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Today the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings announced a small portion of their respective rosters for the Alumni Games, that will take place as part of the 2013 Winter Classic. Oh boy are they something to get excited about!
One of the best things about being a fan of an Original Six team is the history and mythology of the franchise. The Alumni Game will give us a chance to see some of the greatest players for each franchise over different eras on the same sheet of ice.
Here are the rosters so far as announced:
Up Front:
Darryl Sittler, Rick Vaive, Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk, Darcy Tucker, Kevin Maguire.
I have no idea who Kevin Maguire is.
In Goal:
Mike Palmateer, Felix Potvin, and Curtis Joseph. Legends Johnny Bower, Ron Ellis, and Jim McKenny will also be there.
For the Wings:
Chris Osgood (lol), Mike Vernon, "Hall of Famer" Dino Ciccarelli, Alex Delvecchio, Ted Lindsay, Darren Mccarty, Kris Drap, Chris Chelios, Luc Robitaille, Larry Murphy (BOOOOO), Mark Howe.
Seeing Dougie, Wendel, and Andreychuk, and Potvin on the ice together is a dream come true. As I write this I'm looking at a photo of my 12 year old self meeting Doug Gilmour and a framed signed photo of Gilmour with Domi after the last game at Maple Leafs Gardens. This event is going to be historic, and it's going to be awesome.
Obviously some significant names were left off the list. I hope/expect names like Sundin, and Salming to be added in the future. I wonder if the Leafs could bring Keon back, that would make the event that much more special.
For now the names listed are enough to make me hope my name is drawn to have a shot at buying some astronomically expensive tickets. But it's a small price to pay to see my childhood heroes reunited.
Who are you most excited to see?


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The process of buying a new Nissan car or truck can seem overwhelming if you don't know where to begin. Edmunds.com can get you started on the right track with a convenient directory of Nissan car dealerships in and around Gambrills, Maryland. Compare online price quotes on the new or used car, truck, SUV, minivan, or wagon of your choice to locate the best deals. Edmunds.com makes it easy to find trusted Nissan car dealers in Gambrills, saving car buyers time and money on what will be an important purchase.
Non Display Review Name "I had an excellent experience with Herb Gordon Nissan in Silver Spring, MD. I contacted them Thursday morning to ask about their inventory of "Rogue"s"... Read more Review by: mirette
Non Display Review Name "The whole team was super friendly especially RENARD B., our salesperson. At no point was anyone pushy (not even the finance manager CURTIS W. with any"... Read more Review by: JenJeske73

subset: commoncrawl


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10 Cool Transparent Screen Tricks
Ah transparency! It's not just the word du jour at the White House. Transparent screens can be great decorating tools when done correctly. The trick involves taking a photograph of what's exactly behind your computer monitor and then using that image as your desktop wallpaper. The optical illusion can make office spaces feel larger, plus it allows your décor sensibilities to move throughout the room uninterrupted by a big blank screen.
Thanks to Flickr user W00kie, we came upon a gallery forum dedicated to transparent screens. As we flipped through 163 examples of this rad trompe l'oeil, we found 10 that we thought best exemplified the untouched interior design possibilities of the transparent screen.
Have you ever tried a transparent screen?


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Sunnyside police are investigating a number of thefts which occurred over the past weekend.
Among the reports officers are following up on is a report of a stolen vehicle taken from the 1300 block of South Sixth Street Sunday afternoon.
Last Saturday, police also responded to a report of a suspect in a wheelchair attempting to shoplift items from a business in the 2600 block of East Lincoln Avenue. Officers also followed up on a report of a shoplifting incident reported in the 600 block of South Sixth Street.
Since last Friday, Sunnyside police have also investigated three burglaries.
An attempted burglary in the 500 block of North Fourth Street was interrupted when the homeowner returned to find someone had broken into his house. The suspect took off running.
Police are also seeking more information regarding a break-in in the 1000 block of South 13th Street in which the victim saw several suspicious looking individuals running away from his house.
A reported break-in at a home in the 1400 block of South Sixth Street revealed a home had been entered and a number of items appeared to have been taken. Other items were broken.
Police are seeking any information regarding suspicious activities in these areas which might lead to the arrest of the would-be thieves.
In other weekend activities, police responded to reports of three business alarms, two residential alarms, one assault, three domestic incidents, one report of fraud, two noise complaints, three malicious mischief reports and eight reports of suspicious circumstances.
Police also made three traffic stops and handled five reports of trespassing.
Sunnyside Police Department officers also provided two agency assists, four citizen assists, served one arrest warrant and made two welfare checks.
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text:
All News Releases By Date
Waste Reduction Technology Demonstration at EPA Regional Office in Atlanta
Release Date: 09/11/2012
Contact Information: Jason McDonald, (404) 562-9203, email@example.com
ATLANTA – On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will view a demonstration of a waste collection efficiency strategy developed by BigBelly Solar, Inc. in the courtyard of the Atlanta Federal Center. The waste collection strategy aims to reduce the cost of waste and recycling collection by utilizing solar energy to compact waste on-site.
Who: Carol Kemker, EPA Region 4, Deputy Division Director Air, Pesticides,
Toxics Management Division
Scott Sauerbier, Senior Vice President, BigBelly Solar, Inc.
What: Waste Reduction Technology Demonstration
When: September 11, 2012
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Where: Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center- Courtyard
- 61 Forsyth Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
The EPA continuously evaluates strategies and technologies in an effort to reduce diesel engine emissions across the eight southeastern states. It remains focused on promoting energy independence and growing sustainable economies to protect the environment and human health.
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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A blood culture test indicates what kind of medicine will work best to treat your pneumonia.
Different types of bacteria can cause pneumonia. A blood culture test indicates to the healthcare provider which bacteria may have caused your pneumonia and which antibiotic should be prescribed. It is best to do the blood culture within 24 hours of arrival at the hospital and before antibiotics are started. It is also important to start antibiotics as soon as possible. A blood culture also indicates the best treatment you should receive and if any precautions are necessary to prevent the spread of your illness.
The chart above indicates the percentage of patients that were administered a blood culture test before the first dose of antibiotics was given.


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A bar end, mechanical, cruise control for motorcycles. Machined from billet stainless steel & Ampco bronze which eliminates rust and corrosion and maintains a lasting beauty. Sealed by "O" rings to keep out dirt and water and maintain it's smooth and solid operating feel for years.
-No Maintenance, No need for lubrication.
-Easy to use--Engage by turning in the same direction as opening the throttle. Disengage by turning in the same direction as closing the throttle.
-Can be operated wearing heavy gloves.
-Includes matching left side End Weight.
-Bar End & Throttle End are the same weight.
-Quick installation--On most bikes simply remove original end weights then replace with "Throttlemeister" and matching End Weight.
Fits R1150GS with BMW handguards.
Throttlemeister R1150GS w/BMW handguards Friction Cruise Control
Produced by Throttlemeister of USA
Available Options:
Style:Heavy Model FH AB5-H (+$15.00)Standard Model FT AB5
Version?:Black & Silver Milled (+$20.00)Silver & Silver Milled (+$10.00)Black & Black Milled (+$20.00)Black (+$10.00)Polished (+$15.00)Standard


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grasshopper wrote:Another ti v C debate? Hopefully it's been pointed out somewhere that ti's reputation comes partly from its use by master, custom framebuilders tailoring tubing and geo to rider weight and shape and handling preferences - so it's quite different to mass-produced ti or C. Material and geo maketh the bike. Custom rocks.
Not entirely - there are plenty of off the shelf ti options available now, and at relatively affordable prices.


