text:
Let me just repeat the main point of the "Röser formula":
It claims a simple linear relation between the inverse of the superconducting transition temperature of a wide range of superconducting materials, and a so-called "doping distance". This relation is shown in the following plot:
(from: A Correlation Between Tc of Fe-based HT Superconductors and the Crystal Super Lattice Constants of the Doping Element Positions by Felix Huber, Hans Peter Roeser, Maria von Schoenermark, Proc. Int. Symp. Fe-Pnictide Superconductors, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 77 (2008) Suppl. C, pp. 142-144)
Here are a few more thoughts of mine about this relation.
Thermal de Broglie wavelength
Using the standard definition of the thermal de Broglie wavelength for a Cooper pair of two electrons with free masses, the Röser equation
4 π k me(2 x)2 n−2/3 = h2/ Tc
actually boils down to
(2 x) × n−1/3 = λc
where λc is the thermal de Broglie wavelength of the Cooper pair at the critical temperature Tc, where superconductivity breaks down.
In the proceedings paper, n = 1, so the factor n−1/3 can be dropped. Moreover, it is said to take values of n = 2 or 3 for other superconductors with a layer structure, depending on the number of layers in the unit cell. It's not completely clear to me how it is motivated.
Substances Covered
In the proceedings paper, the authors discuss doped iron arsenides LO(1−Δ)F(Δ)FeAs, where L is a rare earth, L = La (Lanthanum), Gd (Gadolinium), Ce (Cerium), Pr (Praseodymium), Nd (Neodymium) or Sm (Samarium) - see table 1 of the paper. These materials are labeled as "LOFFA", "GOFFA", "COFFA", "POFFA", "NOFFA", and "SOFFA" in the plot.
The other data points in the plot refer to cuprate superconductors - the substances labeled ...CO, or Bi-2212, where the numbers denote the composition. These cuprates are discussed in several Acta Astronautica papers, for example Acta Astronautica 65 (2009) 489, which unfortunately I do not have access to.
In the examples of the rare earth iron pnictides, superconductivity can be reached by replacing, in an ideal LOFeAs lattice, some of the oxygen atoms by fluorine atoms. Depending of the amount of fluorine, the critical temperature for superconductivity can take different values. The Physics article on High-temperature superconductivity in the iron pnictides shows phase diagrams for "LOFFA" and "COFFA".
In "COFFA", CeO(1−x)F(x)FeAs, for example, superconductivity sets in only when at least 6 percent of the oxygen atoms are replaced by fluorine, and the transition temperature is highest for a replacement of about 16 percent of the oxygen atoms by fluorine:
(from: Structural and magnetic phase diagram of CeFeAsO(1-x)F(x) and its relationship to high-temperature superconductivity, by Jun Zhao et al., arXiv:0806.2528v1, and Nature Materials 7 (2008) 953-959.)
The percentage of replaced atoms is called the "doping", and it is usually denoted with x, which should not be confused with the "doping distance" in the Röser paper. In the formula above for the substances, I have denoted doping with Δ, as in the Röser paper.
The "doping distance" x
The Röser formula compares the thermal de Broglie wavelength of a Cooper pair at the superconducting transition temperature with a "doping distance" x and states that they are equal, up to a geometry factor. The crucial point, then, is how to arrive at the "doping distance".
In the proceedings paper about iron arsenides, it is argued that every two of the "doping" fluorine atoms group around one iron atom, and that these "decorated" iron atoms form, again, a regular lattice. Such a lattice is usually called a superstructure.
In the example of "COFFA" at the "optimal" doping of Δ = 0.16, this reasoning implies that 8 percent of the iron atoms are neighbored by two fluorine atoms each, and the superstructure of the decorated iron atoms has to comprise 1/0.08 = 12.5 standard unit cells. They argue that this means that 5 unit cells are put on top of each other, yielding a doping distance of 5 times the height c of the unit cell, or x = 5 c.
For the other doped lanthanide iron arsenides, a similar reasoning is used. The constructions of the superstructure and the resulting doping distances are documented in table 1 of the proceedings paper.
Open questions
To me, construction of the "doping distance" is not really comprehensible, and it seems that there are a few points where the paper just glosses over:
I am not sure whether (1) the dopant fluorine atoms group pairwise at iron atoms and (2) if the decorated iron atoms indeed form a superlattice. However, this may be checked experimentally. But then, (3), if there is a superlattice, it is not clear to me why it should be ordered in the way claimed in the paper, with a pattern stacking five unit cells on top of each other for "COFFA", for example. There can be many ways to arrange unit cells to form a superlattice with the right supercell volume. This is more obvious in the case of "LOFFA", where the supercell comprises 18 unit cells, and there seems to be no a priori reason to select a superstructure which has 6 unit cells stacked on top of each other.
In other words, the determination of the "doping distance" involves an arbitrariness which may be used to select x in a way to fit the formula, and there is no real discussion of the selection rules in the paper. This arbitrariness, however, could be resolved by experiments which actually measure the superstructure.
There is another point which puzzles me about the paper, which is the application of the formula to the cases of "optimal doping" only, i.e. those values of doping where the transition temperature for the substance at hand is maximal.
I don't see a good reason why the formula should not apply at any value of doping, if there is a relation between the transition temperature and the "doping distance". Then, however, there is the problem that around the maximum, different values of doping give the same transition temperature, hence should have the same doping distance. This can be seen very nicely in the phase diagram of "COFFA" above. Maybe this point can be arranged for somehow, and maybe it is discussed in the Acta Astronautica papers.
Thinking about it, while the Röser relation is indeed amazing, it's unclear to me how much of an "a posteriori" selection bias concerning the "doping distance" goes into it.
However, as the relation makes strong claims about the arrangement of the dopant atoms, this probably can be checked experimentally.
If it comes out that the relation indeed holds, it will be exciting to understand what it means for the physics of superconductivity.
- The August 2009 issue of the Scientific American gives a nice overview of superconductivity in iron pnictides in the article An Iron Key to High-Temperature Superconductivity? by Graham P. Collins (albeit without illustrations, it seems...)
- Browsing the APS' Physics Archive for the tag superconductivity is a good way to keep up-to-date with the developments in the iron pnictides.


