enhance application performance, in order to achieve the greatest value from the applications driving their organization's productivity and profitability.
When: Wednesday, January 30, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Sanbolic Webinar: How to Manage Highly Available Microsoft SQL Server Clusters the Simple Way with Melio
In this webinar, learn how Sanbolic Melio eliminates the complexity of storage management in highly available clustered Microsoft SQL Server deployments by providing active-active access to a pool of shared storage resources, thus simplifying the task of efficiently storing and protecting data, while providing features like database-level QoS to manage performance. Attendees will learn how by consolidating the storage layer up into a centralized data management platform, Melio bridges the lack of coordination between the virtualized server instances and the back-end data store. Managed from within a single framework, the resulting infrastructure is more centralized and flexible, allowing for greater levels of server and storage consolidation and increased performance and SQL Server high availability (HA).
Please visit the Sanbolic Events Page often for a continuously updated schedule of webinars and other events.
About Sanbolic, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Sanbolic® is a global leader in distributed data management. Its Melio™ software suite delivers dramatically increased levels of application availability, scalability, protection and performance while decreasing cost and management complexity across enterprise data center applications such as Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SharePoint and Windows file-/web-serving, Citrix XenDesktop virtual desktop (VDI), and Microsoft Hyper-V private cloud environments. For further information please visit the Sanbolic website at: www.sanbolic.com or email: email@example.com.
Join the conversation:
© Sanbolic, Inc. 2013. Sanbolic, Melio, ShareCenter, StorAgility and AppCluster are trademarks of Sanbolic, Inc. All other brands and product names contained in the announcement may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
PR Contact:
Nicole Gorman
Corporate Communications
Sanbolic, Inc.
SOURCE Sanbolic, Inc.


text:
Thunder set for showdown with Warriors
It seems the race for the Western Conference's top seed will go down to the wire in a battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder look to take advantage of an idle Spurs club when they invade Oakland Thursday night for a bout with the Golden State Warriors.
Oklahoma City is even with San Antonio for the top spot in the West and has won seven of the last nine games, including a 90-80 victory at Utah on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game road trip. Kevin Durant kept pace with Carmelo Anthony for his fourth straight scoring title, finishing an assist shy of a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Russell Westbrook contributed 25 points and Serge Ibaka had 16 with eight rebounds and five blocks for Oklahoma City, which is 24-15 on the road and closing in on its third straight Northwest Division title. The Thunder are three games ahead of the idle Denver Nuggets with four to play and hold the tiebreaker with the Spurs.
"We had great intensity," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "We came out with the mindset of getting stops every time down the court and we did that."
The Thunder have won three in a row on the road and will wrap up their final road trip of the regular season Friday at Portland. The Thunder are only 13-11 on the road against teams from the West as opposed to an 11-4 mark against Eastern Conference foes.
In scoring title news, Durant (28.3 ppg) is right behind Anthony (28.6 ppg).
Golden State clinched its first playoff berth since 2006-07 and is coming off Tuesday's 105-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the continuation of a three-game homestand from Oracle Arena.
Klay Thompson poured in 30 points and Steph Curry registered a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists for the Warriors, who got 15 points and 12 rebounds from double-double machine and All-Star forward David Lee. Harrison Barnes had 15 and 10 in the win, Golden State's 10th in 14 tries.
"It means everything," said Curry on the team making the playoffs. "Just listen to this crowd. You guys are the best fans in the NBA and you deserve this as much as we do."
The Warriors are 27-12 at home and sit sixth in the West standings, one game ahead of the idle Houston Rockets.
Golden State will close out the homestand versus the Thunder, who have defeated the Warriors twice in three meetings this season. Oklahoma City is 12-4 in the past 16 matchups with the Warriors.
Oklahoma City has lost nine of 14 and 12 of its last 18 at Golden State.


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I've been in business for myself for more than a decade and have used a CPA to assist me with my taxes for much of that time. However, over the years I've come to realize two important facts about doing my taxes. First, I will never know as much about accounting and taxes as a good CPA. Second, my CPA will never know as much about my life and business as I do, and knowing those facts is important to ensure I can save the most money on taxes while legally and safely taking advantage of as many tax breaks and deductions as I can. A little time and research on your part can easily save you hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars per year if you are small technology consultant. And remember to focus on deductions you can legally take, not just filling out tax forms.
Most technology consultants know that the correct answer to almost any question is 'it depends'. The best tax and deduction strategies for your business often have the same answer. I've been wanting to write a blog on this topic for months but I keep putting it off for many reasons. Taxes can be a complex topic. I don't want to give you advice that turns out to be wrong for your situation. Also, I don't want to give you some tips that I've found to be really helpful for me but turn out not to be relevant to you, and have that process sour you on the notion of investigating tax and deductions strategies on your own. I've decided to break this topic up into a series of blogs that I will come back to every now and then on a regular basis. For now, I want to stick some with some high level advice that will hopefully motivate you to research on your own and not rely solely on your CPA.
1. I've used some very good CPA's over the years and on more than one occasion I've found them to be wrong with respect to what has been best for me. Sometimes my 'advice to myself' has saved me hundreds or thousands of dollars.
2. You might not need a CPA to do your taxes. I've had years that my taxes were pretty complicated with multiple rental properties, numerous businesses, and some international presence. A CPA is probably a wise investment in that case. However, for the past two years, I did my own taxes. I've used Turbo Tax and Tax Act. I've found Tax Act to be just as good and ½ the price. Using a CPA can easily cost you $500 - $1000 or more even for a pretty simple business tax return. You may not need this if you have a simple LLC or s-corp.
3. You're probably wasting some money if all you do is talk to you CPA once per year during tax season. Frankly, there is no way for them to keep up with your business and life to have been advising your well and to come up with creative, but legal, tax and deduction strategies. On the other hand, talking to your CPA on a regular basis can be expesnive. Over the years, I've invested time and energy in reading some tax tip and help sources designed for small business. I'd be shocked if doing this hasn't saved me well over 20K USD over the past decade, and the number might be higher. I simply haven't tracked it.
4. Currently, one of my favorite tax hint sources for small businesses is a newsletter from The Bradford Tax Institute. An annual subscription isn't expensive. And no, I don't get a referral fee if you sign up.
5. Don't assume that an LLC or s-corp is 'best' for you without doing the math. Numerous issues can have a big impact on what type of entity is best for your needs, and there are probably more choices than you realize. For example, most people think of an LLC as a pass through entity. It can be, but did you know that you can form an LLC and then have it treated as a c-corp for tax purposes? You can also have an LLC treated as s-corp rather than the default partnership status. I find that an LLC treated as an s-corp for taxes can be a great model for many small entrepreneurs but most people have no idea that this is even possible. My experience is that many CPA's won't even bother to mention the option to you unless you bring it up.
Entrepreneurs are busy. I get that. But do your-self a favor. Find a way to read up on tax and deduction issues that affect small businesses. You can't rely on your CPA to do this for you. A small investment can easily save you hundreds or thousands of dollars per year. This is a topic that I'm pretty interested in. I can't promise to answer every question that comes to me, but I'll try. Feel free to let me know if you have questions on specific topics related to you needs.


