text:
Keeping in with our theme of spills, crashes, injuries and utter turmoil, it has always struck me as to what people do with their destroyed carbon fiber bikes after a crash. Do they trash it in the dumpster? Do they try their best and send it somewhere for a repair? Do they salvage some parts and try to use them in a different application and setting? What would you do?
This blog has shown you a number of instances in the past where bikes and bicycle components have failed. Now often there is a legitimate reason for these occurrences which I don't want to go into. But what happens afterward? What do you do with this pile of seemingly junk metal and carbon fiber?
Recently, a reader and fan of this blog - Anthony Hendrickson, with Materials & Process Engineering at Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, sent me a photo of his friend's high end Pinarello. This rider went into a turn about three wide at speed and got pushed to the outside. He wound up going into a ditch/gully running parallel to the road and the bike just broke into two pieces. Take a look :
If something like this happened to a professional bike rider, he would of course get replaced immediately with a new one. The rest of us in the world may not always have this luxury. But as bike riders, we don't want to sit without a bike for long. Eventually, the money will come and we all will get a new bike, somehow. What happens to the old one?
If it is indeed decided that it should be disposed of, is there any possibility for carbon fiber to be recycled? This is an interesting subject because it turns out it isn't so easy to do this. I have captured two different thought processes when it comes to carbon fiber as a "clean" and recyclable material for the environment. I think they will interest you because most of us call ourselves 'clean' to the environment and fans of sustainable sports and transportation. But is that really true?
A. Repairing, Reusing And Recycling Disadvantages : "Carbon fiber falls short for three strategies in the field of waste reduction - Repair, Reuse, Recycle. Repairing a carbon fiber frame often requires more expertise and time than the frame is actually worth; if it can be repaired at all. Reusing carbon fiber tubes similarly requires the same advanced skills and technology to use them for some other function. Recycling it into its component parts may be feasible in the future, but the environmental and energy ramifications of that are unknown. Carbon fiber is one of those "monstrous hybrids" the Cradle to Cradle authors deplore. When you combine organic elements with inorganic elements you often create materials that don't break down and can cause serious problems to living systems. Carbon fiber isn't nearly as bad as say, dioxin, but it's still a hybrid, and the authors argue that organic nutrients and "technological nutrients" need to be kept separate." - Admin, Bicycling Is Better
Now here's an opposite viewpoint, shedding a more positive light on carbon fiber's prospects for recycling.
B. Thermal Decomposition Possibilities : "When it is time to decommission CFRPs they cannot be melted down in air like many metals. When free of vinyl (PVC or polyvinyl chloride) and other halogenated polymers, CFRPs can be thermally decomposed via thermal depolymerization in an oxygen free environment. This can be accomplished in a refinery in a one-step process. Capture and reuse of the carbon and monomers is then possible. CFRPs can also be milled or shredded at low temperature to reclaim the carbon fiber, however this process shortens the fibers dramatically. Just as with downcycled paper, the shortened fibers cause the recycled material to be weaker than the original material. There are still many industrial applications that do not need the strength of full-length carbon fiber reinforcement. For example, chopped reclaimed carbon fiber can be used in consumer electronics, such as laptops. It provides excellent reinforcement of the polymers used even if it lacks the strength-to-weight ratio of an aerospace component." - Wikipedia entry on CFRP's.
In light of these two statements, do you think there's a distinct possibility that carbon fiber from our trashed bicycles could be recycled and reused, or is the technology still catching up with us? Is the bicycle industry studying solutions to make this happen, or do they really want to take opportunity of this 'repair and reuse' handicap? That would mean more sales for them in terms of new bikes and equipment, so why should they bother, eh?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
15 'Decommisioned' Bicycles & Their Waste Stream
Keeping in with our theme of spills, crashes, injuries and utter turmoil, it has always struck me as to what people do with their destroyed carbon fiber bikes after a crash. Do they trash it in the dumpster? Do they try their best and send it somewhere for a repair? Do they salvage some parts and try to use them in a different application and setting? What would you do?
15 comments:
- Chris Valva1:12 PM
It looks like the aerospace industry is working to address CF recycling due to the large amount of CF used by them. The EU also has legislation requiring it. Good info here: http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/carbon-fiber-life-beyond-the-landfill.aspxReplyDelete
Dave : Steel is real, but unfortunately, its not being able to compete with the lighter stuff out there. I read an article on Design News that talks about how engineers are pretty disappointed with the quality of lightweight steels out there in the market.See : http://www.designnews.com/blog/Engineering_Materials/15527-Engineers_Are_Not_Happy_with_Steel_Quality.php?text=steelReplyDelete
Sorry man, you kinda lost interest at the phrase "waste stream".ReplyDelete
Dave: steel is great, but most people just like it because it rhymes good.
- Anonymous11:46 PM
In one of their catalogs from the late 80's or early 90's Bridgestone had short essays about the environmental impact of metal frame materials - steel, aluminum, and titanium. It would be interesting to see how composites "compete" cradle to grave.ReplyDelete
I have some personal experience here: I put a decent crack in a Giant TCR at the top of the downtube immediately behind the headtube junction. I was going to trash it but then did a little research and found a custom canoe/kayak builder that sold carbon fiber sheet and epoxy. After calling them I discovered their lead boat/paddle builder is also a cyclist. After a long discussion he decided that the crack was indeed repairable. I spent about $120, including shipping, to buy the materials and made the repair over the space of 2 evenings in my basement. I'm no mechanical genius but the whole thing was pretty straightforward.ReplyDelete
Some caveats:
1. Upon making the repair I swore I'd never, NEVER, race this bike. It was to be strictly a training/trainer/winter/shite weather bike.
2. Having said that, over 2 years of quite a bit of riding on the repair (in the winter, on the trainer, and commuting to work) I am building more and more faith in the quality of the repair.
3. This was a crack. I can't imagine effecting a similar repair to a snap as in the unfortunate Pinarello.
Repairing and reusing (if possible) is far better than trashing the frame.
Let me know if you are interested in the details of what I used and I can check at home. I can't remember exactly what I used sitting here in the office.
A number of us (at least I would) be interested in what you used.
The first questions that come to my mind was what resin you used, if you vacuum-bagged and how you prepped the surface. $120 in materials isn't bad to get the whole job done.
I'd also be interested in how it turned out. I've seen some pictures of Calfee's professional repairs and they look amazing. I wonder what a DIY repair would look like.
Craig Calfee conversed with me on this topic. Here's a bit of what he wrote to me, a very interesting email indeed :
"Carbon fiber bikes can be repaired indefinitely. Unlike metals, carbon composites don't fatigue and become not worth repairing. Of course, one should evaluate the cost of repair with the value of the frame.
If cared for, they don't corrode. But they are biodegradable over time. The epoxy matrix is an amine, which can be digested by various organisms. The carbon fiber is harder to break down but it eventually does.
I had an accident working on a freshly molded carbon frame and a big carbon splinter became embedded in my leg. I went to the hospital to see about having it removed. The doc asked what it was made of and I told him. He said my body would probably digest it in a couple of years - better than surgery. Sure enough, the small lump I could feel on my shin got smaller and disappeared.
Craig Calfee
@ AH, Zhefei : I think AH was pretty lucky. Now in one of my past stories on this blog, a certain individual almost lost his Kestrel bike because he destroyed his derailleur dropout from a freak accident (see post). I personally think something like that is a bad design. If you damage it, you can't replace it. This same individual was suggested by Calfee that he buy a new frame because apparently, without the replacement Kestrel dropout, Calfee weren't able to help him.ReplyDelete
The problem is that while there are still Kestrel bikes in the market, they really don't have anything to do with the old Kestrel company which was bought a few years ago and folded into Fuji. So old parts and frames are no longer available.
Luckily, this person found a company called RR Velo which has a machine shop and builds custom carbon frames, and they said they were able to do the repair. So he took the bike to his local shop, had them strip all the parts off the frame and it was then sent to RR Velo.
I'm not sure how the "job" turned out but I'm interested in hearing from him (I'll try contacting him again). Supposedly, he had 40,000 miles on this frame and he would have liked to buy a new one, but he didn't have a spare 6000 dollars lying around. Not possible.
This is an excellent topic for discussion. Bicycles are so expensive and having to break one with little hope for repair but just trashing it really sounds unfair, both for the nature, and the rider. Hoping to hear other comments.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous11:43 AM
The sport of cycling, atleast on an international level, is hardly "sustainable". Just look at the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France. Multitudes of vehicles on the road, helicopters in the air, plus look at the amount of food these competitors consume? What's the impact to the environment from all this??? Someone should really delve into this topic.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous11:05 PM
Interesting bit about thermal decomposition. Can one do this themselves? Maybe not? The toxic fumes might not be healthy.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous2:04 PM
There is no recycling. The resin is cross linked polymer. It can be ground into land fill or incinerated. There is no chemical pathway to something useful; only to atoms and a devils brew of toxic fumes.ReplyDelete
The only use of wrecked "carbon" bicycle frames is to keep them for the edification of future generations, who will never believe that such c*** could ever be marketted in the first place.ReplyDelete
I have taken due note of the fact that you don't want to go into the details of why "CF" is unsuited to bicycle, let alone aeroplane manufacture, so won't comment on that.
This is such an interesting blog. You are very knowledgeable about this subject. Please check out my site.ReplyDelete
TLR Carbon wheels