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Annual Reports
Building Our Vision: 2012-2013 Impact Report
In 2012 and 2013, Build It Green pursued four avenues to transform the building industry in California and make green practices standard practice for the benefit of all. Our 2012–2013 Impact Report tells the in-depth story of these efforts to spur the building and retrofitting of thousands of greener homes.
2009 Annual Report
The green building industry made great strides in 2009. While the rest of the construction industry faced a difficult year, green building professionals found new opportunities.
With the support of our members and funders, we were able to provide the resources and education necessary to help the green building industry thrive.
Our 2009 Annual Report takes a look at the work we've done in the past year.
The Annual Report was made possible by a service grant from the Taproot Foundation. Meet the Taproot volunteers whose pro bono professional services gave us this important piece of work.


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|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
This was a list of Luna Lovegood's missing possessions, which she at first believed to be the work of Nargles, and realised later it was only her classmates.
The list requested the return of:
- 1 earring (with beetle wings)
- A pair of stripey socks
- School cloak - black
- A purple quill (woodpecker, with special markings)
- A pair of school shoes
- A 'Bubble Bow Booster' kit (still in wrapper)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
- Easy Spells to Fool Muggles
- A bottle of sum-solving ink (Turquoise).
Luna asked that her possessions be returned to her by the end of term.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Flashback on Disc 2)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) (PSP/NintendoDS version)
- Harry Potter: The Artifact Vault


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Jan. 12, 2013
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 18-ranked Florida State women's basketball team will look to bounce back from a pair of losses against No. 24 Miami on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
As part of the ACC's Regional Sports Network deal, the game will be televised live on FS South, FS Florida, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, NESN, FS Arizona Plus, FS Detroit Plus, FS North Plus, FS San Diego and FSU Prime Ticket. Tom Herme and Christy Winters Scott will be on the call.
Despite a career-best-matching 25 points from senior forward Chelsea Davis, the Seminoles fell to Wake Forest, 80-72, on Thursday night. FSU also lost at No. 8 Maryland, 71-64, on Jan. 6.
"It's issues of what we will and won't do," Florida State head coach Sue Semrau said. "I know this team has heart. This team has passion and a desire to be better. They just have to understand that we can't have as many lapses for long periods of time."
Florida State (12-3, 2-2 in the ACC) welcomes a Miami squad (12-3, 3-1) that has had success against the Noles in recent years. The Hurricanes have won three straight against the Garnet & Gold, but are a much different team than years past with the departure of All-Americans Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams.
"They're a much different team than recent years, but also one of the most disciplined Miami teams I've seen," Semrau said. "They do a great job executing and playing hard defensively. They are a very good basketball team."
Miami is led by senior shooting guard Stefanie Yderstrom (13.4 ppg) and senior forward Morgan Stroman (12.5 ppg). Yderstrom hit the game-winning three-pointer in the Hurricanes' 60-57 win in Tallahassee last season.
Fans can get into the game for just $3 with a church bulletin as part of "Faith and Family Day." Fans can also attend for $3 with a ticket from Saturday's men's basketball game. All fans are invited to an FCA rally following the game at the south end of the court.
"We've been given so much and God has been such a vital part of my life and the lives of so many," Semrau said. "It's important to take an opportunity and honor that. We'll have a big program with FCA after the game. I hope everybody can stay for it."
For more information on Florida State women's basketball, follow the Seminoles on Twitter @FSU_WBasketball and like their official Facebook page.


text: Hi, and good job making it this far, esp. in pain! My experience was similar to yours. We got the TT clipped, latch settled, only to discover the joys of vasospasms. I used to cry whenever Lo would latch on my right side, tho at least there were no sores. The pain went away a couple months later, with the onset of summer, but that nipple (which is inverted) is, it turns out, naturally lipstick shaped! Our latch on that side has always been trouble. Then we had four months of thrush. You can't win! Anyhow, with winter has returned my excrutiating right nipple pain, which I've been meaning to ask about here myself. So I don't really have advice for you, as much as sympathy.Fortitude! I have found advil/motrin helps a lot. But first definitely get the tt cut: its the easiest thing to do and can make a huge difference, tho it can take a little practice for the baby to relearn nursing. A funny story: a friend's baby needed it cut over the weekend, so dr advised her to do it herself, so she took the baby to our local rural vet and he cut it in his bus/office! It's really that small a procedure at this age. Good luck, and may this resolve your pain!


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The pleural fluid Gram stain is a test to diagnose bacterial infections in the lungs.
Alternative Names
Gram stain of pleural fluid
How the test is performed
Pleural fluid is found in the space around the lungs. In a variety of diseases, an abnormal amount of pleural fluid builds up in the lungs.
A sample of the pleural fluid is needed for this test. For information on how the sample is obtained, see:
The fluid sample is placed onto a microscope slide and mixed with a violet stain (called a Gram stain). A laboratory specialist uses a microscope to look for bacteria on the slide. If bacteria are present, the color, number, and structure of the cells are used to identify the specific organism.
How to prepare for the testSee:
How the test will feel
Why the test is performed
The test is performed when the health care provider suspects an infection of the pleural space, or when a
Normal Values
Normally, no bacteria is seen in the pleural fluid.
The examples above are common measurements for results of these tests. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or test different samples. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.
What abnormal results mean
You may have a bacterial infection of the lining of the lungs (pleura).
What the risks areSee:
Broaddus VC, Light RW. Pleural effusion. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus VC, Martin TR, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 73.
McCool FD. Diseases of the diaphragm, chest wall, pleura, and mediastinum. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 99.
Review Date:
Reviewed By:
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.


text: Hello, I have subscribed here in Howtoforge because I want to download vmware image here. Unfortunately the download speed is abysmally slow. 10.3kbps.. So i plan to download it in my server which has a very speedy connection. I plan to do it using wget in the command line. But unfortunately i need to authenticate to the server. So what others suggest is this: 1) Export the cookie from my browser 2) Transfer it to my server 3) Use wget --load-cookies cookies.txt -p http://www.howtoforge.com/download.php?id=6489_0 Too bad it failed to download the image. So how can I download it to my server? Please help.


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2012 Verdelho
This wine is similar to the blonde hair color from one of the lasses I spent some time with last time we made port...
Sniffy Sniff Time - This is one sweet smelling wine, me hearties. I think I'm smelling some apple, banana, honey and vanilla here.
Tasty Taste Time - We have a smooth wine here. Mighty tasty! Apple fruit, with a bit of Pineapple as well, touch of caramel, creamy oak.
I have never had one of these Verdehlo wines before, and this is quite good! Reminds me a bit of a Chardonnay in some respects...which I like too. Good thing I have more in the hold, ya know, as this one is almost gone in a single day.
Rubber Chicken Thoughts, by Sir Cluckles - Bawk bawk bawk. Bawk ba-bawk bawk. Ba-Gawk-Gawk!
Bas vers le haut, Mateys...Arrrr!


