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Ward, The (UK - BD RA/B)
Chris takes a quick look at the Blu-ray release of John Carpenter's recent film
Welcome to North Bend Psychiatric Hospital in 1966, an isolation ward for female offenders with a deadly secret guaranteed to terrify beyond words. Kristen (Amber Heard) finds herself committed to The Ward after setting fire to an abandoned farmhouse. Imprisoned in this terrifying asylum alongside a group of erratically behaved young women, Kristen not only faces overbearing wardens during the day but by night a savage ghostly figure stalks the ward hallway for her next victim to swallow into the darkness.
With no recollection of previous events and fellow inmates disappearing one by one, the terrifying realisation dawns on the patients that anyone could be next. A petrified Kristen is forced to band together with four other female offenders to piece together a dark secret and reveal the horrific truth in a desperate struggle for survival. (Taken from the Warner synopsis.)
If you cast your mind back far enough you may remember that The Ward was originally due to arrive on Blu-ray way back in May, but negative reaction to Warner's decision to release the film open matte forced the distributor to abandon its release plans and head back to the drawing board. I'm as critical as the next guy when it comes to distributors butchering the visual integrity of films, so it's only fair to give Warner some credit for taking the time to do things right. Of course John Carpenter weighing in on the subject on Twitter probably helped tip the scales, but it's still commendable…
After all the furore surrounding the original check discs and their open matte, 1.78:1 transfers of the film, I'm pleased to report that The Ward finally arrives on Blu-ray with a rather spiffy transfer at its theatrically correct aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (1080/24p AVC). Shot on 35mm rather than in one of the increasingly popular digital formats, the image is very clean and detailed, with a wonderful layer of grain for that filmic look. The colour palette is intentionally muted, but still surprisingly natural, and contrast appears variable by design. In some scenes it appears very hot, causing blooming as the girls stand against large window, while in others it's a bit flat, lending an almost washout out appearance to the film. This sometimes has the unavoidable side effect of rendering less than inky blacks, but again I must stress that it seems to be a calculated effect. DNR is never an issue and there's no unsightly edge enhancement to be seen. All things considered this is a good effort.
To compliment the video Warner has furnished The Ward with a great little Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track (haven't seen that codec in use for a while). It presents strong, natural dialogue that remains firmly anchored in the centre of the sound-stage and intelligible above the rest of the effects. Speaking of effects, well there are actually quite a few, from the roar of a fire and the sound of sirens, or thunderclaps and pouring rain, to various creepy sounds and audio stingers during the jumpier moments. The surround channels get quite a decent workout during these sequences, but they also assist the frontal array with general ambience throughout. Bass also plays its part during the scares, but even simple things like doors being slammed shut carry some weight. The creepy music is well utilised to add tension and again it's liberally spread across the available channels to immerse the viewer. It's not a flashy soundtrack, but it does the basics very well.
This is where I felt slightly let down by Warner's Blu-ray Disc. The only supplemental material is a series of three interview segments, the first with John Carpenter (03:00 HD), the second with the actors (26:01 HD) and the third with the producers/production designer (18:14 HD). Carpenter's interview is so short it might as well not have been included, but the female cast all have strong opinions on the director and the film (even if some of them overlap). Obviously the producers talk the movie up big time, but that's hardly surprising.
I really hoped that The Ward would be a return to form for John Carpenter, but sadly it was not to be. To be honest it's not really his fault, as he didn't write this one and the direction is perfectly competent, but I found the whole thing too predictable and lacking in any real scares or excitement. To be honest I think the film has been somewhat mis-sold as a horror when it is in fact more of a psychological thriller. It's not that it's a particularly bad film per se, just a spectacularly average one, and I expect more from the man who brought us some of the greatest horror films of the last thirty years. On the plus side the Blu-ray is technically proficient, with a very pleasing visual transfer and a solid audio track. The extras aren't much to write home about, but that seems to be par for the course these days and it was nice to hear from the cast. I just wish Carpenter himself had a greater presence in the supplements. All in all, probably worth a rental for casual fans but only Carpenter completists should be handing over serious money until the price falls. Sorry John, but we'll always have The Thing...
* Note: The images below are taken from the Blu-ray release and resized for the page. Full-resolution captures are available by clicking individual images, but due to .jpg compression they are not necessarily representative of the quality of the transfer.
Review by Chris Gould
David Blackwell Senior Member Join Date: February 2004 Location: United States Posts: 2,831
I wouldn't call it bad John Carpenter. I just wouldn't call THE WARD a great John Carpenter film. The film comes in somewhere between his worst and his best.
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
So what I said
jan_tran Member Join Date: July 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 113
One can only wonder what we're missing out on if we would've gotten the open matte transfer (screencap #3).
Disciple Member Join Date: April 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 775
I loved this film.
Spoiler I would have preferred it if it had ended with Kristen actually having been cured though, and that that was the big twist. The mirror scene takes a lot away from an otherwise brilliant film IMO.
If you're disappointed with the extras, get the US release. It has an excellent commentary track with Carpenter and Jared Harris (who is really interesting to listen to). Might be region locked though.
Spoiler I would have preferred it if it had ended with Kristen actually having been cured though, and that that was the big twist. The mirror scene takes a lot away from an otherwise brilliant film IMO.
If you're disappointed with the extras, get the US release. It has an excellent commentary track with Carpenter and Jared Harris (who is really interesting to listen to). Might be region locked though.
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
jan_tran wrote: One can only wonder what we're missing out on if we would've gotten the open matte transfer (screencap #3).
Tit tape!
Tit tape!
Matt Contributor Join Date: October 2004 Location: United States Posts: 2,113
Disciple wrote: If you're disappointed with the extras, get the US release. Might be region locked though.
It's not.
It's not.
Suitable only for persons of 15 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 17th October 2011
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Audio Descriptive English
Subtitles: English
Extras: Interviews
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Amber Heard, Lyndsy Fonseca, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh, Mamie Gummer, Jared Harris, Mika Boorem
Genre: Horror and Thriller
Length: 88 minutes
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Tsetserleg (also spelt Tsetserlik, Tsetserlig or Cècèrlèg) is the capital of Arkhangai province.
The town is located in a beautiful forested valley in the Khangay mountains; it has a population of around 20,000, and is generally considered to be the most pleasant of Mongolia's provicial capitals.
Get in
By Plane
Aero Mongolia [1] operates several flights a week from Ulaanbaatar.
By bus
Buses for Tsetserleg leave from the Dragon bus station in Ulaanbaatar at 8AM on Mon, Wed, and Fri, and Sat. The ride typically lasts at least 10 hours, and tickets must be purchased a day in advance. As of June 2009, bus tickets from Ulaanbaatar to Tsetserleg cost approximately 18,000 tugrug, around US$13.
There are also microbuses that run between Ulaanbaatar and Tsetserleg. These are often very cramped (four across a bench seat), as drivers want to fit as many people in as possible to maximize profit. If possible, it is not a bad idea to pay for an extra seat to be left empty.
Get around
Tseterleg isn't very big. The city center and most hotels are in walking distance of the main attractions. If you don't want to walk, stand on the side of the road and stick your hand out. It won't be long before a car stops. Expect to pay between 500 and 2,000 T for rides around town.
Mid range
Get out

subset: commoncrawl


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A Non-Profit Organization
Donate to M.a.f.f.
Through Ralph purchases
Did you know that you can contribute to Make A Film Foundation just by shopping at Ralphs? Here is how you can help whether you have a Ralphs Card or not.
Whether you have a card or not, you will have to CREATE AN ACCOUNT. After you create the account, you will be sent an E-Mail to activate the account. You click the link that is in the E-Mail and your account will be activated and you will be directed to the SIGN-IN page.
SIGN-IN and click on My Account. Under My Account, click on the Community Rewards expand button. Fill in the information requested and press enter. You will then be asked to put in a organization name in the search window.
Type in: Make A Film Foundation and it will come up as an entry that you can select. Select it and press enter. You are done. 72 hours later, a portion of any money you spend at Ralphs will be donated to Make A Film Foundation It is that simple.
It is greatly appreciated.


