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Color TablesThe following color tables are installed with XIMAGE. Note that if your machine is incapable of displaying more colors than 8-bit, the color tables will not be displayed correctly on this web page. For an accurate sample of all the color tables use the CCT/LOOP command.
Please send reports of errors to : firstname.lastname@example.com
HEASARC Home | Observatories | Archive | Calibration | Software | Tools | Students/Teachers/Public
Last modified: Friday, 26-Mar-2004 17:17:45 EST


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There's something blissfully futuristic about subways. Maybe it's that these people-movers evoke space stations or arcologies. Or perhaps being shoved ass-to-shoulder together with strangers during rush hour unleashes some long-dormant pack instinct. Regardless, these metros are shiny.
Designboom has a great rundown of space age subway photography, but I'm a little peeved no one gave any love to New York City. Some of fiction's finest mutants have lived down there (see: the Morlocks, Donatello), and what's more science fiction than nigh unkillable subway rodents?
[Via Designboom here and here. Photo: Stockholm via Vargklo's Flickr]
Barcelona [via on-a arquitectura]
Washington DC [via PFrench99's Flickr]
Shanghai [via Erywn van der Meer's Flickr]
Montreal [via Paul Lowry's Flickr]
Lisbon [via Hugo N.'s Flickr]

subset: commoncrawl


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Outgoing officials in the Grand Old Party threw a $5,000 Christmas party in December before hitting the exits, leaving the Macomb GOP nearly broke as new leadership takes over for 2013-14.
Critics say the diversion of funds to a Yuletide celebration may have cost the Republicans two or three seats on the Macomb County Board of Commissioners in the November elections. The $5,000 price tag was more than double the total amount spent to assist Republican candidates across the county in the crucial final weeks of the 2012 campaign.
'When I found out that they had that much money left at the end of the year (a little more than $5,000), I was irritated. Then when I found out it was spent on a Christmas party, I was really irritated,' said former county board chair Kathy Vosburg.
A Chesterfield Township Republican, Vosburg lost her bid to serve two more years as board chair after the Democrats established a 9-4 majority on the board in the November elections. Based on internal polling, Vosburg said at least three races were in play but all were lost by the GOP.
In an unprecedented move, the Dec. 13 Christmas party was a by-invitation-only event that excluded numerous party activists and officers. The bash marked the last gathering of a tea party-led group that took control of the Macomb GOP in 2010, leading to two years of upheaval and internal battles. That group was ousted by the party faithful at a November county convention.
The holiday party, held at the Luxurious Palazzo Grande banquet hall in Shelby Township, took place just a few weeks after Rob Montilla of Macomb Township was essentially elected as the new party chair. Montilla and other party officials, including the 2009-10 chairman, Jared Maynard of Harrison Township, were not invited to the event.
'I have been in a leadership position in the party for 10 years,' Maynard said, 'and this is the most brazen misspending of campaign funds I have ever seen. It was a significant factor in our election defeats.'
In response to a Macomb Daily request for an interview, the 2012 party chair, Barbara Van Syckle of Shelby Township, issued a statement to the newspaper: 'The Dec. 13 event was a thank you reception, a common past practice for county chairs, for the hard working volunteers and donors to the MCRP in 2011 and 2012. We budgeted money for this event knowing 2012 would be an intense political year.'
But GOP veterans say past Christmas events consisted of 'pot luck' dinners or small parties where those attending bought tickets to pay for the festivities.
Stan Grot, a key figure on the GOP's Finance Committee and the Shelby Township clerk, could not be reached for comment.
According to campaign finance reports filed with the state, the Macomb GOP in the 2012 general election cycle distributed its funds to candidates for state representative, township boards and county board. They also donated to nominees for statewide office such as the state Board of Education or the University of Michigan Board of Regents.
The largest group of recipients was the GOP's lineup of county board candidates, most of whom received $500 or $250 each. The two big targets for help were commissioner candidate Mary Kamp of Warren and a contender for county treasurer, Larry Rocca. Kamp, Rocca and all the Republican non-incumbents lost.
The new party chairman, Montilla, who took office Jan. 1, said he is seeking a detailed explanation of the Christmas merrymaking, including line items that specify expenses.
The GOP treasurer who was bounced last month, Ann Brown of Shelby Township, could not be reached for comment.
'Different leaders will spend money in different ways,' Montilla said. 'That (the Christmas party) is not the way we would have spent party funds.'
Because of ongoing intramural fighting, Montilla, associated with the traditional party membership which is led by U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, became the Macomb GOP's fourth chairman in four years.


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Main Page
From Gaia Science Alerts Working Group
Revision as of 18:10, 2 July 2009 by Gsawgwikiadmin (talk | contribs)
Welcome to the web site of the Gaia Science Alerts Working Group!
The Science Alerts Working Group is focussed on the real-time detection of variable sources. These include supernovae, microlensing events, exploding and eruptive stars, etc.
Every one interested in the subject is invited to contribute to this website!
This page is maintained by user:lukasz. Contact me for the password.


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After infection of PRRS in sows, how should we work with vaccinations? The sows were already vaccinated three months before.
After infection of PRRS in sows, how should we work with vaccinations? The sows were already vaccinated three months before.
Answered by: Enric Marco I Published on: March 28, 2017
Unfortunately, vaccination against PRRS is not as effective as other vaccines in preventing further outbreaks of disease when a new virus is introduced into the farm.
In many cases, prevention effectiveness is related to the strain that has been introduced. However, as far as we know, post-infection vaccination may be helpful. In a study performed at the University of Minnesota by Scott Dee team (Linhares, DCL et al., 2012) the vaccine was found to reduce virus excretion time in infected animals.
The research found that, after experimental infection, the amount of virus found
As for the vaccination program, the best option would be to apply the vaccine to all the herd at the same time in order to maximize the effect of viremia reduction previously mentioned. From that point, a standard vaccination plan with blanket vaccination 3 times a year could be implemented.
You can ask your own question! Visit Pig333.com and submit your question to our experts.
I contenuti di questo sito sono rivolti esclusivamente ai veterinari prescrittori. Cliccando su "Accetta" dichiari di essere un veterinario. Altrimenti, fare clic su "Rifiuta" e contattare un veterinario.


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Postseason-Bound, Toledo's Basketball Future is BrightPosted by Tommy Lemoine on February 24th, 2014
A few things become immediately noticeable upon stepping foot in Toledo's recently-renovated Savage Arena. For one, it's pretty darn nice — complete with a new Jumbotron, luxury suites and a glass-enclosed dinner lounge, the school's $30 million investment in 2008 has made the venue an enjoyable place to catch a basketball game. And then there are the banners. Plenty hang from the rafters, sure, but it takes some scanning — past the innumerable NIT and MAC West Division title flags — before your eyes arrive at the centerpiece, just to the right of the Stars and Stripes: 'NCAA Tournament 1979-80,' it reads. The fact that it's been 34 years since Toledo last reached the Big Dance seems genuinely surprising, especially when you consider the current state of the program. Loaded with talent and backed by an energized fan base, the Rockets now look the part of an established MAC powerhouse, poised to compete for league championships and postseason appearances in the coming years. As to whether that multi-decade NCAA Tournament drought comes to an end in 2013-14? That depends on just how far their potent offense can take them.
Sunday night's 85-74 victory over Ball State might have perfectly embodied both Toledo's greatest strengths and most glaring weaknesses so far this season. On the one hand, the Rockets had no problem putting the ball in the basket, scoring 1.27 points per possession and shooting 56 percent from the field. On the other, Tod Kowalczyk's club allowed one of the worst offensive teams in the MAC its most efficient game yet in conference play. "We didn't have much energy on defense," big man Nathan Boothe noted about his team's effort for a chunk of the contest. But as it's done so many times this year — it will set the school's single-season record for wins if it beats Northern Illinois on Wednesday — Toledo's score-at-will offense simply overpowered its deficiencies on the other end of the court, enabling it to run past the Cardinals in the final three minutes. That firepower is the prevailing reason the Rockets are now 23-4 and currently tied with Western Michigan atop the MAC West standings.


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This is remarkable work byAlex Konahin
My name is Matthew Sanders. I am a creative director and designer with over 10+ years of experience and a relentless passion for simplicity. I work to produce moments, that when interacting with a product designed so thoughtfully, it feels perfectly tailored to you.
Currently, I'm fulfilling my dream at Apple.
Previously, I was acqua-hired by Netsuite to help shape SuiteCommerce for clients like William Sonoma, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Wine.com & Adidas. Before Netsuite, I was the Creative Director for the web publishing platform LightCMS, where I led the direction of the product, marketing, user experience and visual design across several teams. In another life, from 2003-2010 I worked with several companies producing interactive sites for mobile and desktop platforms.


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Certificate of life in Guinea
If you live in Guinea and you need a certificate of life, the embassy or consulate can draw up this document for you.
Due to the corona virus, the possibilities to apply for this declaration at an embassy or consulate-general are limited. Please check the online appointment system to see if it is possible to make an appointment. If no times are available, it is not yet possible to submit an application at the embassy or consulate general.
When might you need a certificate of life?
Dutch financial and benefits agencies like the ABP Pension Fund and the Social Insurance Bank may ask you to provide a certificate of life (verklaring van in leven zijn or attestatie de vita).
What documents do you need?
To apply for a certificate of life, you will need to apply in person at the consular section of the embassy or consulate. You will need to meet the following conditions:
- you must have a valid Dutch identity document
- you must be able to provide proof of your nationality or nationalities
- you must be able to provide proof of your address and place of residence. For example you could produce a certificate of registration from the municipality where you live
- you must be able to establish your marital status, for example by producing a marriage certificate
You may need to have the original legalised and translated. The rules vary per country.
Getting a certificate of life stamped
Some Dutch financial and benefits agencies draw up their own certificates of life. The embassy or consulate can then sign and stamp these documents (free of charge). This means you don't have to apply for a separate certificate of life.
But you will need to meet certain conditions:
- you must be a Dutch national
- you must appear in person at the embassy or consulate
- you must produce a valid Dutch identity document
- you must provide proof of your address, for example official documents issued by the authorities
- You must sign the documents at the embassy or consulate in the presence of an embassy or consulate staff member.
Obtaining a certificate from the municipality or a notary
If you are unable to go to the embassy or consulate you can instead obtain a certificate of life from the municipal authorities or from a notary in the municipality abroad where you live.
Certificate of life in this country or region
There is no additional information.