text:
The Great Tupper Lake Pizza Party of 2012
So, this happened. On Friday, I met up with dhorst, dmcavanagh, Tupper Cooks!, and Aya Kristen Alt for what I'm calling the Great Tupper Lake Pizza Party of 2012.
It all started as a sort of pre–Serious Eats Day get-together for people in the Syracuse-Albany-Adirondacks regions of New York state. Dhorst came up with the idea, saying we should all meet up at the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.
My wife (aka "Girl Slice") and I were in. We booked tickets and accommodations in the Lake Placid area, and I suggested to the group that we all meet up at a regional pizzeria on one of the nights. We would all collaborate on a Slice review.
But then Tupper Cooks! came up with a brilliant plan. Remember Kate Martin's indoor pizza oven? She's a friend of Tupper's. He must have bent her arm, because next thing you know, he's organized a pizza party there. Peep the slideshow above for some party snaps »
What Are They Like?
That's what you're all probably wondering, right? Would you believe me if I told you they're all remarkably sane? I know, right? How could this group of pizza nerds be anything less than crazy? Well, they weren't.
Dmcavanagh (a certified Pizza Obsessive), who is very talkative in the comments here, is a bit more subdued in person—not necessarily quiet but just calmly intent on banging out pizzas while dispensing wisdom as he works.
And dhorst! I've read her mention her dog Miss Ellie's proclivity for "pizza bones" in the comments, but to actually hear, in person, "We left Miss Ellie at home, so no pizza bones for her"? That was a trip. Dhorst (also a certified Pizza Obsessive) used to work in a pizzeria making pies, and it showed.
Tupper Cooks! (yes, another Obsessive) is pretty true to his on-screen persona. The word "jovial" was made for him. He didn't really stretch any pies but handled the peel and cooked a number of pies that dmcavanagh and dhorst built. Between peel duties, he sort of played co-host of the party, since he straddled both the Slice world and Kate's world of friends and coworkers. He's quick with a joke, quick to beer you, and good at making sure everyone's having a good time.
Aya is good with topping combos and kind of a smart-ass (in a good way). She's not shy about jumping in, grabbing a pan, and cooking up some toppings for a pie. This all should come as no surprise if you know her little brother, Kenji. ;)
How It Went
The party started at 4pm, apparently. Girl Slice and I were late in getting there, since our flight into the area was delayed. Tupper says they had a bear of a time getting the oven started since it was so cold outside and there was a heavy downdraft down the oven's flue.
But the fire was blazing about a half hour after the wife and I arrived. The oven can handle about one pie at a time. I believe it might be more of a bread oven than a pizza oven, but it gets the job done. The fire was probably a bit too hot at the beginning of the evening, and we were all burning pies at first. It didn't take long to figure out we needed to turn them quite often to avoid this.
I've only played around with a WFO a couple of times, and that was only after an experienced oven-tender had gotten it to temperature and told me where to place the pies. It's another thing entirely to work with an unknown set of factors, and you really get a newfound appreciation for the skill that goes into making a perfectly cooked WFO pizza.
Anyway, like I said, check out the slideshow above for photos of the evening.
UPDATE: See Tupper's photos of the evening on his blog »
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Now let's get down to business, here is my card:
Any idea what song?? I'm actually quite sure you'll never guess it, LOL! I was inspired by my fave singer, Pink!! This is her song "Perfect". Because really, if you're a Ballerina Hippo and you're confident enough to be dancing around in a leotard & tutu, you TOTALLY get what Pink is singing about! :-) (Disclaimer: I cannot watch this video without getting a little teary...)
I chose the "Rock My World" sentiment mostly because Pink rocks my world. I adore her. LOL! I also had to bling up the ballerina's tutu a bit. Just cuz.
The color scheme was inspired by my beloved Play Date Cafe challenge. *sniff* I can't believe the challenge went on without me this week! (Ok, yes I can, but it still is hard to see the sidebar over there without my mugshot anymore. Waaaaah!) But aren't these colors fabby??
Ok, now it's time to get hoppin'!! Dance on over to Carla's blog and check out what she's singing. And be sure to visit ALL the blogs and leave lots of love, because rumor has it there will be a prize for one lucky hopper who leaves comments on all the blogs!
Thanks for stopping by today!
- Stamps: Ballerina Hippo - 1722 and Rock My World - 2910 from Hambo Stamps
- Paper: Bazzill cardstock, DP from my stash, GP white
- Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers
- Other: Hero Arts gems, American Crafts ribbons, Martha Stewart glitter, machine stitching


