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Release Date: November 2, 2012
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Screenwriter: John Gatins
Starring: Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, Don Cheadle
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Flight Path
In 1999, screenwriter and former actor John Gatins served as a technical advisor on a "military-themed epic" where he spent much of his time with other technical advisors, mostly naval pilots. They shared "the most insane stories" about what they had to do to land these planes on ships in the roiling seas. For the writer, who harbors a fascination and a fear of flying, these vivid stories set his imagination in motion. The pressure, the exhilaration of accomplishing these mid-air acrobatics – what kind of mindset would they have and how would they find release back in the company of mortals on earth?
So began a twelve-year odyssey that ultimately brought "Flight" to the screen. The main dramatic conflict explored in "Flight" is Whip Whitaker's inability to be truthful to himself. He is an expert in denial, even as his personal downward spiral increases exponentially. As Gatins describes it," 'Flight' is a character study about a guy really struggling with his own demons. And what should have been a typical day of work for him becomes a series of unfortunate events that leads to a disastrous occurrence on his plane. From there a larger story unfolds both personally and professionally for him. As that world continues to unfold, we watch the man in the center unravel."
Gatins extensively researched real-life air disasters. At that time, the legendary US Airways "Miracle on the Hudson" river landing accomplished by heroic pilot Sully Sullenberger, was still ten years away. However, with the help of the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and interviews with pilots, eventually, Gatins drafted a 35-page outline of what ultimately became "Flight" – which became more than a mere disaster film when he also wove in some of his own history.
"Part of my own personal life found its way into the fabric of the screenplay. For me it was an exercise examining my own kind of issues and demons that I've had throughout my life and how they relate to this character who has a big event that happens in his life," Gatins says.
Gatins explains that part of Whip's addiction includes the lies he tells himself and the ones that other people ask him to maintain. His real crucible comes when" …the weight of those lies come to a breaking point where he's going to have to make a decision," Gatins says.
"When I read this, it was like a little bit of John's soul had been ripped out and put on the page. It was an extraordinary story that was harrowing and mesmerizing on as many levels as I'd ever read," Parkes says." And the main character, so brilliantly played by Denzel, is someone completely on top of it, heroic and dashing and yet completely vulnerable inside. I think that's something we all connect to. Ultimately, it's a story about someone coming to terms with who he really is."
MacDonald adds that even though Gatins hadn't actually finished the script at the time they first read it, the story intrigued them nonetheless.
"The first draft wasn't completed at that time but we loved the potential it had. It had complex, morally compromised characters; it played as a courtroom thriller but as the plot progresses, you realize that for Whip to win his case would be his great downfall, if he doesn't face the truth of who he is, he will be destroyed in a much more profound way. In a more universal sense, we all can relate to certain things that we don't want to face or come clean on, the lies we tell ourselves and each other. I loved the idea that you're almost rooting for a bad thing to happen to the main character because that will be the beginning of his redemption. And I'd never seen that story told," Parkes relates.
For Zemeckis, "Flight" marks the return to live-action filmmaking. The innovative director has spent the past decade directing and producing films that utilize motion capture technology and indeed Zemeckis has long been on the forefront of special and visual effects technology in films. However, strong characters with compelling emotional journeys anchor all of his films, including 'Flight."
"What really appealed to me was how complex all the characters were – they are all sort of shaded grey. They aren't the typical 'good guys, bad guys.' Everyone in the film is, to some degree, damaged and that becomes the dramatic engine for the piece," Zemeckis notes.
"What's also interesting about it is that the suspense in the movie comes from the uncertainty of what the characters are going to do, how they are going to respond. It's not like there's a ticking bomb or a meteor that is coming to destroy the earth. The anticipation comes from not knowing what the characters are going to do from scene to scene. It's so rare to find a screenplay that has that kind of depth and complexity. That's what compelled me. I wanted to see how this was going to resolve, what would happen to Whip's character."
Zemeckis' longtime producing partner Steve Starkey understood his attraction to the project." Bob's palette is so big, so his decision to make this movie didn't surprise me," say Starkey. The "Flight" producer, who has collaborated with his ImageMovers partner Robert Zemeckis for 25 years, notes that as a pilot himself, Zemeckis" … inherently understood the demands of that profession, and so was keenly interested in conveying a sense of reality and believability to the plane sequences in the film. However, the plane crash is primarily a device that allowed him to get to the real story. At the core it's a soul-searching story about a man's struggle to be truthful with himself. The plane crash triggers a series of events that causes him to look deep down inside of himself and discover the truth about his own character."
Contrary to most production schedules, Zemeckis shot the film sequentially so that performances could grow organically, allowing the actors and filmmakers to learn from and expand upon their characters as the film evolved. To help achieve that he invited screenwriter John Gatins to be on set daily throughout the film to consult and enhance the screenplay as changes or revelations occurred.
What didn't change was Whip. He is the quintessential anti-hero, something Zemeckis makes plain at the start of the film.
"I don't think there's any doubt that anybody watching this movie can't be but shocked when they see the scene at the beginning of the film where Whip engages in every excess imaginable and then turns into a trusted pilot when he walks outside the door," Starkey contends." It's a shock to the system. It's a turn that nobody expects, and just makes it even greater the way Bob shot it, with a shocking sense of humor."
The harrowing flight, it turns out, is just the beginning of the journey. Through Whip Whitaker, "Flight" explores high stakes moral dilemmas. According to Gatins, "Whip is a guy who, through his own hand has been put in a compromised position, but does this miraculous piece of flying, and earns the right to control his own destiny. What it came down to for me was the question of the value of living an honest life. It's part of an element of the movie where we want to invite the audience into Whip's world to be the 'court of public opinion' and to watch him struggle with the forces that are both trying to clear him and make him a hero. How do we judge him? By his remarkable piece of flying, or by his personal demons? "
Producer Walter Parkes adds that part of Whip's tailspin has to do with the very system that annoints him a superhero.
"There's this strange turning convention on its head in a way. Whip has done everything right – he landed the plane miraculously and saved lives. He's embraced as a hero but the problem is that he is also a victim of it. Ultimately the movie is about how to live one's life in good faith – and that means telling the truth," Parkes says.
Flight Manifest – The Cast
Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington stars in the dramatic lead role of Whip Whitaker, a deeply flawed yet remarkably skilled pilot who successfully lands a doomed plane, saving 96 of the 102 lives on board. To the media and American people, Whip is a hero. Yet his life is a mess of contradictions, vices and poor judgment. One of the most esteemed actors of his generation, Washington has convincingly portrayed police officers, detectives, lawyers, nuclear submarine officers, and train conductors. With "Flight," he adds commercial airline pilot to his resume.
"It was just so much fun watching Denzel. I mean, you can't believe what you're seeing when you're watching him perform. The genius of Denzel is when he can do something that I like to call 'performing behind the eyes.' There are many scenes where you can just feel his misery and it's breathtaking to see. He's truly one of the greatest actors that we have working today. It was a dream come true to be able to work with him in this part," Zemeckis says.
"We were so lucky to be working with Denzel," producer Starkey adds." When you see him in character you can't imagine anybody else doing it.
Upon first reading the script, Washington immediately knew that the character and story of Whip Whitaker had all of the underpinnings of emotions and character traits that appealed to him." Before the movie fully came together," recalls John Gatins," I sat down with Denzel for two hours and he told me his reaction to the script." It struck many notes for him. He said, 'You know, this is dangerous material,' with a kind of smile - with that kind of Denzel smile. I could tell that it really fascinated him."
Gatins notes that Washington was also very interested in his personal connection to the film." The first time I sat down with Denzel to talk about the script, he immediately went to "that" place because he's an actor who needs to know it all," Gatins says." He has a process by which he immediately zeroed in on me and said, 'Tell me that story. I get that you did research about every plane that's ever crashed, and what could happen to the plane in our movie, but I really want to know about your personal story -- how did you come to this, and where are you at with your own disease as far as addiction is concerned.' We had a very wide-open conversation. He was amazing in that way."
Washington actually read the script long before Zemeckis was attached to the movie but was thrilled when he heard that Zemeckis was interested in directing "Flight."
"I thought he was just perfect for it – that's when the film really took off for me," Washington says.
Early in the process, Starkey asked Washington what he, as a producer, could do to help him prepare for the role of Whit Whitaker." He said the most important thing for me is learning how to be a pilot," Starkey recalls. Starkey notes that Washington wanted to work with a flight instructor and go through serious training so that portraying a pilot would become second nature, notably for the scenes that placed him in the cockpit and behind the plane's control. Starkey continues, "So we hooked him up with a pilot in Atlanta and he went into a simulator and spent many hours training so he could become well-versed in flying an aircraft. It's very believable when you listen to him communicating with the control tower, speaking with his co-pilot, and just piloting in general."
Washington also took great pains to let the pilots know that the movie wasn't an indictment of them.
"I wanted them to know that the movie was not trying to knock airlines or pilots. It's not so much about flying as it is about addiction, at least as it relates to my character. So he could work in a post office but flying a plane is the most heightened dramatic situation. But it's really about a man who has issues and he could be a filmmaker, a pilot or a plumber. The addiction and denial is the same and hopefully the recovery is too. But being a pilot is a tough, high-pressure job. You fly from LA to NY to Hong Kong, spend 24 hours there, turn around and come back and then do it again. That's hard on the body, you're alone in these hotels with strangers and your flight attendants become your family. But it could be anyone who spends that lonely night in a hotel room wrestling with demons," Washington notes.
Washington, Zemeckis and Gatins also poured through the script together, discussing, analyzing and internalizing it. It is an extremely naturalistic process that allows the team to understand the character from the inside out.