text:
Is not like MK Olsen's French boyfriend…
The NY Post reported today that Scarlett Johansson's been seen around town with a new French boyfriend. He has since been identified as Romain Dauriac who used to be a magazine editor and now has a vague "creative director" job title. That's about right. This is what you do in your 20s: you date ad guys, you date pseudo-thinkers, you get caught up with artists and their art and their wearing of dark-rimmed glasses and stubble and plaid in the pursuit of the artist's art…BEFORE you get married.
Anyway, Scarjo spent some time in Paris earlier this fall and then came back and broke up with Nate Naylor so…overlap? Why not? She's not married anymore. And she looks glorious for it, although that may have something to do with the fact that Jessica Biel chose to dress like - as many of you have pointed out - a cross between Dorothy Zbornak and Helen Roper last night at the Hitchcock premiere.
Scarjo's in Rodarte and it's young and fresh and sexy and … delicious. When this girl is on, and I mean this to be complimentary, she makes my mouth water.
Attached - Scarjo with Romain on October 16 having lunch in NYC. And a photo of Romain from Twitter.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Frozen Pudding Cream Cake with Candy Bar Crunch Topping
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an easy dessert that demands more time than talent from its cook. It is also one of those desserts that people either love or hate. As far as I've been able to determine, the recipe first appeared in Taste of Home Magazine where it was called Pistachio Cream Dessert. How simple is it? Instant pudding is mixed with softened ice cream and then poured into a crumb crust and refrozen. Once it's set, the cake is covered with whipped topping and sprinkled with crushed candy bars. Now, I must tell those of you who are inwardly groaning that it's not that bad a dessert. It may never be your favorite, but lots of people love it and, should you decide to make it, your reputation won't be tarnished. It's important to know that in addition to pistachio, coconut, banana or butterscotch pudding can also be used to make the dessert. Pistachio is my least favorite of the flavors, but its lovely green color is visually stunning and makes for a great presentation. I personally love to make this using banana pudding. You can also vary the type of crumbs used to make the cake base and any candy bar that has a bit of texture can be used for topping. I don't much care for whipped topping, but I found that when it's folded into an equal measure of lightly beaten cream my arguments against it tend to fade. This is a rich dessert that keeps well. I think those of you who try it will think it worth the time it took to make. Here's the original recipe.
Frozen Pudding Cream Cake with Candy Bar Crunch Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Taste of Home Magazine
1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup cold 2% milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 packages (1.4 ounces each) Heath candy bars, crushed
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Combine cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in ice cream; pour over crust. Cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm.
4) Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Yield: 9 servings.
One Year Ago Today: Flaked Parsley Salad with Olives and Parmesan Cheese
Two Years Ago Today: Navajo Blue Corn Fried Chicken with Ancho Honey Sauce
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Pistachio Gelato - Sydney's Kitchen
Apricot and Pistachio Galette - Cook Sister!
Bacon Pistachio Cookies - Jane Deere
Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Butter Cookies - Baking Bites
Pistachio Cherry Chip Cookies - Kitchen Gypsies
53 comments :
- Katarina said...
This sounds and looks really delicious!
- July 20, 2011 at 7:36 AM
- Tanna said...
Mary, if you say it's good, I KNOW it's good!! It looks delicious!
- July 20, 2011 at 8:00 AM
- Maris (In Good Taste) said...
This sou8nds sensational and perfect for this heat wave!
- July 20, 2011 at 8:09 AM
- Caroline B. said...
This is a great gourmet recipe that can be used in a temperature increase, which will satisfy the most demanding of us. Fantastic Mary! Have a nice day! Caro
- July 20, 2011 at 8:21 AM
- Rita said...
Another great suummer dessert, i ma keeping for my kid's vist next week; thank you!
Rita - July 20, 2011 at 8:27 AM
perfect store cupboard dessert for unexpected guests :)
- July 20, 2011 at 8:29 AM
- Yvonne @ StoneGable said...
I want to scream.... not fair, not fair! Sharing without being able to eat a crumb of this most delicious creation! I guess I will have to make it myself... but I really want it now! This is a keeper recipe.
Yvonne - July 20, 2011 at 8:42 AM
Looks and sounds delicious, Mary! What a perfect dessert now that the summer heat is in full swing.
- July 20, 2011 at 8:54 AM
- Unknown said...
Thanks to my dad, I have a huge love for pistachio pudding :) This sounds delightful!! I'll have to make this for my parents when they come to visit in October.. my dad will be in heaven!! Thanks for sharing :)
- July 20, 2011 at 8:55 AM
- Kim said...
It's a fresh dessert that certainly can please me. With the hot temperature here, it's the perfect complement to a meal. Have a good day, MAry!
- July 20, 2011 at 9:02 AM
- Emily Malloy said...
- July 20, 2011 at 9:03 AM
- Little Inbox said...
It looks very good! Lovely dessert.
- July 20, 2011 at 9:05 AM
- MerryJohnson said...
Wow !What an amazing blog.
One of the best blog.
Its awesome.
Nice blog on cake supplies.
Keep going... - July 20, 2011 at 9:19 AM
- Diane said...
Oh boy, do you come up with some yummy recipes. I have to agree with MerryJohnson :-) Diane
- July 20, 2011 at 9:26 AM
- Epicurea said...
pudding AND ice cream in one dessert? yumm!
- July 20, 2011 at 9:44 AM
Perfect treat for the heat!
Karen - July 20, 2011 at 9:52 AM
- Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...
This looks really good, and perfect dessert for the heat we are having!
- July 20, 2011 at 9:57 AM
- Val @ Mental Chew said...
Yum! I am going to try banana pudding with strawberry ice cream and fresh berries on top. Thanks!
- July 20, 2011 at 10:16 AM
- Jihane @ Sinful Sundays said...
Perfect cake for a hot summer day! It looks delicious. =)
- July 20, 2011 at 10:21 AM
- Penny said...
With this heat wave hitting so much of the country, this dessert would be just the thing to keep us cool. Thanks Mary.
- July 20, 2011 at 10:29 AM
- Chiara said...
This looks really delicious Mary! have a good day....
- July 20, 2011 at 10:38 AM
- lena said...
oh gosh, i wish i can just have a piece of this! Funny, this is the 3rd ice cream related post i'm looking at tonight!
- July 20, 2011 at 11:47 AM
- Heather S-G said...
This is definitely an eye-catcher...and I do love that you can switch it up and make it a whole new dessert w/ different flavors. I am a pistachio fan, so it looks good as-is to me :D
- July 20, 2011 at 12:02 PM
- That Girl said...
Pudding cakes, cool whip cakes, cashes with crushed candy all remind me of the tests my friends always had at their homes. It was like pulling teeth to even let me make things like "dirt" in our house, and that's just pudding, oreo, and cool whip!
- July 20, 2011 at 12:28 PM
- Melinda said...
This is just what is needed on these HOT days we are having!
Looks yum.
Melinda - July 20, 2011 at 12:52 PM
- Joanne said...
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this but it's definitely worth a try!
- July 20, 2011 at 1:38 PM
- Eileen said...
It sounds like one of those desserts that kids would love. :)
- July 20, 2011 at 1:57 PM
- Reshmi Mahesh said...
Looks awesome...perfect for heat..
- July 20, 2011 at 2:16 PM
- Ginny Hartzler said...
I think it looks very good! I would use the butterscotch flavor, but I agree that the pistachio looks much prettier!
- July 20, 2011 at 2:19 PM
I think it is so pretty... and i love pistachio...
- July 20, 2011 at 2:23 PM
- Unknown said...
Wow, this looks so refreshing and so........ yummy! Delicious sounding combinaiton!!
- July 20, 2011 at 2:52 PM
- nanny said...
Looks wonderful....I'll bet it tastes just as great!!!
- July 20, 2011 at 3:18 PM
- Jocie's Mom said...
Who WOULDN'T like this dessert? It looks pretty amazing to me. I love the little crumbly candy!
- July 20, 2011 at 4:01 PM
- RATOLINHA said...
Oh Mary!!!
Que maravilhoso ficou.
beijo - July 20, 2011 at 4:12 PM
- PeggyR said...
Oh my this is my kind of dessert.
- July 20, 2011 at 4:13 PM
- Lenia said...
What a wonderful dessert!I love it!
- July 20, 2011 at 5:34 PM
- JG said...
Banana flavored would be delicious! Perfect for summer!
~Judy - July 20, 2011 at 5:36 PM
- A Bitchin' Kitchen said...
This entire dessert looks delicious, but it's the Heath bar topping that truly wins me over. Heath bars are one of the only mass produced candy bars that I really like!
- Maggie - July 20, 2011 at 5:44 PM
- Alessandra said...
I don't know what an instant pistachio pudding mix would be, but I can just look at the picture and invent something of that sort :-). Is the inspiration that counts for me :-).
I hope that you are having a good (and warmer) day.
Alessandra - July 20, 2011 at 5:53 PM
I bet you one bite of this would take me over my allotted calories for the day!!! It looks so decadent!
- July 20, 2011 at 7:44 PM
- QembarDelites said...
Definitely makes a good presentation with this...lovely color!
- July 20, 2011 at 8:34 PM
- Pondside said...
It may not be gourmet, but a dessert like this is the one that will get all the oohs and aahs at a potluck and it's the one that will disappear in a couple of minutes.
- July 20, 2011 at 9:37 PM
- GLENDA CHILDERS said...
I haven't made this dessert (that I love) in years. Maybe it is time for a comeback.
Glenda - July 20, 2011 at 10:18 PM
- Kim said...
Mary- I love and appreciate the way you share you insight with regard to your recipes. I can tell that you put a lot of thought into your posts and always enjoy reading them.
This dessert would be a winner in my home. We love creamy treats like this. - July 20, 2011 at 10:46 PM
- Unknown said...
Oh My Gosh! I need to make this like yesterday! Yum!
- July 21, 2011 at 12:40 AM
- Elin said...
Mary...this is one lovely dessert I would love to have...perfect for a hot day !
- July 21, 2011 at 2:44 AM
- Karen (Back Road Journal) said...
I know who will like this recipe...all my children. Butterscotch pudding is a favorite of theirs, so I will go from there and do a poll for what the topping should be.
- July 21, 2011 at 9:05 AM
- What's next said...
sounds yummy and cool!
- July 21, 2011 at 10:41 AM
- Lucie said...
Sounds like a great recipe for a quick, crowd-pleasing dessert!
- July 21, 2011 at 11:50 AM
- Hazel - Chicken in a Cherry Sauce said...
My roommate was addicted to banana pudding, I had never thought of freezing it! Looks great with the candy bar topping!
- July 23, 2011 at 7:23 AM
- The Harried Cook said...
This sounds really good! Perfect for this heat we've been having... Thanks for sharing!
- July 24, 2011 at 3:29 AM
- Becki (Becki's Whole Life) said...
I think that every recipe you post leaves me hungrier than the one before. I love TOH, I have been reading it since it came out when my mom had a subscription. Their frozen desserts like this are always wonderful. Since pistachio is my favorite pudding this really hit home. The butter cracker crust is interesting - I bit it's divine.
- July 24, 2011 at 1:52 PM
- Jamie said...
Mary, what I love about this (besides that it is ice cream) is that it is just the kind of dessert my dad would make for us. And pistachio pudding was his favorite. This brings back such wonderful memories for me.
- July 25, 2011 at 5:31 AM


text:
There were 370,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance filed last week, the same number as during the week before, according to the Employment and Training Administration.
So, after a spike to a range around 390,000 per week in April, claims have slowed again to a pace that's roughly the lowest since the spring of 2008.
According to The Wall Street Journal, that suggests "the recently volatile labor market is stabilizing."
But Reuters takes a different angle, saying the news "will do little to ease concerns about a recent slowdown in jobs growth" because the no-change-news comes "on the heels of three straight months of slowing employment gains."
Update at 10:20 a.m. ET. Leading Indicators Tick Down:
The morning's other economic news is that The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index edged down 0.1 percent in April from March, "following a 0.3 percent increase in March, and a 0.7 percent increase in February." Still, the index, which aims to forecast how the economy will be doing in coming months, stands at 95.5 — not far below the 100 reading it typically hit or exceeded before the recession that began in December 2007.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Morning consult poll on telelehalth and GLP1s
By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn on 9 May 2024 in
News and Upcoming Events
Thanks to Feedspot for identifying Health Populi as a top Public Health blog to follow in 2024...I must call out my Twitter following update is nearly 30,000 these days.... : )
Jane was named as a member of the AHIP 2024 Advisory Board, joining some valued colleagues to prepare for the challenges and opportunities facing health plans, systems, and other industry stakeholders. Looking forward to AHIP 2024 in Las Vegas come June 11-13, 2024.
Join Jane at AHIP's annual meeting in Las Vegas: I'll be speaking, moderating a panel, and providing thought leadership on health consumers and bolstering equity, empowerment, and self-care.
RSS Feed
Founded in 2007, the Health Populi website has over 2,000 posts, along with a library of Jane's writings and media mentions. Please use our search and filter functions to find the relevant posts for you. Make sure to sign up to our RSS feeds and join us on Twitter, too, by following @HealthyThinker.
Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, MA, MHSA


text:
About THL > Participation & Support > Scholarly Participation In THDL > THL Publication
THL Publication
One of THL's core activities is to function as an academic publisher. Unlike traditional academic publishers, however, we provide publications to the public free of charge, allow contributors to keep their copyrights, and allow contributors to shape their own products without artificial constraints on length and format. THL offers three kinds of publication: THL Draft publication, THL Publication, and THL Re-Publication. One of these three terms appears in the header for each item published within THL, and the term is hyperlinked back to this page which serves to explain their significance.
One of the great features of digital publication is the ability to easily revise publications and quickly give an author broad access to readers for feedback. However, if draft versions of publications are cited, this has negative consequences for all concerned. Firstly, the author could be damaged by erroneous and provisional statements being cited in public. Secondly, the citation is unreliable since the draft in question may be revised and not endure in its provisional form in the future. Thus, it is important to allow authors to share drafts, but also to protect them from untimely citation. However, once something has been published, it is important that the public can be assured that whatever revisions might happen in the future, the publication will endure in the released form as well so that stable citations can be made. Thus, we differentiate between THL Draft Publication and THL Publication.
It should also be noted that THL's Publications are peer-reviewed to maintain academic quality and provide appropriate academic credit. Please see the separate section dealing with Peer Review in the present document for details.
THL draft publication. This is a draft version of a publication-in-formation by the author. It cannot be cited under any circumstances and THL makes no commitment to it being available in its present form in the future. Suggestions for revisions should be addressed directly to the author. As a draft publication, it is not peer-reviewed within THL at this point.
THL publication. This is a final THL publication and thus, if a scholarly publication, is peer-reviewed. You may cite the work according to common academic practice, and THL is committed to making this work available in this precise form permanently. Any subsequent revisions will be released as a separate edition, while the present form will also be accessible in a permanent archive.
THL republication. This is a THL digital re-publication of a text already published elsewhere. It is not independently peer-reviewed within THL.