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As waterfalls go, Bridal Veil Falls are fairly small and easy to find. They cascade above Highway 64 just a couple of miles north of the town of Highlands in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina.
The fun fact about Bridal Veil Falls is that, if your car is small enough, you can drive under the 120-foot "veil" of water. Our 10-year old Mini Cooper, whose name is D.B. — get it? D.B. Cooper? — easily fits into the wedge between water and mountain and made for a neat photo op. But if you drive, say, a big extended-cab pickup truck, the maneuver could get tricky.
My husband, Roy, and I have come to Cashiers, a lovely village just a few miles from Highlands, for a late-summer sojourn. Both of us like to hike and to photograph waterfalls, and these ancient, mythical Appalachian Mountains and tapestries of forests are striated with dozens and dozens of them within just a few miles' radius of Cashiers.
We were staying at the High Hampton Inn, which is just a mile from town and right smack in the middle of waterfall country. The inn, at a cool and comfortable elevation of 3,600 feet, is a welcome respite from the heat and humidity of our home in Georgia.
The High Hampton is reminiscent of those fabulous family resorts of the Catskills, sort of like the one in the movie "Dirty Dancing." But hubby and I have been married way too long for dirty dancing of any sort, so we spend our time chasing waterfalls instead.
Armed with a map provided by the High Hampton — waterfall-viewing is a frequent request of the inn's guests, so a list of those nearby is graciously provided — we struck out north, south, east and west in search of these liquid treasures.
First we went south to Silver Run Falls, just under three miles from the inn. Silver Run is considered small, at a drop of only 30 to 40 feet, and the hike into the deep woods is easy on a trail surrounded by cathedrals of mountain laurel and rhododendron. Beneath a sky brindled with silver-edged clouds and iridescent sunlight, it was pretty here, and no one else was around in the early morning. The moment was romantic, and we quickly stole a clandestine kiss.
Good thing, too. Our next stop was Sliding Rock Falls, where the late summer warmth brought out lots of kids and more than a few pups to frolic on the smooth rocks carved to softness by endless water. The bottom of the falls forms a big swimming hole, the old-fashioned country kind that's the perfect antidote to a hot day. There would be no stolen kisses here.
At Whitewater Falls, which was our next stop and, depending on whom you ask, is in either North or South Carolina, the roar was impressive, and I was mesmerized by the unharnessed power created by not much more than the simplest elements of time, water, rock, erosion and gravity. The beauty and power of waterfalls never ceases to amaze me.
The thing about Whitewater Falls, at 411 feet the highest in the eastern United States, is that you hear them long before you see them. As you glide along the footpath, the anticipation of seeing the falls grows, and the ground practically hums with unseen energy. An amalgam of fresh scents of rushing water and verdant forests fills the air. There are a thousand hues of green in these hemlock forests that I never imagined existed and that can't possibly be found in any artist's palette.
Then, like an apparition, Whitewater Falls finally come into view, the mist rising against the mountains so that they're veiled in a ghostly haze, the massive rocks polished golden in the soft sunlight. As my camera clicked away, I knew in my heart that there's no way to fully capture the falls' splendor in photos.
That afternoon, we traveled a few miles east of Cashiers along Highway 64 to Gorges State Park, near Sapphire, in Transylvania County. The park has access to several falls, including Drift Falls, Turtleback Falls, Bearwallow Falls, Horse Pasture Falls and Rainbow Falls.
"If it's sunny, you can see a rainbow at Rainbow Falls," a park ranger explained as he gave us a map of the park. "It's just spectacular, but you have to come in the morning when the light is right."
By then, it was early afternoon, so we chose instead to take an easier hike to the amusingly named Bearwallow Falls. As we descended along the pathway, my mind visualized bears wallowing around in the shallow parts of the water. The trail is steep, a little slippery, and scribbled with bright yellow, daisylike flowers.
For someone like me who's, um, a little overweight and out of shape, it wasn't long before I was out of breath trying to keep up with my better half. If there were bears wallowing around, self-preservation be darned. Though I didn't want to become a nice, plump ursine entree, I was sure that I couldn't run on those precipitous paths. No bears put me to the test that day, but I have to say that the view of the falls was bear-y pretty.
Our next sojourn took us west on Highway 64 to Highlands, where we found Bridal Veil Falls and Dry Falls. The latter supposedly got their name because you can walk on a stone path behind the falls and not get wet. Roy accepted the challenge and took a few steps under the falls before coming quickly back.
"I wouldn't call these falls exactly dry," he shivered. "There's a cold spray under there."
The next morning, fueled by the High Hampton Inn's immense buffet breakfast, we steered D.B. north of Cashiers on Highway 107 toward Glenville. Here, Hurricane Falls spill serenely into the sapphire waters of Lake Glenville, a long finger of water surrounded by the rolling Smokies.
As we drove along the scenic highway that edges the lake, I thought of Ernest Hemingway's "Green Hills of Africa." The landscape of the green hills of the Appalachians is completely different from that of East Africa, certainly, but sometimes inspiration and creativity arise solely from the beauty of a place.
In a way, waterfalls, hypnotic and tantalizing, have the unique ability to send one into a contemplative mood. It just seems easy to pull up a rock and sit a spell and ponder the meaning of life. Somehow these cold, sweet falling waters provide answers to life's conundrums in a peaceful and harmonious way.
Anderson is a freelance writer in Hazlehurst, Ga. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com


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November 9, 2011 -
The Financial Services Committee released its planned events for next week.
All hearings and mark ups will take place in the Financial Services Committee's main hearing room, 2128 Rayburn. Witnesses for hearings will be announced at later dates.
Tuesday, November 15:
The Financial Services Committee will consider legislation (H.R. 1221) introduced by Chairman Spencer Bachus to suspend the pay packages for executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and subject the executives and employees of the GSEs to the Federal pay scale. The mark up will begin at 10 a.m. in room 2128 Rayburn.
The Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee will consider legislation to amend provisions in the derivatives title of the Dodd-Frank Act and legislation ensuring the Securities and Exchange Commission conducts cost-benefit analyses of its rulemaking. The mark up will begin at noon or at the conclusion of the Full Committee mark up, whichever occurs first.
Wednesday, November 16:
At 10 a.m., the Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee will continue to review the regulation of the insurance industry and its effect on jobs.
At 2 p.m., the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit and the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises will hold a joint hearing on H.R. 1697, the Communities First Act.
Thursday, November 17:
The Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee will meet to mark up H.R. 1588, the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act, and H.R. 1723, the Common Sense Economic Recovery Act. The mark up will begin at 10 am.
Print version of this document


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Project Danger Den Water Box Plus Case Review (Part 1)
So you are looking for a case for that next big project you have planned? Well so are we. While trying to make up our minds, several things were thrown out to chew on. Steel, Aluminum or Acrylic? Next, what were we going to do for cooling and how do we want to do it? The more common options for day to day use are water cooling, phase change cooling or just plain ol' high end air cooling. Each type of cooling has its pros and cons. Whatever we decided on had to look good as well as be functional without a whole lot of maintenance, plus give us the ability to really lean on our hardware.
After weighing the options on the case we decided on an acrylic case. The reason for that is it kind of fits our "looks good" requirement. With the wow factor that a well done acrylic cases presents, it was a no brainer. Now seeing that acrylic is the way we want to go, what looks just incredible in an acrylic case? You guessed it! A well designed water cooling system. Throw a little UV dye in the fluid, along with a board with UV reactive components and wiring, and it just looks amazing.
With those decisions made, now we have to look at what to buy and who to buy it from. What we decided to do was to get all of our equipment from one supplier. This way, there will be no mis-matched components and everything should work well as a "system" instead of piecing a system together and hoping for the best. When kicking around our options, we decided on Danger Den as the supplier we would use for this project. They have been at the forefront of the water cooling market for years and offer a full line of products.
Closer Look:
While waiting for the package to arrive I noticed the shipping weight on the tracking page; a whopping 38 pounds. I was eager to see where the weight came from. The boxes the case came in were your standard cardboard shipping boxes. The box that contained the two case boxes was beat up pretty bad so I hoped that the case itself would be undamaged. I was relieved once the boxes were opened up and the contents checked for damage.
I was curious how the many parts would be protected during shipping. What the company does is wrap each panel onto the next in the stack to prevent any movement. This eliminates any scratches on the new acrylic. After taking 20 minutes to unwrap the panels we can see just what comes with the case. You may notice some colored panels in the stack of panels; these are custom case parts that will be discussed shortly.
DangerDen provides everything needed to assemble the case from the hex-head cap screws to the power and reset switches. They even supply the tool that is an absolute must for assembly of the case, an Allen wrench or hex key wrench. The colored panels you saw earlier are ones that are available at an extra cost. 15 dollars each will get you the colored panels. We chose the orange and blue panels, as those are our colors. The company also includes the original panels so that if you choose to go back to a completely clear case, you can without any hassle. The etched side panel with our logo on it is another of the options available. Your design can be etched into the case as well for an additional cost. While examining the panels, it appears as though all of the panels are lazer cut.


