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Silver screen servers
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Hollywood is synonymous with big - the big screen, big budgets, big stars and blockbusters. And one of the great drivers of the Hollywood blockbuster in recent years has been big computer graphics (CG).
For things as small as subtle adjustments of colour tones and lighting to overt fantasy creations, CG is at the core of modern Hollywood. And at the core of computer graphics is the technology that takes it from the designers desktop to the silver screen - the massive server farms that do the grunt work rendering the fantasy worlds and characters we experience at the cinema.
Here in Australia and New Zealand we punch well above our weight in cinema post-production. Three of the biggest companies in the world of CG hail from the antipodes - Animal Logic, Rising Sun Pictures and Weta Digital. Between them they deliver the CG for a lot of todays most spectacular and highly anticipated films.
Many companies - in the film business and otherwise - are finding a need to put together networked server and storage systems, but few will be working their systems at the kind of intensity that these companies do. We spoke to the people in charge of technology at each of these moviemakers to find out how you manage a server farm being pushed to the absolute limit.
Maximum load - critical delivery
The server farm at a post-production house is a server cluster on the edge. Milton Ngan, CTO at Weta Digital, explains the pressure his system comes under: "As we get into full production the [3,300+ CPUs] are running at around 80 to 90 percent over a whole day, with sustained peaks at 100 percent capacity."
Alex Anderson, head of technology at Rising Sun Pictures, has a similar story. "When any project is approaching delivery to the client, the render farm will run at its maximum processing capacity for anywhere between 10 and a full 24 hours of the day."
At loads like this, flexible deadlines would be ideal, but that isnt the case with film. For Ngan, working to fixed Hollywood deadlines means "the focus of the operation is about keeping the flow of work going with no interruptions."
To add to the excitement, demands can change rapidly. According to Xavier Desdoigts, director of technical operations at Animal Logic, "we get a general idea of requirements and timetable in advance. Both change quickly and regularly. As the projects get closer to the end, requirements can change dramatically. Its never boring."
Surprises are part of the industry and Ngan does his utmost to manage this issue ahead of time. "We architect the system to try and allow for these surprises. We know that we often have to add a bit of resource here and there toward the end of the show, so we keep a bit of physical space up our sleeve to try and accommodate this."
Anderson offers his own insight into the reality of managing such a big system for the ever-changing movie industry. "Id like to say we meet every surprise with dignity and military precision, but the truth is that, in this industry, keeping the show running can be a demanding and stressful job. Sometimes throwing money and hardware at a problem will fix it, other times it may mean changing our systems or building whole new ones."
Creative solutions to zero redundancy When youre looking to harness every last drop of performance from a server farm there is simply no room for redundancy. Instead, specific solutions have been developed to manage any loss of resource due to machine failure.
Desdoigts says the farms raw size plays a role in reducing the impact of any problems. "The hardware redundancy is built in the numbers. If you lose a full chassis, you only lose 28 CPUs, which will have little impact on our farm of 1,260."
Even with such massive CPU numbers, the intensity of workload still requires smart solutions to the possibility of reduced capacity. Ngan explains how his team manages this risk: "We try to avoid creating partitions in the resources as this leads to inefficiencies. We have a team of people, called wranglers, managing these resources around the clock during peak periods. The way we process jobs on the farm means that each job is broken into smaller independent tasks. These tasks can be restarted reasonably easily at any point."
At Rising Sun, Anderson uses software specifically designed for managing motion picture render farms. "Any machine failures in the farm will simply remove that machine from use, and rendering will continue as normal on the remaining machines. We provide a predetermined set of resources on a per-artist basis and use the demands of the current projects to determine best usage."
Another creative solution to raw processing needs is the direct integration of workstation and server environments. At Animal Logic, "The workstations join the farm when not in use," says Desdoigts.
Ngan concurs on such workstation-server integration. "You just maintain a repository of custom changes for a server that can be applied after building a standard image. The beauty of a Unix/Linux environment is that you can easily make everything look the same no matter which machine you are on."
Storage and networking
Shared foundations between render and workstation systems offer seamless data flows across the network, explains Anderson. "Internally developed systems are used to ensure that data is managed in a way [so] that people and machines alike can rely on the right data being in the right place and that once a good render has been published, it almost takes God to remove it."
What becomes clear is that such major systems are about more than the render process itself. There are massive amounts of data to be stored and managed. And good backup procedures are critical to ensuring there is no major time-loss.
"We make use of near-line disk-based backup for immediate recovery from a file server failure, and ensure that all company and rendered data can be recovered or regenerated," says Anderson.
At Weta, Ngans backup strategy has evolved over time as data levels have grown. "We have started doing disk-to-disk backups of critical servers. This means restoring a server is just a matter of imaging the critical files over a standard OS install. We are now able to restore functionality of a critical server in less than an hour, as opposed to a day [previously]."
The big picture So what are the most important lessons learned in the midst of all this raw processing power?
"Primarily the lessons learned have been about capacity planning," says Ngan. "We have to always allow for more than we expect. When implementing changes on the fly, slower is faster. We take the time to have a clear plan of how it will all be done and by this method the change will happen faster and more smoothly."
At Rising Sun, "one of the things weve learned over the years has been to keep a close eye on the big picture," says Anderson. "Allowing yourself to get too busy with the details and not stepping back to make sure its all going according to plan can leave you with a lot of bits and pieces of systems that are hard to integrate and dont scale."
Anderson also believes firmly in the importance of the team behind the technology. "Investing in the right people to build and maintain your systems will save headaches and money in the long run." He offers a second piece of advice about making the best possible use of resources before deciding to expand them: "A system that is close to 100 percent effective is much better than, say, buying more resources to extend a system that is 60 percent effective."
Desdoigts has one simple recommendation for anyone considering building their own server farm from scratch: "Stay sane, dont do it! Use a co-location centre to house your CPUs. Power and cooling requirements for thousands of CPUs are very different from a traditional data centre load."
Next generation farming
What new technologies are getting these managers excited? Anderson is looking for some near-term gains. "The emergence of 64-bit platforms and the possibilities of much more RAM per processor are of significant interest."
Ngan sees scalability as a core focus for the future. "With the number of machines we have, we are basically doing a distributed denial-of-service attack on our file servers. So we need to find new architectures that can withstand that level of concurrency and throughput. This is where we can see SAN technologies finally starting to get the edge on NAS approaches.
Clustered global file systems is the way forward. It promises much, and is nearly delivering that nirvana of a variably scalable architecture. iSCSI is another technology we are investigating. We can see a lot of potential for this technology to achieve what fibre channel is doing in the SAN world, but with fewer complications."
Animal Logics Desdoigts is looking forward to true next generation computing. "Anything that will speed up rendering dramatically, like biological computers. Todays CPUs are grossly inefficient in terms of energy requirements and speed. Renders can still take hours, even with thousands of CPUs. Hopefully, biological computers may turn that around."
Animal Logic Moulin Rouge (2001) Matrix: Reloaded (2002) House of Flying Daggers (2004) Stealth (2005) http://www.animallogic.com
Rising Sun Pictures Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) Batman Begins (2005) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) Charlottes Web (2005) http://www.rsp.com.au
Weta Digital The Frighteners (1996) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) I, Robot (2004) King Kong (2005) http://www.wetadigital.com
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COSMO MAG: 17 Things Every Woman Should Know By Her Late 20s
Carla Marie is 26, so she's borderline "late 20s." When she came across this list on Cosmo.com she wrote some notes about how much she has accomplished so far in life. Check it out below.
Ok, I'm 26 - the Late Twenties doesn't start for two more years right? I'm proud to say I've conquered a lot of what this Cosmo list entails. Except the ** ones...Things to know before your late 20s...** 1. How to Pack: I will forever overpack and not bring what I really need2. Stick With A Career Path Even If It's Hard At A the Beginning: While fun, it was hard to find my place here at first, but I held out and here I am!3. Quit a Job if you hate it: Uhh learned this one early, after being tossed into a dumpster by a co-worker at one of my jobs I knew I needed OUT!4. Dress accordingly to what you think looks good, not what other people think looks good: I've always just done my thing with clothes, not really caring about what's in or out, just whatever is comfy and fits!**5. How To Throw A Dinner Party: Oh no way, wouldn't even know where to start. Do I need Matching silverware? Because right now I have three different kinds that make my "set".6. How To Fearlessly Ask For What You Want: Hey, you'll always regret not asking, like Cosmo says, whether it's a birthday gift or a raise...JUST ASK - I do!7. Save Money: I'm doing it..slowly, but it's happening.**8. How to Say No: Going through this now..I feel rude just saying "no" without an excuse other than "I don't want to"9. How To Get What You Want In Bed: I'm a pro at this! haha!!**10. The Body You Have...is the body you have: WRONG! Well, I failed at this one by getting a boob job. But I do love my body, always have, just love it more now!**11. Whether or not you want kids: Right now I know there is not one ounce of me that wants them, but what if I change my mind??!??! Do I really need to know right now?12. How to get home when you're drunk: Done. Have Skeery pay for the cab.13. That You're a different person than when you were 19, and that's a good thing: I started to realize this once I started working here, you get into your own routine, your own life, and you start to learn about yourself, not you and your life with your friends, just YOU. It is WEIRD, yet really cool.14. No matter how close you get to a guy, never neglect your closest most solid friends: You'll learn who your real friends are in your twenties...I've got two best friends that I trust and would do anything for- compared to the 10+ I had in college.16. Eat Dessert If You Feel Like It: Easiest one! I LOVE COOKIES!!17. You Should No Longer Give a Shit About What Mean Girls Think: EFF Bitches is all I have to say. Anyone that has anything bad to say does not even deserve room in your mind. bye haterrrrr.