text:
Merging With the Shadows
Interview conducted by rialrees
There are some creators who, while brilliant, investigate every possibility within the realm of creation. There is no focus, no strong point, merely experimentation. There are others, however, who find their niche and continually improve upon it, exploring within that single realm of possibility and stretching its boundaries ever outwards, until they are satisfied.
Of course, creators being the strange creatures that we are, we are never satisfied.
Notorious is one of these creators. On playing his levels, it wont take much for you to discover what his passion is. The style of these levels screams out the name of their creator. Thats not to say that his library is limited in any way. Quite the opposite in fact, as Notorious pushes the boundaries of what can be done with the tools in LittleBigPlanet.
Will it be a touching cutscene, set to ethereal music? A survival challenge set to a pounding bass line? Perhaps a platformer that glows with warmth and light, bringing a feeling of calm as you explore its beauty? It will be all these things and much more. Lets delve in to Notorious pod, and discover what inspires him.
No funnies on this one folks. It's too beautiful to spoil with that.
All right, this one isnt really a question, but if you would be so kind, please list the levels youve published to date and any statistics youd like to share with us, i.e. plays, hearts, how many rocket animals per level, etc. Whatever you feel like sharing.
MGS Snake Training Act 1
MGS Snake Training Act 2
MGS Jet Pack Survival
MGS Mantis
Cheese Dreams & Moon Beams Volume 1
Cheese Dreams & Moon Beams Volume 2
Cheese Dreams & Moon Beams Volume 3
Egyptian Dreams in 3D
Terminator 2029
There were more levels, but in a moment of madness I decided to delete about 8 of them. I dont know why? Seemed like a good idea at the time. I should point out that most of these can only be described as average. I am quite proud of the Cheese Dreams and Moon Beams series though, you can see my early love for silhouette work just starting to take root.
Better Worlds (Intro)
A Journey through Silhouette The Age of Light *Spotlighted*
BLACK44 *Spotlighted*
PULSE *Spotlighted*
Robot Rock *MM Pick*
A Journey through Silhouette 2 Glow *Spotlighted*
A Journey through Silhouette 3 (Fake Trailer)
The Notorious Silhouette HUB
SOL A Sunset Silhouette *MM Pick*
Lock Box
New Horizons
Nocturnal *Team Pick*
Now, tell me... of these levels, which is your favorite? And why?
That is a tricky question. It is very hard to pick just one. I am proud of all my levels for different reasons. It could be that I got my head around a new bit of logic (Remarkably it does happen from time to time) or that I came up with a visually pleasing scene.
At the moment, if I had to pick just one, I would probably say Echoes. Ive had the concept kicking around for ages but just couldnt make it work. After several failed attempts I finally managed to get it right. If I were to describe Echoes I would say it is a sort of a cross between Limbo and Sound Shapes. I have a load of ideas for this series going forward, so watch this space
How long have you been playing LBP?
I think LBP1 had been out for a little while. Id heard some good reviews about the game but didnt really know what it was about? I decided to take a punt on it. If I am being honest, initially I thought Id wasted my money. Lets just say that playing through the Gardens theme didnt really grab me but I got through that, discovered create mode and havent looked back since!
What was the first full level you ever built? And what was it like?
Oh dear! It was horrible. I cant remember what it was called now? Something like Super Metal Gear Maze Escape or something equally as catchy. As the name suggests it was MGS themed, think it involved some very basic moving platforms, there was a horrible maze section, and then you had to run through some doors. In my rush to publish I think I forgot to put any check points in! And Im sure it never had a level logo too. Hey, weve all been there I guess? I remember thinking that this is surely a 5 star level, imagine my surprise when the first comment I got was THIS SUX and the second was H4H. What was a H4H? Ive learnt a lot since those early days.
What creators and levels (if any) have inspired you to create?
I could go on and on here but Ill try and keep it short. A couple that spring to mind are:
I love his work, in particular At Worlds End. This is just an awesome silhouette level. The atmosphere he created was spot on and the effects he came up with are jaw dropping. I would love to know how he did it (Along with thousands of other people, I guess ). I consider this to be the benchmark that all silhouette levels must be judged against! Im constantly trying to come up with something equally as polished as this. I have a feeling that I will be trying for a long time to come.
What can I say about Alex? He is probably my favourite creator at the moment. Every now and again you stumble across a creator that makes your jaw drop. ZedCOcoZza has definitely done that. His Silhouette work is of such a high standard that it puts nearly everything else Ive seen in the shade. Playing his levels has really inspired me to raise my game and get back onto the Vita to create again. If you havent played any of his levels I really cant recommend them enough.
I really respect OmieR. All his levels are so atmospheric. You can tell that he spends a lot of time trying to create new and interesting worlds for us to explore. I always look forward to a new OmieR level because I never know what he will create next. He has a great range.
Flint by SasukeUchica
I fell in love with this level from the first moment I saw it. The art style is awesome. The intro is packed with charm and the gameplay if full of devious puzzles. Festerd_Jester music fits perfectly to the game too. All of this combined makes Flint a very inspiring level,. A LBP instant classic!
Aside from drawing inspiration from other creators and levels, is there anything in the world outside of LittleBigPlanet that inspires you? This could be a hobby, profession, or even a particular movie or type of music. Pretty much it can be anything in your personal life that has contributed to your experiences as well as inspired you as a creator.
I get inspiration from everywhere! Im not joking. I carry a notebook around with me where ever I go, so when I get an idea I can jot it down. Think Im on my forth one now.
I love music and I am a big Pink Floyd and UNKLE fan and their music really inspires me. In my experience it can be something as small as a quote or a lyric that can create an idea. My Journey Through Silhouette series originally came from this quote from an UNKLE track:
"Put aside the everyday world and come with us to the realm of imagination, the middle ground between light and shadow."
(Love that line!)
Last year I was on holiday with my wife in Cornwall. We were in a little trinket shop and on the wall there was this dragonfly art. I thought it was quite interesting, full of bright colours. I took my phone out and when no one was looking I took a snap. When we got back to the apartment that night I started work on what would become Nocturnal. Its funny to think that that level only came about because we walked into that shop.
When you are searching for inspiration, it really can come from anywhere.
What are some of your favorite video games (excluding LBP) - new and old?
These days I only really play LBP. DrunkenFist_Lee is always recommending new games for me to play. I keep telling him that I will get round to checking them out but I never do. Sorry man! In the past though some of the games that Ive been into include
- The whole MGS series!
- Music 2000
- Golden Eye
- Mario64
- Resident Evil 2
- Journey
- Sound Shapes
If you could list your favorite things about LittleBigPlanet, what would they be?
This may sound cliché but I think LBP is more than just a game. I think MM have created their very own art form. Little Big Planet is a vehicle that allows anyone to get creative. You dont have to be good at drawing or painting to be able to make something in the game. All you need is a little imagination.
Id also have to say the LBP community. Ive made some great friends and met some cool people. None of that would have happened without this game, and Ill always be grateful for that.
And your least favorite thing(s)?
For me personally it is people that boo perfectly good reviews. I know its not a big thing but you see it everywhere. A review that offers encouragement or constructive criticism will most likely end up with 10 boos next to it.
I also dont like that fact that time speeds up while in create mode, 4 or 5 hours can just fly by. MM should really develop a patch for that!
Whats the worst thing thats happened while creating?
I was working on an LBP1 level called All Invaders Must die. It was a creepy space themed level, set on board an abandoned spaceship, where some evil scientist had been experimenting on the crew. Id just finished it and was giving it its first proper play through, I got half way through when all of a sudden the whole level literally imploded! I just threw my hands up and muttered typical. I managed to fix that bug but the level had developed a fault when loading and took about 3 attempts to get it to start. The whole thing bombed, was a shame really. I may have to go back and re make it at some point...
On a sort of similar subject, have there ever been any great ideas you had that failed or for any other reason you never implemented?
Oh yeah loads. Before LBP2 came out my Playstation got a nasty case of YLOD. I decided to take a break from playing the game for a while. This gave me plenty of time to just come up with ideas. I probably had ideas for about 7 or 8 levels ready to go by the time it was released. I thought, this is great, with all this planning Ill just knock out level after level Well it didnt really work out like that. Apart from a short intro film called Better Worlds I published nothing else that year. I never stopped building and coming up with ideas but I just couldnt get anything to the point that it was ready to publish. I think it was a case of actually having too many ideas as I couldnt stay focused on any one thing for more than a week or so. The Better Worlds project is definitely my one that got away.
If you there was anything you could change about the game, what would it be? This could be anything from adding materials or tools to eradicating H4H.
LBN have this thing called QPQ. This means before you post a level on that site you have to play and review at least two others. Might be a cool thing if that was the same in-game? Before publishing you had to play and review 2 others. Just a thought?
A truly magical setting isn't hard to find on this earth!
I'd like to start off by learning a little more about you as a creator. You seem to have a passion for silhouette effects in your levels - and I would probably argue that you are one of those creators who has mastered the effect - The depth that you create with such a limited palette is truly breathtaking. Do you set any limits on yourself when you set out to create a new silhouette level? And do you find that working in silhouette provides you with a greater challenge?
That's very kind of you to say that. I'm not sure I've mastered it just yet, but its definitely moving in the right direction.
I never really set out to specialise in silhouette work, I sort of stumbled into it. I just wanted to make one good silhouette level. There is something about the effect that has always intrigued me, and I wanted to try my hand at it. I think a silhouette image can be very powerful. I guess its the fact that all the detail is hidden from you, you know it's there, but you can't see it. It forces your imagination to complete the image.
There are many different styles of silhouette. I guess I try to make mine look as realistic as possible. Working in silhouette does provide its own unique set of challenges; you need a different mind-set when creating. For the most part I will only use one playable layer. Everything else will be set aside to creating depth and atmosphere. This is probably the part of the game that I enjoy the most. For me, LBP is escapism. After a long day at work there is no better way to wind down than creating a scene, experimenting with different lighting effects and adding layers of detail. When you get to the point where you have a living scene it is very satisfying.
As for limits, I dont really set any, not visually anyway, anything goes. The only limits I have are my complete and utter lack of any logic skills and coming up with interesting gameplay. Apart from those two small aspects of creating I can hold my own. lol!
I have a feeling you might be selling yourself a little short there! But nonetheless, we all have our own weaknesses. Do you find that you have other creators who you turn to for help when you hit a wall?
Okay maybe not a complete and utter lack but it's certainly a weakness.
Yeah I have friends I can turn to for help when needed. They know who they are. . I am very grateful for everything they have done for me. Hopefully I have been able to help them out too. I'm also a member of the Ghost Creators, that's an incredible pool of talent to be able to call on for help right there. Sabre has done a great job assembling that group.
BLACK44 is an artwork gallery that moved me deeply when I first saw it. It's packed with beautiful artwork, and a wonderful ethereal sense of respect for those who go to fight for their country. Can you tell me a bit more about this level?
[COLOR=#505050It really started life as just a couple of shots, something different to work on in between other things, but it turned into something more, a serious project with a powerful anti-war message. I think its quite unique, I havent seen anything else like it.
Through my job I meet a lot of elderly people, many of whom went to war. Speaking with them you cant help but have a great admiration for what they did. So I guess the message I was trying to tell would be one of respect, and the sacrifice that so many made.
One thing I love about the creative process is how an idea can evolve over time. You start adding layers to it, maybe go in different directions than you thought. Often the end result is nothing like the original idea you had. BLACK44 really illustrates that fact.
The title came from a Pink Floyd lyric, from the song when the tigers broke free. BLACK44 is an artwork gallery, a series of still images, set as a short film. I think it probably represents some of my best silhouette. The music I used was from CORTSTER12 and it really helps add to the tone that I was after. I was looking for a striking way to end it so I went on to the internet and found some old black and white war photos, of soldiers and refugees looking forlornly into the camera. I added these to the end of the film as the camera slowly scrolls down a long list of names. The names are all genuine.
Originally I wanted to have some sort of voice over at the beginning leading into the start of the film. Something like an old man telling his war stories, or a soldier writing a letter from the front line back to his wife. This never actually worked out, but Im still very proud with the end results. MuddledMuppet did a remix on Youtube with a voice over, Its pretty powerful stuff.
The feedback I got off that level was very touching. When those who have either served for their country or lost someone they loved to war, took the time to leave a review telling you that your level has really moved them, it doesnt get much better than that.[/COLOR]
For a change of pace, PULSE deals with not silhouette, but light and shadow. I was incredibly impressed by how strongly the theme resonated through every part of this level - from the platforms and obstacles themselves to the robots that populated it. Please tell me a little about it, and the level that followed on from it and earned you your MMPick, Robot Rock
Thank you. I had the elements of PULSE sitting on my moon for over a year, just gathering dust. Most of the sections were built but just needed to be arranged and put into some sort of playable order. I tend to create like that, building lots of different elements then I pull my hair out trying to figure out how to place and link them up.
My previous levels up to that point had been quite relaxing so I wanted to do something different with PULSE. Thats where the futuristic green and black neon theme came in. I stumbled across the music from FPM (Thanks Chris), the uplifting Trance track fits well with the visuals.
Robot Rock came from the much maligned lift section in PULSE. I always thought that It would stand up as a mini game, especially if I cranked everything up to 11!
As I said I really struggle with logic, so it was a bit of a challenge. Everything is activated by an obscene amount of tags and runs off three sequencers running simultaneously. Again, I went back to FPM to look for some music and found his Daft Punk cover of Robot Rock. Looking at some Daft Punk live shows on Youtube gave me the idea of setting it in a club, with a live audience, I think this touch sets it apart from other survival levels. Because the level is sequenced to the music it did involve a LOT of tweaking. I must have listened to that song over 500 times. My wife still has nightmares of Robot Rock. Ha ha.
I have to thank FPM and TheWaffle for the use of their music because it really makes the level. Thanks guys!
As you mentioned, you are part of the "Ghost Creators", a group of creators on LBP who got together to help each other get some more exposure in the community. I wouldn't be the only one who's started to hear murmurs about you guys - your group ethic is really solid, helping each other out for the greater good! What attracted you to this group, and where do you hope its future leads?
I had just published A Journey through Silhouette and it seemed to be going down quite well, Sabre then got in contact and asked whether I wanted to join the group? I have to be honest and say that I hadnt heard of them at that time. Im glad I accepted though. Its a really exciting group to be a part of. I think we number near on 70 creators now, and new creators are coming in all the time. We now have creators specialising in all aspects of the game.
Thats the thing that excites me the most, the new talent coming in. All these guys are great creators but for one reason or another havent yet got the recognition that their talent deserves. Take Peoriaspitfire for instance. He is an incredible creator. His Aqua-Fried levels are awesome, full of some of the best detail you will see anywhere on LBP but he has only just broke through 100 hearts. Something isnt right there? Hes not the only one though. There are probably hundreds of other great creators out there in the same boat. Hopefully the group can help some of these guys out.
Apart from being a place where creators can hang out and bounce ideas off each other, the main aim of the group is to help promote its members, and we are constantly looking for new ways to do this. Weve just set up a new site dedicated to the group. LBPC is a great home for us but the new site gives us the opportunity to just do a little bit more. We can now promote all the new levels coming out as well as the creators themselves. Its been a lot of hard work but Im very happy with how it has turned out so far. You can check out The Little Ghost Blog at http://ghostcreators.blogspot.co.uk/
As well as helping your friends in the group, you help to run the Twitter account @LBPSneakPeaks, is that right? What made you start this account, and what's involved in running it?
The original idea behind the account was very simple. I kept seeing creators posting preview images from their levels and thought to myself, there are loads of different LBP accounts on Twitter but nothing that focuses on the images and artwork that people were posting. There was a gap in the market as it were. I set the account up and started promoting all the images I saw. Hopefully in turn this may create a bit of a buzz around these new levels that were soon to be released. I also wanted to do a bit more with the account so I started promoting new levels and creators with limited hearts
It has grown quite quickly over a short space of time. There is now a YouTube account and a new site http://lbphiddenmoon.blogspot.co.uk/ (Sorry about all the plugs!!) . We now also have Pookachoo and Kato on the team too. Pookachoo helps out with promoting LBPV and LBPK levels and Kato handles the level reviews.
Do you find that you get a good response from the tweets you make? I know when you tweeted a few of my level previews I felt quite flattered!
I think everyone likes showing off their hard work, @HiddenMoon helps enable that. Whether its a level shot or an incredible piece of artwork, well try to get it out to as many people as we can.
As if all this wasn't enough, you're also a member of Central's Contest Crew. We all know how hard the Contest Crew work to continue bringing us new opportunities for competitive hijinx - what's the highlight for you of being part of the crew?
Yeah, that was a shock. It was a great honour to be asked to join that incredible group. They really are dedicated to the community. Being on the inside Ive witnessed the amount of passion and effort that is put in to creating and running a contest.
You made a few levels on LBP Vita which sparked the imagination of players everywhere, including Nocturnal, which you've already told us about. Tell me, how does the challenge of creation change in Vita as opposed to LBP2? Are there features which you miss when you put your Vita down and return to your PS3? Are certain things more challenging in Vita than LBP2?
To be able to inspire other people is one of the best feelings a creator can have. If you are right and I've managed that, even in a small way, then I am very happy.
I am really enjoying creating on the Vita at the moment. First and foremost it is the portable nature of it. You can create anywhere. If I go on holiday I can take it with me. I know my wife is happy that she doesn't have to sit there watching me create so much these days. It also has a lot of cool features and materials that LBP2 doesn't have. The text tool is great. No more sitting there wasting time and thermo with fonts. I like that fact that the lighting settings have numbers to them now, that you can position materials in layers. Just little things like that really.
I would have loved to have seen these features moved over to LBP2. It doesn't look like that will happen now. Hopefully they will see sense and put them into LBP Hub or LBP3, If that sees the light of day.
You sometimes go by your other name of spacemonkey187. If you really were a monkey in space, you'd need company. What kind of animal would you have as your sidekick?
Erm, Yeah.... I guess the obvious answer would be a Rocket Cheetah.
Adventures of a Space Monkey and his Rocket Cheetah!
There is a classic 80's cartoon in there somewhere. *shows age*
Finally, is there anything you, as a creator, would like to add to this? Or any other experiences youd like to share? If not, Id like to ask one more question of you: If you could give any bit of advice to new creators out there who are thinking about entering the wonderful world of creating, what would it be?
First off Id just like to thank you and the Spotlight Crew for doing this for me. Its a great honour. I never thought Id ever see that day that Id have a Spotlight done on me.
As for advice to any new creators Thats very simple. Just have fun! Create for the joy of creating and put love and passion into your work.
What is this thing you earthlings call dancing???
Well, that about sums this interview up. Notorious has flourished as not only a marvellous creator, but a curator and highly active part of our community. He has elevated himself to the point where he is respected for both his creativity and his passion - something that I'm sure many of us have strived for in the LBP community. I hope you've enjoyed delving into his process and ideas as much as I have!
Well, that's all, folks! We hope you have enjoyed this installment of the Creator Spotlight. For past spotlights, please visit this link. See you next time!