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Mobile & Wireless Slideshow: Apple, Android Enterprise Activations on the Rise in 4Q 2010
By Don Reisinger | Posted 02-14-2011
Enterprises are increasingly activating mobile devices running the Apple iOS and Google Android platforms, according to a recent report from Good Technology. The company, which offers enterprise mobility management solutions, analyzes activations by month across its corporate and government user bases. It uses the data to compile quarterly reports on the top smartphone platforms among its customers. The latest report -- which covers 4Q 2010 -- dubs Apple's iOS as the most-activated smartphone platform in the enterprise for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2010. It's important to note that the report is reflective of mobile device activations undertaken by customers using Good's solutions, and therefore do not include activations of RIM's BlackBerry OS or Windows Phone 7. Even so, the increase in the number of enterprise activations for non-BlackBerry platforms -- particularly the iPad -- is striking. Apple said in mid-2010 that 80% of the Fortune 100 companies were testing or deploying iPhone. The Good Technology findings are also consistent with trends in smartphone market share reported earlier this month by research firm Gartner.
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* BASIC STUDIO - 6PM, Thursday, December 7, 2017
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In this 1.5 hour course you will gain basic and essential knowledge needed to understand and operate the VT5 integrated production suite used to create productions in Seattle Community Media's Studio B. You will learn basic functions, including camera operation and switching, keying, titling and green screen techniques, including the use of virtual sets. At the end of the course you will be required to demonstrate basic understanding of the studio to receive Basic Studio Certification to use this gear for productions. If you have a Studio Membership, this certification will allow you to reserve and use Studio B at Seattle Community Media.
Please note: If you do not show ample proficiency in using the gear, you will be able to take the course one more time (free of charge) and then retest. If you still are unable to show proficiency during this second test and still want to be certified, you must pay to retake the course in order to test again.
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Details are emerging for Seven Sharp - the TV One Close Up replacement TVNZ confirmed it will launch on February 4.
TVNZ bosses said the format of the show would change with events, but a marketing source said the show will be built around short-sharp segments and be heavily oriented toward social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Seven Sharp will be centred on the announced three main presenters - Alison Mau, Greg Boyed and Jesse Mulligan.
But the show is understood to be well resourced with several people on air including reporter Heather Du Plessis-Allan and a co-producer, Tim Wilson.
Wilson is the former New York correspondent who has been overseeing advertorial content at TVNZ's adverting operation, Black Sand.
TVNZ head of news and current affairs Ross Dagan said the Seven Sharp format would not be formulaic and would change according to events.
A marketing source said while Close Up was broken up into three segments, Seven Sharp might have up to eight short "bites" or segments with up to five people on the panel.
The new show will start two weeks after its TV3 competitor Campbell Live. A key sponsor, Korean car company Kia Motors, had until Friday to decide whether to renew its sponsorship it had for Close Up.
A TVNZ source said Kia decided not to be linked to Seven Sharp because of the format - which was more fast paced and youth oriented than Close Up.
New car buyers are traditionally from older demographics and it is understood Kia is looking at another sponsorship deal with TVNZ.
Aiming at a short sharp show linked to social media is ambitious for TVNZ - which has been trying to attract a younger audience for TV One.
However, the marketing source will be watching how the new fast-paced how goes down with older demographics, who have traditionally watched Close Up.
TVNZ will be hoping Seven Sharp lures people away from Campbell Live.
If Seven Sharp were successful, there was a danger was that it could take viewers away from Shortland Street on TV2.


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IVORY 1.5 FOR PC & MAC - EXPECTED MONDAY 24th
Now PC users will be able to join the large family of Ivory aficionados who are already using the largest and most authentic piano plug-in on their Macs. On top of that, Synthogy has extended the dynamic levels of Ivory, as well as improved the fidelity of its superb core library.
Ivory brings out the resonance, response and character of three of the world's finest Concert Grands — the German Steinway D 9' Concert Grand, Bösendorfer® 290 Imperial Grand, and Yamaha C7 Grand — easily on your audio workstation.
Version 1.5 Enhancements:
- Extended library with 2 additional velocity layers on each piano: All 88 keys individually sampled in up to 10 dynamic levels (plus Bösendorfer extended low octave).
- More than 40 GB of exquisite stereo samples in 32 bits!
- Proprietary Noise Reduction for improved fidelity.
- New PC formats: VST and RTAS.
- Same great sound quality and piano engine that's made Ivory the most popular virtual piano ever.
Upgrade Policy
All current registered users of Ivory are eligible to upgrade to the new version. For users who purchased the original Ivory on or after April 1st 2005, the upgrade will be free (excluding shipping). For users who purchased the original Ivory before April 1st 2005, the upgrade will be only $39 (plus possible tax and shipping). Upgrades will be available directly through the international distributor ILIO


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Wonderful Fully Leased Store + 2Bdrm Apt At An Incredible Price With Over 150K Of Recent Upgrades. Complete Turnkey Investment. Both Dog Grooming Store & Upstairs Unit On 5Yr Lease By Same Amazing Tenant. Like A New Place! Brand New In 2017/2018: Doors, Windows, Electrical, Plumbing, Hi-Eff Furnace, A/C, Flooring, Kitchen, 2 Baths, Stucco, Etc. Steps To St Clair & Danforth. Hands Free Investment. See Financials Attached.
Extras: All Appliances. Approx. 1800 Sq.Ft + 900 Bsmt. Free Parking In The Front And One In The Back. 5 Entrances. Beautiful Homes In The Area. Good Return On Investment. Virtually All Systems Replaced. Completely Worry Free. Unbeatable Value!!
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Trademarks owned or controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association. Used under license.
The information provided herein must only be used by consumers that have a bona fide interest in the purchase, sale or lease of real estate and may not be used for any commercial purpose or any other purpose.
Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by TREB.
Toronto Real Estate Board - IDX Last Updated: 11/15/2018 1:14:59 PM


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Recently, EvaluatePharma published its "World Preview 2018" which analyzes the pharmaceutical market and makes a variety of projections for the status of the industry in 2018. While a lot can happen over the next six years that can alter such a forecast, I always find it fascinating to read predictions about an industry that has been in constant flux – some may say turmoil – for over a decade. For one thing, EvaluatePharma predicts the top-selling drug in the world in 2018 will be Merck's Januvia (for diabetes) with sales of $9.7 billion. Few would have predicted this six years ago. But the quality of this drug, coupled with the ever-increasing incidence of obesity/type 2 diabetes, will result in many Januvia prescriptions being filled.
Another surprise is in the list of the predicted top 20 companies. EvaluatePharma projects that by 2018, Novartis with worldwide prescription drug sales of $51.3 billion, will overtake Pfizer for the top spot in the industry. In fact, Pfizer's sales for 2018 are projected to be $48.2 billion--significantly less than its 2011 sales of $53.5 billion and identical to the predicted sales for Sanofi. Thus, Pfizer's recent dominance as the world's top pharmaceutical company will be coming to an end.
In the 1980s, Merck led the field. It built a great product line from the combination of in-house R&D (Mevacor, Zocor, Vasotec) with astute licensing deals (Fosamax, Pepcid, Cozaar) and rode these and other compounds to become the world's most admired company. The next big mover was Pfizer. With compounds that were referred to internally as the "Big 5" (Zoloft, Zithromax, Norvasc, Cardura and Dilflucan), it dramatically climbed the leaderboard. Pfizer quickly followed up on these discoveries with Viagra, then did great co-promotional deals for Lipitor and later Celebrex. To ensure its leadership, Pfizer grabbed all of Lipitor first with its hostile take-over of Warner-Lambert, followed by the purchase of Pharmacia. Pfizer's total revenues went from $4.8 billion in 1988 to $52.5 billion in 2004. Things will clearly be different for the company in the next few years.
Both Merck and Pfizer's meteoric successes were followed by a dry spell, which are not unique to industry leaders. AstraZeneca had $32.4 billion in sales in 2011, but EvaluatePharma projects their sales to drop to $21.9 billion in 2018. Eli Lilly is experiencing the same pains, going from $20.4 billion to $13.7 billion. Even Amgen (AMGN), for many years the poster child for success in the biotech arena, will drop from $15.3 billion in 2011 to $14.5 billion in 2018. In fact, one may argue that the industry pattern for decades has been a cycle of booms and busts.
There are multiple reasons for this pattern. One that has received much attention has been the dependence on large blockbusters. When a company like Pfizer has $12.9 billion in revenues coming from Lipitor alone, a tremendous hole occurs when the patent for that medicine expires, as Pfizer has recently experienced. In looking at EvaluatePharma's projections, Merck might be in the same boat by 2018 as Januvia sales will be almost 25% of Merck's total revenues.
However, there is a more subtle contributor to this trend, namely in-house R&D investment. Make no mistake – all of the major pharmaceutical companies invest anywhere from 12 – 16% of total revenues into R&D. This percentage is more than any other industry sector. However, an R&D investment doesn't pay off for at least 15 years, which is the time it takes to start a new discovery program and then get a drug candidate through the development process to FDA approval. To put this into perspective, when Pfizer had $52.5 billion in overall sales in 2004, it invested $7.7 billion in R&D, an impressive amount. However, 10 years earlier, Pfizer's R&D investment was $961 MILLION. This R&D investment wasn't trivial for Pfizer in 1994; in fact, it was 13% of revenues. But it was never envisioned to be the R&D foundation to support a company with sales of $54.5 billion. Ironically, when a company is very successful and sales increase dramatically, the chances of it having a pipeline to support sustained growth are pretty poor.
So, can one make any predictions for Novartis, the new king? The EvaluatePharma data provides some interesting insight on this. For one thing, it is predicted that Novartis' $51.3 billion in sales will not be overly dependent on any one compound. In fact, it has no compound projected to be in the top ten in 2018. Thus, as it will inevitably lose patent coverage for its drugs, none will be crippling to their overall sales. In addition, Novartis has been heavily investing in R&D for a number of years with an $8.0 billion investment in 2010, $9.0 billion in 2011, and $10.1 billion projected in 2018. Clearly, simply investing money doesn't guarantee success, but Novartis' bold spending heightens its odds. Novartis appears to be purposefully growing R&D to support themselves beyond 2018. It will be interesting see if they succeed.
I was the president of Pfizer Global Research and Development in 2007 where I managed more than 13,000 scientists and professionals in the United States, Europe, and Asia. I've received numerous awards including an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of New...MORE


