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Sailing in the Aeolian Islands gives a whole new meaning to the word clarity. Here the Tyrrhenian is deep, yet warm, and has an unbelievable glassy quality. With gorgeous coastlines, active volcanoes and fascinating history, it is a great charter destination.
The seven small islands that make up this volcanic archipelago are situated just north of Sicily and are known for the pristine water, that is perfect for diving, and largely untouched land crisscrossed by hiking trails. Plus, the islands are dotted with small towns that are full of history and culture.
Lipari, Salina, Alicudi, Filicudi, Panarea, Vulcano and Stromboli are becoming more popular for yachters and vacationers as they each have their own unique characteristics and sites to see.
Greece is among the most popular charter destinations with a seemingly infinite number of islands to be explored and many secluded cruising areas.
The combination of history, architecture and culture make it a wonderful place to visit, while the crystal-clear water, sunny weather and warm breezes make it an ideal place to sail and grant a long charter season.
Your itinerary can include stops on the mainland, with a dramatic coastline that stretches over 15,000 kilometres, or the beautiful islands which make up 20% of the total area of the country, such as the Ionian, Aegean, Sporades, Cyclades or the Dodecanese. Aboard a Swan, you are guaranteed an unforgettable vacation, as you can go places in Greece that can only be reached by boat.
As the legend goes, when Venus' necklace broke, seven pearls dropped into the Tyrrhenian Sea, thus forming the archipelago off the coast of Tuscany. Since 1996, the islands have been protected as part of a national park.
Elba is the largest of the sister islands with 147 km of coastline and a varied landscape that includes white-sand beaches, small fishing villages and rolling green hills. Gorgona, Capraia, Monte Cristo and Pianosa are relatively uninhabited and known for their wildlife.
Plus, as part of a marine sanctuary, snorkelling off the coast is a must. Giglio provides interesting sightseeing, like Roman ruins and an Etruscan shipwreck. Finally, Giannutri is free of cars and full of dramatic cliffs and coves.
The Côte d'Azur is a popular vacation destination for a reason. Its mild, pleasant weather, pebble beaches, lively nightlife and highly luxurious hospitality make it a desirable destination.
On land: featuring a long list of world-famous coastal towns, like Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Antibes and Marseilles, as well as unspoilt beaches and rocky inlets, this area combines the sophisticated charm of Southern France with naturally stunning waterfronts and luxury like nowhere else on earth.
On water: the Mediterranean in this area is generally calm with light winds making it perfect for tranquil anchorages and summer cruising from April through October.
The Costa Smeralda is a yachting hub well-known for its beauty and glamour, but Sardinia also features nearly deserted beaches, secluded inlets and tiny villages that see little traffic.
This Italian island is an optimal sailing destination thanks to its hundreds of isolated coves, picturesque shorelines and dramatic rock formations. Sailors of all kinds are attracted to the relatively constant winds and diverse coast – from the dunes of Costa Verde, to the sculpted cliffs along Cala Gonone to the beautiful bays and white-sand beaches.
Plus, nobody who experiences the "Spirit of Swan" can resist the adventure of finding hidden coves and shores that are only accessible by boat.
For pleasure sailing or for sport, the Eastern Seaboard offers it all against a breath-taking backdrop. From the tip of Maine to the Florida Keys, and everything in between, the Atlantic Ocean has deep, blue waters and plenty of wind for exciting sailing conditions. Including places like the Chesapeake Bay, Boston Harbour, Newport, Plymouth, Kennebunkport and Sag Harbour, New England is an especially attractive destination that is filled with history, bustling cities and spectacular seascapes. The coastline varies from rocky cliffs, woodlands and rolling hills to sandy beaches. Florida's coastline is great for year-round cruising with plenty of sunshine and warm waters, from international hubs like Miami, Palm Beach and Key West to more private ports.
Brilliant colours, friendly people, year-round sunshine, turquoise waters – the Caribbean is a sailor's paradise. The Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Bart's and St. Maarten, St. Lucia the Grenadines and Grenada, and on and on, these exotic islands are home to a unique range of cultural diversity and the scenery is one-of-a-kind. The Caribbean allows both calm-water cruising and open-sea sailing. A charter here can be anything from a relaxing, tropical vacation, to an active adventure with plenty of water sports, scuba diving and on-land activities, to an exciting regatta. It is the perfect escape.
This group of Spanish islands, off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, are becoming an increasingly popular sailing destination because they boast clear waters, rocky landscapes, sandy beach fronts and hospitable harbours.
Each island has a different personality.
Mallorca has a mountainous inland area that is great for hiking juxtaposed with a relaxed seaside. Ibiza is known throughout Europe for its active nightlife, where Menorca, on the other hand, is covered with peaceful beaches and isolated coves.
Formentera is an unspoilt oasis with long stretches of white-sand beaches and Cabrera, once used as a prison, is now a national park home to more than 450 species of plants and 150 species of birds.


