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After waiting, planning, working, praying,the much anticipated art exhibit is almost here: my one person art exhibit-
Oksana Prokopenko: Icons and More
– is three weeks away tonight. Here is my gorgeous postcard invitation, if you'd like to receive one – send me an email and I'll be sure to get one over to you!
Read more here...


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Due to current health and safety measures, all wineries are accepting visitors by appointment only
In 1992, we harvested our first two tons of Pinot Noir from four rows atop a knoll in the southwest corner of Carneros. Producing but five barrels, this marked the beginning of Ancien Wines. In the years since, we have continued our pursuit of those rare and special plots where Pinot Noir can rise from great to sublime. We have added to our pursuit of Pinot Noir, the production of its close relative, Pinot Gris, as well as its Burgundian sibling, Chardonnay. For both of these white wines, we closely follow the French artisanal tradition of in-barrel fermentation and aging.
Plan a trip to Ancien on our interactive winery map:
Visit us at our winery, located in a little-known pocket of the Napa Valley. Visits to the winery are private and by appointment only. Or visit our convenient tasting room in Downtown Napa, open seven days a week.View from Tasting Room: Taste wine sitting under ancient live oaks, surrounded by vineyards, overlooking the rolling hills of Coombsville.
Wine clubs are a great way to stay connected to your favorite wineries.
To join the wine club, visit www.ancienwines.com or call 707-255-3908.
The Quest
Vintage after vintage, generation upon generation, our ancestors trained the vine and toiled the soil in a quest to produce wines that lift the spirit and succor the soul. Ancien is our tribute, our homage, to the artistry and passion of these past masters. Their spirit of discovery and their love for the vine and the soil lives on in our quest to discover the finest Pinot Noir vineyards and create wines of singular expression.
Join our Quest, and we'll send you a selection of our finest wines, twice a year, with a members-only discount.
Once a year the rarest new Napa Valley wines become available under one roof at Premiere Napa Valley. Wineries throughout the Napa Valley are given one task to participate: create a one-of-a-kind wine for this event to be purchased by one lucky bidder. This event is only open to select members of the wine trade and the successful bidder is the sole owner of this unique wine.
Cases: 5
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2019
Release Date: October - 2021
Appellation: Coombsville
To purchase this wine or check on availability contact:
Omaha Wine Company
Omaha NE

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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A month ago, Patricia Mulroy went public with her idea to start an alternative elementary school at Kirkridge.
A month ago, Patricia Mulroy went public with her idea to start an alternative elementary school at Kirkridge.
Now it's time to see if that idea is ready to fly, she told 25 residents who gathered at the Bangor center Sunday.
The idea is to develop a small private school based on self-driven education where students cast votes on classroom rules along with their teachers, and develop their own curriculums based on subjects that interest them.
With more than 30 years working in public education, Mulroy admits the Kirkridge School would be quite different from what most people are used to.
Its educational structure would be based on other alternative schools such as The Circle School in Harrisburg, Alpine Valley School in Wheat Ridge, Colo., and Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Mass.
Such schools refer to their educational model as a form of scaled-down democracy.
Democratic education cultivates originality, leadership and an empowering sense of creative control in one's life, Mulroy said. Students are considered fully empowered citizens and active creators of their lives.
In the democratic model of education, children meet every day for "judicial committee," during which time they discuss the school rules and whether to adopt new ones or amend existing ones.
Everyone in the school, from 4-year-old students to the teachers, gets a vote.
Students who break rules must accept a punishment decided on by the committee, or plead not guilty.
Teachers have the resources to provide the same type of curriculum offered at a public school, but the individual student is the one who sets the pace of the lessons and chooses what they are interested in learning.
"Stroudsburg could really use something like this," said Don Slepian of East Stroudsburg, who attended Sunday's meeting with his wife, Jan Julia.
"The difficulty is children are raised without a sense of responsibility today. People try to raise their children on television programs and video games, but a school of this type is much more demanding," he said.
The only requirements for admission would be that a student wants to be there and is able to self-regulate.
Students would have to show they are putting effort into their education, Mulroy said.
East Stroudsburg resident Liz Manhart is interested in this type of education for her 6-year-old daughter, whom she homeschools.
"I think I've seen kids' love of learning die in the public school model," Manhart said.
Mulroy met with the Pennsylvania Department of Education earlier this month to begin the application process to open the school.
There's still a lot of work to be done, she said.
Volunteers will be responsible for investigating the finance and legal aspects, the fundraising, working with the Mount Bethel Zoning Officer to set up the school at the Kirkridge Retreat Center, the technology and marketing aspects and school resource acquisition.
Mulroy hopes to welcome a class of between 15 and 25 students in September.
Although there will be no set grade levels, the school would likely cater to students from kindergarten through eighth grade, with tuition based on a sliding scale depending on the family's income.
Tuition would likely range from $5,000 to $9,000 for the academic year, she said.
"One of the reasons we want to do this is because we believe innately that children are curious, and that curiosity drives their motivation," she said. "Hopefully by starting a small school we can open the eyes of other local educators."


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HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. – Several animals were killed when fire broke out at a Highland Park apartment complex early Friday morning. The fire began around 2:30 a.m. at the complex on Steven Street and Brush Street in Highland Park. Smoke and flames quickly spread through the building which was home to 10 families. One person was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Several pets died in the fire. The cause remains under investigation.
Detroit family manages to escape burning home
The Highland Park apartment fire broke out around the same time fire ripped through a Detroit home.
A mom and her three kids were inside the house in the 0000 block of Nottingham just before 4 a.m. A neighbor saw the fire and immediately called firefighters. Before emergency crews arrived, the neighbor burst into the home and helped bring the family to safety.
Although a cause has not been identified, investigators believe the fire started in the second floor of the house.


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Last Monday I decided to invest ten or fifteen minutes out of our forty-nine minutes of instruction to reconnect. Sandy changed us all. The students have varying reactions. Some were impacted minimally. They aren't aware of the outside world beyond what impacts them directly and they only lost internet for twelve hours. Which was devastating for them at the time but survivable. Others lost power for days, had structural damage and struggled in the dark for over a week. Still more have family members who have no homes, no place to turn and are still reeling in shock from the events. Because the impact was as varying on them as it was on the state, this seemed a perfect time to once again get to know each other.
I wanted to reengage, revisit, reconnect, not just for my young people but for me as well. I needed to get back to my world and my work. I'm was hoping this work will provide the path. As noted in Counseling Children After Natural Disasters:Guidance for Family Therapists by Jennifer Baggerly And Herbert A. Exum, "Due to the large number of children that will experience typical symptoms after a natural disaster, family therapists can maximize their efforts by training parents and teachers to provide supportive responses and basic interventions for their children (Harper, Harper, & Stills, 2003).For teenagers, positive coping strategies will include group interventions that process emotions through expressive arts, drama, and rapping/singing." (82, 83) The common symptoms in adolescents noted by the mental health professionals post disaster included: "flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbing, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, substance abuse, and depression (NIMH, 2001). They may also experience headaches, stomachaches,risk-taking behaviors, lack of concentration, decline in responsible behavior,apathy, and rebellion at home or school." (81)
After the initial three days back in school, which included a winter storm and half day impacted by more weather issues, power outages, road conditions and the stress inherent therein, we finally experienced our first full week of school. On the final Friday of our initial three days, I had noticed both within my classes and in the halls in general, the students were resistant to attending classes, there were many more outbreaks of bickering and argumentative behavior, name-calling was reaching new levels (escalating from normal "gay," "bitch," "stupid," to "mutherf**er," "cunt" and other instigating language) and in general the classes were tired, nonresponsive and reluctant to re-engage. And I noticed I was struggling to re-engage as well. I was cranky, short tempered, less willing to explore non-confrontational language when speaking with students and overwhelming tired of the whole situation. Getting to and from work was an exercise in frustration between gas rationing, traffic, accidents (which seemed to have tripled) and general malaise.
After Friday class, I went home very depressed. Saturday morning, I got up and rethought my strategy. I would use Monday as a new starting point. And see if the group theatre work could help refocus my young people and myself.
I decided to use the game "Good Week, Bad Week" to tackle the students' experience as a whole with Hurricane Sandy. I allowed them to choose their own groups of four or five people and then asked them to share stories of one good thing about being off for a week and a half, or a good thing about the Hurricane's impact on their lives. This was a struggle for some. Some students expressed that they couldn't find a single good thing about the events. I reassured them that this was okay, perhaps as they listened to others a moment would arise, or perhaps they saw a story on television about the aftermath that had resonated for them that they could share. This wasn't a do or die assignment. So, they went around and started talking about getting time to sleep, bonding with family, games of Uno and Dominos with siblings, lots of social media time due not losing power, other things that had been good about the storm. We then created tableaux from their good moments and reflected on what we, as the outside group, saw in their pictures. Included in other's perceptions of the tableaux were sharing, eating, games, solitude, sleeping, pranking friends, social networking and hanging out. These tableaux generated a lot of laughter and dialogue as the students started to share funny moments from the events that many had experienced but hadn't realized others had as well.
After the tableaux, we went back into our groups and shared a story about something bad from Hurricane Sandy. Again, I reassured them it didn't have to have happened to them, it could be a news story they heard or saw, it could've occurred after the storm when they ventured out, it could be little or big. Anything they felt comfortable sharing. Then they created short scenes titled, "The Storm." They jumped into this portion with more energy and enthusiasm. Everyone had something to say about the storm's negative impact on their lives. Even those who had only lost power for a day spoke about trees or gas stations. The gas station fights, lines and tensions had clearly had a major impact on these young people. We then put the scenes on their feet and shared them with each other. As we reflected afterwards about what we had seen happening and what had worked (and why), personal stories started to emerge. I had anticipated this might be a part of this process. However, I felt it was important for my young people who are so used to being "connected" either through social media or school to reconnect after losing their ability to really communicate with each other for over a week. They spoke about the fear when they went outside with no lights in their neighborhood. A normally familiar environment seemed scary with no power. They spoke about the anger at the gas stations – they were not used to seeing adults so out of control. They spoke about bonding with their families and how that was really special for them. They spoke about wanting to come back to school but then returning and it was like being back after summer but there was no vacation. A particularly poignant moment for me was when one young woman spoke of how scary the week was because she was afraid of the dark. The shadows with candles are very different than electricity and the entire week had been enormously stressful. At that point, a large football player in the group spoke up and said, "I'm scared of the dark too. I just hung out with my mom the whole time." There was this moment of synchronicity and awareness that it was okay to be in high school and afraid of the dark. Many of us are. You are not alone.
I told the students that we would be working on curriculum this week but that we would take some time to reconnect with one another and find our rhythm again. Many of them expressed their appreciation for this concept. They came back on Tuesday and they were far more focused and kinder to each other again. It seemed that by taking the time on Monday to acknowledge and address the elephant in the room, we had come back together and could find some head room for academia. And we could once again find room in our hearts for patience and listening. It was remarkable difference. We were still tired. But we continued to give ourselves a break – I slowed down the pace on the curriculum. I brought the group together on Tuesday and again on Thursday to discuss how we would move forward on the curriculum (when we would perform monologues, etc.). I made sure opposing voices were heard, ideas were explored and the students had a voice in the timeline. The stress in the room continued to drop. And even though we had a test midweek on our memorization of the material – everyone passed. We had given ourselves time to breathe and permission to fail. Somehow, that made it safe to pass.


