text:
In photo above, Seoul, Korea Mayor Park Won-Soon (2nd from left), pays his respects to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King at their crypt at The King Center on June 26th after laying a wreath. A leading human rights activist and lawyer before his election last October, The Mayor has been described by The Economist magazine as a "self-styled "citizens' candidate" and "anti-establishment independent," whose election was "a remarkable victory for people power." The Mayor, whose casual style and friendly manner has invited comparisons with President Obama, is considered a rising star in Korean politics. With an estimated population of 25.3 million citizens in the greater metropolitan area, Seoul ranks as the world's 3rd most populous city. Pictured with the Mayor is Ms. Barbara Harrison (at far left), The King Center's Director of External Affairs and unidentified members of the Mayor's party (at right).
Above, Seoul, Korea Mayor Park Won-soon (at center) greets fellow visitors at The King Center's Freedom Hall Complex.


text:
|Episode Description
|Monday, Dec 3, 2012 - 6:30 AM
"Back to Basics"
P. Allen Smith makes a visit to the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire. There he tours the vegetable garden and teaches us about the art of broom making. D
|More on LEARN/CREATE (MT)
|No upcoming shows in database
|Previous on LEARN/CREATE (MT)
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Posted 7 years ago
(132 items)
Kent County is over by Grand Rapids, and the Kent Messenger is the local Newspaper. It's been in a little shack By an antique mall for so long, and I ignored it for the longest time. But since I'm trying to collect more signs, I decided to grab it. I haggled the guy who was selling it, he wanted 75 bucks, I told him 25, and we met at 40 bucks. Not bad for a rookie. It has lots of "charracter" to it, (bad shape), and it looks good on my wall. It definatly is a one of a kind, because I don't there are that many floating around. The guy who sold it to me said it was from the 20's.


text:
(Forwarded from the Northern Electric Interurban)
An industrial spur long abandoned in Pittsburg. View is eastward. Photo by Andrew Laverdiere, February 2009.
The Sacramento Northern Railroad, a subsidiary of Western Pacific, came into existence around 1929, and was composed of the Oakland, Antioch & Eastern Railroad (also the San Francisco-Sacramento Railroad, originally the Oakland and Antioch Railway), and the Northern Electric Interurban; each of these former lines were in service as early as 1900. Originally electrified, the line converted to diesel in the 1960s. The SN disappeared when Western Pacific was merged into Union Pacific in 1982.
When the Bay Bridge opened between San Francisco and Oakland, Sacramento Northern trains used the tracks on the lower deck. The tracks on the bridge have been gone for decades, but the subject of rebuilding a transit line there is raised from time to time. Meanwhile, most of the mainline and branches have been abandoned, some segments are still in use or were rebuilt for new uses:
1. Yolo Shortline runs the line from Woodland through West Sacramento south to Tasco.
2. Sacramento's Light Rail line was rebuilt over the right-of-way of the Swanston branch northeast of downtown Sacramento.
3. The Western Railway Museum has acquired 20 miles of the former right-of-way between Sacramento and the Bay Area. The volunteers of the WRM rebuilt the track, and re-strung and energized overhead trolley wire along the way, allowing them to run excursions using vintage streetcars and interurbans (see picture below).
4. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rebuilt a section through the hills east of Oakland, between Walnut Creek and North Concord.
Rockville Branch: The Sacramento Northern's Rockville Branch served agricultural areas of Solano County. The branch was Y-shaped, and connected to the SN main over tracks that are now operated by the Western Railway Museum. The branch crossed over the Southern Pacific Oakland-to-Sacramento mainline on a bridge, and then divided into two legs. One branch headed north-northwest to Vacaville, while the other headed southwest to Fairfield (near Rockville). These routes were abandoned after packing houses switched to trucks or closed, and the associated farmland was sold to developers.
Montezuma, CA: Just north of the Sacramento Northern's ferry crossing of the Sacramento River at Suisan Bay, the line ran through low-lying marsh land and across sloughs near Montezuma. There are many remains of the former SN in this area.
Thanks to Richard Vantine and Jack Witthaus for contributing information about this route.
Add your comments
Thanks for the info. Living in the Fairfield area for the last 10 years, I've noticed several spots in both Fairfield and Vacaville that might of been SN right of ways. There's a spot from North Texas thru Airbase Parkway that looks to me a railroad right of way. My inquires so far with old time residents have given me no answer. Also when I moved here the right of way on Elmira in Vacaville was still there, it's since been paved over. I have a book called When the Railroad leaves town with an article on the abandoning of rail's in Vacaville with pictures of a Bay area electric railroad assoc. charter in the mid 60's on Elmira. Someone out there should have photo history of SN trackage during and before that time. The Historical Society in Vacaville had no info. , but were happy to copy the article from my book. The Rio Vista railroad museum was'nt much help also.
thomas biagi
fairfield, CA
Excellent photos from all who contributed. It's great to see portions of lines rebuilt, even if only for light or recreational use. If I was rich it would be really fun to rebuild a line for my own use. :)
Kevin M. Smith
Cicero, NY
The terminus for sac/nor was at 40th st/broadway oakland,now a medical building and ran up shafter st thru the hills to
saranap etc one can still see most of the route.
orinda, CA
The SN right of war can be discerned by looking at the street configurations on a map and at satellite photos (Like Google Maps). The Linear Park is the old SN RW. On the west side or town the RR crossed US HWY 40 (I80) then turned SW parallel to the highway to Wilotta which was across Abernathy Rd. In the 1970's there were still rails in the Abernathy Road crossing. A Y at Travis Blvd connected with a branch to Suisun City. The Willotta to Suisun line was one of the earliest built. The track in Suisun was abandonded years before the SN was formed. East of Peobody Road a second Y connected the branch to Vacaville. On the other leg a third Y connected the branch to Travis AFB
D. Schmitt
Marysville, CA
One of the points of interest on the map is labeled "Abandoned tunnel under Berkeley Hills". It's actually the Oakland Hills.