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Eternity Web needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 15 designs submitted by 7 freelance designers.
We have been working with a local organization wanting to build a web community for parents that have children with type 2 diabetes.
We need to start working on the website and decided to try 99 Designs.
I have wireframed the layout I want. I am just looking for someone to come in and make it look awesome.
We only require a MAIN PAGE and a mock SUB PAGE for this design, but if you have any ideas for what the Recipes and Forums pages could hypothetically look like that will only help your chances of winning the prize and future work on this project for updates, etc. after the prize is one.
The winner would have the opportunity for future work on this project after the prize is awarded.
Parenting Diabetic Kids
We need a design for a local organization that wants to build a web site community for parents that have children with Type 2 Diabetes. We have linked below to our wireframe and logo which has navigation and a rough layout of where content sections will be on the home page.
We would like a totally original design that only uses our wireframe as a basic "guide" the only thing that is set in stone is the LOGO and the NAVIGATION BUTTON NAMES. Be Creative! Be Fun! Make it welcoming, not overbearing or corporatey.
These parents have stressful lives and need a simple to navigate and comforting web site. A little bit "web 2.0" might be in order.
A LITTLE ABOUT ETERNITY WEB: We are a South Burlington, VT based web company that is looking to add more style to their belt and think that 99designs will be a great place to find new freelance designers to join our team!
- Welcoming and comforting design
- Colors of Logo: Green, Yellow, White
- All original design, no stealing
- Appealing to parents ages 30+
- VERY User Friendly and easy to navigate
- Optimized for 800x600 Screen Resolution
- Lots of open space
- No Corporate Feel
- No Cold Feeling
- Not overwhelming


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Curt Lonnie Simnitt, 40, was fined more than $6,400 after San Diego Superior Court Judge Dwayne Moring told Simnitt he reviewed a complete transcript of the March 8 hearing when Simmitt pleaded guilty before another judge to 16 counts.
Simnitt signed his plea form as "Curt Duress" before Judge Fred Link, who caught the signature shenanigan. The joke or stunt wasn't noticed by Simnitt's attorney at the time, and the attorney later quit. Simnitt hired a new attorney and maintained last week he signed the form under duress.
"I don't think there is any evidence of duress," said Moring. "You were given many opportunities to say something."
Simnitt was linked to 27 car burglaries, but there were likely many more unreported after San Diego police uncovered a large amount of stolen property at Simnitt's home on Lake Aral Drive in San Carlos on Jan. 13.
There were purses, wallets, cell phones, backpacks, wet suits, surfboards, watches, clothing, credit cards, iPads and other things, according to investigators.
Simnitt pleaded guilty to nine car burglaries, three counts of identity theft and one count each of forgery, possession of methamphetamine, grand theft and receiving stolen property.
He had been charged with 80 counts, but Link dismissed the rest after Simnitt pleaded guilty.
The county probation department interviewed a Canadian couple who were vacationing at La Jolla Shores and they said they hid their car keys in some sand and covered it by a rock. When they returned, they found the thief took everything, including their birth certificates, glasses, credits cards and cell phone.
Many other victims said they had also hidden their car keys near their vehicles. But Simnitt was apparently watching where people left their keys, according to his probation report. He also broke car windows to gain access and take property.


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Description: Jim's knives are excellent pieces for the chef that wants a knife that is as attractive as it is useful. It utilizes a very deep choil (cut-out) for the forefinger to rest in. This makes the knife easy to hold onto even with slippery hands. The ATS-34 stainless steel blade was meticulously hand satin finished. It is double tempered to Rc 58-59 for excellent edge retention. A distal taper results in an optimal balance. The spine has been fileworked in a modified serpentine pattern. Cocobolo Dymondwood combines the beauty of natural wood with the stability and strength of synthetics. Excellent work throughout.
Availability: Not currently available


text:
We have a great update - Planner 5D has released a new iOS version!
Designing your dream home with Planner 5D isn't just fun – it's a great way to learn key concepts in science, technology, engineering, and math. That's why schools around the world are bringing the home design tool into the classroom. We take a look at how Planner 5D is helping to engage a new generation of learners.Bringing education up to date
Planner 5D is proud to announce a brand new Planner 5D app created exclusively for Mac!
We have awesome news! Check out over 500 new items (including roofs!) that have just been added to the Web Catalog!


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Nearly three weeks into hurricane season, and so far the seriously bad weather has been well to our east — or in killer tornadoes well to our north.
Nearly three weeks into hurricane season, and so far the seriously bad weather has been well to our east — or in killer tornadoes well to our north. But determined to practice some of the evacuation preparations I regularly preach, we detoured Friday off the route we usually take to reach Interstate 10 at Lafayette.
Ordinarily, heading for the Ellzey farm in Natchitoches Parish, we use U.S. 90 to Lafayette, then Interstate 49 on toward Natchitoches. When we reach La. 6, we turn west onto a network of increasingly rural roads.
It's the destination we would use for a storm evacuation. We have "permanent storm reservations" with my brother who resides in the old family home. The lodging part of our evacuations is settled.
But our usual U.S. 90-I-49 path for getting there also will be a major hurricane evacuation route, and it's bound to clog up quickly with other coastal evacuees.
The alternative, the La. 1 corridor, is a longer way to reach our same destination, and it is likely to be just as full of evacuating crowds.
Choices: Between Houma and New Iberia, U.S. 90 has no practical alternatives, but Friday we tried taking La. 14 westward to Erath, where we turned north on La. 339, heading for I-10 near the town of Scott. Had we been going on to Natchitoches, we could have chosen from a number of less-traveled roads for the rest of the trip.
We quickly discovered that La. 339 took us directly to Ambassador Caffery Parkway, which was basically a Friday afternoon parking lot. Happy that we discovered the flaw in this route when we were not in a hurry, we intend next to try La. 13 or some other less busy path to I-10 and points beyond.
Juneteenth in Texas: Our final weekend destination was not Natchitoches, anyway, but Texas City, Texas, itself a less pricey alternative to Galveston Island hotels in June. We saw comic actor Jaston Williams in a one-man show based on his boyhood, on stage at Galveston's 1894 Opera House, a favorite weekend destination of ours.
And, as luck would have it, we enjoyed visiting with four musicians who had flown in from California to perform in Texas City's celebration of "Juneteenth." We weren't properly introduced, but the graying quartet were clearly professional musicians, rejoining as a group for the occasion.
Our "opera house" reservations conflicted with their performance, but they clearly enjoyed reminiscing over careers as musicians.
Juneteenth is a prominent celebration in Texas where it commemorates "Emancipation Day," originally June 19, when the Civil War ended slavery.
Not Tuna: Jaston Williams' one-man performance of "Blame it on Valentine, Texas," was fun, but without ailing sidekick Joe Sears, who with Williams created and performed the "Tuna Texas" two-man plays for about 30 years, it was not quite as magical. Too much introspection, whatever that is.
Return trip: Our fairly frequent trips to and from Galveston generally avoid interstates as much as possible. Instead of traveling four-lane to I-10 at Lafayette for a four-lane drive the rest of the way to Galveston, we leave U.S. 90 for narrower La. 14 to Lake Charles, then leave I-10 again at Winnie, Texas, for a two-lane coastal drive to the auto ferry from Port Bolivar to Galveston Island.
This trip was mixed, and it made full use of La. 14 returning, swapping speed for tamer traffic.
Responding? Contact Bill Ellzey at 381-6256, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com or c/o The Courier, P.O. Box 2717, Houma, LA 70361.