subset: commoncrawl


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Shoes charity sells more soles than it gives away
Millions of pairs of used shoes donated to Soles4Souls by churches, civic groups and individuals don't go directly to the impoverished people the charity says it is helping.
Instead, the Nashville, Tenn.-based charity ships most of the donated used shoes to for-profit wholesalers and collects a handling fee. The wholesalers then ship the shoes overseas. There, vendors sell the shoes in marketplaces.
The practice, which Soles4Souls calls its microenterprise program, brought in about $2.89 million in fees for 2009, according to Soles4Souls' tax return for that year. A Soles4Souls official defended the program, saying it creates jobs for poor people.
"We do not sell shoes," said Todd McKee, general counsel and chief administrative officer. The funds collected are handling fees, he said, used to defray operating costs at Soles4Souls. McKee said the charity's attorneys and outside auditors reviewed the microenterprise program and approved it.
But some say the charity fails to live up to its promises to give shoes away. Others question the whole idea of shipping donated shoes overseas. The practice does more harm than good, they claim, by flooding markets with used shoes and driving shoemakers in poor countries out of business.
In his new book, Almost Isn't Good Enough, Soles4Souls CEO Wayne Elsey says he founded the charity with one simple goal in mind: Collect shoes and give them away.
So when the charity filed its form 1023 requesting tax-exempt status in 2006, organizers told the IRS that donated shoes would be sent to charities that would give them away to people in need. "Soles4Souls, Inc. sends the footwear to the charities in these countries that have pledged not to sell the shoes. The shoes are to be given only to the people in need," organizers wrote on their application.
Soles4Souls sticks to that mission with the new shoes it collects — about 5.4 million in 2010, mostly excess inventory from shoe companies. Those companies receive tax breaks for the donations. Soles4Souls valued those donations on average at $30 per pair for men's shoes, $27 per pair for women's shoes, and $16 per pair for children's shoes, according to its financial statements.
When Soles4Souls got 48,953 pairs of works boots from the Red Wing Shoe Co., those were valued at $55 a pair. With the new shoes, Soles4Souls acts mostly as a middleman — taking donations from companies like Red Wing, Deckers and Under Armour and passing them on to other charities.
Those charities give away the new shoes in more than 130 countries around the world, Soles4Souls says.Soles4Souls does not disclose the names of the charities or for-profit groups that distribute any shoes collected as a matter of policy, spokeswoman Rosemary Plorin said.
And it collects no data on where the shoes end up. Instead the distributors send Soles4Souls photos, videos and narrative summaries of their work. Soles4Souls took in 3.7 million pairs of used shoes in 2010, said Plorin. Each used pair was valued at $4. That allowed the charity to claim $14.8 million in donations on its balance sheet.
Most used shoes go from Soles4Souls warehouses to wholesalers such as Gilbert Lawson of for-profit Tevitus Inc. of Cartersville, Ga. Lawson ships the used shoes to his business associates in Togo, a small nation in West Africa. From there, the shoes are sold to merchants, who sell them in markets in Togo and other West African nations.
Lawson said he's glad he's helping the people who sell the shoes, but unlike other microenterprise programs — which often offer classes in basic accounting and provide other support — Tevitus Inc. is strictly business.
"I give poor people used shoes on credit to sell," Lawson said. "They pay me back after sale. That way it provides jobs and shoes."
Lawson refused to reveal details of his business, such as how many shoes he gets from Soles4Souls, which African businesses buy the shoes and what they charge retail customers. He pays Soles4Souls 50 or 75 cents per pair and buys them by the truckload. So does Kurt De Pourcq of Shepitex LLC of Hamburg, N.J. De Pourcq buys shoes from Soles4Souls and shoes and used clothing from charities like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, selling the goods to his contacts in countries that include Tanzania, Kenya, Guatemala, Pakistan, Chile and Georgia.
"It's a penny business," he said. "You make money on volume."
He said most charities that collect used goods and sell them deal with the same issues — some donations are worthless, and others aren't suitable for use in developing countries. A recent visit to Soles4Souls' warehouse in Roanoke, Ala., for example, revealed a pair of Stuart Weitzman strappy, high-heeled sandals lying in the mud outside the loading dock. De Pourcq's job is to find someone willing to take any donation, even those.
"People give a lot of crap away," he said. "I have a market for everything." De Pourcq said he's glad his business helps create jobs overseas, but it is still a business. And he doesn't blame charities for selling their donations.
Churches collect shoes
Soles4Souls runs four warehouses for shoe donations: one in Nashville, two in Alabama and one in Las Vegas. The charity also partners with the nonprofit group Village
Northwest Limited, in Sheldon, Iowa, where disabled residents sort shoes. Their main warehouse formerly was in the small town of Roanoke, Ala., where the closest neighbors were cows in a field next door and the runway from a nearby airport.
In January, Soles4Souls bought another Alabama warehouse in nearby Wadley. Most of the used shoes — collected at shoe drives run by schools, churches, businesses, celebrities and individuals around the country — end up in Alabama, where they are sorted by size and quality.
Cross Point Church in Nashville collected 3,000 pairs of shoes after a "Barefoot Sunday" church service in December. Church members were asked to leave their shoes in the church and walk out barefoot. Rose Park Magnet School collected 600 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls in a December shoe drive. The shoes can be dropped off at or shipped to Soles4Souls warehouses.
The donor pays the shipping charges in most cases. Once the shoes are sorted, they are shipped to distributors, but getting details of where the shoes go is difficult. Soles4Souls said in an early January email that it had delivered 1.3 million pairs of shoes to Haiti since the earthquake hit the island nation in 2010.The charity's volunteers have handed out 20,000 pairs.
Soles4Souls runs a travel program where volunteers pay their way to countries like Haiti in order to hand out shoes. Pictures and video from those trips are used in Soles4Souls marketing campaigns. The charity says it has sent shoes to Haiti through about 12 partner organizations but only revealed the names of two groups — Operation Compassion of Cleveland, Tenn., and John Chew, a microenterprise program participant who has distributed about 4,000 shoes in Haiti.
Many unaware of sales
The difference between Soles4Souls and other shoe- and clothing-collecting charities like Goodwill and the Salvation Army is that those other groups specifically tell donors that their used goods will be sold and used to support their program. Soles4Souls, on the other hand, asks for shoe donations so that it can give them to people who are shoeless.
In the past, Soles4Souls downplayed its microenterprise program. For example, last fall, the Nashville-based charity sent out an urgent plea for help.
"Soles4Souls Inc., the shoe charity that gives away free shoes to people in desperate need, is running out of shoes," the Sept. 9 media release read. "The non-profit organization has responded aggressively to the many natural disasters around the world and has nearly depleted its stock of both new and gently worn shoes."
Soles4Souls' Elsey did a follow-up interview on WKRN-TV in Nashville, begging for donated shoes. "We need to take our child into the closet and say, 'Look, you have six extra pair of shoes, let's donate those to Soles4Souls.' Because there's 300 million children around the world that don't have a pair of shoes."
The charity, which recently launched its "11 in 2011" campaign to collect 11 million shoes in 2011, revealed additional details of its microenterprise program on its website after a Tennessean inquiry.
"Lower grade used shoes are sorted and packed for distribution, and some are provided to microenterprise programs in developing countries such as Haiti, Tanzania, and Honduras," the Soles4Souls website says.
"The microenterprise participants clean and recondition the shoes to sell locally."
"Some" turns out to be between 60% and 78% of the donated used shoes each year, Plorin said.
But some donors believe their shoes go directly to someone in need. Kara Palm, local marketing coordinator for Krispy Kreme Donuts, takes about 100 pairs of shoes to Soles4Souls' warehouse each week.
Palm said she set up the connection between Krispy Kreme and Soles4Souls because she believes in the charity's you-give-they-get mission. "People donate shoes to Goodwill all the time," she said. "In this case, it's more direct. Give shoes and someone else gets shoes. People can see the benefit."