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All prices are in GBP
Shop All
1/1257 North East Road
Ridgehaven South Australia 5097
1300 526 069 | (08) 8263 2055
We accept payment by credit card, Paypal, direct deposit, cheque or money order.
If you're not 100% satisfied with your purchase, please let us know. You can return it unopened or in as new condition within 30 days of purchase for full refund or credit, excluding freight.
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SearchSkip to Search Results
Author / Creator / Contributor
- 1Ashley, Carolyn
- 1Detmer, Susan E.
- 1Harding, John C.S.
- 1Ladinig, Andrea
- 1Lunney, Joan K.
- 1Plastow, Graham
Subject / Keyword
Item type
Maternal and fetal predictors of fetal viral load and death in third trimester, type 2 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infected pregnant giltsDownload
Wilkinson, Jamie M., Lunney, Joan K., Detmer, Susan E., Ladinig, Andrea, Harding, John C.S., Ashley, Carolyn, Plastow, Graham
Minimal research has focused on understanding mechanisms underlying porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) induced reproductive failure. We have completed a large-scale project investigating phenotypic and genotypic predictors of reproductive PRRS severity in which numerous...
1 - 1 of 1


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Blog Tour: Rasputin's Shadow by Raymond Khoury (Dutton Books; 384 pages; $27.95).
About The Book:
On a cold, bleak day in 1916, all hell breaks loose in a mining pit in the Ural Mountains. Overcome by a strange paranoia, the miners attack one another, savagely and ferociously. Minutes later, two men–a horrified scientist and Grigory Rasputin, trusted confidant of the czar, hit a detonator, blowing up the mine to conceal all evidence of the carnage.
In the present day, FBI agent Sean Reilly's search for Reed Corrigan, the CIA mind-control spook who brainwashed Reilly's son, takes a back seat to a new, disturbing case. A Russian embassy attache seems to have committed suicide by jumping out of a fourth-story window in Queens. The apartment's owner, a retired physics teacher from Russia, has also gone missing.
Joined by Russian FSB agent Larisa Sokolova, Reilly's investigation into the old man's identity will uncover a desperate search for a small, mysterious device, with consequences that reach back in history, and if placed in the wrong hands could have a devastating impact on the modern world.
About The Author:
Raymond Khoury is the bestselling author of The Devil's Elixir, The Last Templar, The Sanctuary, The Sign, and The Templar Salvation. An acclaimed screenwriter and producer for both television and film, Khoury now lives in London with his wife and two children.
Bookmagnet Says:
I have been a fan of Raymond Khoury ever since I stumbled upon The Last Templar back in 2006. Unlike a lot of other writers of mysteries and thrillers, Khoury has managed not only to sustain my interest in his stories and his recurring characters but he also stimulates my mind by delving into history. His newest novel Rasputin's Shadow is no exception. From its explosive (literally) beginning to a stunning climax to a satisfying conclusion, Rasputin's Shadow is the thriller of the year. Khoury effectively blends mystery, action, and intrigue with history, producing a compelling, pleasing story. If the late, great Tom Clancy was the master of the Twentieth-Century thriller, Raymond Khoury is his Twenty-First Century successor.
Mini Q&A with Author Raymond Khoury
Rasputin is known as one of the most elusive figures in Russian history, but what specifically drew you to him as a character for your upcoming novel, RASPUTIN'S SHADOW?
As with previous novels, it was an unplanned convergence of influences. Very early into my research on the central theme of this book, mind control and how much we know about the way our brains work, I read about a Russian scientist who had been carrying out some pretty shocking "Manchurian candidate"-style experiments during the Cold War. He was described as having "Rasputin-like powers." And that just lit up inside me. It was the perfect historical parallel for what I was working on, the big daddy of mind control, and the fact that Rasputin's story had also taken place in Russia was too irresistible to ignore. The story fell into place within seconds. Like Hannibal Smith used to say, "I love it when a plan comes together."
Your novels contain a lot of historical truths, so how do you go about researching your subject before you dive into the story? Did anything surprise you during your research for this book?
I probably do a lot more research than I need to for my novels, for several reasons: part of it is simple curiosity: I just find it interesting to educate myself about the topics and themes I'm curious about, and it's so easy to get swept up in surfing from one link to the next. Also, I have this obsession with wanting every detail in my books, historical or otherwise, to be accurate. I remember being on a panel with Harlan Coben once, and he said, "we're fiction writers, we can just make things up." And he's right, of course, we do—a lot. But I feel a need to know exactly what a Turkish horse-trader in the 13th century would have been wearing, what he would have eaten, what his sword (scimitar!) would have looked like, before writing him into a book. And that takes a lot of research that can only end up as a sentence here or a word there. The big scene at the end of The Templar Salvation, for instance, the plane and the sea, or the one where the Italian gets chucked out of it earlier on: I went through every detail of those sequences with a pilot who owns that exact plane, and we made sure everything I wrote was not only correct, but doable.
In past reviews your writing has been called "cinematic." Do you consciously try to write this way? Or do you think that thrillers naturally lend themselves to this style of writing?
I see my stories visually, it's hugely important for me. I see the scenes unfurling in my mind as I'm writing them, and I often sketch out storyboards for the big set pieces to "direct" them as I write them out. Thrillers naturally lend themselves to this style, and to be frank with you, I'm often disappointed by thrillers that turn out to have limited scale in their visuals. What I mean is that as a writer, you can almost take any scene and ratchet up the suspense and the scale without necessarily turning it into ridiculous, comic-book-like, over-the-top mindless action. Think of a director like Michael Mann, for instance, and the bank robbery scene from "Heat." Or any scene from "Collateral." Or read "Marathon Man," which is exactly similar, beat for beat, to the great movie it spawned. In my mind, a real thriller should have a 'cinematic' aspect, but it's crucial to keep it within the confines of reality.
What impact, if any, do you think your experience as a screenwriter and producer has on your ability to paint a vivid description in your novel writing?
Huge impact, no doubt. I'm always told by readers that they could "see" the book like a movie while reading it. I don't believe in taking shortcuts. If the FBI is shadowing a hostage trade-off between a group of Russian mafiya thugs and some Korean gangsters in some remote Brooklyn shipyard in the dead of the night, that's an opportunity for a major set-piece with a lot of suspense, it deserves to be cinematic. I believe good writing should conjure up vivid visuals in the mind of the reader and should kick up as much adrenaline in him or her as a great movie would.
What types of characters do you most enjoy writing?
I enjoy spending time with all my characters. RASPUTIN'S SHADOW probably has the largest cast of characters I've used in a novel, and I really enjoyed creating them and exploring their own foibles. That said, I usually enjoy writing the main antagonists most: characters like Vance in THE LAST TEMPLAR, the Hakeem in THE SANCTUARY, Zahed in THE TEMPLAR SALVATION, and El Brujo in THE DEVIL'S ELIXIR (no spoilers about the new book here!). They're never clear-cut bad guys, nothing's black or white. They have histories, they have reasons for doing what they're doing, we need to wonder what we'd have done if we had been in their situation. The grey area of human nature is very interesting to me. I also hugely enjoy writing the historical characters: Rasputin and Misha, or course, in the new book; but also, Sebastian and Theresia's love story in THE SANCTUARY and Conrad and Maysoon's one in THE TEMPLAR SALVATION are particular favourites.


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011 0117
Federal Injunctions
Case Summary
The Commission authorized staff to seek a preliminary injunction to block DGF's proposed acquisition of Leiner Davis Gelatin Corporation and its Goodman Fielder USA, Inc. subsidiary. According to the Commission this transaction, if allowed to proceed as planned, would increase the likelihood of anticompetitive activity in the U.S. market for pigskin and beef hide gelatin, used by the food industry as an ingredient in edible products and by the pharmaceutical industry to produce capsules and tablets. The combination of the two firms would account for more than 50 percent of the relevant market in the U.S. A proposed consent agreement designed to remedy the significant antitrust concerns was accepted for public comment March 7, 2002; the consent order was finalized April 17, 2002.