Stephen K.
Oakland, CA
Hate to say it, but your routing through Oakland is not accurate. From your "Point of Interest" at 40th & Shafter, the routing went north on Shafter, east on Miles (now under Hwy 24), crossing north of Chabot Road, passing north of Lake Temescal but south of Hwy 13, to the trestle east of Moraga Avenue. Moraga Avenue is too steep for trains, and 40th St between Broadway and Piedmont Ave had local Key System streetcars running along it. Email me back, and I can send you my exhaustively-researched KML of the routing :)
Andy B.
Oakland, CA
[Thanks Andy, I've corrected the map based on your notes. —Greg Harrison]
Thank you for providing this map. It gives a very good general overview of the route.
Unfortunately, I have to point out another inaccuracy. You have the route past Saint Mary's College incorrect. The route should go through the middle of what is now the sports fields. The ROW is actually shown on the map, along the edge of the Pat Vincent field, where the dark field meets the light field.
Lamorinda, CA
[Thanks "B", I've corrected the map based on your notes as well. —Greg Harrison]
My father was the last president and general manager of the Sacramento Northern and Tidewater Southern. He retired after 47 years with the railroad in 1965.
I have memories of the right of way leases with cities expiring. X Street and Alhambra in Sacramento - the leases were 49 or 99 years.
tom kearney
Sacramento, CA
Remains of a overpass are still in place at Broadway Terrance
Cupertino, CA
The former Sankey Yard on the corner of Sankey and Pleasant Grove Road in Elverta is now operated by Modoc Railroad Academy. It is no longer connected to the former WP Mainline. The embankment along the former ROW still exists north of here, but I don't know for how far.
Bob Daniels
Boothbay Harbor, ME
One of the portals under Berkeley Hills is at the junction of Shepherd Canyon Rd. and Sarnari Dr.
Cupertino, CA
The other portal is at Pinehurst Road
Does anyone know if tracks still run from Broadway Terrace south to Moraga, alongside Hwy 13? You can see the old telephone poles and what looks like a flat section of ground. I tried Google Earth but can only see the telephone lines.
Castro Valley, CA
Do you where I can obtain a rail map of the rails from Elmira to Rumsey? Thank you for your assistance
Ed Stephenson
Vacaville, CA
I enjoy your work. Thanks.
There is another map problem. In Walnut Creek the Sacramento Northern did not go so far east - it did not go through the Broadway Shopping Center. It turned North further East - following California Ave north to the current Walnut Creek Bart Station and then went where the Bart tracks are now.
Moraga, CA
[Thanks Lon, I've corrected the map. —Greg Harrison]
@Anne ... No, the tracks were pulled up for scrap long ago. But you are indeed looking at the ROW embankment running along Highway 13.
John R.
Oakland, CA
And a couple of minor Oakland map tweaks: 1) The line from College Avenue to Broadway should be straight with a slight left curve just before it meets Broadway under the freeway; 2) The line coming up Shafter projects straight to College where it would meet Miles if Miles didn't have the slight dogleg. (This straight stretch of Miles used to be Shafter east of College.)
A survivor from the SN era is the depot at Meridian, west of Yuba City on State Highway 20. Now restored as a private residence, it was reportedly built from the same plans as the Pacific Electric Glendale station, which is long gone.
Bob Davis
San Gabriel, CA
When was this posted? cuz I kinda like this railroad. Is it brand new or just with the new symbol if you added more pictures?
Las Vegas, NV
I once heard that there's video's of bobby soxers and their friends getting on the train at Walnut Creek station in the 50's and 60's. Anybody know where I can find these?
Kit Hill
Oakland, CA
I have an old VHS of the Sacramento Northern, depicting part of it as transit from Oakland to the old State fairgrounds at Stockton Blvd. and Broadway. When I moved to Sacramento in 1971 I remember seeing remnants of trackage just off of Stockton Blvd near the fairgrounds that hadn't been paved over yet. But there is no trace of them any longer. I assume they've just been completely paved over since it would have been pretty costly to remove the rails.
Bill Tubbs
Clay, CA
On the system map, what do the dotted lines signify?
Seattle, WA
The dotted lines could be either connecting passenger service by bus or connecting freight service by truck. This map is from a book about the SN.
Mike Palmer
L A County, CA
Does anyone know if the Iron Horse Trail crossing Monument Blvd is the ROW of the SN (former Oakland Antioch)? There are two wide open areas between Monument Blvd and Treat that May have been passing tracks or even small yards. Even an old trestle at Monument Blvd.
Pleasant Hill, CA
Hi, Frank. No, the Iron Horse trail and the bridge next to Monument Blvd is not the ROW of the Sacramento Northern. The Iron Horse trail is the old Southern Pacific RR line that ran from Martinez along Market Street in Concord (where there was a classic SP station but now sits the BMW dealership) thru Walnut Creek, Danville and San Ramon and terminating in Pleasanton where it joined the SP running between Stockton and Oakland.