"It's not really rehearsal in the classic sense, but we got into a conference room and for hours and hours we just talked through the scenes, to ensure we were all making the same move. We ask all the key questions then, we go into the script and discuss whether a line would be better one way or the other. It allows us to get into the deep psychology of the character and understand what he is feeling at any given moment. And then a great actor like Denzel can take all that and make it happen through his extraordinary performance," Zemeckis says.
It was during these conversations, Washington says, that Whip began to materialize for him – an ineffable creative process that Washington embraces but doesn't like to dissect too much.
"John Gatins and Bob Zemeckis thoroughly understood this character … every now and then, that kind of collaboration works. You can have the same great people in a room with a great script and still screw it up. In this case, I think Bob fashioned a terrific film, and I was just a part of that process. There's no magic pill but I got a lot of the character work done just sitting in that room with Bob and John, working on the script," Washington says.
Producer Walter Parkes adds that part of Zemeckis' gift as a filmmaker is his ability to handle both the technical and the human aspects of the creative process.
"In one scene, he is not wearing his brace or using a cane and in the next he walks in with his brace. He puts it on when he needs it but not necessarily because of his physical problems. He's trying to save his behind. He's a great liar. He's in denial and trying to save himself through lies," Washington says
For a character as complicated and nuanced as Whip, this proved invaluable. In a way, Whip is "acting" all the time. Washington conveys Whip's consummate ability to deceive everyone, including himself, through Whip's confident charm but also via smaller but significant details. Post-crash, Whip recovers in the hospital but his injuries – or lack thereof – reveals something deeper about his personality.
"I don't ever ask an actor where he goes to get his performance. My job as director is to throttle that performance – allowing the actor to understand how happy or sad he might be at a certain moment, for example. Where the actor goes to get that emotion, that's his gift and I don't ever want to know where he goes for that stuff," Zemeckis offers.
"There is just a level of pure cinematic mastery in watching Bob work. He is completely knowledgeable in every aspect of the technology of filmmaking – there isn't a job on the set that he does not understand or couldn't do himself. And yet, when it comes to the actors, he is completely protective of their work and approach and creates a supportive and safe atmosphere for them at all times."
For a character as complicated and nuanced as Whip, this proved invaluable. In a way, Whip is "acting" all the time. Washington conveys Whip's consummate ability to deceive everyone, including himself, through Whip's confident charm but also via smaller but significant details. Post-crash, Whip recovers in the hospital but his injuries – or lack thereof – reveals something deeper about his personality.
Rising British actress Kelly Reilly is Nicole Maggen, a beautiful but troubled young Atlanta woman struggling with her own issues of substance abuse, who befriends Whip.
"She has her own personal kind of plane crash that kind of interweaves with Whip's story," Gatins notes." They meet in a fascinating way at the hospital, at a really low point in both of their lives, and that becomes the genesis of their relationship which carries us through a fair amount of the story."
The filmmakers conducted an extensive talent search and audition process to cast this emotionally charged role. Reilly, best known for numerous television and film roles in her native England and who was most recently seen opposite Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in the blockbuster "Sherlock Holmes" series, auditioned for the role the old fashioned way.
"Finding Kelly was one of those great Hollywood stories. She knew I was casting the part and happened to be in Texas on vacation. She put herself on tape and sent it to our casting director. I saw this performance, and said, 'Wow! Bring her in!.' I knew her from the 'Sherlock Holmes' movies but because she's an English actress, it didn't occur to us at first. I had to meet her. And once she read with Denzel, it was clear they had such great chemistry. We all felt it, including Denzel. We never actually had to do a traditional screen test, she had such a presence and completely understood Nicole's vulnerability and quiet resolve," Zemeckis says.
"Kelly kind of stopped us all in our tracks," Starkey enthuses." We were riveted by what she did."
Parkes add that she brought a critical, intrinsic truth to the role.
"Nicole starts out as a life preserver for Whip. He thinks maybe he can't control his life but he could possibly save her. But what surprises him – and the audience – is that Kelly brought such an honesty to it – she refuses to be brought down by him, to give up on her own survival," Parkes says.
The movie and role was very much on Reilly's radar, but for her, just meeting the creative team was reward enough.
"I had been very passionate about this script for quite a few weeks. Lots of people have input into a decision like this but suddenly I was in L.A. to meet Bob. And it was an amazing day actually. I was very nervous, but I knew I was in a room full of people who I really wanted to work with because they were so professional and heartfelt and intelligent about the film and the characters. They made me feel extremely comfortable and welcome. When I walked out, I thought, well you know what, this meeting is a gift in itself. I thought it was a privilege just to experience that and if I got the job, it was a bonus. Then I got the job!" Reilly relates.
"Flight" marks Reilly's first movie to film in America and her first occasion to play an American. As such, she worked diligently with a dialect coach to perfect her Georgia accent, but it was the film's more universal themes of recovery and redemption that appealed to her. When Nicole meets Whip, she is struggling with serious drug addiction. Their chance encounter in the hospital where he is recuperating from the crash and she is recovering from an overdose ultimately puts her on a life saving path to recovery.
"This story is also about the people you sometimes need at certain times in your life and how they can change you. And Nicole is somebody who is trying to change, but she is chained to her addiction. Whip saves her in a way. He takes her out of the world that she's in and gives her a place where she can try to heal herself. And then she also becomes very much part of AA, a program that helps people recover once they're ready to ask for some help. But she wouldn't have done that on her own. Bob had this thought that once Nicole survives her O.D., she realizes how beautiful life is and she doesn't want to be a slave to this drug. As she's trying to get back into the light, she tries to help Whip find that place too, but, he's still very embedded in his denial. As she gets better, she starts to put up a mirror to him," Reilly says.
Reilly describes Nicole as "alone and broken" before she meets Whip.
"When we meet her, she's on her own journey as an addict. Her drug of choice is heroin. We realize why later on in the film. With the loss of her mother and an alcoholic father, she just made wrong decisions, she took some bad roads, and ended up very lost," Reilly says.
Gatins describes Nicole and Whip as" … two people who are damaged - and damaged in the same way - they are immediately drawn to each other he says." Although they couldn't be more different people in their everyday lives - he's a pilot and she's a photographer junkie - it didn't matter. They're immediately swept into each other's lives.
Describing the experience of working with Denzel Washington, Reilly says it was like "being a boxer in a ring with a heavyweight champion." She continues: "He's so intense, brilliant, and heartbreaking. In nearly every scene he moved me tremendously with the truth of where he goes with his character. It's really humbling to watch somebody be that truthful to a character going on quite an ugly kind of journey."
To assist Reilly in preparing her character, the filmmakers enlisted Mitchell Riley, a local Atlanta street artist and former addict himself, who worked with her on the techniques and physical sensations inherent to shooting up heroin and familiarized her with drug paraphernalia such as syringes and spoons. They met several time prior to filming and Riley was on set to monitor the action during filming.
"The real gift he gave me," Reilly continues, "is that he talked with me about his addiction and journey into recovery. And that psychology is what was interesting for me to apply into my character, how one can pull themselves out of that emotional prison."
Acclaimed actor Don Cheadle plays Chicago-based defense attorney Hugh Lang, who is brought in to counsel Whip Whitaker on the possible criminal negligence charges he may face for his involvement in the plane crash. For Cheadle, "Flight" marks the first time he has worked alongside Denzel Washington since his own breakout co-starring performance as Mouse in Carl Franklin's 1995 crime drama "Devil in A Blue Dress."
"It comes to light during the investigation that Captain Whitaker has taken drugs and is drunk prior to the flight," says Cheadle." It comes through in the toxicology report. This is a huge deal for me as I've got to figure out some way to deal with it, to try and keep him in his job, and keep the airline solvent, and really protect everybody."
Theirs is a rocky relationship, neither man is fond of the other and the trust required between lawyer and client is tenuous at best.
"The way Denzel and I talked about their relationship is that Whip does not like Hugh and yet he is there to save Whip. For obvious reasons, Hugh feels likewise about Whip. Through their very interesting relationship, you can see into the deep psychology of Whip's character. He cannot stand the idea that this is where he is in his life, that he needs somebody like Hugh to help him. He doesn't quite understand how he got to this place and all he can do is lash out yet he needs him because he's going to save him from having to go to prison. It's a very complicated, very magnificent relationship," Zemeckis says.
It was clear to Cheadle in discussions with Zemeckis that the director wanted to explore the film's deeper meanings and to probe what is going on with Whip and each character. Cheadle explains, "My character is trying to help Whip, but he's also trying to help him avoid responsibility in a way. And that's really the struggle: me acting in the capacity of a defense attorney trying to protect him, and him trying to figure out what protection really means."
Cheadle notes also that often Whip is not the most likable character and is especially disparaging of Lang. Cheadle adds that this aspect was a critical part of Whip's psyche and emotional journey and, he says, it is a testament to Washington that he was prepared to explore the darker qualities of Whip Whitaker.
"I think when you cast somebody like Denzel in a part like this you can expect to see a real willingness on his part to go to some pretty uncomfortable places. Everyone wants to be liked, to be thought of as the good guy, but Whip's got to unleash some demons to let this happen and in the process, let the audience see the uglier side," Cheadle says.
Ultimately, Cheadle adds, Whip's travails lead to something redemptive.
"It's mostly about a person confronting who he really is, where he allows himself to be pulled under by those parts that are less buoyant, or will he fight and struggle to find some sort of a peace and release that may actually turn out to be spiritual at the end of the day?"
Award-winning veteran film and television actor John Goodman, previously appeared with Denzel Washington in the 1998 thriller "Fallen." In "Flight," Goodman stars as Whip's spirited best friend, Harling Mays, a man who is an anchor to his friend in his darkest moments." Harling is Whip's confidante, friend, and party buddy, who, despite everything else, is his great supporter," Gatins says." Despite the fact that he's a guy who maybe sells drugs and lives on the fringe of what people consider normal society, I think he's incredibly honest with, and loves, his best friend." Gatins adds that Whip's frenetic friend has a great affection for Whip and thus becomes the one person he can call in his time of need - "the guy Whip knows he can rely on."
He also becomes the character the audience can rely on for a laugh, even if his isn't the trustworthiest sort. It is a tightrope that Goodman walks with aplomb.