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Video: A San Diego Family's Backyard Chicken Story
A common critique of the locavore food movement is that it's elitist. In the case of Jason Ring, that couldn't be further from the truth. He raises chickens, goats and pigs to take some financial grocery pressure off his income. In his small backyard in San Diego, Jason provides a large portion of his family's food, as well as a fair share of their life lessons.
We made this video for the new Whole Foods website Dark Rye, but we loved the story so much that we wanted to share it with you.
Warning: This video does include some graphic images. Click with caution.
Watch the Video
For more videos and recipes visit www.theperennialplate.com
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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On July 18, 2011, Dr. Monnett was placed on administrative leave from his post at the BOEMRE. On August 25, 2012, he was returned to work, but with considerably reduced responsibility. Closely watched.
Today, his legal representatives, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, revealed that the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior quietly reopened their case against Monnett sometime between his reinstatement and December of 2012:
In late December, the IG first revealed that its nearly three-year fruitless pursuit of Dr. Charles Monnett, a senior scientist with the Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM), had been reopened although its final report was issued last September. The IG has not stated the reasons for the unusual action of reopening a closed case, except to say that it is awaiting BOEM's response to unspecified new recommendations.
The new open status is slowing the ability of PEER to obtain documents relating to the controversial IG probe under the Freedom of Information Act. Under an appeal, however, PEER managed to obtain the basis for the IG seeking criminal referrals against Dr. Monnett after the IG initially refused to disclose the information. The four separate charges resemble the legal version of "everything but the kitchen sink" –
One rejected charge was false official statements in connection with the peer review process for the publication of a 2006 observational note by the journal Polar Ecology;
Another un-pursued charge was criminal conflict of interest in connection with the award of a joint research contract with the University of Alberta on polar bear transnational migrations;
and Twice, once at the beginning of the investigation and a second time at the end, the IG sought to have Dr. Monnett prosecuted for supposedly unauthorized emails he sent to other researchers in 2007-8. The second time, the IG maintained the emails amounted to theft of government property.The 2007-2008 email distribution led to protests from Alaska Native and environmental organizations that Shell Oil was not being transparent in their statements and documents pertaining to proposed drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. One of the scientists Monnett had sent some of the emails to was University of Alaska professor Rick Steiner, who was already in Shell's crosshairs for attending a conference organized by Bristol Bay area organizations, critical of Shell's plans to drill in the world's richest salmon return habitat. Shell has since withdrawn the Bristol Bay plan. Steiner was later hounded from his U of A job.
PEER executive director, Jeff Ruch, is concerned that the "theft of government property" charge may pertain, in the reopened investigation, to not only the 2007-2008 emails, that helped shut down Shell operations for almost four years, but to the 2005-2006 emails, which sought peer feedback for a scholarly paper:
This new information underlines how irresponsible and misguided the Inspector General has been in its attempt to 'get' a target while trampling over obvious truths. Especially dangerous is this clumsy attempt to criminalize the academic peer review process. [emphasis added]Firedoglake's coverage of the witch hunt against Shell opponent Dr. Charles Monnett.
Firedoglake's coverage of the hounding of Shell opponent Prof. Rick Steiner


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Equivalence Process Overview
Countries wishing to become eligible to export meat, poultry or egg products to the U.S. must make a formal request by letter. Letters must come from the foreign government's Central Competent Authority for the inspection of meat, poultry or egg products. For more information on how to apply for initial equivalence, see the Apply for Initial Equivalence page.
Meat, poultry and egg products exported from another nation must meet all safety standards applied to foods produced in the U.S. However, under international law, food regulatory systems in exporting countries may employ sanitary measures that differ from those applied domestically by the importing country. The U.S. makes determinations of equivalence by evaluating whether foreign food regulatory systems attain the appropriate level of protection provided by our domestic system. Thus, while foreign food regulatory systems need not be identical to the U.S. system, they must employ equivalent sanitary measures that provide the same level of protection against food hazards as is achieved domestically. FSIS evaluates foreign food regulatory systems for equivalence through document reviews, on-site audits, and port-of-entry reinspection of products at the time of importation.
Judgments of system equivalence are necessary for FSIS and the American consumer to develop and maintain trust in imported meat, poultry and egg products.
Document Review Process
The evaluation of a country's inspection system to determine eligibility involves two steps:
- document review
- an on-site review
The document review is an evaluation of the country's laws, regulations, and other written information. It focuses on six risk areas: Government Oversight, Statutory Authority and Food Safety Regulations, Sanitation, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Systems, Chemical Residues, and Microbiological Testing Programs. Technical experts evaluate the information to assure that critical points in the six risk areas are addressed satisfactorily with respect to standards, activities, and resource allocations.
If the document review process shows the country's system to be satisfactory, a technical team will visit the country for an on-site review to evaluate the six risk areas as well as other aspects of the inspection system including plant facilities and equipment, laboratories, training programs, and in-plant inspection operations. FSIS applies to initially determine and periodically verify whether foreign meat and poultry food regulatory systems provide food safety protections equivalent to U.S. domestic regulatory programs.


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Ticket Options
Monthly Unlimited Pass
Valid until noon on the first business day of the following month. Full ticket information
Ventra App
Metra customers now have a convenient new way to buy and display tickets with their smartphones. Get more information
Connecting Service Options
Monthly Pass holders can add a connecting fare option to their order for convenient travel between Metra and CTA or Pace.