The wide space in the old SP ROW south of the bridge you see from Monument Blvd., was in fact, as I recall, a siding for the lumber company and grain and feed stores that were located off Hookston Rd.
The SP pulled up its tracks in -as I recall- the Fall of 1979.
The SN, on the other hand, ran to the east of the SP ROW from Port Chicago (Concord Naval Weapons Station) south through Concord and Walnut Creek generally taking the same route as the current BART tracks. Indeed, the SN took the first BART cars to the Concord BART yard in the 1960s. From Walnut Creek it swung west through Lafayette, Moraga and Canyon (megatropolis of the west) and then into the tunnel to Oakland.
The SN pulled up its remaining track from the Concord BART yard up to Port Chicago in the early 1980's.
Hope you find this helpful.
Concord, CA
Many thanks for this excellent response. It is all very clear to me now. My grandparents (and father) made several trips to Concord from SF 100 years ago and would have ridden the Oakland & Antioch (SN). It is fun to think about the route they would have followed. Again thanks so much for your comments.
Pleasant Hill, CA
Regarding your comment for Colusa on the map, I own an older Sacramento Northern book which has a photo shows the track turning in a circle at the end of the line. I will add the book title and page number soon.
Dixon, CA
Regarding my previous post, page 90 of SACRAMENTO NORTHERN GALLERY by James H. Harrison has a photo of the loop at the end of track in Colusa. There was a small stockyard inside the loop.
Dixon, CA
I saw a picture from the Sacramento Room that shows a NR car stopped across from Swantson's Meat Packing in North Sacrament. The Southern Pacific RR are in between. My thinking is that it came past the Essex Pencil Factory east along Bassetlaw Ave (now Arden) crossed Del Paso Blvd., and later turned left and crossed the American River. Could have been like a spur. I don't see how it could have went further north from from where is was sitting. I think there was a split several blocks west and ran along side what was called Traction St. or Ave.
C Compton
Sacramento, CA
I guess I should have read, before I wrote.
This is out towards the Cortland area
West Sacramento, CA
Was there a turning Y along Webster in Fairfield at some point. The streets indicate something was there, but I have never found a map showing it.
Fairfield, CA
SN used to have rails right up to the waterfront in Suisun City. I suspect that they wye you mention was the starting point of that line.
Dixon, CA
There is Still a siding overgrown next to the Bart tracks across from the Bart Yard in Concord. You can only see it from a cab of a bart train. And that is why I know of it. Guessing Bart saw no reason to remove it since it did not interfer with the double main line. I always wondered if it was a siding or the old main line of SN. Goes for a hundred yards or so. It is between the Bart main line and the fence line which has always been quite wide in the concord area. You can google earth the ROW in the channel crossing area of susiun bay [both sides] and see that there is still much of the ROW with rails just laying there.
G Johnston
Tracy, CA
Where exactly was the Yolano station? My mother remembers it as a small Spanish style. I want to know because the house she lived in around 1940 was near there and it would be neat to see if it's still there. She also lived further south and caught the train regularly at Dozier.
Sacramento , CA
Following up. I found Yolano and showed my mother the satellite and streetview images and she recognized the old house there as the old irrigation district office, but the house and station are gone. Fun!
Sacramento, CA
Can yo point me to a kml of this map, or even email it to me?
G. Cleveland
Penn Valley
I used to take the E train with my grandmother to Sf. The spot where we picked it up was on Claremont Avenue in Berkeley right around the corner from where my grandparents lived. The pictures bring back such memories. I remember looking out as we crossed under the Bay Bridge and seeing the water. That was back in the mid to late 50's. Not long after that we lost our home in Oakland due to eminent domain..BART and huge changes on Hy 24.
Dana Kindt Booth
Walnut Creek , CA
Hi, My name is Dave and I was just looking at your website abandonedrails.com and thought perhaps I would message you on your contact form to see if you need help. I really liked your website but noticed you weren't getting a lot of traffic to your site and your Alexa ranking wasn't as strong as it could be.
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Do you have any pictures or information about The Sacramento Northern Railroad?


text:
GISCafe Tutorials
Sanjay Gangal
Sanjay Gangal is the President of IBSystems, the parent company of AECCafe.com, MCADCafe, EDACafe.Com, GISCafe.Com, and ShareCG.Com.
Enhanced Catalog Searching with Geospatial Technology at the Harvard Libraries
January 13th, 2012 by Sanjay Gangal
This video shows how Enhanced Catalog Searching with Geospatial Technology applies geocoding concepts to catalog data in Library Cloud and then place the results on a map interface. Then the results are incorporated to enable more advanced geospatial analysis techniques such as proximity and density analysis to aid in the discovery of library resources.
Distributed Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation Web Application for Eye on Earth Summit with MDG & WGI by ForeStClim
January 12th, 2012 by Sanjay Gangal
The Interreg IVB program of the European Union has been funding this sub-project of the http://www.forestclim.eu/ project, for evaluation of climate change vulnerability and adaptation in different regions in Northwestern Europe.
This is the first (prototype) version.
The second demonstration
About ForeStClim
Read the rest of Distributed Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation Web Application for Eye on Earth Summit with MDG & WGI by ForeStClim
ArcMap tutorials by Kanal Von Ricckli
January 11th, 2012 by Sanjay Gangal
Kanal has been posting a number of useful tutorials on ArcMap. Here are a few of them.