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Dairycon exclusive:
It can be none other than Toiletbot!
Holy Crap!
This is one for the record book, folks. Toiletbot was last seen about 10 years
ago... just before the first Dairycon Convention :-)
Sporting what appears to be articulation and a number of accessories, Toiletbot
marks his triumphant return as a fully-realised production figure for the
Dairycon Convention. Suffice it to say, Dairycon is staying close to its roots
with this one.
Toiletbot will be offered as a Limited Lucky Draw exclusive item to those who
attend the Dairycon Convention. Limited to a handful of pieces at the show, he
will come handsomely packed and with a full array of secret accessories!
Although it's too-late to register for Dairycon, you can watch the site for
additional reveals and updates. It will be a great treat, especially for those
lucky enough to attend!
If you haven't already heard, Confirmation Packets for Dairycon will be mailed
out the week of March 30th. As always, you can visit the Dairyland Transfans
site here:
Or their mirror-site here:
Also discovered would be an image of his Toilet Altmode:
If any of you find him oddly familiar, it's possible you may have seen him before. He appeared at the Botcon '99 art contest, and was shown in Toyfare Magazine (Issue #27) and Lee's AFN #83!
Again, check out the Dairyland Transfans site for more information about this and other figures from this (and past) Dairycons.


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Federal prosecutors have asked judges in two states to authorize the seizure of more than 3,200 cases of controversial workout products from warehouses operated by GNC, the nation's largest specialty retailer of dietary supplements.
With names like Jack3d and OxyElitePro, the workout products contain a stimulant called dimethylamylamine, or DMAA for short. In April, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers that DMAA was an illegal dietary ingredient and that products containing the stimulant could elevate blood pressure, potentially leading to heart attacks.
After the agency's warning, USPlabs, the maker of Jack3d and OxyElite Pro, said the company for business reasons had decided to stop making DMAA products. Some leading retailers withdrew their remaining stocks of DMAA products from store shelves, but GNC continued to sell its inventory.
Greg Miller, a spokesman for GNC, said in an e-mail on Friday that the company believed DMAA to be a "safe, legal dietary ingredient."
But in a challenge to GNC, the Justice Department, acting at the behest of the F.D.A., requested court-ordered seizures this week of both Jack3d and OxyElitePro from GNC warehouses in Leetsdale, Pa., and Anderson, S.C.
According to a complaint filed in Federal District Court in Pittsburgh, the F.D.A. conducted an inspection of the GNC warehouse in Leetsdale this month and collected physical samples, photographed the products and seized shipping records. After the inspection, F.D.A. officials notified GNC that the products were adulterated and being illegally held by the company. On June 11, the F.D.A. ordered GNC to detain the products.
Federal prosecutors filed a similar complaint on Tuesday in Federal District Court in Anderson, S.C., seeking a seizure of the same products at a GNC facility there.
Because the dietary supplement industry tends to voluntarily heed F.D.A. public advisories, the agency rarely feels compelled to take the aggressive tack of seizing products.
Shelly L. Burgess, an F.D.A. spokeswoman, said the agency would not comment.
Mr. Miller, the GNC spokesman, said the company would not distribute the products at its Leetsdale warehouse until the issue with the F.D.A. had been resolved. But, he said, "GNC will continue to sell through its remaining inventory of the products in its stores."
Mr. Miller added that it was unclear to the company why the F.D.A. had initiated the seizure request, given that DMAA-containing products were no longer being made and that distributors other than GNC also had inventories of the products.
"Given this situation," Mr. Miller wrote in his e-mail, "it is hard to view this action as anything other than a biased agency action against GNC in retaliation for GNC's stance on DMAA."
Since early 2008, the F.D.A. has received reports of at least 86 health problems, including at least five deaths, in consumers who used DMAA products. Although such reports do not prove that the stimulant directly caused health problems, agency officials have warned people not to consume the ingredient.


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Deliver in Nashville
Earn at least $400 in Nashville for your first 60 completed deliveries, guaranteed.Get Started
Requirements for Food Delivery Driver
Becoming a Postmate in Nashville is easy! To deliver food part-time:
- Must be 18 years or older
- You can deliver with a car, truck, van, bicycle, motorcycle, or scooter
- Have access to an insured vehicle (unless you have a bicycle)
- Pass a background check
- Have an iPhone or Android smartphone
Looking for more flexibility than a part-time job? Become your own boss with Postmates Fleet. It's free to sign up and fast to get started. With no fees or time commitments, you take home 100% of what you earn when you complete a delivery. No experience necessary.
How it works
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Get free weekly deposits or cash out your earnings instantly anytime you want.Learn More
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Resources for covering healthcare expenses, filing taxes and more.
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Use a scooter, moped, or motorcycle to get around and find parking easily.
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text:
The Nibelungen saga is all about dragons, love, betrayal, gold and Siegfried, the hero of the tale. We find dragons and several Siegfried fountains on the Nibelung Trail and come to love the Odenwald low mountain range.
The Odenwald is situated between the Rhine, Main and Neckar rivers in south-west Germany. The Nibelung Trail is an athletic hike with a total climb of 4,000 metres. The blood red "N" on a white background guides us through the unspoiled Bergstraße-Odenwald UNESCO Global Geopark. We hike through boulder fields and past castles, and every now and again we are treated to expansive vistas of the Rhine Plain. A visit to the Dragon Museum in Lindenfels is a must for the young and the young at heart. We hike through Miltenberg's romantic Old Town and the Baroque town of Amorbach. Hikers can also marvel at living history and visit the Celtic circular ramparts and the Limes, the frontiers of the Roman Empire. The Nibelung Trail is a hiking route shaped by figures throughout history.
Manuel Andrack, editor, presenter, author and hiking blogger:
"I recommend savouring the delicacies of the Nibelung Trail: traditional Apfelwein cider, a refreshing locally brewed beer and the very special Odenwald Kochkäs (sour-curd cheese)."
At a glance: Nibelung Trail
Starts: Zwingenberg
Ends: Freudenberg
Length: 130 km
Number of stages: 7
Altitude variation: lowest point 97 m, highest point 587 m
Terrain: 39% unmade, 17% asphalt, 44% other, e.g. farm tracks
Certified quality hiking trail
Dve uporabni bližnjici za povečavo v brskalniku:
Povečava: +
Pomanjšava: +
Dodatna pomoč vam je na voljo pri ponudniku brskalnika. Do nje dostopate s klikom na ikono:


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Friday prayers at Cairo's Sayyida Zeinab Mosque were translated into sign language this week - a first in an Egyptian mosque. Hundreds of deaf people were among those worshipping at the mosque, where a sign-language interpreter is to be a regular feature, reported The Associated Press.
"I used to get angry about attending the prayers and not being able to understand," Mohammad Abdel-Fattah, who is deaf, told the agency through a translator. "I am very happy that something like this is happening."
Abdel-Fattah has attended Friday prayers every week for decades. This Friday, he was finally able to follow every word.
Ahmed Younes, head of the Egyptian Organization for Rights of the Disabled, said no one should get in the way of a person wanting to be closer to God.
"The deaf and the mute, all over the world, are living in a prison of isolation," he said. "We are opening the way, and we hope it will never be closed again."
There are 7 million disabled among Egypt's 65 million people, Younes said. Of them, 2 million are deaf.
Younes, who is blind, said the Ministry of Religious Endowments gave his organization approval to start with sign-language interpreters in three Cairo mosques and to expand in the future. Some churches in Egypt also have started to provide sign-language interpreters at Sunday services, he said.
"The important thing is that the deaf and mute - no matter what their nationality, social class, wealth, position, color or religion - know their way to God," Younes said.
As the imam spoke from a pulpit Friday about the good deeds of Islam's Prophet Mohammed, hundreds of people watched as Alaa-Eddine el-Sayyed delivered the sheik's remarks in sign language, said the agency.
"I wasn't able to sleep the past two nights for being so excited and happy that I would be the first person to translate the Friday prayers," said el-Sayyed, who works for the Egyptian rights group. "The happiness that I saw in the faces of the deaf and mute made me even happier." – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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President Barack Obama has been re-elected and won by a significant margin. Would my vote have mattered? Not at all. But for the sake of discussion, let's discuss it. When it came down to my vote, there were a number of logical directions. Definitely out of the picture was President Obama himself, as well as Green candidate Jill Stein. As a Republican, perhaps the "lesser of two evils" argument could be convincing enough for Governor Mitt Romney. As a libertarian, the possibility of the 5% threshold could be convincing enough for former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Or even as a Ron Paul supporter, the write-in space could be utilized for the Texas Congressman himself. It was a difficult decision.
For weeks, the thought process was endless. Voting for Romney very well could be worth it just for stopping President Obama, and for a while, it was a convincing thought within my own head. But the more I thought about it, the more my principles got in the way.
What's the next logical step? Gary Johnson could work. The Libertarian Party of Maine is rebuilding after years of minimal activity, and has solid leadership under Chairman Jorge Maderal. The only problem is a number of conflicts with Johnson himself. Johnson is solid on fiscal matters, but on some views, there are some troubling points that got in the way.
Since long before opening day of the Republican primaries, myself and many others in the Ron Paul grassroots were hard at work. A grassroots structure was in place, coordinating efforts to promote through sign waves and other education methods, long before Ron Paul even began formally considering a bid. The Ron Paul state campaign, led by Ryan Flowers, would come to Maine and assist the grassroots in delegate recruitment and organization going into the caucuses. A hard, long fight would result in incredible gains.
This hard work was defeated in the end and that would have been fine, had the defeat been fair. But it was not. The Romney campaign had their reliable State chairman Peter Cianchette lead a delegation challenge alongside sore loser Jan Staples, which would divide the party at the launch of the general election. The lawyers for the campaign would then hijack the Republican Party at the National Convention, seizing control of the nomination process and ensuring nobody "think outside the box" anymore.
Inside the Republican Party, one thing has become clear: People are to shut up and tow the party line. Charlie Webster didn't tolerate the legitimate questions of his failing operation after the February caucuses, which we a disaster. He slammed the concerned party members and attacked the new activists who had been wronged, calling them names such as "wing nuts." What kind of leadership is this?
Now after this, and everything else discussed recently on my blog, the Republican Party has lost. They lost not by one vote, or two. They d didn't even lose because everyone went third party. Even with the third party votes, the Republican Party, like in 2008, still would have gotten crush. It's time for the leadership to stop hiding behind the third party excuse and admit there is a very serious problem within.
Tuesday afternoon, I approached the enclosed booth with my ballot in hand. A decision had to be made. Would I vote for Mitt Romney, a candidate I disagree with on a number of issues and was at heart, really just the status quo? Would I vote for Gary Johnson, a candidate who was not a pure libertarian at heart, but could lead the Libertarian Party to 5%? Would I write-in Ron Paul and help make a statement against the Republican Party establishment that discarded all the hard work myself and fellow supporters put in?
The decision I made would be…
Write-in Congressman Ron Paul.


text:
Press Release
The Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE), the leading technical society for the motion imaging industry, will bestow a total of ten awards, including five gold medal awards, at a gala event at SMPTE 2008: Annual Tech Conference & Expo (http://smpte2008.org). Birney D. Dayton, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of audio/visual technology company NVISION, will be honored with the prestigious Progress Medal for designing numerous industry-changing, digital audio, standard and high definition products and technologies.
Ten industry leaders will also be named SMPTE Fellows. The 2008 Honors & Awards Ceremony and Reception will take place on Thursday, October 30, on the closing night of the conference and trade show, which is dedicated to content creation, management, distribution and display technologies. Emceeing the red carpet gala will be executive producer and television personality Robb Weller.
"Since 1934 SMPTE has honored a handful of professionals each year who have significantly advanced the entertainment technology industry," said Kimberly Maki, SMPTE and SMPTE 2008 executive director. "Recipients are selected by an extensive review process conducted by fellow innovators and honored at the kind of red carpet event that Hollywood does best."
The SMPTE 2008 Honors & Awards Ceremony and Reception is sponsored by Dalsa and Sony.
- The Progress Medal, which will be given to Dayton, recognizes outstanding contributions to the progress of motion picture and television engineering.
- The Eastman Kodak Gold Medal, honoring outstanding contributions that lead to new or unique educational programs utilizing motion pictures, television, or photography, will be bestowed upon David Master, founder of non-profit educational organization ACME Animation, for his innovations in distance learning for animators.
- The Technicolor/Hebert T. Kalmus Gold Medal, recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of color films, processing, techniques or equipment for making color motion pictures, will be given to Michael E. Ryan, film technology director for entertainment imaging at Eastman Kodak, for his contributions to the development of color negative film products and his pioneering work in electron sensitization technology.
- The Fuji Gold Medal for the design and development of techniques and equipment advancing photographic or electronic image origination will be bestowed on Dr. Albert Theuwissen, professor at Delft University of Technology and founder of Harvest Imaging, for his contributions to solid-state image sensing.
- The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal for design and development of methods and/or equipment for sound-on-film motion pictures will be given to Shawn F. Jones, chief engineer and CTO of NT Audio, for his innovative work in optical negative recording and multi-format digital mastering.
Members are elevated to Fellows when, by proficiency and contributions, they have attained an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in the motion picture, television or related industries.
The following industry leaders will be named SMPTE Fellows: Merrick Ackermans, engineering technology fellow, Turner Broadcasting Systems; Jerry Butler, senior director interconnection projects, Public Broadcasting Service; Tze Cheong Fung, production director, Digital Magic Ltd.; Matthew S. Goldman, VP, Technology, TANDBERG Television; Al Kovalick, Avid fellow, Avid Technology; Lenny Lipton, CTO, Real D; John C. Miller, product technical specialist, Eastman Kodak Company; Ann Marie Rohaly, senior program manager, Microsoft, Inc.; Ernesto Santos, marketing & sales director, MOG Solutions; and J. Patrick Waddell, technical marketing manager, Harmonic Inc.
Five additional awards and scholarships will be bestowed at the ceremony. They are:
- The Journal Award, to be given to Richard B. Wheeler, senior principal scientist and Nestor M. Rodriquez, senior technical associate, both at Eastman Kodak Company
- Journal Certificate of Merit, to be bestowed on Tomlinson Holman, professor, University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, and Paul W. Jones, co-founder of Certifi Media Inc., and Thomas O. Maier, research fellow, Entertainment Imaging Business Unit, Eastman Kodak Company
- Citation of Outstanding Service to the Society, to be given to Patricia Keighley, vice president/general manager, David Keighley Productions 70mm, Inc. and Harold L. Miller, retired, formerly of Technicolor
- Society Citation, to be given to Christopher Lennon, director, integration & standards, Harris Corporation and Stanley N. Baron, former managing director, television technology, NBC and former SMPTE President, 1995-1996
- Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship to be awarded to Jeremy Mark Littler, student at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
Companies interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at SMPTE 2008 should contact Kimberly Maki, 914 761-1100 x4960.
About SMPTE 2008: Annual Tech Conference & Expo
SMPTE 2008: Annual Tech Conference & Expo takes place October 28 - 30, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, CA. It is preceded by the full-day symposium, Filmmaking and Live Event Broadcast, on October 27, 2008, at the same location. Produced by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the leading technical society for the motion imaging industry, SMPTE 2008 is created by entertainment technology professionals, for entertainment technology professionals. It features educational sessions and a hands-on show floor that highlight new and emerging media technologies of practical use to content creation, management, distribution and display professionals. Register at: (http://smpte2008.org/register).
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is the leading technical society for the motion imaging industry. As an internationally recognized and accredited standards-setting body, SMPTE develops standards, recommended practices and guidelines and spearheads educational activities to advance engineering and moving imagery. Since its founding in 1916, the Society has established close to 600 standards, including the physical dimensions of 35mm film and the SMPTE time code. More recently, it codified the MXF file format to support the exchange of professional AV content and crafted the Digital Cinema Standards, which paved the way for digital movie theaters. Headquartered in New York, SMPTE is comprised of engineers and other technical specialists, IT and new media professionals, filmmakers, manufacturers, educators and consultants in more than 65 countries. They are joined at SMPTE by more than 200 sponsoring corporations, principal players in content creation, production and delivery for all platforms and in entertainment hardware and software. http://www.smpte.org
Photos to Download
Birney Dayton, President and CEO, NVISION
Progress Medal honoree
Robb Weller, partner/executive producer, Weller/Grossman Productions
2008 Honors & Award's Reception and Ceremony emcee
Kimberly Maki, executive director, SMPTE and SMPTE 2008