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"What I'm about to show you," Jeff Bezos says, "is the culmination of the many things we've been doing for 15 years."
The CEO of Amazon.com, in regulation blue oxford shirt and jeans, is sitting in a conference room at his company's spiffy new headquarters just north of downtown Seattle. It is mid-September, exactly one week before he will introduce a new line of Kindles to the world. He has already shown me two of them—one with a touchscreen, the other costing just $79—but that's not what's truly exciting him. It is a third gadget, the long-awaited Amazon tablet called the Kindle Fire, that represents his company's most ambitious leap into the hearts, minds, and wallets of millions of consumers.
Bezos runs through the features that will soon set the tech world ablaze—the $199 price tag, the easy-to-hold size, the seamless access to Amazon's rich and growing collection of digital media. When the Fire is introduced, analysts will declare it the strongest competitor yet to the iPad. Yet the Fire is not just a rival gadget, but something essentially different. The iPad is the flagship of the post-PC era—in which the desktop is replaced by lean, portable, gesture-driven tablets. As people will learn when Amazon ships it today, November 14, the Fire is an emblem of a post-web world, in which our devices are simply a means for us to directly connect with the goodies in someone's data center.
While users of the iPad and the Fire will engage in many of the same activities—watching movies, reading books, playing Angry Birds—the philosophy behind the two tablets could not be more different. Apple is fundamentally a hardware company—91 percent of its revenue comes from sales of its coveted machines, compared to just 6 percent from iTunes. The iPad's design, marketing, and product launches all emphasize the special character of the device itself, which the company views as a successor to the PC—complete with video-chat capabilities and word-processing software. Amazon, on the other hand, is a content-focused company—almost half of its revenue comes from sales of media like books, music, TV shows, and movies—and the fire-sale-priced Fire is designed to be primarily a passport to the large amount of that content that's available digitally. The gadget comes preloaded with customers' Amazon account information, and anyone who signs up for Amazon Prime, the company's $79-a-year shipping service, will be able to access more than 12,000 (and counting) movies and TV shows on the Fire at no extra charge.
by Steven Levy (37.9 MB .mp3)
Indeed, Bezos doesn't consider the Fire a mere device, preferring to call it a "media service." While he takes pride in the Fire, he really sees it as an advanced mobile portal to Amazon's cloud universe. That's how Amazon has always treated the Kindle: New models simply offer improved ways of buying and reading the content. Replacing the hardware is no more complicated or emotionally involved than changing a flashlight battery.
(That's why, in a sense, some of the iPad comparisons and cavils you may read today in the hands-on reviews of Fire are somewhat irrelevant in light of this larger issue. Yes, the Fire lacks the industrial-design pyrotechnics that make fanboys foam at the mouth like the iPad does. But who cares? Like a lizard shedding its skin, next year there will be another Fire and in three years the original will look as antiquated as the bizarre-looking Kindle 1 appears today. When you pay $199 for Fire, you're not buying a gadget—you're filing citizen papers for the digital duchy of Amazonia.)
The iPad emphasizes downloads—customers who buy music, TV shows, or movies through iTunes must download them to their machine. (Even users of its new iCloud service must download their music to listen to it—at least for now.) This keeps iPads tethered to the paradigm of local storage, putting a premium on machines with more memory (which cost hundreds of dollars more). Amazon, by contrast, emphasizes streaming. Fire users can store up to 20 GB of music for free on the company's servers (or an unlimited amount of music bought from Amazon). They can then stream it freely, along with more than 100,000 videos. That's probably why the Fire's virtual hard drive is just 8 GB, half the size of the smallest iPad.
The glory of the iPad, as well as the iPhone, is its operating system; Apple's proprietary iOS is one of the main selling points, and the company regularly adds new features—most recently Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant. The Fire is built on Google's competing Android OS, but a simplified version of it. (Fire users will have access to a heavily curated subset of the 250,000 Android apps.) Bezos seems to believe that people should care less about what their OS can do and just be able to stream the damn movie. (It's a similar philosophy to Google's Chrome OS, but tied to a proprietary piece of hardware and Amazon's universe of media services.)
The Fire does have one compelling new piece of software: a faster browser called Silk. But even that is a servant of Amazon's cloud vision. Over the past eight years, the company has capitalized on its data center expertise to build a vast cloud computing platform, which hosts web operations for some of the world's largest Internet companies—even competitors like Netflix. (The support of such a massive infrastructure is really what differentiates the Fire from the seemingly similar $249 Nook tablet—Barnes and Noble has nothing like Amazon's cloud behind it, limiting the Nook's ability to deliver a varied range of services.) When surfing the Internet, the Silk browser harnesses those cloud servers to do much of the processing. "We call it a split browser, because it's half in the cloud and half on the Fire," Bezos says. It's a hack that aims to make web pages download much faster. But it also has grand ramifications: It points to an era in which the device is so secondary that even computation takes place in the cloud.
The release of the Fire showcases how forward-thinking Bezos has been. After 15 years near the top of the tech heap, he doesn't have the same outsize profile of other Internet innovators. (Nobody has made a TV biopic or Academy Award-winning drama about his rise to power, for instance.) But that may be changing. People are slowly beginning to realize just how much of the Web is powered by Amazon's cloud services. And industry observers see Amazon's entry into the tablet sweepstakes as further evidence that Bezos may well be the premier technologist in America, a figure who casts as big a shadow as legends like Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs.
In a series of interviews in Seattle and New York, Bezos sat down with Wired to share his thoughts on the cloud, commerce, management, and outer space.
Steven Levy: The Fire seems like more than merely another iPad competitor.
Jeff Bezos: Yeah. What we really built is a fully integrated media service. Hardware is a crucial ingredient in the service, but it's only a piece of it.
Levy: Price is a piece of it, too, and yours costs just $199.
Bezos: We think it's a unique approach in the marketplace—premium products at nonpremium prices. We're a company very accustomed to operating at low margins. We grew up that way. We've never had the luxury of high margins, there's no reason to get used to it now.
Levy: How has Amazon been able to reinvent itself so consistently over the past 15 years?
Bezos: As a company, one of our greatest cultural strengths is accepting the fact that if you're going to invent, you're going to disrupt. A lot of entrenched interests are not going to like it. Some of them will be genuinely concerned about the new way, and some of them will have a vested self-interest in preserving the old way. But in both cases, they're going to create a lot of noise, and it's very easy for employees to be distracted by that. It could be criticism of something that we actually believe in. It could also be too much praise about something that we're not doing as well as the outside world says we're doing it. We're going to stay heads-down and work on the business.
Levy: Eric Schmidt has said that there are four horsemen of technology now: Google, Apple, Facebook, and you. Do you view Amazon in those terms?
Bezos: Lists like that are fine and interesting, but if I were making that list I would have a hard time not having Microsoft on it. They've done a lot of innovative things, some of which get overshadowed by their big existing businesses. You look at something like Kinect, it's pretty cool.
Levy: As they'll be the first to tell you.
Bezos: As they should. It's genuine. But one question to ask when you see a list like that is, who would have been on it 10 years ago? That will keep you humble. Go back to 1980. Who would you have predicted to be among the four horsemen of the personal computer era?
Competing Visions
The Kindle Fire isn't just a rival to the iPad. It represents an alternate model of computing: It's Apple's post-PC vs. Amazon's post-web.
|Apple: Post-PC
|Amazon: Post-Web
|Own the OS
|Forget the OS
|Specialized apps
|Specialized browser
|Hardware is king
|Content is king
|Downloaded media
|Streamed media
Levy: IBM.
Bezos: Right. And Intel, maybe. But you might've had Commodore, too, or Atari. There are always shiny things. A company shouldn't get addicted to being shiny, because shiny doesn't last. You really want something that's much deeper-keeled. You want your customers to value your service. And there are companies that haven't gone through tough times, so they're not really tested.
Levy: Amazon has had those tough times—it took years before you made a profit, and your stock fell dramatically as the first tech bubble popped. Are there things that you've done smarter because you went through that crucible?
Bezos: If you go back to 1999, it's hard to remember how effervescent the bubble was. People who really didn't have any passion for technology or the Internet were giving up their careers as doctors and mining Internet gold. And when the bubble popped, a meaningful fraction of our people left. They realized they didn't really want to be doing this. Some of them got laid off, some of them left of their own accord. Those were not happy days. This super-valuable person you really liked leaves. So your skin gets thicker. Not just me, but all of the executives who stayed.
Levy: To the consternation of publishers, Amazon is now publishing its own books. What are you doing differently?
Bezos: For one thing, pricing. For your typical consumer book—I'm not talking about textbooks or anything specialized—$9.99 is really the highest price that's reasonable for customers to pay.
Levy: Some publishers don't agree with you.
Bezos: As a company, we are culturally pioneers, and we like to disrupt even our own business. Other companies have different cultures and sometimes don't like to do that. Our job is to bring those industries along. The music industry should be a great cautionary tale: Don't let that happen to you. Get ahead of it. I think with books, we have gotten ahead of it, as have some very forward-leaning publishers. But some of them are really leaning backward, and that's going to hurt their business. They'll find that other publishers are going to do very well in that vacuum.
Levy: What else are you doing differently than other publishers?
Bezos: We believe that some of the royalty streams being paid for ebooks are not high enough. That's why, in our Kindle Direct Publishing program, if you price your book between $2.99 and $9.99, we give you 70 percent of the revenue.
Levy: What plans does Amazon have to produce content in other media?
Bezos: Well, we have studios.amazon.com. It's a completely new way of making movies. [Amazon crowdsources the production of a "test movie" until it reaches the point where a real studio takes over. Warner Bros. Pictures has a first-look deal with Amazon.] Some would say our approach is unworkable—we disagree.
How Amazon Powers the Internet
It began as a way for Amazon's engineers to work together efficiently. Now Amazon Web Services hosts some of the most popular sites on the web and is responsible for a significant amount of the world's online traffic. Here's a look at some of the companies that rely on Amazon's cloud computing platform.
What it uses Amazon Web Services for
|3 million check-ins a day
|Harvard Medical School
|Vast database for developing genome-analysis models
|NASA Jet Propulsion Lab
|Processing of hi-res satellite images to help guide its robots
|Video streaming service that accounts for 25% of US Internet traffic
|Newsweek/The Daily Beast
|1 million pageviews every hour
|More than 1 petabyte of streaming video a month
|Storage for billions of photos and videos 1
|US Department of Agriculture
|Geographic information system for food-stamp recipients
|Virgin Atlantic
|Crowdsourced travel review service
|Data storage for its 22 million-plus reviews
Levy: Let's talk about web services. Amazon Web Services is dominant in hosting—one observer says that you are the Coke of the field, and there's no Pepsi. How did an ecommerce site wind up in the position where it's hosting web powerhouses like Foursquare, NASA, Netflix, and The New York Times?
Bezos: Approximately nine years ago we were wasting a lot of time internally because, to do their jobs, our applications engineers had to have daily detailed conversations with our networking infrastructure engineers. Instead of having this fine-grained coordination about every detail, we wanted the data-center guys to give the apps guys a set of dependable tools, a reliable infrastructure that they could build products on top of.
The problem was obvious. We didn't have that infrastructure. So we started building it for our own internal use. Then we realized, "Whoa, everybody who wants to build web-scale applications is going to need this." We figured with a little bit of extra work we could make it available to everybody. We're going to make it anyway—let's sell it.
Levy: What was the internal argument against it?
Bezos: Stick to the knitting.
Levy: I'm going to guess that you don't find that argument convincing.
Bezos: No. The common question that gets asked in business is, why? That's a good question, but an equally valid question is, why not? This is a good idea, we have a lot of skills and assets to do this well, we're already going to do it for ourselves—why not sell it, too?
Levy: Young startups all tell me that even if Google offers them free hosting, they still want to use Amazon. Why do you think that is?
Bezos: We were determined to build the best services but to price them at a level that customers couldn't match, even if they were willing to use inferior products. Tech companies always have high margins, except for Amazon. We're the only tech company with low margins.
Levy: How did you do it?
Bezos: We really obsess over small defects. That's what drives up costs. Because the most expensive thing you can do is make a mistake. We can afford to focus on smaller and smaller defects and eliminate them at their root. That reduces cost, because things just work.
Levy: Target recently left Amazon Services to build its own web infrastructure. Three weeks after launch, a popular promotion took down the site. Did you get some satisfaction from that?
Bezos: No. Do you know how long we served Target? It was 10 years. We worked our butts off to serve them extraordinarily well. Some people misunderstood—"Why are you aiding and abetting a competitor?" But they were great partners. We worked hard for two years to help them migrate to the new system. It was the ultimate in friendly divorces. We wanted to see their transition go smoothly. So, no.
Levy: They could've used a few more servers, though.
Bezos: Well, maybe they should've built their new thing on top of AWS. [Laughs.]
Levy: You've leveraged Amazon Web Services by making use of it in your new Silk browser. Why?
Bezos: One of the things that makes mobile web browsing slow is the fact that the average website pulls content from 13 different places on the Internet. On a mobile device, even with a good Wi-Fi connection, each round trip is typically 100 milliseconds or more. Some of that can be done in parallel, but you typically have a whole bunch, as many as eight or more round trips that each take 100 milliseconds. That adds up. We've broken apart this process. If you can be clever enough to move the computation onto our cloud platform, you get these huge computational resources. Our cloud services are really fast. What takes 100 milliseconds on Wi-Fi takes less than 5 milliseconds on Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud. So by moving some of the computation onto that cloud, we can accelerate a lot of what makes mobile web browsing slow.
Levy: Was it difficult to turn yourself from a retail company into a consumer electronics company?
Bezos: It's not as different as you might think. A lot of our original approaches and techniques carried over very well. For example, we've always focused on reducing the time between order and delivery. In hardware, it's the same principle. An example is the time between when we take delivery on a processor to when it's being used in a device by a customer. That's waste. Why would we own a processor that's supposed to go into a Kindle Fire that's not actually in a customer's hands? That's inventory management.
Levy: By the way, how many Kindles have you sold?
[Bezos gives a long, loud example of his famous laugh.]
Levy: You don't even answer!
Bezos: I know you don't expect me to.
Levy: For years you've been touting e-ink as superior to a backlit device for reading. But the Fire is backlit. Why should Kindle users switch?
Bezos: They should buy both. When you're reading long-form, there's no comparison. You want the e-ink. But you can't watch a movie with that. And you can't play Android games. And so on.
Levy: And you now are selling a new version of the basic Kindle for $79. At this point, why not give it away—offer a deal where if people buy a certain amount of books, they get a free Kindle?
Bezos: It's an interesting marketing idea, and we should think about it over time. But $79 is low enough that it's not a big deal for many people.
Levy: Speaking of pricing, I wanted to ask about your decision to include streaming video as part of Amazon Prime. Why not charge separately for that? It's a completely different service, isn't it?
Bezos: There are two ways to build a successful company. One is to work very, very hard to convince customers to pay high margins. The other is to work very, very hard to be able to afford to offer customers low margins. They both work. We're firmly in the second camp. It's difficult—you have to eliminate defects and be very efficient. But it's also a point of view. We'd rather have a very large customer base and low margins than a smaller customer base and higher margins.
Levy: Right now, the more recent movies and TV shows, the ones you call premium, aren't included in the Prime membership. You have to buy or rent them separately. Wouldn't it be better to offer an all-you-can-eat package that includes premium films, even if you have to charge a bit more?
Bezos: I'm a big fan of all-you-can-eat plans, because they're simpler for customers. We work together with a bunch of different parties—the studios, content owners—and they get a say in how we offer their content, too. But my view is, if you can simplify it for consumers, that's the way to do it.
Media Powerhouse
Amazon has stealthily become a major player in the competitive content business, with a major footprint in every medium. Meanwhile, its web services division owns one-fifth of the cloud computing market.
Note: Except for cloud services, figures refer to ecommerce market only. Books, music, and video include physical media and digital downloads, not subscriptions. Source: Credit Suisse.
Levy: You've built some social features into Amazon, but it's not a huge part of what you do. What's Amazon's role in the social arena?
Bezos: It's an open question. I think what we're wondering is, if we have a list of 500 of your friends, how can we use that to improve ecommerce? We have some ideas. We've actually already done some experiments but haven't found anything that we think is exciting yet.
Levy: But your rivals treat social interaction as an essential component of life online.
Bezos: For better or worse, it is really not a part of our culture to look at things defensively. We rarely say, "Oh my God, we've got to do something about that existential threat." Maybe one day we'll become extinct because of that deficiency in our nature. I don't know. We look at things through a different lens. We say, "Oh, here's this incredible phenomenon called social networking. How can we be inspired by that to make our business better?" I hope we find something.
Levy: Two years ago, you bought Zappos. Was that an attempt to absorb their so-called culture of happiness and customer service?
Bezos: No, no, no. We like their unique culture, but we don't want that culture at Amazon. We like our culture, too. Our version of a perfect customer experience is one in which our customer doesn't want to talk to us. Every time a customer contacts us, we see it as a defect. I've been saying for many, many years, people should talk to their friends, not their merchants. And so we use all of our customer service information to find the root cause of any customer contact. What went wrong? Why did that person have to call? Why aren't they spending that time talking to their family instead of talking to us? How do we fix it? Zappos takes a completely different approach. You call them and ask them for a pizza, and they'll get out the Yellow Pages for you.
Levy: So where's the synergy?
Bezos: It's on the back end. Amazon has a huge shoe business. Zappos has a huge shoe business. Zappos may have the size-8 customer, and we have the size-8 shoe. Having one set of fulfillment services for these two very different front ends, you get to satisfy more customers more often, because you're more likely to have their size and style and color and so on.
Levy: Let me change the subject to your fight against paying state sales taxes. Why have you been so aggressive?
Bezos: Our view on this is very clear and consistent. More than half of our worldwide business is in places where we collect sales tax or its equivalent. There are five states where we collect sales tax. We do great in those states. That's not what this is about. We want federal legislation. That's what we've been working on. And I think we can get that done this year.
Levy: Some years ago, there was some controversy when Amazon got a patent for its 1-Click shopping. Now, technology patents are so widespread that they're seen as a real hindrance to creativity and innovation. Has your thinking changed?
Bezos: For many years, I have thought that software patents should either be eliminated or dramatically shortened. It's impossible to measure the toll they've had on the software industry, but on balance, it has been negative.
Levy: But without software patents, you wouldn't have exclusive rights to 1-Click shopping.
Bezos: If that were the price of having a dramatic reduction in software patents, it would be great.
Levy: You have a separate company called Blue Origin that hopes to send customers into outer space. Why is that important to you?
Bezos: It is a serious effort. When I was 5 years old, I watched Neil Armstrong step onto the moon. It made me passionate about science, physics, math, exploration.
Levy: Will you walk on the moon someday?
Bezos: Me? Are you saying would I if I could?
Levy: I bet you'd like to, but do you think you will?
Bezos: Boy. I've been asked to make tough predictions before. That one's very tough. But that's not what this is about. If I wanted to buy tourist trips to fly to the International Space Station and Soyuz and those things, there's nothing wrong with that. But that's $35 million. I want to lower the cost of access to space.
Levy: How do you do that?
Bezos: I like to say, "Maintain a firm grasp of the obvious at all times." For Amazon, that's selection, speed of delivery, lower prices. Well, for Blue Origin it's cost and safety. If you really want to make it so that anybody can go into space, you have to increase the safety and decrease the cost. That's Blue Origin's mission. I'm super passionate about it.
Levy: Do you feel that it's a bit disconnected to start a space-exploration company in this economically grim time?
Bezos: No. We employ a lot of aerospace engineers. They have families, their kids go to college. We buy a lot of materials. Somebody made those materials, right?
Levy: You've also given $42 million to the Long Now Foundation for the development of a giant clock designed to last for 10,000 years. Does that project relate at all to what you're doing at Amazon?
Bezos: It does fit into my view. Our first shareholder letter, in 1997, was entitled, "It's all about the long term." If everything you do needs to work on a three-year time horizon, then you're competing against a lot of people. But if you're willing to invest on a seven-year time horizon, you're now competing against a fraction of those people, because very few companies are willing to do that. Just by lengthening the time horizon, you can engage in endeavors that you could never otherwise pursue. At Amazon we like things to work in five to seven years. We're willing to plant seeds, let them grow—and we're very stubborn. We say we're stubborn on vision and flexible on details.
In some cases, things are inevitable. The hard part is that you don't know how long it might take, but you know it will happen if you're patient enough. Ebooks had to happen. Infrastructure web services had to happen. So you can do these things with conviction if you are long-term-oriented and patient.
Levy: Speaking of longevity, you're still relatively young, but you've been at this for a long time. A lot of the other big tech CEOs from your generation aren't around anymore.
Bezos: Don't worry, they'll make more.
Levy: But you'll miss Steve Jobs, I assume.
Bezos: Steve was a teacher to anyone paying attention, and he's gone way too soon.
Levy: What's the right shelf life for a CEO?
Bezos: It's variable. I like invention. For me, it feels like the rate of change on the Internet today is even greater than it was in 1995. It's hard for me to imagine a more exciting arena in which to invent. And so it's pretty easy to wake up excited.
Senior writer Steven Levy (email@example.com) also wrote about Steve Jobs.
Note 1. Corrected [5 p.m./Nov. 30. 2011]: SmugMug uses AWS to store billions of photos and videos, not 70 million photos as previously reported.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