First steps in ArcGIS (ArcMap), contrast and comsposite bands (layer stack)
This is a getting-started video for ArcGIS arcmap, add data, layer information, viewing options, arctoolbox, the concept of contrast, changing contrast, calculating statistics and generating a layer stack or composit image for illustration and analysis purpose.
Autodesk Labs: Project Silverstar for AutoCAD Civil 3D Tutorial
January 9th, 2012 by Sanjay Gangal
Project Silverstar for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2012 is a free technology preview that provides cloud-based optimization for vertical road alignments. Project Silverstar uses a new numerical cloud algorithm that uses modern mathematical optimization techniques to find optimal profiles for given horizontal alignments. This is a tutorial in two parts.
Part I
Part II
Dynamic Google Maps Location Tutorial For PHP + MySQL Driven Websites
December 15th, 2011 by Sanjay Gangal
Flashbuilding has a number of very interesting tutorials for web developers. This tutorial shows how to add a dynamic Google map on a web page that uses Php and MySQL but the concept can be applied to any web page.
ARCGIS.Com Tutorials Update from EsriTV – How to add pop-up windows to your map
December 14th, 2011 by Sanjay Gangal
This is an update to the previously published article about ARCGIS.Com Tutorials from EsriTV
How to add pop-up windows to your map.
Read the rest of ARCGIS.Com Tutorials Update from EsriTV – How to add pop-up windows to your map
JournalismGIS tutorials on ArcGIS 10 and QGIS
December 13th, 2011 by Sanjay Gangal
Using ArcGIS 10 and Census to interpolate the population within a radius of a location.
This tutorial will show you how to use areal interpolation to calculate the number of people living within a certain radius of a location. In this demo I use airports located in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Using ArcMap 10 to join Excel data with a shapefile
This video uses the join method to add user created data from an Excel file to a shapefile of airport locations.
Opening and looking at Census shapefiles on QGIS
Using the Open Source QGIS program to open and look at Shapefiles.
ArcMap tutorials by GISTutorials: Creating a Seemless Raster Mosaic/ Basic Georeferencing/ Advanced Labeling
December 12th, 2011 by Sanjay Gangal
Creating a Seamless Raster Mosaic
This tutorial shows how to mosaic rasters and how to correct the seem errors using the raster calculator and the focalmean function. Seem errors occur when two rasters don't intersect correctly.
This method has changed in ArcGIS 10. It has adopted a python syntax. Also you don't assign rasters algebraically like in previous versions. Instead you set the output to a new raster (it will be obvious within the Raster Calculator). The new syntax would look like this:
Basic Georeferencing
This tutorial shows how to take a screenshot from Google Maps and correctly place it in space. This allows you to digitize buildings, roads, etc. from it and have them be correctly spatially referenced.
Advanced Labeling in ArcMap
This tutorial shows how to use the Expression-based labeling features of ArcMap to turn attribute based labels into any text you want.
ArcGIS Tutorials by KnowGIS
December 9th, 2011 by Sanjay Gangal
KnowGIS has been publishing a lot of ArcGIS tutorials on Youtube. Here are a select few:
Points to Lines in ArcGIS Desktop for Android Phone GPS Mapping
This short tutorial provides an overview of methods and techniques used to map a bike route and import the data into ArcGIS Desktop 10. Comma separated values (CSV), GPX and KML files are used as part of the tutorial. A short discussion on recreational grade verses professional mapping grade GPS is followed by a discussion on using data obtained from a GPS-enabled smart phone. Points are converted to lines using ArcGIS Desktop.
A short discussion is presented comparing mapping grade GPS receivers, survey grade GPS receivers, and recreation grade GPS receivers.
Image Registration using ArcGIS 10
This tutorial focuses on ArcGIS Desktop's powerful interactive raster and image registration tools. This tutorial reviews link tables, image sources, and the use of vector point data to facilitate image registration.
Resampling methods, transformation methods, and a discussion of orthorectification are provided.
Raster data obtained by scanning maps or aerial images usually do not contain information that tells where the image fits on the earth's surface. The task of Georeferencing raster data defines where the data lies in map coordinates.
This tutorial is hosted by Jere Folgert.
Creating a Route and Hatches using ArcGIS Desktop
During this tutorial, a route is generated for use in Rural Addressing. Routes are created using an ArcView License of ArcGIS Desktop v 10.x. A measure is applied to the route, routes are displayed using hatches or hatch marks, and the Route Identify Tool is used to facilitate the generation of a new rural address. This tutorial provides a demonstration of using routes to implement the Frontage Interval Addressing System.
Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2012
December 6th, 2011 by Sanjay Gangal
This is not quite a tutorial but more of a promotional video from Autodesk but it gives a good preview of features in the Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Premium 2012.
Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Premium 2012 is a comprehensive BIM for infrastructure solution combining the tools needed to plan, design, build, and manage transportation, land, water, and energy infrastructure projects, offered as a single economical and convenient purchase. Watch this video to get an introduction to Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Premium 2012.


text:
The Daily Word 5.03.10: Time Travel, Skunk Ape, Taliban.
Stephen Hawking predicts time travel.
A Taliban leader, presumed dead, is now threatening U.S. cities.
The latest Noah's Ark claim was a hoax.
There are good leads in investigating the failed Times Square car bomb.
The Enquirer reports on an alleged Obama affair.
The Skunk Ape has been spotted in South Georgia.