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This past weekend, nature reminded us who is really in charge of this spherical rock. As heavy storms blasted the eastern seaboard, hundreds of thousands were left without power for days on end. As of this morning many still do not have command of their electricity. Inevitably, a lot of those folks are gamers.
As our options for technological entertainment have increased, so has our reliance on their existence. Ironically, as power outages have become more bearable due to laptops, smartphones, handheld systems, tablets and eReaders, our frustration with blackouts seems to have skyrocketed. Gamers have more ways than ever to occupy their time during an outage, yet the angst over when the TV-based systems and the PCs come back on is as strong as ever.
So what is a realistic attitude that a gamer should adopt during a prolonged power outage? Obviously, there are a litany of other ways to entertain oneself. Curating interests that don't depend on a TV or an Internet connection would be the prudent measure, but of course that information doesn't help you if you're reading this in the dark on your dying iPhone.
It must be mentioned, though it also falls into the "doesn't help me now" category, is that keeping your stuff charged when it's sitting around at home is a great way to stay ahead of the game. Again, that doesn't fix the sad noise your iPad just made as it hit 10 percent battery remaining, but remember that for next time.
It also must be said that one can simply remain obdurate in the face of dead power outlets. You can run all your gadgets down to zero, squeezing whatever you have left on your laptop, Nintendo 3DS, Vita, phone, tablet or whatever you have lying around. The problem is, nothing eats batteries on a device quite like games (except maybe watching movies, another power outage pitfall). Eventually, the downed lines are going to outlast you unless you slink out of the house to find a working outlet to charge up.
Being a gamer and needing electricity for enjoyment aren't really the same thing. The gamer's mind is one that enjoys challenge, complexity, storytelling and interactivity. Those things can be achieved devoid of the presence of electricity, we're just trained to think otherwise.
Now may be a great time to finally investigate paper-and-pencil role playing games like "Dungeons and Dragons" or gather some people for an in-depth board game. A lot of the same things we love about video games are prevalent in these two predecessor mediums, but without the magic of electronic power they are now relegated to specialty stops and comic book stores. "Settlers of Catan," "Axis and Allies" and "Dominion" are all excellent in-depth board games that provide a familiar video game feel without all that messy electricity.
You could certainly run out and find one of these games right now if you're still in the dark (pick up a few candles, too) but at some point, you should definitely put together a gaming emergency kit. Stock it with a few good paperbacks, the "Dungeons and Dragons" starter set and a board game or two that is a little deeper than "Candyland." Put a big "break in case of emergency" sticker on it and you're all set.
A power outage is a good time to take a deep breathe and enjoy the silence of a simpler time. Even for the most dedicated gamer, taking a healthy break, even if it's just for 24 hours, can do wonders. Still, the games don't have to stop because the power does.
Lights out, game over: Alternatives for the gamer without power
This past weekend, nature reminded us who is really in charge of this spherical rock. As heavy storms blasted the eastern seaboard, hundreds of thousands were left without power for days on end. As of this morning many still do not have command of their electricity. Inevitably, a lot of those folks are gamers.


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J.C. Derrick – WORLD Magazine
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As a candidate in 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama promised to have in his first year in office "an immigration bill that I strongly support." Almost five years later, absent White House action to date, Obama used his Feb. 12 State of the Union address to speak again on immigration reform: "Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants." Obama's inaction on immigration has been viewed with suspicion: Perhaps he prefers to continue using the issue as a political tool rather than push for a solution to a broken system. But Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the son of Cuban immigrants, are ready to put the president's sentiments on immigration to the test by pushing for reform—even though Democrats soundly beat Republicans at the polls among Latino voters in last year's presidential election. Standing against comprehensive reform is Washington's influential anti-immigration lobby, already credited with successfully taking down immigration reform efforts in 2007. Groups working to reduce immigration are led by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), NumbersUSA, and the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). While these groups draw ample support from otherwise pro-life Republicans, they are driven by extreme environmentalist views and focus heavily on radical population control. One of the strongest voices for population control via limits to immigration is John Tanton. In 2011 The New York Times called him "the most influential unknown man in America." A Michigan doctor, Tanton spent the early part of his career starting local Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club chapters in the 1960s and '70s. For two years he served as national president of Zero Population Growth. He then turned his attention to immigration, directly or indirectly helping found FAIR (1979), CIS (1985), and NumbersUSA (1997), groups that separately engage the public, produce research, and lobby Congress for the same thing: lower immigration. Today these groups say they have the ear of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, while it's mostly Republicans who place a high priority on securing the borders before creating new pathways to legal immigration. The groups played key roles in defeating changes to federal immigration law in 2002 and 2007, and have worked with statehouse Republicans to enact laws restricting immigration in Arizona, Georgia, and Alabama. On Capitol Hill and in state capitals, Republicans push hardest for tougher laws, but many board members and financial backers of FAIR, CIS, and NumbersUSA are anything but social conservatives. Tanton serves on the FAIR board with Sarah G. Epstein, one of many past or present board members to work also for Planned Parenthood. Epstein once called China's one-child policy "compassionate and fair" and is now working to obtain FDA approval for the dangerous quinacrine sterilization drug—"a permanent contraceptive solution" that sterilizes women by burning the fallopian tubes and upper uterus with acid. Population control financiers, led by Colcom Foundation, donate millions to FAIR, CIS, NumbersUSA, and other groups like Negative Population Growth—an organization committed to cutting world population from its current 7 billion to below 2 billion. FAIR also has received funding from the Pioneer Fund, a group seeking to restore "the Darwinian-Galtonian perspective to the mainstream"—a reference to Charles Darwin and his cousin, Francis Galton, the father of eugenics. Population control efforts arise out of support for abortion, eugenics, and reduced immigration, and are used to further extreme environmentalist beliefs. "U.S. environmental sustainability is not possible unless we greatly reduce immigration numbers," NumbersUSA president Roy Beck wrote in 2010 on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Yet that extremist ideology hasn't stopped GOP lawmakers—including Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and former Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif. (both members of the conservative Republican Study Committee)—along with other pro-lifers from working with the groups. Do conservatives mind these associations? Pro-life Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, currently a member of the House Immigration Reform caucus, said, "If any group or organization supports the same thing that most of my constituents do, then to that extent we are in agreement." The influence of anti-immigration groups goes beyond Congress: Conservative activists like Eagle Forum president Phyllis Schlafly quote CIS research as unbiased fact. Last year she cited CIS reports painting immigrants as underachieving welfare recipients sucking life out of the U.S. economy. "The notion that foreigners are better and brighter than Americans is nonsense," she wrote. Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations at NumbersUSA, said her group doesn't deceive lawmakers about its purpose: "We're very clear about what we are." But GOP lawmakers who don't favor the groups' population control and pro-abortion policies appear content to cast themselves alongside them as immigration hawks. A 2001 John Tanton letter to Gary Gerst, NumbersUSA board chairman, detailed plans to hire a lobbyist who would work to "change Republicans' perception of immigration so that when they encounter the word 'immigrant,' their reaction is 'Democrat.'" With the help of 9/11, it seems to have worked for awhile: The House Immigration Reform Caucus, which favors border security over any other changes to immigration law, hit 110 members in 2007. Yet only 58 remain as the 113th Congress begins, with more Republicans distancing themselves from enforcement-only positions on immigration. Republicans' efforts to restrict immigration have hurt them politically, according to Hispanic Leadership Fund President Mario Lopez. Lopez recently wrote a report published in The Human Life Review documenting the entangling associations between anti-immigration and population control groups, and he told me Republicans have created a self-fulfilling prophecy. The pitch, he said, is: "'It's OK to say you hate immigrants because they're never going to vote for you anyway.' Then Republicans go out and do it, and the population control groups say, 'See I told you so.'" Many factors contribute to Republican views on immigration, but competing worldviews are also shaping the heart of the debate: Are people an asset or a liability? For Christians who believe humans are made in the image of God, they're an asset. For those who believe humans are destroying the earth with their CO2 emissions, they're a liability. Rosemary Jenks at NumbersUSA said her group advocates for lower immigration levels to improve the economy and quality of life. She said allowing low-skilled immigrants into the country is "importing poverty." World Relief and other organizations want to change that perception among evangelicals, asking them to read one scripture about immigrants per day for 40 days. The National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and other groups are promoting the "I Was a Stranger" challenge—based on Matthew 25—in their member churches. Richard Land, president of SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, told me about 80 percent of Southern Baptists agree with his view of immigration reform, which includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers, or illegal immigrants. He believes most conservatives cooperate with anti-immigration groups because they don't know the real objectives behind the rhetoric: "Most conservatives reject the philosophy of population control and do see human beings as assets, not liabilities—certainly the pro-life movement does." The current immigration reform debate in Washington could turn on how far conservatives—including a new generation of lawmakers like Rubio—choose to extend their pro-life beliefs. READ MORE: http://www.worldmag.com/2013/02/friend_or_foe/page1