text:
Whether you need to learn a new skill or language to advance your career, or you just want to learn something new and broaden your horizons, lifelong learning is important. Still, picking up new things can be difficult, and the free Learning Creative Learning course from the MIT Media Lab aims to teach you techniques to easily pick up something new whenever you want to.
The course starts on February 11th, but you should up for the class now—sign-ups close on Friday the 8th. To get started, just hit the link below. Mitch Resnick, Director of Lifelong Kindergarten and the LEGO Papert Professor at the MIT Media Lab, is teaching the course. The class will be centered on picking up techniques that make learning new skills and keeping them for the long haul easier. Each week you'll focus on different types of learning and different types of skills, from learning on the internet, tinkering and learning from doing things yourself, and generating your own great ideas.
Best of all, the class will be easy to keep up with: the MIT Media Lab will use off-the-shelf Google technologies to power the course, including hangouts and communities at Google+, and sharing assignments and projects at Github. You can read more about the class and see the week-to-week course outline at the link below.
Learning Creative Learning | MIT Media Lab via Make


text:
Markey, Obama adviser propose heightened efforts to battle heroin use in Taunton
Article Date: February 24, 2014
From Taunton Gazette
By Marc Larocque
TAUNTON — About 20 minutes into a meeting between the White House drug czar and local stakeholders, two city firefighters burst from the room.
They ran out the doors of Taunton's Central Fire Station and responded to a radio alert for another suspected overdose.
The call underscored the sense of urgency as the city, state and nation come to grips with a surging heroin and opiate abuse epidemic. State health officials say Taunton has reported 20 percent of Massachusetts' statewide overdose deaths so far this year.
President Barack Obama's top adviser on drug control policy, R. Gil Kerlikowske, came to Taunton on Monday morning in support of efforts to reduce fatal heroin overdoses and improve the public health system and substance abuse treatment. "In my travels throughout the country in my five years as President Obama's adviser … this is a problem that has affected every race, economic area, rural, suburban or urban," said Kerlikowske, director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy. "But it's also something we can actually make a difference on."
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, invited Kerlikowske to visit the Taunton Fire Department's Central Station, where Markey announced his plans to support a national Good Samaritan law to expand the ability of civilians to administer naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan.
Markey said that naloxone, a drug used to reverse the potentially fatal effects of overdoses, is widely available in only a handful of states, including Massachusetts, which have laws to protect first-responders and others from civil liability after administering the antidote.
Markey also promised to fight in Washington for increased funding to support drug abuse treatment, including a more efficient system of identifying beds for treatment through the use of mobile and Web technology.
"We need to ratchet up the funding," Markey said. "We need to be sure that critical detox and treatment are available when needed and are easier to access. We need a solution to easily identify, in real time, where there is an open bed. … I will work to develop innovative systems that make it easier to match those seeking detox and treatment for those available beds in real time, and to monitor the success of these programs and the state of Massachusetts is expanding those beds in fact."
Markey's third pledge was to modernize the public health treatment system while providing increased support for research and new solutions related to heroin addiction and other drug abuse problems.
During the meeting, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts President Ed Kelly announced that his organization voted on Friday to equip all fire engines across the state with naloxone.
In Taunton, police Chief Edward Walsh said that he now believes his officers will eventually be equipped with the potentially life-saving drug. But Walsh said that firefighters and paramedics arrive at heroin overdose calls before police nearly every time. Walsh said while the ambulance provider in the city already carries the drug, Taunton firefighters will be equipped with naloxone and receive training for it in the near future.
Prior to a press conference, Kerlikowske, Markey, Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr., state Department of Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett, local law enforcement representatives, emergency responders and others met for a closed-door forum.
Hoye said that the meeting and press conference resulted from a conversation he and Walsh had with Markey about the addiction problems in the city on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when Markey visited Taunton and spoke at the Baptist Church of All Nations.
Kerlikowske said he has been to Massachusetts six times since becoming Obama's drug policy adviser five years ago, because the state is a national leader in drug policy and treatment.
After meeting Taunton officials on Monday, Kerlikowske said he was pleased to learn of the Taunton Police Department's official strategy for fighting the heroin problem, which was outlined at a high-profile community forum held in the city last week. Kerlikowske called Taunton's strategy "balanced and holistic" for its multidisciplinary approach.
Kerlikowske said it is important to continue promoting and expanding access to naloxone to save lives, which "is the key."
"All you have to do is look to Quincy, where (naloxone) saved 200 people," he said. "Only a handful received (naloxone) more than once. We've seen time after time, when someone is essentially brought back to life, they make a choice of entering into rehab. Drug addiction is a chronic disease … Relapse is a part of that."
Kerlikowske, a former Buffalo, N.Y., police chief, said almost all of the nation's black market heroin supply comes from the country's southwest border. Kerlikowske said that law enforcement is important, but that the problem needs to be fought in the community by stopping people from using the drug in the first place.
Bartlett, the DPH commissioner, said that since the beginning of the year, there have been 30 heroin-related deaths statewide. In Taunton alone, according to local law enforcement, there have been six suspected heroin deaths in 2014, and at least 71 overdoses in the city over the past two months.
Bartlett said that through a naloxone distribution and education program, which has been in place in the state for more than six years, more than 2,500 overdoses have been reversed in Massachusetts. Bartlett said that Gov. Deval Patrick has invested $42 million in a comprehensive substance abuse program since he assumed office in 2007.
Bartlett said that, for this coming year, Patrick added $3 million to the budget to increase the amount of Section 35 treatment beds, "so that people get civil commitments and treatment and don't go to the Department of Corrections for substance abuse."
Bartlett also said that, within the next few weeks, "we will have added 280 new beds for treatment" beyond detoxification services, which she said is a small part of treatment.
"Changing lifestyle behavior takes a lot longer," she said. "Those programs are paid for, through some DPH and some third party and insurance companies."
Bartlett also said "specialty drug courts" to help people get into treatment are in the works in the department budget for the judicial system.
Taunton's Lori Gonsalves — the mother of a man who suffered brain damage as the result of a heroin overdose — attended the meeting and called for more drug addiction rehabilitation resources. Gonsalves said her 25-year-old son, Cory, overdosed last July. The overdose resulted in partial blindness and created speech issues and motor skills problems.
"I'm for longer coverage in health insurance, instead of the typical five- to seven-day stay and some other outpatient program," Gonsalves said.
Gonsalves said that, before her son's overdose, her family spent $7,000 on a 30-day rehab stay. But it wasn't enough. Gonsalves said if there was more public funding for long-term substance abuse treatment and better insurance coverage, it would help people like her son before it's too late.
"Those short-term things do not work," Gonsalves said. "You need 60 or 90 days."
An admitted heroin addict named Keith Sproul also attended the press conference in hopes of making his voice heard. Sproul, 23, said that he is seeking a bed in a rehabilitation facility, but that he is having no success.
"I was in a hospital earlier," said Sproul, gesturing to a hospital wristband he was wearing. "They gave me the boot. I couldn't find a bed for treatment. They need to open more treatment facilities and have less revolving doors."
Sproul said that seven-day detox services that are available are not enough for people like him. Sproul also said that a fentanyl-tainted strain of heroin — which local law enforcement officials said is behind a recent uptick in overdoses and overdose deaths — is not scaring him or other users away from the drug.
Markey and Kerlikowske were joined by former Boston Celtics player and Fall River native Chris Herren, who travels the country as a public speaker to tell people about his dark struggle with heroin addiction.
Herren thanked all the paramedics and firefighters in the room, recounting how he was saved by naloxone when he overdosed on heroin.
He also said that not enough addiction treatment beds are available in southeastern Massachusetts.
"Beds are needed for addicts to land on after they've been administered Narcan," he said.
Original Article: http://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20140224/News/140228224/?Start=1


text:
Gregg Homme underwear for men is known for its kinky and sexy style. Their unique designs are one of a kind. Find enhancing, bold, and provocative underwear styles that demand attention. Whether you're looking for something fun, like a Gregg Homme Satin Tuxedo Thong or something naughty like the Gregg Homme Double Haze Brief with faux leather construction, you'll find underwear styles to meet all your needs. Freshpair carries several Gregg Homme underwear styles which include
Gregg Homme Briefs
Gregg Homme briefs are available in fun enhancing styles that can enhance your rear, like the Gregg Homme Perfekbum Brief and in convenient styles that feature faux-suede material like the Gregg Homme Bronco Brief. Some mens underwear styles like the Gregg Homme Nodoubt Brief, made of breathable mesh-net fabric, make showing off your provocative side easy.
Gregg Homme Thongs
Gregg Homme has a variety of thong styles to meet your needs. Gregg Homme thongs bring attention to your package and show off your assets. Styles like the Gregg Homme Torrid Thong, are made of stretch microfiber which makes them a comfortable, low rise sheer men's thong. Freshpair carries Gregg Homme thong styles that give your package a boost, try the Gregg Homme Booster Thong, which features a frontal enhancer for extra attention. Check out Freshpair's Gregg Homme thong selection and find mens thongs for every mood and occasion.
Gregg Homme G-Strings
Show off all your assets in Gregg Homme g-strings for men. Whether you're looking for a mesh net g-string like the Gregg Homme Nodoubt G-String or a convenient men's g-string for everyday use like the Gregg Homme Commando G-String, Gregg Homme has something to meet your mens gstring needs.
Find mens underwear styles that expose your fun, provocative, and naughty sides from Gregg Homme at Freshpair.