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This Day in Sports History — December 9
Here are just some of the notable sports moments that happened on December 9:
1934 — The New York Giants, having replaced their cleats with sneakers in the third quarter to get better traction on the frozen field, scored 27 points in the fourth quarter and beat the Chicago Bears, 30-13, in the NFL Championship at the Polo Grounds. (More info.)
1941 — Star pitcher Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians became the first major league player to volunteer for active duty in the U.S. armed services just two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. (More info.)
1965 — The Cincinnati Reds traded Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun and outfielder Dick Simpson. (More info.)
1977 — Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers punched Rudy Tomjanovich of the Houston Rockets in the face during a brawl. Tomjanovich required facial reconstruction, and Washington was suspended for 60 days and fined $10,000. (More info.)
1984 — Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams broke O.J. Simpson's NFL single-season rushing record of 2,003 yards in a 27-16 win over the Houston Oilers. (More info.)


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Tony Scott's Greatest Moments, from 'Top Gun' to 'True Romance'
When we lose a great filmmaker, our obvious first response is to think of his or her best works, and maybe even watch some favorites. Or, if we don't have time to pop in a whole feature, maybe it's just specific scenes we remember in tribute. But for a talent such as Tony Scott, a director with a consistent skill for the physical craft of action-oriented productions and an evolving yet always recognizable style and vision, his best movies are so full of memorable scenes that it's hard to highlight a handful of greatest pieces amongst those exceptional wholes.
So, presented with the task of celebrating Scott, who tragically took his life over the weekend, I'd like to share five moments that I think represent his work best, even if they're not necessarily the isolated scenes you first think of with each of their respective titles.
Top Gun: Opening Montage
Certainly there are a lot of great scenes in Top Gun, including any of the dogfight sequences, the serenade of "You Lost That Loving Feeling," the volleyball match and the sad death of Goose. But it all kicks off with a signature start on an aircraft carrier and a theme song from Kenny Loggins. This montage paved the way for many to come, particularly by Michael Bay and later Peter Berg, neither of whom can quite establish an atmosphere or fetishize military machinery as well as Scott. You could argue that this is more indicative of a Bruckheimer and Simpson production, but Scott, who was hired because of a Saab commercial featuring a jet that he'd directed, definitely helped mold this sort of rockin' setup. Even before Tom Cruise's smile runs away with the show, we are put in a mood of excitement and given a need for speed.
Days of Thunder: "A Very Thorough Physical"
I think there might be some racing going on in this near-remake of Top Gun with cars instead of jets, but I offer up this sequence as a reminder of how well Scott handled sex. While he was a great dealer in a kind of "pornography" pertaining to planes, trains and automobiles, his love scenes were anything but indecent. They near a sort of soft-core aesthetic, but they've got nothing on Adrian Lyne, and that's a favorable restraint. Typically assisted by iconic soundtrack choices that turned them into R-rated music videos, his love scenes tended to require the word "making" in front of the word "love." The carnal sequence in Top Gun may be more memorable, but I'll always believe Tom Cruise had the most extraordinary chemistry with Nicole Kidman, whom he married after meeting her on this film. They don't even need a song like "Take My Breath Away" for emphasis.
True Romance: "Elevator"
Wait, I'm picking the elevator scene over the "eggplant" bit or anything with Gary Oldman as Drexl or Alabama's very romantic confession? Yes, because this is the exact kind of thing I'm talking about with Scott, that he directed so many memorable moments that even the littlest of scenes warrant inclusion. These couple minutes are a perfect display of how well he maintains the thrills throughout, here accomplished with seemingly strong performances from typically so-so actors achieved through tight shots and quick cuts and precise sound design (Scott's movies were often nominated for Best Sound or Best Sound Editing Oscars, though this film was not recognized for either). It's a nice, tense tease of chaos before the real fireworks begin.
Crimson Tide: "Denzel Washington vs. Gene Hackman"
Scott is a master at pumping the intensity into little moments with so-so actors, so it's no surprise that he's really terrific with nail-biting drama when he's got more time and truly talented actors. The main attraction of this film is the confrontation between the submarine captain played by Gene Hackman and his XO, who is played by Denzel Washington. And again I have to acknowledge how difficult it is to choose isolated scenes in Scott's films, becuase you can really just go with any section of footage featuring these two performers in order to showcase the power of his direction. Here is one of many.
Man on Fire: "Kidnapping Shootout"
Scott was one of the originators of the music video style being adapted to movies, so it's interesting how much he later took from the style as it evolved. Look at Man on Fire, though, for some of the best uses of flash cuts, shaky cam and all the rest of the aesthetic choices we've come to typically hate from Hollywood in the past decade. He's got a better handle on these techniques here than most directors and his mixture of slow motion and sped-up shots might be the best since the tactics were thrown against each other in Koyaanisqatsi. Maybe it's a bit much and makes for a scene that feels like it takes a lot longer than it needs to, but Scott wasn't just about showing us what happens. He also made us feel what happens, and from different points of view, better than most Hollywood craftsmen.
Here are some contenders culled from Twitter for the honor of best scene in a Tony Scott film:
@thefilmcynic Catherine Deneuve playing "Lakme" for Susan Sarandon in "The Hunger"
— Carrie Rickey (@CarrieRickey) August 20, 2012
@thefilmcynic Catherine Deneuve playing "Lakme" for Susan Sarandon in "The Hunger"
@thefilmcynic Clarence confronting Drexl for Alabama's belongings in TRUE ROMANCE. So much menace from Oldman, but Slater holds his ground.
— John Gholson (@gholson) August 20, 2012
@thefilmcynic Clarence confronting Drexl for Alabama's belongings in TRUE ROMANCE. So much menace from Oldman, but Slater holds his ground.
@thefilmcynic Jerry Springer scene in Domino
— Ethaniel Vestby (@ethanves) August 20, 2012
@thefilmcynic Jerry Springer scene in Domino
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
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text: Gerbe's reputation for fantastic quality is richly deserved! For nearly 100 years the company has employed highly skilled craftsmen and seamstresses to work with only the finest yarns for the ultimate in resilience and comfort. Gerbe products are often seen on the catwalks in the haute couture fashion shows of Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Paco Rabanne, and many more.