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Canada Post earns profit, gets boost from parcels and lower pension costs – National
OTTAWA – The Canada Post Group of Companies reported Wednesday a net profit of $67 million in the second quarter, boosted by growth in its parcel delivery business and lower pension costs.
The result was up from a loss of $50 million in the same period a year ago as revenue for the group, which includes the postal service, the Purolator courier service and other businesses, totalled $2.007 billion for the 13 weeks ended June 28, up from $1.862 billion a year ago.
Story continues below
As mail declines, parcel business drives Canada Post turnaround
Doctors react: Is Canada Post's request for doctor's note a good idea?
All that prompted a call from the union representing many of its workers to find alternatives to cutting services.
"When our post office has been profitable for most of the last two decades, the types of cuts that Canada Post and the (federal) Conservatives are trying to impose on us are completely unnecessary," Denis Lemelin, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, said in a statement.
"We need to do what the rest of the world is doing and make the post office a better service, not a lack of service."
Canada Post, the group's largest division, earned $42 million in the second quarter, compared with a loss of $71 million in the same period a year earlier.
The traditional post office segment saw its revenue from operations climb 10 per cent to $1.56 billion, up from $1.35 billion in the comparable period of 2013, helped by higher stamp prices, provincial elections in Ontario and Quebec and increased parcel shipments.
Transactional mail revenue was $823 million, up from $732 million a year ago, even as the volume of mail slipped 2.3 per cent. Parcel revenue increased by 11.3 per cent to $353 million in the second quarter compared with $322 million a year ago.
Direct marketing revenue slipped to $308 million from $310 million, while other revenue totalled $75 million, up from $71 million in the same quarter last year.
Also helping boost the results was a $58-million reduction in employee benefit costs due to strong pension fund investment returns and an increase in interest rates used to calculate pension costs. However, the company warned that future employee benefit costs, including pensions, continue to be "high volatile and unpredictable."
Meanwhile, Purolator earned $20 million for the quarter on revenue from operations of $427 million, up from a profit of $18 million on $412 million in revenue in the same quarter last year.
Canada Post's logistics business, which includes SCI Group, earned $3 million on $52 million in revenue from operations, up from $2 million on $43 million in revenue a year ago.
The Crown corporation announced a plan late last year to phase out home delivery within five years and raise stamp prices.
It also said it would look to eliminate 6,000 to 8,000 positions over the same time period, mainly through attrition.
Canada Post said it continues to stay on course with its plan to cut down operating costs. In February, it installed community mailboxes for 100,000 addresses in 11 communities across Canada.
A total of 1.17 million conversions will be completed by 2015. It also raised prices for letter mail to better reflect inflation and operating costs.
©2014The Canadian Press