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History is a funny thing. The more I live through the more out of touch with history I have become. There was a time when a first person account of a historical event was deemed primary evidence when assessing both the event itself and the implications that followed from the event. Now eye-witness accounts are treated as 'anecdotal evidence' as if they were some story I made up about what happened even though it happened in front of my eyes and to me. Unless they mesh with the received wisdom or support a political expediency in the present time, which they never seem to do, then the events of my life are cast aside like the world I speak of never existed. Like I never existed. I have become an Orwellian non-person and have been written out of the history of my own life.
Sometimes I want to echo the pathetic cry of Joseph Merrick: "I am a human being!"
When I insist "That's not what happened, I was there, I lived through it" I am met with blank stares "like cows at a passing train."
It is the oddest feeling to be told that I am incompetent to comprehend and assess the events of my own life. I'm sixty-two years old. I have been a part of every political, social and religious movement of the last half of the 20th Century. And, as I would like my epitaph someday to read, "I tried to pay attention."
I have studied furiously in the last thirty years, much harder than I ever did in university and with no credits toward a degree in anything. I studied because I wanted to know the truth.
The truth. There's another word that has lost all meaning. When I dare say there are true and false beliefs about anything, or worst of all declare there is truth and there are lies made up by evil men with evil motivations. When I extend the Biblical line: "The truth will set you free..." adding "...and anyone not telling the truth is trying to keep people in slavery" I might as well be speaking in Latin for all the comprehension in the faces of the people I'm talking to.
I don't give a good Goddamn for all the hard scientists out there who want to hedge their bets by calling truth such wishy-washy names as 'theory' or 'consensus' or 'probability.' That's great for building a career in a university, but it is an act of moral cowardice nonetheless. If you don't believe in what you are asking others to believe enough to call it the truth, then you are half a man and the half that's left isn't worth the gunpowder it would take to blow it up!
I have been fighting tooth and nail for over thirty years now only to see the United States slip further and further into the abyss. I have watched in awe and terror as this country has reached the state where fully half of our citizens are about to vote for the Libertarian/Fundamentalist bloc who openly declare their hatred for democracy. I cannot for the very life of me understand how people are willing to vote to have their own power to vote taken away from them. I cannot understand how their are people who claim to Libertarians and Atheists at the same time.
Is it that they simply don't know their own history? I do. I lived through their history, was a part of it, just like I was a part of Christianity as Fundamentalist mandated political platforms as a necessary part of what it means to be Christian.
I reject both Socialism and Libertarianism and for the same reason: they are both 'isms.' That is to say, they are forms of government based not on the will of and with the permission of the governed but rather are based on ideology. All ideologically based forms of government are dictatorships. They have to be. In order to gain power and survive they have to take away the right of the people to choose their own government. The first thing once they are voted into power is to take away the power to vote from the people.
The only form of government that allows the people governed to change their form of government is a Democracy. Libertarianism wants to tie themselves in with Republicanism just as they want to tie their economics to Capitalism hoping that no one will notice they are neither until it is too late.
Barry Goldwater was the last Republican just as William F. Buckley was the last true Conservative. And they both detested and disavowed Libertarianism as a radical, anarchist born of the Sixties complete with Vietnam war protests, draft-card burning and a platform that consisted of legalizing all drugs on the theory that each man...not woman, they are die hard patriarchal misogynists just like the Mormon front man they are running for president...has the right to put whatever he wants into his body no matter how much damage he does to his family and society.
Most importantly, Libertarianism is Utopian. Their core beliefs have never been tried on a national scale or even on a communal level with success. They want, in spite of the Globalization of the World Economy, to pull us backwards into economic and political isolationism. They want to disband and disarm the federal government turning over all the powers of a legitimately elected government to what they call 'private enterprise.' Think about Zimmerman. Where has he gone in this election? Think about the disbanding of all Federal law enforcement agencies. Think about turning over the state police departments to 'contractors' and the local police to armed Neighborhood Watch groups. Does anyone want to live in such a country? Yet we have Blue State Liberals, of all people, who would be willing to allow the Red States to secede from the Union and undue the work Abraham Lincoln and hundreds of thousands of young me died to preserve. But the Red States don't want to secede, isn't that an historical flip-flop? They want the whole country. Libertarians have openly stated that they want people from both sides of the political aisle to join them. They want and intend to create a nation where there is only one party and that is theirs.
Libertarianism is the policy of the worst of the radical underground right groups, groups that have swollen in numbers during the Bush and the Obama administrations. Obama because he's black and rallied all the racists in the country to unite. Bush because his oxymoron-ically named War On Terror didn't happen to include the terrorists groups in the US like the Posse Commitatus...who were actually given legitimacy by the state of Arizona when they hired them as mercenaries to patrol their borders and enforce their immigration laws... and the militant militia movement whose supreme accomplishment was the Oklahoma City bombing. Ask yourself why in the middle of an alleged War On Terror these groups were given a free pass like the John Birch Society was given by the FBI in the Sixties? More to the point, why did the Supreme Court in this country turn over the plum the NRA backed terrorist groups had been begging for, the radical reinterpretation of the Right to Bear Arms to mean people had a right to stockpile private arsenals to be used, by their own admission, if the Democratically elected government of the US dared to pass much needed gun control laws?
No matter which man wins this election, Obama or Romney, it is the United States that will lose. If Obama wins he will only be kept from doing anything for another four years while the Libertarian/Fundamentalist bloc becomes even stronger and deeper entrenched. If Romney wins then the push for an ideologically based dictatorship will now have the White House as well as the Supreme Court and both Houses of Congress behind their movement.
I'm tired. I've lived too long and, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn any longer. I want to get myself and my family out of this country and back into the Free World again.
If I'd only had the foresight in the Sixties to ask everybody who told me to "Love it or Leave It" for a dollar I'd be rich enough to get out by now.
Anybody up for starting an Atheist Refugee Society?
Views: 301
I came here with good intent, and all you doll back is insult. If you are uninterested in conversation, then why on earth did you send us all emails??? If your only interest is to have a monologue... then please don't email us. Thank you.
I wish I remember where I read it, perhaps Steven Cave's Immortality...a philosophical meditation on the subject. The quote was "There are people who want to live forever but can't think of anything to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon."
When I came out of the dark days of my Charismatic involvement I began to speak about my experiences. I set up an delivered a two day seminar explaining first what I lived through and second what I had found to be true as a result. In the days leading up to the seminar I received a call from a Pentecostal minister. He proposed a debate format in which I defended by beliefs and he defended Charismaticism. This was the mid-Eighties, so I responded: "You have entire television networks and millions of dollars promoting your religion. I think you can afford to let me have one little seminar."
I think I made myself perfectly clear in my post how I feel about the comments you have made. You want to debate or have a discussion on these subjects, go ahead.
Why is it that people who want to say how bad democracy is defend their beliefs by quoting examples in which democracy has failed and led to bad things?
"As for living too long, it is the most true statement you've made, unknowingly maybe?"
No, it is you who haven't lived long enough.
I am not defending eye witness testimony in a court of law. I am defending the use of eye witness testimony in the writing of history. If I were offering testimony in support of what you believed in then you wouldn't feel the need to make cheap shots.
I am distributing this on a mailing list for people who have experience. Personal experience, since that is the only experience that matters. I write blog posts because I do not have time nor inclination for this sort of nonsensical exchange.
My purpose is to write my own experiences and what I have learned from them. If you do not find them of value, fine enough, ignore me.
As for living too long, it is the most true statement you've made, unknowingly maybe? As a biologist, I'll let you into a little science that most humans chose to ignore... in nature, animals do not normally go through menopause, life is usually finished by then. But Homo sapiens is a species obsessed with naval gazing tend to think that we are oh so important, so important in fact that "we simply must do everything in our power to live longer". But what is living longer? For most people it is simply dying longer. More years "in retirement", more years in seniors' homes, more years in hospital beds, more years watching all friends and family die. So yes, we live way too long, and it in no way makes humanity happier, living so long has huge social costs. Youth feel like they don't mean anything, people become parents when they are too old and grumpy to play and give quality time to their kids, the job market doest not want people out of any level of school, the job market wants people with "experience"... as long as they're not over 35!!!! We live in a ridiculous society, one that was shaped by religious insanity, religious morals, religious customs. As atheists, we need to shake the tree entirely, otherwise we're just as useless as the religious themselves.
Dear Philip, I found this to be an interesting read, there are parts that I agree with and parts that I disagree with. But a blog comment board is not very functional for a conversation. So I'd invite you to post this somewhere on the forum where we can discuss the many points you raise.
I've lived on large continents, and on small islands, in the south, in the north, in large cities and small communities, in three different linguistic contexts. Through this life experience I have come to the realisation that democracy is about the worst system ever invented. It's simply a way for those who've ALWAYS had power in the first place, to camouflage their power in the guise of "people's will". I do however believe in toppling power as often as possible through revolution.Those rotten apples are ruining the barrel and better to cull them than leave them in power.
As for "I was there I know", call me a naturally critical mind, but Homo sapiens perception is about the worst in the entire animal kingdom. It is perception that gave the world false gods, it is perception that emprisons innocent people. Our perception is much more about ego than truth. I trust the perception of maybe one human in my life, a naturalist living in Ontario, who's spent over 60 years counting, observing and collecting the nature around him, and to an extent across Canada. I am quite glad that the justice system is getting out of the business of human perception, it was a very faulty basis to establish guilt upon. I much prefer immediate justice. If ever someone attempts to rape/maim/kill me, their life will be in game, immediately, on the spot. I would never trust the justice system. IMO the justice system serves power, not the people.
I appreciate your comments, Archie and Kalliope.
I am reminded of a tag line for a DVD I saw recently...didn't see the DVD, just the cover. It read:
"Truth is not what you know. Truth is what you believe."
It was such a perfect example of the low status truth has fallen to in these times. Truth can be known, but only incrementally. Each piece of truth we find must mesh with all the other pieces like a jigsaw puzzle and each union of several pieces of truth will leave an empty space that guides you to where to look for the next piece. We grow truth, we don't discover it.
I love the idea of consensus reality. It is a descriptive of our society, our culture. The received wisdom. It is a powerful force. It is the stuff that history is made of. It isn't true, but it makes for one hell of a story. When I was a child I had Night Terrors and Out of Body Experiences. I know the scientific reality of these events now and am much saner as a result. But there was a time when I took these events at face value. I believed I could leave my body, not to float in the physical world, but to become one with a universal consciousness. I came to the conclusion that, rather that going Out of My Body, I was actually going deeper within. I likened it to the college I first attended that had a central heating furnace from which electricity and heat was pumped into the outlying buildings through a octopus like system of underground tunnels. I saw each person as a building connected through the unconscious mind to all the other buildings. I kept exploring these ideas, going what I thought was deeper into a group consciousness until, one day, I realized there was nothing in the least supernatural about what I was experiencing. That we are all connected through families, friends, religious, political and social groups of all kind. That this union was called our Culture and there were many such Cultures bumping up against each other, merging and splitting and evolving. I came to understand there was the potential for a Global Culture although we are still in the earliest stages of its development.
Truth is hungry. Truth demands to be fed with knowledge. Without constant feeding truth withers and dies and kills the body...or worse, becomes a vestigial organ the use of which has been passed over by evolution
I would not denigrate such words as 'belief' or even, the old demon, 'faith.' Belief to me is functional truth. Faith is reproductive truth. Belief is the driving force to take the truth out of the laboratory and onto the streets, to see if what we hold to be true can actually function outside ourselves, in the real world. Faith is the force that drives us to convince others of the truth we have found, to replicate the truth in our minds in the minds of others.
I am not a Humanist, but I am a poet and author. I strongly believe that religion is an act of the human imagination and God a work of art. I believe the way to supplant religion in the minds of men is to write a better story. Yes, I am angry with the hard scientists...angry and frightened, especially by the idea proposed by Sam Harris and others that science can produce morality. Morality exists, it is a functional part of our society, our culture. Religion is a way of cheating moral law, a way of achieving personal salvation...which, along with personal enlightenment is one of the most lazy and egocentric ways of wasting your life...right up there alongside playing video games. Morality is not dictated by religion or science. As Christians have rightly put it: "Morality is who you are and what you do when no one else is looking."
Kalliope, I admire your willingness to stake a claim and make a commitment to 'anarcho socialism' even though you need to educate me further on what that means...that is, if you have the time and inclination. I have no problem with you disagreeing with me. I find I disagree with myself from post to post depending on my blood-alcohol level and mood. And yes, I understand that this is a worldwide conflict not limited to Amerika. We are a self-centered bunch. I recently watch a 'found footage' movie along the lines of Cloverfield in which a good-old fashioned Monster (I believe that was the title) attack on Tokyo was passed of as a 7.8 on the Richter Scale earthquake. One of the opening scenes was a American news media coverage of the event that went: "Seven thousand Japanese were killed in the earthquake ..and 30 Americans!" I laughed and cringed at the same time. We are such bastards. I burned the American flag in the Sixties not in protest to the Vietnam War but because I wanted disavow my US citizenship and become a citizen of the world. I've tried to get out of the US all through the Seventies and Eighties. I'm still trying, but I'm constrained by poverty. One of the things you learn being poor...even in the richest nation of the world...is if you can't afford to live where you are you can't afford to move somewhere else.
I don't know what your situation is, and I apologize for my naivete. I do not mean to offend you. I am an old man, not in years as much as in 'mileage' as they say. I would like to live out my remaining years in peace.
Very interesting, Philip!
Like you, I get impatient with people trying to rewrite history—and while I know about human memory rewriting itself as we remember events, some remain forever graven: the assassination of JFK, the funeral of Winston Churchill, watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon, and on and on.
I particularly like Elliot Sober's comments on truth:
"Whether a statement is true is an entirely different question from whether you or anybody believes it. ... There can be truths that no one believes. Symmetrically, there can be beliefs that are not true. ... The expression "It's true for me" can be dangerously misleading. Sometimes saying this... means that you believe it. If that's what you want to say, just use the word "belief" and leave truth out of it. However, there is a more radical idea that might be involved here. Someone might use the expression "true for me" to express the idea that each of us makes our own reality and that our beliefs constitute that reality. I will assume that this is a mistake. My concept of truth assumes a fundamental division between the way things really are and the way they seem to be to this or that individual mind."
My degree is in physics, and I have spent much of my working life with computers. There is no room for "opinion" or "consensus" in either field. It's true, or it's false. End of story.
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February 20, 2012, 8:19 pm
President Obama taps environmentalist as Colorado campaign director
One of Colorado's leading environmentalists has been tapped to serve as the state director for President Obama's re-election campaign, The Denver Post has confirmed.
Carrie Doyle has overseen or lobbied for various environmental groups, most recently working for the Western Conservation Foundation.
She'll have her work cut out for her as Republicans are intent on winning Colorado's nine electoral votes, GOP statehouse leaders made clear at a luncheon last week.