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Distance from Whiting, KS to Cheraw, CO
Driving distance between Whiting, KS and Cheraw, CO is 541.68 miles (or 871.76 kilometers). If you drove an average car (using about 3.6 gallons of gas per mile), the gas would cost you around $, since you would need about gallons of fuel.
Leaving from Whiting, KS you would reach Cheraw, CO in about 8 hours 15 mins if you keep an average speed of miles per hour, assuming you don't make any breaks or get stuck in traffic.


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I have two grown children, neither live with me. It's my birthday today but have not heard from them...nothing, no phone call, no invites, no text or email.
I have always being supportive as much as I can and we've had fun times. Life can throw tough times so there has been times I haven't been as strong as I could of been but I haven't been a bad mum.
My ex invited our daughter to visit him in San Francisco for 2 weeks where he is working at the moment. While there he said to her ' give your mom a call' and he told me that she said 'what would I want to call her for'. That hurt. She was living with me at the time after coming home after working abroad for two years.
She has now gone to live with friends she went to Uni with (house share).
Over the last week I have sent her two emails and she hasn't replied. She lost her phone while away in the US so has no phone. I offered her my old phone but she declined it. I admit that I had a feeling that she was mad at me for not buying here a new one or for not giving her more than I did. I have felt at times just like a mommy bank so was careful with what I was giving her. She is 25.
Apart from being unhappy about no birthday wishes I do worry about her and need to know she is ok.
My son brought me lots of problems when he was in his final year at Uni but I supported how I could, even though he caused me a lot of distress emotionally and financially. He now has a good job, a girlfriend he is buyng a house with and seems to be settled and happy. He invites me out from time to time for meals and the theatre but the last month I've had no invites.
I have retired this year and feel I'm still feeling my feet creating a new life without work. So feel a bit lost, really needed their support...just a text would of been good.


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Girls just wanna have fun, and the girls are bringing back another fun Wine Women & Shoes weekend to South Walton.
South Walton's inaugural WWS event debuted last winter to rave reviews and made $80,000 for public radio in the process.
This second-annual WWS event will benefit a different worthy local non-profit organization: Sinfonia Gulf Coast.
Event co-chair and organizer Demetria McNeese said the money raised will go specifically to help fun Sinfonia's kids' programs that takes music into schools.
Sinfonia Gulf Coast was founded in 2005 by conductor Demetrius Fuller. It is a nonprofit orchestra and, as it enters its seventh season, has reached more than 35,000 children through its Sinfonia Guest Artists in the Schools program and music education outreach initiatives.
Fuller said Sinfonia is thrilled to partner with Wine Women and Shoes.
"As the first symphony orchestra selected to join their charitable roster, all parties involved thought that it was a 'perfect fit. The proceeds will benefit Sinfonia Gulf Coast and its music education initiatives throughout the community, including our newest participation in Sacred Heart Hospital's 'Arts in Medicine' program," said Fuller.
Wine Women & Shoes' founding by Elaine Honig in 2004 was inspired by the country ballad "Wine, Women and Song." She is a member of the prominent California wine producing Honig family. Now in its eighth year, the WW&S team has produced more than 120 events, which have helped net $12 million for various non-profits across the country, and all while having fun doing so. It is a unique organization that brings together local charities, independent retailers, footwear designers and the women who love them all for a day of bonding and fundraising.
This second-annual event in South Walton is kicking it up a notch even over last year's rave reviews, said McNeese, who heard about the organization from a friend.
"It brings together girlfriends, wine, and shopping, while benefiting a charity -- I love it! There is not a negative to it," she said.
The start-up began this week with a volunteer signup and appreciation reception at Restaurant Fire. The first ticketed event was a preview fashion show lunch Jan. 17 at Fleming's at Grand Boulevard. This "Sole Sister" lunch featured modeling of high-quality fashions by W by Worth, jewelry by Destin Jewelers, and a sample sale.
The official weekend of fun kicks off Feb. 8 with five vintner dinners held in intimate private home settings with a celebrity private chef presiding and guest vintner pouring his best wines.
McNeese proudly announces this year's celebrities will include Atlanta Restaurateur of the Year for 2012 Jay Swift, as well as representatives from Swanson, Faust, Quintessa, Flowers, Blackbird, Justin, Lola, and Gabrielle wineries pouring. Serving as culinary maestros will be regional chefs Johnny Earles, Tim Creehan, and Jay Swift. Limited tickets are available for $500 per couple.
On Feb. 9 will be a vintner tasting featuring these wines at Kwiker Liquor in Carillon Beach. This event will feature free home delivery on purchases of more than $100.
The WWS signature event is Feb. 10 from 2-5 p.m. at Magnolia Ballroom in Sandestin's Village of Baytowne Wharf. Attendees can expect an extravaganza of fashion, wine, and shoes, a silent auction, wine tastings, hors d'oeuvres, and a fashion show from W by Worth, fab shopping, and other treats, with "shoe guys" serving. Tickets are $65.
"It's hard to believe that it has already been a year since we kicked off our first Wine Women & Shoes," said McNeese, "but here we are again, ready for 2013's Wine Women & Shoes benefiting Sinfonia. It takes place the weekend after Super Bowl and before Valentine's Day � a great time for girls to get together."
McNeese's co-chairs this year are Elaine Tucker and Jennifer Howard.
Special ticket packages are available for $700 for two to all three weekend events.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.winewomenandshoes.com, call 269-7129, or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
For more information about Sinfonia Gulf Coast visit www.sinfoniagulfcoast.org, call 269-7229, or email email@example.com.
Be there. Be fabulous!