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Working in physics: Don't panic
The job market for new graduates and career-changers in 2009 is not great, but there are signs that physicists may be better equipped than most, as Margaret Harris explains.
"Don't panic" is a simple piece of advice, one that usually applies equally well to job-hunting, avoiding pandemic flu or, like the hapless Arthur Dent in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy stories, wandering the universe in search of a decent cup of tea. Yet some statistics emerging from the current job market are undeniably alarming. Postings on the recruitment website Milkround.com, which advertises jobs and internships for recent graduates, are down by about 20% compared with this time last year, while a survey earlier this year by High Fliers, a London-based research firm, found that top UK employers plan to recruit 17% fewer graduates this year than in 2008. In the same study, half of the 1017 final-year students surveyed believed they would have to take "any graduate job" they were offered, regardless of their interest in the company, and a whopping 91% thought competition for vacancies would be tougher than last year.
Yet these gloomy figures can be deceptive. Although most of the 100 companies in the High Fliers survey are household names like Airbus and Rolls-Royce, they employ only 3—4% of UK graduates. Headline-grabbing cuts at the likes of Corus and Royal Bank of Scotland, while certainly indicative of a general downturn, can overshadow modest good news from some of the less high-profile employers that, together, employ the other 96%. The raw data also hide considerable variation across different fields. Sure, 2009 looks like a bad year in which to graduate if your dream job is in investment banking, for example, but prospects are brighter for those who aspire to careers in energy, transport, defence or the public sector.
The bright side
This is good news for physicists, as organizations in these four areas have long been keen to recruit bright, numerate people. "We are hiring 24/7 right now, in part to replace a workforce whose members are retiring or moving up the ranks," says a spokesperson for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston in the UK. AWE, which manages the UK's nuclear weapons and monitors compliance with international test bans, employs more than 600 scientists, including both graduate and PhD-level physicists.
Other employers, while not expecting major growth, remain cautiously upbeat. "Our sector is very stable, so we're seeing little change in recruitment despite the recession," says Emily Blacker, a recruiter for railway-maintenance firm Network Rail. Although some roles within the company require an engineering degree, many areas — including finance, operations and information management — are open to all graduates.
Even in firms planning to cut jobs, some departments may remain unscathed. For example, on 30 April, defence giant BAE Systems announced it would eliminate 500 jobs from its combat vehicles and weapons unit. But at the National Engineering and Construction Recruitment Exhibition held in Birmingham just a few days earlier, a banner above the BAE Submarine Solutions stall announced that it was recruiting new people to fill science and engineering-related posts. Claire Machin, a BAE engineer at the event, explained that the submarine division is taking on staff because business is "on the upturn globally", and its order book is secure until 2020. Asked if it hires physicists, Machin's answer was unequivocal: "If we don't, we should."
Unsurprisingly, the Institute of Physics, which publishes Physics World, is keen to encourage such attitudes, especially among firms that do not do physics per se but are still interested in hiring physics graduates because they are bright, numerate, good at problem solving and have a proven work ethic. As part of this effort, this month the Institute's publishing arm, IOP Publishing, has launched a new website, brightrecruits, which will replace the old Physics Jobs site (see "brightrecruits: a new jobs website"). Along with a range of new features and job listings from universities, government research labs, the nuclear industry and other traditional physics employers, the new site will also advertise career opportunities from firms seeking physics graduates to work in areas that may have little to do with their degree — at least on the surface.
"The purpose of the name change is to reposition what we're offering from 'jobs in physics' to 'jobs done by physicists'," explains John Brindley, the Institute's director of membership and business. "It's a shift in emphasis, and a way to acknowledge the fact that a majority of people with physics degrees do not work in physics."
Make a change
Such a shift is important, because surveys by organizations like the UK Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) show that less than 15% of physicists with just a Bachelor's degree end up working in research. In 2004, for example, HESA found that of the physicists who graduated in 2002 and were employed two years later (i.e. were not out of work or studying for higher degrees) just 10.4% had jobs in research, development or analysis; a similar number were working as managers in industry or the public sector. AIP data from the same year indicate that 31% of recent physics graduates working in the private sector were employed as engineers, while 32% had obtained posts outside science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Physics graduates, it seems, can do almost anything.
Still, the fact that their skills are generally in demand does not mean that physicists will have an easy time in a recession job market. Recent graduates looking for jobs in industry should expect stiff competition both from their peers and from experienced workers who have been made redundant — particularly from companies in the automotive, construction or financial sectors.
As these workers seek new employment, some fields perceived as more secure have seen a sharp increase in applications. "A lot of people will have gone into finance because they saw it as a way to earn a big salary, but they may now feel there's more security in working for the public sector," says Anne Fisher, a spokeswoman for Lincolnshire County Council's Highways and Traffic Service, which employs about 90 scientific and technical staff, mostly as engineers. In 2007, Fisher noted, the service received only six or seven responses for each job advertisement. Now it is seeing more than 100.
However, this response is far from universal. A predicted boom in applications to teacher-training programmes, for example, has so far failed to materialize except in a few subjects — such as business studies — with strong connections to struggling industries. True, 452 people have already applied to teach physics in the UK this year, an increase of 36% compared with 2008 according to figures from the Graduate Teacher Training Registry. However, the 2008 figure of 291 applicants was abnormally low, so this year's spike merely returns numbers to 2007 levels. Similarly, the 25% increase in numbers training as maths teachers this year will still leave 11% of teaching posts vacant — the same percentage as in 2006.
Another well-trodden path for both recent physics graduates and the newly redundant is, of course, to re-enter the academic world as Master's or PhD students. With many governments pouring funding into the technology sector and (particularly in the US) trumpeting "shovel-ready" engineering projects as a form of economic stimulus, academia may seem like an oasis of calm in this economic storm. However, anyone pondering a Master's or PhD course as a means of avoiding the job market for a few years should keep at least three things in mind.
First, you will not be alone: a recession almost always produces an increase in applications for graduate courses. This may not be true for every university — one contributor to the Cosmic Variance blog noted that as of January 2009, applications to her astronomy department were actually down by 15%. But it will be true for enough of them to make getting into a graduate programme more competitive, on average, than it was last year.
Second, although employers have long treated a Master's degree or a PhD as a prominent feather in an applicant's cap, this may be changing as higher degrees become more common. A 2009 survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters found that only 18% of their members were willing to offer higher salaries to employees with higher degrees. Among employers that did offer financial incentives, the average bonus for a PhD has fallen from £6540 in 2008 to £3500.
Finally, the long-term prospects for jobs within academia are mixed. Most of the lecturers hired in the 1960s and early 1970s to teach the "baby-boom" generation are now retired, and their replacements are already teaching those boomers' children and grandchildren. Fresh government funding will boost morale and prevent large-scale job losses in university research, but the demographics needed for the sector to grow significantly are simply not there.
The bottom line is that those who are keen to learn more about their subject, and who would not mind postponing their job hunt for a few years, may find that a graduate programme is a smart move. Others, however, are probably better off looking for a job outside academia, even if it means broadening their search to include options other than their ideal career.
Valuable skills
So will the credit crunch mean lean times for physicists? The short, honest answer is that it will probably mean lean times for almost everybody. However, it is important to remember that physicists have strengths that will always serve them well, regardless of the economy's health. Physics is a relatively uncommon degree, held by only 4% of UK graduates in 2008, so recruiters have an automatic reason to remember physicists' applications. And although mathematically inclined graduates may not be able to make instant fortunes in the City or on Wall Street anymore, fundamentally the skills learned in a physics degree — logical thinking, numeracy, problem-solving ability, analytical skills and the ability to pare a problem back to its fundamentals — are still valued, and still in short supply. There is no need to panic.
brightrecruits: a new jobs website
The new brightrecruits site from IOP Publishing offers a wide variety of job advertisements for physicists interested in fields from academia and education to defence, manufacturing, finance and telecommunications. However, it is more than just a list of jobs. Unlike the Physics Jobs site it replaces, would-be employees can use brightrecruits to refine their search by sector, salary and geographic location, and to specify whether they are looking for permanent, part- or full-time posts. Job-seekers can also upload CVs and sign up for e-mails that will alert them when recruiters post vacancies that meet their desired criteria. Those at the beginning of their job search can also browse all current job listings within specific sectors, and find links to information about the Institute's careers-related services, including an online mentor-matching service and advice on how to become a chartered physicist, engineer or scientist.
Job-hunting tips and tricks
The biggest crowds at the National Engineering and Construction Recruitment Exhibition in Birmingham in April were not gathered at the stalls advertising the most jobs or handing out the niftiest free gadgets, but at a special session on "Finding jobs in the credit crunch" run by Chris Morrall of the career-management firm Winchester Consulting. Here are a few tips gleaned from that seminar, university careers officers and other experts.
- Be serious about researching prospective employers before applying. Recruiters can spot ill-informed candidates from a great distance; moreover, once you find a job, you will be spending a lot of your time there, so it pays to make sure that you really want to work for the organization.
- Do not bother with generic applications. In a boom period, having "one size fits all" answers for common questions like how you became interested in the job or what you can offer the company might have earned you a second look if your qualifications were good enough. Now, many of these applications will go straight to the bin.
- Be flexible. If the recession has hit your preferred company or industry, think of related areas that might provide valuable experience and give you an edge when the economy picks up again.
- Consider volunteer work, unpaid internships or job-shadowing if you are unable to find a post after a few months. Some of these activities could lead to a permanent job, and all of them will help stave off the anxiety that can accompany an extended period of unemployment.
- Stand up during telephone interviews. Being vertical can give you a psychological boost, and also improves breathing so that your voice sounds more confident.
- Finally, make full use of the Internet, which has a wealth of careers-related information. The Institute of Physics is a good place to start (see careers.iop.org).
About the author
Margaret Harris is reviews and careers editor of Physics World.
This article originally appeared in the June 2009 issue of Physics World
Image credit: Photolibrary
last edited: September 11, 2018

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"The Real Housewives of D.C." has yet to air its first episode but it's already providing plenty of grist for the gossip mill.
An off-screen dust up between "View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg and Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the infamous White House party crashers, became an "elevated and heated" exchange, according to the New York Daily News.
During a sit-down interview with the entire cast of the new reality show, Whoopi Goldberg - who was not in the segment - appeared on the side of the stage. She proceeded to walk up to cast member Michaele Salahi, touched her on the shoulder, and said, "Excuse me, can you get back to the White House, please."
U.S. & World
"Oh if you'd like us to, we can," Salahi responded as Goldberg walked away. Apparently hurt by Whoopi's remarks, Michaele was seen crying backstage before going to the security office saying she'd been attacked. She and her husband claimed that Goldberg has gotten physical with Michaele at which point Tareq confronted Goldberg and an expletive-laden argument ensued.
After the situation was broken up, a spokeswoman for "The View" explained their position.
"As the broadcast clearly shows, the accusation was completely unfounded," she said. "After being told she was being accused of hitting Ms. Salahi, Whoopi proceeded to defend herself verbally."
The cast of "The Real Housewives of D.C." is set to appear on "The Today Show" Thursday morning in advance of the series premiere tonight.


text: I have one just like yours and it is operating normally. It puts the bleach in the last 2 minutes of the wash cycle. Then when it fills for the 1st rinse it runs water into the bleach cup again to make sure it is all flushed out. Then softener goes in during 3rd rinse even if you select extra rinse(4th on dial). Everything working as should.


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Germany coach Giovanni Guidetti: "Congratulations to the Turkey team. They played a more powerful match than us. We started badly with mistakes we had not made in this tournament until now. But I have to congratulate my team. They tried, and they didn't give up. Turkey had much more energy than us today and they deserved to win."
Germany captain Christiane Furst: "First, congratulations to the Turkey team. In the first two sets we had no solution but we came back in the latter part of the match. At least we put up a hard fight. We were left disappointed at the end (but) they played better. We're disappointed, but must recover well, we want to play the last match as best we can. (On the next match against Serbia) "We must recover well, and continue to play well and show that we're a great team."
Turkey coach Mehmet Bedestenlioglu: "I congratulate both sets of players. We were good for the first two sets, but after that their blocking, serving, and receiving were good. We were able to come back in the last set, and I congratulate my players."
Turkey player Neslihan Darnel: "First of all, congratulations to the German team. It was an exciting game for us, for everybody. We started well, and made a lot of good plays. But after the second set, we stopped playing and couldn't receive well. Germany then improved. In fifth set we didn't start out well but we didn't give up, and now we're very happy to have won."
Turkey player Seda Tokatlioglu: "Congratulations to both teams. We started well, but in the third and fourth sets they were good but we're happy to have finished strongly."


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Note: MonoPhix for Mac is 50% off today for launch day and is only 1.99$! Get it now.
We are proud to release our most powerful app ever written for an Apple device, MonoPhix for Mac. The big brother of the popular MonoPhix for iPhone and MonoPhix HD for iPad and the most powerful dedicated black and white photography app for any platform.
MonoPhix is an advanced photo editor, but this one is special, it is built to turn pictures into monochrome masterpieces and to give you full control of the outcome. You can easily control the intensity for each channel and each shade separately and you can add grain, blurs, highly adjustable vignetting and focus, color filters, colors blends and you can even use our experimental selective color feature to give some objects color while leaving the rest of the picture black and white.
You can apply one of the many presets or effects on your picture. Which allow you to get one click satisfying results which you can later customize using the adjustment panels.
Freestyle editing
MonoPhix has 10 tools to control the overal look of your monochrome picture. You can control the shadow and light tones separately or you can also control the color channels separately. MonoPhix contains 6 color filters to make some colors stand out. You can bring back some color by adjusting the transparency of the monochrome layer, you can add noise, overall blur, increase the contrast, brightness and exposure and posterize your picture.
Vignetting and Focus
With MonoPhix you can control every aspect of a picture's vignetting. You can control the intensity, the roughness of the edges and shift the vignetting. You can also put a focus on certain objects by using the focus options similar to the vignetting controls.
You can give a custom color to your picture or control the blending mode which is used to mix the color with your black and white picture.
Selective color
With this experimental feature you can make objects pop out by keeping their color and removing all other colors.
MonoPhix has Phix Cloud integration which allows you to upload your pictures including metadata and a recipe of your changes and filters to our online service to show off to your friends or post on your Twitter or Facebook.
Device requirements
MonoPhix for Mac should run on any Mac built after 2008 running Mac OSX 10.6 or higher. MonoPhix is tested on Mountain Lion and is also optimized for it. The executable is only about 4Mb in size. An internet connection is also required for the sharing options.
Pricing and Availability
MonoPhix for Mac 1.0 is normally priced at $3.99 (USD) and available exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Photography or Graphics categories. Interested writers, reviewers and editors of recognized sites can always request a promo code to check it out for themselves.
Download link : https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monophix/id571800015?l=nl&ls=1&mt=12