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Thunderstorm season has begun--both inside and outside of our home.
It's that dreaded time of year at our house: thunderstorm season. The rain that falls from the sky is wonderful. It is welcomed and much needed. Unfortunately, it's too often by a "rock and roll laser light show" that drives my dog into a state of near psychosis, at least if no one is home with him.
The fun has already begun. Yesterday upon returning home for lunch, I discovered our Border Collie waiting for me, saturated, in the front yard. I know better than to leave him in the back yard while my wife and I are out of the home. But I didn't do that. In fact, I had locked all of the doors and padlocked the back door securely shut. I forgot one thing, though. I left the key in the padlock to make it easy to get in and out of the back door.
After toweling off the dog and letting him back inside, I went to investigate the back door, his usual escape hatch. The padlock lay on the floor with the key beside it.
That's how it is at our house during thunderstorm season. We never know what we'll return home to after a thunderstorm rolls through. I could talk about chewed up doors, chewed up curtains, gums cut and bleeding from chewing on metal hasps to escape, calls from the emergency room at the hospital about our dog visiting there … the list is endless. I just know that my dog's stimulus-response to unexplained noises like thunder is "flee for your life."
Anyway, I'm ready for the end of thunderstorm season. In the meantime though, if we have to put up with the light and sound, hopefully it will be worth our while … and rain and rain and rain.