"John Goodman's character is the classic enabler and also the movie's comic release. You might consider him the most dangerous character in the movie; there's a truth to him and that's where comedy comes from. And John of course, is just a great actor, who has great comic timing and great ability to ad-lib and he just knew exactly what he needed to do for this character. To me, the great irony of the character is that he is so magnetic, you just can't get enough of him, but, in the end, he's Whip's pusher. He's the devil. And you can't wait to see him on screen." Zemeckis says.
The friendship between Whip and Harling is real but also co-dependent. Harling does genuinely take care of Whip but keeps them both on a Moebius strip of addiction and denial.
"They rely on each other and understand one another. Harling is the guy who provides what Whip needs and wants, and knows when to do it, he knows how low Whip is but he doesn't judge, he just provides," Washington says.
Versatile Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood plays Whip's old friend, Charlie Anderson - a former military and commercial pilot who has known Whip since their days in the Navy and who is now the Pilot's Union rep assigned to work as Whip's contact and point person in the crash investigation of SouthJet 227. He last paired with Denzel Washington in the 2006 thriller, "Deja Vu, "
Greenwood, says that Charlie and the union he represents are not as concerned about Whip's celebrity hero status following the flight as they are in protecting their own jobs." It's a moral and ethical slippery slope," he says." Their choice is to either protect somebody who did something horribly wrong, but in exchange allow an airline to survive and two thousand people to keep their jobs, or to sacrifice this guy and let him deal with his own demons. It's tricky. It's not easy to answer."
Zemeckis calls Charlie the "everyman" of the movie.
"He's the guy who represents truth and justice and the right thing. Yet everyone around him seems to have so much more power, overwhelming what he's trying to do. His character just wants to help a good friend, someone who he knew all through his youth. They came up together in the Navy and he truly understands that Whip was put in a defective plane and still managed to save all those lives," Zemeckis says.
Screenwriter Gatins adds that Greenwood's character is "the guy who bridges the gap between Whip's former self as a younger pilot and the guy he is today. Charlie knew Whip as a younger pilot when they flew together and then had their respective careers in the airline industry as pilots. And now he is a rep for the union and is given the assignment of trying to help Whip through this [post-crash] experience." Charlie has the agenda of his employer in trying to get Whip through the process cleanly and make sure he stays the hero America wants him to be."
Greenwood had a little experience with flying and even with crashing …
"My Grandpa was an instructor and he had a Dual Control Luskim Tail Dragger so I few lessons with him. I never actually took off or landed. I just did a lot of controlled turns and descents. I've crashed in a small plane and sunk. Everyone survived but now I have a little different connotation with flying," Greenwood relates.
Prepare for Takeoff
"Flight" commenced principal photography on October 12, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia and filmed for 48 days.
As the film delves into several specialized areas of expertise – commercial aviation, and substance abuse among them – it required very specific technical advisers to help the cast and the filmmakers create scenes that would be convincing to not only general audiences, but to insiders intimately familiar with those worlds.
"A movie of this scale, with so much detail required a tremendous number of technical advisers," Starkey explains." We had a pilot who consulted on the real mechanics of flying a plane and the timing on when certain events would happen. We have an NTSB investigation, so we had an NTSB technical adviser to make sure we're accurately depicting the way they would investigate a crash. If we have other security personnel, or the FBI, all those different kinds of people are brought on to make sure we depicted everything accurately."
One of the principal flight consultants for the film was Larry Goodrich, an Atlanta-based former Air Force and commercial airline pilot who steered Denzel Washington and Brian Geraghty through flight simulator training and was on set during flight sequences to monitor the action. With Goodrich at their side, Washington and Geraghty completed flight simulator training in a six-axis full-motion flight simulator at an airline flight training center at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. There, they trained on the cockpit flight instrument panel to understand how to control the height, speed, altitude and other mechanism of the plane so operating it would become second nature while they acted. For additional practice, they also went through the programmed flight pattern of SouthJet 227's doomed flight, closely mirroring the exact sequence depicted in the film." The filmmakers wanted the actors to have an idea of what the role of a pilot truly is, how he handles himself in emergency situations, his responsibilities, and his interaction with the rest of the crew," Goodrich explains." With Denzel being the captain of the aircraft, he was very interested in learning about a pilot's main responsibilities and some of the background of work before we even get into the flight deck with the systems and instrumentations." The process began with the actors getting comfortable in their seats and familiarizing themselves with the flight instrument panel." We broke it down into little sections, and allowed them to look at flight instrument, engine instruments, the flaps, slats, speed brakes, the yoke, and then how the auto pilot works," Goodrich says." And once we went through all that, we showed them how one of the most disciplined parts of being a pilot is running everything through a checklist."
The simulator certainly helped Washington understand the mechanics of flying a plane and, well, it was fun.
"The simulator was great, it's what the pilots practice in and was incredibly helpful. I know I have great job – I got to drive trains in one movie and fly planes in the next," Washington says.
At the same time, actresses Tamara Tunie and Nadine Velazquez, who play SouthJet flight attendants, completed several courses at a state-of-the-art flight attendant training academy to learn basic flight attendant procedures and crash simulation.
Production designer Nelson Coates and his art department team were responsible for creating the film's overall visual concept. Coates, who worked with Washington on his directorial debut, "Antwone Fisher," recalls being ecstatic and riveted when he first read the script – on an airplane." Probably not the best place to read a script about a plane crash and resulting investigation," he concedes.
Coates realized that as challenging and difficult as the plane crash would be," …the more difficult aspect of this project was to create and flesh out the back history of who Whip Whitaker really is and setting those elements of his life solidly in an environment and reality that would make it believable and give it an overriding, timeless familiarity." Coates notes the Whip and Nicole's surrounding aesthetic was literally crumbling, like their lives.
"Other than the airline and the airport, there's not a lot of glossy and shiny in the film," he observes." There's lots of 'peeling' going on so walls have things that are falling apart just in the same way our character are falling apart on certain levels." He says he wanted to stress the journey that Whip and Nicole are on together. He adds, "Whether it was the photographs in their rooms, or the colors on their walls, or just a little bit of set dressing, everything in their personal environments had to be carefully chosen. We only had a short time to explain their past history."
Coates says that crafting the film's overall design on a believable base is the chief mandate from Robert Zemeckis." When you're dealing with a plane crash and investigation, you're dealing with a manufacturer of airlines, you're dealing with airliner branding, and we wanted to make sure that those elements felt real and believable and had a plausibility factor," he states.
He notes that while the plane crash is the plot vehicle that sets the main part of the story in motion, "Ultimately," he says, "this movie is not so much a movie about a plane crash, but more about the redemption of a man who is broken and has lost his way. We showcase the transformation as he's trying to come to grips with what his decisions had wrought on other people. So we wanted to make sure that the visuals didn't get in the way of that redemption."
Visual Approach: Lensing the Film
"Flight" required a cinematographer who could seamlessly handle the film's wildly kinetic, effects-heavy plane crash sequence, but also hone in on an intimate character study and personal drama.Director of photography Don Burgess, ASC, has collaborated with Robert Zemeckis as cinematographer on all of his live-action films beginning with "Forrest Gump." "Flight" is the first film that reunites them since "Cast Away." Despite the passage of time, Burgess states, "It didn't take us long to get back in the groove!" After all these years, Burgess still finds the experience of working with Zemeckis exciting and challenging." He is truly one of the best directors working today."
Working with a budget more modest than films they had done was both challenging and liberating.
Burgess recalls, "Bob and I had an abbreviated prep; we were under the gun from the get go. We had also had a very tight shooting schedule. Every day of the schedule had to be worked and re-worked to solve all the logistical problems of complicated airplane scenes, actors availability, set construction and the most important, trying to shoot as much in continuity as possible." Understandably, over the course of a 25-year partnership, Burgess and Zemeckis have developed a synchronicity that helped the production moving at a rapid pace.
To highlight the scenes where the characters are in an altered drug-addled state, Zemeckis and Burgess decided that the camera should be "floating," accomplished via Steadicam. All other times would be filmed more traditionally, mounted on dollies, also reflecting especially Whip's state of mind.
"First we needed to talk concept and style, which comes from the journey of the main character," Burgess says." Bob wanted to use the camera as much as possible to keep the audience connected to Capt. Whitaker. When Whip is sober the camera is fairly steady and when he is intoxicated the camera tends to move to the level of his high. We varied focal length from wide to extremely wide and used different camera speeds to help the effect in those situations."
Burgess has recently embraced digital cameras, and for "Flight" he decided to utilize the RED EPIC camera, noted for its small size. This was especially useful for the plane sequences where the camera would need to have room to maneuver inside the narrow cabin.
During pre-production, Zemeckis put together a pre-visualization of the plane crash and then sat down with Burgess for a long time to discuss how they would create the illusion of a plane flying upside down, where the camera should be, the movement, whose perspective it would reflect. In those early stages, it became clear the RED EPIC was perfect for the job.
Burgess recalls, "Very early in our prep I felt we need a camera that we could use on a Steadicam, shoot hand held, shoot high speed, be small enough to fit in the cockpit of our plane and also have the 5K of resolution for our wide screen release. I felt that the RED EPIC would be the best choice and I'm very pleased with the results. We shot the entire movie with that camera. We even mounted three of them on the front of a helicopter to shoot aerial plates, which were stitched together and used at the front windscreen of our plane. There isn't one film or digital camera that can do all of that except the RED."
In-Flight Turbulence - SouthJet Flight #227
Setting the film in motion – literally - is a harrowing flight sequence that follows Captain Whip Whitaker as he successfully pilots a passenger jet through an increasingly dangerous list of flight difficulties, starting with severe turbulence and culminating with a massive mechanical failure. Moments after a successful passage through the worst of a bad weather pattern, the JR-88 (the film's fictitious plane model) passenger jet inexplicably loses it hydraulics, pitch and vertical control, and begins an uncontrolled rapid descent. To gain control of the plane, Whitaker must rely on his experience, intuition and unique skill set to attempt some very risky, unorthodox, maneuvers, including inverting the plane into a glide.