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USS Monitor, designed by the Swedish-born engineer and inventor John Ericsson, was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War.[a] She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on 9 March 1862, where the Monitor fought with the Confederate casemate ironclad CSS Virginia (the former steam frigate USS Merrimack). This was the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads.
After the Confederates were forced to destroy the Virginia in early May, Monitor sailed up the James River to support the Army during the Peninsula Campaign. The ship participated in the Battle of Drewry's Bluff later that month and remained in the area until she was ordered to join the blockaders off North Carolina in December. She foundered while under tow during a storm off the coast of Cape Hatteras on the last day of the year. Her wreck was discovered in 1973 and has been partially salvaged. Monitor's armament, gun turret, engine and other relics are on display at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia
- 1 Development
- 2 Design and description
- 3 Construction and service
- 4 Events after the battle
- 5 Loss at sea
- 6 Rediscovery
- 7 Campaign to honor Monitor
- 8 Later monitors
- 9 References in popular culture
- 10 Notes
- 11 References
- 12 Bibliography
- 13 External links
Development Statue of John Ericsson in Battery Park, New York City, holding a model of Monitor in his hand
After the United States received word of the construction of the Virginia, Congress appropriated $1.5 million on 3 August to build one or more armored steamships. It also ordered the creation of a board to inquire into armored ships. The U.S. Navy advertised for proposals for "iron-clad steam vessels of war"[2] on 7 August and Gideon Welles, the Secretary of the Navy, appointed the three members of the Ironclad Board the following day. Their task was to "examine plans for the completion of iron-clad vessels".[2]
Ericsson originally made no submission to the board, but became involved when Cornelius Bushnell, the sponsor of the proposal that became the armored sloop USS Galena, needed to have his design reviewed by a naval constructor. The board required a guarantee from Bushnell that his ship would float despite the weight of its armor and Cornelius H. DeLamater recommended that Bushnell consult with his friend John Ericsson. The two first met on 9 September and again on the following day, after Ericsson had time to evaluate Galena's design. During this second meeting Ericsson showed Bushnell his own design, the future Monitor. Bushnell got Ericsson's permission to show the model of his design to Welles and the latter told Bushnell to show it to the board. Despite a preliminary rejection, the board accepted Ericsson's proposal after he explained his design in person on 15 September.[3] The Ironclad Board evaluated 17 different designs, but recommended only three on 16 September.[4] The name "Monitor" was proposed by Ericsson and approved by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus Fox.[5]
The three ironclad ships differed substantially in design and degree of risk. The Monitor was the most innovative design by virtue of its low freeboard, shallow-draft iron hull, and total dependence on steam power. The riskiest element of its design was its rotating gun turret,[6] something that had not previously been built or tested by any navy.[b] Ericsson's guarantee of delivery in 100 days proved to be decisive in choosing his design despite the risk involved. The wooden-hulled Galena's most novel feature was her armor of interlocking iron rails. The armored frigate USS New Ironsides was much influenced by the French ironclad Gloire and was the most conservative design of the three, which copied many of the features of the French ship.[6]
Design and description
Described by critics as a "cheesebox on a raft,"[8] as the Monitor's most prominent feature was a large cylindrical gun turret mounted amidships above the low-freeboard upper hull, also called the "raft". This extended well past the sides of the lower, more traditionally shaped hull. A small, armored pilot house, was fitted on the upper deck towards the bow. One of Ericsson's prime goals in designing the ship was to present the smallest possible target to enemy gunfire.[9]
The ship was 179 feet (54.6 m) long overall, had a beam of 41 feet 6 inches (12.6 m) and had a maximum draft of 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 m). The Monitor had a tonnage of 776 tons burthen and displaced 987 long tons (1,003 t). Her crew consisted of 49 officers and enlisted men.[10]
The Monitor was powered by a single-cylinder horizontal vibrating-lever steam engine,[11] which drove a 9-foot (2.7 m) propeller.[9] The engine used steam generated by two horizontal fire-tube boilers[12] at a maximum pressure of 40 psi (276 kPa; 3 kgf/cm2).[13] The 320-indicated-horsepower (240 kW) engine was designed to give the ship a top speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph), but the Monitor was 1–2 knots (1.9–3.7 km/h; 1.2–2.3 mph) slower in service.[11] The engine had a bore of 36 inches (914 mm) and a stroke of 22 inches (559 mm).[10] The ship carried 100 long tons (100 t) of coal.[11] Ventilation in the Monitor was supplied by two centrifugal blowers near the stern, each of which was powered by 6-horsepower (4.5 kW) steam engine. One fan circulated air throughout the ship, but the other one forced air through the boilers, which depended on this forced draught. Leather belts connected the blowers to their engines and they would stretch when wet, often disabling the fans and boilers. The ship's pumps were steam operated and water would accumulate in the ship if the pumps could not get enough steam to work.[9]
The top of the armored deck was only about 18 inches (460 mm) above the waterline. It was protected by two layers of 1⁄2-inch (13 mm) wrought iron armor. The sides of the "raft" consisted of three to five layers of 1-inch (25 mm) iron plates, backed by about 30 inches (762 mm) of pine and oak. Three of the plates extended the full 60 inches (1,524 mm) height of the side, but the two innermost plates did not extend all the way down. Ericsson originally intended to use either six 1-inch plates or a single outer 4-inch (100 mm) plate backed by three 3⁄4-inch (19 mm) plates, but the thicker plate required too much time to roll.[14] Glass portholes in the deck provided natural light for the interior of the ship; in action these were covered by iron plates.[9]
A computer model of the Monitor
Ericsson initially planned to use four-inch iron plates, backed by several thinner plates, for the turret, but the inability to get such thick plates in a timely manner forced him to switch to eight layers of one-inch plate. The two innermost plates were riveted together while the outer plates were bolted to the inner ones. A ninth plate, only 3⁄4 inches (19 mm) thick and 15 inches (381 mm) wide, was bolted over the butt joints of the innermost layer of armor. The entire weight of the turret rested on an iron spindle that had to be jacked up using a wedge before the turret could rotate. When not in use, the turret rested on a brass ring that was intended to form a watertight seal. In service, however, this proved to leak heavily, despite caulking by the crew.[15]
Monitor's turret was intended to mount a pair of 15-inch (380 mm) smoothbore Dahlgren guns, but they were not ready in time and 11-inch (280 mm) guns were substituted.[16] Each gun weighed approximately 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg). They could fire a 136-pound (61.7 kg) shell up to a range of 3,650 yards (3,340 m) at an elevation of +15°.[17]
Construction and service
Monitor's hull was built at the Continental Iron Works in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York, and the ship was launched there on 30 January 1862. The innovative vibrating lever, or half-trunk, steam engines, designed by John Ericsson, and machinery were constructed at the DeLamater Iron Works in Manhattan.[18]
Battle of Hampton Roads Main article: Battle of Hampton Roads USS Monitor in action with CSS Virginia, 9 March 1862
On 8 March 1862, CSS Virginia attacked the Union blockading squadron in Hampton Roads, Virginia, destroying the sail frigates Cumberland and Congress. Early in the battle, the steam frigate Minnesota ran aground while attempting to engage the Virginia, and remained stranded throughout the battle. Virginia, however, was unable to attack the Minnesota before daylight faded.
That night, Monitor — under command of Lieutenant John L. Worden — arrived from Brooklyn after a harrowing trip under tow. When Virginia returned the next day to finish off Minnesota and the rest of the blockaders, Monitor moved out to stop her. The ironclads fought at close range for about four hours, neither one sinking or seriously damaging the other. At one point, Virginia attempted to ram, but she only struck Monitor with a glancing blow that did no damage. It did, however, aggravate the damage done to Virginia's bow from when she had previously rammed the Cumberland. Monitor was also unable to do significant damage to Virginia, possibly due to the fact that her guns were firing with reduced charges as ordered by Commander John Dahlgren, the gun's designer.[18]
Towards the end of the engagement, Virginia was able to hit Monitor's pilothouse. Lt. Worden, blinded by shell fragments and gunpowder residue from the explosion, ordered Monitor to sheer off into shallow water. Command passed to the executive officer, Samuel Greene, who assessed the damage and ordered Monitor to turn around back into the battle.
Virginia, seeing Monitor turn away, had turned her attention back to Minnesota. The falling tide, however, prevented her from getting close to the stranded warship. After an informal war council with his officers, Virginia's captain decided to return to Norfolk for repairs. Monitor arrived back on the scene as Virginia was leaving. Greene, under orders to protect Minnesota, did not pursue.
Tactically, the battle between these two ships was a draw, though it could be argued that Virginia did slightly more damage to Monitor than Monitor to Virginia. Monitor did successfully defend Minnesota and the rest of the U.S. blockading force, while Virginia was unable to complete the destruction she started the previous day. Strategically, nothing had immediately changed: the Federals still controlled Hampton Roads and the Confederates still held several rivers and Norfolk,[19] making it a strategic victory for the North.
Events after the battle
Both Union and Confederates came up with plans for defeating the other's ironclad. Oddly, these did not depend on their own ironclads. The Union Navy chartered a large ship (the sidewheeler Vanderbilt) as a naval ram, provided Virginia steamed far enough out into Hampton Roads. The Confederate Navy made plans to swarm aboard and capture Monitor using the four gunboats of the James River Squadron. On 11 April, Virginia steamed out to Sewell's Point at the southeast edge of Hampton Roads in a challenge to Monitor.
The Monitor on the James River, Virginia, in 1862, after the Battle of Hampton Roads. Note the dents in the armor on the turret.
In an attempt to lure Monitor closer to where she could be boarded, Virginia stood out into the Roads and almost over to Newport News. However, Monitor stayed near Fort Monroe, ready to fight if Virginia came to attack the Federal force which had congregated there. Furthermore, Vanderbilt would be in a position to ram Virginia if she approached the fort. Virginia did not take the bait. In a further attempt to entice Monitor closer to the Confederate side so she could be boarded, the James River Squadron moved in and captured three merchant ships, the brigs Marcus and Sabout, and the schooner Catherine T. Dix. These had been grounded and abandoned when they sighted Virginia entering the Roads. Their flags were then hoisted "Union-side down" to taunt Monitor into a fight as they were towed back to Norfolk. In the end both sides had failed to lure the other out for a fight on their terms.
A second meeting occurred on 8 May, when Virginia came out while Monitor and four other Federal ships bombarded Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point. The Federal ships retired slowly to Fort Monroe, hoping to lure Virginia into the Roads. She did not follow, however, and after firing a gun to windward as a sign of contempt, anchored off Sewell's Point. However, she was forced to scuttle when Confederate forces abandoned Norfolk three days later.
After the destruction of Virginia, Monitor was free to assist McClellan's campaign against Richmond. On 15 May 1862, the ironclad and four other gunboats steamed up the James River and engaged Confederate batteries at Drewry's Bluff. Monitor's guns, however, could not elevate sufficiently to engage the batteries at close range, and the other gunboats were unable to overcome the fortifications on their own. The engagement ended when the Union fleet retired after four hours of bombardment.[18]
Loss at sea Engraving of Monitor sinking
While the design of Monitor was well-suited for river combat, her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters. This feature probably led to the early loss of the ship, which foundered during a heavy storm. She sank on 31 December 1862 off Cape Hatteras; sixteen of her 62-member crew were either lost overboard or went down with the ironclad, while many others were saved by boats sent from Rhode Island.
In 1951, retired Rear Admiral Edward Ellsberg proposed using external pontoons to raise the Monitor, the same method of marine salvage he had used on the sunken submarine S-51. Ellsberg estimated the project would cost $250,000.[20] No action was taken on the proposal. In August 1973, the wreck of the ironclad Monitor was located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean about 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The wreck site was designated as the first U.S. marine sanctuary.[21] The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is the only one of the thirteen national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource, rather than a natural resource.
In 1986, Monitor was designated a National Historic Landmark. It is one of only four accessible monitor vessels in the world, the others being the Australian vessel HMVS Cerberus, the wreck of the Norwegian Thor, which lies at about 25 ft (7.6 m) off Verdens Ende in Vestfold county, Norway, and the British vessel Hellman.
The U.S. Navy interest in raising the entire ship ended in 1978 when Willard F. Searle, Jr. calculated the cost and possible damage expected from the operation: $20 million to stabilize the vessel in place, or as much as $50 million to bring all of it to the surface.[22] However in 1998 the warship's propeller was raised to the surface.[22] On 16 July 2001, divers from the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and the US Navy brought to the surface the 30-metric-ton (30-long-ton) steam engine. Due to the depth of the wreck, the divers utilized surface supplied diving techniques while breathing heliox.[23] In August 2002, after 41 days of work, the revolutionary revolving gun turret was recovered by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a team of U.S. Navy divers. Before removing the turret, divers discovered the remains of two trapped crewmen. The remains of these sailors,[24] who died while on duty, were temporarily stored at the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, awaiting positive identification. Among the most promising of the 16 candidates are crew members Jacob Nicklis, Robert Williams and William Bryan.[25][26][27][28] A decade passed without their identities being known. On 8 March 2013, their remains will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.[29]
The site is now under the supervision of NOAA. Many artifacts from Monitor, including her turret, cannon, propeller, anchor, engine and some personal effects of the crew, have been conserved and are on display at the Mariners' Museum of Newport News, Virginia.[30] Artifact recovery from the site has become paramount, as the wreck has become unstable and will decay over the next several decades; this fate also awaits many other well known wrecks of iron and steel ships, such as Titanic and Lusitania.
In 1996 a Greenpoint Monitor Museum was chartered, hoping to display the ship near her launch site.[31]
Northrop Grumman in Newport News constructed a full-scale non-seaworthy static land-bound replica of USS Monitor. The replica was laid down in February 2005 and completed just two months later.[32]