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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 27, 2012)—Some two months after passing his test, jockey Rafael Bejarano was sworn in as a United States citizen Friday.
A 15-time riding titlist in Southern California, Bejarano, 29, was inducted in a ceremony Friday in Louisville, Ky. before flying back to California so he could honor his mounts in the evening at Betfair Hollywood Park.
A winner of more than 2,700 races and over $123 million in purses, Bejarano was extremely proud of his status.
"I'm really happy,'' he said. "It was a big step for me. There were about 400 others who became citizens.
"My good friend Julio Espinoza was there and so was Dante Zanelli, Jr., who brought me here to the United States. Dante lives in Kentucky now so he was happy to be there and enjoy everything with me.
"Julio has been my friend since I came to this country and we're almost like family. I was so happy not going through this alone.''
Copyright © 2009-2012, Hollywood Park. All rights reserved. Site design by Love Has No logic Design Group


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Yahoo Dumps US Chamber Of Commerce Over Its Extremist Position On PROTECT IP
from the join-the-club dept
We honestly couldn't understand the US CoC's extremist position on this particular topic. Sure, the entertainment industry legacy players are members of the US CoC, but so are plenty of big tech companies that would be hurt by PROTECT IP. Of course, that may be changing. The news came out this morning that Yahoo has quietly left the US Chamber of Commerce over its extremist position on PROTECT IP, and it appears that others are thinking of following suit. At the same time, the US CoC's other major extremist position, concerning fighting against anything that results in reduced greenhouse emissions, has already made Apple leave the US CoC, along with a few other companies as well. At the same time, many various local Chambers of Commerce -- who often do help small businesses -- are disassociating themselves from the US Chamber of Commerce.
As this kind of thing continues, our elected officials are going to finally begin recognizing that the US CoC is an extremist organization that clearly does not represent the business interests of today's innovators and job creators -- but instead represents a few increasingly obsolete legacy organization whose unwillingness to adapt leads them to demand dangerous protectionist policies.


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Hello AO members
I'm having trouble finding a program called Slap-it. I at one time had a copy of this program on Floppy and cant seam to find it anymore. This program is designed to run from a floppy, it runs in DOS and it will run FDISK and Format your hard drive just by placing this floppy in the drive and rebooting. I've Googled for every thing I could think of and came up with nothing but some Bass site and a tread about someone using slap-it but cant seam to find the DL for it. Maybe one of you have heard of it and remember where you obtained it. Thanks


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Best and worst of times for Soon-Shiong
U-T owner's biotech tanks; Times hiring soars; Viesselman out
Matt Potter 3:30 p.m., Nov. 20
The ongoing saga over the future of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station along San Diego's northern coast appears to be drawing to a close, as Edison International, parent company of plant operator Southern California Edison, says this morning that the plant will be shuttered permanently due to federal regulators not complying with the utility's demand for a quick response to a proposal to restart one of the plant's two troubled nuclear reactors on an experimental basis.
The plant has been in a state of emergency shutdown since January 2012, when a tube burst at one of the plant's steam generators and leaked a small amount of radiation into the atmosphere. Further inspection revealed much greater damage than anticipated to the generators, which were just installed in 2009 at a cost to utility customers of at least $670 million.
"We have concluded that the continuing uncertainty about when or if SONGS might return to service was not good for our customers, our investors, or the need to plan for our region's long-term electricity needs," said Edison chairman and CEO Ted Craver via a June 7 press release.
Contrary to early doomsday predictions over keeping the plant shuttered for a second consecutive summer during the push to force federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission action (the regulator says it could have taken a year to fully vet the utility's restart proposal), Edison is now upbeat about the future of the region without nuclear power.
"We think that our decision to retire the units will eliminate uncertainty and facilitate orderly planning for California's energy future," said Ron Litzinger, SCE's president, also in today's release. "The company is already well into a summer reliability program and has completed numerous transmission upgrades in addition to those completed last year. Thanks to consumer conservation, energy efficiency programs and a moderate summer, the region was able to get through last summer without electricity shortages. We hope for the same positive result again this year."
While the questions concerning the resumption of operations at San Onofre are settled, the saga over the plant's future will likely continue for years, if not decades. The decommissioning process will likely take years, and there's still nowhere to transport nuclear waste that has been piling up at the site for decades, much of it stored in overtaxed open storage pools.