Later, after she was contacted about the microenterprise program, Palm emailed this statement: "Soles4Souls is a company that not only provides shoes to individuals, they provide employment and support to impoverished communities across the world. Because Krispy Kreme is a company that seeks to support our local communities, we couldn't help but be involved."
Brian Williams runs ThinkKindness.org, a nonprofit that seeks to inspire kids to perform random acts of kindness, and is trying to collect 100,000 shoes for Soles4Souls. Williams said the donated shoes are a tangible sign that kids can make a difference in the world.
"At the end, we're going to have a pile of 100,000 shoes," he said. Williams believed those shoes would be sent to Soles4Souls warehouses and then shipped to people in need. He was unaware of the microenterprise program. When told about it, he said he hoped the ones his organization collects will be given to earthquake victims in Japan through Soles4Souls. But if the donated shoes end up in the microenterprise program, he can support that.
"If people can earn money, that's great," he said.
At First Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, children are collecting shoes for Soles4Souls as a mission project. Sharon Hay, children's minister, said she was surprised to hear that donated shoes end up being sold.
"I was not aware of that," she said. Hay said she usually checks carefully into charities before supporting them. She planned to follow up with Soles4Souls.
News that many donated shoes are sold saddened one of Soles4Souls' earliest supporters. Mellie Parrish was one of the nonprofit's first employees in Alabama, before the microenterprise program. Parrish had been a volunteer with Four Corners Ministries, a missionary group that distributed some of the first shoes Soles4Souls collected. She eventually became Elsey's secretary — before the main offices relocated to Nashville — and is now retired.
"Randolph County, Ala., is an area of Alabama with rich traditions of mission work, and out of one of the county's mission groups, Soles4Souls was begun," she said. "I would find it very sad if it is true that this organization is now selling shoes it was donated. Truly, it was not the intent to sell shoes in the beginning."
Haitian women helped
Often, microenterprise programs provide loans to poor people but not the support structure needed to help them succeed, said Steve Bradley, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. That means classes on how to run a business and support for finding new business ideas.
"People don't just need money — they need ideas," Bradley said. "I think there is a lot more need for support once the business is running and help in coming up with more innovative business ideas.
"Soles4Souls' McKee said shoe microenterprise doesn't need complicated programs or support services.
"The beauty of the microenterprise we support is that shoes are a durable commodity that is easy to transport, widely needed, and easy to sell," McKee said in an email. "Micro-enterprise operators can literally receive the shoes, carry them to the nearest marketplace, and start selling. In many cases, they will receive the shoes on credit and pay for them after sale. At most, cleaning the shoes is all they do to prepare for sale."
But John Chew, who runs a microenterprise program in Haiti using Soles4Souls shoes, said it isn't that simple. Chew, an American businessman who has lived in Haiti on and off since the 1980s, has assisted Soles4Souls and other charities that do work there.
Chew started his program in the summer of 2010. A group of about 20 women get basic training in accounting and business and meet in small support groups. "What we do is we get people in co-ops, we do a seminar with them, we teach them how to do financing, how to run a business, how to keep accounting and their books," he said. "Then we set them up with some shoes to get started."
The women get one box of shoes — containing about 40 pairs — for free from Chew. After that, they pay about $2 a pair. The shoes are sold in the marketplace for $5 to $10 a pair." Here in Haiti, these shoes are gold," he said. "A lot of time the Haitian shoes that are made here, they don't last long. Everyone is looking for foreign-made shoes, because even if they are second hand, they last a lot longer than the shoes that are new here."
Chew said that the supportive programs and classes are essential for the women's microenterprises to succeed.
"A lot of times they don't last, because nobody taught them how to manage their money, manage their time, how to deal with customers, keep enough money to buy your supplies," he said. "That's why it's important to help them understand finance and help them understand how microenterprise works — and how to keep your business going. You don't want to start something and have it end."
A former aid worker who blogs about overseas aid for the Chronicle of Philanthropy said programs like Soles4Souls could undermine local business in developing countries. Saundra Schimmelpfennig is critical of programs based on sending "stuff we don't want" overseas."
We are creating this culture of dumping stuff we don't want on other people," she said. "We don't want it so we send it over there." But programs that ship large quantities of used shoes or clothing overseas won't go away any time soon, she said, because donated used goods help nonprofits boost their bottom line on public financial reports.
Donating used shoes also makes people feel good, Schimmelpfennig said. "We are doing it because it works for us," she said. "This is based on our needs."
Even if Soles4Souls' program isn't perfect, some supporters argue that it still does good work. Clark Bosslet is a graduate student at Vanderbilt, studying social entrepreneurship. He said that doing good work is sometimes messy.
Sending used clothes overseas may undercut local businesses, he admits. But groups like Soles4Souls can also create jobs, allowing people to make money for themselves rather than relying on charitable donations." At the end of the day, there is still a net benefit to society," he said.
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Stanley 10-01536
Stanley Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Classic Vacuum Bottle 1.4 qt
Back in 1913, in the town of Great Barrington, MA, William Stanley Jr. created the all-steel vacuum bottle. Year after year, the bottle was used, abused and became a favorite amongst workers and outdoorsmen. Passed down from father to son, the bottles were complete with scratches, dents and lifetimes of stories from generations past.
This Limited Edition 100th Anniversary bottle embodies Grandpa's original - the look, the vintage green, the performance and the legends.
• Vacuum insulated
• Keeps hot/cold 24 hours
• Insulated vintage lid doubles as 8oz cup
• Easy pour stopper: turns + pours from front/back
• Rustproof, vintage green finish
• BPA-free
• Leak-proof
• Dimensions: 3.8" L x 6.2" W x 14½" H
• Imported
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4.0 / 5 (3 Reviews)
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GREAT thermos
January 16, 2014
From: Borrego Springs, CA Age: 55-65 Gender: Female
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It looks green in the picture but, it is more gray.
December 30, 2012
From: New Hampshire Age: 55-65 Gender: Male
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Descent, Scene #05
- : 01/01/2007 |
- : 21:34 min |
- : 1829
Scene Info
There's more outdoor, rooftop play to come as the next scene has Damian Ford rimming tattooed hottie Clay Powell in the sunlight. Powell bends over and spreads his cheeks, allowing Ford better entry into his crevice. The two then move into some fierce 69 action before Ford stands over Powell and feeds the boy his cock from above. Soon Powell is on his hands and knees, receiving more rimming and fingering from Ford the rugged top finally guides his cock into the boy's ass. In no time, Powell is on his back, then on top of Ford, getting fucked and fucking himself any which way he can until he squirts his load onto Ford's chest--and still keeps riding! It doesn't take long for Ford to let loose with his own juices. The two men are then briefly joined by Nick Moore, Mark Mason, and Rick Allen, who gather around Powell and jerk and suck each other off until Clay is covered with gobs of sticky white jizz. The action then returns to Shaw, who is seen digging a grave. Next, he is lying in the grave as dirt is shoveled on top of him. He awakens in the middle of a field with a scream, and then we see him frolicking on the beach with Marcus Iron. As the sun sets, the two happy lovers walk into the ocean together. Was it all a dream?
Related Movies
Categories : Anal Sex, Big Cock, Bondage, Buttplay, Clippers, Cumshot, Gangbang, Group Sex, Hairy, Jockstrap
Starring : Aiden Shaw, Blake Harper, Chris Rock, Clay Powell, Damian Ford, Jason Branch, Marcus Iron, Mark Mason, Nick Moore, Rick Allen
The controversial classic comes of age in this special, expanded, two-disc collector's DVD set that features previously unreleased footage in a new presentation of Steven Scarborough's best-selling masterpiece. XXX superstars Aiden Shaw, Marcus Iron, Blake Harper and Jason Branch are among the amazing hot studs in the cast, and the film's haunting, moody videography is a stunning achievement in adult film. An absolute must-have for any porn lover's collection.