text:
Carlos Monasterios (1-0, 1.90) vs. Jeff Francis (1-0, 0.68).
COMMENTS: That, my friends, is a short leash. Which Monasterios is likely to be on due to his relative inactivity of late. Which means the bullpen better be ready, which is a concern because you don't want to burn your bullpen in the first game of a series at Coors Field.
Worse, the Rockies are hot hot hot right now, winners of five straight. The Dodgers aren't exactly slacking themselves, having won 17 games in May. Losing two of three to the Cubs kinda stung, but at leash we miss ÜberUbaldo this series. Woof!


text:
Saturday, May 19, 2012
MIA in a way...
36 comments:
- Wendy said...
Prayers to your mum Hun and to your family hugs to thinking of you at this time
Huggles Wendy - May 19, 2012 at 5:22 AM
- Nancy Thomas said...
My heart goes out to you Amy. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Let me know if there is anything else I can do on this end for you.
- May 19, 2012 at 5:27 AM
- Marianne said...
So sorry to hear about your mum Amy. Hope she'll recover soon. I'll be sending good vibes your way.
Marianne x - May 19, 2012 at 5:31 AM
- Rozy said...
Prayers are with you for a speedy recovery.
- May 19, 2012 at 5:34 AM
- Linda Wescott said...
Sorry to hear about your mom, hope she improves soon. Hugs lin
- May 19, 2012 at 5:44 AM
- kim.scrapper said...
I will definately add your Mom to my prayers and my thoughts. Sending a big hug your way, Kim
- May 19, 2012 at 5:49 AM
- Trina said...
Glad you got her to go to the hospital. Your family is in my prayers.
- May 19, 2012 at 5:58 AM
- Cindy H. said...
Amy, love your adorable card! I'm so sorry about your mom being in the hospital. I'll be keeping you both in my thoughts.
- May 19, 2012 at 6:02 AM
- Stephanie said...
Sending some prayer out for your mom. My mom is my best friend too and I can't imagine what you are going through. Hopefully she gets better very soon. Love your card, it's pretty suitable for what is going on.
- May 19, 2012 at 6:10 AM
- Pöydän kulmalla näpertelijä said...
Sorry to hear about your mom, hope she gets better soon.
Your card today is as sweet as ever. - May 19, 2012 at 6:46 AM
- Annette Allen said...
so sorry to hear about your mom...I hope she gets better soon...sending up prayers for her....
your card is just too cute.. - May 19, 2012 at 6:55 AM
- Mette said...
All my prayers and happy thought go out to your mum, you and your family Amy. Hope she gets well real soon sweetie. Big hugs from Mette and will be thinking of you.
- May 19, 2012 at 7:25 AM
- Mickymunchkin's little space said...
Oh dear, I'll be thinking of you and your mum and I truely hope she'll be better soon. Just take as much time as you need off, there's more important things in life, and your Mum is one of them!
mickymunchkin - May 19, 2012 at 7:45 AM
- Stephanie J said...
Oh dear... I hope your mom gets well soon!!! {hugs}
- May 19, 2012 at 8:10 AM
- Heidi Brawley said...
I am very sorry to hear this about your Mom. Prayers going your way and to you Mom for a quick recovery!! Hugs too! Love your card doll! It is very Darling!!!
God Bless,
Heidi & Brooke - May 19, 2012 at 9:27 AM
- Betsy said...
Sending good wishes and prayers your way for your mom's quick recovery! Hugs to you!!
- May 19, 2012 at 9:33 AM
- Rhonda Miller said...
Sorry to hear about your mom. I will definitely be praying for her and you.
What a sweet card. - May 19, 2012 at 10:19 AM
- Dangina Martinez said...
Oh Amy, My Heart and Prayers go out to you. I understand how you are feeling and you should just focus on being with Patti. Please remember to take care of yourself while doing so. I wish you and Patti well.
Tons of Hugs, Dangina - May 19, 2012 at 10:24 AM
- WickedPixie said...
Amy, I am sending good thoughts our way. Take Care and Big Hugs, Traci
- May 19, 2012 at 12:25 PM
- Georgene said...
Both prayers and positive energy going out for your mom. I hope that she is feeling better very soon.
- May 19, 2012 at 12:44 PM
- Jane said...
Hey Amy
I am so sorry to here about your mom I will keep her and you in my thoughts and prayers.
Best wishes and big hugs
Penny xx - May 19, 2012 at 1:21 PM
- Tina said...
Hi Amy,
Prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery for your Mom are on the way. Make sure you take care of yourself too! Hugs, Tina - May 19, 2012 at 1:40 PM
- TH said...
You & your mom, Patti, are in my thougths and prayers! I know this is a hard time for you try to be strong, she is lucky to have a good daughter to watch out for her. I am here if you need me just an email away. Huge hugs,
Terry - May 19, 2012 at 2:47 PM
- Tonje said...
I'm so sorry to hear about your mum. My thoughts are with you and your mum. Hope she feels better soon. Take care!
- May 19, 2012 at 3:37 PM
- Alyce Kit and Clowder said...
Amy I am so sorry to hear that about your mum!! I really hope she recovers quickly. Sending huge hugs to you and all of your family. Such a beautiful get well card too the colours are just so pretty and the image is fab :)
- May 19, 2012 at 6:54 PM
- eva said...
so sorry to hear about your mom! i'll be sending lots of positive thoughts for you and your mom!
- May 19, 2012 at 9:45 PM
- Tonia said...
I'm so sorry, Amy! Praying for your mother's health! (((hugs)))
- May 19, 2012 at 10:32 PM
- Tara Godfrey said...
I will definitely pray for your Mom, Amy and for you and your family! I'm SO sorry to hear of her sudden illness and I pray for a full and speedy recovery...take care of yourself too, hun!
Big Hugs,t - May 20, 2012 at 4:50 AM
- Lau W said...
I'm sorry to hear this news about your mum :-( I think of her and hope she will better soon.
Hugs and kisses. - May 20, 2012 at 8:01 AM
- Craftdee said...
Sending all the positive energy I can to you and your Mum. My Mum is my best friend too, so I understand your distress, Donna ☺
- May 20, 2012 at 8:40 AM
- Leanne said...
Sending positive prayers and lots of healing energy to your mom, Patti.
Take care - May 20, 2012 at 8:54 AM
- Tina said...
prayers and best wishes for your mum. hug to you!
- May 20, 2012 at 10:02 AM
- Cami said...
Amy, I am so sorry about your Mom, and I will definitely keep her in my heart, thoughts and prayers for her full and speedy recovery. Just be there for her, and we'll all be here for you.
Love and Hugs,
Cami - May 21, 2012 at 1:37 AM
- Arabella said...
Oh Amy, how awful! I hope your Mum gets better soon. Sending you hugs, happy thoughts and prayers.
Arabella - May 21, 2012 at 6:07 AM
- kadie said...
Sending you big hugs and lifting up lots of prayers for your Mom. ♥♥♥
- May 21, 2012 at 11:46 AM
- RiNNE said...
Oh my goodness, Amy. I'm so sorry that your mom got sick. I am praying for her and for you and your family. I'm so sorry that I've been away from your blog and from hearing what's going on in your life. I usually go from the most recent post and back when I'm catching up on your blog but when I saw that your mom got sick, I had to go to this post. Hang in there.
Lovely card. I am digging the color combo! - June 5, 2012 at 11:47 PM


text:
Pens and Pencils—the holy grail of custom printed promotional ad merchandise! There is barely a specialty promo product out there that is used more frequently than personalized pens and pencils. We're always taking notes, jotting down a list, or doodling during a meeting. Most of us even carry a pen or a pencil in our pockets. Take a quick peek, the one in your pocket probably has a custom printed logo or slogan running down it's side.
The goal of any marketing campaign is, of course, to get your company's name and logo into as many people's hands as possible. With customized promotional pens and pencils, you're literally putting your brand in your clients' hands. IASpromotes.com offers a wide variety of promotional writing merchandise, including ballpoint pens, roller ball pens, pencils, mechanical pens, highlighters, and light up pens. No matter what your clients' writing style or purpose is, when they reach for a writing instrument to make a few notes, it will be your logo smiling back at them as they write. Simply choose your budget, color palette, event date and quantity, and we will make your specialty advertising efforts seamless.
IASpromotes.com cares about the environment and we know you do, too. That's why we carry a huge selection of recycled and eco-friendly pens and pencils. They're the green option for your promotional writing merchandise that keeps the world happy, and your customers happier.


text:
Terms And Conditions
If you would like to pay via credit or debit card over the phone please call us on 01702 433 522 and a member of our friendly team will take your payment. We accept Visa, Mastercard and all major debit cards. For security reasons we can only accept payment over the phone from the card holder, goods can only be shipped to the card holders registered address.
Payment via bank transfer
Our Free Delivery Zones
Terms for buying carpet and vinyl on-line
Cancellation and return policy
Our Guarantee
All of our products and services ie; fitting are fully guaranteed by us and against manufacturers defects for one year form the date of purchase please see exclusions for carpet complaints.
Please check your flooring upon delivery look out for any signs of damage in transit ie; corners of boxes torn or ripped if you see any damage please sign the drivers document received but 1 pack damaged etc. This will help us to claim against shipping company. Once opened please check your material carefully before installation DO NOT FIT IF DAMAGED. If your flooring is faulty or damaged on delivery please call us up to 7 days after delivery. Your item can be replaced or refunded once returned to us and checked.
Some faults may have to be inspected on site by the manufacturer if they have occurred after installation so we may need to have the flooring inspected by the manufacturer at your premises to solve the complaint. Carpets must be installed in compliance with British Standards B.S.5325.
Carpet Fault Exclusions
Shading and pile reversal
Carpets and rugs lend them self to pile pressure ie in deep pile carpets you may see foot prints in walkways this is normal and not a faulty, as is flattening of pile in high traffic areas which can cause shading of colour.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee against the effects of normal use. Pile will flatten more quickly in areas of heavier use, particularly in walkways and in front of chairs. In some carpets this will be more noticeable than others. This is not a fault and will not affect the durability of the carpet.
Some rugs and carpet do fade a little with time, if in strong direct sunlight, this effect can be stopped ie please do not put a rug or carpet in direct sun areas.
The carpet and flooring colours shown on our web site are accurate as we can get. However colours can appear different on different PC monitors as settings may not be exactly the same lighting in your house. Please order samples to confirm colours and inspect the carpet in the lighting of your own home. Dye batches can also vary and therefore it may be possible that your carpet does vary very slightly from the sample..
Size Tolerance
Clause 3 BS 3655 ( 1981 ) A slight tolerance on all roll materials of +/- 0.25% is allowable so please be sure to add more than enough extra material.