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Car Review
2012 Volkswagen Passat: New Car Review
Pros: Upscale looks; spacious interior; luxurious ride; fuel-efficient turbo-diesel engine; strong V6; perfect crash-test scores
Cons: Inefficient standard five-cylinder engine
The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat is Volkswagen's first real shot at giving Americans what they want. The Passat has been sold in this country for a couple decades now, but previous models were always Europe-market designs that VW shipped over to us as an afterthought. Connoisseurs loved them, but the European Passats cost considerably more than mainstream family sedans, with sluggish sales the inevitable outcome. Now the Passat is being built at VW's shiny new manufacturing plant in Tennessee, targeting the bestselling mid-size sedans in the country.
From what we've seen thus far, VW's aim is dead on. The 2012 Passat ditches the old Euro firm dampers in favor of a luxuriously spongy suspension that reminds us of a Buick LeSabre, although even so, the Passat retains a modicum of European athleticism in corners. The base five-cylinder engine is admittedly mediocre, but the optional engines are superb, whether it's the hyper-efficient TDI turbo-diesel or the seriously strong six-cylinder VR6. Volkswagen has evidently discovered that Americans like big back seats, because the Passat's is enormous, boasting class-leading legroom. The car looks good, too, with a just-right mix of American gravitas and European restraint.
But most important, VW has delivered all of the above at prices that budget-minded Americans can stomach. It's hardly the cheapest family sedan on the market, but the Passat is definitely attainable for folks who are considering the usual suspects. We're sure the Germans still have their own idea of what a mid-size sedan should be, but they've done a great job of meeting American expectations with the new 2012 Passat.
Comfort & Utility
The 2012 Volkswagen Passat is offered in different trim levels depending on what's under the hood: the 2.5-liter inline-5, the 2.0-liter TDI and the 3.6-liter VR6.
The base 2.5L model is the one the Passat ads are referring to when they mention the car's $19,995 base price. It comes with a five-speed manual transmission (including a hill holder feature), 16-inch steel wheels with plastic covers, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, cloth upholstery, a height-adjustable driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support, a trip computer, Bluetooth, dual-zone automatic climate control and a six-speaker audio system with an auxiliary input.
If you want an automatic transmission, you'll at least need the optional Appearance package, which adds a six-speed automatic, 16-inch alloy wheels, a back-seat center armrest and a healthy $2,695 to the bottom line.
The 2.5L SE boasts 17-inch alloy wheels, leatherette upholstery, a power driver's seat, heated front seats, an upgraded trip computer with a larger display, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated exterior mirrors and an eight-speaker audio system with a six-CD changer, an SD card reader and a five-inch touchscreen interface. An iPod interface, an SD-based navigation system and a sunroof can be added as an optional package.
The 2.5L SEL steps up to the sunroof, a hard-drive-based navigation system with digital music storage and a 6.5-inch touchscreen, better-bolstered front seats, a nine-speaker Fender audio system with iPod integration and a rear-seat ski pass-through. The 2.5L SEL Premium tacks on foglamps, keyless entry with push-button start, leather upholstery, driver memory functions and a power passenger's seat.
The diesel-powered Passat TDI starts at the SE trim level with a six-speed manual transmission, featuring the 2.5L SE's standard and optional equipment plus electric-assist power steering and optional 18-inch alloys. The top-of-the-line TDI is the SEL Premium, which includes a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission but is otherwise equipped similarly to the 2.5L SEL Premium.
The V6-powered 3.6 SE includes the automated manual transmission, 18-inch alloy wheels and most of the 2.5L SEL's equipment save for the navigation system, which is the SD-based version with the smaller screen. The range-topping 3.6 SEL Premium gets the hard-drive-based navigation system and the rest of the other SEL Premium models' equipment, plus wood-grain interior trim.
The first emotion we felt on entering the new Passat was relief. We were worried that interior quality would take a hit, but it generally hasn't. The premium German vibe that set previous Passats apart has mostly been retained, from the upscale look of the gauges to the precision feel of the knobs and levers. The front seats offer minimal lateral support, even with the SEL-and-up "comfort sport" bolstering, but we're okay with that. The new Passat is definitely all about highway cruising, and there's ample long-distance support no matter which seats you choose.
In back, the Passat offers class-leading legroom that again had us thinking fondly of big old Buicks. It's so spacious back there that the Passat could actually be a viable alternative to large cars like the Toyota Avalon and the Hyundai Azera. We're a little miffed that a rear center armrest doesn't come standard on the 2.5L, though, and our tallest editors commented that headroom was a bit tight.
Trunk capacity is above average at 15.9 cubic feet.
The entry-level Passat is pretty basic on the audio front, sporting only a CD stereo with an auxiliary input, although at least Bluetooth is standard. We're troubled that iPod integration is only included starting at the SE trim level, and a USB port simply isn't offered at all, so flash drive fans will have to transfer their MP3s onto an SD card if their Passats are so equipped. But the optional Fender audio system is well worth the price of admission, delivering excellent sound by family sedan standards.
Higher trims offer a touchscreen audio interface and not one but two navigation systems; we'd skip straight to the hard-drive-based unit if possible, as it boasts not only the larger 6.5-inch screen but also about 20 GB of music storage for MP3 aficionados. The smaller, SD-based navigation system works well enough, but we'd always wonder if we should have stepped up to the fancier system.
Performance & Fuel Economy
All Passats employ a front-wheel-drive layout. The Passat 2.5 is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-5 that generates 170 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on the base 2.5L, while a six-speed automatic controls the other trims. Unlike many critics, we feel some affection for this engine, which has more character in its five-cylinder growl than most rival inline-4s put together. We can't defend the fuel economy, however, which is below average for an all-new family sedan at 22 mpg city/32 mpg highway with the manual and 21/32 mpg with the automatic.
The Passat TDI features a turbo-diesel 2.0-liter inline-4 paired with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission. Output checks in at 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. Although the TDI is ultimately a bit slower than the 2.5, it feels quicker around town thanks to all that torque, which is available virtually from the moment you depress the throttle. Audible diesel clatter is kept to a minimum, and fuel economy is stellar at 31/43 mpg with the manual and 30/40 mpg with the dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The Passat 3.6 packs a 3.6-liter narrow-angle VR6 V6 that cranks out 280 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque, transforming the Passat into an unassuming muscle car. Acceleration is downright swift with this engine, and it makes fun noises, too. The transmission is the dual-clutch automated manual, a surprisingly sporty choice; after all, the ostensibly sportier CC VR6 is stuck with a conventional six-speed automatic. We're big fans of this transmission in powerful models, and it doesn't disappoint here, especially in manual mode with the steering-wheel-mounted shift buttons. Fuel economy is another pleasant surprise: 20/28 mpg is fairly frugal for such a muscular engine.
The 2012 Volkswagen Passat comes with standard stability control, four-wheel ABS and six airbags (front, front side, and and full-length side curtain).
The new Passat aced the government's crash tests, scoring a perfect five stars in front, side and overall crashworthiness. The independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety similarly awarded the Passat its highest rating of Good in every testing category.
Driving Impressions
The 2012 Passat is like an athlete after a full-body Novocain massage. You can tell there's some real handling capability in there that a sport-tuned suspension would tease out, but the default setup is definitely geared toward comfort. Not that we're complaining; the whole point of a mid-size sedan in America is to schlep a family around with minimal intrusion from the elements, and that's exactly what the Passat does. Bumps barely register for the most part, and road noise is lower than average. If you really care about sporty handling, that's why the CC exists.
Other Cars to Consider
Honda Accord - The Accord is no longer a class leader in most respects, but it's multitalented, and the allure of Honda reliability remains strong.
Kia Optima - You can choose from a capable 2.4-liter base engine or an awesome 274-horsepower turbo in the Optima, and there's even a hybrid version. Fuel economy is excellent, and the styling speaks for itself.
Toyota Camry - The new-for-2012 Camry offers significantly improved handling along with a 2.5-liter inline-4 that trounces the Passat's inline-5 in both power and fuel economy.
AutoTrader Recommends
We're partial to the Passat TDI, which offers unbeatable fuel economy and range (hybrid models aside) along with a healthy turbocharged shove at low speeds. Plus, even the entry-level TDI SE comes pretty well equipped.