Screenwriter Gatins says that the sequence in the script came from an actual accident he learned about in his research.
"A professional pilot I consulted pointed me towards a past incident in which the wing on a plane's tail snapped and was in a fixed position that pitched its' nose down. They tried everything to right the plane and at one point had to invert it and flew upside down. They knew that their only shot of landing the plane would have to be a stable inverted flight, and then descend the plane close enough to the ground. Then they could turn the plane over and take their chances by bellying the plane on the ground, which is what Whip does in our movie."
Pre-visualized and meticulously planned in pre-production, the frightening sequence required the combined talents of the film's special and visual effects and stunt teams, along with some creative camerawork, utilizing the latest in film technology.
First came the plane itself. Coates worked with Robert Zemeckis for several months, developing an identity for the plane - everything from its logo to its in-flight magazine, seatbacks, to its unique cockpit. His team modified several existing aircraft to create the SouthJet plane depicted in the film. Coates explains, "We wanted to it feel very familiar and yet, because of the nature and sensitive subject matter of the story, we needed to have our own manufacturer, our own airline company."
Many of the practical airline sets - the jet way, the cockpit, galley, and passenger cabin segments of the film's jet - were erected on multiple platforms and motion based rigs on Stage 5 at Atlanta's EUE/Screen Gems soundstage complex. To make the plane unique to the film's fictitious SouthJet Air Company, Coates created a custom jet influenced by several planes typically used in regional airlines, such as the MD-80 and 737 series. For much of the sequence, the plane was situated on air mattresses that could simulate the high frequency rocking motion of turbulence. Each corner of the SFX-rigged air mattress featured three-foot springs that could extend or contract to move the plane up or down, side to side, or port to starboard, controlled by the special effects technicians operating the rig. Meanwhile, cinematographer Don Burgess and his team used a wide array of camera cranes, mounting heads and other special equipment to film these technically complicated scenes: a Technocrane, Felix Crane, Libra Head, mini head, and a 360 roll cage, among others.
For the portion of the flight in which Whitaker inverts the plane 180 degrees so he can gain some control, the cabin segment of the plane was positioned inside a "rotisserie rig" – a term the filmmakers used due to its functional resemblance to the rotating cooking device - a circular ring that could spin the cabin 360 degrees. The custom-designed rig, had to be strong and secure enough to hold the 11,500-pound weight of that section of plane and its passengers. With the aircraft fit into steel rings and rollers, the film's special effects technicians were able to control a section of the plane and actually roll it around and invert it. Since the rotisserie rig couldn't handle the weight of a full-length, fully loaded plane, the cabin segments were filmed in two 14-row sections, each with 25 passengers per segment, and then married by the visual effects team to create the extended entirety of the plane interior." We custom designed the three hundred and sixty degree roll-over rig to achieve the plane flipping upside down and all that action that takes place while the plane is inverted," says award-winning special effects supervisor and longtime Zemeckis team member Michal Lantieri.
The effects supervisor and his team had to design the rigs to support the weight of the plane - the cabin section of which was fashioned from an MD-80 airplane weighing 7800 pounds – in addition to the weight of the passengers. The design of the revolving rig also required that the cabin be open on both ends to allow for a camera crane to flow in and out while the cabin rolled around it.
During the days of inverted plane filming, the passengers – mostly stunt personnel – were fully inverted many times for up to two minutes per take. Charlie Croughwell, the film's stunt coordinator, compares filming of the flight sequences to "a roller coaster ride." He states: "We had to find people that could handle a roller coaster ride for eight hours each day, who could handle being upside down all day long, day in and day out - and make it exciting." Since the flight is a short regional trip from Orlando to Atlanta, it was essential to the believability for the stunt personnel to look like regular people." The biggest challenge was that Bob Zemeckis did not want stunt guys that looked like your standard stunt people," he adds." They should be just a wide variety of people that look like they just came from Disney World."
The professional stunt personnel were not the only ones who endured the inverted plane sequences. Croughwell notes that Denzel Washington did too." Denzel is great – he wanted to do his own stuff," says Croughwell." He doesn't want to have someone else in there doing his stunts, and it's great that he approaches it from that point-of-view. Obviously if we felt something was going to be too dangerous for him we would talk with him about it and work through it, but he was a trooper."
To make sure his ordinary-looking ensemble of stunt people could endure the days of filming, Croughwell and his team conducted several pre-filming safety tests." We tested with people hanging upside down to see the lengths of time that was safely possible, and to note the effects that hanging upside down can cause," he explains." All the blood rushes to your brain. And after sitting on a plane for eight hours, there are all kinds of circulation issues you have to deal with. So we had to deal with all those physical issues."
Suspending actors, stunt people and sets in gravity-defying positions while also placing cameras and equipment was a tricky bit of choreography that had to be accomplished in lightning speed. Preparation on every level became more vital than usual.
"We actually hung everyone upside-down by their seatbelts. I think the safety advisors said we could hang people that way for a minute. So we shot everything we could in 60 seconds and then we had to turn everybody right side up again. Then we would turn the plane upside-down again and do it all over. Everything had to be done in pieces and of course we didn't want to hurt anybody. Those sequences were very complicated and the Pre-Vis was essential so we knew where to to put the cameras and what we were looking for. And we really studied what would be the best angles to give the illusion of the plane turning upside down and, and diving. We needed to give that illusion the plane dropping through the sky with a camera inside the cockpit. A lot of that is camera work to make it look exciting. And hanging people upside down a minute at a time," Zemeckis says.
Flight Pattern: The Locations
The film's biggest set piece and the one most daunting to create, was the crash landing site of SouthJet flight #227, a southeast regional flight from Orlando to Atlanta, that is forced to make a landing attempt at a bean field two miles from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. At the private Green Valley Farms located along a quiet stretch of Highway 278 in the city of Covington, production designer Nelson Coates and his team of art directors and construction personnel constructed a crash site for the doomed flight.
This location is also where, 10 days after the crash, Whip and his lawyer, Hugh Lang, standing upon a scaffolding platform, survey the devastation left by the craft. The location and the dramatic scene Whip encounters is a pivotal moment for him on so many levels.
Coates notes that Atlanta is so developed that there were not many spaces anywhere in close proximity to where the crash is supposed to have taken place – two miles from the main airport." We had to look further afield," Coates recalls.
The crash site called for an area that had some fields where the plane could touch down and a bluff where the production design crew could erect a 47-foot high turn-of-the-century gothic-style Pentecostal Church, the steeple of which the plane knocks over during its descent. On an empty field below, they placed the broken fuselage and other pieces of aircraft in a smoldering heap nearby. Location manager Eric Hooge first encountered what would become the crash site location after driving in a 35-mile perimeter in the rural outskirts of Atlanta." That bluff also gave us a way to show the audience from up high what the plane looked like," producer Steve Starkey explains. Starkey notes that the crash site is the single largest set piece of any of the films he's produced.
Earlier in production, an aerial crew shot all the pre-crash plate shots at the location that the editor and visual effects team would utilize to complete the crash landing sequence as the plane makes its final approach.
Another Atlanta-adjacent rural location was the Whitaker Farm, the property that Whip Whitaker inherited from his father, William Whitaker, Sr. - where he ran the Whitaker Crop Dusting Company. The home, the place Whip retreats to after being hounded by the media, was filmed at the private Hall's Flying Ranch, a 250 acre farm in an unincorporated rural area near the small city of Hampton, Georgia, 35 miles south of Atlanta, adjacent to the famed Atlanta Motor Speedway. Whip stays at the farm after leaving the hospital rather than return to his Atlanta house where the media has decamped.
Coates says that Whip Whitaker's backstory heavily influenced the choice of that location." Early on, Bob thought that as a character choice, that Whip's father should have been in the Tuskegee Airmen – and that would put him in the South, and maybe for years after he was in the Air Force he had a crop dusting business outside of Atlanta. So we needed to find a farmhouse that came with a grassy air strip and a barn or hangar of sorts." The tree-lined farm they found, surrounded by cattle ranches and horse stables, was previously the site of a family business that used to offer private flight training, and featured a barn-like hangar built to hold a small plane, and a 2150 foot grassy landing strip – all that was uncannily parallel to the script. However, since the location didn't have a suitable home to double as the Whitaker family compound, Coates and his design team built the exterior of one the properties. Coates says, "We couldn't find all three requirements in the same place in a certain zone around Atlanta, so we ended up building the farm house; we shaped it so we'd have the porch, have the enveloping 'V' of the house so you feel cozy when you're out on the porch exposed." The porch faced the plane hangar and airstrip, which was done, Coates says, to "always keep the focus on the fact that airplanes had been an important and big portion part of the young Whip's life growing up."
In keeping with Zemeckis' desire for authenticity, hospital scenes were filmed in the former critical care wing of St. Joseph's Hospital, Atlanta's oldest and most distinguished hospital, located in Atlanta's Peachwood-Dunwoody neighborhood.
While there were real practical advantages to film in Atlanta – tax credits, locations that fit the story and/or production needs to tell that tale, Zemeckis points out that Atlanta also played itself, as opposed to doubling for any other city.
"The movie feels perfectly set in Atlanta. It's not like we had to go to there and make it look like New York. We set it there because it is one of those American cities that has an airline culture and it just felt like the perfect American city for this movie," Zemeckis says.
It is also a municipality set squarely in the Bible Belt so the crash landing outside a Pentecostal Church appealed to Zemeckis' sense of irony.
Ultimately, "Flight" combines several Zemeckis touchstones – advanced film technology, big, compelling characters on life changing journeys, themes of recovery and discovery – or, as he puts it:
"My thinking is this: There's a wonderful quote by Francois Truffaut which I subscribe to … he said that a movie that works is the perfect blend of truth and spectacle. And whenever I can find a screenplay that has both of those aspects, those are movies that I gravitate to—and I think 'Flight' is that kind of movie. I mean it's a hopeful, redemptive human story that's wrapped in this very dramatic and intense spectacle. And to me that's what movies are all about," Zemeckis says.