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Halle is a destination for those who enjoy the good things in life: few other places have such a high concentration of fine restaurants, exclusive shops and outstanding art and culture. In the historical, largely intact centre, there is an enthralling contrast between the beautiful squares lined with grand old buildings and the youthful buzz of a modern town.
If you stroll through the streets of the old quarter, you feel history at every turn. But Halle is also a lively contemporary town with bustling cafés, restaurants and bars. Chic shopping arcades, huge department stores and pretty little boutiques are never short of customers, and the large town squares are simply pulsating with life. Universitätsplatz, for example, boasts an ensemble of neo-classical buildings, while Marktplatz, the largest square in Halle, first served as a marketplace for weavers and cloth merchants 800 years ago. At the centre of the square is the statue of the composer George Frideric Handel, who was born in Halle in 1685. From here you can make out the silhouette of five towers, which together form the town's signature skyline.
At home with Martin Luther and George Frideric Handel
The Red Tower is one of Halle's famous five towers and is well worth seeing – and hearing. It has the third largest carillon in the world with 76 bells and weighs over 45 tonnes in total. The other towers belong to the Church of St. Mary, also known as the market church. Inside the church is the death mask of Martin Luther , a life-like representation of the religious reformer. The church's great organ was inaugurated in the presence of Johann Sebastian Bach. Today, 300 years on, it is still an uplifting experience to hear it being played. The cathedral quarter takes you back to even earlier times. Not far from the old Dominican church is the house where Handel was born, a Renaissance building that has served as a museum dedicated to the great composer since 1948.
One of mankind's great treasures: the Nebra Sky Disk
The sun, moon and stars on Halle's coat of arms could well be an allusion to the world-famous Nebra Sky Disk, the oldest visual representation of the cosmos in human history. You can marvel at this 3,600-year-old treasure at the Regional Museum of Prehistory, one of the most important archaeological museums in Europe. This exceptional attraction paints a vivid picture of life in the Stone and Bronze Ages, when Neanderthals, cave lions and mammoths dominated the landscape. Rather more contemporary is the Art Museum of Saxony-Anhalt at Moritzburg Palace, which boasts a high-calibre exhibition of paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs and handicrafts from the 19th and 20th century. In Halle you can also visit the opera, playhouse, cabaret or variety theatre, and afterwards enjoy all that the town has to offer.
مجموعتي أزرار مفيدة لغرض التكبير في المتصفح:
تكبير: +
تصغير: +
يمكنك لدى عارض برنامج التصفح الحصول على المزيد من المساعدة من خلال النقر على الأيقونة:


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Hi Lightning,
I hadn't visited the forum for quite a while and was amazed to see that there was a new release (0.4.5). I started using FreeSCO around 2000(?) when Serge was still active. I remember that he kind of disappeared for a year or two then left a post saying he was impressed on what had been done with FreeSCO. By then you had taken the reigns and continued the excellent progress. Around that time, I started using Red Hat, then Fedora, etc. I have been exclusively Linux since around 2003 and have continued my learning experience. I never took the time to thank you for all you have done with FreeSCO, but:
Thank You for my introduction into Linux and your excellent stewardship of FreeSCO!.
I have had a great time with Linux


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TV development executive Jennifer Salke, a driving force behind hit series like Glee and Modern Family, has been named the new President of NBC Entertainment, Chairman Robert Greenblatt announced Wednesday.
"There is no one in the television business more perfect for this job than Jennifer Salke," Greenblatt said in a statement. "I've known and worked with her for many years and have the utmost respect for her creative instincts, her relationships with talent of all kinds, and probably most of all, her taste. Her incredible tenure at Twentieth Century Fox Television, where she was instrumental in developing two of network television's biggest hits, Glee and Modern Family, is unmatched. This is truly a significant moment for NBC as we continue to rebuild the network from top to bottom and put together the best possible team."
NBC Entertainment President Angela Bromstad to exit
Salke will be in charge of daytime and prime-time programming for the Peacock network, effective immediately. She replaces Angela Bromstad, who left the company shortly after the Comcast merger in January.
"I can't express how excited I am to be joining Bob at NBC and to be joining a company with the breadth and vision of Comcast," Salke said. "I've known Bob well for many years and have admired him both professionally and personally. I believe together, we will foster a creative and successful environment at NBC. This is an incredible opportunity and one I look forward to with great passion and excitement."
NBC chief Robert Greenblatt explains his new fall schedule
Salke joins NBC months before two new series she helped develop — The Playboy Club and Awake — will premiere on the network. As Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs at Twentieth Century Fox TV, Salke also helped develop Raising Hope, Glee and Modern Family. Going back further, she played a role in the development of Fox hits such as Bones and Prison Break, after working at Aaron Spelling Productions on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place in the '90s.
For this coming 2011-2012 TV season, Salke also helped develop Apartment 23 and Last Man Standing for ABC, The New Girl and Terra Nova for Fox and Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story at FX.


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Eid ul Fitr, Eid al Fitr, Id ul Fitr, or Id alFitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر), often abbreviated to Eid, is a two days Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid Al Fitr is a day of joy and thanksgiving. On this day, Muslims show their joy for the health, strength and opportunities of life, which Allah has given them to fulfill their obligations of fasting and other good deeds during the month of Ramadan. It is considered unholy to fast on this day. It is also a day of forgetting old grudges and ill feelings towards others.
ഹിജ്റ വർഷം ശവ്വാൽ മാസത്തിലെ ആദ്യ ദിവസമുള്ള ലോക മുസ്ലീംകളുടെ ആഘോഷമാണ് ഈദുൽ ഫിത്ർ അഥവാ ചെറിയ പെരുന്നാൾ. റമദാൻ വ്രതമനുഷ്ഠാനത്തിന്റെ പരിസമാപ്തികുറിച്ച് കോണ്ടാണ് ഈദുൽ ഫിത്ർ ആഘോഷിക്കപ്പെടുന്നത് . ഈദുൽ ഫിത്വർ എന്നാൽ മലയാളിക്ക് ചെറിയ പെരുന്നാളാണ്. ഈദ് എന്ന അറബിക് പദത്തിന് ആഘോഷം എന്നും ഫിത്ർ എന്ന പദത്തിന് നോമ്പു തുറക്കൽ എന്നുമാണ് അർത്ഥം. അതിനാൽ റമദാൻ മാസമുടനീളം ആചരിച്ച നോമ്പിന്റെ പൂർത്തികരണത്തിനൊടുവിലുള്ള നോമ്പുതുറ എന്നതാണ് ഈദുൽ ഫിത്ർ എന്നത് പ്രതിനിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്നത്. ഈദിന്റെ (പെരുന്നാളിന്റെ) ആദ്യ ദിനം റമദാൻ കഴിഞ്ഞു വരുന്ന മാസമായ ശവ്വാൽ ഒന്നിനായിരിക്കും
Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "original nature," implying the restoration of one's best human composition. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the thirty days of dawn to sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The first day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month Shawwal.
Eid-ul-Fitr Salat (Namaz in Persian) is a Sunnah muak'kad (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob (preferable) depending on which juristic opinion is followed Islamic prayer consisting of two raka'ah (units) which is generally offered in an open field or large hall called an Eed-gah. This salaat or prayer, can only be performed with Jama'at (i.e., in congregation) and has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying Allahu Akbar (God is Great), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school. Muslims are commanded by God in the Qur'an to complete their fast until the last day of Ramadan and pay the Zakat al-fitr before doing the Eid prayer.
Eid in India
Muslims form India is largest minority and constitute almost 12% of the country's total population. Islam is also the most recent religion added to India. Islam came to India in 12th century AD and began interacting with the Indian culture, particularly under the Mughal era. Needless to say, it was a mutually enriching experience.
In India, some popular places for Muslims to congregate to celebrate Eid at this time include the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, Aishbagh Idgah in Lucknow; in Kolkata there is a prayer held on Red Road. Muslims turn out in the thousands, as there is a lot of excitement surrounding the celebration of this festival. Eid is a public holiday and is celebrated all over India. It is common for non-Muslims to visit their Muslim friends and neighbours on Eid to convey their good wishes.
Eid Greeting Eid Mubarak
The traditional Eid greeting is Eid Mubarak, and it is frequently followed by a formal embrace. Gifts are frequently given new clothes are part of the tradition and it is also common for children to be given small sums of money (Eidi) by their elders. It is common for children to offer salam to parents and adult relatives.
After the Eid prayers, it is common for some families to visit graveyards and pray for the salvation of departed family members. Also common to visit older family member and get together to celebrate Eid and to share the meals that only exist on Eid.
Eid Dishes
Special celebratory dishes in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh include sivayyan, a dish of fine, toasted sweet vermicelli noodles with milk and dried fruit. In Bangladesh, the dish is called shemai( bengali: সেমাই ). Many people also avail themselves of this opportunity to distribute zakat, an Islamic obligatory alms tax of 2.5% of one's annual savings, to the needy.
Eid HistoryBefore the advent of Islam in Arabia, we find mention of 'id festivals as yawm al-sab' and yawm al-sabasab as well as some others among the idolaters of Arabia. The shari'ah of the Israelites had 'id festivals as well but as is evident from the Old Testament and other scriptures, these festivals related more to commemorating certain days of their history. The 'id al-fitr was originated by Prophet Muhammad and is observed on the first of the month of Shawwal right after the end of the holy month of Ramadan in which the believers undergo a period of fasting.
It is evident from certain Ahadith that these festivals were initiated in Madinah after migration. Anas reports:
When the Prophet arrived in Madinah, he found people celebrating two specific days in which they used to entertain themselves by playing and merriment. He asked them about the nature of these festivities at which they replied that these days were occasions of fun and recreation of the days of jahilliyah. At this, the Prophet remarked that the Almighty has fixed two days [of festivity] instead of these for you which are better than these: 'id al-fitr and 'id al-adha
For Muslims, both these festivals of 'id al-fitr and 'id al-adha are occasions of showing gratitude to God, remembering him and are a means of entertainment. 'A'ishah narrates that when on an 'id day her father Abu Bakr stopped young girls from singing, the Prophet said: Abu Bakr! [Let them sing]; every nation has an 'id and [this day] is our 'id.