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BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), Leica Microsystems is proud to offer science labs in North America the opportunity to publish a unique method or technique, which includes microscope-based imaging, in a peer-reviewed, video format. Publishing techniques in a peer-reviewed video format allows labs to:
- Sustain and pass on vital lab knowledge
- Share the most challenging techniques with other labs
- Highlight procedures in talks, with posters or on the lab's website
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121012/CG91831)
Leica Microsystems will be giving away three Video Publications through JoVE in total. Based on merit, one will be awarded October 31, November 30, and December 31, 2012. The full details of this offer, as well as the registration page, can be viewed at the link below.
JoVE opens a new frontier in scientific publication by promoting efficiency and performance of life science research. Visualization of the temporal component, or the change over time integral to many life science experiments, can now be done. Leica has partnered with JoVE to allow researchers to publish experiments in all their dimensions, overcoming the inherent limitations of traditional, static print journals, thereby adding an entirely new parameter to the communication of experimental data and research results.
About Leica Microsystems:
Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company's history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise.
Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems' tradition of innovation, which draws on users' ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in three divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division and Medical Division.
The company is represented in over 100 countries with 6 manufacturing facilities in 5 countries, sales and service organizations in 20 countries, and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.
About JoVE, The Journal of Visualized Experiments:
JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, is the first and only PubMed/MEDLINE-indexed, peer-reviewed journal devoted to publishing scientific research in a video format. Using an international network of videographers, JoVE films and edits videos of researchers performing new experimental techniques at top universities, allowing students and scientists to learn them much more quickly. As of July 2012, JoVE has published video-protocols from an international community of nearly 6,000 authors in the fields of biology, medicine, chemistry, and physics. www.jove.com
SOURCE Leica Microsystems


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How's the weather where you are? Wintery? Wet? We have some crazy weather today - stormy and rainy - I can hear the waves crashing here in my office *Cosy days*
How's the weather where you are? Wintery? Wet? We have some crazy weather today - stormy and rainy - I can hear the waves crashing here in my office *Cosy days*
A nice treat for you this lovely Monday afternoon! What an inspirational space. Gorgeous high ceilings, huge windows, vintage furniture and I just love the leaning art work. I hope you all had a great weekend! I had a lovely time - I spent it in Haarlem with my love, catching up with friends and drinking coffee....It was just great.
Images: Birgitta Wolfgang Dreyer, Sisters Agency, via Bo Bedre with thanks
Gorgeous friends of mine Tim and Tómas have just renovated their stunning old house situated in Akureyri (north of Iceland). They have truly worked some magic in this place - and I for one, cannot wait to go and stay there. They've mastered the delicate balance of keeping things traditional and cosy whilst finishing in a modern, minimalistic style.
Akureyri is a beautiful city - it is known as "the capital of the north" and it is surrounded by amazing nature. They are taking bookings now, so if you have a trip to Iceland planned this year (so many people are visiting right now) - you must include this little gem on your itinerary.
Images: Landleit with thanks.
My good friend Mel snapped this of my baby bear the other day. His eyes look so dark in this picture....Life is great at the moment (apart from a bout of cold that we've all had - for about a month). The work/mamma balance is working out really well. I feel like I've found my flow and I finally feel satisfied that I'm putting enough into both. Felix is changing so much and becoming a really funny, adorable, kind little boy. He's full of energy and definitely has his daddy's cheekiness - seriously he makes my heart melt every day. I really do feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
Story North. Toto the Totem Toy is designed by Rock and Pebble and each has been handmade from solid maple in the US. Don't you just love?
You can see more here
You can see more here
I love this raw, minimal design by architects Georg Nickish and Selina Walder and *sigh* the view from that bath is something else. Could I live something so stark? Yep I think maybe I could....
Images: Via here and here with thanks.
The latest addition to our home. The Mariposa butterfly chair is handcrafted with Argentinian leather by Cuero Design in Sweden. We went for the natural leather and black legs as shown here.
Image: Cuero Design, with thanks.
Image: Cuero Design, with thanks.
Wow it's here. 2016. It's just unbelievable, how time passes. So Happy New Year lovely readers! Did you have a good holiday break? Mine was just lovely. Lots of family and friend time - just perfect :)
I'm not going to write a long list of new years resolutions, because throughout the year I'm always trying to improve, be more efficient, get fitter, perfect everything a little more! The list goes on..... But one of my aims is to post more often. My blog takes a hit when I have lots going on (evident in this past advent giveaway). Now is one of those times as the shop is really busy and I am working on a couple of interior projects. It's all good and I am very lucky, but my blog is such a major part of my personal and professional life, that I have to give it some love! So lovely people, thanks for sticking by whilst the posting has been sparse. I endeavour to serve you better!