text: Solange Knowles attended the `Q&Q Launch Event` held in New York. She has had a bright yellow style of sweatshirt and pleated skirt. That was an ensemble from Christopher Kane Resort 2014 collection. She completed the style with a pair of Andrea metallic silver pump from Acne Studios, and she carried a Via Limoni Lina bag from Kate Spade New York.

subset: commoncrawl


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The "Mid-Season Reunion" was full of adorable, Dr. Drew-sanctioned smooching, but it wasn't any of the usual "Teen Mom 2" couples that made our hearts melt — it was the kiddos!
The romance between Chelsea's daughter, Aubree, and Jenelle's son, Jace, began nearly a lifetime ago when Jace professed his feelings for Aubs in an adorable video. For months after, the baby lovebirds pined for one another until, in November, they finally got to express their love with a sweet smooch in NYC.
When Jaubree was once again reunited at the "Mid-Season Reunion," the big question was "Will they or won't they?", as it seemed the star-crossed tots were kept apart by another man, at first. Kailyn confessed that Isaac harbored some feelings for Aubree — until Aubs' rejection (in the form of a cheek bite) made Isaac rethink his crush. In the clip below, while her toothy rebuff serves as a visible reminder of Isaac's lost love, it becomes clear that her affection for Jace is every bit as strong as her chompers, which she proves with an on-air kiss. Three-years-old and they've already nailed down their Valentines, those lucky ducks!
Check out the video, and relive the puppy love!
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text:
Michael S. Bernstein, Jaime Teevan, Susan Dumais, Dan Liebling, and Eric Horvitz
5 May 2012
Web search engines now offer more than ranked results. Queries on topics like weather, definitions, and movies may return inline results called answers that can resolve a searcher's information need without any additional interaction. Despite the usefulness of answers, they are limited to popular needs because each answer type is manually authored. To extend the reach of answers to thousands of new information needs, we introduce Tail Answers: a large collection of direct answers that are unpopular individually, but together address a large proportion of search traffic. These answers cover long-tail needs such as the average body temperature for a dog, substitutes for molasses, and the keyboard shortcut for a right-click. We introduce a combination of search log mining and paid crowdsourcing techniques to create Tail Answers. A user study with 361 participants suggests that Tail Answers significantly improved users' subjective ratings of search quality and their ability to solve needs without clicking through to a result. Our findings suggest that search engines can be extended to directly respond to a large new class of queries.
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|Proc. CHI 2012
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Copyright 2012 ACM.
|Best Paper Honorable Mention


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ANKARA: A hotline has been established to facilitate communication among the presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey "in times of crisis," a Turkish official said yesterday.
"The hotline has been operational since Sunday," the official said on condition of anonymity but noted that the presidents have not used it yet.
"It is designed to help communication among the three capitals in times of crisis," the official added.
The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan are due to hold talks in Turkey today and Wednesday in a bid to resolve a row after Kabul claimed an attack against its spy chief was planned in Pakistan.
The assassination attempt on National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Asadullah Khalid was carried out Thursday by an attacker who claimed to be a Taliban peace envoy but had a bomb hidden in his underwear.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai did not directly blame Pakistan for the attack but said the Taliban alone would not have been able to carry out the bombing and that "bigger hands were involved".
The Pakistani foreign ministry rejected the claim and said it was ready to help investigate what it called a criminal act.


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Gardening calendar
Gardening jobs
Garden type
Summer pruning in August
August is such a beautiful month when we can expect fine weather. This lets us get some important jobs done, such as pruning.
- Climbing Hydrangea can be cut back flat against the wall after flowering.
- Topiary and other shaped shrubs like Buxus, Privet and also Lavender can be pruned back into shape.
- Cut some sprigs of your Lavender to dry while it is in full flower. Dried Lavender in a small cotton pouch in your airing cupboard will give a lovely fragrance to your towels.
- Give evergreen shrubs and hedges a last prune now before winter.
- And don't forget your deciduous hedges. They too will need to be pruned for the last time now.
- Deadhead Roses to prevent the production of seed (rose hips), which will exhaust them, then treat with some Rose fertilizer to maintain their strength.
- After the last flowers have wilted, the entire truss can be cut back to a well-developed leaf.
- New shoots of Wisteria can be cut back to about 15 cm.
- New Vine shoots can be cut back to the 4th leaf. As a special treat, wrap young Vine leaves around a bit of cheese and put them on the barbecue! You can enjoy this feast throughout the summer if you don't cut the shoots back all at once.
- If you want large grapes on your Vine remove about half of all bunches, and the smallest grapes from the remaining branches. Leaving one bunch per branch is usually best.
- Regularly remove faded Dahlia, Begonia and Canna flowers to stimulate new blooms.
- After the first winter pruning of your fruit trees, in May and June lots of suckers (small twigs that grow straight up) will appear, especially near where major pruning was done. These shoots take up a lot of water and nutrients that could be used better elsewhere. Now is good time to remove these suckers.
- Also now, thin out the fruits from your apple, pear and plum trees. Remove the smaller ones and the remaining fruits will get a better chance to develop.
- Treat your fruit trees to some extra trace elements and minerals this month with, for example, sea weed extract. During this growing period the trees will be more resistant to disease and fungal infections.
- After harvesting berries and currants these shrubs can be pruned back.


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Worked With:
Catherine Oxenberg
Birth Name: Catherine Oxenberg
Born: 1961
Born: 1961
Born Sept. 22, 1961 in New York City, but raised in London, England, Catherine Oxenberg was the eldest daughter of HRH Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and her first husband, Howard Oxenberg, a Jewish dress manufacturer and friend of the Kennedys. Although she could not personally claim a royal title, Oxenberg's unique lineage made her a descendant of the Serbian Karađorđević dynasty and a distant heir to the British throne. Named for her ancestor Catherine the Great, Oxenberg earned personal acting lessons from screen great Richard Burton, who was engaged to her mother in 1974. She was accepted to Harvard, but deferred for a year to pursue acting and modeling, and eventually enrolled at ... Continue Bio >>
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Are you addicted to video games?
If so, MTV wants to hear from you. The network has put out a casting call for an episode of its documentary series, True Life:
Have video games totally taken over your life? Is your game play increasingly getting out of control? Have your friends or family confronted you about your gaming habit? How about your marriage or personal relationships – are they being affected?
Is it difficult to balance work and gaming time? Do you sometimes skip doing homework or household responsibilities to play? Have you played video games as a way of escaping your problems? Has your game playing habit become so encompassing that you may need to go to rehab to kick it?
Does this sound like you? God, we hope not but if it does, send your info MTV's way and maybe we'll see you on the tube. That is, if you can bear to pull yourself away from Ghostbusters: The Video Game for a few minutes.
Via: Siliconera
-Reporting from San Diego, GamePolitics Correspondent Andrew Eisen…


text: Tonight on HGTV, Country Stars at Home will take you inside the homes, tour buses and living spaces of Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler, Trace Adkins, Clay Walker and others. Dierks and Kellie give HGTV access to their homes on wheels, while Clay Walker finds out what $6 million will get you in New York City and Trace Adkins shows off his big backyard makeover. On January 1st, Trace will also show off his tour bus on HGTV's Celebrity Motor Homes special. Country Stars at Home will air tonight at 8pm ET on HGTV.