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Watch The ::God Is Imaginary Videos On YouTube ::
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Seriously, you guys are the meanest people I have ever met. I hope you are happy and feel really good about yourself.
Obama's OK, not great but he's competent enough.Who said it - Karl Rove or somebody like that - I hate to agree on this one point they made, but I just need a president with five working digits that can veto bills we don't like or sign the ones we do. That'll work for me.
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. " A. Einstein
Anything that the Christian Right hates so much and that must be defeated at all costs, must be the correct choice. I get so much right-wing propaganda about Obama and how he's evil and must be destroyed ... er, voted out. It just makes me want to vote for him more.
Romney is a complete and utter nutjob who will take away every right that women have fought for my entire life. If nothing else, I would vote against him for this reason.
I'd like to see anything that is not anecdotal regarding Obama and what he has done so far to destroy this country? Educate this person who will be voting for him in November. Tell me exactly why voting for him is a bad idea.
Chuck Norris: America faces '1,000 years of darkness' if Obama wins re-electionhttp://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/04/13645398-chuck-norris-america-faces-1000-years-of-darkness-if-obama-wins-re-election?lite
I see him as a loathsome, out of touch dick who is willing to sell out any personal conviction to the far right religious conservatives if it will get him elected.
Actually it doesn't. One could conceivably be all-powerful but not exceptionally intelligent.
He was by far the most sane and intelligent sounding GOP nominee in the pack. See if you can find his interview on the Colbert show!
Anyway, he is also a Mormon,
Ryan's disturbing lack of lips creeps me out. http://www.chicagomag.com/whet/paul-ryan.jpghttp://i.huffpost.com/gen/726292/thumbs/s-PAUL-RYAN-VICE-PRESIDENT-large300.jpghttp://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/3482/large/Paul_Ryan_in_Oak_Creek.jpg?1344866254http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhEDF2y_Fs8/UC47T2PVoPI/AAAAAAAAvJQ/_VtKcr4q-mU/s1600/PaulRyanLipsPursed.jpghttp://www2.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Romney-Ryan-top-post.jpgedit - Someone should ask him, "Paul, wtf happened to your lips?"
There is an old saying...."you know how I know you're lying? Your lips are moving."If he has no lips how will we ever know if he is lying?


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25 June 2013
|Article Index
|Builders Challenge: Rory Griffith's 2006 Chrysler 300C
|Page 2
|All Pages
Written by Eric Eikenberry / Photography by Jeff Ragazzo
When Las Vegas plumber Rory Griffith dove into his Chrysler 300C project just over three years ago, we'll bet he never envisioned the splash it would ultimately make. What he did anticipate was going "way past what all others had done" to use his own words; but, with the final touches applied in the form of the outstanding interior and audio system by Industry Auto Designs, Griffith's mean C was picked by voters as the winner of the 2013 Phoenix Gold Builders Challenge. Here's how it all came together.
Griffith is no stranger to project vehicles. For 15 years he was active in the show scene, building SEMA and CES show rides for customers and companies for 10 of those fun years. This time out, he was able to take a back seat and enjoy the work of others, including the prestigious Tommy Rocker Auto Fabrication.
To achieve the paint-scraping ride height, front tubular upper control arms and drop spindles have been hand-made to work with the 300C chassis. The frame rails are reinforced and plated with the fabricated mount for the threaded hydraulic cylinders, which are supplied by Parker bladder accumulators. This completely one-off setup provides an extreme range of suspension travel. The rear has received a similar treatment with hand-built upper cylinder mounts and two more accumulators for ride comfort.
Naturally, Griffith plumbed all the air lines and installed the "1 pump, 5 dump" Hydroholics manifold. He also added the 6,000 k HID headlights and the smoked rear taillamps himself while Danny Demello at Best Muffler Shop installed the Magnaflow exhaust and custom piping necessary to make it fit with the body drop. Unlike many off-the-shelf air ride kits, all of the tanks and lines have been kept completely hidden from sight – one of the many clever touches that help to set this vehicle apart.
The body and rear pan got dropped by Tommy Rocker Auto Fabrication, and the trunk and rear doors tubbed to fit the monster 26x9-inch Velocity 725S wheels. Tires are an equally-ridiculous 275/25-26 size from Fullrun, and look just right disappearing deeply into the fenders at full drop. Martel has also shaved the gas door and rolled the inside of the fenders, as well as handled the body work and the painting of the roof gloss black.
The result of all of the love lavished on the exterior is a slick sort of hunkiness; it looks like a Dub toy found at a Toys "R" Us. It makes an impression without making a sound. At this point, the car sat for a while while Griffith considered possible interior modifications.
Enter Industry Auto Designs and the Phoenix Gold Builders Challenge. Industry Audio Designs had just been approved for the Phoenix Gold contest and Andrew Evers, the CEO of IAD, was looking for a nice car with a virgin interior. "When we heard about the challenge and were approved, we hit all of our outlets – friends, family and looked at shop cars as well as the car clubs we work with. We did some interviews, looking for a common enough vehicle that everyone could relate to and be able to have freedom with on the install."
Evers knew Griffith from his work on past project vehicles, so it can be considered a match made in heaven. The only fly in the ointment was they would have only 30 days to complete a contest-winning audio installation. Impossible, right? Wrong.
To begin, they stripped the insides to the bare walls and removed the rear window so that four Phoenix Gold Ti10D2 subwoofers could be mounted in the rear deck on angled mounts, and the enclosure below them built with a clear acrylic "pass through window" into the interior. This meant the rear bench seat would have to be converted into captains chairs. Since they were going that far, they went a step further and did a complete color change from the OEM tan to blue suede and black vinyl and leather for the seats and all of the interior panels. The hard trim pieces are repainted blue to match the exterior finish with a "hydro graphic" to finish it off with a silvery pattern that also migrates to the steering wheel. Other nice touches include smoked, back-lit gauges and remote-mounted PG bass control.


text: Parker came in from out of town, driving in from Colorado. He's an experienced kiter, kiting spots like Baja, Hatteras, and other vacation destinations. Check him out on his first kitesurfing experience on the San Francisco Bay. We put up a 9m at first but later rigged down to a 7m. Sweet, strong wind. Gotta love the bay!