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Previous Lecture
Complete and continue
Online Renewal Course Including Flight Test
The rules, the regs and the general story...
Introduction to the rules (5:33)
Let's get to grips with the Statutory Instrument (10:54)
What is an aeronautical notice? (1:49)
OPTIONAL: Trivia Round 1 - Who was Norma Jean Dougherty and what was her drone connection?! (3:08)
ANU01 - Drone Registration (2:29)
ANU02 - How to get a drone licence (4:26)
ANU04 Airspace Exemptions (5:02)
Some Ethical Considerations (3:33)
Irish Airspace... where can I fly this thing?!
Airspace Types Explained (2:21)
Airspace Types - Controlled Airspace (4:45)
Some example scenarios - Know your Airspace (2:22)
OPTIONAL: Trivia Round 2 - Who was the first person to get killed on an unmanned aircraft?! (4:48)
Airspace Types - Class G & Military Airspace (4:01)
Airspace Types - Prohibited Airspace and Danger Areas (2:50)
Your SUA Airspace Checklist (3:23)
How to use a checklist (4:22)
How to fly an operation safely (11:55)
How to assess generic and specific risk (27:27)
Filling in the UF101 - Controlled Airspace Application form (7:10)
SOP administration & the flight check (3:01)
Where to from here? (11:29)
Exam Time
Test 01A
How to assess generic and specific risk
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THAT*Doll Magazine
So what do I do in my SPARE time? I work on my vintage fashion doll magazine, of course!
Yes, I'm a guy and I like dolls. That being said, I really like vintage Barbie and family dolls and am considered to be an expert on the subject – really! Almost more than the dolls themselves, I'm drawn to the fashions. And there are loads of fashion dolls other than Barbie, with weird, wild and wonderful wardrobes that are at times both fascinating and god-awful. But there's just something about those mini fashion mannequins and their tiny shoes, gloves, purses and hats that I just can't get enough of.
Now several years ago, the Barbie doll collecting market had a bit of a melt down and the collecting magazines went away. Hard-core vintage collectors (like me) have always missed them. There's a crazy thrill or rush of excitement at seeing a gorgeous, mint condition doll in a pristine outfit that's been beautifully photographed, especially when the subjects are hard-to-find examples. Call it doll crack or call it crazy, but when you're into it, it's awesome! So the fact that the publications I loved and wrote for were no longer around was always bugging me.
Enter my friend Barry Sturgill. Barry is a Seattle area photographer who just happens to be one of the top toy photographers in the world, and he's nuts about vintage Barbie dolls too. Well our little doll-lovin' minds got together for lunch about a year and a half ago and decided we needed to bring back a magazine devoted to vintage fashion dolls in general, not just Barbie, but the whole enchilada. As we figured it, with all the technological progress in the last ten years, doing an online publication would be a snap, right? HA!
Figuring we'd "just have to learn a little HTML" and be on our way, we dove into the project. And about three months later we realized we were way over our heads. Too much stuff that sounded sic-fi and well, technical, made our pretty artsy heads hurt, and we hired a tech-savvy design firm to help us make it a reality. We started tracking down obscure dolls, fashions and accessories. We found some knowledgable collectors who knew loads of stuff about dolls we were just vaguely familiar with, and our project started moving forward much faster.
January 2013: our premiere, online issue is published! 68 pages chock full of Barry's gorgeous photos and loads of vintage doll info to make a collector's head spin: Ideal's Tammy doll, vintage Barbie's first evening ensembles, information on clone dolls (knock-offs made of the more expensive, brand-name toys, sometimes using pirated molds), obscure dolls like Bonnie Breck – this issue wasn't just good, it was GREAT!
Our 2nd issue came out at the end of May featuring Dawn. A lot of people think my project – and me – are a bit weird, but I don't really care about that. I've got a completed product that I'm really proud of and it does what I wanted it to do – entertain, educate, and get readers excited about toys we loved as kids. And even if we don't get to hold them in our hands, we can still feel that same thrill we had walking through the toy department or ripping into a beautifully wrapped birthday or holiday gift bearing a tag with our name on it…FUN!
And now we've got our 3rd issue out – we've "embraced" online marketing and social media (to the best of our abilities) and have a Twitter account, a Facebook page and even use MailChimp for our marketing and email updates – how's that for creative-type-meets-the-interweb?
Hey – even if you're not into dolls, you might love seeing some gorgeous pictures and reading some humorous stuff about toys. It's a mid-century vinyl love fest – check out or website and buy a copy – it's just $5.99! Oh yeah – and it's an online publication – we hope it will be in print soon, but right now you view it on your computer.


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With remakes and reboots as ubiquitous in Hollywood as botox and boob jobs, finding a fulfilling cinematic experience in well-charted waters (see: "Star Trek," "X-Men: First Class,") can be a dodgy undertaking (see: "Arthur,", "Scream 4,", every "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie since the first one).
So the most surprising thing about the promise that apes will rise like a phoenix from the smoldering ashes of the Tim Burton/Mark Wahlberg wreckage of ten years ago, is that, well, rise they do.
James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist researching a cure for Alzheimer's in an alternate reality-version of modern day San Francisco where space programs still exist—giving a wink and a nod to the original franchise while offering the potential for a continued "Apes" reboot. When an experiment on a wonder drugged-up chimpanzee goes tragically awry, an orphan named Caesar (magnificently realized through motion capture by Andy Serkis of "Lord of the Rings"/Gollum fame and Joe Letteri's Oscar winning team at Weta Digital) is taken in by Will and raised as part of his family. Little does he know, the gene therapy he cultivated in the hopes of repairing damaged brain cells in humans leads to the development of animal intelligence and the apes' aforementioned uprising.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Make no mistake; this movie is all about the primates. Franco's name may be over the title card but the action, drama and emotional impact of the story is entirely owed to Serkis, whose unequaled ability with motion capture has earned him Oscar buzz since the first "Lord of the Rings" film. Alternately delightful and heartbreaking, the slow dawning of Caesar's intelligence and awareness is masterfully rendered by Serkis.
As Serkis steals the show and Franco dutifully fulfills his leading man-as-sidekick role, the film sags a bit by the inclusion of "Slumdog Millionaire" beauty Frieda Pinto, who plays Will's obligatory love interest. The problem is, he already has two far more compelling and complex love stories to contend with; one with his Alzheimer's afflicted father, played by John Lithgow; the other with Caesar, whose relationship with humans recalls James Marsh's tragic and haunting documentary, "Project Nim," which serves as an uncanny companion piece.
Surprisingly smart and emotional for a summer blockbuster, indie director Rupert Wyatt, on his first major studio outing with an assist from his "The Escapist" star Brian Cox in a small but pivotal role, sprinkles in a few tasty nuggets for OG Heston fans but ensures that audiences with no knowledge of the previous "Apes" films will still be wholly satisfied. Fun without slipping into the realm of camp that was a hallmark of earlier films, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is a solid, inspired reboot that resurrects the franchise.