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With a title like "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" you pretty much know what you're going to get: campy, blood-squirting, special-effects-laden mayhem.
The question is, does the movie deliver? Yes, but that's the problem, because with that title you also should get a lot more.
For a movie that promises to unleash the ridiculousness of melding a Grimm fairy tale with the modern-day carnage of a Sylvester Stallone movie, the B-grade results should be a lot funnier, squishier and more outrageous. Instead, audiences are left with a middle-of-the road action horror story that's as straightforward as one of Gretel's titanium crossbow arrows. Even the fact it's in 3D doesn't give it any extra punch.
Hansel ("The Avengers'" Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton of "Clash of the Titans" and "Prince of Persia") have their well-known encounter with the evil witch in the gingerbread house. But what we didn't know is the encounter would later ignite their passion for eliminating witches.
They're now adults, and have been hired to rid the town of a witch (played by "X-Men's" Famke Janssen) who has kidnapped children for an upcoming ritual. If that weren't bad enough, the witch-slaying siblings also have to deal with an arrogant town sheriff (Peter Stormare as his usually snarling self) who keeps standing in their way.
In between the far-too-serious dramatic scenes, there's plenty of hand-to-hand punching and kicking as the brother and sister beat through witch after witch. Thank heavens Hermione Granger wasn't there.
Then again, that kind of surprise might have added some spice to an otherwise generic R-rated thriller. Like another genre-bending attempt, last year's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," "Hansel & Gretel" doesn't embrace its B-grade-movie sensibilities by shocking audiences beyond what they expect. Thirty years ago, this could have been the kind of fun Sam Raimi ("The Evil Dead") would have gorged himself on, and the role of Hansel would have fit Bruce Campbell like a glove.
Instead, the "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" we're left with runs out of its magic potion far too early to let us enjoy its wicked possibilities.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hungers
Grimm fairy tale siblings join forces to become witch hunters in this B-movie horror tale. Unfortunately, it's a genre-twisting idea that doesn't crank up the outrageousness and blood to 11.
Where • Now open in theaters everywhere
Rating • R for strong fantasy horror, violence and gore, with brief sexuality/nudity and language
Running time • 88 minutes