Apple sold a million iPads in one month.
Polanski insinuates that his 1977 guilty plea was coerced through judicial impropriety.
Spiderman and Jedi foiled the heist of a valuable X-Men comic.
Nkazi Sinandile's hunger strike has ended!
Vandals tagged several Bank of America locations with the Number of the Beast.
The Astorga trial begins today.
Nakeisha Barnes hit a pedestrian at Menaul and San Mateo.
Oh, dear. It's Christopher Cross' birthday.


text:
Date: Sat, 22 May 1999 23:27:59 -0500 (CDT)
From: Michael Eisenscher <email@example.com>
Subject: Thailand Caves in to Burma, Cancels Union Conference
Article: 65174
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Message-ID: <email@example.com>
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thai officials have abruptly canceled an international trade union conference expected to discuss forced labor and democracy in neighboring Myanmar, organizers said today.
The conference, months in the planning, was to run next week at the same time as a controversial summit in Bangkok between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union.
The EU-ASEAN meeting has been delayed for nearly a year due to objections by European countries over the participation of Myanmar, a member of ASEAN since 1997 and the target of EU sanctions over the poor human-rights record of its military government.
The Singapore-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions-Asia and Pacific Regional Organizations disclosed today that the Thai government withdrew permission this week for labor the conference, which was to bring together 130 people from 20 countries.
Michel Caillouet, the European Commission's ambassador in Thailand, told reporters that the EU-ASEAN meeting would go on despite the labor conference's cancellation.
There is no link between the two programs. The timing appears
to be a coincidence, Caillouet said.
We would not be happy,
because we support free speech. But there is no link.
The union organization said that the Thai Foreign Ministry had approved the gathering, which was to discuss trade union action in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Members of the Myanmar pro-democracy movement were invited to attend.
In a letter received Thursday, however, the Thai Ministry of Labor
and Social Welfare, said that holding the conference
result in negative effects on the good relations between Thailand
and its neighbor.
The Singapore-based union organization said in a statement that
Bangkok's decision was
a sad reflection on the so-called
sovereignty of Thailand.
Signed by secretary general Takashi Izumi, the statement said that the incident would add to the negative view trade unions have had of the candidacy of a Thai deputy prime minister, Supachai Pantichpakdi, to head the World Trade Organization.
Officials at the union organization said on condition of anonymity that they would eventually hold the conference in another country. No date has been set.
The EU-ASEAN meeting is extremely sensitive and has highlighted rifts between the two regional blocs since Myanmar was admitted as a member two years ago.
EU officials have refused to sit at the same table with ASEAN if Myanmar takes a seat as an equal member, and ASEAN has insisted that Myanmar cannot be relegated to observer status.
Caillouet said in a briefing that the meeting was finally going ahead because ASEAN has agreed to come not as a bloc but as separate countries. Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia will be present but will not be allowed to speak.
The other ASEAN members -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- have accords with the EU that take into account human-rights and will participate fully.


text:
Poll: Majority say their jobs are satisfying
There's an appropriate survey to talk about this Labor Day. An Associated Press poll finds that most Americans are very satisfied with their jobs. Most say work is an important part of who they are. Those most likely to feel that way were white, married, college-educated, homeowners and Republicans. The president of the AFLCIO, John Sweeney, says the latest government statistics indicate working Americans are worse off than they were four years ago. Organized labor is seizing on the numbers in trying to boost pro-labor candidates in the November election. Many workers in the A-P poll say they worry about the increasing job stress, health care and retirement benefits. The poll of 589 workers was taken in mid-August and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.


text:
Undergraduate writers from around the nation are bringing their stories, essays and poems to the University of Houston this week.
For the second year, the university is hosting Boldface, a conference dedicated to the talents of undergraduate writers. The event runs June 7 - 12 at UH.
During the conference, participants will attend workshop sessions led by graduate students in UH's noted Creative Writing Program (CWP). They also will attend master classes to engage in dialogues with professional writers.
"Boldface is an innovative conference that makes available to undergraduates and emerging writers the type of intense workshop education that is normally available only to graduate students and more advanced writers," said j. Kastely, director for the Creative Writing Program. "The conference offers an intense immersion into creative writing, and both workshop instructors and workshop participants have found the experience to be enormously helpful."
Student participants also will have the opportunity to showcase their works during readings that are open to the public. Readings will be delivered from 4 - 5 p.m., June 7 - 10 in UH's Rockwell Pavilion (second floor of M.D. Anderson Library).
The conference complements the university's ongoing efforts to develop undergraduate writers. Among these is the literary journal Glass Mountain, which is devoted to poetry and fiction written by undergraduates. Founded in 2006, the publication is edited by undergraduate students with support from faculty advisor Lynn Voskuil. For more details on Glass Mountain, visit www.uh.edu/glassmountain/index.html.
"Students leave the conference with a greater confidence in their writing and with a more focused understanding of how to sustain a life as a writer," Kastely said. "The conference offers the rare chance for students to engage in a community with others who share their passion for writing. Being part of such a community is essential for anyone who wants to be a writer."
As part of UH's English department, CWP offers poets, fiction writers and non-fiction writers intensive training in both creative writing and literary studies. It offers two graduate degrees: the Master of Fine Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. CWP's noted faculty includes award-winning authors and poets such as novelist Antonya Nelson, poet and non-fiction writer Nick Flynn, graphic novelist Mat Johnson and poet Tony Hoagland. To learn more about the program, visit www.class.uh.edu/cwp/.