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While You Go Genealogy Girl #2 is home harvesting and freezing veggies, I will be arriving in Salt Lake City tomorrow morning. I will also be harvesting ... genealogy "finds." My arrival is a couple days before the arrival of my group, Nebraska Genealogy Tours. What a fun week we have in store!
Family History Library is where you can do extensive research in one place. It isn't that one trip does it all, but there are enough records there to satisfy many of your research needs.
In September, while working in the genealogy section of my local library, I assisted two out of town couples who were there hoping to locate ancestral information. None were retired ... close, but not retired. They had both been traveling all around the United States collecting information and seeing where their ancestors had lived. These were not "a few days" trips. Both couples told me that this was on their bucket list. How nice they were getting to enjoy that list before it was too late. Life might get in the way, but it can also run you down when you least expect it. I can only imagine the stories they had to tell their children and siblings when they arrived back home.
What's on your bucket list?
You Go Genealogy Girl #1 Ruby
Thursday, October 11, 2012
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posted by Thom Holwerda on Sun 22nd Apr 2007 20:06 UTC, submitted by ryan
Xmonad was announced today on the haskell-cafe mailing list. It supports multiple monitors through xinerama. The unique part of this window manager is that it is written in Haskell in under 500 lines. Haskell is a purely functional programming language with very strong static typing to ensure correctness.


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According to wikipedia he was born in 1983, so he would have been 15 in 1998.
The End was probably at its peak in the mid to late 90s but in those days it was all techno, drum and bass and big beat. I know because I went. Good memories of going to a Rephlex night there with Aphex Twin and DJ Scud, and then going up to Electrowerkz afterwards to see Jah Tubbys and Abashanti. If The End had done reggae nights then I would have gone.
Bagleys' peak was years before and was a pretty conventional club in the late 90s. At that time The Fridge was all ravey davey goa trance stuff like Escape from Samsara and Return To The Source.
So he is talking nonsense, and is possibly confusing drum and bass with reggae anyway.