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Top 5 most inappropriate logo designs
Designing a good logo is a tough task. It's no where near as simple as it sounds. It's fair to say I've had a bit of a fixation with graphic design recently, and I've posted about logos before (anyone remember the Phallic Logo Awards?). This latest crop of logos don't quite fit into the phallic category, but they could be seen as somewhat smutty.
So here I count down the top 5 most inappropriate logo designs.
Number 5: Arlington Pediatric Centre
Well, I'm not exactly sure what the client was thinking when they approved this one. Maybe it's supposed be like a magic eye puzzle? At best it would have to be described as 'suggestive'.
Number 4: Kids Exchange
Kids Exchange also appeared in one of the earliest Swollen Pickles posts entitled, "Hazardous Domain Name Registration". If you can't figure out what is going on with the one, then you better go read that old post!
Number 3: Clinical Dental
Mmmkay, do you think that is the standard level of service Clinical Dental provide?
Number 2: Kudawara Pharmacy
Now if they had really intended that to be the letter 'K' why in the world would they add two dots on the top?... unless... unless they wanted it to look like two people 'doing' it...drum roll...
Number 1: The Computer Doctors
Well, this logo speaks for itself. Clearly the Computer Doctors get very excited and passionate about their business!
|NEW Exploring Adobe Illustrator CS4 [With CDROM]
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33 Responses to "Top 5 most inappropriate logo designs"
Classic! Thanks for the laugh
Can't say I found the first two funny but the others I did. Very clever
The Computer Doctors take the icing!
actually they provide it
Signs like these makes you wonder what graphic designers are thinking when they dream up their designs. Classic.
Absolutely hilarious. The kidsexchange and the computer doctors really take the cake!
I like the dental one… I wonder how many women show up there thinking the sign was "meant" to be that way. Probably not many, but if they did… What signs would she give the dentist that she was "cool" and that's why she was there? I suppose guys could show up there too haha.
ROFL i love the KIDSEXCHANGE one – how on earth they didn't see that I don't know!
Thanks , my wife and I had a good laugh!
some of these are really funny, like 2 and 3! thanks
I still can't believe that no one stopped and asked, "gee, does that look a little dodgy?"
Oh they are great, love the paediatric one!!
That is hilarious! You would think people would take a second look at there signs/logos before putting them out in public.
[...] For the third month in a row Swollen Pickles received over 20,000 unique visits. November saw 24,770 unique Swollen Pickles visitors, up from 21,859 unique visitors in October. My "How I stopped a bandwidth thief" post was the most popular post for the month, closely followed by "Top 5 most inappropriate logo designs". [...]
That is absolutely hilarious! I wonder how nobody ever noticed or how incredibly unaware/perhaps drunk they must've been to approve…
I just realized something. Maybe it was also done on purpose to appeal subconsciously to the sexual side of a persons brain who walks by. Like "hmm, that place stands out to me for ..some–reason."
hey rader, do you mean it would stand out for them in their subconscious or conscious mind? because if I walked by that children's store with my future kid and realised the funny "mistake" i don't think i'd want to take my kid inside (same goes for Arlington)! and the dentists one, i'd be afraid that Doc would rape me lol
I mean it would stand out in their subconscious… so they wouldn't realize what drew their attention… I agree with you though. I wouldn't want to take my kid in there either if I realized! Doesn't anyone realize how EXPENSIVE sex changes are these days? (joke!!!)
LOL! BRAVO! Loved them
The KIDSEXCHANGE one is insane. How could the store not notice that!?!?
I'd have to stick one of those "Im sofa king wee todd id" bumper stickers on the manager's car.
He'd never get the joke.
Where on earth did you spot these logos? If it was in one town, must be smth wrong with the water..:)
"pelf // Nov 21, 2007 at 8:22 pm
The Computer Doctors take the icing!
More like gives the icing.
[...] there you have it. If you want to check out another collection of inappropriate stuff, here is the top 5 most inappropriate logo designs. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
wow…they are just wrong. How can people not see that in them when they get them designed.
*gaffaw* that is just my kinda humour!!! Thanks for the belly laugh that woke the sleeping child next to me.
Go here and check out the logo.
Look and the middle woman's head and arms.
Gynecologists are strange people.
I know this is a little late after the post… but I love this! My favourite is the dentist. How could you not see that??
[...] oprindeligt, da der tale om stort set samme indhold i henholdsvis mail og pÃ¥ denne hjemmeside â€Swollenpicklesâ€, dog med den undtagelse at mailen var pÃ¥ dansk… men det gør ikke indholdet mindre/sjovt [...]
simply fantastic!
(my page is in danish)
Even without the logo fubar, "kids exchange" is a horrible name for a business.
Ebaõnnestunud logode top 5…
[...] on earth could you approve such a design for a logo! Here is a taster… Check others out at: Top 5 most inappropriate logo designs | Swollen Pickles Lighthouse [...]
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Think you've seen everything? How about an elephant playing with a Samsung Galaxy Note. Peter the Elephant in Thailand was given a Galaxy Note and its amazing what he was able to figure out. Using his trunk, he was able to swipe through photos, draw with the stylus and even take a picture. Now before you claim foulplay, the team at The Viral Factory assure us that the video is not faked. They promised to upload uncut and unedited takes later on to prove its authenticity. Nevertheless, fake or not, the video is adorable. Will it sell phones? Next time you meet an elephant, you'll know what phone to get them for their birthday but I'm not convinced it's a great selling point. It does however, highlight the fact that anyone, human or not, can use an Android and the famous phablet: The Galaxy Note. What do you think? By the way, no elephants or Galaxy Notes were harmed during the filming of this video.
Via »YouTube


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Ponds are a great feature within any garden. You may prefer a formal pond or perhaps a natural pond that will attract wildlife. Fed by a waterfall using a pump and filtration system helps maintain water quality and provides oxygen to the resident aquatic life.
The use of water features in the garden provides a new environment for wildlife and vegetation. Slow flowing streams can be used as links between waterfalls and ponds and are another interesting way of using water within the garden. Waterfalls or features of various sizes can add just the slightest soothing sounds to the garden.
Large rockeries and walling are great ways of improving otherwise unusable steep banks or areas of the garden and can be planted with alpines and shrubs. Ponds and waterfalls are a nice additional feature within rockeries.


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Prices, specials, features and availability subject to change.
Contact for details
Sutter Creek offers one and two bedroom styles that come available with classic or upgraded interiors. Come home to relax and enjoy great amenities! Enjoy a workout in our newly remodeled 24 hour fitness center with a pool view, or relax by the pool and surf the net with our free WiFi. Too cold outside?... that's okay, we offer a cyber cafe in the office open 7 days a week! Take a walk around the community on our scenic walking trails to enjoy the great landscaped courtyards with picnic areas. No matter where you live in the community you'll be close to your mail and laundry areas. * We are located approximately 15 minutes from the new Cowboys Stadium and the Texas Rangers Stadium. Enjoy fine dining and shopping at the Arlington Highlands that's only about 10 minutes away! We are also right around the corner from grocery stores, restaurants, comedy clubs and tons more shopping. This is the hottest spot in Arlington! Come see why we are almost full!!
Our lease terms are: 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, 10 months, 11 months, 12 months, 18 months (Please note that lease terms may vary, are subject to change without notice, and are based on availability. Inquire with property staff for complete details).
Pet Policy: $10 pet rent. $400 non-refundable pet fee. Restrictions: We are pet friendly and welcome up to 2 pets! Take them for a walk around the courtyard on our scenic walking trails with doggie stations to help keep the community clean. Breed restrictions do apply.
Pets Accepted. Breed Restriction. Call for Policy. Call for service animal policy.
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the people in the office are very friendly and helpful
July 01, 2015
it is a good place to live
July 01, 2015
great place to live.
July 01, 2015
Sutter Creek Apartments is nice affordable place to live.
May 20, 2015
Have been living at sutter creek for11 years. It is a save apartment I love it. And the employees are awesome Read More.
April 08, 2015
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Established in 1988, Columbia Memorial Park in Columbia, Maryland is located at the corner of Trotter Rd. and Route 108. The 38-acre grounds provide a peaceful, park-like atmosphere with lush flower gardens and shrubbery against a forest backdrop...
Adelphi Obituaries
It was reported by County Times on November 17th, 2011 that Mary Eleanor Simpson (Hayden) passed on in Adelphi, Maryland. Ms. Simpson was 92 years old. Send flowers to express your sorrow and honor Mary Eleanor's life.
It was disclosed on that Richard Dennis Waltz died in New Bern, North Carolina. Waltz was 60 years old and was born in Adelphi, MD. Send flowers to express your sorrow and honor Richard Dennis's life.
All Funeral Homes in Adelphi
Founded in 1958, Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens has been serving families for over 40 years. Those visiting Crest Lawn are always assured outstanding personal attention and caring, professional assistance.
Adelphi Cemetery News
George Washington Cemetery Adelphi, Maryland | iMortuary.com
Listing for George Washington Cemetery in Adelphi, Maryland, which deals with funerals and cremation.
Sol Levinson and Bros. Funeral Home - Cemetery Directions
Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. Adelphi, Maryland. I-695 South (Beltway towards Glen Burnie) to I-95 South (towards Washington) to I-495 West (Washington Beltway).
George Washington Cemetery Adelphi MD
George Washington Cemetery and Mausoleum and its neighbor, Mount Lebanon Cemetery were both established in the late 1920s. With over a dozen staff members, the cemetery offers a ...
Cemetery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term cemetery (from Greek : sleeping place) implies that the land ...
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[[A person is in a cemetery, near a gravestone. Other people stand around staring.]] Person: Frankly, you deserve this. You KNEW I wanted a sans-serif font, ...
George Washington Cemetery Adelphi MD
With over a dozen staff members, the cemetery offers a variety of burial and memorialization options for Maryland residents...
Adelphi, Maryland Information - ePodunk
Get all the local information you need on Adelphi, Maryland, MD - community history, demographics, local search and more at ePodunk
George Washington Cemetery, Adelphi, MD : Reviews and maps ...
George Washington Cemetery, Adelphi, MD : Reviews and maps - Yahoo! Local, 301.434.4640. Get Ratings, Reviews, Photos and more on Yahoo! Local.
Adelphi MD :: Government & Community :: Funerals & Memorials
Gate of Heaven Cemetery. 13801 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD (301) 871-6500. George ... Cemetery. 9500 Riggs Rd, Adelphi, MD (301) 434-4640. Glenwood Cemetery ...