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NEWBURGH — The New York State Bridge Authority is ready to replace the deck of its youngest bridge, the 32-year-old south span of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, for the first time.
NEWBURGH — The New York State Bridge Authority is ready to replace the deck of its youngest bridge, the 32-year-old south span of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, for the first time.
"We're right on schedule," said Joseph Ruggiero, the authority's executive director, in explaining the timetable for its largest project since its five Hudson River bridges were built.
The authority began advertising for bids on Nov. 15, and will open them on Jan. 22 and award the estimated $80 million contract in late January or early February.
"There's no reason to delay," said Ruggiero. "We've done our due diligence, and we don't expect any surprises."
The authority has already sold $100 million worth of bonds and negotiated a project labor agreement with the Hudson Valley Building and Construction Trades Council.
Tolls on the authority's crossings were raised in January, to $1.25 for E-ZPass and $1.50 for cash, from $1, to support a five-year capital plan of $160 million — the bulk of it bound for the twin spans in Newburgh. The authority is also spending $20 million to repaint the north span, work that began this year and will continue into 2014.
Ruggiero said the trades council agreed to forgo night-shift premiums and guarantee labor peace in exchange for putting 400 to 500 members of its 28 unions to work on the project.
"We're talking three years of night shifts, so the savings to us is about $4.5 million," said Ruggiero.
About 50 prospective bidders have picked up copies of the plans, a number that Ruggiero believes shows an exceptionally high degree of interest in the project and promises very competitive prices.
The contractors met at the bridge last week for a question-and-answer session with the authority's chief engineer, Bill Moreau, and its design consultants, Ammann & Whitney and Modjeski & Masters.
Ammann was founded by the engineer who built the George Washington Bridge and other landmark New York City crossings. Modjeski built both spans of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
Moreau said work will begin as soon as the contract is awarded, but won't be immediately visible to the public. For example, one of the successful contractor's first jobs will be to install netting below the bridge to keep debris from falling into the river.
The authority owns enough property near the bridge for the contractor to stage the work, including stockpiling the huge concrete slabs of the new deck that will be fabricated elsewhere and transported to Newburgh — a process similar to the one used at the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Ruggiero said the 14-foot shoulder on the south span will permit the authority to maintain three lanes of traffic during the morning and evening rush on weekdays and minimize any construction-related delays. One lane will be closed between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Then, at night, when the contractor begins cutting out sections of the old deck and installing new ones, one lane will be closed at 7 p.m. and a second one at 11 p.m., until 6 a.m. the following morning. The contractor will be subject to fines if three lanes are not cleared in time for the morning rush.