text:
If you have followed my blog for a while you know that there were a number of graphic issues I had to begin with. In a change of event I am noticing lately that there are features of the Windows Explorer that are coming in handy.
The first thing was the rating system for images. Many times I have heard the Lightroom experience described and its star rating system. From the day I started using Vista I noticed that it had similar capabilities, but it wasn't clear how to use it beyond a single file. Honestly, I didn't think it was that useful and didn't spend the time to dig deeper.
Last week I had a large number of images I wanted to process and I was having a hard time narrowing down the keepers. It occurred to me that if I could rate the images and sort them by rating this could help me to review the similar images that were distributed randomly across the group of files. It made for a good tracking and workflow tool.
Today I started working with tags more, based on what I learned with the ratings. As my number of images have been growing I am finding it harder to locate images that I want to show people while discussing a topic. Slowly I am finding there are helpful surprises all over Vista. Time to go explore more.
Larry Clarkin of The Thirsty Developer podcast is one of the leaders of the Chicago Architects Group and makes the Microsoft office available for some of our meetings. As we were setting up for last week's meeting Larry was recording an episode of The Thirsty Developer. There were a few things about the situation that surprised me.
The first thing was that I always imagined a large box for recording and head sets and everything hooked up to a computer. The whole setup was barely noticable except for that large professional microphones. You can actually see how simple the setup is on the most recent episode's page.
The second surprise was how much distraction Larry could put up with and still keep on track with the interview. We were moving in and out of the room as people showed up and were setting up the food and drinks for the evening. We carried on conversations just outside the room and they never missed a beat. Then again I'm sure when Larry and Dave are recording in a bar or at a conference they have a lot more to deal with.
In all it was interesting to see just how these shows come together. I now have a new appreciation for people that do podcasts that I spend so much time listening to.
Please join us for the upcoming Chicago Architects Group meeting. The discussions during the meetings are usually lively and great for exchanging ideas. Please register at the link at the end of the information below. Hope to see you there.
Chicago Architects Group - Thurs, November 20th
Microsoft Corporation
3025 Highland Pkwy.
Suite 300
Downers Grove, Il 60515
Presentation :
Presentation at 6:00pm, doors open at 5:30pm
The Business Process Workflow Model, a case study
by Howard Edidin
Register Here
Tim is a Solutions Architect for PSC Group, LLC. He has been an IT consultant since 1999 specializing in Microsoft technologies. Along with running the Chicago Information Technology Architects Group and speaking on Microsoft and architecture topics he was also contributing author on "The Definitive Guide to the Microsoft Enterprise Library".


text:
Fujitsu is a strategic partner to the global automotive industry. We provide world-class technology, services and solutions for improving efficiency, reducing costs and helping our multinational clients gain maximum benefit from their global assets.
Fujitsu's automotive-specific portfolio covers IT technology and solutions for sales and after-sales service, R&D, production, and logistics as well as intelligent transportation systems based on telematics. Our vision is to be a supplier of high-quality automotive IT services and solutions. For us, this means being a trusted and strategic partner that works hand-in-hand with our clients to boost efficiency and innovation in operations around the globe.
Fujitsu is the global leader in graphics display controllers (GDCs) for embedded applications, including instrument clusters, in-dash navigation, heads-up displays and rear-seat entertainment. Fujitsu also offers the world's first automotive controller for HD video in vehicle networks and delivers CAN microcontrollers that are used widely for critical automotive functions.
Fujitsu Technology Solutions GmbH
Business Unit Automotive
Email: email@example.com
Share this page