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|Sunday, Jan 20, 2013 - 6:30 PM
"Time to Grill"
Test cook Bridget Lancaster shows host Christopher Kimball how to make the ultimate Grilled Bone-In Pork Roast. Then, equipment expert Adam Ried reveals his top pick for whole fish baskets in the Equipment Corner. Next, gadget guru Lisa McManus reveals her favorite summertime kitchen gadgets. D
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text: Priests of the Domestic Church: A Father's Day Homily | Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers | Ignatius Insight Priests of the Domestic Church: A Father's Day Homily | Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers | Ignatius Insight http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2008/hburkesivers_fathersday_jun08.asp In the days before global positioning systems, Mapquest, and Google Earth, men were stereotyped as reluctant to ask for directions. You know the scene: a couple is driving somewhere and, unable to find their destination, the wife turns to her husband and says, "Honey, maybe we should stop and ask for directions." The husband, dismayed that his wife would dare challenge his sense of direction, stubbornly says, "I know where I'm going!" This would go on and on until they eventually found the place or fell so far behind schedule that they would have no choice but to stop at the nearest gas station for directions. Thanks to modern technology, those days are gone forever! In this day and age it's virtually impossible to get lost. However, a GPS may be able to get you from Portland to Chicago; Mapquest may be able to get you to your favorite downtown restaurant; Google Earth may show you the best route from New York to Australia but no amount of technology in the world will get you from earth to heaven! What Jesus says in the Gospel is true of many men today: we are "troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd." [1] When a man would rather spend time looking at pornography or "hanging out with the fellas" than have any meaningful relationship with his wife and children, he is lost. When a man approaches dating as a conquest, where the primary goal is to "hit it and quit it," he is lost. When a man becomes wealthy at the expense of the poor, he is lost. When a man under the influence of drugs or alcohol beats his wife, passing on a legacy of violence and abuse to his children, he is lost. Just as Jesus called laborers into the field to reap an abundant harvest of souls, He calls husbands and fathers who are lost to use the navigational tools of prayer, forgiveness, and mercy to find our way back to our Father in heaven. Just as Jesus called men to the priesthood to serve His Bride the Church, the same Jesus calls men through baptism to be priests of the domestic church, the church of the home. A husband and father should exercise his priestly ministry through "the offering he makes of himself and his daily activities." [2] This offering should be united to Christ's offering in the Eucharist "for their work, prayers, and apostolic endeavors, their ordinary married and family life, their daily labor, their mental and physical relaxation, if carried on in the spirit--and even the hardships of life, if patiently borne--all of these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." [3] The main job of the priest is to offer sacrifice, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass should lead fathers to intimate and personal relationship with God, uniting him so closely to Christ that the Eucharist becomes the very soul and center of his spiritual and family life. The priest of the home must accept the responsibility of living "the Gospel in faith and proclaiming it in word and deed, without hesitating to identify and denounce evil." [4] Christian parents are the primary and indispensable catechists of their own children. Fathers are not only called to preach the Gospel but also, and above all, to live the Gospel by setting a good example for their children. If our children see us living the Catholic faith with fidelity and joy, then we can be sure that our example will be worth more than a thousand words and have confidence that our love for Christ will be written into the hearts of our sons and daughters. When we do this, the Catholic faith will become more than a fond memory that fades with time. A father's living witness to covenant intimacy will become his enduring legacy, a precious gift for his children, and a sure sign of hope in God's endless mercy and love. Before any of this can happen, we fathers must have the courage to take the first big step: we must dethrone the reign of sin in our lives so that we can welcome Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives. Any man can be a daddy but it takes a real man to be a father, and the sooner we earthly fathers begin to appreciate the great gift we have been given and begin living the mission of service to our families--when we begin to make a gift of ourselves to our wives and children, and participate deeply and personally in the Fatherhood of God--the faster we will arrive at a civilization of love and a culture of life. I remember the day my relationship with my father changed forever. When I informed him of my decision to join the Benedictines, not only was he disappointed; he was angry. What he said went something like this: "You're going to do what?!" He then reminded me: "You are the first person in the family to go to college. I spent all that money sending you to one of the best universities in the country. You studied economics and business, and instead of making something of yourself, you are going to waste your life in that monastery living with a bunch of men? What's wrong with you? What am I supposed to tell my friends?" I won't repeat what I said to him but on that day he became like Lazarus in the tomb; he became dead to me. Many years later when my EWTN series debuted, my father received lots of phone calls: "Isn't that your son on TV?" My father, who as far as I knew only set foot in a Catholic church on his wedding day, began watching my program. Then he began watching the Mass. Then he started watching reruns of Mother Angelica. Then he started praying. My father, a professional entertainer, decided to stop singing Caribbean music and started singing and recording Gospel music exclusively. Then, like Lazarus coming out of the tomb, he called me and we spoke for thirty-one minutes and twelve seconds, which is the longest conversation we've had in almost twenty years. He spent most of the call talking to me about his relationship with Jesus. A few months ago, I was shown the awesome power of prayer, forgiveness, and divine mercy. After years of not having a meaningful relationship with the man who destroyed our family, I met face-to-face with my father. I did not hear the words of repentance that I so longed to hear from him. Instead, this talented and gifted musician who was lost and who only now after seventy-four years is coming to faith in Jesus Christ, showed me the meaning of fatherhood by his example when he sang this song: "O Lord, sweet Jesus, have mercy on me. My eyes were wide open, yet I failed to see. Dear Lord, I beg you have mercy; please, have mercy on me. I am so sorry. Lord, forgive me. Please show me the way. I can't go on living this life without you. Sweet Jesus, please tell me what to do. Lord, I'm depending on you. I want to live a life that's honest and true. I will let nothing stand in my way. Sweet Jesus, please hear my prayer. O Lord, teach me how to pray, I beg you, because at times I know not what to say but when I think of Calvary I know my Jesus loves me. Dear Lord, I beg you have mercy." ENDNOTES: [1] Matthew 9: 36. [2] Christifideles Laici, n.14 [3] Lumen Gentium, n.31 [4] Christifideles Laici, n.14 IgnatiusInsight.com Articles by Deacon Burke-Sivers: A Study In Faithful Obedience | Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers | New Foreword to From Slave to Priest Black and Catholic in America | An Interview with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers Behold the Man! | An interview with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers about his new EWTN series Hearing and Living the Truth | Harold Burke-Sivers The Truth and the Lie | Harold Burke-Sivers The Meaning and Necessity of Spiritual Fatherhood | Harold Burke-Sivers Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, MTS is a deacon in the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, and the founder of Aurem Cordis, an apostolate dedicated "to promote the truth and beauty of the gospel by encouraging others to submit themselves freely to the life-giving love of the Trinity and to become living witnesses to that love in the world." Deacon Burke-Sivers gives talks around the country on spirituality, family life, lay vocations, and other topics, and has appeared on "Catholic Answers Live", EWTN, and many local television and radio programs. He has a BA in economics from Notre Dame and an MTS from the University of Dallas. He, his wife Colleen, and their four children live in Portland, Oregon. Visit the Insight Scoop Blog and read the latest posts and comments by IgnatiusInsight.com staff and readers about current events, controversies, and news in the Church!