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Women in Power Know Nina
Label Looks Commanding but Doesn't Grab the Spotlight
Exiting a television appearance recently, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and PBS NewsHour co-anchor Gwen Ifill stopped and had a laugh. They were wearing nearly identical blue jackets by a designer named Nina McLemore.
Though she is little known in the wider world, Ms. McLemore's clothing is well-known in the circles of powerful women. Hillary Clinton wears her. So does PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. At least a quarter of female chief executives at Fortune 500 companies have appeared publicly in her clothes or shopped with the label, according to Wall Street Journal research.
Nina (pronounced Nine-ah) McLemore is a weapon in the wardrobes of authoritative women. To those in the know, the label's tailored clothes stand out for their richly woven fabrics, strong jackets with signature stand-up collars and brilliant colors.
Her success owes a lot to a paradox in women's fashion. Women hold more government and corporate leadership positions than ever, and workplace style is more varied, flexible and creative than ever—far from the gray man-style tailoring of the past. Yet the fashion industry has been focused on other markets, leaving women leaders underserved.
Many fashion labels are either too provocative or too outlandish for professionals. Party dresses and flirtatious blouses abound, often cut too short or too tight for the office. Labels like Escada, St. John and Giorgio Armani, which pioneered sleek, earth-toned business clothes in the 1990s, have lately struggled to modernize.
"Most luxury companies don't focus on the American professional woman," says Ms. McLemore. "There are many more wealthy non-working women in the world."
Hers is one of a few labels that seek out this sweet spot. She doesn't seek fashion editors' attention with runway shows, offer free clothes to celebrities, or pursue the clients who court the best-dressed lists. Instead, she produces a stream of timeless jackets, knee-length skirts, and slacks in road-worthy luxury fabrics and styles that are never revealing.
"You can tell immediately if someone is wearing Nina," says Christine Todd Whitman, former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, who wore the label in that job as well as her years as New Jersey's governor. She says she often bumps into women wearing "Nina," as clients often refer to the label, at professional functions.
The rise of Mississippi-born Ms. McLemore comes at a time when femininity and color no longer signal a lack of authority. "I wear colors that men would never wear," says Eileen Crane, chief executive of California winemaker Domaine Carneros and another Nina acolyte. "But at the same time I'm wearing clothing that no one would mistake me for an assistant."
One part of Nina McLemore's appeal is that her clothing doesn't scream brand name and doesn't call attention to itself. This isn't lost on female executives who want to look sharp but not have the focus on their clothing and appearance.
Of 21 women identified as Nina McLemore clients who were approached to comment for this story, 12 declined to comment or didn't respond, including Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Nooyi, Sen. Warren, Ms. Yellen, former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Irene Rosenfeld, chief executive of Mondelez (formerly Kraft Foods), Beth Mooney, chief executive of KeyCorp., Doris Meister, president of U.S. Markets-Tri-State, at BNY Mellon Wealth Management, and Debra Reed, chief executive of Sempra Energy. In addition, Justice Kagan and DuPont Co. CEO Ellen Kullman confirmed that they wear the label's apparel but declined to comment further.
A few designers are seeking a new formula for feminine authority—one that isn't just another version of men's tailoring in masculine suiting fabrics. Hugo Boss recently hired designer Jason Wu to position its womenswear for business women. Small labels oriented toward professional women are cropping up, such as Michaela Jedinak, whose London company focuses on what she calls the "power dress."
Rather than chasing trends, women in busy professional jobs tend to want reliable, more timeless styles. Female leaders don't all come in designer sizes, which generally stop at size 10 or 12. And working women are often more sensitive to price than socialites. A Nina McLemore jacket costs about $900, compared with $2,000 and up for Chanel and Akris.
Ms. McLemore builds on a set of consistent silhouettes that include options for most body types, and the fabric is tested for comfort and durability. She travels to Europe to buy fabrics from the same mills as other luxury fashion brands, but says she looks specifically for textiles that travel with a minimum of care.
Ms. McLemore recalls an early job she had as a department-store buyer. During one meeting at May Department Stores Co., she noticed the male executives sat at a large table while the mostly female buyers listened from the room's periphery. "I said, why am I at the back of the room and he's at the table?" she recalls. She decided she didn't appear authoritative. "How people look is crucial to how they are perceived," she says.
Ms. McLemore, 68 years old, grew up in Hazlehurst, Miss., a town which had a population of about 3,000. Her mother made her clothes. She learned to sew as well, but studied economics in college and went to work as a buyer in 1969. Ms. McLemore rose through a series of executive jobs at Liz Claiborne, helping to develop some early professional-apparel lines like Dana Buchman (selling a lot of those now-despised lady-neckties in the 1980s). She left to earn an M.B.A. from Columbia University in 1995. She worked for several years in private equity, where she met her husband, and then decided to retire.
That is when friends of hers began to complain they had few professional clothing options. Curious, she posed as an investment banker (making up a story about working for Goldman Sachs and negotiating a big deal) and went shopping on Madison Avenue. She discovered "a problem of fit, quality, and appropriate clothing for business women," she says.
She launched her label in 2001, with one sales representative doing direct sales in New York, and expanded as she sold to more stores. She opened her own first store in 2010 in Nantucket, Mass. Today, she has 12 stores and plans to open two more this year in Atlanta and Birmingham, Mich. Based in Washington, D.C., and New York, she locates stores where leaders live and play—in Aspen, Colo., and Martha's Vineyard, Mass., for instance. She offers a full line of office, casual and evening wear. Sales, currently under $20 million, she says, grew 25% last year.
Linda Fairstein, a former New York sex-crimes prosecutor, is on book tour for her latest novel, "Terminal City," with luggage stuffed with Nina. She has worn it on the "Today" show, "Imus in the Morning" and "Good Day New York." Like many clients, she lauds Ms. McLemore's colors and says the fabrics come out of the suitcase unwrinkled. "If you look at my Facebook page," says the author, "Everything on it is Nina."
"Hillary always looks her best when she wears Nina," says historian and biographer Sally Bedell Smith, who wrote a book about the Clintons in 2007. Ms. Smith, too, has a closet full of Nina.
The label's client base can lead to moments like the one when Mrs. Clinton, then secretary of state, walked into the Chevy Chase, Md., shop. "There was security all over the building," says Ms. McLemore.
Then there was the time Ms. McLemore recognized a woman who wandered into her store in Aspen. Ms. McLemore approached the customer. "I recognize that you're Elena Kagan," the designer said. "Do you mind if I just call you that?"
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Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura on Wednesday blasted Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the U.S. Supreme Court
"Corporations have no soul, all they have is a bottom line," he said on Talking Liberally. "People need to understand that. When the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the same equal rights as individuals and when they ruled that money is free speech, that was the lowest day in our country's history in my opinion."
Ventura said if the United States elected Romney, they would be electing Gordon Gecko, the greed-driven corporate raider from the film Wall Street.
"What Bain or whatever it was he worked for, that's exactly what their job was. They were hostile corporate take overs. They would take over companies, they would shred them, and make huge profits and send everybody to the unemployment line."
Watch video, courtesy of Current TV, below:


text:
Opinion: Why Caracas Wants Edward Snowden
Americas columnist Mary Anastasia O'Grady on why Venezuela offered asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Photo: Associated Press
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... welcome back to Opinion Journal why Mary Kissel there are conflicting reports in these last hours ... of whether or not NSA leaker Edward Snowden has accepted Venezuela's offer of asylum ... the one thing is for sure Crockett sure things it's in their country's interests ... to take him and why ... America's calm is Mary Anastasia O'Grady joins me now ... there is it isn't clarity from your sources and where where Snowden is whether or not he's on his way to practice no I think most people are assuming he's in the transit lounge in Moscow and out breeding ... at to get the paperwork together to leave I had three offers from Latin America one from Central America our friend Daniel or take in the car at left ... of the old Sandinista ... I he had an offer from Bolivia ... from name amounts and as you say he has a soccer fan Venice Whelan ... so ... he gets to choose which of the thirty countries he would like to live in Expos ... out where he's Guinea get the best Cuban military protection ... the end of it does offer that will probably have something to do with where he decides to go I see why it would be in these countries interesting happened there it in to get the intelligence that he has that that that there's been this way alignment or ... have other domestic reasons for wanting Snowden ... on the news won't sway ... while and I'm Nicholas the door of the president now has a couple Proms one of them is that the Venice on economies and really bad shape that the key to the currency it's not ... grossly overvalued at this point the official rate six point three in its trading somewhere around thirty five to the dollar ... I'm so you know the fear is that they're going to have had a very large devaluation which of course will be very destabilizing ... and as dictators like to do and we seen this over the decades ... oftentimes the will and try to find some issue ... that will unite the population and from an nationalists from ... the perspective and I think that there's a lot of back online here ... the the other thing is that he also mentor also has interests ... in showing Iran and Russia and China and the other countries that are aligned with Venice Whelan in South America ... then he's as strong as much of a man ... as ooVoo Chavez who as you know died earlier this year to see also have an interest in sending a strong message to the Obama administration in the same message to say that you you can ... um you really play around with me is on ... hold firm and continue those alliances ... well I think it's one in the same you know it's that he he could either the capacity to take great when is he could become more pragmatic in managing the economy ... but that would mean that he would have to take some of the goodies away from a Venice Whelan military which is very important to his about me and remain in power ... I any other is to you know the hardness and to really lock down ... I miss the it's really a interesting about this ironic if you well is that I didn't disclose the place where there's almost ... no free press anymore ... and I it's also a place where the government's eyes on the offensive though it's funny that he's making solidarity with Snowden or that Snowden is making solidarity with and a little bit of hypocrisy goes a long