text:
CHICAGO (AP) At least one in five U.S. children aged 1 to 11 don't get enough vitamin D and could be at risk for a variety of health problems including weak bones, the most recent national analysis suggests.
By a looser measure, almost 90% of black children that age and 80% of Hispanic kids could be vitamin D deficient — "astounding numbers" that should serve as a call to action, said Dr. Jonathan Mansbach, lead author of the new analysis and a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital in Boston.
YOUR HEALTH: Skin color matters in the vitamin D debate
The findings add to mounting evidence about vitamin D deficiency in children, teens and adults, a concern because of recent studies suggesting the vitamin might help prevent serious diseases, including infections, diabetes and even some cancers.
While hard evidence showing that low levels of vitamin D lead to disease or that high levels prevent it is lacking, it's a burgeoning area of research.
Exactly how much vitamin D children and adults should get, and defining when they are deficient, is under debate. Doctors use different definitions, and many are waiting for guidance expected in an Institute of Medicine report on vitamin D due next year. The institute is a government advisory group that sets dietary standards.
The new analysis, released online Monday by the journal Pediatrics, is the first assessment of varying vitamin D levels in children aged 1 through 11.
Previous studies in the journal this year found low levels were prevalent in U.S. teens, and also showed kids with low levels had higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and were more likely to be overweight.
The new analysis uses data from a 2001-06 government health survey of nearly 3,000 children. They had blood tests measuring vitamin D levels.
Using the American Academy of Pediatrics' cutoff for healthy vitamin D levels, 6.4 million children — about 20% of kids that age — have blood levels that are too low. Applying a less strict, higher cutoff, two-thirds of children that age, including 90% of black kids and 80% of Hispanics, are deficient in vitamin D.
A Pediatrics editorial says the strongest evidence about effects of vitamin D deficiency in kids involves rickets, a bone disease common a century ago but that continues to occur.
Rickets can be treated and prevented with 400 units daily of vitamin D, the editorial says. The pediatricians' group recently recommended that amount for all children, saying that most need vitamin supplements.
Mansbach says his study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, supports that recommendation.
Children can get 400 units daily by drinking four cups of fortified milk, or eating lots of fish, but many don't do that.
The body also makes vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin, but many children don't spend enough time outdoors. That's one reason why lower vitamin D levels are found in children living in colder climates and those with darker skin, which absorbs less sunlight.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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text:
Re: [Full-disclosure] [OT] Fwd: Comments on: Phoenix Mars Lander site hacked
- From: "Andrew Wallace" <andrew.awal.wallace@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 07:10:34 -0400
This post is made by andrew.awal.wallace@xxxxxxxxx, my secret identity
for my serious security researches on the computer for when I research
things at the same time that I am on the computer doing research for
security stuff.
The questions that I ask and the points that I raise in this email are
due to opinions that I have formed.
From: n3td3v <xploitable_at_gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 20:29:05 +0100
I'm not a troll, i'm a serious security researcher.
I was misrepresented in the media by SecurityFocus Robert Lemos who
ruined my image.
The findings have been post,
Yes, n3td3v post that. n3td3v's last three paragraphs at n3td3v's
blogspot are copied below with questions to the n3td3v.
n3td3v Paragraph 1: This is a long standing issue which will go on for
years until regret is shown by Neal Krawetz and Robert Lemos... n3td3v
is still on Full-Disclosure and will never stop posting, and its none
of both their businesses who I am.
++Did the long standing issue that will end in regret for Robert Lemos
have to do with what happened to the Robert Lemos website? Did Robert
Lemos learn who the n3td3v is - or is it none of his business?
n3td3v Paragraph 2: n3td3v might be available for a real interview for
a large sum of money, based on facts... otherwise, you're a suckers
and will never know the truth!!! It will forever be your mystery who
is n3td3v!!!! *Evil laughter*.
++Did n3td3v get that large sum of money?
++If yes, then n3td3v might not care about others calling n3td3v a
troll even if n3td3v is in the troll role.
++If not, then according to n3td3v blogspot all others but n3td3v are
suckers who do not know the secret identity that is n3td3v.
Mwahahahaha (Evil laughter).
n3td3v Paragraph 3: I'll see you both at the security conferences some
time i'm sure and you can tell me all about your smear campaign(s) and
yellow journalism(s).
++Did n3td3v get to a security conference? If n3td3v managed to get
to a conference, what did n3td3v do and say to the people that n3td3v
swore would feel regret?
I am worried about security flaws in the major operating systems like
L1nukz, w1ndoe$ 3ck$pee, 200x, and veeeezthaaa. I use Windows 98.
One day I may upgrade to windows for workgroups when I get another
computer to network together with my first and do MASSIVELY
MULTIPLAYER SECURITY RESEARCH! The only problem I have ever had with
Windows 98 is that it is sometimes difficult to get software to run
like my picasa (with heads photoshopped out), anti-virus (but that is
becuase no anti-virus is needed on this great operating system I am
told that I am covered in pwnsauce but they are only trying to make
the crazy guy, me, angry), and certain other google applications from
that fine company called GOOG which I will one day invest in when I
have made my first million in capital. You will all then fear me then
because I will have made my first million in capital. I know that
none of you have made any money. How could you? I dont like you so
you must not have money.
All and more of the best for all of you,
// A.a.W.
::::This email is a parody of the nonsense that certain individuals
post to this list. There is no value or intent behind this email.
Full-Disclosure - We believe in it.
Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html
Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/
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text:
Getting the chance to ski with Klaus Obermeyer during his 91st year was an opportunity not to be missed. The ski legend helped turn the eyes of the world onto Aspen, Colorado and invented double ski boots and down jackets, among a long list of contributions to our sport. When I met him in Aspen in April and he was in a good mood – he'd only missed a couple of days of skiing all winter. Over breakfast Klaus told me:
"The best thing about skiing. The very best thing about skiing - is that it is such a great family sport. An Olympian can go skiing with their kid and both can have fun."
We had a big breakfast and then he drove, wearing his ski boots, to his VIP slope-side parking space. After getting off of the gondola, Klaus stepped quickly into his skis and accelerated away from the lift. I leaned on my ski poles to catch up, and started chasing the sturdy figure, white hair and white, form-fitting Obermeyer ski jacket turning heads left and right. As the run steepened, I caught him, but stayed behind to see how a 90-year-old skier approached a run. The best I can explain it, is that he let the run come to him, rather than him chasing the run. At the lower angled sections, he slowly opened up his speed, letting the skis run at the optimal carve and speed to make the pitch as pleasant as possible. When steep sections appeared on the horizon, he gradually slowed to conservative sweeping turns and I would find myself abruptly putting on the brakes while he smoothly adjusted his speed. Then, as the angle lessened, he would effortlessly conserve momentum from the steeps and race out into the flats, leaving me working to keep up.
He skied Aspen Mountain top to bottom without stopping or even once looking over his shoulder to see if I was with him.
"When the snow is good, can you still ski double blacks?" I asked him, once we sat down in the gondola.
"Of course." He replied.
Back on the lift I asked him, "What's your trick to staying so capable for so long?"
"Keep doing sports."
After three hours of showing me around his home turf, Klaus went in for his daily swim. In the summer he switches his skis for a tennis racket, but swims year-round.
Klaus lives the mantra, "If you don't use it, nature takes it away from you - very quickly."
To put it all in perspective, the next day, I went skiing with my 3-year-old twin son and daughter. When a friendly loft operator asked me how old they were, I realized there was an 87-year difference in my ski partners from one day to the next.
I told the lifty they were 3, and that the day before I had skied with a 90-year-old. He replied, laughing, "Now that's a great sport!"
Klaus and the lifty are both right.
If you agree, and have kids who are good skiers, check out CMH Family Heli-Ski Trips for an unforgettable family holiday.


text:
Bankruptcy Law
Bankruptcy Law Questions? Ask a Bankruptcy Lawyer Now.
Hello I am a licensed attorney here to help you with your question, please review my response and do not hesitate to ask for clarification
At this time, filing a chapter 7 bankruptcy for such a small amount of debt may not be your best option, you may want to contact the creditors after you have stopped paying them and ask for a settlement of 50% of the balance, they will usually settle with you after you have stopped making payments after 3-6 months.
To file a bankruptcy at this point would hurt your credit and for such a small amount is not best.
DISCLAIMER: Answers from Experts on JustAnswer are not substitutes for the advice of an attorney. JustAnswer is a public forum and questions and responses are not private or confidential or protected by the attorney-client privilege. The Expert above is not your attorney, and the response above is not legal advice. You should not read this response to propose specific action or address specific circumstances, but only to give you a sense of general principles of law that might affect the situation you describe. Application of these general principles to particular circumstances must be done by a lawyer who has spoken with you in confidence, learned all relevant information, and explored various options. Before acting on these general principles, you should hire a lawyer licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction to which your question pertains.
The responses above are from individual Experts, not JustAnswer. The site and services are provided "as is". To view the verified credential of an Expert, click on the "Verified" symbol in the Expert's profile. This site is not for emergency questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service (last updated February 8, 2012).