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A partnership is created when people pool resources and join together in business. There are several types of partnership agreements: In a general partnership, all partners manage the business and are personally liable for its debts. In limited partnerships, partners' liability is limited and they have no voice in decision-making. In a limited liability partnership (LLP), all partners have some degree of limited liability. In a limited liability company (LLC), a shareholder is not personally liable for any of the debts of the company, other than for the money they invested in that company. An attorney experienced with partnership agreements will help you decide whether a partnership is a good idea for your business, and which type of agreement would be best for you. Partnership lawyers will also make sure your partnership agreement accurately describes each partner's rights and responsibilities.


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Police intervene on New Hampshire fugitive attempting to commit suicide at Mohegan Sun
Mohegan — State police casino unit officers forced their way into a hotel room at Mohegan Sun Friday and provided medical attention to a man wanted on four felony warrants in New Hampshire who was attempting to commit suicide.
Officers entered the room after police in Lebanon, N.H., alerted them that the man may be staying at a hotel at the casino. They found the man cutting his wrists and attempting to hang himself with a belt, according to a news release. Officers intervened and provided medical attention to William Roy, 65, of Lebanon, N.H. He was taken to The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, where he was treated and released.
Roy was charged with being a fugitive from justice and taken to Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville, where he is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond pending a Monday court appearance.
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22 items found in this collection
Down with Ben-gay Pain is here to stay
Icy winds mean chest colds... colds mean pain. Remember ben-gay is famous for relief ...
Peter Pain Ambushes Billy the Kid
Nobody is exempt from "Athletic Aroma"
You can't be a wolf with "Athletic Aroma"
Feel Athletic...Act Athletic...But don't have "Athletic Aroma"
Remember this: nothing has changed the ABC of dental care!
At the first sign of a cough take medicated Pine Bros.
New! Smith Brothers Presents: Assorted Fruit Cough Drops for Tangy Cough Relief!
What Is This?
What Is This?
Sore Throat? Antibiotic Candettes give immediate soothing relief!
Summertime...First Aid Time
Now! A Cleanser That Sanitizes and Deodorizes!
Quick, Henry, The Flit!
Quick, Henry, The Flit!
Page 1 of 2 Next »


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Each Sandy Hook Victim's Family Will Get $281K
(NEWSER) – The committee in charge of distributing Sandy Hook donations has a distribution plan: Each victim's family would get $281,000, totaling 95% of the $7.7 million that will be given out. On top of that, families of kids who survived the classroom attacks would receive $20,000 each, and the two wounded teachers would split $150,000, the Hartford Courant reports. The plan should be settled by Monday, says a lawyer involved. The decisions follow a private meeting with families run by a former federal judge, then a public hearing last night on the matter.