text:
People "unliking" Romney on Facebook following election loss
(CNN) -- Nobody "likes" a loser. If losing the presidential election wasn't enough, Mitt Romney has been hemorrhaging Facebook friends.
People began unliking Romney's official Facebook page soon after the election results came in last week. The Washington Post noticed the drop on Friday, when the GOP presidential candidate's page was losing 593 likes an hour.
By Saturday, Mashable said the exodus was up to 847 friends an hour, and as of Monday morning, Romney's Facebook page continued to lose around 11 likes every minute.
For those who enjoy interactive graphics with their schadenfreude, the site DisappearingRomney.com shows Romney's Facebook likes dropping in real time. A ticker at the bottom of the page tallies how many people have unliked Romney's page just in the time users have been on the site.
Not that Romney is hurting for social media pals. As of Monday afternoon, he still had more than 12 million Facebook fans and 1.7 million followers on Twitter.
The former governor's team hasn't been doing much on social media lately to persuade people to stick around. After a flurry of activity leading up to the election, his official Facebook and Twitter accounts went silent for four days afterward. On Saturday, the campaign finally posted a photo of a sad-looking Romney with the message, "From the bottom of our hearts, Ann and I thank you for your support, prayers, efforts and vote. We are forever grateful to every one of you."
By contrast, President Barack Obama acknowledged his victory last week with a pair of posts on Twitter and Facebook that quickly went viral. And his social media accounts have been active in the week since the election.
Romney's recent silence extends to his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, whose campaign's Twitter account has not been updated since the election. However, Ryan did update his personal (pre-campaign) Twitter and Facebook pages with two Veterans Day posts over the weekend.
The official Republican National Committee's Facebook page has also been quiet since Election Day, when it reposted a thank you to Romney from GOP Chairman Reince Priebus.
After Obama was first elected four years ago, his official Twitter, Facebook and, yes, MySpace pages (it was 2008, after all) went quiet for a time.
One explanation is that the staffers who manage these accounts either move on or are typically given new responsibilities after an election. It's unlikely that Obama or Romney were posting to Facebook and Twitter very often themselves.


text:
Inexpensive goggles with separate eyepieces, made from soft thermoplastic materials, with a high standard of quality.
The shape of the two eyepieces is highly anatomical, thus ensuring an excellent watertight grip on most face shapes.
The lenses are made from shatterproof material that has anti-fog treatment and UV ray protection.
The strap has a buckle for quick and easy adjustment.
Available in two versions, Senior (for adults) and Kids (for children)
Who they are for
Nuoto Senior and Nuoto Kids are goggles that have been designed to offer swimming and water sports enthusiasts a product that is of excellent quality and comfort at an affordable price.


text:
On Friday, Yahoo human resources boss Jackie Reses sent out a memo telling all remote employees that, by June, they needed to be working in Yahoo offices.
Anybody who couldn't, or wouldn't, should quit.
Reeses wrote: "Being a Yahoo isn't just about your day-to-day job, it is about the interactions and experiences that are only possible in our offices."
Naturally, many of these remote employees are pretty sawed-off about the decision.
So, why did Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer make it?
We spoke with a source familiar with Mayer's thought process on the matter. Here is what that person told us:
- Yahoo has a huge number of people of who work remotely – people who just never come in.
- Many of these people "weren't productive," says this source.
- "A lot of people hid. There were all these employees [working remotely] and nobody knew they were still at Yahoo."
- These people aren't just Yahoo customer support reps. They're in all divisions, from marketing to engineering.
- Mayer is happy to give Yahoo employees standard Silicon Valley benefits like free food and free smartphones. But our source says the kinds of work-from-home arrangements popular at Yahoo were not common to other Valley companies like Google or Facebook. "This is a collaborative businesses."
- Mayer saw another side-benefit to making this move. She knows that some remote workers won't want to start coming into the office and so they will quit. That helps Yahoo, which needs to cut costs. It's a layoff that's not a layoff.
- Bigger picture: This is about Mayer "carefully getting to problems created by Yahoo's huge, bloated infrastructure." The company got fat and lazy over the past 15 years, and this is Mayer getting it into fighting shape.
This source gives Mayer credit for making a very tough decision – one that her predecessors knew they had to make, but never did.
"She's turned out to have a lot of courage. She's dealing with problems no one wanted to deal with before."
We'd like to hear from more Yahoo sources. Reach firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
The first Monday after the first Sunday of NFL season should be recognized as some kind of national holiday. (Forget the official Thursday night opening game.) Because there is SO much to talk about:
Sunday's NFL results are king, of course. That's what changes everything. But then you layer in college football and MLB in mid-September, and it feels like the "new year" has begun. Happy new year.
49ers edge Cards, and it wasn't pretty: For the Niners, it was ugly, but one of those things where you simply say "1-0," and you're one step closer to the playoffs. For the Cards, you simply regret letting this easily winnable game go.
Bengals beat Ravens 27-20: You could say the story was, as usual, Chad Johnson's TD celebrations (see below), but the real story was
Pats spying on Jets, busted as cheaters: OK, this is the weirdest story of the new NFL season – did the Pats cheat by using video equipment to tape Jets coaches on the other sideline? What would be the point: Does the Genius really need that kind of illegal intel? (Not with Moss he doesn't.)
I'm sure the league reprimand won't be much, but it's pretty skeevy to think that the best team in the league thinks it has to cheat to find an advantage.
Actually, what's skeevier is that you know this wasn't some unique case; this was simply the first time the Pats were CAUGHT. It is improbable that this was the first time they had done this. (In fact, they apparently were caught – but not busted by the league – doing the same thing against the Packers last season.)
Eli Manning out: The team is saying he "might" not play against
Kevin Everett is going to be paralyzed: And what was otherwise a wonderful start to the season is hit with a terrible tragedy labeled as "catastrophic." His chances of a full recovery are listed as "dismal." Thoughts and prayers for Everett and his family.
Is JaMarcus Russell ready to sign? Yes? Great: It'll only take him another half-season to be in a position to contribute. Good thing the Raiders have nothing to do this season except get ready for next year's draft (ironically, stocked with exceptional QBs).
Speaking of rookie QBs: Is Brady Quinn going to start next week? He can't possibly be worse than Charlie Frye was in Week 1.
Fantasy Football: A few thoughts after Week 1. First, being in multiple leagues kind of sucks the fun out of fantasy, because you have so many players and so many add/drop/waivers to manage. You really have to work on compartmentalizing each.
Second, last season (in just one league), I was one of those saps who had the third-highest point total in the league, yet missed the playoffs. Flip-flop this year. Reminder: There's no shame in winning the week with the lowest point total in your league.
(Oh, and
More: So, who is the hottest pick-up in fantasy football? Brady Quinn at QB? Dedrick Ward at RB? Drew Carter at WR? Bengals D? Man, is there ANYONE left on the waiver wire these days? I guess it all depends on injuries (like Ward, who might get Jacobs' touches).
NFL Must-Read: MJD's Smorgasbord returns to Deadspin.
And here's a second must-read from Deadspin (which had an epic day yesterday, in terms of guest-posting): Friend of DS.com Stefan Fatsis on Jason Elam's game-winning kick.
Speaking of Deadspin guest-posts, did you catch my weekly college football post? Here it is.
(And here's Hirshey's on soccer.)
Lloyd Carr Watch: I have a new name to throw at you for a potential
On all things Michigan, I defer to MGoBlog's Brian Cook. He is pimping Jeff Tedford, whose track record at Cal can continue Michigan's storied tradition of developing seemingly good NFL QB prospects that end up being merely mediocre (aside from Tom Brady). Oh, and wouldn't Michigan fans be worried about a coach who annually can't win his "Big Game" (and I'm not talking about THE "Big Game" -- Stanford -- I'm talking about the "Big Game" vs. USC).
Meanwhile, Chad Henne's injured leg will keep him out of next week's game (if not longer). Maybe that's for the best, given the team's start. True frosh replacement Ryan Mallett is the new hotness.
More CFB Injuries: Let's stick with key injuries to RANKED teams.
Hokies Watch: Even though Virginia Tech is finished as a national title contender (as predicted here... yes, I'll continue to flagellate myself over picking them to win the NC), I will continue to track their progress. Perhaps 11-1 with their only loss being at LSU is reasonable. Anyway, freshman sensation QB Tyrod Taylor is beginning his Era. He is going to get the start this weekend over the disappointing Sean Glennon. Good thing it's "only" against
By the way, CFB fans, in addition to Every Day Should Be Saturday and Sunday Morning QB (and this little Deadspin column) every day, I hope you're reading the blog The Quad, by the college football staff of the New York Times, led by the inimitable Pete Thamel. It's the best/only must-read newspaper blog about college football. Thamel has his weekly "State of the Union" and caught my attention with this description of
MLB Stud: Scott Kazmir, who had 10 Ks in a Devil Rays win over the Red Sox. Got a great email from a reader yesterday insisting that the Devil Rays were a "buy-low" value for fans without allegiance (or for fans around the rest of the country who want an AL East team to feel good about). He's right. The new name and uniforms – the total rebranding of the team – will give them one window at making that case.
MLB 2008: The Red Sox and A's will open in
Greg Oden to have exploratory knee surgery: Let this be the moment of foreshadowing when we realize his awesome potential was tempered by persistent knee problems for the rest of his career.
NBA Trade: Nuggets trade rebounding machine Reggie Evans to the Sixers for... well, basically cap relief.
Women's World Cup: So much for Team
This is a woefully trite statement, but I can't believe it has been six years since 9/11. I was just starting my second year of business school in