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|Home :: Hotels :: My Account :: My Basket
Hotel El Comendador
El Comendador Lobby
Hotel El Comendador Standard Room
This comfortable little hotel, which shares some facilities with the adjoining Hostal Valencia, is housed in an eighteenth century building which belonged to the family of Don Pedro Regalado Pedroso y Zayas, who was a 'Comendador de la Orden de Isabel la Católica'. The Hostal Valencia has become so popular that it is often frustratingly fully booked, but the Comendador is, if anything, even better, and certainly quieter, although it is slightly more expensive.
The rooms are very comfortable indeed, and unlike the Valencia they have air conditioning – indispensable in the summer months. Highly recommended, whether you choose a high-ceilinged room on the upper floor or a more cosy one on the mezzanine. The right-hand back room on the top floor has a charming view of the Diana, Princess of Wales Garden and the ships coming and going in the harbour. The tapas bar on the ground floor is excellent and is much frequented by European residents of Havana.
The Comendador was restored and is now run by the Office of the City Historian of Havana, so all its profits are reinvested in the restoration of the city's historical centre.
© 2017 Nigel Hunt
Not Reviewed By Nigel Yet
Reviewed on 12 Jan 2016 by philip m from United Kingdom
I would have marked this as excellent if it were not for one miserable staff member who unfortunately was our first point of contact. If the expression "face like a slapped a**e" means anything to you then you'll know what I mean (Its an English expression)! Anyway, all other staff were delightful and the chef spoke with us at the bar and persuaded us to try his paella, which was great. The 3-piece band that payed in the evenings was one of the best that we saw/listened to over our 12 days on the Island and the breakfast service and quality was very very good. Beautiful building and rooms and the best possible location in my opinion.
Average rating from 1 review(s) of this hotel
24 hour reception
Air conditioning
Breakfast - à la carte
Car rental desk
Hotel was recently renovated
International cuisine
Internet on hotel's PCs
Luggage storage
Malecon max 5min walk
Mastercard & Visa (not USA bank issued) accepted
Nightclub nearby
Old building restored
Reception staff speak Spanish, English, French, German, Italian
Safety - uniformed security personnel 24hrs
Shoe cleaning
Shops max 2min walk
Taxis desk
Telephone - national & international calls
Tours & tourist information desk
TV room/bar (international channels & videos)
Voltage 110/120
There are two types of standard room at the Hotel Comendador – high ceilinged ones on the upper floor and lower ceilinged ones on the mezzanine. The high ceilinged ones are very attractive – as we mention in our introduction, Room 14 has a particularly good view over the 'Garden of Diana, Princess of Wales' to the harbour – with 'Havana blue' ceilings, attractive Colonial style furniture, old prints on the walls and baths with lion's claw feet. The mezzanine rooms, although less spacious in terms of ceiling height, are also delightful with their decorative iron beds and little casement windows within larger shutters opening to the street, and similarly decorated bathrooms. Many clients favour the mezzanine rooms as being cosier and more welcoming than the grander option upstairs. 4 of the rooms have matrimonial bed. The other 6 are twin bedded.
© 2017 Nigel Hunt
110 volt outlets
Air conditioning
Baby's cot (on request)
Balcony (subject to availability)
Bathroom (ensuite)
Double bed
Hot & cold water
In-room safe
King size bed
Minibar / Fridge
Satellite TV
Twin beds
There is not an awful lot of difference between the high-ceilinged standard rooms at the Comendador and the hotel's 4 junior suites. The latter are the same as regards basic characteristics (see below) but have the additional advantage of a small ante-room for visitors. The seating is exceedingly formal in style, though: lounging about seems inappropriate in these straight-backed Castillian-style chairs. One almost feels one should be clad in doublet and hose or ruffs and farthingales to sit on them.
© 2017 Nigel Hunt
110 volt outlets
Air conditioning
Baby's cot (on request)
Balcony (subject to availability)
Bathroom (ensuite)
Hot & cold water
In-room safe
King size bed
Minibar / Fridge
Satellite TV
More Hotels in Vecā Havana:
UK Sales :: Audrey :: +44 20 7498 8555 or 0800 298 9555
USA & Canada Sales :: Jeffery or Bastien :: Toll Free 888 361 9555
Havana Tourist Center :: Idelsis :: +53 7 863 9555
(mazāk par 10 dienam)


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Microsoft and wasted PR opportunities
More posts about: geek // 1 Comment »
Back to Microsoft. I really, really hope they push through with the wireless thing. I don't understand why Microsoft isn't very actively courting us. C'mon, if I were an evil empire and I wanted to ensure my hold on the future generations, I'd get them while they were young. I'd give freebies, training, cool gadgets, lots of publicity… Microsoft's a large company with plenty of budget to spare. We just won an international competition – you think they'd take advantage of that wonderful PR opportunity. I suppose their marketing is losing their edge. ;) Of course this is all just personal opinion, since our school obviously believes in Microsoft enough to go for the Academic Alliance and that .NET stuff, but still…
If you think about it, many of our classes are too vendor-centric. Take Contemporary Databases (translation: Oracle), or Enterprise Java Programming (guess), or even Intro to C++, which was actually pretty okay if not fairly boring, and had a sliver of MFC tacked on at the end but didn't cover other toolkits). On the plus side, we do actually have Systems Programming, which is Unix-based thanks to the strong push of people like William Yu, Sir Marco and Doc Mana if I'm not mistaken. w00t!
(Update 2003.09.24: Come to think of it, we're remarkably not vendor-centric – at least the classe I've taken.)
Anyway, I really should be going to bed now. My roommate has borrowed my alarm clock again – it's apparently the loudest in the dorm… =) Hopefully I'll remember to wake up tomorrow. Good night!


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Canoeing with Outdoor Adventures is a relaxed activity that gives participants the opportunity to experience open waters and breathtaking views. Many of our canoeing trips correspond with a concert at Humphrey's by the Bay. This is a chance for students to get off campus and socialize on the water while enjoying some tunes and the beautiful skyline of San Diego.
Outdoor Adventures also travels east with our canoes to the California & Arizona border. The Colorado River offers a wonderful experience for first time paddlers. We will paddle and float 32 miles enjoying high desert scenery as we pass through Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.


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The East Valley Institute of Technology offers a variety of areas for
public use such as auditoriums, classrooms, computer labs, banquet
halls, and more.
Groups or organizations that wish to use the school facilities must
complete the Application for Use of School Facilities. The signed
application can be returned by
e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Groups are required to provide proof of liability insurance coverage in
the amount of $1,000,000 and $100,000 property damage, with the East
Valley Institute of Technology School District #401 named as an
additional insured on the policy. Requests without such proof cannot be
approved. The school carries no liability insurance protecting
organizations engaged in non-school activities.
For more information and to check availability, please complete the form below or contact Bre Marshall at 480-461-4114.
It is the policy of the East Valley Institute of Technology District #401 to provide all persons with equal employment and education opportunities regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age or disability. District grievance procedures will be followed for compliance with Title IX and Section 504 requirements. The compliance officer is the EVIT Superintendent.


text:
|Item No
- Microwavable
- Meets FDA Requirements
- Dishwasher safe
|Colors Available
Almond, Black, Cobalt, Green, White, White/Red
All goods are shipped at buyer's risk and any claim must be made against carriers for damaged and missing goods. Claim for return or credit must be made within 10 days of receipt of products. Authorization must be obtained prior to any return. Sino-sing cannot be held responsible for charges above the cost of the goods and freight. Merchandise may be returned if purchased from stock, after approval and shipped at customer's expense. There will be a 15% restocking charge applied to these returns. Only unopened cartons will be accepted. There is no return for "SPECIAL ORDER" items.
Damage ware
Our products are fragile and some breakage should be expected during shipping. Claim for excessive
breakage may be filed with carrier.
Freight Information
All orders are shipped F.O.B. Baltimore, MD except direct shipments. The title transfers when order leaves warehouse. Freight, shrink-wrap and pallet charges will be added to invoices when applicable. Orders will be shipped through lowest cost carrier negotiated by Sino-Sing. Purchaser may specify own carrier but must do so in advance when placing order. The customer's carrier must make arrangement with Sino-Sing at least 24 hours prior for pick up.
Claims for Adjustments
Breakage and delay in transit mug are filed with carrier if pick up is arranged by the customer Due to
excessive breakage, U.P.S. shipments are not recommended nor can breakage claims is honored by Sino-Sing. $12 handling change for U.P.S/ Fed Ex shipment will apply.
Shipping & Handling Charges
Shipping charges will be prepaid and added to your invoice, unless otherwise stated by the customer.
Shipments sent by common carrier will be shrink wrap and palletized, there will be shrink wrap and pallet charges add to your invoice. $15 order revision will be charged if the order is pulled. Samples: Samples are sent out from our warehouse, there is a $20.00 charge for the warehouse to pull and wrap samples for shipment. Customer is responsible to pay the sample shipping fees


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Grass fire sends smoke over Bellaire
Fire crews extinguished a large grass fire Tuesday night that sent clouds of smoke blowing over residents in the Bellaire area.
Firefighters from Houston and Bellaire battled the blaze that broke out about 7:30 p.m. in a grassy area near S. Rice and Glenmont, authorities said.
The area that caught fire is about two or three blocks large and covered in knee-high grass, officials said.
There were no reports of injuries, officials said.
Winds coming from the north sent the smoke from the grass fire over parts of the Bellaire area.
The smoke should dissipate by about 11 p.m., Houston Fire Department officials said.
The grass fire comes as emergency officials were dealing with dry and windy weather conditions, creating dangerous conditions for fires.
The National Weather Service earlier issued several fire weather warnings and related advisories, according to AlertHouston.
A red flag warning had been issued through Tuesday night in the Houston area because high winds and dry conditions likely will combine to create dangerous fire hazards.
Fire danger warnings depend on several factors, including sustained winds of 20 mph or greater, relative humidity, temperatures above 50 or 60 degrees depending on the season and a duration of three hours or more.
The winds may be dying down by the weekend. On Wednesday, winds will taper off when the north winds will be between about 5 mph and 10 mph.