text:
Is It Time to File Quiet Title Actions on Foreclosed Homes?
THIS IS NOT Intended to Be Construed or Relied upon as COMPETENT LEGAL ADVICE—it is an academic paper discussing various perceptions of evolving potential facts and law, which may differ state by state and within jurisdictions within states. Readers are urged to obtain competent legal representation to review their facts.
In the past, foreclosed homeowners and their attorneys have discussed the utility of filing quiet title actions where homes have been seized and deficiency judgments entered by various foreclosure claimants that purport to unknowingly rely on faulty documentation. There are dangers. A buyer that has acquired a foreclosed home—or the foreclosing entity itself—may bring an action against a dispossessed person seeking redress. A pro se plaintiff or an attorney that represents the wronged homeowner may be subject to sanctions for raising a spurious or improperly supported claim. Today facts appear to put a defense attorney at risk of malpractice if he does not preserve his clients' interest—even post foreclosure—unless he apprises the client of the opportunity to regain title to the family home. Courts have notice of these defects by reason of withdrawals of support documents—beyond GMAC.
Recent disclosures and admissions by document creation groups, together with widespread newspaper reported facts open avenues to additional discovery and formulation of academic legal opinion. These will open the door for claims to set aside erroneous judgments and/or pursue damages against those servicers, Indenture Trustees and document preparers that either knowingly, negligently, or acted with willful disregard to perpetrate fraud on the courts and the hapless home-owners. Mortgage-backed securities investors may also find an interest in these activities. Failed documentation may disguise outright fraud. Attestations and sworn affidavits serve a fundamental purpose—prevention of fraud. These are not mere technicalities as propounded by some industry apologists. Certainly, homeowners with continuing duties of enforced silence may have opportunity to re-open their settlements in light of these possible fraudulent impositions and inducements.
There are at least two sets of circumstances raised to date whereby potentially void or voidable documents have been used to push homeowners into the streets and into bankruptcy;
- Complaints in foreclosure supported by assignments of mortgage from purported representatives of MERS to various entities
- Motions for Summary Judgment supported by Affidavits of Claimants—most notably GMAC's Jeffrey Stephan
On September 23, 2010 the Washington Post added to the furor surrounding the (majority) federal government owned [ALLY] GMAC's revelations from earlier this week. GMAC used affidavits executed by an employee, Jeffrey Stephan, who admitted in deposition testimony in December 2009 and June 2010, that he did not actually verify the mortgage foreclosure information to which he was testifying in connection with the foreclosures of two families.
In addition, he admitted signing these "affidavits," and passing them for later notarization in bulk, a violation of proper notary procedure. Mr. Stephan signed off on 10,000 mortgage documents per month according to his June deposition and the Post article. GMAC, in this instance, took the honest and safe course of "temporarily suspending" some foreclosure-related activities in 23 states – as reported by several large newspapers, including the New York Times, Bloomberg and The Washington Post. The "temporary suspension" allows for evaluation of the impacts of this admitted breakdown in the system, rather than blatantly defrauding foreclosure courts in judicial foreclosure states. The New York Times on the 22nd speculated that: [GMAC] "actions suggest concern about potential liability in evicting families and selling houses to which it does not have clear title." [Emphasis added] The same article notes that; "The lender said it was also reviewing completed foreclosures where the same unnamed procedure might have been used." [Emphasis Added]. The step referred to in these articles, preparation and filing of an affidavit in support of a Motion for Summary Judgment—along with the Motion itself –occur well into the foreclosure process.
However, there is another critical document created and filed by a claimant with the foreclosure court at the beginning of foreclosure. This document, the Assignment of Mortgage, is supposed to support the claimant's right or legal "standing" to press the Complaint in Foreclosure. The Complaint is the basis for the foreclosure and creation of a "deficiency judgment" – the amount left owing by the homeowner after the claimant sells the house for less than the amount owed and includes added fees and charges. The claimant uses the deficiency judgment to seize the homeowner assets and future paychecks. In most instances the assignment is the only document before the court that associates the claimant with the borrower. The complaint and supporting assignment frequently surprise and confuse the homeowner by naming an entity or sham "trust" that the homeowner has never heard of before.
The Assignment of Mortgage is significantly more important than the affidavit in support of the Motion for Summary Judgment, if for no other reason sheer numbers. Typically most homeowners have undergone a psychological bruising and beating from the loan servicer by the time the actual Complaint in Foreclosure is filed. Often the family has lost the pay of one, if not both, wage earners and seeks some relief from one of the high cost, predatory loans created 2003-2007. Unfortunately the servicer typically refuses to discuss modification or any relief unless the homeowner has fallen behind in payments. The servicers may rely on terms limiting its authority within the securitization documents in respect of this hard-nose approach.
The hard-nose response gives the servicer cover for actions or abuses that often characterize its subsequent conduct. At that point, the servicer transfers the loan to the default department or outsources to a "default management" operation. This is an aggrandized term for collection agency. The "department" or collection agency often calls the family up to six or more times a day demanding money—rarely the same caller twice. Typically, this will throw the family into confusion and despair. Pleas for relief fall on deaf ears unless the family meets demands to "make up late payments and added fees." It's just the beginning of a process that has the effect, if not the purpose, of destroying the family's morale. The servicer may follow up with notices tacked on the homeowner's door, a barrage of ominous if not outright threatening letters and other actions aimed at driving the homeowner to abandon the home and neglect a legal defense.
If the homeowner is either naïve enough to believe that the touted voluntary [for servicers] relief programs actually operate, or desperate to keep a roof over the family's head, the loan modification dance begins. Under the guise of compliance with HAMP, the collection agency demands an array of homeowner financial and employment information. Irrespective of the use that the homeowner desires for that information, it will be of great help to the collection agency to locate assets and paychecks down the road to collect the looming deficiency. But today the information rarely satisfies the servicer in respect of moving towards a modification. The demanded documents are often purportedly "lost" by the servicer, or deemed inadequate—anything to drag out the nightmare and break the family's spirits. After submitting and resubmitting documents, explanations, and hours on the telephone day after day, week after week, any false hopes that are raised are destroyed by a denial. Homeowners often will be told to try again-with the same results.
After about 3-4 months, perhaps even while the family thinks that a modification is soon to be forthcoming, the ax falls instead. An assignment is "created" and the Complaint is filed. Usually the family gives up without opposition at this point. The servicer may go so far as to place a note on the door offering to further discuss modification leaving a phone number. When the number is called by the confounded homeowner, the servicer representative may explain: "we didn't really mean that; we just wanted to see if you have left yet!"
In some cases born of desperation, the struggling family may contact an attorney who demands $1000-$5000 just to open the case. The family has 30 days to raise the money to cause someone to simply look at the demands in the Complaint and the Assignment. In the vast majority of cases still remaining, the family gives up now, abandons the property, and no response is ever filed to the Complaint—a default judgment is entered in favor of the claimant. Most often, the family is not even aware that the demands seek more than just the home. That realization may take years to occur—when another collector knocks on the door demanding the long-forgotten deficiency. The process is aimed at breaking the family's will, at winnowing out the homeowners. The servicer wants the home!
The articles printed prior to Sep 23, 2010 in connection with GMAC's "unnamed procedure" did not focus upon the issue of potential forgery or related systemic fraud on the courts in connection with preparation of Assignments of Mortgage. By way of background, by reference to numerous anecdotes, it appears that often a claimant in possession of a list of homeowner loans in default provides superficial information to a default services company in respect of the borrower and property. One of the largest default service providers, by its own admission, is two-year old publicly traded Lender Processing Services ("LPS"), a spin-off from FINS. "Approximately 50 percent of all U.S. mortgages by dollar volume are serviced using LPS' Mortgage Servicing Package (MSP)" The lender, a servicer or Indenture Trustee contracts with LPS for creation and delivery of an Assignment of Mortgage to the requesting entity. (see exhibit at end) This document is often sent directly by LPS through the mail to County Recorders to be file-stamped and recorded in the county property records. These steps lend false authenticity to the piece of paper. By the time the targeted family sees the Complaint and attached Assignment, the assignment has been file-stamped by their local County Recorder, the Clerk of Courts and probably was attached to a subpoena "served" upon them by their County Sherriff. The family is thoroughly intimidated by the Assignment of Mortgage, which has been used to convert the family's local authorities into apparent agents and enforcers of the distant claimant. The assignment is a powerful weapon in the war of intimidation.
The Washington Post, September 23, 2010, correlated the GMAC admitted breakdown in verification of loan files and notarization process with the assignment creation process operated by LPS. LPS' document creation division in Alpharetta, Georgia operating under LPS' DOCX trademark, churned out thousands of assignments. The Post identified one prolific signatory, Linda Green. The article set out in its body several examples of Ms. Green's signature—which differ dramatically one to another. The Post stated the likely observation that the signatures were made by other LPS employees in addition to Ms Green. She is but one example at one LPS office: there are others with similar handiwork including Tywanna Thomas and Korrel Harp at that office. Mr. Harp has the added dubious distinction of having been jailed for and plead guilty to "Knowingly Possessing False Identification" relating to an arrest in Oklahoma in 2008. At the age of 24, Mr. Harp was signing as Vice-President of Mortgage Electronic Services Inc., aka MERS. MERS has been nominal owner of 65 million home mortgages—and receives mortgage title to 60% of all new mortgages.
As a VP of MERS the 24 year-old Harp, like Ms. Green and Thomas, purportedly possessed the power to transfer mortgages with questionable oversight to LPS' clients—perhaps others? Based on the signatures of Harp, Green, Thomas— and other varied, yet purportedly notarized signatures, Courts across the country have foreclosed on homes and granted deficiency judgments. One of the in house LPS notaries was only 18 years old at the time she notarized signature for Harp, Thomas and others at DOCX. Michelle Kersch, a senior vice president for Lender Processing Services, made limited explanations by email in the Post article but did not elaborate "due to the pending criminal investigation".
Like GMACs Stephan, LPS' stamp and sign department was a high volume operation. Powers of attorney were not consistently attached to the crucial assignments—if at all.
In the case of Linda Green, there was no power of attorney to represent MERS on an original "assignment of mortgage dated October 17, 2008 and filed on October 13, 2009". This technicality was disclosed in a corrective filing of assignment by Florida foreclosure firm Shapiro and Fishman dated August 11, 2010 in Lee County, Florida in support of a foreclosure by servicer AHMSI. The POA status of other prolific signers such as Harp seems equally uncertain—but as Harp has emphatically stated "I'm sure everything is legal." There seems to be little observable difference between the conduct of GMAC's Stephan and the LPS' high volume signers—but for the possible failure of the LPS signers to have representative capacity to sign at all.
LPS has also made admissions that GMAC seems to echo in terms of problematic "processes". In the company's 2009 Annual Report on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, published in March 2010, under "regulatory matters"–"Recently, during an internal review of the business processes used by our document solutions subsidiary, we identified a business process that caused an error in the notarization of certain documents, some of which were used in foreclosure proceedings in various jurisdictions around the country."
Subsequently, April 3, 2010, the Wall St. Journal published an article regarding the issues with LPS and notary deficiencies; "US Probes Foreclosure-Data Provider". Foreclosure activists in Florida did not let the admission pass. These persons identified and brought to light signed and notarized Assignments that actually conveyed mortgages to named entities, "Bogus Assignee" and "Bad Bene". These clearly established undeniable proof that LPS' internal controls were compromised and virtually any name could be inserted as a claimant in a foreclosure action.
LPS' CEO Jeffrey Carbiener authored a Letter to the Editor of the Florida Times-Union responding to an article published May 14, 2010 referring to "bad bene" and "bogus assignee". In his open letter admissions in the press Carbiener asserted that the bogus names were "placeholders" put in the signed and notarized assignment documents "…until the missing information [claimant name] was provided…" Carbiener noted that the forms, as well as the data inserted, were based on instructions from clients with the "placeholders" used until more data is provided. This amounts to a Nuremberg Defense.
The Carbiener comments attempt to place the onus of error in naming mortgage claimants on his clients—but for the obvious so-called placeholders. However, Carbiener's comments have great significance beyond LPS role. This explanation is an admission that assignments were prepared in blank based on client information. According to Carbiener, it would appear that the named claimant was subsequently determined by the client and inserted. This process allows substantial opportunity for abuse, suggesting that a servicer determined that a loan was in default, and then someone engaged in a separate process to identify a claimant to whom the proceeds of foreclosure would be awarded.
The difficulties, or opportunities, for a servicer and his client Indenture Trustees to shift the benefits among potential investor beneficiaries are more apparent when one reviews the SEC filings of now bankrupt mortgage note originators such as American Home Mortgage group ("AHM") and Option One.
Both originated loans that were supposedly stuffed into trusts. On paper the trusts supposedly issued mortgage-backed securities to trusting investors. However, purported trust-sponsors AHM and Option One and the Indenture Trustees were at best haphazard in meeting basic commitments and representations that were plainly stated in the securitization documents they themselves filed. The trust documents clearly state that the lists of loans included in the trusts were filed with the SEC and the appropriate Secretary of State (UCC). The securitization documents provided detailed descriptions of the information to be included in the filed list. This information was sufficient that a homeowner could determine if the trust owned his/her loan and was the proper party to receive his payments. Investors in the trust MBS could look to the list to determine the principal amount of the loans that "backed" the investment, as well as loan to value ratios and other relevant information that would indicate the value of the loans—and provide information adequate to determine if the same loan was placed in multiple trusts. However, for AHM, 7 of the 12 investment trusts filed with SEC lacked the lists. The schedule stated, "manually filed", but the manual filing was not made in many instances. The actual manual filings made are identified on the SEC dockets for the trusts as "SE" for "scanned exhibit." Under the "SE" docket entry, the list would be found in specificity. One such example of a trust with a proper loan list was American Home Mortgage Investment Trust 2005-2.
In motion practice in connection with a homeowner's motion to dismiss a naked claim by one of Korrel Harp's or Linda Green's appointed mortgage assignment beneficiary trusts, one could note that the trust lacked a loan list and ownership of the loan could not be independently verified by reference to government records as intended. In so doing, it was possible to refer the court to the properly filed loan lists to note the clear distinction and value of the list. It was possible to prove that the lists were not intentionally missing due to some overriding concern for homeowner privacy—a common speculation. It was also useful to prove that missing loan lists were not customary "industry practice". The filed list was a government record freely accessible to the public online. That changed between July 21, 2010 and September 02, 2010. Loan lists that had been on file and available for investors and homeowners to view online on the SE site were unceremoniously deleted. The lists are no longer freely accessible. A demand is now necessary under Freedom of Information Act—the proper loan lists can no longer be referenced in motions to dismiss. The effect was equivalent to, if not the same as, intentional destruction of evidence by the SEC. It is of interest that on the same day as the Washington Post detailed the LPS similarity to GMAC in terms of uncertain document authenticity, the WSJ also ran a front-page article detailing questionable actions taken in recent months by SEC. Washington Post, September 22, 2010, SEC Blasted on Goldman.
In summary, SEC failed to require actual filing of loan lists by the trust sponsors and the Indenture Trustees. This failing has lead to LPS and GMAC transfers of claims to unverifiable beneficiaries. This the Times suggests, creates a cloud on the title of the new home buyers of foreclosed properties. Then to complete the injury and remove opportunity for homeowners to defend unsupported claims, SEC destroys evidence that could be useful to homeowners being foreclosed and investors seeking to prove fraud. The mortgage fiasco has roots in SEC failure to regulate and its continuation and concealment of potential fraud is an abuse of discretion by SEC, which is supposed to support disclosure of information—not hide it.
Excerpted from: DOCX eAssignTM brochure (no longer found online)
eAssign utilizes the industry's most robust property records database and data capture capabilities to significantly reduce timelines and costs for lienholders when creating (emphasis added) and recording lien assignment documents.
This article was contributed by an anonymous supporter of StopForeclosureFraud.com
© 2010 FORECLOSURE FRAUD | by DinSFLA. All rights reserved. www.StopForeclosureFraud.com