text:
One definition given for insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results; it might also be a definition of stupidity. Let's look at some cities where large percentages of black Americans live under poor conditions.
Experiencing a violent crime rate of 2,137 per 100,000 of the population, Detroit is the nation's most dangerous city. Rounding out Forbes magazine's 2012 list of the 10 most dangerous cities are St Louis; Oakland, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; Atlanta; Baltimore; Stockton, Calif.; Cleveland; and Buffalo, N.Y. The most common characteristic of these predominantly black cities is that for decades, all of them have been run by Democratic and presumably liberal administrations. Some cities — such as Detroit, Buffalo, Newark, N.J., and Philadelphia — haven't elected a Republican mayor for more than a half-century. What's more is that in most of these cities, blacks have been mayors, chiefs of police, school superintendents and principals and have dominated city councils.
You might ask, "What's the point, Williams?" Let's be clear about it. I'm not stating that there's a causal relationship between crime, poverty and squalor on the one hand and, on the other, Democratic and black political control over a city. Nor am I saying that blacks ought to vote Republican. What I am saying is that if one is strategizing on how to improve the lives of the poorest black people, he wants to leave off his to-do list election of Democrats and black politicians. Also to be left off the to-do list is a civil rights agenda. Racial discrimination has little to do with major problems confronting black people.
Today 72 percent of black babies are born out of wedlock. Being born and finding out that your mother is 17 years old, that your grandmother is 35 and that you don't know who or where your father is is not a good start on life. In fact, it's a near guarantee for school dropout, poverty and crime, but such a start in life has nothing to do with racial discrimination.
Law-abiding poor black people suffer the nation's highest rates of criminal victimization from assaults and homicide. More than 50 percent of homicide victims are black. Would anyone claim that this victimization is caused by racist groups preying on the black community? In addition to victimization, the level of lawlessness in many black communities has the full effect of a law banning economic growth. That's because the thugs are equal-opportunity thugs who will rip off a black-owned business just as they'd rip off a white-owned business.
Black education is a disaster, but who runs the violent, disruptive big-city schools, where education is all but impossible? For the most part, it's not white people. Go to a city such as Detroit and you'll find that blacks have been superintendents, principals and most of the teachers for years. Most black high-school students, in Detroit and other cities, can't read, write and compute as well as sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade white students, but is it because of racism? What the elite teach is not only futile but counterproductive. For example, speaking standard English in an English-speaking country is critical for self-improvement. But that's not the lesson from the nation's multiculturalists, who call for the celebration of native languages and dialects. Sloppy-minded academics and assorted hustlers have taught that poor English, gangsta rap, men wearing pigtails and thug behavior should not be criticized but become a part of the celebration of diversity.
Black people could benefit from an honest examination of the bill of goods they've been sold. Such an examination would not come from black politicians, civil rights leaders or the black and white liberal elite. Those people have benefited politically and financially from keeping black Americans in a constant state of grievance based on alleged racial discrimination. The long-term solution for the problems that many black Americans face begins with an absolute rejection of the self-serving agenda of hustlers and poverty pimps.


text:
NEW ORLEANS (BP)–A 2008 Pew Forum survey found that 65 percent of Americans believe many religions lead to eternal life — and that 52 percent of American Christians believe salvation can be found in at least some non-Christian religions.
At a time when American belief is shifting toward religious pluralism — the idea that all religions are equal in offering truth — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's annual Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum addressed the question: "Is Christianity the one true religion?"
"The topic is very important given the politically correct, tolerance-laden culture we find ourselves living in today," said Robert Stewart, director of the Greer-Heard Forum and associate professor of philosophy and theology at NOBTS. "Ultimately we need to take a stand on the clear teaching of God's Word, which teaches us that Jesus is the only Savior of the world."
Evangelical Christians as a whole are not embracing pluralism, Stewart said, but some are drifting away from an exclusive view of salvation.
"Some Christians are probably more inclusivistic in their theology than pluralistic," he said. "The recent Pew Forum survey found that a majority of American Christians believe that some non-Christian faiths lead to eternal life and that 37 percent of those Christians were evangelical Christians."
The keynote speakers for the March 27-28 forum, Harold Netland of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Paul Knitter of Union Theological Seminary, presented divergent answers to the question of pluralism.
Citing the often-conflicting and contradictory views of various religions, Netland rejected pluralism as a viable option. He argued in favor of the evangelical position that Christianity is the one true religion. Knitter, who identifies himself as a Christian and disciple of Jesus Christ, argued that Jesus "is a way open to other ways."
Netland opened the forum by acknowledging, "The assertion that Christianity is the one true religion for all people strikes many as hopelessly out of touch with current realities." Such a claim, he said, "seems to display generous amounts of both intellectual naivety and arrogance."
"Nevertheless, with proper qualification, I do believe that the Christian faith as defined by the Christian scriptures is true and that this sets the Christian faith apart from other religious traditions," Netland said.
Affirming the truth of Christianity does not deem all aspects of other religions false; Netland said other religious traditions do contain beauty and goodness — often in the area of moral and ethical teachings. However, beliefs that are incompatible with essential Christian teachings must be rejected, Netland said.
Netland said he rejects pluralism in part because the major world religions tend to make often-exclusive truth claims. Religious adherents from most traditions are expected to regard the claims of their religion as true, he said. These truth assertions are not meant to be taken as personal or mythological.
"Each religion regards its own assertions as correct or superior to those of its rivals," Netland said. "When we consider carefully what the religions have to say about the religious ultimate and the nature of, and conditions for salvation …, there is significant disagreement."
Netland suggested focusing on the essential or defining beliefs of a religion in determining its truth; a religion is true only if these essential beliefs are true.
"For Christianity to be true, the defining beliefs of Christianity, namely certain affirmations about God, Jesus of Nazareth and salvation must be true," Netland said. "If they are true, Christianity is true."
Netland said that some argue for "epistemic parity" among religions. Epistemic parity holds that no religion can claim rational superiority over another religion because the data is insufficient to prove one claim over another. Netland, however, sees epistemic parity as an argument for agnosticism rather than pluralism.
"For if there are not good reasons for accepting any single religious tradition as true, why should we suppose that all of them collectively are equally true?" Netland said.
On the other hand, Knitter claimed that true Christianity would never make an exclusive claim to truth. He offered a case for pluralism based on four categories: history, ethics, theology and Scripture.
"If we look at our history, there has been a change in Christian beliefs about this question," Knitter said. "Although at one time, almost all the churches held firmly that Christianity is the only true religion, today many Christian churches do not."
Knitter cited the 2008 Pew Forum study as evidence that many Christians are moving away from a belief in Christianity as the one true religion.
"The fact that our question has already been answered by a broad group of Christians … we have to take [this] into consideration," he said. "Our job as theologians is to work with what people are actually believing."
Knitter said the shift away from an exclusive belief in Christianity has not diminished the commitment or discipleship of individual Christians. He argued that a further shift could be made — a complete shift to religious pluralism.
Knitter noted that viewing Christianity as the one true religion carries the danger of hindering dialogue among the religions.
"The religions of the world have a moral obligation to engage each other in a peacemaking dialogue," Knitter said. "Dialogue is the mutual exchange to which all sides seek to help each other grow in the knowing and the doing of what is true and what is right."
Dialogue is impossible, however, if one side makes an exclusive claim to religious truth, Knitter argued, saying it is a grievous error to hinder dialogue.
If dialogue is "a moral imperative," he said, "what impedes a moral imperative looks to be immoral itself."
Exclusive claims to truth not only impede dialogue, but such claims can foster violence, Knitter said. While rarely the cause of violence, he said exclusive truth claims can rally followers to a leader's cause.
In his theological case for pluralism, Knitter appealed to God's love. He said that "the God of Jesus is a power of pure unbounded love" and that the New Testament's teachings show God's desire to see all people saved.
"As my teacher back in Germany, Karl Rahner, insisted, 'if God wants to save all people then God will act in a sure way as to make this a real possibility for all people,'" Knitter said. "Rahner went on to claim that the religions are among the most available and ready at hand ways in which God will make this offer of His saving grace. A God who loves all will offer that love to all."
For his scriptural argument, Knitter claimed that the exclusive language of the New Testament is confessional language, or love language that was intended to be superlative, not exclusive. Statements such as "no other name," "one mediator," and "no one comes to the Father except by me" are meant to communicate something positive about Jesus, not something negative about other religions, Knitter said.
"I must confess my faith that Jesus is indeed the way that is open to other ways and that in order to be a faithful follower of this Jesus I must recognize and engage the truth that the Spirit may be offering me in my Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Native American and Shinto brothers and sisters," Knitter said.
Knitter closed with the famous quote from Martin Luther: "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise."
During the response time, Netland sought clarification on a number of points from Knitter in areas such as application of Scripture, the meaning of truth in religion and the religious ultimate.
"How exactly is the New Testament … normative for us today?" Netland asked. "How does Paul Knitter understand the concept of truth in religion?"
Netland also asked Knitter to explain his view of the religious ultimate (God).
Knitter did not directly address Netland's questions but was content to present a further argument on the nature of religious language. Appealing to the mystery of God, Knitter said all of human language about God is symbolic, poetic and metaphoric.
This religious language, Knitter said, calls people to action. For him, right practice should be emphasized over right belief.
"Orthopraxis has a certain primacy over orthodoxy. The two are essentially related and you can't have one without the other," Knitter said. "The truth of a symbol will be in its ability to affect our life. Religious truth is truth for me when it enables me to find a context in which I find meaning and purpose."
After the event, Greer-Heard director Robert Stewart said he hopes students learn to be "both properly charitable and properly critical in evaluating claims with which they disagree." While he disagrees with the position of Knitter and other pluralists, Stewart sees value in engaging their ideas. He hopes exposure to scholars such as Knitter will help NOBTS students better defend the truth of Christianity.
"As a philosopher I don't find the hermeneutical arguments that pluralists make on this point strong enough to overcome the case for the traditional reading of passages like John 14:6 and Acts 4:12," Stewart said. "The purpose of the Greer-Heard Forum, however, is that we are training Christians for ministry in today's world and must thus trust that we have given them what they need to interact critically with the wide range of opinions that they will encounter in real-world ministry."
Begun in 2005, the Greer-Heard Forum provides a platform for dialogue between a noted evangelical scholar and a non-evangelical academic on matters of faith and culture. The event is designed to teach students, ministers and laypeople how to interact with a person from an opposing view.
The 2010 Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum will focus on "The Message of Jesus." The keynote speakers will be Ben Witherington III, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, and John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University. Other presenters will include Amy-Jill Levine, Alan Segal, Darrell Bock and Craig Evans.
Gary Myers is director of public relations at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.