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photo rewind
Back in June I got to spend a week in Midway, Utah with the fam. We rented a great cabin up in the mountains and had a blast eating lots of food, watching the Mavs win their first championship and enjoying the view. My sister just uploaded some of the photos so I thought I'd share. Utah is pretty gorgeous sometimes... So it's a good thing Taylor and I bought a house. Holla!
We threw a little housewarming party there a few weeks ago thanks to Taylor's sweet grandparents. It was deliciously successful (as all things catered by Cafe Rio are). Taylor is living in the house until the wedding. I hope he doesn't get too used to the freezer full of chimichangas and gatorades... Okay okay... the gatorades can stay. Here are some photos of the event. And oh, Taylor had a beard for a couple of weeks.
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Who knew that John Enos III (Bobby Marsino, The Young and the Restless; Bobby Parezi, Melrose Place) is really a softie at heart? Known for playing tough guys and mafioso-type men, John has carved a niche for himself in the acting world as the go-to man if you need a henchman.
However, I recently spoke with the handsome actor to talk about his new movie, The Hallmark Channel's summer blockbuster movie, Shark Swarm (Sunday, May 25 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.), and he revealed to me his hobby of creating short movies with his Chihuahua, Duke, as the lead.
And Duke is no stranger to the camera. As John told me: "Duke is also in two scenes in Shark Swarm. He almost got cast on Days of Our Lives, but they ended up going with a Maltese. He was just too macho. Chihuahuas are the new tough-guy dog."
My favorite of his videos is called "Crazy Chihuahua" (see below), however, John also has some funny shorts featuring himself and some of his other actor friends (e.g., Greg Germann and Neal McDonough).
Check out Duke's video below, then go to YouTube.com and check out the rest of John's videos.
Friday, May 09, 2008
John Enos III: More Than Just a Tough Guy
Who knew that John Enos III (Bobby Marsino, The Young and the Restless; Bobby Parezi, Melrose Place) is really a softie at heart? Known for playing tough guys and mafioso-type men, John has carved a niche for himself in the acting world as the go-to man if you need a henchman.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
SOAPnet's Relative Madness: Mama Drama
Just in time for Mother's Day, SOAPnet premieres Relative Madness: Mama Drama, an original special counting down the 25 most over-the-top TV and celebrity moms, THURSDAY, MAY 8 at 11:00 p.m., ET/PT.
SOAPnet's top telltale signs you're suffering from Relative Madness this Mother's Day:
1. Your Baby Daddy ditched you while you were pregnant – and you still named your son after him.
2. Instead of taking mom to brunch, you've signed her up to star on a reality show.
3. You're spending a day at the spa while the husband and kids are spending the month at rehab.
4. Your son sent flowers and a lovely card – and fired you as his manager.
Commentators weighing in on 'mamas with drama' are comedian Joy Behar ("The View"), actress Ana Ortiz ("Ugly Betty"), Actor Cameron Mathison ("All My Children" and "Dancing with the Stars"), actor Willie Garson ("Sex and the City"), actress Tatyana Ali ("The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"), comedian Chuck Nice ("Best Week Ever") and actress Tika Sumpter ("One Life To Live"). Some of the over-the-top moms featured in the countdown include Dina Lohan, Britney Spears, Sister Patterson ("I love New York" ), Miranda Bailey ("Grey's Anatomy"), Lynette Scavo ("Desperate Housewives"), Erica Kane ("All My Children") and Sami Brady ("Days of our Lives").
Beverlee McKinsey Passes Away
Soap great Beverlee McKinsey (Alexandra Spaulding #1, GL; Iris Carrington, AW; and many others) has passed away at the age of 72. Ms. McKinsey died on May 2 from complications due to a kidney transplant.
While I certainly love Marj Dusay, Beverlee will always be Alexandra (1984-1992) to me. She had just the right blend of ruthlessness, vulnerability, charm and deadly wit to make that character one of the most intriguing and entertaining characters on daytime television. It is definitely a glaring omission that this gifted actress never won an Emmy Award. She blew away all the competition in her field.
We send our deepest sympathies to Beverlee's family and friends during their time of mourning.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Phoebe's Twin Finally Resurfaces
From a press release: The character of Steffy, the daughter of Dr. Taylor Hayes (played by Hunter Tylo) and Ridge Forrester (played by Ronn Moss), was last seen on canvas in January 2006, as she left for college in London. "Steffy" returns when Ridge calls her home to ask for her support with the family business, Forrester Creations.
MacInnes Wood's first tape date is May 2, 2008. Her first airdate is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4, 2008.
Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, MacInnes Wood moved to Toronto at age 18 to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Her first job, as "The Hair Girl" in a First Choice Hair Cutter's national commercial, continues to play to this day. Soon after, she landed the job of host on the global series, Gamer Girlz. MacInnes Wood then enlisted in acting classes at Ryerson University, Centre for the Arts and the Armstrong Acting Studio. In 2007, she appeared as "Faith the Model" in Paul Reiser's TBS micro-series, Lovebites, and in the new series M.V.P., the Disney pilot, Skyrunners, as well as a lead role in the Hallmark movie, Room at the end of the Hall, which is scheduled to air in the near future.
SPOILERS! Week of May 5th
AMC: Tad and Dixie share a cosmic connection.
ATWT: Julie Pinson debuts as Liberty's mom Janet, and she clearly has designs on Brad. Watch out Katie!
B&B: Felicia threatens Donna as Donna and Eric's wedding approaches.
Days: A jealous Sami impulsively kisses EJ.
GH: Things get uglier between Sonny and Carly when Sonny threatens to sue for full custody of Michael.
GL: Natalia walks in on Mallet and Marina during a private moment.
OLTL: David has dollar signs in his eyes after eavesdropping on Natalie and Jared's conversation.
Passions: Gwen confronts Gertrude for trying to seduce her man.
Y&R: Victor proposes marriage to his young gal pal, Sabrina.
The James Reynolds' 19th Annual Days of Our Lives Celebrity Basketball Game
The James Reynolds' 19th Annual Days of Our Lives Celebrity Basketball Game to benefit the South Pasadena High School Boys Basketball Program and the Fremont Centre Theatre will be held Friday, May 30th, 2008 at 7:30 pm.
Hooping it up will be Days stars Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Roberts), Kyle Brandt (ex-Philip Kiriakis), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady), Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady), Kyle Lowder (ex-Brady Black), Arianne Zuker (Nicole Walker), Martha Madison (ex-Belle Brady), Rachel Melvin (Chelsea Brady), Shelley Henning (Stephanie Johnson), Rashann Orange (Thomas Edward Kramer), Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip Kiriakis), Patrika Darbo (Nancy Wesley), Stephen Nichols (Steve "Patch" Johnson), Blake Berris (Nick Fallon), James Reynolds (Abe Carver) and Brandon Beemer (ex-Shawn Brady).
The event will take place at South Pasadena High School's Main Gym located at 1401 Diamond Avenue in South Pasadena, one block behind the school. Doors will open at 7:00 pm and there will be a raffle as well as a silent auction.
General Admission tickets are $15 for all attendees. VIP tickets are $165, which includes backstage access at the game, a team jersey, a photo with the teams, a gift basket and special seating. Only 40 VIP tickets will be sold. For more information, call 323-993-3376 or email email@example.com
There are several ways to order tickets:
*Visit ovationtix.com/trs/pe/540621, and order tickets online. Online ticket orders are confirmed by receipt.
*To order tickets by phone, call 866-811-4111 and leave your ticket information on the voicemail.
Tickets will be held at the door. Only cash or checks will be accepted for payment. No credit cards will be accepted at the door.
SPOILERS for ATWT, B&B, Days, GL, Passions, Y&R
This Week:
• Lily returns home to make amends with Holden.
• Katie questions Brad's parenting abilities.
• Emily and Casey team up to catch a thief.
• Col. Mayer receives a surprising visit from Noah.
• Alison tries to juggle a new man and school.
This Week:
• Rick offers to be Eric's Best Man.
• Tensions mount between the Logan Sisters.
• Nick and Bridget come to a decision about their relationship.
• Stephanie hopes that Eric makes the right decision.
• Brooke knows that Stephanie is up to her old tricks.
Next Week:
• Chloe gets an idea and pulls Philip into a kiss.
• Ava learns her father has a hit on Steve.
• Daniel visits Marlena for some professional advice.
• Max sets up a romantic picnic on the pier for Stephanie.
• Kayla goes into labor.
Thursday – EJ and Nicole share a steamy kiss in the sauna.
Friday – Victor hands over all Kiriakis business to Philip.
This Week:
• Olivia collapses on the ground.
• Reva and Josh argue about Cassie.
• Dinah and Marina have words.
• Bills pulls out all the stops to get Lizzie back.
• Cyrus makes his intentions clear.
Next Week:
Monday, May 12
• Theresa drugs Ethan and Gwen.
• Sheridan comes to the rescue.
• Vincent and his baby are in danger!
Tuesday, May 13
• Gwen comes close to catching Ethan and Theresa together.
• Juanita takes a prisoner.
• Julian worries about his grandson's future.
Wednesday, May 14
• Pilar covers up for Theresa.
• Pretty feigns concern for Sheridan's mental state.
• Eve is driven to kill Alistair.
This Week:
• Worried about the affect of his book on her father and family, Colleen betrays Adrian.
• Kevin worries that the publication of Adrian's book will ruin Jana's life.
• Jack hires a consultant to shake things up at Restless Style, causing conflict with Nick, Phyllis and Sharon.
• Victoria's new job at Jabot surprises many, including Jill.
• Victor invites Adam to move into the Newman Ranch.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Dougray Scott Stars in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
I recently spoke with Dougray Scott about his latest movie, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which is premiering on the ION network on Saturday, May 17th. I also was able to see a sneak preview of the movie, and I must say that it is a must see. Check it out:
For more than a century, the tale of Jekyll and Hyde has captivated the world imagination. In this chilling and diabolically clever reinvention, evil lives again.
Dr. Henry Jekyll (Dougray Scott, Desperate Housewives) is a well-regarded physician whose evenings are spent researching a rare and sacred Amazonian flower so potent it's said to literally separate the soul, giving life to man's Dark Self. The obsessive experiments to isolate its psychotropic properties happen to coincide with a series of brutal murders gripping the city with fear. Jekyll knows it's no coincidence. While his nights are lost to him, he awakens with bloody mementos and violent memories of the screams of his victims. He knows the Dark Self is coming into his own. It's even given himself a name: Mr. Edward Hyde.
Anxious to plead guilty, waive trial, face sentence, and be put out of his misery, where he can no longer do harm, Jekyll solicits the help of Claire Wheaton (Krista Bridges, Land of the Dead), a compassionate attorney attracted to unusual and lost causes. Agreeing to represent Jekyll, her case for extreme mental imbalance is convincing. Confined to an asylum, Jekyll realizes that he has lost control, that Hyde now emerges in both body and soul on a horrifying whim, and slaughters with equal abandon. Hyde also knows that Claire is looking to suppress him. What Hyde doesn't like, he kills. And while Jekyll is safely locked away, Hyde isn't.
Co-starring Emmy winner Tom Skerritt (Picket Fences), Robert Louis Stevenson's gothic classic is now ingeniously retold to terrify audiences anew.