text:
Submit News
Early Windows Phone 7 Sales Reports Trickle In
Mark Kurlyandchik
November 10, 2010 8:11 AM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
(Source: Mobileshop.com)
WP7 either a "ringing success" that "didn't exactly make waves"
is reporting
that reports of first-day Windows Phone 7 sales have run the gamut of lackluster to impressive, depending on whom you ask.
The Seattle Times
deemed the new mobile OS from Microsoft a "
ringing success
." An AT&T spokeswoman told the news outlet: "We did have lines in some of our markets across the nation. There definitely was anticipation for the phone." She did not provide any sales figures, though.
At T-Mobile, the HTC HD7 was briefly sold out online, but is now back in stock.
The Times
reported that a store in Bellevue, Wash. had sold only three of the devices by noon of launch day.
On Twitter, the #wp7 hash-tag has provided some additional insight into user's experiences with the device. "Got lucky and snagged a Samsung Focus this morning before it sold out. Was too late at the MS store, but AT&T had 1 left. I need it!,"
wrote sirkirby
But first day sales numbers,
as reported by
The Street
, weren't exactly extraordinary. The financial news website said Windows Phone 7 "didn't exactly make waves" on launch day, selling "a mere 40,000 Windows 7 phones." In comparison, Apple's iPhone 4
sold 600,000 units in pre-orders
alone (coincidentally, that's
the same amount of Windows Mobile devices
Microsoft was able to sell in all of Q3 2010). Meanwhile,
The Street
has pinned Android's daily sales figures at 200,000 units per day.
"It's early in the game," a Nielsen telecom analyst told
The Street
. "Not every product surges right out of the starting blocks. The first Android phone [G1] was not a big seller at T-Mobile," adding that Black Friday and Christmas sales will be a better test of WP7's staying power. By then, Verizon, the nation's largest mobile carrier, will also be in the Microsoft mix, which should help boost sales figures.
"I mean, if you wanna break down someone's door, why don't you start with AT&T, for God sakes? They make your amazing phone unusable as a phone!" -- Jon Stewart on Apple and the iPhone
Related Articles
Android Devices Seize Larger Lead in the U.S. Market, iPhone Remains Best-selling Smartphone
November 1, 2010, 12:02 PM
Record 600,000 iPhone Pre-orders Placed, AT&T Suspends Pre-ordering
June 16, 2010, 4:30 PM
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Kristopher Kubicki


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The display and use of drug information on this site is subject to express terms of use. By continuing to view the drug information, you agree to abide by such terms of use.
PRECAUTIONS: Before using desmopressin, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.This medication should not be used if you have certain medical conditions. Before using this medicine, consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have: kidney disease, a low level of sodium in the blood (current or past hyponatremia).Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: high blood pressure, heart disease (such as blocked blood vessels in the heart), conditions that may increase your risk of fluid/mineral imbalance (such as cystic fibrosis, heart failure), the urge to drink too much water without being thirsty, bleeding/clotting problems.If you have lost too much body water (become dehydrated), your doctor will correct that condition first before starting treatment with desmopressin.Limit alcohol because it can interfere with how well desmopressin works.Changes inside the nose (such as scarring, swelling, congestion, or blockage) may affect how well desmopressin nasal spray is absorbed. Tell your doctor if you have any of these changes inside the nose because he or she may need to adjust your treatment.Tell the doctor immediately if you develop any illness that can cause water/mineral imbalance (including fever, diarrhea, vomiting, infections such as the flu) or if you experience conditions that require drinking more fluids (for example, exposure to very hot weather, strenuous exercise, persistent sweating). The doctor may need to stop or adjust desmopressin treatment, especially in children and older adults.Children may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially water/mineral imbalance and a low level of sodium in the blood.Kidney function declines as you grow older. This medication is removed by the kidneys. Therefore, older adults may be at greater risk for water/mineral imbalance and a low level of sodium in the blood while using this drug.During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.It is not known whether this drug passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.
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text:
Scientific Research
An Academic Publisher
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) Alcohol and public health.
has been cited by the following article:
Temporal variability of problem drinking on Twitter
Joshua Heber West, Parley Cougar Hall, Carl Lee Hanson, Kyle Prier, Christophe Giraud-Carrier, E. Shannon Neeley, Michael Dean Barnes
Twitter; Problem Drinking; Temporal Variance
Open Journal of Preventive Medicine,
Vol.2 No.1,
ABSTRACT: Twitter is a micro-blogging application, which is commonly used as a way for individuals to maintain social connections. Social scientists have also begun using Twitter as a data source for understanding more about human interactions. There is very little research about Twitter's utility for monitoring health related attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which individuals tweeted about problem drinking, and to identify if such tweets corresponded with time periods when problem drinking was likely to occur. Data from this study came from tweets originating in one of 9 randomly selected states, one from each of the nine census geographies in the US. Twitter's API was used to collect tweets during the month of October 2010, and again during the time period surrounding New Year's Eve 2010. Keywords were selected which indicated problem-drinking behaviors, and tweets were coded for the presence or absence of these keywords. Twitter users were most likely to tweet about problem drinking on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the hours from 10 pm to 2 am. Tweets originating during the New Year's Eve holiday (0.53%) were twice as common when compared to tweets during weekends in the month of October (0.34%). Twitter may be a valid data source for social scientists, given that tweets about problem drinking corresponded with expected time periods of actual problem drinking. Furthermore, tweets that mention problem drinking may be problematic for public health if they establish incorrect normative beliefs that such behaviors are acceptable and expected. Social norms interventions may be an effective tool in correcting misperceptions related to problem drinking by informing Twitter followers that problem drinking behaveiors are not normative.
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text:
Women We Love: The Endorsements
"Done with the twenties. I'm confident — confident in my skin, and I'm cool with my flaws and all that stuff. It just feels nice to be at peace with yourself. I think my thirtieth birthday gave me permission to have all that. The twenties were a pain in the ass — figuring it all out. What am I doing? Where do I go?"
"I've never done a sexy photo shoot before. I've never really honestly tapped into that side. It was really liberating. It was exciting. I would look at the pictures, like, that's me?"
The Sexiest Woman Alive... From Every Country on Earth


text: Shop View All Paper Patterned Paper Cardstock Specialty Paper Close To My Heart offers a wide variety of high-quality 12" x 12" papers for all your crafting needs. B&T Duos™ are our unique double-sided, cardstock-weight patterned papers. Our white core cardstock comes in all our exclusive colors, which makes it easy to pair with our patterned papers and stamp pads. We also offer a variety of specialty papers, including glitter paper, kraft paper, and watercolor paper.