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Hellraiser: 20th Anniversary Edition (US - DVD R1)
Gabe would prefer his soul wasn't torn apart, thanks anyway Mr. Pinhead...
Frank Cotton solves a mysterious puzzle box and is sent to Hell for his troubles. Later, Frank's brother Larry and his wife, Julia, move into Frank's abandoned house. While moving, Larry cuts his hand and bleeds on the floor of the attic where Frank was 'killed'. The blood brings Frank back to the land of the living, but only partially. Frank convinces Julia, his former lover, to lure men to the attics so that he may kill them and use their blood to rebuild his cells.
Meanwhile, Larry's daughter Kristy catches wind of Frank and Julia's plan, and solves the puzzle box herself. When the demonic Cenobites come calling to take her to Hell, she strikes a deal for the soul of the man that escaped them.
I'll go on record right off the bat here and say that I respect Hellraiser more than I like it. Even as a rather rabid horror fan I've never found the film quite as indispensable as so many other genre aficionados. It just never quite did it for me, but I do understand the film's place in modern horror history, and I do recommend it to anyone who asks.
Hellraiser's first two acts are creepy-crawly and artful, but overall are fairly dull. First time feature director Clive Barker (only widely known for his novella collection The Books of Blood at the time) manages a handful of arresting images, and reigns in a sophisticated and talented cast. There is a sense of fearless experimentation, as Barker fiddles with montages, non-linear story telling, and the occasional surrealist dream sequence. Barker also plays with both the modern and classic conventions of the horror genre, visually and thematically, and this early section of the film contains specific homage to everyone from Poe and Whale to Hitchcock and Argento. If only it wasn't so slow.
When the Cenobites (oh my God, spell check knows that word) finally start talking, and the third act gets rolling, the film begins a rather thrilling and rather gory sprint to the climax. The plot becomes a little cumbersome, and the optical effects are a bit wonky, but the visuals are mostly breathless and the monsters truly original. It's interesting to note that the Cenobites themselves were introduced to use as a common element between possible sequels, proving that Barker and his producers were thinking ahead (it's just too bad that so many awful Hellraiser sequels came of it).
Hellraiser's greatest asset is its lustfully tactile nature. The film is positively dripping with sexual perversion, and the violence is painfully pinpointed. When a Lucio Fulci zombie unravels a spool of guts the audience says "Ew", when fishhooks pierce Frank's flesh and pull the audience screams "Ow". The film features such nightmarishly gross moments as in the re-birth of Frank via Larry's blood, and the maggot spewing head that suddenly appears beside Kristy when she's hiding from the Frank (probably the most enduring image in the entire film for me), but it excels when it makes its audience wince in empathetic agony.
Had Barker's follow up features panned out in any way this early promise might've been the first sign of a brilliant career, as honestly Hellraiser is a better first film than most genre masters ever mustered. It's no The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Night of the Living Dead, but it's more impressive than say Bad Taste or Last House on the Left. Unfortunately Barker's two directorial follow-ups were the studio butchered Night Breed, and the generally bad Lord of Illusions.
Hellraiser is a very dark feature, and this DVD suffers unjustly because of it. Various noise levels are sometimes jarring, darker reds being most obviously afflicted. Details are higher than previous VHS releases, and quite likely as high as humanly possible given original source material, but there is a definitive lack of definition in several shots, wide shots especially. I don't own any previous releases of the film, so I am unable to do a screen shot comparison, but I assume, based on other recent AB/Starz re-releases, that this is the same transfer already made available on the THX certified disc. I doubt this one needs a Blu-ray release guys, I just don't think the material is there.
I haven't heard the original THX certified Anchor Bay release since I rented it about five years ago, so I couldn't tell you if this 5.1 mix is identical, but again, I'm going to assume it is. The track is half average and half great. The average half is the dialogue and the majority of the sound effects. These things are all a little bit flat, and sometimes the sync appears to be slightly off (beyond the fact that some of the English actors had been dubbed with American accents). It's all clear and clean, but no one is going to mistake the track elements for a film of less than twenty years.
The great half comes with Christopher Young's positively wondrous score. I don't love Hellraiser, as I made clear in my feature review, but I love this score, and so does pretty much everyone else with an interest in film music. Even Sam Raimi loved this score enough to drive a stake between his long relationships with Danny Elfman. The Dolby Digital 5.1 remix doesn't fill the channels quite to the degree I'd like, but the music is very rich and thick with deep bass.
This is more or less a re-release of the last Anchor Bay THX certified DVD, which was released about five years ago. The only new editions are a series of interviews, totalling almost sixty minutes. I don't think this is worth a double dip for passing fans that already own that disc, because the interviews are a little repetitive when compared to the original featurette and commentary tracks.
'Mr. Cotton, I Presume?' is an interview with star Andrew Robinson, who chats candidly about his experiences in Hollywood and on stage. Specifically he talks about getting his start in Dirty Harry, and making a comeback in Hellraiser, which are easily his most recognizable films. He seems a little bitter about his subsequent typecasting, but not as much as actress Ashley Lawrence, who gets her chance to chat during 'Actress from Hell'. Lawrence starts and ends her amusing interview impersonating a bimbo actress, and is also quite candid. 'Hellcomposer' is a chat with Christopher Young, who does not look or act anything like one might expect from the man behind such wonderfully soulful music. The final solo interview is with Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley. This interview can also be seen on the Anchor Bay UK Special Edition, and is the shortest of the bunch at only about twelve minutes, but Bradley's warm intelligence is effective and informational.