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It doesn't seem possible, but 60 years ago people survived without air conditioning. Not only did they survive, but they may have even enjoyed life more, since they actually went outside in summertime and talked to their neighbors. Today the only people without it are the poor and radical environmentalists doing their part to avert climate change catastrophe. One of the country's worst generators of greenhouse gas, air conditioning now accounts for twice the energy consumption it did in the early 1990s.
Fortunately, there are some simple ways homeowners can reduce, if not eliminate, air conditioning even in our humid Midwestern climate. Renewable options like evaporative coolers and solar chimneys may make matters worse in the hottest part of Illinois summers by increasing the humidity in the house, according to Gary Hurley, operations coordinator for CWLP. But shading windows on the west side of the house to block the hot afternoon sun can be very effective, as well as shading east windows to prevent heating in the morning. Because the sun is too high in the sky in summer to shine in south windows, however, shading doesn't do as much for them.
Exterior shading is much more effective than just closing an inside curtain because it prevents sunlight from heating the window and the airspace next to it. "The best thing you can do is shade from the outside before it ever hits the window," says Bob Croteau, renewable energy instructor at Lincoln Land Community College. Trees are ideal for shading since they keep sun off the wall and roof as well, but let sunlight through in winter. Awnings or solar shade screens are other options for east and west windows. A solar screen is a fiberglass mesh that lets air through while shielding insects and up to 70 percent of sunlight.
For houses older than 20 years, Croteau recommends applying low-e films to west and east windows to block 50 percent of the sunlight. Newer windows already have low-e coatings incorporated in them. Low-e films have the advantage over window coverings of allowing some daylight in.
Promoting the natural ventilation in the house can supply a lot of cooling. At night when the air outside is cooler than inside, Hurley of CWLP says windows should be opened on opposite sides of the house in the direction of the prevailing wind, which in summer is usually from the south. By closing the windows on the other sides of the house, you can create a wind tunnel that draws in cool air. The open windows must be directly opposite each other with no walls impeding the flow. Absent the wind tunnel effect, a homeowner could put a fan in the window of an empty upstairs room to pull warm air out of the house.
In the 1970s, whole house fans became popular as a way to expel hot air from the house up through the attic, drawing cool air in below from outside the house. Hurley estimates they are installed in 8 to 10 percent of Springfield homes, including one just built on Lake Springfield. But they are best used on hot days in fall and spring, he says. In the heat of summer, the fans just pull hot, humid air into the house.
"You can actually fill the house with humidity using a whole house fan," says Croteau. "If you do the calculations, it would actually be a lot cheaper to just add six more inches of insulation to your attic and eliminate the heat buildup that you're otherwise trying to combat with the whole house fan."
A solar-powered attic fan can be valuable in venting attic heat, Hurley says. Smaller than a whole house fan and covered by a solar panel, it operates on the electricity generated by solar cells to draw air out through vents made in the roof. "The more sun, the faster the fan runs," notes Croteau. At $300 or more, one fan typically can vent up to 1,000 square feet. Croteau cautions that only houses that don't have enough passive venting in the roof would get any benefit from a solar attic fan. A low-slope roof would be a good candidate for one because the air is not directed as quickly upward to vent as in a gabled roof.
But Croteau points out that a foot-thick layer of insulation in the attic can create such a barrier against the heat buildup in the roof that venting it quickly is not so critical. If your insulation is fiberglass, he suggests adding a layer of cellulose insulation on top to prevent heat radiating from the roof into the house through the fiberglass. Because cellulose is opaque to light, it stops radiant heat in its tracks.
Attic insulation retains cool air in the house as well. Hurley recommends at least 14 inches of insulation, in addition to sealing any air leaks in the house and closing storm windows in summer.
The best green solution Croteau has found for his own residence is to install solar panels on the roof that supply enough electricity on sunny days to run the air conditioner. Although the panels cost $8,000, he received a rebate of $3,000 from CWLP through its Solar Rewards program, as well as $3,400 from a federal tax credit and a state grant. "If you're just coming at it from an economic angle, it's not worth doing," he says. "I did it because it was environmentally an important thing to do. I'm hoping my grandchildren will benefit from my contribution."
Karen Fitzgerald, a writer in Pleasant Plains, can be contacted at email@example.com. Read her blog at http://springfieldskinny.wordpress.com/.


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Latest News
Nighthawk Custom GRP & TALON available in Airsoft (2011-07-22)
Chris Costa (Magpul) & Travis Haley both use Nighthawk Custom pistols in their 1911 shooting classes, which says a lot about the quality and performance of Nighthawk Custom 1911s. Fast, precise, and reliable, Nighthawk Custom 1911's are precision tools in the hands of a surgical operator.
Based in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas USA, Nighthawk Custom is world famous for their high quality custom 1911 pistols which are the market leader for high performance shooters and competition shooters alike.
Officially licensed versions of the Nighthawk Custom GRP (Global Response Pistol) and Talon 1911's are now available from RWL. Like their real steel counterparts, these pistols are commensurately high quality and well crafted in the Airsoft world. The beautiful frame and slide are made from CNC 6065 aluminum, and it is powered by a 100% Marui compatible gas blowback system internally. Each Airsoft Nighthawk pistol is hand built by an individual gunsmith and not mass produced, just like the real thing. This is in line with Nighthawk Custom's desire to maintain their high end quality for the Airsoft market as well. Intended for training use or the discerning collector, these pistols come with genuine Nighthawk Custom grips for authenticity.
"The GRP and Talon represent the staple of Nighthawk Custom's offerings", says Paul Chu from RedWolf Airsoft, which holds the worldwide exclusive license for Nighthawk Custom. "Nighthawk wanted to enter the Airsoft market with these two models, and will look to diversify into other models in the future", he added. "Redwolf Airsoft's core values are very much aligned with Nighthawk's religious pursuit of quality and craftsmanship, and we look forward to releasing more premium grade Nighthawk products for Airsoft in the future".
Nighthawk Custom GRP 1911 with Genuine Gatorgrips®
Nighthawk Custom Talon 1911 with Genuine Alumagrips®
RWL Nighthawk Custom GRP and Talon is exclusively distributed by RedWolf Airsoft, and can be purchased at premium dealer outlets worldwide.


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Entire species of plants are dying off in droves, just like mammals. And there's no way to save them all, say scientists. How do you decide which plant species to preserve at all costs, and which ones to consign to oblivion forever? Answering that question may mean the difference between selective extinction for some — and worldwide extinction for all.A team from UC Santa Barbara is working on this very question, and they've just published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They believe Earth is in its sixth mass extinction, which will kill off nearly 50% of all plant and animal species. Figuring out which endangered plants to save may be the key to minimizing the ecological impact of this particular extinction:
"Losing a very unique species may be worse than losing one with a close relative in the community," said [co-author Todd] Oakley. "The more evolutionary history that is represented in a plant community, the more productive it is." [Post-doctoral fellow Marc W.] Cadotte explained that the buttercup is a very unique species, evolutionarily. Losing the buttercup, where it occurs in grasslands, would have a much bigger impact on the system than losing a daisy or a sunflower, for example. The latter species are closely related. Each could therefore help fill the niche of the other, if one were to be lost. The daisy and sunflower also have a more similar genetic make-up.
It may be a sad day for the daisy, but ensuring the survival of a genetically diverse array of plant life will help ensure a sufficient level of biomass, and could reduce the devastation a mass extinction would cause. Image by Martin Heigan. Current Mass Extinction Spurs Major Study of Which Plants to Save [via Science Blog]


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New River Auto Glass – What Should I know?
Simply put, this is glass that you would find in an automobile. Not too many know that in New River there are two major forms of auto glass. Each one is used on certain windows in the automobile. Both types of auto glass are more impact resistant and stronger than regular glass.
What Are the Different Kinds Of Windshield Replacement New River Services that are Available?
Laminated safety glass-this glass is generally used on a car's windshield. It is comprised of a couple of pieces of glass that has a slim layer of vinyl. The glass is then heated and pressed together in an autoclave, which is a type of oven. When this glass receives a tough impact it will shatter also but usually the shattered pieces will stick to the vinyl and not fall on the ground.
If the windshield just has a tiny vein or nick, the auto glass professional may be able to repair the tiny vein or nick to keep it from spreading further. The repair will generally take fewer than thirty minutes in New River. The vein or nick is cleaned thoroughly and dried. Resin is injected and a material like Mylar is used to hold it in place. The professional cures the resin by using an ultraviolet light.
Should You be Fixing Windshield Cracks?
Despite what the kids might think, cars were around when their parents were young. Glass had been invented by then and was even around during their grandparent's time. Sometimes it comes as a shock that anything cool existed before video games and cell phones, but classic cars are definitely cool. When windows need to be replaced, lovers of classic vehicles cannot always turn to the regular auto body repair shop where they get their 2011 Ford windows fixed. The right pieces of glass are not typically in stock, and not all windows fit every make and model of car.
Patterns for auto glass were different forty, fifty, and sixty years ago. There are special patterns for each type of vehicle which specialist auto glass replacement and repair shops have access to. Although tools used to cut this glass are more technically advanced compared to those which cut glass 50 and more years ago, the glass is cut precisely to fit into the windshield of an old-fashioned Desoto, Hudson, Studebaker, or other pre-1960 model. A number of auto body shops specializing in repairing old automobiles possess a library of patterns. If the one a customer wants is not available on-site, they will order the pattern. These professionals appreciate the beauty of an older vehicle and the history around its creation.
If you are still uncertain about which company to give your business to, websites often post pictures of cars they have helped to restore. Use these to find out if a company seems to know what it is doing. Although there are specialist auto body outfits all over the country, finding exactly the right professional for the job is worth a road trip if you needed an excuse for one.
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Versus Original Equipment Equivalent (OEE) - Auto Glass
Windshield replacement can be expensive, especially if your insurance company will not pay for it. Replacing your windshield is usually covered if you have comprehensive coverage, which is other than collision, on your policy. It is best to check with your insurance company first before setting up an appointment to have it replaced. If you do have to pay for the cost of windshield replacement there are several factors involved in the final cost, which could cost over two hundred dollars. When you take your car in to have the windshield replaced, the company will first decide if it can be repaired instead of replaced. Not every cracked or chipped windshield will require replacement.
There is another choice for windshield replacement glass that does not meet the same standards as OEM windshield glass but it is cheaper. This glass is called aftermarket glass. Other than the more expensive dealer glass, OEM tends to be most popular choice.
In today's world, you may be able to save the cost of having your car towed to the auto glass repair shop by having a mobile unit come to your home to replace your windshield. The replacement does not take long but it needs a couple of hours to set up before you can drive the vehicle.