text:
Littrell Fans 12 in Series-Clinching Win over Georgia
March 31, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Behind a career-high 12 strikeouts in seven shutout innings from Corey Littrell and a three-hit game from Austin Cousino, No. 8 Kentucky posted a 5-0 win over Georgia to win the three-game series, on Sunday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky (21-6, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) rode the dominating arm of Littrell, a junior southpaw, and the hot bat of Cousino to its third consecutive SEC series win to open 2013. UK plated a single run in the first, got two runs in the third and a two-run homer from catcher Micheal Thomas in the fifth for the 5-0 win.
Littrell (4-0) worked seven dominating frames, scattering just three singles and walking two, striking out a career-high 12. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Louisville, Ky., has now started 11 series-deciding games in the last two years – all UK wins – posting an 8-0 record and a 1.68 ERA in those 11 starts.
A preseason All-America selection, Littrell allowed only three singles in the game – with one hit bouncing off him on the mound. He worked into the eighth inning and with 12 strikeouts became the third UK pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts in 2013. Littrell toppled his previous career high of nine strikeouts with his 10th strikeout of the game, coming as an inning-ending punchout of All-America UGA shortstop Kyle Farmer in the sixth.
On the year, Littrell has a 4-0 record and a 2.57 ERA in seven starts, tossing 45.2 innings and striking out 47. In his three SEC starts to open 2013, Littrell has a 3-0 record and a 0.82 ERA, striking out 23 and allowing only 15 hits in 22 innings. Without one rocky outing vs. USC Upstate in his season debut, Littrell has a 4-0 record and a 1.28 ERA in 2013.
Cousino paced the Wildcats at the dish, including starting the game with a triple off the centerfield wall. The All-America centerfielder went 3-for-4 with a triple, double and an RBI, as his attempt at hitting for the cycle ended in a warning-track fly out in the right-centerfield gap in the eighth inning.
UK also got the two-run homer from Thomas, his second of the year, and hits from freshman outfielder Kyle Barrett, Matt Reida and Zac Zellers. Barrett, who moved into the team lead with a .364 average, extended his hitting streak to a club-high eight games with a single into centerfield in the fourth inning.
Georgia (10-19, 1-8 SEC) starter Bryan Benzor (1-1) worked four innings, allowing six hits and five runs, walking one and striking out two. Ross Ripple took over in the fifth, working three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Jarrett Brown worked a scoreless eighth, allowing just a walk and a hit batter.
UK will return to action on Tuesday, traveling to No. 10 Louisville for a 6 p.m. ET matchup at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Kentucky got on the board in the bottom of the first inning as Cousino tripled to deep centerfield to leadoff the game, with the ball bouncing out of DJ Smith's glove as he collided with the wall. Zellers then hung a sacrifice fly to rightfield to score Cousino.
In the bottom of the third, UK added to its lead with two runs on two hits. Matt Reida led off the frame with a full-count walk, taking second on Thomas' sacrifice bunt. Cousino then smashed a double off the wall in left-centerfield, scoring Reida from second base. Zellers followed with a single off the diving glove of Smith in centerfield, allowing Cousino to motor home with UK's third run.
Kentucky plated two runs in the fifth inning as Reida smacked a single to leadoff the frame and scored when Thomas belted a two-run homer down the leftfield line. It was Thomas' second homer of the year and the third of his career.
GAME NOTES: Junior second baseman J.T. Riddle made his team-high 93rd consecutive start … Austin Cousino ripped his third career triple and his first of the year … Cousino is the first UK player to triple to leadoff a game since centerfielder Antone DeJesus led off the 2007 season opener in Furman with a triple … Zac Zellers hung his team-high fourth sac fly of the year … Catcher Micheal Thomas nabbed his fourth runner trying to steal … UK has caught seven of 14 runners trying to steal this year … Thomas laid down his fifth sac bunt of the year in the third … Cousino doubled for the eighth time of 2013 … Zellers stole his third base of 2013 and the 10th of his two-year career … Kyle Barrett extended his hitting streak to eight games … Thomas hit his second homer of the year and the third of his career in the fifth inning … Littrell is the third UK player to record double-digit strikeouts and the first since Jerad Grundy struck out 10 last weekend vs. Mississippi State … Riddle struck out for just the second time in the month of March in the sixth … Riddle made his first error of the year, his first since May 11, 2012 vs. Georgia … Riddle's error snapped a streak of 358.2 consecutive innings played without an error … Zack Storm made his first career SEC appearance … Storm was his by his first career pitch, then stole his first career base in the eighth … Corey Littrell worked his sixth quality start of 2013 and the 20th of his three-year career … Littrell improved to 4-0 in 2013 and is now 19-8 in his career, moving into sole possession of ninth place in UK career history … Littrell struck out a career-high 12 … Littrell has started 11 rubber-match games the last two years, with UK winning all 11 games and Littrell posting an 8-0 record and a 1.68 ERA … Cousino had a season-high three hits, marking his 38th career multi-hit game … UK improved to 20-1 the last two years when wearing its black and white uniform combination, including a 6-0 mark in 2013 … UK improved to 14-4 at Cliff Hagan Stadium, including 4-2 vs. the SEC … UK is now 6-0 on Sunday's … UK is now 15-3 vs. right-handed starting pitchers … UK improved to 20-3 in day games … Georgia leads the all-time series 117-84-1, including a 48-43-1 mark in games played in Lexington … UK has now won three consecutive series meetings with Georgia … UK head coach Gary Henderson improved to 102-43 in his career at Cliff Hagan Stadium.