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John Carter (2D) (US - BD)
Gabe gets a chance to see the movie everyone is dumping on this year...
While trying to escape his Civil War responsibilities on Earth, runaway soldier John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is magically transported to Mars, where the fate of the planet and its people ultimately rest in his hands. With surprising new powers, and epic battles, he rises to become the man he is meant to be and the hero he truly is.
John Carter has become the go-to joke in regards to money loss in 2011, and the behind-the-scenes politics have vastly overshadowed the quality of the film itself in both critical and cultural terms. This is genuinely sad, especially considering the prevailing sense that Disney had entirely given up on the film months before release. There may have been plenty of cause to reject the film, but there's really no excuse for the studio's behavior post release. Usually studios either continue supporting high profile box office flops, desperately spinning the bad news in hopes of changing the tide (see: Warner Bros and Green Lantern), or they quietly ignore the problem altogether (see: Disney and Mars Needs Moms), but Disney publicly distanced themselves from the film, revealing their losses and disappointment, all in bad taste. Though most reports place a hefty amount of blame directly on director Andrew Stanton's shoulders, I don't particularly want to believe the stories of a hard headed Stanton refusing to bend on any aspect of the film, but everything I read seems to verify that Disney gave the former Pixar director a lot of creative freedom and a lot of money to make the exact film he wanted to make and that even the lackluster ad campaign was largely his brain child. This makes me particularly sad, because I'm a huge fan of Stanton's previous work, and had hoped that fellow Pixar alum Brad Bird's success in live action ( Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) would bode well for Stanton's chances. Apparently, it did not.
I really do have to give Disney a lot of credit for not getting too involved with the project in an effort to make it more 'audience friendly'. Outside the silly re-titling of the film (the book is titled Princess of Mars, which Disney thought would chase boys away from the theater, and the series John Carter of Mars, which Disney thought might associate the film with epic flop Mars Needs Moms), no studio type demanded the Earth-bound side of the story be moved up to a modern timeframe, nor did they demand a more science-friendly approach to Edgar Rice Burroughs' decidedly fantasy story (both rumoured changes were made during the film's brief production time at Paramount). Disney's faith in the project was mostly based on their faith in Stanton, who won them huge money and acclaim when he directed Finding Nemo and Wall-E for Pixar, but likely had a little something to do with the surprise success of another surreal, genre-mixing, firmly period set Pirates of the Caribbean films. This time, the experiment didn't quite pay off and Disney is probably going to avoid another similar risk for some time.
Stanton was put in the difficult position of making A Princess of Mars appear somehow unique. Burroughs' century old books have had a huge influence on popular science fiction and fantasy for decades, including George Lucas' entire Star Wars series and James Cameron's Avatar. This influence unfortunately led audiences to accuse John Carter of mimicking the films inspired by Burroughs. It seems like a no win situation, but Stanton could've taken steps to ensure the comparisons would be more conceptual than visual. In creating a film true to his vision of the books Stanton seems to have overlooked that an entire generation of readers envisions the John Carter of Mars universe as filtered through the art of fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, who illustrated paperback covers for the series (along with Burroughs' Tarzan series) during the '60s. At one point during the film's long development cycle Robert Rodriguez was hired as director. Hot off the success of Sin City, Rodriguez had planned on approaching John Carter of Mars similarly, using mostly green screens in an effort to ape an illustrative style; in this case Frazetta's rather than Frank Miller's. Based on his increasing weakness as a director I wouldn't prefer Rodriguez to Andrew Stanton, but his visual approach appeals to me more than Stanton's bright and colourful Lucas and Cameron-like imagery. This isn't to say I'd prefer a tonally darker or even more violent film than the one Stanton delivered (the film is rarely wanting for either), I just wish he'd taken more effort to avoid comparisons to other CG-heavy sci-fi adventures. Even Stanton's family friendly sci-fi epic, Wall-E had a more texturally unique and challenging look. Coincidentally, Marcus Nispel tried and failed miserably to emulate Frazetta's style when he tried to reboot the Conan series for Lionsgate in 2011 (which is especially funny, because Robert Rodriguez was also temporarily attached to that project). It's important to note that, for the most part, Stanton and his design staff appear to have based their film around the art of J. Allen St. John, who was Burroughs' preferred illustrator.
There's a whole lot of information crammed into the first act, but Stanton and his more than capable co-writers Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon mostly manage to keep the story moving without losing the less sci-fi literate members of the audience. Structurally speaking, however, the rest of the film doesn't quite hold to this standard, and loses its way somewhere around the top of the second act. Much of the fault lies with the original book's episodic nature, and the fact that there is at least three hours of plot and character development to cull in only two hours time (which the film runs, minus credits). The loss of focus is trying and, oddly enough, John Carter may have felt shorter with a longer runtime. And the pace slows most drastically just when the build-up is finally finished and storyline finds its legs. Instead of an organically flowing adventure story, things turn into a trudge through more factoids that mark time between set pieces. The bigger issue is the climax and extended coda, where the promise of a sequel leaves too many threads untied, and an entirely unsuccessful romance is awkwardly and suddenly consummated. According to the commentary track the original cut of the film was somewhere around three hours, so it's possible that the original script was soundly structured, and that overzealous editing is at fault for these issues.
Contrary to popular opinion, every ounce of the reported $250 million budget appears on screen. There are some split seams in the blended real and CG worlds, but nothing here is sloppily executed. Stanton rarely makes a particularly weak decision as an action director, consistently capturing the thrill of the moment, but never at the expense of the scale of the sequence. The action is also often punched up with strong character work, and usually accentuated with a genuinely rousing emotional kick (the catharsis of inter-cutting of Carter's melancholy past during the Warhoon massacre is the film's high point). Stanton also changes things up, rarely repeating a particular gag or tonal beat. He also avoids overusing tired clichés like speed-ramping or shaky camera effects (hand-held camera styles are utilized, but usually to increase scale, not to create chaos). The final battle is successful as a standalone sequence, but is the most disappointing of the major set pieces because it feels rushed by the oncoming narrative climax. There's plenty of thrill and scope in the action, but the overall experience putters in terms of real awe between these sequences. This disappointment doesn't really mark the film as bad, or even unfun, it just marks it as something less than the creative parties and material promised. I never got that rush of watching a new universe unravel. I never felt like I was watching the next Star Wars or Lord of the Rings and was unfortunately reminded more of the lower-tier charm of Stargate and Chronicles of Riddick.
This film has its share of missed comedic opportunities and flat-falling jokes, but it also has plenty of genuine laughs – the one thing neither Avatar nor the Star Wars prequels ever managed to achieve (Ewan McGregor's best efforts notwithstanding). This success lies in the talents of the three credited writers. Stanton and Mark Andrews have a solid comedy backing in their animated work ( Toy Story 1 and 2, Monsters Inc, The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille), while Michael Chabon is renowned for his less broad comedic abilities, including his Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This team rarely gels narratively, but tonally are entirely in step. Much of the charm is found in the digital characters, which would, of course, land right in the middle of Stanton's wheelhouse. Woola, Carter's cutsey pet Martian dog, is among the film's greatest achievements. Not only is he a fully integrated special effect, he's genuinely cute and amusing. Stanton should've earned Disney a fortune in Woola toys. The Tharks take a little time to get used to, but are ultimately quite loveable creatures with more character and depth than most 100% CG movie critters. I admit it's hard to tell them apart (a few strong performances aside), but there's no denying the film suffers whenever they're missing from the screen.
Taylor Kitsch has bared a heavy brunt of criticism, but I don't see his performance as particularly weak; rather, the character of John Carter is the one thing most steadily damaged by over-familiarity. His growth as a character is ingrained in his character type – the reluctant antihero. We've seen this arc hundreds of times and, outside of some potent comedy, there just isn't much here for Kitsch to work with. Lynn Collins does much more with her limited means, but sadly, her romantic chemistry with Kitsch never really works despite the best efforts of both parties. There's just no time to care about the relationship budding on the battlefield and one really expects more from Stanton, who created one of the more affecting romantic relationships in recent memory between two robots that communicated mostly through a series of chirps and beeps.
I'm surprised to discover that John Carter was shot in Panavision anamorphic using traditional 35mm film. I swore that this heavily digitally composited film had been shot using state of the art digital HD cameras, but apparently Andrew Stanton (like Brad Bird) was interested in breaking away from the digital format entirely for his first live action film. For the most part, Stanton and cinematographer Daniel Mindel do quite well with the format's idiosyncrasies, using fine film grain to create texture, and reveling in the artefacts created by the anamorphic format, but the strong detail levels also tend to create some unattractive blending issues between the film-based footage and the digital augmentations. At best, it looks beautiful; at worst, it looks kind of like The Phantom Menace. The digital elements are consistently sharper, even in the shallow focus, which sets them apart from the more limited film elements, which turn a bit mushy in comparison. Close-up textures and details match very well however, and the utter sharpness of important bits is never short of impressive. I personally enjoyed the high contrast, dark and cool look of the Earthbound sequences a little more than the much brighter and warm Martian sequences, but these are really only present for the sake of contrast. 35mm just tends to look better when dealing in contrasts. Once we hit Mars things certainly become more stylized, and the quality standards of the transfer change. There are still delightfully rich black levels, but the vibrant qualities of the omnipresent yellows and reds really take control, leaving even the darkest sequences tinted warmly. The warm hues are highlighted with blues that are sharply cut without bleeding, and the purity of the hues is maintained without too much digital noise.