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Coordinator: Lotte Belice Baltussen and Johan Oomen (Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision)
This Working Group focusses on the analysis of best practices and applications for Intellectual Property and business models for content. The main topics to be addressed in the discussions and in the production of the Best Practice Guidelines and workshop are:
The ECLAP WORKING GROUPS
ECLAP's first priority is to forge strong links with the Performing Arts community (theatre, music, dance, and live arts). We are looking to share experiences and exchange knowledge with institutions/experts whose interests are germane to ECLAP. For this reason, within the overall consortium the ECLAP Best Practice Network has established three Working Groups (WGs), whose themes focus on:
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Related EVENTS
Fifth ECLAP Event 2013:
Workshop Stage heritage at your fingertips in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 14th November 2012.
ECLAP 2012 Conference: Information Technologies for Performing Arts, Media Access and Entertainment
Convitto della Calza, Firenze, Italy
Second ECLAP Event 2011:
Performing Arts Digital Collections: ECLAP. Opportunities, Advantages, Experiences, with the participation of Nobel Laureate Dario Fo & Franca Rame
20 October 2011
Related PUBLICATIONS


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Libertarian Moment?
The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America, Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch, PublicAffairs, 288 pages
Libertarian thinking can be sorted out into three baskets: first, a fierce negative critique of the statist status quo; second, a hopeful description of the many social trends that can be seen as favorable to libertarian inevitabilism; and third—just in case the inevitable doesn't happen soon enough—a list of government-reducing policy recommendations that would hurry history along.
As for the first basket, everyone aligned on the right, libertarian or not, will agree that the current political system is rotten. This leviathan does indeed deserve to be starved.
And as for the second basket, taking note of favorable present-day trends, libertarians seem to have the Zeitgeist wind at their back. The developments of the last few decades have pushed society in a libertarian—although some would say libertine—direction.
Yet it's that third basket, specific policy prescription, in which libertarianism has a harder time, for the simple reason that the American people don't agree with many elements of the libertarian agenda.
But don't try telling that to Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch, coauthors of a breezy new book, The Declaration of Independents. Gillespie and Welch have studied the laws of history—as well as the main currents of popular culture—and foresee complete triumph for their point of view, sweeping away not only the bureaucracy but also the two parties. As they write: "This book is about hastening the inevitable arrival of that more efficient system on the doorstep of America's most stubborn foot-dragging, reactionary sector—government at the local, state, and especially federal levels—and its officially authorized customer-hating agents, the Democrats and Republicans."
In their critique of the status quo, the authors round on some easy targets, such as high public employee salaries, as well as the general incompetence of many public systems, such as education. As the authors note, annual per-pupil public education spending nationwide is now over $10,000, with little or no improvement in test scores. Indeed, in mid-May, New Jersey governor Chris Christie released a report that per-pupil spending in the Garden State had risen to $17,800. Given this combination of expense and incompetence, any market-oriented nostrum prescribed by libertarians, from charter schools to vouchers, starts to look pretty good.
If public education is a treasured totem of the left, neoconservative foreign policy is a totem for most of the right—and Gillespie and Welch are eager to knock that one down, too. They not only attack the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as "ill-conceived," but they remind the reader that for a time at least even such a pillar of the liberal establishment as Vanity Fair was pro-war and pro-Bush. As the authors put it, in their own vivid, gonzo-wannabe style, those were the days when "Karl Rove haunted the halls of power like Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, cutting down enemies and opponents for the sheer joy of it, all before sitting down for a family supper of fresh liberal meat."
Some readers will be put off by such stylings, as when they write that former President George H.W. Bush was "puking" on the Japanese prime minister two decades ago. Indeed, in their gonzo-ness, the authors seem so carried away by the flight of their rhetoric that they sometimes touch down in ideological terra incognita; they assert, for example, that filmmaker Ken Burns made "barfumentaries" that praised the establishment of national parks. Is Yosemite really that bad?
But in their pell-mell urgency to declare that this is "the libertarian moment," the authors have no time to slow down for subtlety—they have an entire theory of optimistic history to cram into less than 250 pages. Expounding what might be called neo-Whiggism, as an homage to Herbert Butterfield's 1931 Whig Interpretation of History, Gillespie and Welch unspool a cheery survey of human history inexorably chugging toward Liberty Station: "There is a learning curve here, one that human beings have been struggling with for 40 years, 400 years, 4000 years." And the result of all this progress will be a "futuretastic world of nearly infinite individual choice, specialization, and autonomy"—but, of course, we first must get the government out of the way.
A key moment in this human progression is the American Declaration of Independence—or at least a part of it. Seizing upon "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," the authors presume that those words are the essence of the document, a "refreshing blast of radical Enlightenment."
And yet in 2011, "We do not equate happiness with politics." That is, government and politics, inevitably bureaucratic and binary as they must be, are simply not fun because they restrict choice and curtail maximum happiness: "Democrats and Republicans still insist that you sign up for a bundle package that even the most truculent cable operators would be embarrassed to foist on captive customers."
Perhaps "happiness" was never the whole point of the Declaration or the war that followed; George Washington, to name one Founder, had a sternly civic-minded vision of happiness, and it had nothing to do with "infinite individual choice." Having survived countless battles on behalf of his country, Washington was determined that America would survive as a nation—and it was only the hard, serious work of statecraft that would guarantee its survival.
It was President Washington, too, who commissioned Alexander Hamilton to write the Report on Manufactures—a 1791 defense-industrial agenda focusing on the need for the 18th-century equivalent of, yes, big government to make sure that military production was insourced, not outsourced. It's worth emphasizing that the Report was written by the first Treasury secretary, at the behest of the first president, and accepted by the first Congress. If libertarians argue (and many do) that Hamilton was some sort of mutant militarist or corporatist, they find themselves at odds with the thinking of those who were actually present at the Founding.
Dismissing the essential Hamiltonian idea that concerted political action can help preserve and protect a nation, the authors approvingly cite the 19th-century historian Henry Adams, who wrote that politics "has always been the systematic organization of hatreds." To which one can respond: it's a good thing, at least, that the hatreds are systematized—because otherwise, it's the war of all against all. Indeed, the art of government is to see that conflicts are channeled, managed, and resolved in some fashion short of civil war. That's how happiness is best attained—within the rigorous structure of a republic.
Despite the authors' claim for the inevitability of libertarianism, their vision for America seems to be facing some fierce political headwinds. While Gillespie and Welch cite data showing that 14 percent of voters identify themselves as libertarian and that 59 percent lean at least somewhat in a libertarian direction, it is also true that the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential candidate, former Rep. Bob Barr—who had far more Washington experience than Barack Obama—won less than half of one percent of the national vote.
OK, the authors say, but just wait for the next neo-Whiggish burst of emancipation. They invoke cyberspace: "The generation raised on the Internet has essentially been raised libertarian." And it's true that for decades theoreticians ranging from Howard Rheingold on the left to George Gilder on the right have rhapsodized about the libertarian potential of cyberspace—everyone free to be you and me, self-organizing in a non-hierarchical way.
Yet a substantial body of counter-utopianism about the World Wide Web has been building in recent years. Authors such as Debora Spar and Tim Wu have argued that the openness of the Net is just a phase in the cycle preceding ineluctable corporate control, while others, such as A.J. Keen, go so far as to envision "digital feudalism"—that is, a few giant castles of Net power, surrounded by microserfs. And Evgeny Morozov predicts a new and fearful wave of Web-based surveillance, a concern echoed by Julian Assange, describing just one component of this Brave Net World:
Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented. Here we have the world's most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations and the communications with each other, their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to U.S. intelligence.
Even if the U.S. government didn't exist, would we trust Facebook by itself? What do libertarians have to say about the prospect of corporations growing so strong and all-knowing that they become, in effect, their own kind of government?
As for policy prescriptions, Gillespie-and-Welch-style libertarianism is a mixed bag. We might agree that school choice is an idea whose time has come, while exuberant foreign wars and endless nation-building are crazes that need to go. But then we confront other issues: What's the libertarian position on abortion? How about legalizing drugs? Or opening the U.S.-Mexico border?
Finally, we might dwell for a moment on another issue, healthcare. In a tone that might seem more Naderite than Friedmanite, the authors denounce "the cult of the doctor … which needs to be thoroughly demythologized and recognized for the centuries-old propaganda campaign it is." Apparently, some bamboozlement schemes emanate from the private sector as well—unless the healing arts are now to be considered to be part of the statist apparat. Gillespie and Welch even cite approvingly the assertion of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers that "nearly 30 percent of Medicare's costs could be saved without adverse health consequences"—giving authority, in other words, to a despised government entity.
The authors' solution, of course, is the free market. Yet the idea of a free market for Medicare was trounced in the May 24 special election in New York, in which mostly Republican voters rejected Rep. Paul Ryan's "empowerment" approach to senior healthcare. And more broadly, is it really the case that the free market should trump professional canons of medical ethics? Should doctors put aside the Hippocratic Oath in favor of profit maximization? Are those the doctors that you want to visit?
Gillespie and Welch also neglect the reality that science, including medical science, has imperatives of its own. It was not the free market that gave us penicillin, or the polio vaccine, or the eradication of smallpox. Instead, it was a pluralistic combination of public and private actors, spearheaded by doctors who, in fact, do have special healing knowledge to dispense.
And so contemporary libertarianism runs up against yet another weakness: its too glib dismissal of the long-term and expensive science that few entrepreneurs pursue. The miracle of the marketplace hasn't come up with a cure for Alzheimer's, and it's unlikely that it ever will because those kinds of megaprojects have always been undertaken by nonprofits of one kind or another.
The literature of libertarianism once abounded with lyrical fictions of scientists and engineers, dreaming of new trains, skyscrapers, and interplanetary rockets. Indeed, to young romantic minds the best vindication of the libertarian ideal is the Nietzschean awesomeness that comes from the full unleashing of human intellect. Besides, the best way to guarantee freedom is to move as far away as possible from those who would take away freedom; so why not a lunar libertarian rebellion against the oppressive earth, as Robert Heinlein envisioned in his 1966 novel, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress?
Unfortunately, in recent decades this pro-science tradition seems to have disappeared from the libertarian political discourse, replaced by a dry focus on markets. And so, for example, the authors never mention that the mighty Internet started out as a government program.
Moreover, the formula of less technology and more ideology is not the way to appeal to the pragmatic middle of America—the folks who simply want better lives. Simple human betterment has been the basic appeal of such techno-heroes as Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, and Steve Jobs. If there's not much of that transformative spirit in our current two-party system, neither is there much in Declaration of Independents.
Always optimistic, the authors conclude that they have written this book to "ensure that our own children can pursue happiness the old-fashioned way—far the hell away from politics." Well, OK, but absent a more compelling and comprehensive vision that can grab hearts and minds and win elections, libertarian polemicists, whether they like it or not, will indeed be kept far from real-world politics and real-world victories.
James P. Pinkerton is a fellow at the New America Foundation and a contributor to the Fox News Channel.