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Meat Safety Under the Microscope
The initial bull market for beef created huge trade for low-priced, good quality meat. But it also opened the door to food safety and health issues.
Big beef has had big problems lately, most of them related to high volume production. E. coli and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) — "mad cow" disease — are the biggest of these problems.
The deadly strain of E. coli known as 0157:H7 first surfaced over a decade ago with the infamous Jack in the Box crisis in the Northwest. Several children died and two giant industries — restaurant chains and beef processors — had to struggle to get a handle on the problem. The beef industry realized it had to take greater care in handling carcasses during the slaughter process; restaurants had to absolutely insure they cooked ground beef to a minimum internal temperature of 160˚F. Serving a rare burger became professional Russian roulette.
BSE surfaced in the U.K. about the same time as the E. coli problem. At first, it was thought to be a relatively rare animal health problem but it quickly developed into a major crisis for the English beef industry when consumption of affected meat was tied directly to a startling rise in New Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal brain disorder that causes rapid, progressive dementia with associated neuromuscular disturbances. The disease was extremely rare and traditionally affected men and women between the ages of 50 and 75 years. The "new variant" form affected younger persons (the median age of onset was 28 years).
Although there is general agreement on the cause of BSE, finding suspect animals in a high-volume meat production environment that handles millions of animals a year has been problematic.
Although there is general agreement on the cause of BSE, finding suspect animals in a high-volume meat production environment that handles millions of animals a year has been problematic. The Japanese reaction was to mandate the testing of every animal in their herds. The U.S. model, based on much higher throughput, looked at the science and decided random testing and visual inspection was a more cost-efficient way to solve the problem.
E. coli and BSE may have turned out not be major issues to the average American consumer. Sales and surveys indicate they trust what the Department of Agriculture has been doing to protect their meat supply or, in their collective opinion, they just don't care about either problem. U.S consumption, even faced with the historically high prices of the last half decade, has increased every year.
Still, E. coli and BSE, while not the devastating one-two punch the industry expected, spurred health-aware consumers to seek alternate sources for their meat fix. Overall beef consumption kept pace through a difficult decade, in part thanks to the burgeoning of the "natural" and organic meat mini-industry. Producers in this niche gained a slightly bigger foothold as they maneuvered to fill the demands of consumers.
"Our phones started ringing shortly after they found the first mad cow," says Don Davis, the man who wears the biggest hat at Bandera Beef, a small producer of grass-fed beef in central Texas. Davis' business is based on the premise that grass-fed animals, never sent to feed yards and harvested in a USDA-inspected plant at a slower line speed; produce inherently better quality, safer cuts of meat. This belief is supported by studies of how E.coli is spread. Recent research indicates there is a higher incidence of the problem among animals finished in feed yards.
He thinks the problems of E. coli and mad cow are far from over. Asked about the effect of these issues on his business, he observes, "I know we picked up some business we wouldn't have gotten otherwise."
Davis believes calls came because people wanted to trust their beef supply. Because of this, he calls for stronger standards in what he believes is misleadingly labeled "all-natural" beef. "The public's perception of what it is and what they actually get is not the same thing. As long as there are loopholes in the feed program, cattle are eating things that might surprise you, and that won't stop mad cow disease," he explains, "and 'natural' ought to really mean minimally processed with no growth hormones or antibiotics added."
Unlike Argentina and Australia, where it's a common practice, the grass-fed beef phenomenon in the U.S. is fueled by small family farms. Most operations are only large enough to serve nearby communities (for a list, go to www.eatwild.com). Meyer Natural Beef, Laura's Lean Beef, Coleman Natural Meats and Maverick Ranch Natural Meats are among the few that have regional or limited national distribution.
Ahead of the Herd
Facing the E. coli issue head-on, Excel Corp., a beef packer headquartered in Wichita, Kan., chose to make a clean wash of the situation. Led by Dell Allen, recently retired vice president of technical services and food safety, Excel bit a major financial bullet and installed "Hide-On Carcass Wash & Sanitizing Assembly," a costly piece of equipment that could be described as a nice hot shower for cattle.
It's a new process that thoroughly cleans beef hides during the slaughtering process, before the hides are peeled from the animal in a process that normally can leave trace amounts of infectious fecal material on the carcass. The system features two high-pressure antimicrobial sprays enclosed in a cabinet. The animal hide is thoroughly cleaned by the spray, and the cabinet confines the splash to prevent cross-contamination.
Irradiation reduces or eliminates pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in food. Specific doses of radiation can kill the rapidly growing cells of insects, pathogens and microorganisms. These include E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Trichinella spiralis.
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The best of both worlds: how the EU-GCC relationship can improve economies globally
The European Union's trade agreement with the GCC provides a key platform to promote greater trade liberalization as well as region-to-region cooperation (Shutterstock)
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The Gulf states have decided on regional integration based on common market, customs and monetary integration, or some sort of EU-styled union. GCC states' status across the wider Middle East and the bailouts by their Sovereign Wealth Funds during the global financial breakdown since 2008 have been gamechangers.
That said, a EU-GCC Free Trade Agreement providing progressive and reciprocal liberalisation of trade is expected to offer opportunities in region-to-region cooperation. Disagreements over market access and a series of other factors — institutional mismatches, divergent interests, different perceptions and other values/norms — have been responsible for the two regional blocs having not moving ahead in the past.
The EU, which had placed its interests in securing access to a steady supply of oil and natural-gas at stable prices and improved market access, has been confronted with GCC states who want better concessions than those on offer and to be dealt with as full and equal partners.
Even then, trade between the two blocs fares well. European companies are selling a range of goods, while investors from the GCC are viewing the EU as a key market for their strategic, eggs-in-various-baskets investment strategies.
Why should the GCC and the EU then try to unlock the impasse caused by the GCC suspending free trade negotiations? Despite the GCC customs union, intra-GCC trade still remains small, leaving the GCC heavily depended on external sources.
The GCC constitutes the fifth largest export market for the EU. Unless they are lowered to zero, cuts in the already low import tariffs will not contribute much in enhancing market access.
Concessions on non-tariff barriers to trade, on the other hand, are likely to have an impact for the EU, not only in terms of full ownership of businesses outside of designated free zones, but also for trade in services.
The GCC and the EU have similarities in their projects of integration. The former has high levels of migrant workers, to the extent a significant part of the work is done by foreigners. GCC states are concerned over the employability of their ever more highly educated local populations, and are therefore not expected to fully liberalise their labor markets.
Membership of GCC states to the WTO means that it has become harder to subsidize economic sectors to the same extent as in the past.
Market liberalisation, economic reform and diversifying away from eventually depleting revenues derived from oil and natural gas exports is recognised as a necessity for turning markets under construction into sustainable economies.
A EU-GCC Free Trade Agreement is likely to assist Gulf states in economic diversification, international competitiveness and other reforms. The EU, because of its large single market and a series of successful processes of enlargement, holds a considerable, unmatched experience in building state institutions, managing regulatory reform in various systems and harmonising legal regulations/technical specifications across borders.
The sharing of EU expertise on customs unions, common markets and monetary integration may be seen as a plus, not only for individual GCC states individually, but also for the GCC as a grouping. Benefits might also include better mutual understanding brought on moderation, tolerance, co-existence and the protection of values and norms.
The EU holds advantages that no other single country can offer. If the EU is able to apply its unmatched regulatory reform tool-box in a flexible, non-confrontational and non-patronising manner, it might be able to enhance its current position in the Gulf.
The GCC and the EU both have an interest in deeper, institutionalized relations, and the two blocs should therefore decide to capitalize on these mutually beneficial interests.
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Two Sports Movies from Disney
Glory Road (June 10/06)
Glory Road is a typically predictable, thoroughly routine Disney sports flick that's elevated by star Josh Lucas' superb performance and a few genuinely heartwarming moments. Lucas plays Don Haskins, a struggling basketball coach who's offered a job at Texas Western and immediately shakes things up by recruiting more black players than white. Though his superiors have their doubts, Haskins' penchant for winning games quickly wins them over. Glory Road's similarities to various other sports movies (particularly Hoosiers) are impossible to ignore, and there are consequently few surprises to be had within the film's admittedly overlong running time. This is true even of the movie's character-building sequences, which are as obvious and obtrusive as one might have expected (ie there's a scene in which a couple of the black players offer up a lesson in urban slang for the benefit of their white teammates). Director James Gartner generally does an effective job of infusing the movie with brief instances of style, though the filmmaker's relentless use of quick cuts during the many basketball sequences lends such moments an incoherent and overwhelming feel. And although Glory Road will undoubtedly work better among viewers who haven't seen a whole lot of sports movies, it's ultimately rather difficult not to get caught up in this inspirational true-life tale.
out of
Though Remember the Titans and Glory Road share similar storylines - a controversial coach shakes things up in a racist town - Remember the Titans remains the superior movie, due primarily to Denzel Washington's commanding, thoroughly charismatic performance. The story revolves around the efforts of black coach Herman Boone (Washington) to lead a newly-integrated high school football team to victory, despite opposition from racist administrators and townspeople. There's not much within Remember the Titans that viewers haven't seen countless times before, but the skill with which the film has been imbued - coupled with a whole host of stellar performances - quickly proves impossible to resist. While Gregory Allen Howard's script contains all the expected touchstones of the genre, the screenwriter does a nice job of transforming these many characters into figures worth rooting for. Aside from an obvious case of overlength, the film's only real flaw is a needless emphasis on the racial issues surrounding Boone's presence as coach; there's an unavoidable feeling of repetition to such moments, the majority of which come off as heavy-handed and utterly needless. Still, that's a minor complaint for a film that's otherwise surprisingly engaging - even for viewers with little or no interest in football.


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