text:
Oregon Volleyball Prospective Student-Athlete Questionnaire
- Volleyball Recruiting Class Ranked No. 2
- Loaded Home Schedule for Oregon Volleyball
- Ducks Prepare for Four-Match Spring Slate
- Gill Named to Pac-12 All-Star Team
- Ducks Topped by No. 6 Wisconsin
- Ducks Fall in Game One at Stanford
- Storms Delay NCAA West Prelims
- Ducks Land 15 on MPSF All-Academic Squad


text:
Home >
Quilt Fabric
> Kona Cotton Fabric Solids - Cloud
Solid Color Fabrics
Kona Cotton Solids in Cloud from Robert Kaufman
Kona Cotton Cloud: This is an additional of Robert Kaufman's Kona Cotton cottons in a soft shade of Cloud Blue. Kona Cotton's Cloud is a soft and light shade of Blue; a dependable basic color for an endless amount of quilt-making, crafts, and home décor projects. This fantastic shade is the perfect accent for pillow cases, bedding, along with other home décor without becoming too gaudy.
Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton: Kona Cotton Solids is an outstanding basic collection from Robert Kaufman that includes a wide-ranging collection of more than 170 wonderful colors. Kona Cotton is made up of a standard quality cotton sheeting construction of 20 x 20 (20 singles) yarns and 60 x 60 thread-count. Beside the fact that Kona Cotton is constructed from a standard thread-count, it achieves the superior quality that it's famous for by a process of added yarn to the overall bulk of the completed product. The result is an outstanding reliability in top quality 100 % cotton that has served quilters consistently for many years. Outside the high standards of Robert Kaufman combined a wide assortment of colors; this fabric is astonishingly light, yet maintains a sturdy hand. It's no surprise that Kona cotton fabric is often referred to as the "Quilter's Cotton." As you can imagine, the Kona Cotton collection is extremely suited for quilting and sewing as well as machine embroidering. Robert Kaufman fabrics can always be relied on to bring out the greatest quality of fabrics for first rate customers like you!
• While all of our effort is made to represent each color accurately, all monitor settings are different and we cannot guarantee 100% that the colors you see match the colors of actual fabric.


text:
A microcredit co-op bank has sprung up in Northern California, using money pooled from hardware hackers to fund other open source hardware hacking projects. They've found 70 lenders,
Two open source hardware enthusiasts, Justin Huynh and Matt Stack, have started the Open Source Hardware Bank to fund hardware projects such as the microcontroller board pictured above.The fledgling bank is funding only open source hardware projects using capital raised from other hardware geeks. It's like a community of Facebook friends borrowing and lending among themselves — a peer-to-peer bank.
"This speaks to the rise of the do-it-yourselfer, someone who is not just a consumer but also a producer, inventor and investor," says Huynh. "But someone also ought to be thinking about the money problem when it comes to open source hardware and we are doing just that."
So, this is a major plot element of my science fiction novel Makers, coming from Tor next October: microcredit-funded open source hardware hackers laboring in dead malls (the first third of the book was syndicated on Salon as "Themepunks"). It's always a little weird when sf starts to leak into reality.
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- Lenovo X300 ad calls out Apple MacBook Air - 2008
- Automatically Lock Your Computer When You Walk Away with Blue Lock - 2008
- Efforts to Block Junk Mail Slowed by U.S. Postal Service - 2008


text:
Have Legal Questions? Ask a Lawyer Now.
Thank you for your question. Before answering, I need to know exactly what the Plaintiff is suing for (breach of contract?)
just a court summons and an affidavit of account from someone in Michigan
no contract nothing to prove this is my
Ok, I'm assuming they are suing you for a debt.
Yes, they carry the burden of proof to submit evidence to the court that they are owed money by you and that the amount they are saying you owe them is correct.
They do not have to have a written contract. They can establish that you owe them money through their testimony and proof that they either performed work for you or have given you something on which you owe them payment.
Please let me know if you have further questions. Pleasealso kindly consider rating my answer. Rating does not cause you an additionalcharge and will not prevent us from further discussing your questions.
Best Regards,
thank you for the answer...
last question..if they don't have a contract, copies of checks or any other means of monthly payments...how can they prove that loan belongs to me?
sorry...one more
if the plaintiff had proof (beside the affidavit) such as: contract, payment history and validation of the amount demanded....should they have provided those documents (attached to the original summons) to me before trial?
No. Not in a small claims court. You would have had to ask the court for discovery and sent a formal discovery request for the documents in order to be entitled to them prior to the trial.
DISCLAIMER: Answers from Experts on JustAnswer are not substitutes for the advice of an attorney. JustAnswer is a public forum and questions and responses are not private or confidential or protected by the attorney-client privilege. The Expert above is not your attorney, and the response above is not legal advice. You should not read this response to propose specific action or address specific circumstances, but only to give you a sense of general principles of law that might affect the situation you describe. Application of these general principles to particular circumstances must be done by a lawyer who has spoken with you in confidence, learned all relevant information, and explored various options. Before acting on these general principles, you should hire a lawyer licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction to which your question pertains.
The responses above are from individual Experts, not JustAnswer. The site and services are provided "as is". To view the verified credential of an Expert, click on the "Verified" symbol in the Expert's profile. This site is not for emergency questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service (last updated February 8, 2012).


text:
Submit a Signboard Suggestion
Signboard Guidelines
OneAmerica seeks humorous quips, puns and definitions for its signboard. Following are a few guidelines for the board:
- Suggestions must not exceed three lines of 21 characters each. The character limit includes all punctuation and spaces.
- Suggestions should be humorous. Those that are insulting or off-color will not be accepted. Here are some examples of acceptable signboard submissions:
Do accordianists
play both ends
against the middle?
Sign at a dairy farm:
All we have
we owe to udders
Scream saver
- Submissions centering around events, especially Indiana/Indianapolis events, seasons and holidays are always welcome. Here are some seasonal examples:
Chilly Powder
Cold Front:
What happens when
you forget your coat
Colts win!
Have no pity
on Steel City!
- We do not use the signboard for inspirational sayings or advertising of any kind, nor do we use it to make political statements.
If you would like to submit a signboard suggestion to OneAmerica, please fill out the e-mail form below.


text:
Tracks leading to the past
Tecate ceremony hails new life for renovated, historic train station
TECATE, MEXICO – This city grew up with the railroad, but for years its only train depot stood forsaken and empty, a broken monument to the region's past. The wood roof leaked, the windows were smashed, graffiti covered the walls.
Now residents are celebrating the depot's rescue, hoping that passengers will once again crowd its platform and that visitors and residents alike will stop by to learn about Tecate's history.
"I feel so proud to see this transformed," said Mario Baltierra López, a retired railroad worker who fought for years to keep vagrants and drug addicts out of the abandoned building.
Baltierra, who once lived at the depot with other railroad workers, was among a small crowd of residents and public officials who gathered Monday to celebrate the station's resurrection. The government of Baja California spent four months and $160,000 to rehabilitate the building, repairing the ticket counters, fixing the windows, roof and awnings, and painting the exterior a buttery yellow.
Groups on both sides of the border had long clamored to save the station, once a major stop on the 148-mile San Diego and Arizona Railway. Sugar magnate John D. Spreckels created the line to connect El Centro with San Diego. To save money, he built a 44-mile stretch through Mexico.
Though passenger service ended in the 1950s, the depot remained open until 1996, when it was closed by the Mexican federal government and rapidly deteriorated. Three years ago, the state was granted a 25-year concession over the rail line, plus the Tecate and Tijuana depots.
San Diego's Save Our Heritage Organisation, or SOHO, twice named the Tecate building to its list of endangered structures. In 2001, The Great American Station Foundation in New Mexico added it to its list of Most Endangered Stations, the only station outside U.S. territory included. "We've been fighting and fighting for 30 years, and now we've seen our dreams become a reality," said Jorge Ramírez López, founding president of Tecate's Historical Society.
The station was built sometime between 1914 and 1919. With wide windows, broad eaves and natural building materials, it is an important example of the Prairie-style architecture promoted by U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
"The history of urban Tecate begins with that station," said María Eugenia Castillo, a historic preservationist who specializes in Mexico's railroads at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte outside Tijuana.
The reopening is part of a plan to boost tourism and reintroduce passenger service between Tecate and Tijuana, said Jesús Torres Acevedo, director of Admicarga, the state agency that oversees the rail facilities.
Under an agreement with the state, the Lakeside-based Carrizo Gorge Railway runs freight trains on the track, bringing propane and lumber to Tijuana and delivering malt, barley and molasses to the Tecate Brewery.
The San Diego Railroad Museum, in conjunction with Carrizo Gorge, runs passenger trains between Campo and Tecate twice a month, dropping people off and picking them up at the station, which is tucked behind the brewery.
"Now it's clean and secure and more relaxing," said Gary Sweetwood, president of Carrizo Gorge. "They can sit here and get information about Tecate, then they can disperse and start enjoying the facilities in the town."
In its new incarnation, the building serves a combination of public functions: passenger terminal, tourist information center and historic museum.
At this week's opening, longtime residents looked back on the days when each train's arrival was a major event.
Constantino León Gutiérrez, a former mayor and the son and grandson of railroad workers, reminisced about the stationmaster, don Luis Jiménez Espinosa, who lived upstairs and wore dark suits.
Raul Peñalosa, a Tecate native and restaurant owner, was reared on stories about World War II, when train cars filled with U.S. troops passed through town.