The commentary with Clive Barker, Ashley Lawrence, and moderated by screenwriter Peter Atkins is a Clive heavy track, and a busy track. Barker and Lawrence are both very honest with their work, some of which they really don't like. It's always nice when artists are capable of recalling older work and properly contextualizing it with what they've done and learned since. This is a good track, and we really don't need a new one.
'Hellraiser Resurrection' is a hold over from the previous THX certified Anchor Bay release, and though not particularly long, is a fine and informative featurette. The time restraints seems to halt some of the more interesting ideas, but for fewer than twenty-five minutes it's rather chock full of stuff. I'd prefer Anchor Bay/Starz making a new and longer documentary, and if they had I could recommend the double dip.
Everything comes to an end with a poster & still gallery, TV and radio spots, and the complete screenplay on DVDROM.
Hellraiser is a genre classic, whether I like it or not, and every self respecting genre fan really should see it. It's slow to get started, but is very well acted, features some (then) original elements, and has a tactile nature not often found in era film. This 20th Anniversary re-release seems to be the same as the previous R1 release, plus three new interviews and one interview swiped from the R2 release. Until AB/Starz gets around to releasing the inevitable Ultimate Edition (give it another year or so), this is probably the most complete disc on the market. Perhaps not worth a double dip, but definitely worth a look.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
Disc Details
Release Date: 23rd October 2007
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
RCE: No
Video: NTSC
Aspect: 1.85:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Extras: Director/Actor Commentary, Featurette, Doug Bradley Interview, Andrew Robinson Interview, Ashley Lawrence Interview, Composer Interview, Trailers, TV Spots, Stills, Screenplay DVDROM
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Clive Barker
Cast: Ashley Lawrence, Andrew Robinson, Dave Atkins, Simon Bamford, Doug Bradley, Niall Buggy
Genre: Horror
Length: 93 minutes
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Exploration is fine if I gain something from it, but to just see huge areas of ocean and cliffs I can't reach pisses me off.
Quote from: Agent D. on June 09, 2012, 07:19:02 AMExploration is fine if I gain something from it, but to just see huge areas of ocean and cliffs I can't reach pisses me off.Yeah but there's not many places where you *can't* reach in the game. When I got to Makna Forest, I thought "can you really go that far off and explore the waterfall?" You can! The game is huge! Take the time to explore!
i dont give a rats ass about exploration just means more opportunity for me to get lost. so is the combat fun?
I stopped playing for some unknown reason and I can't get motivated to start back up.It's fun, yet the quests can be tedious. I'm thinking that's the reason I stopped playing? hmmmm
I have a backlog of games and decided to watch the story/dialogue cut-scenes on Youtube to get the story without having to go through the gameplay (I got stuck on a boss and didn't feel like grinding more to level). Unless I farted around too much in my play-time, it seems that the story doesn't pick up until the middle of the game (around 30/40 or so hours). I think the story should already be fleshed out more by that hour mark, not starting up. Upon the completion of my viewing on Youtube, I believe the main thrust of the story was dragged out and could have been covered in a more timely manner. I also think the characters seem kind of mediocre aside from the "heart-to-heart" interaction. With that said, I have found myself wanting to play through the game rather than being glad that I didn't waste any more time on it.
How far do you need to get in the game before you have characters friendly enough to open up the Heart to Hearts? I'm on the hand and I don't think I've unlocked a single one, besides the mandatory one with Hermione at the start.


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Ok, I lied, one more
And she'll will be available in 10 hot colors, oh yeah!
Magnus wrote:
Is it at all posisble to extent her waistline at the bottom so that it goes out to the lower right and left corners of the torso? That way it would look better when you attach her to legs or a slope brick.
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The fun and froth of the bridal runways is spilling over into the handbag market. The tulle, texture and embellishments – both floral and shimmering – seen on the fall 2012 collections are finding a canvas on handbags, too.
The industry standard – the traditional rectangular clutch – is still an elegant, go-to choice, but it's not the only one to hold that lipstick, smart phone (for Facebook updates, of course) and maybe a mint or two. Whether brides shop their favorite designers or non-traditional venues, such as Zappos.com, they'll find different shapes and colors at all price points, from under $100 on up to the thousands.
Like gowns, brides can order bespoke bags. At Flutter Boutique in Minneapolis, Minn., ila Handbags' envelope-shaped clutches in silk shantung with a double ruffle can be custom ordered in colors from pale pink and charcoal to bright coral and purple with contrast linings for $85 to $135.
"Brides are moving away from the matchy off-white dress and off-white handbag," says Michelle Hanson, owner of Flutter. "They're looking for more eye-catching colors that complement. They may do a pop of color based on the bridesmaid dress or use one of their wedding colors."
The Nordstrom website showcases Coach sequin wristlets in gunmetal or rose gold for $58 and a Sondra Roberts black clutch bejeweled with silk-covered beads for $128. On etsy.com, designer Sherri Weese offers bridal clutches adorned with all-over chiffon rosettes for $79 and sparkling bags with layers of white chiffon ruffles and a rhinestone trim for $49.