text:
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Mars Needs Money
Again, leaving aside my (very mixed) feelings about the movie, I have to wonder: why the heck did John Carter cost so much? I mean, I've seen estimates that claim the film cost upwards of $250 million to make and up to another $100 million to market. Unless they were actually shooting on location on Mars, that's just insane. The mind boggles.
46 comments:
I liked it a lot, even if it had a few weak points. That's my judgment "as a movie". I don't compare movies to the books they're based on.
But two things amazed me-
1. The incredibly inconsistent reviews. Some people hated it way more than I thought fair.
2. The awful previews. Really, I'm a pretty good judge of how much I will like a movie based on its previews, but not this time. I went to see this move DESPITE the preview, which was awful. I'm quite sure the previews drove off tens of millions in business. It's like the guy who made it didn't know what was good about the movie, or how to sell that.what Joe said. Every movie makes or loses exactly as much money as the studio decides. If it loses immense amounts of money, a lot of people don't get paid royalties.
Often most of this "lost money" was lost by being paid to subsidiary companies *which the studio owns* so that the studio is still making a large profit through its subsidiary companies, while "losing" money itself.The movie has been out for just over two weeks, for the love of Pete! How the heck are they coming to this flop conclusion already?! Granted, I'm not a movie mogul, but still...really?
ReplyDeleteRepliesBecause a movie's best returns are usually in the first few weeks, after which it drops off. A hit drops later, a mediocre performer sooner. If a movie starts weak and then still drops, there's little hope of a recovery -- experience says it will be a flop. (That said, I'd read somewhere that John Carter is doing very well in the international market.)
I'll reserve comment on the movie, itself, since I haven't seen it, yet.Yeah. If a movie doesn't do quite well on opening weekend, it loses screens the following weekend. Unless strong word-of-mouth picks the numbers up in week #2, it loses way more screens and then there's no hope of getting back on track.
One thing I've not seen mentioned in all this is that home video is much larger percentage of a film's final numbers than ever before. Maybe it can make up the difference with a good Blu-Ray. I didn't go to the theater but I will probably buy the Blu-Ray.Because there is probably an escape clause that if the first movie bombs at the box office then Disney does not have to proceed with the next two contracted sequels.
The development of any film (or TV series) is very political. There are always other people who will want to use the money that would have gone into that film or TV series for their own pet projects. No doubt if it had been broadly well-received it would have made a profit; as it was, Disney probably was unloading all the costs it can into the accounting for the film in order to sink it.
Though I too find it curious that it is getting such mixed reviews. The one clue is that most of the people who were familiar with the milieu enjoyed it, whilst those who weren't, didn't.
Although releasing it in post-production 3D was a serious mistake.The reason week #1 is so important is because the money that the theater rakes in through tickets sales funnel to the production company, the percentage changes per film, but can go as high as 90%. This percentage goes down every week. So if the films doesn't do great that first week the production company loses most of it's profit.
A bunch of things baffle me about John Carter.
1. That people somehow rant that the movie is derivative of various things decades its junior. We all have Google at our fingertips these days; you have no excuse.
2. That it took a hundred years for a John Carter movie to be made. They made a movie out of MARMADUKE before this. I mean, really.
3. That it's somehow bombing at the box office - how? I saw the trailers, the posters, I walked into the theater, and got exactly what it said on the tin - big CG monsters, girl in skimpy armor, explosions, swashbuckling. From what I understand about the American movie audience, they love ALL of that shit. So why aren't they biting?
Anyway, all of that said, I really did love John Carter. There wasn't anything in the movie I didn't enjoy. That's coming from a guy who typically hates full-CG creatures, too. I would have enjoyed a bit more exploration on the Therns, but maybe they were saving that for the sequel? Which looks like it probably won't happen.
I should note I haven't read any of the Barsoom books, but after watching the movie I'm planning on it.RepliesSame for me, I ordered the collection containing the first five Barsoom stories right after watching the movie.
Delete1. That people somehow rant that the movie is derivative of various things decades its junior. We all have Google at our fingertips these days; you have no excuse.
The fact that the source material is quite old means nothing to the film's target audience (children). And they're certainly allowed to note that the movie's cinematic aesthetics (vs the ol' timey story, frame, etc.) are very much modern, and very very familiar.
So the kids in the audience do indeed have an excuse. Paid film critics absolutely do not -- but you have no excuse for thinking they'd be otherwise, ever, for any reason, for any amount of money, with any amount of time to prepare. 'Movie critic' is not a term of honour.The movie industry has changed a lot in recent years and its quite possible that the current audience isn't teenagers.
Money might be an issue too, US poverty is sky high and a lot of people I know couldn't afford this 1st run.
Plus there are lots of other cheaper choices, Games and the Internet are also just about as much fun, plus there is always Net Flix
Heck I rarely see any movies these days and in fact my total list for the year is The Hobbit, that all ...
I have better things to do with my money than waste it at a movie theater filled with screaming kids and cellphones and filthy floors when the $20 a head its costs (with snacks) will buy a lot of better stuff
Lastly demographically there are a lot more Asian, Black and Hispanic teens who might not be interested in this kind of story. Hollywood is not as universal as people think.
It is the 100 million spent on what must be one of the most ineffective, misleading and off-putting marketing campaigns ever produced that really hurts.
ReplyDeleteRepliesMy understanding is that $100 million to 'market' a tentpole film is 'reasonable' in today's Hollywood. Here's the view from a decade ago:
Global same-day release patterns, introduced to combat piracy, are inflating the print and advertising costs hugely. In 2003, studios spent an average of $39m [£21m] on p&a in the US alone, an increase of 28% over the year before [...] P&a costs are eased by a liberal dose of product placement. Samsung pumped a staggering $100m [£54m] into promoting The Matrix Reloaded, and Ford threw $35m [£19m] behind the wheel of Die Another Day. Studios assure audiences that placement is only considered if it is "an organic fit".
I'm with Brock, above, on all points. I thought it was a LOT of fun (more than I expected), and quite beautiful and touching in some ways, but it suffered from:
1. A host of small artistic problems (bland dialogue, weird structural choices, etc),
2. An awkward marketing campaign, and
3. Strangely unfair reviews.
Some of these problems were interrelated, and some of them may have been inevitable given the source material: it's hard to make and market a film based on books that inspired so much pop culture without audiences seeing it as a lazy pastiche of that same pop culture. It's also hard to maintain any fidelity to ERB's novels without the structure and dialogue coming off as contrived and a bit inane. So I can't really blame audiences for seeing the film as just a pastiche of Star Wars / Indiana Jones / Cowboys and Aliens / etc, but with kind of weird pacing, a bunch of strange framing narratives, and cliched dialogue. It would have been a much better film if the director had taken more liberties with the text.
One criticism I was exposed to early on was the decision to change the title of the film from "A Princess of Mars" to "John Carter of Mars" to just "John Carter". The public rationale for this was that men wouldn't see a movie with "Princess" in the title and women wouldn't see a movie with "Mars" in the title. "John Carter" was obviously a terrible compromise from a marketing standpoint (although "John Carter: A Princess of Mars" would have been worse, albeit hilarious). But when I saw the film, and they flashed that "JCM" logo at the end, I thought it was actually sort of a brilliant way to use the title of the film to draw the audience into the narrative of Carter's psychological transformation which is the thematic heart of the movie. Still, very bad marketing. Very bad.Filmmaking on any but the most DIY scale is insanely expensive. I've worked on TV spots that cost upwards of 250K for an eight hour shoot with a single FX shot.
When you see the credits of a film and see just how many people worked on it it begins to make something approaching sense. Union rates aren't cheap. You can spend thousands and thousands of dollars on craft services alone.
Now, there are plenty of great films made on a shoestring budget, but companies like Disney don't make those kinds of films.
But yes, the marketing campaign (some might think of it as an anti-marketing campaign) was a colossal failure. I still don't understand how they screwed that one up.It should be noted that the film had been in development under a number of directors and screenwriters before the final product. The current version of John Carter didn't cost $250 million. The aggregate of costs from "this attempt" to make John Carter did. That means the Favreau years and the Rodriguez years are all a part of the budget. The studio looks as all of these as one project.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like John Carter has made about 70% of its take so far outside the U.S.
Also, for fun check out this past weekend domestically for comparison to other movies.
http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=main&yr=2012&wknd=11&p=.htmOdd, I seem to recall when CGI/3D technology finally got into the 21st century that these movies were supposed to be 'easier' to make, but its seems they only get more and more complicated and expensive. I agree with the above poster, the Dark Crystal would be a value by today's standards. John Carter should've been made on a tighter budget, they had to know this wasn't the 2nd coming of Avatar.
ReplyDeleteThat 100 mil in advertising certainly wasnt spent over in Australia! Hardly any advertising at all. Having said that I saw it Saturday night and the cinema was pretty full. Not packed, but pretty full.
I liked it alot. Havent read the books yet so cant compare but I agree with previous posters that it was alot of fun.
We had no choice but to see it in 3D and I think that was a waste. It really didnt add anything to the film.Related to the half-assed marketing is that there have been virtually no merchandising tie-ins. No fast food deals, no toy deals, no video games, no product placements in which the red men check their e-mail on the latest and greatest cell phone. I think there was a novelization and a soundtrack, but that's it. The barest minimum. Disney wasn't even trying to sell this thing.
ReplyDeleteRepliesI agree. Where are the toys? Where are the RPG tie-in products or CCG games? Disney was really slow to market PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and seems even slower to market John Carter. I think there is a small number of fans who are familiar with the books and a bunch of potential fans who would love them if they were properly exposed to them. Disney seems to have hoped for a word-of-mouth campaign. I know lots of people who I think would love this movie who weren't impressed by the trailers and are just waiting for the DVD.
- Replies
For what it's worth, I've heard the same thing. Though apparently part of the problem is that Stanton (the director) had a heavier hand in marketing than usual, and did not grasp that John Carter was no longer a household name alongside Superman or James Bond.
DeleteI don't buy that: Stanton's a very smart, very savvy guy and Disney focus groups the hell out of everything. It's trivial to find out what brand recognition Carter has. When I tell people about Barsoom I start by saying "it's by the same guy who wrote Tarzan" and 9 times out of 10 I see a light go on - they're thinking "oh right - somebody wrote Tarzan."
I agree on the complete lack of marketing. Maybe the company sensed in advance it wouldn't do so well (or had a hand in it not doing so well), but just about everything action-adventurey gets toys these days. Where's my plush Woola and Baby Thark? A Barsoomian battle harness right alongside all the plastic Iron Man chestplates? Dejah Thoris teaching the other Disney Princesses about survival in a harsh world? (Okay, that last one is unlikely.)
ReplyDeletePeople think computer graphics is cost effective and maybe it is on a low budget level, but to make a film of this scope is a VERY expensive. On the Prometheus's Q&A the other day, Ridley Scott touched on that subject and said that was one of his major factors on why he decided on having some actual set made and optical effects used in the film.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that movie companies get about half the revenue from ticket sales - so if John Carter cost a total of $350 million it would need $700 million. A but much for a story most of the audience wouldn't know.
What surprises me is why the marketing push that the story is from the guy who created Tarzan, the movie is by the guy who did WallE and Finding Nemo and the hero is the first SF action hero. That might have interested people.I've asked this on about 6 or 7 forums and news articles but no one seems to know for sure:
Does the $250 million include all the money spent by Disney, previous to Andrew Stanton's film, to develop the property (i.e., the prior attempts by Robert Rodriguez and John Favreau)?
Remember, Disney's been trying to make this movie for a while. Even so, the film is great fun and deserved better marketing and a fair shake by the US press (international press--and movie goeers--were much kinder).RepliesI doubt it matters since developmental costs (drafting screenplays, storyboarding) are usually pretty small -maybe a few million at most.
The real killer for this movie appears to be poor planning and extensive reshoots. It doesn't help that Disney spent an additional $100 million on advertising, making the film cost over $350 million.
I know internet nerd ragers hate his guts, but Rick McCallum (or someone like him) would have been an ideal producer for this film. He produced Revenge of the Sith for a little over a third of what John Carter cost. Howard Kazanjian turned in both Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi early and under budget.
The whole idea of pumping such a huge amount of money into a film with little or no built-in audience is the worst kind of folly. It's too bad the movie is a flop because I enjoyed it and would like to see more, but that's not likely to happen now.
Like many, I think that part of the death of success for John Carter was probably the marketing.
Except for the first trailer that caught my attention(set to Peter Gabriel's My Body is a Cage - something I thought was very creative if you know about John Carter and how he travels to Mars), nothing they did really made me more excited (even the Super Bowl Sunday ads -which was a huge chunk of wasted money).
It almost seems like Disney had no interest in this movie's success - like they were hoping it would fly on its own (maybe the way that Pirates seemed to defy the odds despite a lack of good marketing). In some ways, it feels like Andrew Stanton's ability to make Disney alot of money through Pixar was the only reason it survived to the box office. I could easily see a cheaply-made, animated direct-to-video as the only fallout Disney might do for contractual reasons or maybe if the movie breaks even after movie and DVD sales.
The other factor on costs is that it isn't just the general CGI design, but I understand that a great deal of motion-capture work went into creating the Tharks, especially Tars and Sola.
I have enjoyed ERB's Mars series. To see the elements written in his books about brought to life so well was great. While a return trip to Barsoom (given the threads that were left hanging for future plots) would be great, it looks like that won't be the case anytime soon.I've seen it twice and I liked it. But it does have problems that make it unpalatable to some audiences. I won't go into great detail but I'll toss out a few things. {SPOILERS}
The film's narrative, like the book's, is a bit rambling. The prologue with Carter on Earth is well done but takes too much screen time.
The some of the actors use accents and Barsoomian vocabulary making them hard to understand.
All the morphing can make it difficult to identify the characters.
As a fan of the books, I didn't mind the meta-plot about the Therns. It worked for me putting Barsoom into a kind of Weird fantasy HPL milieu. I did find some of the other changes distracting and unnecessary. There was no reason Zodanga had to be a walking city; Tardos Mors could have been left as Dejah's grandfather. The big expositional "Info-dump" Matai-Shang lays on Carter would have been better left as a mystery to be revealed in future films. The introduction of the Ninth Ray stuff rang false - too much like the intro of the Weirding Modules in Lynch's Dune film
Sadly I see no merchandise tie-in's except endless ERB reprints. I would have been in heaven if GW or better yet Mongoose had gotten a minis license. [Mind you there are some good figs from Tin Man Models and Bronze Age Miniatures]
I feel it should be pointed out this film was NOT 200 x better than the < $1 million Asylum Princess of Mars from a couple years back!I thought the movie was okay, if clunky. It seemed like the audience most enjoyed the first half, as Carter acclimates to his new surroundings.
Of all the things I've read about the film, I think Tad Friend's The New Yorker piece on Andrew Stanton is perhaps the most insightful and compelling.RepliesJon,
There was another article I'd read about Stanton that led credence to the belief that his lack of live-action experience ballooned the production budget of this film more than was anticipated. I think the failure of John Carter ultimately will be a death by a thousand cuts, and not one single problem that can be pointed at with absolute certainty.