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| 10.9°C Belfast
The ambulance service is on the verge of "breaking down" because staff are suffering high levels of stress amid long working hours and tight targets, according to a new report.
A survey of 1,300 ambulance staff by Unison found that one in five described their work-life balance as "terrible".
A third said they had taken time off work in the past year because of stress, while some revealed they were "suffering in silence" because they were scared to report health problems.
Unison's head of health, Christina McAnea, said: "The Government needs to take work related stress in the ambulance service seriously or it will break down.
"Our members accept that their jobs can be physically demanding and challenging. However, some now tell us they are suffering from heart palpitations, flashbacks, nightmares, migraines, depression and an overall feeling of despair. As a result, many are actively looking to leave the profession.
"Last year, a third of ambulance workers experienced violence in the line of duty. Sadly, they are seen as easy targets especially late at night when the pubs and clubs turn-out.
"Stress is a silent time bomb ticking away and it is unacceptable that such high levels are part of normal life for ambulance crews. It is clear the pressure caused by funding cuts is having an impact on patient safety. Higher call out rates and lengthy waits outside A&E add to the problem."
Work related stress will be debated at Unison's annual healthcare conference in Brighton next week.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "The ambulance service is performing well - arriving on scene in under eight minutes in more than 75% of the most life-threatening cases.
"But we know the service is getting busier so since 2010, the NHS has recruited 16% more paramedics to help.
"Longer term, NHS England is carrying out a review to look at demands on services and how the NHS should respond.
"Violence against NHS staff is unacceptable. Employers must make sure staff are properly supported - we know that staff who are happier in their roles can give better care."


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Salmon Have the Right Of Way Reggie Gebo Style
I am happy to report I have recently re-connected with my Uncle Reggie Gebo. We were talking on facebook and he told me he usually catches about 60 to 70 salmon a year in the Great Lakes of Michigan!?
It is not often I get to showcase a family member and it made me realize that we often forget and take for granted our salmon abundance.
My Uncle Reggie has traveled to many cool places and is an outstanding cook. He has recently started a blog for all of his travels and of his very unique recipes. His new blog is a work in progress so keep checking back often. He adds new content daily!
One dish that really caught my sockeye (excuse the pun) was this Salmon and Zucchini Olive Oil Dish and the Linguine with Salmon and Zucchini dinner.
And then of course dessert! This is his Danish Rice Pudding with Brandy Glazed Cherry Sauce.
If you need a fresh cooking and travel perspective for Spring- I encourage you to check out all of Reggie Gebo's recipes, tips and travel pictures on his new blog. Enjoy!
Lisa Jachimowicz
Suquamish/Poulsbo, Washington
Designs of the Times -What Inspires You?
Design is everywhere. It can be in the food we eat, the art we buy or the Jewelry we wear. The Designs of the Times Blog is about the people, places and things that help us a enjoy the abundance of creativity all around us. Join us as we showcase the rich designs of our surroundings that make up this great area we call home- Kitsap County! We hope to bring inspiration, joy and creativity to all who read our Blog.


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Vikings RB Adrian Peterson finds solace amid tragic death of 2-year-old son
Sports as an escape from real life is a comforting notion. The truth, though, is that it's the opposite. The games are always a reflection of real life—and a reflection of how human beings deal with it.
So separating the two is almost never realistic. In taking the field for Minnesota against Carolina Sunday, Adrian Peterson chose to face the two colliding factors of his reality the only way anybody can. He has lost a child in the most horrific manner imaginable -- and he's still a professional football player. He's chosen to engage both: he is working through the agony of his loss, and he is engaging himself in what he does best.
PHOTOS: Peterson's return to the field | MORE: NFL scoreboard | AP's tragic life
It is no easier for Peterson than it is for everybody else who has ever faced that -- no matter if they play in the NFL or not. No one makes the same choice for the same reason.
Peterson didn't have his best game: 62 yards on 10 carries in an overall lackluster showing by the Vikings in a 35-10 blowout by Carolina. The numbers were far worse after Minnesota's first two possessions — they ended in an interception and a punt, and Peterson gained one yard on four carries on the two drives.
The star of the game, the Panthers' Cam Newton, sought Peterson out for a huge embrace afterward, reflecting the outpouring of support from the players, the league, the teams and everyone connected to him. That, for the most part, also reflected the NFL environment's approval of his decision to take the field at one of the most tragic periods of his brief life.
Peterson seems superhuman in uniform on the field, but he is also just No. 28 and as human as the rest of us. There's no blueprint for this, no direct parallel from his past to drawn on. And even if there was, there's none that applies to how that should fit into his football life.
MORE: Vikings-Panthers recap | Best images from Week 6 action
"You may ask why," Peterson said in a statement sent to Fox Sports Sunday morning. "God wants good to come from it ... we mourn and grieve but heaven had the baddest welcoming party for my son. That knowledge gives me peace. I'm still hurt and feel the pain of life, but I'm able to function because of the peace and joy of knowing my loved ones are in a much better place. '
That's where Adrian Peterson is Sunday. He has found a way for those sides of his life to co-exist. For the first time, he is a grieving father. But he is also still an NFL running back. It is all part of who he is.
He cannot escape either one.


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|Thug Boy
Click here to visit site
|Short review: Thug Boy was an easy web-site, no hidden anything to try to decipher, no avenues of foreplay going here and there to follow. Everything from the links was just as it should be and the content was attractive. The tattoos and hard bodies of these rough studs portray that they are the boss, but once you touch their schlongs, they melt like Spring snow. Screen cap photographs and film flicks top the content choices.


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Dombey and Son Summary
(Critical Survey of Literature for Students)
Download Dombey and Son Study Guide
Mr. Dombey is a stiff, dignified man who rarely shows emotion, but the birth of his infant son, who is named Paul, is cause for rejoicing. Mr. Dombey longed many years for a child who would become the Son of his mercantile firm of Dombey and Son. The fact that Mrs. Dombey dies shortly after the boy's birth does not particularly concern him; his attention centers entirely on the little infant. Mr. Dombey also has a daughter, Florence, but she means nothing to him, for she cannot take a place in the firm.
Little Paul is first given over to a wet nurse, but the woman is considered unreliable and is dismissed. After her dismissal, little Paul is cared for by Mr. Dombey's sister and one of her friends. Despite their vigilant care, however, the boy suffers from poor health. He is listless and never cares to play. At last, Mr. Dombey arranges to have him sent to a home at Brighton, together with his sister, to benefit from the sea air.
Paul loves his sister very much, and they are constant companions, but Paul's love for Florence only makes Mr. Dombey dislike the girl. He resents the fact that she is healthy when his son is not, and he feels that his daughter is coming between him and his son.
One weekend while Mr. Dombey is visiting at Brighton, Walter Gay, a young clerk in his firm, comes to the inn where Mr. Dombey and his children are dining. Some time before, the clerk rescued Florence from an old thief. Now his uncle is about to become a bankrupt, and Walter comes to ask for a loan to save his uncle's shop. Mr. Dombey lets little Paul, then six years old, make the decision. Paul asks Florence what he should do; she tells him to lend the money, and he does.
Shortly afterward, little Paul is placed in a private school at Brighton, where he is to be educated as quickly as possible. The pace of his studies proves too much for him, and before the year is out his health breaks down. Even after his father takes him home to London, he does not seem to grow any better. He dies a few months later, deeply mourned by his father and his sister, although for different reasons.
Mr. Dombey takes his son's death as a personal blow of fate to his plans. His sister and her friend become so concerned about him that they persuade him to take a trip to Leamington with Major Bagstock, a retired officer. While in Leamington, they meet Edith Granger, a young widow whose mother the major knew. Mr. Dombey begins to court Mrs. Granger, seeing in her a beautiful, well-bred young woman who will grace his household and provide him with an heir. Mrs. Granger, coaxed by an aged mother who is concerned for her own and her daughter's welfare, finally accepts Mr. Dombey, although she is not in love with him.
Florence saw young Walter several times since their meeting at Brighton. After her brother's death, she comes to look upon Walter as a substitute brother, despite his lowly station. Their friendship is broken temporarily when Mr. Dombey sends Walter on a mission to the West Indies. Weeks pass, and no word is heard of the ship on which he sailed. Everyone believes that it sank and that Walter drowned.
After Mrs. Granger accepts Mr. Dombey's suit, they begin to make plans for the wedding and for reopening the Dombey house in London. Edith Granger first meets Florence at the house. The two immediately become fast friends, even though Mr. Dombey dislikes his daughter and makes it plain that he does not want his wife to become too fond of the girl.
Mr. Dombey's second marriage is unsuccessful from the start. Edith is too proud to give in to Mr. Dombey's attempts to dictate to her and to his claim upon her as a piece of merchandise, and she resists him in every way. Dombey, who is too dignified to argue with her, begins to send his business manager, Mr. Carker, to tell his wife that he is dissatisfied with her conduct. Carker warns Mrs. Dombey that, unless she obeys Mr. Dombey, Florence will be the one to suffer. Edith thereupon becomes outwardly cool...
(The entire section is 1,216 words.)