text:
|2009-09-23, 00:19
|Link #1
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
One Piece - Chapter 558 (manga)
Okay, spoilers are a go! However, only the pics are out:
-The ministory involves Brooke playing a song that seems to make EVERYONE present show off their undergarments (amusingly enough, Brooke is still referred to as "Satan" here ).
-Luffy and co. are fighting in the war. Ivankov is fighting against Kuma. Interestingly enough, Iva says that he's an acquaintance of the Shichibukai and is aware that he needs to keep up his image, though he still doesn't appreciate getting attacked by him.......
-Luffy fights against the marine captain Hina. It then seems like he goes up against one of those giant VAs, who he KO's with a Gear 3 attack. He shouts out that he'll risk his life to rescue Ace, whether his brother likes it or not. Whitebeard tells Marco to protect Luffy.....
Heh, so it looks like Kuma being one of Dragon's men has been all but confirmed now! I'm actually surprised to see that Luffy fights against Hina this chapter, though this actually kinda makes sense (after all, they never did have a proper battle in Alabasta). Maybe this also means that rematch between him and Smoker is looming closer, as well......?
By the way, I guess Whitebeard's command ensures that Marco will be the one to back Luffy up in case any of the admirals start to give him any trouble (because Luffy sure as hell isn't capable of taking any of them on now). Hmm, it shouldn't be too much longer before we get the full contents of the chapter, methinks.....
|2009-09-23, 00:29
|Link #2
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
looks like luffy just zoom pass hina , he then takes out a giant . He going all out . Also if he runs into trouble in seems WB got his back by sending marco . So luffy can go all crazy as he wants.
Kuma having something to do dragon i think there were a lot of hints for people to pick up on that .
|2009-09-23, 00:41
|Link #3
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Honestly, I find it funny to see that we get this scene between Iva and Kuma after we JUST had this discussion about the whole "Kuma is a rebel" theory in the previous chapter thread. So yeah, like I said, Kuma being a part of Dragon's inner circle has been as good as confirmed at this point. Now all we need is for Dragon himself to appear at Marineford to seal the deal......
|2009-09-23, 00:55
|Link #4
Μ ε r c ü r υ
Join Date: Jun 2004
Nothing surprising there about Kuma. Dragon did a good job of inserting him into the Shichibukai, and let him get a good power up with the help of Vegapunk. Now, if he becomes honest to his actual goals, that will only let others change sides too, starting with Boa. And if Whitebeard's side appears to be stronger, Doflamingo may also attack some from the WG side. Moria can escape at any second, so I don't really care what he does.
Interesting line from WB: Don't let that boy die! (Can that mean, in WB pirates, don't let him die even if you had to sacrifice your life at the end?...)
|2009-09-23, 01:38
|Link #5
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: In my room
I doubt about robin but maybe ussop. Among the crews ussop is the only near on the site. The others are blown outside of the grandline.... though I'm not sure anymore. I kinda forgot most of it. Wait I think zoro is around grandline too but his badly wounded to appear here.
|2009-09-23, 02:14
|Link #8
Μ ε r c ü r υ
Join Date: Jun 2004
Dragon's army's main pieces are currently there helping Luffy, directly or indirectly. And it won't hurt to have a few more. Robin and others getting saved by the revolutionaries and brought to the fight does not necessarily mean Dragon has to attend the event himself.
I have never said Dragon = His army.
|2009-09-23, 02:56
|Link #9
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Well almost the whole chapter is out , some story with ace wanting luffy to go back so he don't get hurt , WB hearing about the WG plan thinking it's a trap . O shit now the whole world know luffy is dragon son . Luffy name going to be huge after this war . Also seem like moria bring back some dead people to life , which show there have been deaths so far , no big names but still. Then jinbei use sea water and kill them all lolol.
Last edited by andy; 2009-09-23 at 03:17.
|2009-09-23, 03:26
|Link #10
The congueror Of The EAST
Join Date: Aug 2008
so its confirmed that iva&kuma know each other and now facing each other just to keep the big plan on the track...
well as we thought before luffy will ended up tagging up with NG div. commander, it will be a rough battle hope oda do it better this time...
is there any sight of smoker...I bet he will jump in the party when luffy and marco ended up meet one of the admiral...
..next issue to wait...
buggy ball in action!
|2009-09-23, 03:29
|Link #11
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Geez, Hancock says that she doesn't care that Luffy is the son of a devil......
Anyway.... hoo boy, things are even nuttier now that the whole world knows Luffy's identity. I also like how half of the Shichibukai are surprised about this info, and the other half just plain don't care (well, Kuma probably DOES care, but seeing as he's pretty much expressionless all the time....). Also, I find it pretty funny that Sengoku has to shout to his men to not let Luffy's presence change the tide of the battle. I know that he knocked out that one giant VA, but I hope that Luffy is at least matched up against a non-fodder VA like the Buster Call guys or John Giant or something......
By the way, it was great to see that Moria actually DID bring some zombies to the fight, even if they were quickly taken out by Jinbei. *Sigh* There goes my dream for zombie Pacifistas......
|2009-09-23, 03:54
|Link #12
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
|2009-09-23, 07:43
|Link #16
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Long story short, an old friend of Smoker, has a Cage fruit, has Jango (from Kuro's crew back from Usopp's home island) and Fullbody (the guy Sanji beat up whe he was introduced on Baratia) serving under her (pretty much the same way as Garp has Coby and Helmeppo). She arrived late to the Alabasta arc so instead of Luffy & co she chased the fleeing remains of Baroque Works.
|2009-09-23, 08:57
|Link #17
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: In my room
I lost track about robin due to the point I often skip the first or title page and into the story itself.
while rereading it. I completely forgot about sanji going totally broken..... poor guy.
I doubt dragon will show up because it will lead to an overwhelming advantage on the pirate side or rather its decided who will be the winner. I'm just saying that dragon is equal to a whole fleet of pirates. I mean he blow wind in the entire city just to rescue luffy in louge town. And his the most notorious among the pirates. World class criminal we can say his on the level of the 4 emperors or at least.
I wish a more exciting battle so if oda decide to show dragon I think its not the right time yet but if oda decide to entirely crush WG then fine. But I will find it dull or empty.
|2009-09-23, 09:30
|Link #18
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
It is a war . No one even has a set enemy yet , attacks are being carry out by both parties with people fighting in the back ground on both sides. Even is this chapter luffy tries to get to ace ,while others try to stop him . He get's pass some of them by his self with others in back ground help him from enemy attacks.
|2009-09-23, 10:26
|Link #19
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Yeah, fact is, we've got a good majority of the world superpowers duking it out right now, and the chaos will eventually spread throughout the world, long after the dust clears from Marineford. Pretty much screams "war" to me, despite what others might say......
And yeah, I noticed that Moria said that the corpses were from those who died in the battlefield (hey, at least we actually have confirmation of people getting killed in this war now, right?). Really makes me wonder if this means that lil' Oars Jr. really DID bite the dust a couple chapters back. If so, then we might see the shadow man reanimating his latest toy soon.....
.....Y'know, I still sorta haven't given up on the idea of Luffy getting support from Comil (the VA from Ace's ministory, remember). He may have knocked out one of those fodder giant VAs, but there's still many powerful enemies in his path to Ace that a rookie like him definitely wouldn't be able to handle solo. And speaking of rookies, chances are that the marines won't view him as one after this whole ordeal is done with. After all the events of the last few storylines (attacking a world noble, breaking out of Impel Down, etc.), we're going to see the government taking Luffy a LOT more seriously from this point onward.........
|2009-09-23, 10:28
|Link #20
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: 9th Temple
Age: 39
|Thread Tools


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|Perl: the Markov chain saw
Re: The Lighter Side of Perl Culture (Part IV)by QM (Parson)
|on Mar 08, 2005 at 04:58 UTC ( #437413=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
I've always wondered what it is the essence that makes for a good golfer?
Is it something that can be communicated and understood to Perlers at large? Are there dozens of think tanks being funded by black military budgets racing to discover this? Is Ton Hospel really just a quantum computer running Perl NAN?
Can this essence be generalized to non-specific programming and problem solving? AI inference engines? Easy Bake Oven Non-Secular Holiday Turkey recipes?
Or is there something inherently irrational or unfathomable about the whole golfing process, and therefore the mindset that excells at it? (And by extrapolation, something we'd rather not know for fear of becoming too much like "them"?)
In Section Meditations