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Victoria and David Beckham did it. Pierce Brosnan did it. Paul McCartney followed suit, as did Dita Von Teese. Ireland has always been a wedding venue to the stars.
Now it seems honeymooning here is also on trend, with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian picking the island for some rest and relaxation after their nuptial filled days. Not even Kimye, though, could experience newly-wed bliss on the island of Ireland quite like Denise Duffield-Thomas...
When someone is described as a "Honeymoon Tester", the initial reaction is jealousy. And for an entire year Australian Denise Duffield-Thomas and her English husband Mark endured the jealousy of everyone they met. The couple won a competition that sent two newlyweds travelling around the world on a year-long honeymoon.
But these two weren't just on their honeymoon – Denise and Mark actually married one another 87 times along the way. They visited 12 different countries, but they only visited one country twice. That country was Ireland.
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"There is an ancient beauty in Ireland that makes it incredibly romantic," Denise explains. "We loved visiting castles and pubs alike, but it was also the small stories from everyday people that helped fuel our honeymoon in Ireland."
A year travelling through romantic locations would make you a bit of an expert on the subject, so what were the standout places in Ireland that really wowed the couple?
"We loved so many places along our stay," says Denise. "Johnstown Castle in Wicklow was incredibly romantic as a wedding venue. And we briefly had fantasies of winning the lottery to renovate it as our home! We loved horse riding in Killarney National Park and you can't beat a romantic honeymoon in the incredibly opulent Mount Juliet estate in Kilkenny (with a spa for the missus and the world famous Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course for the mister)."
Wedding venues aplenty
They left no spot on the island uncovered, either, checking out other wedding venues along the way, including the rather spectacular Mussenden Temple in County Londonderry: "We literally crisscrossed the country, driving from Antrim to Cork in one day!"
Speaking of the mister, what impressions did the bridegroom have of Ireland? "Mark is half-Irish on his mum's side so it was amazing for him to connect with his relatives in Donegal while we were honeymooning."
The people make the place
For Denise and Mark, it wasn't just the long-lost family, or the scenery that gave Ireland its romantic edge. The people helped, too: "We made more friends in Ireland than we knew in our own neighbourhood. The Irish have a way of making you feel instantly at home and everyone wanted to celebrate with us."
Flicking through the pictures from Denise's time in Ireland, what strikes are the smiling faces. Hers, her husband's, and anyone in the vicinity.
If you ever wondered what it is that makes Irish eyes smile, a little bit of romance would be a good bet.
Want to know more about travelling around Ireland? Read about two epic coastal routes, the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route, right here.
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I was wondering what you people would think if we had an annual Adrift Competition. Something in the line of the IFComp.
There would be a set of rules (of course) and a set date (the same every year) so participants would know when to have their games ready.
Another thing I'm thinking about is to have an entry fee, and if people are interested they can also donate. The Money will then somehow be divided between the three top games.
Any thoughts?


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President was a title sometimes given to heads of state, or someone who presided over a governmental or corporate body.
General Santa Anna was the President of Mexico in 1836. (DS9: "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night")
The United States of America's executive branch was governed by a president. Trip Tucker, hearing that Mestral may have lived on Earth from 1957 until well into the 22nd century, reckoned that the Vulcan explorer would have lived through "what – thirty presidents?" The first two of these would have been Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. (TOS: "The Cage"; DS9: "Little Green Men"; ENT: "Carbon Creek")
The board of trustees of the Starfleet Academy was headed by a president in the 2150s. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")
The head of state of the United Federation of Planets was a president. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; DS9: "Homefront", "Paradise Lost")
Altair VI elected a new planetary president in 2267. The USS Enterprise, along with two other Federation starships, was scheduled to attend the president's inauguration. The Enterprise, however, diverted to Vulcan when Spock entered pon farr. (TOS: "Amok Time")
After negotiating Cardassia's annexation into the Dominion in 2373, Dukat effectively became the emperor of the Cardassian people, though still a servant of the Founders. However, he chose to maintain his rank of gul as opposed to legate because he felt it was more "hands on," and because the titles of emperor, president, first minister, and emissary seemed too "pretentious." (DS9: "Ties of Blood and Water")
Salutation Edit
"Mr. President" was a formal salutation used when addressing the president of a government.
James T. Kirk referred to an Excalbian who appeared as a former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, as "Mr. President". (TOS: "The Savage Curtain")
Both a Human Federation president and an Efrosian Federation president were referred to as "Mr. President", as well as President Jaresh-Inyo. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; DS9: "Homefront", "Paradise Lost")
When The Doctor portrayed the President of Earth in order to conduct negotiations with a photonic lifeform, Harry Kim addressed him as "Mr. President" upon his return. (VOY: "Bride of Chaotica!")
See alsoEdit
External linksEdit
- President at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- President at Wikipedia
- Mr. President (title) at Wikipedia