text:
"I'm hungry, and I'm determined, and I know I want this more than she does and I know I'm working harder than she is." - Miesha Tate
Miesha Tate isn't a fighter accustomed to talking in clichés. If you ask her a question, she'll give you an honest answer, and that honesty applies to her fighting style as well. There are no flying techniques, no spins, no flips, just whatever a former wrestler needs to get the job done when the door shuts and it's time to compete.
That honesty is appreciated, so when queried about her visit to The MMA Lab gym in Arizona, Washington State's Tate could not tell a lie.
"I wanted to train somewhere with warmer weather," she laughed. "I hate training in the cold, to be honest, and I never feel as motivated. I like to run outside and do a lot of physical activities. Being outdoors makes me feel healthier and happier during my training camps, and I'm getting a lot of sunshine. So honestly, a big reason was that in itself."
The other reasons? Well, some high-quality training partners led by a guy named Benson.
"Other than that (the weather) I just had more training partners," she said. "Plus, (UFC lightweight champion) Ben Henderson and I both grew up in the same hometown and he's just a real good guy. He's a cool person and he had always offered for me to come and train, so I figured what the heck. He's got a lot going for him, he's the champ, he's got a great mindset, so I decided to come and check it out."
The work with Henderson and the rest of the MMA Lab team couldn't have come at a better time for the 26-year-old Tate, who will make her Octagon debut this Saturday against Cat Zingano. It's only the second women's fight in UFC history, and the winner of this Las Vegas bout will face the winner of the first female fight – Ronda Rousey – for Rousey's UFC women's bantamweight crown.
"It did come as a little bit of a surprise," said Tate, who lost her Strikeforce title to Rousey in March of 2012. "I didn't expect the title shot to come quite so soon, but nevertheless I'm really excited about it, and it just really added even more motivation to an already motivated Miesha Tate. I'm excited, everybody knows that I've wanted that fight (with Rousey) since the moment I lost the title, and I'm ready for it. I'm stoked and certainly not gonna let Cat Zingano take that away from me."
That's obviously more than enough incentive for both fighters. But there's more, as the winner of Tate-Zingano will also coach against "Rowdy" Ronda on season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. It's a life and career altering series of events for either Tate or Zingano, but despite everything that's on the line, Tate is keeping her eye on Saturday night.
"I'm just not really focused on The Ultimate Fighter at this point," she said. "That's really cool and I'm aware of that situation, but it means nothing to me if I don't beat Cat. It's not a reality to me yet, and you can't move on to step two if you haven't completed step one. So right now, it's just about Cat Zingano and I have to beat her in order to make anything else happen. She has a hundred percent of my focus. I'm not worried about The Ultimate Fighter, I'm not worried about Ronda, and I'm not worried about anybody or anything. I just want to get whatever I need done."
That type of focus only comes with years of experience, and despite women's MMA being new to the Octagon, it's not new to the sport of mixed martial arts, where Tate has been competing since 2007. Tate fought twice on that first night in Evansville, Indiana, decisioning Jan Finney and getting knocked out by Kaitlin Young, but since then, she's settled in among the elite in WMMA, most notably going 5-2 in Strikeforce, where she won the organization's bantamweight title in 2011 with a submission of Marloes Coenen. Now she's on the hunt to take a title once again, this time from the person who dethroned her in Strikeforce. But as she so aptly put it, there's no Rousey rematch if she doesn't beat Zingano, a fellow veteran who Tate respects, but that she doesn't believe has the tools to beat her. So from now until the final bell tolls or the referee stops the fight on Saturday, nothing else matters.
And Miesha Tate has her game face on already.
"She's a super tough girl and seems like a nice person and everything, but I definitely don't think that she's ready for this opportunity," said Tate of her opponent. "I just know that this is my destiny; it's not hers. I'm the one who's meant to coach against Ronda Rousey. We have a tried and true honest rivalry and Cat doesn't. She (Zingano) is married, she's 30, she has a kid, and I kind of think that she's maybe contemplating retirement, but that this came at a good time for her and she wanted to take advantage of it. That's all fine and dandy, but I'm here, I'm hungry, and I'm determined, and I know I want this more than she does and I know I'm working harder than she is. In my mind there's no question that this is my fight to win."


text:
How do I register a Sony product for the standard manufacturer's warranty?
For Alpha customers, click here to register.
For all other products, registration is not required. Online registration does NOT affect the warranty of your unit.
You will need to ensure the safe keeping of your proof of purchase and warranty card (where provided) as it is needed to validate your warranty.
Details of the warranty can be found on our warranty information page.