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I am attempting to create a program for class that flips a coin 1000 times and counts the number of heads and tails. I have to use the following methods in this class:
public boolean isHeads(); returns true if heads
void flip();flips the coin. I also have to use Math.random here and im not 100% on this
String toString(); outputs the current face of the coin
here is what i have so far any guidance would be a blessing. Thank you.
my errors are with the myCoin.flip because the "." im not sure what to put as my if statement. i believe i have confused myself.public class Coin { int TAILS; int HEADS; double randomNum; void flip() { flip(); randomNum = (int)Math.random(); } public boolean isHeads() { return (randomNum == HEADS); } public String toString() { String faceName; if (randomNum == HEADS) faceName = "HEADS"; else faceName = "TAILS"; return faceName; } public static void main(String[] args) { Coin myCoin = new Coin(); int h = 0; int t = 0; for(int flips = 0; flips < 1000; flips++) { if (myCoin.flip < 0.5) h++; else t++; } } }


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Royal fever hit Australia on Saturday as Prince Harry received a warm welcome as he arrived in Sydney for his first official visit to the country.
The Prince was greeted by thousands of well-wishers who hoped to catch a glimpse of the cheerful royal.
The 29-year-old's brief visit to Australia was to mark the Navy's International Fleet Review, and the Prince was invited as guest of honour.
Huge crowds gathered as Harry took part in a brief meet and greet with members of the public. One boy gave Harry a toy koala, perhaps a gift for his nine-week-old nephew Prince George. After thanking the boy and his parents, the Prince posed for a photograph with the family.
The Prince who was dressed in his white army uniform, then boarded the HMAS Leeuwin, at Sydney's Garden Island naval base where he inspected the flotilla and was joined by Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce.
Ships from around the world, including US, Britain, India and Thailand, have arrived in Sydney to mark the centenary celebrations.
The event is Harry's only scheduled public appearance for the royal and after the brief visit he will travel to Dubai for a Senteble charity dinner.
After reviewing the flotilla, Harry posed with Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his family.
The Prince seemed a hit with Tony's wife Margie and their two daughters, Frances, 22 and Bridge, 20, and the group laughed and smiled as they took part in the photocall.
"They're both very excited to see you," the Prime Minister told Prince Harry as he introduced him to his two daughters.
The celebrations in Sydney have been held to mark Australia's naval centenary and millions were expected to take part in the day which concluded with a spectacular firework display.


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Drive down costs and accelerate user acceptance and productivity by delivering any combination of more than 200 supported operating systems with VMware Workstation and Fusion. VMware solutions simplify the delivery of corporate desktops to laptops you don't necessarily own, extend the life of legacy applications on modern hardware and reduce the downtime and shipping costs associated with deploying new laptops.
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Now you can continue running your favorite Windows applications on the laptop you love, side by side with your Mac applications, sharing files and system resources quickly and reliably.
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Deploy mission-critical, legacy applications on modern hardware while taking advantage of compliance and security technologies available for the latest host operating systems.
Rapidly deliver standardized corporate desktops to user-owned Macs and PCs, policy-secured and Active Directory authorized.
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Create time-bound, encrypted, local virtual desktops that auto-expire and can even remove themselves from remote machines.
Reduce CapEx and OpEx associated with remote laptops with centrally controlled, cloud-deployed, local virtual desktops. Easily reclaim software licenses when decommissioning BYOPC workers.
Remotely enable and refresh virtual desktops with no downtime for branch offices and mobile workers.
For road warriors and offshore development, VMs are a better way of securely delivering a local desktop that doesn't rely on a fast network connection.
Force separation of personal and work-related files by isolating the virtual hard disk from the physical, controlling copy-and-paste and restricting drag-and-drop.
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11 Cool and Clever License Plates.
Here are some license plates, which we don't come across in our day-to-day life. Some of these letters & numbers combinations used on vehicle license plates are straightforward until you view them in your rear-view mirror, which adds a new dimension to it.
Source: 1, 2 & 3
Don't miss to check out "Cool and Clever License Plates – Part: 1| 2| 3| 4".
Other Posts:
Interesting Pencil Sculptures


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B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Communications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: email@example.com
@USA_Volleyball - @USAV Beach – USAV Facebook
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 22, 2012) – Seven U.S. beach volleyball teams are in Thailand for the Bangsaen Thailand Open powered by PTT, which is the final event on the women's 2012 FIVB Beach Volleyball SWATCH World Tour.
The competition will begin with the country quota matches on Tuesday (Oct. 23). Qualifying will follow on Wednesday (Oct. 24) and the main draw on Thursday (Oct. 25).
The 2012 Olympic silver medal team of Jennifer Kessy (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) along with the new pairing of Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) will start in Thursday's main draw.
Kessy and Ross won the event in 2008 and 2009 and also won the silver medal in 2011. During all three years, the event was held in Phuket, Thailand.
Branagh medaled three times in Phuket. In 2007 she won the silver medal with Elaine Youngs (El Toro, Calif.) and in 2008 she took silver with Tyra Turner (Fort Myers Beach, Fla.). In 2010, Branagh won the gold medal in Phuket with Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.).
The other five U.S. teams will play country quota matches with the winning team advancing to the qualification bracket: Emily Day (Torrance, Calif.) and Brittany Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.); Sara Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Kaitlin Sather (Santa Rosa, Calif.); Whitney Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Jenny Kropp (Grand Island, Neb.); Summer Ross (San Diego, Calif.) and Heather Hughes (Fallbrook, Calif.) along with Brooke Sweat (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Jennifer Fopma (Bellflower, Calif.).
A total of 49 teams from 20 different countries will be competing, including the Brazilian team of Larissa França and Juliana Felisberta da Silva who were recently crowned as the 2012 World Tour champions. It will also be the final event for the team, which has announced it is splitting after a nine-year partnership.
More information about the event is available on the FIVB web site.
About the photo: Jennifer Kessy, left, and April Ross show off the silver medals they won in Thailand in 2011. Photo copyrighted by FIVB.
The U.S. Olympic beach volleyball teams of Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) along with Kessy and Ross played the stars of China beach volleyball in the Hilton HHonors Beach Volleyball Challenge on Saturday, Oct. 20 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Chinese Olympic teams competing were the women's team of Chen Xue and Xi Zhang and the men's team of Linyin Xu and Penggen Wu.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings (Saratoga, Calif.) served as a commentator along with U.S. Olympic beach volleyball player Kevin Wong and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Chris Marlowe.
The men's event will air 5-6 p.m ET on Nov 3 on NBC Universal Sports. The women's event will air 3-4 p.m. ET on Dec. 1 on the NBC Sports Network.
Three U.S. beach teams will travel to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean this week for the NORCECA Beach Circuit.
The U.S. teams of Jon Mesko (Traverse City, Mich.) and Will Montgomery (Santa Barbara, Calif.) will play in the men's bracket along with Jeff Carlson (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Tony Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.).
Montgomery and partner Tri Bourne (Aiea, Hawaii) won the silver medal at the NORCECA Beach Circuit event on Sept. 28-30 in Chula Vista, Calif.
The U.S. team of Tracy Weamer (Upland, Calif.) and Kathryn Piening (Kalamazoo, Mich.) will compete in the women's bracket.
Weamer finished second with Michelle Moriarty at the NORCECA Beach Circuit event on May 18-20 in Chiapas, Mexico.
The event will take place at Pigeon Island National Landmark in Gros Islet. A total of 18 different countries will be represented in the ninth stage of the 2012 tour.
More information about the NORECA Beach Circuit is available on the NORCECA web site.
The Long Beach Century Club Hall of Fame has announced that it will induct three-time Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) along with Long Beach State head volleyball coach Brian Gimmillaro and U.S. Women's National Team member Danielle Scott Arruda at the club's 57th Annual Sports Night Banquet on Feb. 5, 2013.
May-Treanor, who played for Gimmillaro at Long Beach State University, has been honored several times by the club. She's won a record four Athlete of the Year awards, spanning her collegiate and professional career, in 1997, 2003, 2006, and 2007. She had been honored so many times that the club named her Athlete of the Decade after she won her second gold medal in 2008.
The Long Beach Century Club was formed in 1957 by a group of prominent Long Beach sports enthusiasts as a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the promotion of amateur athletics in the city. For tickets to the induction banquet, e-mail John Fylpaa at email@example.com.
Take a look back at the Olympic victories of Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh Jennings (Saratoga, Calif.) with this Team USA video.