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Whether Americans ever truly trusted their government is an open question but things began going rapidly downhill in the 1960s and 1970s amid the upheavals of the civil rights era, Vietnam and Watergate.
"I'm from the government and I'm here to help you," became a punch line. Watergate decimated public faith in the presidency and the percentage of Americans participating in elections declined.
The national paranoia briefly united Americans behind their government after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York and Washington, but government actions since have sorely tested citizen trust.
The feeling terrorists were around the corner waiting to pounce has given way to the feeling Big Brother really is watching -- from traffic cameras to catch red-light runners and speeders, to the National Security Agency's data collection programs.
Has the NSA dragnet helped avert terror attacks? No one has been willing to offer any specifics.
President Barack Obama Friday ordered an end to the NSA bulk collection of data and called for development of a mechanism to preserve "the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk metadata to try to assuage outrage against the agency's operations."
"We cannot unilaterally disarm our intelligence agencies," Obama said. "There is a reason why BlackBerries and iPhones are not allowed in the White House Situation Room. We know that the intelligence services of other countries -- including some who feign surprise over the Snowden disclosures -- are constantly probing our government and private sector networks, and accelerating programs to listen to our conversations, intercept our emails, or compromise our systems."
At the same time, Obama said from now on, if he wants to know what another head of state is thinking, he will pick up the phone and call, not rely on intelligence.
Obama said intelligence activities have prevented "multiple attacks" both at home and abroad.
He said the "danger of government overreach" becomes more likely as technical abilities improve.
However, "nothing that I have learned ... indicated that our intelligence community has sought to violate the law. ... They're not abusing authorities to listen to your phone calls or read your emails."
"We cannot prevent terrorist attacks or cyberthreats without some capability to penetrate digital communications -- whether it's to unravel a terrorist plot, to intercept malware that targets a stock exchange, to make sure air traffic control systems are not compromised or to ensure that hackers do not empty your bank accounts."
But, he added: "Given the unique power of the state, it is not enough for leaders to say: Trust us. We won't abuse the data we collect. For history has too many examples when that trust has been breached."
Obama ticked off four reforms:
-- a new presidential directive setting out parameters for intelligence collection,
-- greater transparency for surveillance activities, including declassifying Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinions,
-- additional protections regarding interception of communications by foreign targets overseas, and
-- periodic review of National Security Letters used by the FBI to investigate threats.
"The bottom line is that people around the world -- regardless of their nationality -- should know that the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten our national security," Obama said.
"Now let me be clear: Our intelligence agencies will continue to gather information about the intentions of governments -- as opposed to ordinary citizens -- around the world, in the same way that the intelligence services of every other nation does. We will not apologize simply because our services may be more effective."
In a policy directive issued in advance of the speech, the administration mounted a defense of intelligence activities but at the same time said "legitimate" privacy and civil rights concerns both in the United States and allied countries must be recognized.
"The United States shall not collect signals intelligence [SIGINT in the jargon] for the purpose of suppressing or burdening criticism or dissent, or for disadvantaging persons based on their ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion," the memo reads.
"Signals intelligence shall be collected exclusively where there is a foreign intelligence or counterintelligence purpose to support national and departmental missions and not for any other purpose."
The directive rules out use of industrial espionage for competitive advantage, but permits it "to protect the national security of the United States or its partners and allies," and calls for regular review to make sure what is being collected is necessary.
The memo calls for developing software that would enable intelligence agencies to collect targeted data rather than sweep up everything and overhaul the way information is shared.
Obama's actions may not be enough to satisfy critics.
"I didn't hear any lessening of spying on the Americans or collecting records of Americans," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said after the speech on CNN. "I heard, 'Trust me. I'm going to put some more safeguards in place.'"
Paul said the U.S. Supreme Court is going to have to determine whether one warrant really can justify the data collection. He likened the NSA warrants to what the British did prior to the Revolutionary War when general warrants allowed them to enter any colonist's house.
"We don't need all this extra collection of information," he said.
"The many areas requiring rollback illustrate just how far things have gone," a group of intelligence insiders wrote in an open memorandum to the president this month on Consortiumnews.com, which describes itself as the first investigative news magazine on the Internet. "Real change would start with a confession to the voters by the NSA and the intelligence committees."
William Binney, former technical director of World Geopolitical and Military Analysis and co-founder of the SIGINT Automation Research Center, and NSA veterans Thomas Drake, former defense intelligence senior executive service, Edward Loomis, former chief of the SIGINT Automation Research Center, and J. Kirk Wiebe, former senior analyst, SIGINT Automation Research Center, said the NSA should get ahead of secrets leaker Edward Snowden and the reporters to whom he has released his documents and reveal the "true extent of data collection," identify the agencies that use the NSA database and declassify its budget.
Binney, Loomis and Wiebe developed THINTHREAD, a data collection method designed to unite data from disparate sources on terrorists and criminals, the memo said. The program was developed by NSA in house for $3 million and was replaced by a much more expensive contractor-developed system that never worked after THINTHREAD's developers said they needed only $330 million of an offered $1.2 billion to upgrade equipment and capabilities.
The writers say the sad truth is current NSA activities are not necessary to prevent another Sept. 11 attack.
"The sadder reality, Mr. President, is that NSA itself had enough information to prevent 9/11, but chose to sit on it rather than share it with the FBI or CIA. We know; we were there. We were witness to the many bureaucratic indignities that made NSA at least as culpable for pre-9/11 failures as are other U.S. intelligence agencies," they said.
The writers charge the NSA data collection process is ineffective.
"How else does one explain missing the bombers of Boston, Times Square, and the underwear bomber over Detroit?" they asked, adding later, "That NSA's bulk collection is more hindrance than help in preventing terrorist attacks should be clear by now despite the false claims and dissembling."
They concluded: "We are in a position to know that collecting everything makes very little sense from a technical point of view. And, as citizens, we are offended by the callous disregard of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution we all swore a solemn oath to support and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
In a separate post on the site last week, Wiebe said collecting metadata reveals much more than the actual content of conversations.
"Analysts can determine a great deal about a person -- any person -- by following the electronic crumbs that people inevitably leave behind in the course of their daily routines," he wrote. "And this data-byte-crunching analysis is much less time-consuming than monitoring each phone call or reading each email."
The Washington Post reported in 2010 the NSA collects 1.7 billion pieces of data every 24 hours.
"It does not make it easier to find a needle in a haystack if you continue to add hay," Coleen Rowley, the former Minneapolis FBI agent who disclosed the agency's failures before the Sept. 11 attacks, wrote for CNN when Snowden's revelations first began to surface. "No one has ever explained why it was left to fellow passengers or alert street vendors, not the 'intelligence' agencies, to stop the last four major terrorist attacks or attempted attacks on U.S. soil."
Rowley noted it's not the first time the U.S. government has trampled on civil rights.
"One need to only look to the operation of the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 1940s and '50s to recall a time when rights were suspended and to be accused meant to be convicted of a thought crime," Rowley wrote.
"J. Edgar Hoover gathered secret information on anyone and everyone of consequence. ...
"Hoover's 'black bag jobs' against such public activists as Martin Luther King Jr., secret blackmailing attempts and non-judicial 'disruption' of these groups is what actually led to the Church Committee investigation of abuses and the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which the NSA has now effectively dismantled.
"Who wants to go back to the good ole' HUAC-Hoover era?"


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Over a series of data sheets we provide guidelines on how to produce a specification for an IT cabling system that meets your organisation's needs and gives you value for money.
Part one covers the elements you should include and the information you should gather before starting work on the specification.
Part 2 - Selecting an ICT Cabling System
Part 3 - Cable Pathways, Installation
Techniques and Documentation
Part 4 - Testing of Copper and Fibre Links
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BRENTWOOD — Four Drug Task Force officers, who were shot and wounded by Cullen Mutrie last year, are asking a judge for more time to prove their claim that Mutrie got the gun from his mother because, they say, they're about to receive previously withheld investigatory information.
BRENTWOOD — Four Drug Task Force officers, who were shot and wounded by Cullen Mutrie last year, are asking a judge for more time to prove their claim that Mutrie got the gun from his mother because, they say, they're about to receive previously withheld investigatory information.
The officers have a Jan. 1 deadline to prove their claim against Mutrie's mother, Beverly, or a civil suit they filed against her will be dismissed, a judge ordered.
The October order by Judge Kenneth McHugh says the DTF officers' lawsuit against Beverly Mutrie "continues to hang by a thread," while the judge imposed the deadline "to provide evidence that it was the defendant that supplied the gun to her son."
The shootings occurred April 12, 2012 while members of the Attorney General's Drug Task Force were conducting a drug investigation into Cullen Mutrie, who faced separate pending charges alleging domestic assault and his possession of anabolic steroids. The AG's office said Mutrie also shot and killed Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney, shot and killed his alleged drug-dealing co-conspirator Brittany Tibbetts, then fatally shot himself.
Through attorney Christopher Grant, the DTF officers filed a motion with the Rockingham County Superior Court on Friday seeking a two-month extension. Attached to their request is a Dec. 2 letter from the federal Department of Justice stating "all releasable" Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) records pertaining to the shootings will be sent to Grant.
The notice that ATF records will be released to the officers' lawyer follows a prior denial for the same information. An attorney for the federal agency wrote that a review of the DTF officers' request for ATF records revealed that a previously-cited exemption is "no longer applicable."
Grant filed a copy of that notice with the court, as well as his response to the ATF asking for the "full, complete, un-redacted" disclosure of all documents of any kind related to the ATF investigation into the shootings of his four clients. Grant informed the court that he expects to have the documents within weeks.
According to the AG's office, the four DTF officers were shot while serving two warrants, one for Tibbetts' arrest on a drug-dealing charge and the other to search the Mutrie property.
Two Greenland officers were sent to the front door to try and coax Mutrie out and when he didn't answer the door, the DTF officers used a battering ram to force their way into the home, the AG's office said. The officers were met by Mutrie, who shot at them point-blank with a .357 revolver, according to authorities.
The source of that revolver is the crux of the civil suit filed against Beverly Mutrie by the DTF officers.
The DTF officers are named in their lawsuit as John Does 1 though 4, but former Attorney General Michael Delaney identified them as Newmarket detective Scott Kukesh, Rochester detective Jeremiah Murphy, Dover detective Gregory Turner and University of New Hampshire detective Eric Kulberg.
The officers' civil suit alleges Beverly Mutrie is responsible for their injuries because she knowingly, "wantonly and recklessly" allowed criminal activity to occur at the house where she allowed her son to live cost-free. This occurred, the officers allege, because Beverly Mutrie was aware of her son's ongoing criminal activity, financed his legal defenses and provided him with weapons after he was barred from owning any due to his domestic-violence arrest.
The Amica Mutual Insurance Company filed a separate lawsuit claiming it's not obligated to indemnify Beverly Mutrie for injuries to the DTF officers because narcotics-related criminal activity, that led to the officers' injuries, excludes coverage under Mutrie's homeowner and umbrella policies. That case is headed to the state Supreme Court on appeal.
According to the attorney general's office, after the shootings, police found 27.4 grams of cocaine, anabolic steroids, and more than $14,000 in cash in the Mutrie home. An autopsy revealed traces of narcotics, steroids and opiates in Cullen Mutrie's body, the AG said.


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Quote:I could not stop thinking about what the final moments of Pom's life must have been like. Finding his wife dead and then the terror and agony that surely followed.Can't shake the thought. Absolutely terrible.
Quote:I haven't been able to stop thinking...about this. The cruel irony of how 2 pet lovers died is gutting me.
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Lapponia Jewelry products are manufactured in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki. A historical red brick building is located in a park next to an idyllic river.
Inside the walls the old and the modern come together as the skilled goldsmiths combine new technologies with the methods and tools of the ancient jewelers. Individual skills are highly valued, as well as the flawless coordination between the eye and the hand. These are the ingredients for making jewelry that is beautiful to look at and pleasing to wear.
Sustainability and respect for the environment is self-evident at Lapponia Jewelry. Domesticity of the raw materials is important, products are manufactured from recycled gold and silver, and waste waters are collected and treated.
The openness of the company's culture also reflects to the outside world. Our guided public tours give an opportunity to visit the company and to see how Lapponia Jewelry products are created.
You are warmly welcome to visit us!