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The Daily Telegraph: "THEY smothered bombs in Iraq, now a team of robots has joined NSW police to fight the threat of terrorism here."
[Fear-mongering propaganda here!]
"Premier Bob Carr yesterday unveiled a raft of [alleged], counter-terrorism measures including robots, bomb screens, phone jamming devices and laws to stop terrorists, [accused scapegoats], using remote controls to detonate bombs from jails. "
[Crap! One word for it crap, detonate bombs from jails? Just plain rubbish. When will the corporate media try to find out the real reason Bob Carr wants a mobile phone jamming device?
Ron Woodham the prisons bum boy commissioner creates the problem (Noble Cause Corruption for Bob Carr) by framing a prisoner, then seeks a reaction from the community for the false flag operation, then finds the solution that the government wanted to implement in the first place.
In short the general public is just being manipulated here.
Forget about prisons! What other use could a phone-jamming device be used for? And why does Bob Carr really want the gadget over and above the Federal Governments lack of concern about the need for this device?
Further, why does Bob Carr believe a prisoner would be able to set off a bomb opposed to a free person? I've been to prison and it's my understanding that a prison would be the least likely place to be able to set off a bomb.
The measures come as an exclusive national Newspoll for GKCNN that revealed that most Australians believe a major terrorist outrage here is inevitable because of John Howard's illegal war on Iraq and the Daily Telegraphs lies and propaganda, in collaboration with the governments, both state and federal.
Double agent corporate media? What has the Daily Telegraph got to gain?
The problem is that if and when a bomb goes off no one will have any idea about it until it does and no $300,000 dollar robot will make us any safer.
What will make us safer is our attitude to the rest of the world.
Similarly the 6 million dollar Opera House refurbishment, money that could have been used to deal with the breakdown of say regional rail transport systems or public hospitals etc. Is barricading the entrance of the Opera House and changing all the locks on the doors going to make us safer? And how many other institutions would need the same protection.
I put it to you that list would be endless! Questions that could be asked are.
Is the federal government causing most Australians to live with fear by acting illegally with its co-offenders to wage war on Iraq? Yes. Is the federal government colluding with numerous false flag operations around the globe? Yes!
What money has been set-aside for mental illness due to the fears that most Australians have now, believing a major terrorist outrage here is inevitable. None! Even the NSW Treasurer, Robin Egan wanted to commit suicide.]
Carr said recent events such as the Madrid bombings meant that authorities could not afford to be complacent in the fight against terror.
[No! Because of Australia's illegal activity in the world more like it Bob. And there is evidence that the Madrid train bombings were another call to arms and another of the Coalition of the Killing's false flag operations.]
Carr said an attack on Australian soil was a question of when, not if.
[Well if you put it that way Bob then all Australians have been put at risk because of Australia's foreign policy. So why aren't you arguing for that to change first instead of spending money on terror gadgets?
Two robots at $300 thousand each, six million for the Opera House the list is endless. Now we have a reason to spend money on gadgets when money is too tight to mention, according to The NSW Treasurer, Robin Egan. This is a man who wanted to commit suicide two weeks ago because he couldn't balance the states budget? Good lesson anyway.
When is someone going to add up the states costs of an illegal war on Iraq?
Is [war criminal], John Howard going to pay the terror bill? Or are NSW citizens going to continue to pay the bill for terror gadgets over and above community services? If so why?]
By Anti-Terror 22 April 04
THE DOG: No we can't afford to be complacent Bob Carr in our attitude to the rest of the world and International Law. The reason you're spending taxpayers money on gadgets in NSW instead of essential community services.
QLD Politician (Community Safety?) Amendment Bill 2004
NEW LAWS: A picture of the [false flag] Madrid killer bombings was used to introduce a terror Bill so that we are so fearful we will accept it as being appropriate behaviour by the authorities and law enforcement. [So where is our protection against a corrupt government and complicit corporate media organisations?]
Govt rejects ul-Haque's family 'political scapegoat' claims
The Federal Government has rejected as unfounded, claims that it is making a political scapegoat out of a Sydney man arrested on terrorism charges.
Dictatorship under the crimes Act?
[War criminal], Attorney General Phillip Ruddock said yesterday under the Crimes Act Izhar Ul Haque committed a crime. But the real crime was preventing a 21-year-old young man decide for himself what is wrong and what is right. What a disgrace! Under the heading, further education.
SMH: Standing up for liberties?
When a federal Labor Opposition indicates it is prepared to agree to future government legislation even before its detailed content is known, alarm bells should ring.
Keelty foresees more terrorism
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Mick Keelty, [guilty], says terrorist groups, [scapegoats and patsies for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East], will continue to find new ways to threaten countries.
Daily Telegraph rolled-over for Howard's war games
Given the source appears to be the Daily Terror this time, the next thing you'll be told is that Brigitte intended to have lunch with Bin Laden on the lawn at Parliament House Canberra, probably written in the Un-Australian next week after the war games.
Should Howard be detained indefinitely?
Australian mock, convicted terrorist and, [war criminal], John Howard is seriously considering appealing the precise time limit on detaining terrorist suspects,[scapegoats for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East.]
Counter-terrorism-fear-mongering, propaganda exercise to test several states For the first time, Australia is about to test its ability to respond to terrorism threats and acts, [fear-mongering, propaganda for the Coalition of the Killing's resource wars in the Middle East], in several states simultaneously.
Well think about this! Australia's intelligence agencies, [fear mongering, propaganda agencies], look set to receive a substantial funding boost in this year's Federal Budget, with the Prime Minister saying it is an obvious step to take.
HoWARd, where's your head at?
Australians is living on the edge! Seems each time the bombs go off overseas for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East Australians are living on the edge.
Australia: National Insecurity Anthem
Australians all let us give voice. For we are free no more. We've lost the right to liberty. In Uncle Howard's war. From high school kids. To journalists. You'll be in custody. If someone you know, give ASIO. A little insecurity.
Howard gov't and media talks up terror
First it was the Lucas Height nuclear reactor Willie Brigitte was alleged to have been planing to blow up. ASIO alleged to have found some type of map as evidence late last year.
Australian corporate media? Brigitte allegations?
A plot to attack the Lucas Heights Nuclear Reactor and blow up the Daily Telegraph Newspaper building is alleged to have been the reason Willie Brigitte was deported back to France. Believe it or not?
Brigitte release 'imminent for lack of evidence': lawyer
Lawyers for deported terror suspect, [scapegoat for the Coalition of the Killings resource war in the Middle East], Willie Brigitte expect he may be released shortly by French authorities due to a lack of evidence.
Dying to get to the Opera? Or the Hospital?
There is to be increased funding for security at the Sydney Opera House while people are dying trying to get into a hospital bed. In NSW you have more chance of being shot in the street so the priority should be hospitals not Opera Houses.
Absence of faith in the Australian Gov't
A Sydney-based former baggage handler and his brother have been found guilty in Lebanon's 'military court' of helping to fund a terrorist network linked to Al Qaeda.
Did 'Jihad Jack' train at GI boot camp?
Parody: Jack Thomas, the Melbourne man allegedly linked to, [US demon], al-Qa'ida, [keywords: links, plots, cells, training camps, boot camps, terrorists, jihad, al-Qa'ida], through a friend of a friend of a friend, who had known about al-Qa'ida being investigated by police.
Man on first terror charge not first alleged terrorist
Zak Mallah of Condell Park was arrested overnight when federal and NSW police slipped on a banana skin into a western Sydney reserve and then raided his home.
Big Bang Theory, ASIO
The most significant threat to Australia is Prime Minister John Howard. Howard has lied to the Australian people constantly. Slaughtered the international rule of law by preventive strikes on Iraq, rigorously changed laws to deter asylum seekers, locked up children of asylum seekers, and undermined the political process by jailing Pauline Hanson, political prisoner of the year.
Sydney man terrorised by the NSW Police Force
Senior New South Wales police say s charges have been laid against a man in Sydney. Police say a 20-year-old has been charged with committing an action in preparation for a terrorist attack.
ASIO bill expected to pass Senate
The war criminal, Federal Attorney-General has defended proposed new ASIO, [an Australian terrorist organisation], powers which would limit the media's ability to report on terrorist investigations, [scapegoat investigations.]
Australian Corruption: Absence in Absentia
Two Sydney brothers illegally sentenced in Lebanon to 10 years' hard labour could cancel extradition, despite the fascist dictator John Howard declaring Australia is ready to extradite them.
Lawyer said Govt made Brigitte a scapegoat
The lawyer for French terrorism suspect, [scapegoat for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East], Willie Brigitte says his client was not planning an attack in Australia.
Brigitte planned to blow up the Daily Terror
In bright red letters with an X marks the spot it appeared to be right under Campbell Reid's office.
Meet Melanie Brown the Sydney woman who married the Daily Terror? Meet Melanie Brown, the Sydney woman who wed Willie Brigitte -- the tourist, [and now scapegoat for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East], accused of helping mastermind a terrorist attack in Australia, according to ASIO [an Australian government terrorist organisation], and the DAILY TERROR.
Daily Telegraph: Wife had a key role in war
Brigitte's wife it had been alleged by the Daily Terror, [and obviously the Australian government], to have been earmarked for bigger things in the war against terror, [The Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East], which is also a war on liberty here at home.
How the Daily Telegraph seduced an Aussie public!
GKCNN can today reveal details of the brazen attempt by another dangerous terrorist newspaper. The Daily Telegraph blends into the Australian community and targets an impressionable public. Along side other corporate media organisations like the Un-Australian Newspaper, used by the Howard Government for propaganda purposes.
An Un-Australian News Pill pushes polls after raising fears
The Un-Australian newspaper is now pushing its own news poll agenda after raising terror fears for the last fortnight. Questions are being asked this morning about what stake the newspaper has in the Australian Government's fear campaign?
ASIO: No responsibility!
Blick: "Because these searches are carried out with the cooperation of police forces, both AFP [Australian Federal Police] and state police, it's not always entirely clear which members of the team ... are those supposed to have done the things which people complain about," he said.
After a war waged by the U.S. military against Vietnam which took the lives of more than 3 million Vietnamese people and more than 58,000 GIs, the U.S. finally withdrew in 1975. It had suffered its first official major military defeat by a united people struggle led by the Vietnamese, along with a mass U.S. anti-war movement.
Australian fascist laws ready as scapegoat talks
ASIO [state terrorists], could use its special draconian powers for the first time in coming days as security forces [state terrorists] step up their investigation of French terror suspect [scapegoat], Willie Brigitte.
Fascist wants more power for ASIO
[War criminal] Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock wants to strengthen Australia's terrorism laws, [scapegoat laws], to make it easier for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) [state terrorists] to hold and question suspects [scapegoats and patsies], without any evidence for three years and ban organisations.
THE DAILY TERROR and ASIO in Fairyland!
ASIO agents [how could anyone believe them?] and analysts from the NSW Police counter terrorism [counter scapegoat] co-ordination command [Noble Cause Corruption Unit], are reviewing a list of names deported Brigitte gave them as his contacts in Australia.
Mahathir offers to go out with a bang
"Report the truth even if it is bad. Don't be a spin doctor, don't distort news, don't have your own agenda," he said.Dr Mahathir has claimed repeatedly that his remark at an Islamic summit in mid-October that Jews rule the world was taken out of context.
US to keep military ties with Indonesia
But America, East Timor, Bali, and Australian complicity have something in common with the 'Indonesian armed forces' and the fallout was the TNI's East Timor's massacre in 1999 and the CIA's false flag, call to arms Bali bombing in 2002, believe it or not.
The Daily Propaganda: Bali bombings could have been worse?
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner, Mick Keelty, says the bombs that killed 88 Australians in Bali could have done a lot more damage if they had been built differently.
NSW Terrorist Minister leads the way
New South Wales is hosting a two-day conference of state and territory prisons ministers on how to detain terrorists [scapegoats for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East.]
Australia: Hamas support group investigations
The Australian Federal Police and ASIO [state terrorists] are believed to be investigating support groups in Australia, specifically support groups operating out of Western Australia.
Signs of the Times: Aggressive Scepticism
If anyone has known a schizophrenic then you may also know that it is because of some sound or picture that invaded their thoughts which sent them mad. So possibly, any invasion of my time with self, a time to integrate past experiences could send someone mad. However if there is no interference with our own thoughts and ideas we sometimes choose to write down our conclusions and share our ideas with others socially.
Civil Liabilities: Howard's diversity? I had a dream?
The war criminal, Prime Minister, John Howard, who only yesterday was claiming he was showing diversity has stepped up pressure on the states to support plans to increase the war criminal, Federal Attorney-General's powers to ban terrorist organisations, [scapegoats and patsies for the Coalition of the Killing's illegal and degrading resource wars in the Middle East.]
Keep the bastards honest: Publicity keeps an eye on ethics?
The Australian Federal Police commissioner says investigations into terrorist links [scapegoat and patsy links] to Australia are being made more difficult by public debate about the progress of inquiries.
Howard, Ellison, Williams, Australian terrorists, Muslim bashing! Brothers sacrificed! [War criminal], Attorney-General Daryl Williams said the Australian Federal Police and ASIO, [Australian state-terrorists], had been in contact with Lebanese authorities over the Khazal brothers. "The Australian authorities are well aware of the fact that a warrant was issued for the arrest of Mr Khazal and his brother in June," [war criminal], Williams said yesterday.
Qantas handler handcuffed to al-Qa'ida
War criminal, Attorney-General Daryl Williams who? Daryl Williams who? Oh you mean that Daryl Williams, would you believe him? You say he what? Confirmed last night the Government was aware of claims that Sydney man Bilal Khazal and Melbourne cleric Sheikh Mohammed Omran were linked to an al-Qa'ida detainee known as Abu Dahdah.
Islamic movement denies links to Al Qaeda
The Islamic Youth Movement has denied having any links to Al Qaeda and says it is considering legal action against the Four Corners [Walls] program. In a statement released early this morning, the group rejects allegations it is helping coordinate any kind of terrorist network inside Australia and says it is being unfairly targeted.
Former Qantas worker denies Al Qaeda link
Four Corners [Walls] has [allegedly] cited a CIA document alleging Bilal Khazal was not only an Al Qaeda operative but was planning attacks on US interests in Venezuela and the Philippines, but Mr Khazal has denied the claims.
Woman linked to Four Corners worked at Sydney Airport: JI
Parody: New airport security concerns have been raised by reports that a woman believed by JI to be associated with Four Corners worked as a baggage handler at Sydney's international terminal.
Evidence emerges of proposed Four Corners base in Bali
Parody: More evidence has emerged that the ABC terrorist network believed to have been behind the propaganda in Australia has tried to set up a long-term base in Bali.
Australian Terror cell here long before Bali
The Australian terrorist Captain Cook infiltrated Australia years before the Bali bombings in which 202 people perished. Aboriginal people attempted to remember Captain Cook not as a founding father but as a harbinger of dispossession and death, a sign of white amnesia. Another anniversary year-used to mark two hundred years since Cook had journeyed along the east coast of Australia and, for some people, discovered a continent.
NSW police confirm don't use the phone to talk about terrorism!
The New South Wales Police Service has confirmed it is using phone taps and other forms of electronic surveillance to monitor suspected terrorist activity [ ? To monitor potential scapegoats for the Coalition of the Killing's illegal and degrading resource wars in the Middle East.]
Australia: Terrorising you in secret
Suspected terrorists [scapegoats and patsies for the Coalition of the Killing's resource wars in the Middle East] will be tried in secret under new laws to be introduced by the Federal Government.
NSW Police Force may get 'special powers'
Civil libertarians are questioning the need for further anti-terrorism laws, which will be announced in the New South Wales Parliament on Tuesday.
Evidence that Howard was complicit in CIA, false flag, call to arms, Bali bombings War criminal John Howard was complicit in the call to arms - false flag operation - Bali bombings - instigated by the CIA - and the Coalition of the Killing - to bolster support - and quell dissent for their illegal and degrading resource wars in the Middle East.
War criminal Howard high-jacks HRCA to 'legitimise killing'
The Human Rights Council of Australia (HRCA) says it fears Prime Minister John Howard's comments in support of the execution of [CIA operative] Osama bin Laden show his eagerness to overturn three decades of national opposition to the death penalty.
State terror units caused the terror!
The level of suspicion and surveillance created by the [US false flag operation and call to arms] Bali bombings, created by [ the Coalition of the Killing and Australian's complicity to go to war on Iraq] means that all Australian's suffer the loss of their human rights, civil rights and their democratic rights, as well as those Australian's who lost their life in Bali.
Al-Qa'ida or poor people without hope?
Anyone contemplating war without a UN sanction is nothing more than a common criminal and not acting in accordance with the law. Isn't Richardson the head of ASIO? A law enforcement agency? Al-Qa'ida is a Coalition of the Killing demon made up by the CIA. These people are just scapegoats, patsies, and peasants."
Red paper classes Australia as terrorist suspects
Australia's old foreign policy red paper says Australians have become targets because their own government is being run by war criminals that are complicit in state terror, torture, murder, occupation and genocide.
Australia backs CIA Reichstag, Downer's propaganda
The Foreign Affairs Minister says the latest message from Osama bin Laden is worrying. [Just plain rubbish!]
UK Reid, Blair and the reichstag London threat!
The nature of the [alleged] terrorist threat to London is on the scale of the [USA false flag] September 11 attacks in the United States, the chairman of Britain's governing Labour Party said.
Bin Laden calls? CIA blind man's bluff!
A [US propaganda, fear-mongering] taped message purportedly from Osama bin Laden has warned Arab nations against supporting a war against Iraq but has branded Saddam Hussein an infidel.
Middle Eastern: Specific Legislation
"If there is a target person the police would have powers in relation to that type of person," Mr Costa said. Asked what he meant by "type of person", Mr Costa said: "The example that's been given is if there's a description of somebody, an identikit photograph released by Interpol or other agencies ... these powers may well be exercised on that type of person."
Howard defends terror alert
Prime Minister John Howard says the Federal Government would not have issued a terror alert if it had not come from a credible source. (America?) Speaking for the first time since the Government revealed the warning, Mr Howard says he wants people to be more careful, but not to stop living. [As long as they don't go dancing in Bali? And sure we'll all be depressed for as long as John Howard and Bob Carr say so.]
Carr backs Fed Govt's terror alert
New South Wales Premier Bob Carr has defended the Federal Government's decision to issue a warning to Australians about a possible terrorist attack in Australia.
NSW Police Force may get 'special powers'
Civil libertarians are questioning the need for further anti-terrorism laws, which will be announced in the New South Wales Parliament on Tuesday.
When Johnny comes marching home again: 'hoorah hoorah'
Posted on the Resistance web page Bronwyn Powell, an organiser of the youth-led mobilisation told Green Left weekly that "in the face of attacks on civil liberties, it is unfortunate that some union officials have felt they need to submit. It could set a negative precedent for upholding the hard-won right to demonstrate in the street."
Give peace a chance
PIERS AKERMAN DT 28 Nov 02: JUSTICE John Dowd should be removed from the bench. His crime? Stupidity. In a breath-taking display of hand-wringing sanctimonious morality, Dowd has condemned the State and Federal Governments' anti-terrorism measures, claiming they erode rights and give encouragement to oppressive regimes.
The scavengers of terror
The NSW Government is to introduce increased police powers bill. Legislation giving New South Wales police special powers to deal with an emergency terrorist situation [emergency scapegoat situation] will be introduced into the New South Wales Parliament today.
Govt, police 'let off the hook' Haneef inquiry
11 years ago