There is no shortage of multi-channel action on this DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack. The complexity and consistency of the track is so close to perfection that I'm finding it hard to find anything interesting to say about it. As per usual, the action scenes are the standouts, and these are strongest while contrasting each other. The first big set piece is an airship battle that focuses largely on the sound of the film's technology, and is designed to sound buoyant and swift. In contrast, the second big action beat is quieted by the mournful musical score to sell the emotional impact of the scene. Then the arena sequence revels in the primal sounds, like the smashing of rocks and the roaring of giant beasts. Directional effects and high dynamic ranges define this sequence. The climatic smash-up in Helium is the most bombastic sequence in the film, and feels like a culmination of every previous sequence's aural excesses. Other fun bits of dynamic range often occur at the top and bottom of scene changes, where the sound designers tend to use a strong build up of noise as a contrast between cuts, and the creepy crawly sound of the 'blue' technology is about as close as the mix gets to Star Wars and Star Trek levels of unique sound. The centered dialogue is clear and consistent, but a bit too soft overall, even when they're delegated to the stereo channels. Michael Giacchino is quickly becoming my favourite film composer, especially following his work with Pixar and JJ Abrams, and this composition does not disappoint. I only wish he'd found a couple of hummable themes. The soundtrack doesn't quite find an ideal mix between the music and sound effects during the action sequences, but, overall, the score is presented richly, and with the proper LFE influence.
Extras begin with a commentary track featuring director Andrew Stanton and producers Jim Morris and Lindsey Collins. The track never deals with the film's disappointing box office or reviews, but rather than an attempt to avoid controversy this is likely due to the timing of the recording (which was probably pre-release). The track is focused and informative without ever sounding too formal or stale. The participants work well together, and discuss the long process of bringing John Carter to the screen with affection and humour. Stanton also manages to praise his cast and crew without placating them, which is infectious, and makes me want to appreciate the film more than I did. The second big extra here should be the Disney Second Screen option, which promises interactive and behind the scenes features on the viewer's computer or wireless device. Unfortunately, Disney doesn't put these things up early for reviewers, so I'll have to wait until after the release date to discover the qualities of this particular extra.
Next up is 100 Years in the Making (10:40, HD), an all too brief look at Edgar Rice Burroughs' work throughout the years, the huge influence the John Carter of Mars series had on popular fiction, and the process of bringing the film to the big screen. It includes interviews with Stanton, Iron Man director Jon Favreau, writer Michael Chabon, producer Jim Morris, author Steven Barnes, actors Willem Dafoe and Taylor Kitsch, philosophy professor Dr. Robert Zeuschner, production designer William Stout and super-physicist Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson, along with an actor reading from interviews with Burroughs, period photographs, test footage from an older animated film, and paperback and film production illustrations. This is followed by 360 Degrees of John Carter (34:30, HD), a raw look at a day on the set hosted by Stanton, including the make-up, costuming, catering, effects prep, pre-viz, direction, cinematography, direction, motion capture acting (with Willem Dafoe) and stunts.
The disc also features ten deleted scenes (19:00 including intro, HD) in various points of completion, all with optional commentary from Stanton, a blooper reel (2:00, HD), and Disney trailers.
John Carter is a perfectly entertaining epic with its heart and money in the right place, but, considering the parties involved and wealth of narrative material, it really should've been great. I assume there won't be a sequel anytime soon, but I hope that the film's failure won't mark an end to director Andrew Stanton's live action career, because of everything wrong with the film his basic directing talents are not in question. This 2D release looks fantastic outside of some minor issues between the blending of CG and 35mm elements, the DTS-HD MA sound is demo-worthy, and the extras are just above average, short of the upcoming Disney Second Screen option, which won't go live until the release date.
* Note: The images on this page are not representative of the Blu-ray image quality.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Existing Posts
I really want to see this one.
Excellent review, I couldn't agree more.
This movie was just dull.
I went and saw it in IMAX 3D strictly based on learning about how it had influenced so many sci-fi stories in the past. Before seeing it, I will say none of the trailers, posters or marketing got me excited one bit, nothing looked interesting. I went into this hoping to be surprised and just found it to be flat.
Mars was a dull looking desert - hardly anything alien about it (even just color palette-wise). The white apes arena (though the idea may have come before ATTACK OF THE CLONES) was visually straight ripped from an already dull action sequence by Lucas.
The Tharks design never gelled with the rest of the film. Again, it may have been true to Burroughs description, but it wasn't visually stimulating and the evil ones never looked menacing.
I'm surprised Disney never put, "From the director of Finding Nemo and Wall-E" in the trailers or on the poster, because that should have brought in some more audience.
The movie deserved to be the flop it was. It was mediocre at best in terms of writing and acting and Stanton couldn't even give the audience something interesting to watch because the look of Mars barely differed from the look of the Civil War desert.
My last gripe, aside from the blue/red color, I couldn't tell the difference between the two "human" factions when they were in their armor. In the opening battle I didn't even know who was fighting who. At least give the bad guys some different styled armor / color or something... I mean come on!
I went and saw it in IMAX 3D strictly based on learning about how it had influenced so many sci-fi stories in the past. Before seeing it, I will say none of the trailers, posters or marketing got me excited one bit, nothing looked interesting. I went into this hoping to be surprised and just found it to be flat.
Mars was a dull looking desert - hardly anything alien about it (even just color palette-wise). The white apes arena (though the idea may have come before ATTACK OF THE CLONES) was visually straight ripped from an already dull action sequence by Lucas.
The Tharks design never gelled with the rest of the film. Again, it may have been true to Burroughs description, but it wasn't visually stimulating and the evil ones never looked menacing.
I'm surprised Disney never put, "From the director of Finding Nemo and Wall-E" in the trailers or on the poster, because that should have brought in some more audience.
The movie deserved to be the flop it was. It was mediocre at best in terms of writing and acting and Stanton couldn't even give the audience something interesting to watch because the look of Mars barely differed from the look of the Civil War desert.
My last gripe, aside from the blue/red color, I couldn't tell the difference between the two "human" factions when they were in their armor. In the opening battle I didn't even know who was fighting who. At least give the bad guys some different styled armor / color or something... I mean come on!
I loved this film, and thought that Disney did an absolutely horrible job in its marketing. This film should have been huge, and it wasn't. Sadly, it was only the first of Taylor's 2012 flops (Battleship).
Talk about rush-released.
"John Carter has become the go-to joke in regards to money loss in 2011"
It only came out in March!
"John Carter has become the go-to joke in regards to money loss in 2011"
It only came out in March!
Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
Disc Details
Release Date: 5th June 2012
Discs: 2
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.40:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 English, DVS 2.0 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 French and Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Director's Commentary, Disney Second Screen, 100 Years in the Making, 360 Degrees of John Carter, Deleted Scenes with Optional Director's Commentary, Blooper Reel, DVD Copy
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Andrew Stanton
Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Hayden Church
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Length: 132 minutes
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Home >Fabric>Sewing Fabric>All Fabric>FreeSpirit Essentials Solids - Clover Fabric Fat Quarter
The Freespirit Designer Essentials fabric collection is ideal for patchwork and perfect for home decoration.
These solid plain fabrics are available in a wide range of different colours.
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text:
Hi folks,
Had a false start a few months ago with my outdated Lisp-in-a-box on a mac but picked up a cheap as chips Thinkpad and thanks to a very helpul fellow on youTube got emacs,SBCL,Slime installed ok.
Working slowly through the above mentioned book and i'm already stuck on page 23
CL-USER> (defun prompt-read (prompt)
(format *query-io* "~a: " prompt)
(force-output *query-io*)
(read-line *query-io))
; caught WARNING:
; undefined variable: *QUERY-IO
; compilation unit finished
; Undefined variable:
; caught 1 WARNING condition
STYLE-WARNING: redefining COMMON-LISP-USER::PROMPT-READ in DEFUN
What does this all mean? it does return PROMPT-READ after all ?
Thanks in advance


text:
Roosevelt Island Residents Association Meeting Tonight 8 PM, Come Learn What Is Going On - Meetings Conducted Using Roberts Rules Of Order
The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will be meeting tonight, 8 PM, at the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street).
As always, prior to the start of each monthly meeting there is a public session in which residents can come and address the Common Council Delegates on any issue of concern.
RIRA meeting are conducted using parliamentary procedures according to Roberts Rules Of Order. During the December 2012 RIRA meeting, Common Council Members Trevre Andrews and Frank Farance presented a brief review on conducting meetings under Roberts Rules.
Here's the presentation by Mr. Andrews and Mr. Farance.