text:
Be the first to see new jobs
Anchorage, AK!
Enter your email address below to be notified when new jobs are posted.
Employers use Nursing Network daily to search for the perfect candidate. Get listed so they can discover you.Get started
Registered Nurse (RN) - Travel - ICU
Anchorage, AK
Hiring Company
Health Trust
Position Description
Registered Nurse (RN) - Travel - ICU
Entrust Your Career to HealthTrust
As HealthTrust Workforce Solutions, we focus on a healthcare facility's most valuable resource for delivering exceptional patient experiences – its people. We believe healthcare isn't defined by the four walls in which it's practiced. It's defined by the people for whom and by whom it is delivered.
With HealthTrust you'll have opportunities to work in some of the nation's leading facilities, further develop your skills, train on new technology and more. While you are advancing your career, you will also enjoy the many benefits of being a healthcare traveler. Best of all, you'll make lasting friendships with other passionate health professionals wherever you go!
HealthTrust travelers enjoy competitive pay as well as:
- Fully furnished housing or subsidy
- Weekly deposit options
- 401(k) retirement programs
- Travel reimbursements
- Healthcare insurance
To get started you will need:
- A degree from accredited school of nursing
- Minimum 1 year acute care experience in a hospital setting
- Current State Nursing License
- Current BLS and all other appropriate certifications for specific specialty
Together with our healthcare facility partners, we ensure that our clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals have the skills, tools and support needed to fulfill their mission of delivering exceptional patient experiences. This means taking a holistic, long-term view of your career options and taking as good a care of our people as our hospital partners take of their patients. When healthcare professionals are empowered with the right skills, tools and employment opportunity to fulfill their mission – something incredible happens. Patient satisfaction soars, employee collaboration takes hold and healthcare organizations deliver high quality, sustainable access to care.
Apply today.
Click to chat with someone about this position!
Chat hours are M - F 8:30am - 4pm
Click the apply button to apply now.
Be the first to see new jobs
Anchorage, AK!
Enter your email address below to be notified when new jobs are posted.
Employers use Nursing Network daily to search for the perfect candidate. Get listed so they can discover you.Get started
Be the first to see new jobs near Anchorage, AK!
Enter your email address below to receive notifications for new jobs when they are posted.


text: PITTSBURGH -- Every time the St. Louis Cardinals faced Francisco Liriano in 2013, the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander found a way to push the Cardinals around. At long last, St. Louis pushed back. The Cardinals jumped on the Pirates ace early, Yadier Molina hit his second homer of the season and Jhonny Peralta added a late two-run shot as St. Louis pulled away for a 6-1 win on Saturday night. The victory was the first by the Cardinals against Liriano, who went 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA against St. Louis last season, including a triumph in Game 3 of the NL division series. "Hes tough, man, but he caught a lot of the plate with his pitches tonight, especially in the first inning and then on the home run," Molina said. "Hes a tough pitcher and we kind of caught him when he wasnt at his best." Molina finished 2 for 4 and his solo homer in the sixth gave the Cardinals plenty of cushion as they bounced back from a 12-2 loss on Friday by not waiting around for Liriano to get into a rhythm. St. Louis used a three-run first inning to put the Pirates in a quick hole then held on as Joe Kelly (1-0) shook off some rust in his first start of the season. The right-hander worked 5 1-3 innings, walking four and striking out four. "I made some good pitches when I had to but I struggled a little with my command from time to time," Kelly said. "It seemed like when I really needed to make a pitch I was able to do it and avoid getting into big trouble." The Pirates had their chances. They loaded the bases in the third but managed only a single run when Kelly walked Russell Martin. Pittsburgh left 11 runners on base, including seven in the first four innings. "We had opportunities to cash in and we werent able to do it," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said hours after agreeing to a contract extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through at least 2017. St. Louis reliever Carlos Martinez, who typically works the eighth inning, replaced Kelly with two on and one out in the sixth and retired Starling Marte and Travis Snider on groundouts to end the threat. "It was a part of the game where it could have gone in a different direction fast," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "Carlos came out and did exactly what we needed him to do." Liriano, who struck out 10 in six innings on opening day against the Cubs, settled down after initial command issues. He surrendered four runs on seven hits in six innings, walking two and striking out four. "Theyve got some good hitters and they hit some good pitches down and I made a couple of mistakes too," Liriano said after falling to 9-2 in his career at PNC Park. "Thats part of the game. Just one of those nights." It wasnt exactly a repeat of the last time Liriano faced St. Louis, when he held the Cardinals in check in Game 3 of the NL division series to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. St. Louis rallied to take the series in five games and six months later it appears the clubs that finished one-two in the NL Central remain evenly matched. The teams have now split the last 26 meetings. For once, however, the Cardinals got the best of Pittsburghs ace by not messing around while he dealt with location issues in the first. Matt Carpenter led off with a single. Peralta walked and Matt Holliday followed with an RBI single to right. Peralta scored on a sacrifice fly by Allen Craig, with Holliday scoring on a perfectly placed single to left by Matt Adams. Molina provided insurance with a homer to right and Peraltas second home run with the Cardinals slipped inside the left field foul pole against Pittsburgh reliever Jeanmar Gomez in the ninth. That was more than enough for a bullpen that didnt surrender a hit in 3 2-3 innings of work. NOTES: Marte went 1 for 5 and has reached base in each of his 17 career games against St. Louis. ... St. Louis reliever Jason Motte, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, participated in a simulated game in Florida on Saturday. Matheny said the team doesnt have a pre-determined role set for Motte, who saved 42 games in 2012 before the injury. ... The series concludes on Sunday when Adam Wainwright (1-0, 0.00) is set to go for St. Louis against Edinson Volquez (0-0, 0.00), who pitched two innings of relief in a loss to the Cubs on Thursday. Wilson Chandler Jersey . Nick Young scored 17 points for Los Angeles, which lost five of its last seven before trouncing the Pelicans, who beat them handily last week in New Orleans. Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry scored 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who led by 20 points in the first half before coasting to their 12th win in their last 13 regular-season meetings with New Orleans. Cheap 76ers Jerseys . Dougie Hamilton and Jordan Caron scored in the first period after the Red Wings had miscues on the ice and Tuukka Rask finished with a 23-save shutout, giving Boston a 3-0 win over the Red Wings and a 2-1 series lead in their first-round series. http://www.cheap76ersjerseys.com/?tag=ch...awu-jersey. The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., who trains out of San Diego, will fight bantamweight champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey on July 5 in the co-main event of UFC 175 in Las Vegas. Landry Shamet Jersey . The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders are giving it a try, too. Mike Muscala Jersey . New York then missed its next six shots and scored only two points the rest of the night. The Los Angeles Clippers defence and the Knicks general ineptitude both played a role in the unsurprising finish to a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions.KINGSTON, Ont. -- The Queens Golden Gaels football team will forfeit the results of its first two games this season because of an ineligible player. The teams victory over Windsor on Sept. 1 will be removed and will stand as a 1-0 loss. The 37-30 loss to Ottawa on Sept. 6 will stand. This is a very unfortunate situation, and the playeers are obviously disappointed, Queens coach Pat Sheahan said in a release.dddddddddddd. But we stand together as a team and we will put this behind us and focus on the games ahead. The ineligible player cant play for the rest of the season. All team and player statistics for the rest of the Golden Gaels remain in place. Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Titans Jerseys Cheap Chargers Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Saints Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Cheap Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Vikings Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys ' ' '


text:
Price/ Quantity for all contacts is for per pair of 2 pieces. You can select your power from the drop down list, it's same power for both lenses. For mix of power, please choose 1 from the drop down list and key in 1 in the column below the drop down list. Please check stock availability in drop down list. Just like below.
Please take note that 12 months replacement period is a maximum period you can use. After you opened the lenses, it depends on the frequency you used.
It's wear and tear product, the more frequent you use, you shall dispose it in shorter period time frame. The longest you can use is 12 months. Says you used it every day, then we advise you to dispose it within 3 months.
is backordered. We will ship it separately in 10 to 15 days.