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Tenacious D are rubbish. In fact, all comedy bands are rubbish. From 'Weird' Al Yankovic to Goldie Lookin' Chain, Spinal Tap (who were funny, but still rubbish) to U2, to Jack Black and Kyle Gass's Tenacious D. The Shirehorses had their moments, mind.
Now that Jack Black has proved he can A) sing and B) act (in High Fidelity and King Kong respectively), Tenacious D have finally been given the movie they've been trying to make since their short-lived HBO TV series. Welcome to Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny.
The 'D' first came to the public's attention a few years back when 'Tribute' became the kind of song that was equally as ubiquitous at student house parties as it was in provincial nightclubs.
Then there was 'Fuck Her Gently', which was about as funny as waking up one day only to find that your face has fallen off and been replaced by a cupboard full of hammers. Although, that would be quite funny.
'Tribute' was quite funny the first few times you heard it. Just not the ninety-fourth. Black has been in some funny movies and Tenacious D, as a concept, are mildly entertaining. So, ipso facto, the film might be worth a watch.
But who - who - in their right mind would buy this album? Listening to the word "fucking" being sung over 'Stairway To Heaven' gets old very quickly. So, unless your demographic is a bunch of pre-pubescent 14-year-olds who think Bo Selecta! is the height of contemporary wit, there's not a lot of mileage in it. Oh.
Anyway, the album tells the story of Jack and Kyle's mission to retrieve some magic plectrum that's made from the devil's teeth. Or something. It's basically a 34-minute excuse for the pair to punctuate lines with the word "yeah!" and for Black to sing his jolly $12m-a-picture heart out.
You can imagine him recording this, gurn firmly ensconced on face, as Gass rivets his acoustic guitar through songs with such eye-bleedingly funny titles as 'The Government Totally Sucks' and 'Kickapoo'. Fantastic.
Not only are these not the greatest songs in the world, they're not even a tribute to them.
3Will Dean's Score