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Rollei Pro Square Filter Mark II 100 mm Soft GND4 (2 Stopps/0,6) Soft Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Gorilla®* Glas: Extremely robust and durable - High
translucency - No optical distortion
Luminance Coating: Highest colour fidelity - Low
reflections - Scratch-resistant
Engineered & Quality Controlled In Germany: Strict
technical guidelines - Individual quality control in
Germany - Special measuring procedure
GND filter is the abbreviation for "graduated neutral
density filter", also called grey graduated filter.
A grey graduated filter is employed to balance the
difference in brightness of the horizon.
Generally, a soft GND filter is used to take shots
whenever the sky is much brighter than the land or vice
versa, when the city is much brighter than the sky.
This filter then has the same effect at the top edge as
a grey filter
- this effect attenuates uniformly towards the bottom.
This product is archived. It will not be available for sale.
The Rollei Pro Square Filter Mark II with Soft Graduated Neutral Density is a rectangular, grey graduated filter with a soft gradient, suitable for the Pro Filter holder sets from Lee, Nisi, Cokin, Haida and Rollei, of course. A GND filter is an expanded ND Filter that attenuates to transparency towards the lower end. The upper half of the filter begins darkened and, attenuating smoothly, decreases in darkness as it flows downwards.
High colour fidelity for your photos
Rollei Profi Filters Mark II have no colour distortion that is perceptible to the naked eye, and Rollei Profi Filters have no colour casts. This has been confirmed in independent testing by Chip magazine and experienced by professional photographers who usually work with filter systems from Lee, Nisi, Cokin or Haida.
Rollei Profi Filters Mark II have a (graduated) coating that uniformly lets in light (from ultraviolet almost up to infrared) through the filter. Unlike plastic resin filters and laminated filters, whose colour fades over time and whose bonding can easily come apart, the glass in Rollei Filters is extremely durable and does not fade.
If the light obscuration does not cover the whole spectrum of visible light, colour faults appear. With cameras, the visible light lies between 420 nm ~ 680 nm. The flat spectrum curve means that the light attenuation rate is relatively high and thus less visible light penetrates the filter. If light can penetrate the filter uniformly there are no colour casts. Rollei Filters meet this important requirement.
Soft GND Filter with various gradients
The Rollei Soft GND Mark II Filter is available, depending on the filter-holder width, as versions GND4, GND8, GND16 and GND32. The number illustrates the degree of darkening and the number of f stop reductions.
Rollei Soft GND Mark II with Gorilla®* Glass
Photo filters are usually used for outdoor shoots and are some of the most important aids of photographers, who deal intensively with long-term exposures. Accordingly LP and GND filters must be weather-proof, translucent, colour neutral and insensitive to impacts and contact with sharp edged or pointed objects. Gorilla®* Glass from the American traditional manufacturer, Corning Inc., exhibits these (actually self-contradictory) characteristics and is being used with immediate effect for Rollei's high-quality professional rectangular filters.
Being fully dipped in an extremely hot alkaline solution provides for the already legendary resistance of the glass blanks: ions are exchanged on the molecular level. Due to the resulting increase in surface tension Rollei rectangular filters of the professional class already take the punishment of contamination, scratches and ruptures in an outstanding way. Even more profound damage causes no further splintering of the material on the edges. Additionally, a further coating, which was developed in accordance with Rollei's strict specifications and is constantly tested for quality, guarantees the extensive elimination of undesired reflections and distortions, which can lead to nasty surprises during long-term exposures.
The American manufacturer from Corning, New York also looks back on a more than 160- year success story in the development and manufacture of special kinds of glass for lenses, displays and special applications and supplies its products also to renowned companies in the Smartphone and Tablet segment. The Gorilla®* Glass of the newest Rollei rectangular filter generation are only 2-mm thick. You can use all the optical advantages, without having to drag unnecessary weight around during your photography trips.
Rollei Soft GND Mark II with Luminance Coating
Creative work with light reflections is its own discipline in the broad portfolio of photography techniques. What is added (completely consciously) is so playful on the one hand and on the other hand, can lead to substantial frustration if unintentional reflections and distortions completely ruin or substantially impair laboriously prepared and/or unique subject scenarios. Even whilst working with photo filters and long-term exposures minimal, undiscovered reflections can be enhanced to a considerable extent by the extension of the exposure time. Then quite often photographers are forced to change their shooting position and to make do with less spectacular perspectives.
The coating, which was newly developed and is constantly examined by Rollei counteracts these unpleasant effects. Due to the additional coating, the already extremely high-quality Gorilla®* Glass from the special manufacturer, Corning Inc., which is resident in the US Federal State of New York, is able to unite three special characteristic fields in itself which are actually in opposition to each other:
- Extreme resistance to weather conditions, contamination due to dust, sand, liquids, fats or oils as well as damage, scratches, pressure effects and ruptures.
- Protection against light reflections and optical distortions.
- Outstanding optical values within the ranges of light transmission and colour neutrality.
For example, the kinds of glass of the Rollei professional rectangular filters must behave so neutrally in the visible range of light from 400 to 800nm that even merely minimal colour deviations cannot impair image quality at any time.
A particularly stringent quality assurance strategy introduced by Rollei provides for adherence to these standards.
Engineered and Quality Controlled in Germany
Rollei professional rectangular filters combine optical and outstanding technical and material characteristics, which can be durably guaranteed only by appropriately high, uncompromising quality standards. If one of the characteristics should be impaired by quality defects, this would also have negative effects on the other areas. Rollei developed and implemented its own quality management strategy to secure these strict specifications seamlessly: The measure named Engineered and Quality Controlled in Germany includes all phases of development up to delivery to the customer.
In the process, accurate flow charts are used to ensure that quality criteria cannot be retrogressively relaxed at any time. The specifications are created by the Rollei filter experts and cannot be reduced or changed in the further steps. The release of new production samples for mass production lies in the hands of our experienced specialists.
After actual production the AQL principle is in effect for the particularly unyielding test runs. "Acceptance Quality Limit is known as "Annehmbare Qualitätsgrenzlage" in German and has the following meaning in concrete terms: If the total number of the previously, precisely defined quantity of random samples from a production batch do not adhere to the quality specifications, the entire supply will be rejected and must go back to the manufacturer. However, if the production batch has passed this examination, an AQL procedure is repeated after it is sent to Rollei. This extraordinarily stringent procedure is used only for extremely high-quality products and is thus also outstandingly suitable for Rollei professional rectangular filters.
Official Rollei Shop
Free shipping within Germany
Free return
Safe shopping


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Photographer's Tamara Gooch and Jess Lee bring the spirit and romanticism of the West to life offering the finest in Western Lifestyle, Rodeo, Equine, Landscape and Wildlife images available today. The images contained on this site are available for editorial and advertising usage in a wide variety of applications.
Jess and Tamara's work has been published in many books, calandars, advertising campains and magazines nationaly and internationaly; including National Geographic, Sporst Afield, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, Cowboys and Indians, Western Horseman and National Wildlife, to name a few.
Tamara and Jess's Fine Art Limited Edition prints can be found in numerious galleries throughout Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Arizona.
All images are protected by US Copyright laws, all rights reserved.
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ABC newswoman Diane Sawyer does not speak a line in the new romantic comedy "The Switch," but she has an important role.
Her picture on the cover of "New York" magazine is a key prop in the movie about Jason Bateman character's efforts to impregnate his best friend (Jennifer Aniston) through artificial insemination. To put it delicately, Sawyer's magazine cover is the unlikely muse to Bateman's initial efforts in the process. It's one of the funniest moments of the movie.
The filmmakers only found out at the last minute before shooting the bathroom magazine rack scene that they needed Sawyer's permission. Fortunately, co-director Josh Gordon tells PopcornBiz, "she got the joke."
"She was very game," he adds.
There was an understandable need for clarification on Sawyer's part. But the filmmakers also used the movie's star and executive producer Aniston to call her friend Sawyer to put her at ease.
"(Sawyer) was definitely curious about the scene," says co-director Will Speck. "She also knows Jen, so that was helpful."
"We feel very grateful we got her," he adds, "She was a tough get."
But why the 64-year-old Sawyer? Chalk it up to good genes on Sawyer's part and a joke playing off the New York backdrop of the movie -- along with Bateman's character's quirky sensibilities.
"Why not?" asks Speck. "She's the perfectly sexy woman in an unlikely and funny kind of way."
For the record, the filmmakers say that Sawyer has seen the relevant part of the movie and enjoyed the joke even after it was executed. It's a good thing.
"The backup plan for the scene was a piece of greensheet so that you could put in whomever we wanted," says Speck.
They didn't even get to thinking about other options. "But we definitely had pitches from local newscasters that we had absolutely no interest in," he adds.
Diane Sawyer as Jason Bateman's "Switch" Muse
ABC newswoman Diane Sawyer does not speak a line in the new romantic comedy "The Switch," but she has an important role.