text:
As OpenVAS released new beta version of new OpenVAS 2.0 release (2.0.0.beta2), I've made lzm for that version too. You can download it here (with instructions included):
For those who don't know, OpenVAS stands for Open Vulnerability Assessment System and is a network security scanner with associated tools like a graphical user front-end. The core component is a server with a set of network vulnerability tests (NVTs) to detect security problems in remote systems and applications.
OpenVAS products are Free Software under GNU GPL and a fork of Nessus.


text:
Matinee performances available at 2 p.m. on March 10 & 17
Psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart is faced with treating a boy who has blinded six horses in a hysterical fit of passion. This violent act leads the doctor down a twisted road of discovery to a complex and disturbing confrontation with his new patient.
This play contains nudity and adult subject matter. Parental discretion is advised. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.


text:
The page you requested requires Essential access
North America ACCESS Global Surface Temperature/Wind +216 hour Chart
- location
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- New Zealand
- North America
- South America
About ACCESS Global
Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS). Based upon the UK Met Office Unified Model system. ACCESS G is the global numerical forecast model operated by the BoM. It is run twice daily (00Z and 12Z) and provides forecast data out to 240 hours with a horizontal resolution of 25km and 70 vertical levels.
Weather News
Murray-Darling Basin Plan: Taxpayer-purchased water intended for rivers harvested by irrigators
Billions of litres of water purchased by taxpayers to save Australia's inland rivers are instead being harvested by some irrigators to boost cotton-growing operations, in a policy failure that threatens to undermine the $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Windy night ahead for NSW, Vic
It's going to be a blustery night in parts of eastern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania with damaging gusts possible in some areas into tomorrow morning.
Murray-Darling Basin: Angry communities call for inquiry after Four Corners pumping revelations
Broken Hill's Mayor has joined other angry community leaders in calling for an inquiry into the operation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.


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#5. Spain "Viva Espagne"
TransWorld enlisted Eiki Helgason, Laura Hadar, Zac Marben, and Remi Lamazouere for a winter road trip through Spain (yes, the whole country). The crew, with photographer Eric Bergeri at the wheel and writer Jennifer Sherwoski riding shotgun, traveled from Barcelona, to Spain's biggest resort—Baquiera-Beret, to the bars of Madrid, up to the High Aragon of the Central Pyrennes, and back. The whole story was featured in the October 2009 issue.
"People sleep late and eat meals even later. As a testament to the local vibe, we never once arrived at the mountain before eleven a.m."—Jennifer Sherowski


text:
To save animals, you have to like people
Published Feb. 25, 2013
"Boy, I hate people." I hear that all the time from people who work in animal welfare. I disagree. I understand why they feel that way. When you do this work, you hear stories all the time that make you angry. Abuse and neglect. Domestic violence. Well-meaning stupidity. Even the simple failure to stick with commitments: "I'm moving out of town, so I need to surrender my 12-year-old dog." These stories would make anyone mad, let alone someone who cares enough about animals to have chosen shelter work over other, almost certainly better-paying, options.


text:
TxDOT is pleased to present a request for proposals (RFP) to shortlisted teams for the design, construction and capital maintenance of the Energy Sector Roadway Repair Project (ESR2P).
Executed Version
On Feb. 10, 2014, TxDOT officials executed a design-build contract for the design and construction of the Energy Sector Roadway Repair Project.
Developer Summaries
On Dec. 19, 2013, the Texas Transportation Commission conditionally awarded Austin-Angel, JV to enter a design-build agreement for the Energy Sector Roadway Repair Project.
Legal disclaimer - The Reference Information Documents are provided as reference information only project documents. The information contained in these documents reflects information as of any date or time identified therein. TxDOT has not determined whether the project documents are accurate, complete, pertinent, or of any other value to potential developers. TxDOT makes no representation, warranty or guarantee as to, and shall not be responsible for, the accuracy, completeness, or pertinence of the project documents, and, in addition, shall not be responsible for any interpretations thereof or conclusions drawn therefrom. The statements made in the project documents that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including TxDOT's hopes, intentions or strategies regarding the future. These statements are based on information currently available to TxDOT and TxDOT assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
RFP Documents
|Addendum 1
| Addendum 2
|Cover Letter
|Instructions to Proposers (ITP)
|- Instructions to Proposers
|- Exhibits
|- Exhibits A-C and E-I
|- Exhibit D
|- Exhibit D - Clean
|- Price Forms (M-2 and M-3)
|Design Build Agreement (DBA)
|- Design Build Contract
|- Exhibits
|- Exhibit 1 Abbreviations and Definitions
|- Exhibits 2-20
|Technical Provisions (TP)
|- Technical Provisions
RFP Question and Answer Matrix
More Information


text:
Bookmark this site
SACRAMENTO, CA -- California's Proposition 37, which would have mandated labeling food items that contain genetically modified organisms, was defeated on Election Day. The margin was 54% opposed and 46% in favor.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (Washington) hailed the voters' decision. "Proposition 37 was a deeply flawed measure that would have resulted in higher food costs, frivolous lawsuits and increased state bureaucracies," GMA said. "This is a big win for California consumers, taxpayers, businesses and farmers.
"Foods and beverages that contain genetically engineered ingredients have been exhaustively studied and all of the leading scientific and regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture, the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, have concluded that these products are safe and are not materially different than their traditional counterparts," the association added.
The California Automatic Vendors Council had urged its members to oppose the initiative. CAVC president Larry Atnip, Atnip Co. Inc. (Fullerton) had argued that, although Proposition 37 had been billed as a "consumer protection" measure, it seemed primarily designed to enrich litigators. | SEE STORY
The Food Marketing Institute (Arlington, VA) also applauded the California electorate for defeating the measure. "By rejecting Proposition 37, California voters effectively reinforced the consistency and role of science in our national food labeling system, which is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture," FMI said.
FMI supported its supply chain partners, the California Grocers Association and the Grocery Manufactures Association in their "No on Prop 37" campaign efforts. "Food Marketing Institute members – the nation's grocery stores – believe that food labels should meet national standards to provide meaningful and consistent information to consumers for the food they purchase and how it is made," the Institute summed up.