text:
Welcome to Foundation Stage! We work with children from three to five years and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. We have a FS1 Base (Nursery) and a FS2 Base (Reception). The teachers in FS1 are Mrs Hotchkiss and Miss Hotchkiss who are supported by Curriculum Specialist Mrs Byrne and Teaching Assistants Mrs Stephens and Mrs Harrison. In FS2 the teachers are Mrs Bell and Mrs Hurst who are supported by Teaching Assistants Miss Shaw and Miss Crooks.
During children's time in Foundation Stage they will cover three prime areas of learning through child led and adult led activities. The prime areas are: Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. These prime areas are the most essential to a child's healthy development and future learning.
They will also cover four specific areas which are: Literacy, Mathematical Development, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. We work closely together as a Foundation Stage team and with the rest of Angram Bank School. We take part in Achievement Day, termly Parents Evening, parent workshops and fundraising events. Children get on the Angram Bank bus in our Foundation Stage and continue on an exciting learning journey!
Follow us on twitter:
You can email us at:
FS1 In The Moment
FS1 Reading Spine
We take effective and thoughtful action to promote and design a wide range of opportunities to develop pupils spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical well being. This enables our pupils to thrive in a supportive and positive climate for learning.
Welcome to Y1/2! Our teachers are Miss Leesley, Miss Holmshaw and Miss Overton. Miss Crookes and Mrs Green are also here to support our learning. We are all busy bees and love to grow our brains. We hope you enjoy reading our regular blog updates showcasing our learning.
Be kind and help your brain grow, get on the values rainbow!
Follow us on twitter:
AngramBank News
You can also email us at: email@example.com
Welcome to Y5/6! Miss Hope, Miss Heath and Mr Merone are the teachers in these year groups. Mrs Mee, Miss Larkin and Mrs Ashton are our teaching assistants, and they work really hard supporting learning in class, as well as taking groups out for 'keeping up time'.
We hope you enjoy reading our blogs which outline and showcase our current learning.
Follow us on twitter:
You can also email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com
🚨 Check out the 30 Active Day Challenge which is designed to keep families active over the summer period! https://t.co/WpOAT8aPYR @ArchesSSP #sheffieldhealthyholidays @movemoresheff— Angram Bank Sport (@AngramBankSport) July 15, 2020


text:
Student Employment: Student Employment Procedures
Student Appointments
An undergraduate student should be registered with six (6) or more credit hours to be considered for employment as a student worker during Fall and Spring, and three (3) hours in the summer. Lacking such enrollment during a summer session, an applicant may be considered a student worker if he/she was enrolled for six (6) or more credit hours during the semester immediately preceding the summer session, or if he/she indicated an intention to be so registered during the semester immediately following the summer employment. For a student who graduated the preceding spring semester, the Job End Date must be before the start date of the fall semester.
Citizens and permanent residents are limited to working no more than 25 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters. Internationals are limited to 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters. All students may work up to 37.5 hours per week any week there are no classes or exams and during the summer months.
To work as a student worker, your first step is to visit CareerConnect. Current UIS students have been automatically registered for UIS CareerConnect.
UIS Students Registered for Classes – To login to UIS CareerConnect, enter your netID (without the @uis.edu portion) as your username. If this is THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE LOGGED IN to UIS CareerConnect, use the Need Password button to have your password generated and sent to your UIS email address.
*Any student who has submitted a "Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information" form with Records and Registration has not been registered for UIS CareerConnect. These students will need to manually register for UIS CareerConnect using the form on the CareerConnect homepage.
For help with writing a resume, please contact UIS Career Development Center at 217-206-6508.
All students employees are required to electronically complete an I-9 form. For undergraduate students, I-9 forms are completed electronically in the Office of Financial Assistance. If you are hired for a position, you will need to bring two forms of acceptable documents from the lists on the I-9 form to the Office of Financial Assistance. The most common acceptable documents used are a U.S. Passport or either your UIS I-Card, driver's license/state ID, and either a certified copy of your birth certificate (from a government agency) or an original Social Security Card.
Your hiring department will then send you a link to Nessie via your UIS e-mail. You must visit the Nessie website and complete additional required forms.
International Students:
If you do not have a social security card, you will need to request a letter from the department hiring you. The hiring department must use the letter template available from the Office of International Student Services to type the letter and they must sign it. You will take this letter along with your passport, I-20, and I-94 to the Social Security Office at 3112 Constitution Drive, Springfield, IL (behind Target) to apply for a card.
Once you have a social security card, you need to complete the I-9 form in the Office of Financial Assistance. Then you need to complete the Foreign National Tax Information form in the Payroll Office (HRB 18). To schedule an appointment with the Payroll Office, you should call (217) 206-7211. Be sure to have your passport and visa information with you as well as your Social Security Card when you go there.
Once you obtain a job, you need to complete a timesheet for each pay period that you work. If your department handles timesheets using the department entry method, you will complete a hard copy timesheet. Be sure to fill in the dates and hours you work for each two week pay period and total your hours at the bottom. Be sure to sign the timesheet and have your supervisor sign it (electronic signatures are not acceptable) . Submit this timesheet to whomever enters your hours into the payroll system (Check with your supervisor). If you do web entry of your time, your supervisor will explain the web entry procedure. A timesheet is due on the final day you work for that pay period. Be aware timesheets could be due earlier near breaks and holidays notably Thanksgiving and Christmas. Timesheets cannot be submitted online.
Once your appointment is in the payroll system, you will be paid every other Wednesday. This is the same week that your timesheet is due for the next pay period.


text:
Chemcon Speciality Chemicals Ltd. was incorporated in the year 1988. Its today's share price is 0. Its current market capitalisation stands at Rs 0 Cr. In the latest quarter, company has reported Gross Sales of Rs. 3041.68 Cr and Total Income of Rs.3043.16 Cr. The company's management includes Samir Chandrakant Patel, Devendra Rajkumar Mangla, Neelu Shah, Himanshu Purohit, Rajesh Chimanlal Gandhi, Rajveer Aggarwal, Kamalkumar Rajendra Aggarwal, Kamalkumar Rajendra Aggarwal, Bharat Shah, Lalit Chaudhary. It is listed on the BSE with a BSE Code of , NSE with an NSE Symbol of and ISIN of . It's Registered office is at Block Number 355,Manjusar Kunpad Road, Manjusar Village,Taluka SavliVadodara-391775, Gujarat. Their Registrars are ACC Ltd. It's auditors are KC Mehta & Co
RBI Monetary Policy Live Updates: Repo rate cut on hold; Shaktikanta Das unveils liquidity, stimulus measures
Covid blues: Services PMI slump eases a tad
India's Sula Vineyards to export its wines to Singapore, gateway to Southeast Asian wine market
RBI may go for status quo; announce other measures to boost growth
Modi's free food grain scheme reaches doorsteps of poor, migrant labourers amid unprecedented crisis
Economy opens but migrant labour yet to return; manufacturing in these cities bears maximum brunt
Foreign trade regulator rejig to cut imports, promote 'Make in India' and 'Ease of Doing Business'
RBI monetary policy: Reserve Bank may cut interest rates by 25 bps; focus likely to be on transmission
Income Tax compliance made easier; fewer cases go for scrutiny: FinMin
US, China plan to review phase-one trade deal mid-month
Service sector falls sharply in July: No real sign of economic recovery; job cuts at record high
India's stock rally shows most pronounced contrast with economic gloom
PSUs struggle to meet FM Nirmala Sitharaman's target for capital-spend
GSTN glitch leads to scramble among taxpayers to get data backup; vanished data being restored, says Network
SC admits I-T appeal challenging settlement commission's powers
Dividend transfer from RBI to govt a problem: Former RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya
Solar firms seen receiving Rs 4,000 crore as regulatory payments: Crisil
Petrol, diesel demand may take up to three quarters to recover; local restrictions take toll on fuel sales
Exports revival? July exports at almost the same level as the last year's, says Piyush Goyal
Modi govt eases rules for private firms to sell petrol, diesel; check eligibility, net worth required, etc


text:
Bill Scherrer, one of the Sox's top evaluators, was in Florida last week for the Marlins' series with Colorado, which has left-handed hitter Brad Hawpe.
The Sox had a limited chance Monday to watch Seattle's Russell Branyan, who has been sidelined with back stiffness. But the Mariners made an indirect inquiry about Sox third base prospect Brent Morel.
The two top targets appear to be Washington's Adam Dunn and Milwaukee's Prince Fielder. A Nationals scout watched the Sox's Triple-A Charlotte affiliate last week, and a Brewers scout observed the Sox in Seattle and in Oakland on Friday. …
July 24, 2010
Seattle wants Brent Morel for Russell Branyan; White Sox scouting Brad Hawpe
Leave a Comment »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI


text:
The 22-inch LG Flatron E2260 looks somewhat like a smaller version of Samsung's "X" LED series; in particular, the PX2370. The display scored well in our DisplayMate-based color and uniformity tests; however, in movies and games we found the colors were not as vibrant when compared to the PX2370. So, is the E2260 worth $320? Not when better performing monitors like the PX2370 are available for about the same price. Unfortunately, the E2260 offers little the PX2370 doesn't do better.
Design and features
The 22-inch LG Flatron E2260 has one of the slightest profiles we've seen on a 22-incher. The panel measures less than a 0.5 inch deep; however, it does extend back another 0.5 inches at the bottom of the panel to enclose its connection options. The translucent neck of the display evokes a similar neck seen in the Samsung PX2370; however, the LG incarnation is rectangular, not circular. The panel's chassis is fairly glossy and there's a blue LED light under the front-middle of the panel that reflects off of the top part of the neck and creates a cool-looking visage.
The foot stand is a wide 9.5 inches by 7.75 inches deep. The bezel is a thin 0.6 inch wide and the full panel comes out to 20 inches in width. The 22-inch monitor includes only a 10-degree back tilt as its sole ergonomic option. Connection options include DVI, VGA, HDMI, and a headphone jack, all located on the back-middle of the panel.
The onscreen display (OSD) array is located in the lower right-hand corner on the bottom of the panel. The array consists of five buttons: Menu, Mode, Auto, Input and Exit. While the buttons aren't labeled, pressing either of them brings up the OSD, with each choice aligned above the array buttons. The controls include options for Brightness, Contrast, and Sharpness. The OSD includes four presets: Normal, Movie, Internet, and Demo. The Demo mode allows you to see what your picture would look like compared with the preset you're currently in. There are also color preset options, including Normal, Gaussian Blur, Sepia, and Monochrome. The display also includes color temperature presets and the capability to control the red, green, and blue values, individually.
Navigating the OSD was simple, but not as efficient as others we've seen and we took issue with the lack of an "up" feature when in menus. Still, this was only a minor annoyance.
Design highlights:
Connectivity: HDMI, DVI, VGA
Ergonomic options: 10-degree back tilt
Resolution: 1,920x1,080
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Audio: Built-in headphones
VESA support: No
Feature highlights:
Included video cables? DVI, VGA
Backlight: LED
Panel Type: TN
Screen film: Matte
Number of presets: 3
Overdrive: No
Picture options: Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness
Color controls: Normal, Gaussian Blur, Sepia, Monochrome, Color temperature control, RGB controls
Gamma control: Yes
Additional features: n/a
DisplayMate Performance
We tested the LG Flatron E2260 through its DVI input, connected to a Windows Vista PC, using the included DVI cable. The display posted a composite score of 91 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests--several points lower than the PX2370's 96, but a very good showing nonetheless. In our color ramp tests, we saw linear and smooth progression from dark to light colors. In color tracking we saw accurate color with no tint problems. This carried over to games and movies, which also, did not display tint problems. In our Dark Screen test we saw minimal backlight bleedthrough.
In text, we saw no color problems with black text on a white background. Fonts were clearly visible down to a 6.8 size.
We tested the LG Flatron E2260 using the Blu-ray version of "Avatar." The E2260 displayed the movie well, not crushing dark blacks; however, in the cinema preset mode, the blacks were not dark enough to be considered anything near true black.
Colors, were not as vibrant and saturated as on the PX2370, and as a result looked slightly washed out. When we adjusted each red, green, and blue value to about 63, we noticed a slight improvement in color saturation, but not dramatically so.
Because of our intimate familiarity with World of Warcraft (WoW), it remains the best tool for judging color quality and vibrancy in games. On the LG Flatron E2260 we found that color saturation and vibrancy were lacking compared with the PX2370. While colors on the PX2370 popped with life, on the E2260, they seemed bland in comparison.


text:
How did residents of the storm-demolished East Coast lift their post-Sandy spirits? By seeing a movie called Wreck-It Ralph. (The name of the hurricane just before Sandy: Rafael.) Or by taking a turbulent Flight with an inebriated pilot played by Denzel Washington. All over North America, citizens streamed into movie houses as if trying to cure a continent-wide case of cabin fever: business was up 15% from the same weekend last year. And abroad, the sky was the limit. Make that Skyfall, the 23rd film in the James Bond series, which grossed $156 million over the weekend for a celestial $287 million in 10 days. It touches down in the U.S. on Nov. 9.
In a week when the Walt Disney Co. spent $4 billion as a down payment on extending the Star Wars saga (by buying Lucasfilm Ltd.), the Mouse House found a less expensive way of generating revenue. Wreck-It Ralph, which relates the transformation from villain to hero of a huge, bumbling, sweet-hearted clod (John C. Reilly) from an '80s video game, won the weekend at North American theaters with a smashing $49.1 million, according to preliminary studio estimates. If that number holds when final figures are released Monday, Ralph will have posted the strongest opening for a non-Pixar Disney animated feature, narrowly beating the $48.8 million snagged two Novembers ago by Tangled (which also boasted a Sunday estimate of $49.1 million, before being revised slightly downward).
(READ: Mary Pols' review of Wreck-It Ralph)
[UPDATE: According to final figures released Monday, Wreck-It Ralph posted a $49.04 million weekend gross, close to Disney's Sunday estimate and comfortably above the Tangled total of $48.8 million. Flight's $24.9 million was just $100,000 below Paramount's original number. Of the top-10 titles, only The Man With the Iron Fists was far off the estimated mark: $7.9 million instead of Sunday's $8.2-million forecast.]
Ralph, with its $165-million budget, cost about $100 million less than Tangled to produce, but that's still a hefty investment on a project that hardy seemed a sure thing. The movie was directed by Rich Moore, a non-Disney hand who had helmed episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama (but who knew Disney-Pixar boss John Lasseter from their student days at CalArts). And unlike the star-encrusted DreamWorks cartoons, it featured a medium-wattage voice cast of R-rated renegades from the stables of Judd Apatow (Reilly) and Jimmy Kimmel (Sarah Silverman, Adam Carolla), along with some prime-time supporting players (30 Rock's Jack McBrayer, Glee's Jane Lynch). If Ralph was to wreak any benign havoc, it would have to do so on quality. That it did: critics in the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate awarded the picture an 84% fresh rating, and audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a gold-star A grade.
(READ: Corliss's review of Tangled)
In hindsight, Ralph looks like pure marketing savvy: transferring the Toy Story plot to the video-game universe. As the Lasseter blockbusters mixed original figures (Woody and Buzz) with familiar toys (Barbie, Mr. Potato Head), Ralph integrates Ralph and his pals with PacMan — "that cherry-chasing dot-muncher" — and a host of brand®-name oldies. After two tries at Tron (in 1982 and 2010), Disney finally figured out how to get kids inside a video-game movie. Spanning 75 years of animated mayhem, with its nods to Porky in Wackyland and other early, wild Warner Bros. cartoons, Ralph offered touchstones to parents as well as kids; it's an up-to-date nostalgia trip. Families comprised two-thirds of the Ralph audiences, with 54% of early attendees male — unusually high for a PG-rated animovie. And since school was out of Friday for many kids in the path of Sandy, the picture did big weekday matinee business.
(SEE: Where the Toy Story movies land on the all-TIME Top 25 Animated Features list)
The Flight trajectory was, in its way, even more impressive. Playing in about half as many theaters as Wreck-It Ralph, and costing just $31 million to produce, the R-rated drama opened to $25 million, well above the forecasts of box-office swamis. Like director Robert Zemeckis's last live-action film, Cast Away, this story about the troubled survivor of a plane crash appealed to adults: a whopping 89% of the weekend audience was over 25. The favorable reviews for Washington and the movie, and the CinemaScore rating of "A," all but guarantee that this Flight will be airborne into the awards season.
(READ: Corliss's review of Flight)
Grownups had much to choose from at the multiplex this weekend. Four of the six top-grossing movies — Flight, Argo, The Man With Iron Fists and Cloud Atlas — were rated R, and five were headlined by veteran stars, including Washington, 58, Cloud Atlas's Tom Hanks, 56, and Taken 2's Liam Neeson, 60. Ben Affleck's Argo showed stalwart legs, lodging in the top three for a fourth straight week and cementing its chances as an Oscar finalist, while Iron Fists, starring Russell Crowe in the directorial debut of rap icon the RZA, stumbled to a mild $8.2-million opening weekend. Made for $15 million, and godfathered by Quentin Tarantino and cowritten by Eli (Hostel) Roth, this martial-arts mishigas pulled a lame C-plus CinemaScore from its mostly male (64%) viewers.
(READ: Corliss's review of Argo)
Indie fare languished, both because mainstream films cannibalized the upmarket audiences and because some of the prime art houses are located in lower Manhattan, which was deprived of electricity until Friday evening or Saturday morning. A Late Quartet, the chamber-music drama starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener, earned an OK $76,000 at nine theaters.
(READ: Mary Pols' review of A Late Quartet)
Café de Flore, the acclaimed Canadian weepie that scored last year at the Venice Film Festival, and This Must Be the Place, the Cannes 2011 weirdie directed by Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo) and starring Sean Penn and Frances McDormand, lost business due to delayed Manhattan openings. Café de Flore earned $10,000 in one tiny Miami theater; This Must Be the Place took in $7,000 at the NuArt in Los Angeles. True gauges of their box-office potential must await calmer weather and more adventurous audiences.
(READ: Mary Corliss's Festival reviews of Café de Flore and This Must Be the Place)
Here are the Sunday estimates of this weekend's top-grossing pictures in North American theaters, as reported by Box Office Mojo:
1. Wreck-It Ralph, $49.1 million, first weekend
2. Flight, $25 million, first weekend
3. Argo, $10.2 million; $75.9 million, fourth week
4. The Man With the Iron Fists, $8.2 million, first weekend
5. Taken 2, $6 million; $125.7 million, fifth week
6. Cloud Atlas, $5.25 million; $18.3 million, second week
7. Hotel Transylvania, $4.5 millionl $137.6 million, sixth week
8. Paranormal Activity 4, $4,3 million; $49.6 million, third week
9. Here Comes the Boom, $3.6 million; $35.6 million, fourth week
10. Silent Hill: Revelation, $3.3 million; $13.9 million, second week


text:
My Bookmarks and Annotations 09/01/2009
16 Apps That Make Sharing Large Files A Snap
So why would you use an file-sharing app anyway? Actually for many reasons: for larger files, for privacy, multiple files, file format support, and more.
In this post, I compare 16 file-sharing services. I took three main issues under consideration when creating the comprehensive app list below: Free, Fast, and Useful . . .
Most of the services suggested require no registration. None of them will ask you to download anything to your computer, and all of them are easy to use, and worth using. It is actually great to see services, such as Yousendit, MailBigFile, and Rapidshare, that are still relevant and are good choices, but if I had to pick one it would be Mediafire.
Seth's Blog: Getting serious about your meeting problem
Do you have one? Some folks are going to eight hours of meeting a day. At Ford, they used to have meetings to prepare for meetings, just to be sure everyone had their story straight.
If you're serious about solving your meeting problem, getting things done and saving time, try this for one week
WEB2: Setup Single Sign-on Integration of Google Apps for Education and Moodle
Good resource for Google/Moodle integration
- ess
· Cameras & Doors
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.