For something spendy, brides may opt for the Judith Leiber Airstream Beaded minaudiere, a rounded rectangular carrier fully beaded with silver or gold Austrian crystals, for $1,495 at Neiman Marcus. It also may be difficult to say no to a Christian Louboutin ruched pouch bag in teal satin with a gold frame for $795 on Net-a-porter.com.
Sentimental brides also may like to add a family heirloom to their bag, such as a treasured brooch, to satisfy their bridal requirements of wearing "something old.'
"It's a fun trend and a nice way to make it your own," Hanson says.
Copyright © CTW Features


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text: Watts holds a MA in Theological Studies from United Theological Seminary. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of the Free State, analyzing Paul's model of atonement in Galatians, as well as seeking an MA in Clinical Mental Health at Adams State University. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013), a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013), and Praying in God's Theater, Meditations on the Book of Revelation (Wipf and Stock, 2014).


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The Queensland Reds have trumpeted the drawcard signings of wayward Wallaby James O'Connor and code-hopper Karmichael Hunt for 2015.
Australian rugby's prodigal son has returned home with James O'Connor pledging to finally fulfil his potential at the Queensland Reds.
The Reds trumpeted O'Connor's return, on a two-year deal, and the acquisition of code-hopper Karmichael Hunt as drawcard Super Rugby recruits at their annual gala ball on Friday night.
The dual announcement has been in the pipeline for months but Queensland have also managed to deliver some surprise news with the encouraging signing of dynamic Kiwi-born Japan back-rower Hendrik Tui.
The trio's unveiling is among a 29-man Reds squad for 2015 which also has space for two more key recruits, whose signings are expected in coming weeks.
Hunt, announcing an end to his 44-game AFL career on Thursday, has agreed to a three-year deal to become the second man behind Israel Folau to play in the top grade of all three winter football codes.
O'Connor is Australian rugby's most significant signing for 2015. The wayward Wallaby returns from cashed-up French champions Toulon to jump back immediately on Test coach Ewen McKenzie's radar for next year's World Cup.
O'Connor, unwanted by all other Australian franchises, was punted overseas almost 12 months ago for drunken behaviour at Perth airport - the last in a string of misdemeanours.
Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael, who confirmed the 24-year-old signed in May, as widely reported, insisted the Reds would bring the best out of the ultra-talented 44-Test utility.
"There's risk in everything in life," Carmichael said. "And where I sit at the moment, I'm very confident that he'll thrive in our environment."
The Gold Coast product, who was schooled at Brisbane rugby nursery Nudgee College, felt the Reds were the perfect fit for him.
"It's great to be coming home. Look, I'm a Queensland boy through and through," O'Connor said.
"I also think it is a place where I can be nurtured and really fulfil my potential in Australian rugby.
"For me to come home and pull on that Reds jersey is going to be a huge honour.
"Obviously, there's a lot of hard work that needs to go into it and there's a great culture in the team and one I just can't wait to throw myself into."
Carmichael revealed he started speaking with Hunt 10 months ago and the former Brisbane NRL player had the desire to become a dual international at the Rugby World Cup in England next September.
Reds coach Richard Graham bluntly admitted change was necessary after the poor third-last finish this year with an unpalatable 5-11 record.
Reliable utility back Ben Lucas was the unexpected axing among a group of seven offloaded players.
Taking Lucas's place as Quade Cooper's playmaking back-up will be Broncos under-20s player Duncan Paia-aua.
While Hunt and O'Connor will be provide off-field marketability and on-field attacking precision, it's the 26-year-old Tui, with 25 Tests under his belt for Japan the past two years, who gives the Queensland pack the line-breaking threat it sorely lacked in 2014.
* Front row - Ben Daley, Saia Fainga'a (re-signed), James Slipper, James Hanson, Greg Holmes (re-signed), Andrew Ready (extended playing squad: EPS)
* Second row - Dave McDuling, Ed O'Donoghue (re-signed), Rob Simmons, James Horwill
* Back row - Curtis Browning, Lalo Fakaosilea (EPS - new signing), Liam Gill, Eddie Quirk (re-signed), Beau Robinson, Jake Schatz (re-signed), Hendrik Tui (new signing)
* Halves - Quade Cooper, Nick Frisby (re-signed), Will Genia, Duncan Paia-aua (new signing)
* Centres - Anthony Fainga'a (re-signed), Chris Feauai-Sautia (re-signed), Samu Kerevi (new signing), Ben Tapuai (re-signed)
* Outside backs - Karmichael Hunt (new signing), Chris Kuridrani (new signing), James O'Connor (new signing), Jamie-Jerry Taulagi, Lachie Turner


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I've argued before that the Conservatives attack ads on Dion were effective in two ways. Obviously, the ads themselves created an impression with Canadians, no reasonable person disputes the success. However, where these ads really pay dividends, is the way in which they influence the media frame. The ads plant the seed, and then the journalists run with the characterization, further cementing the impression, to the point of conventional truth. In other words, the ads themselves gain traction because the media effectively carries the water, they reinforce the terms with the public. The Conservatives have mastered the art of succinct terminology, which is then validated by a media which is passive, merely a conduit for propaganda.
Today's must read comes from The Tyee, which details much of what I believe, in terms of the media puppeting the chosen Conservative spin, bereft of any journalistic filter:
If the commercials seemed true to the electorate, it was because the media were repeating the same message in their news stories and commentaries.
It was the combination of paid (ads) and free (news stories and commentary) messaging that did Dion in. But the role of the media in that endeavour has been pretty well expunged from history.
It's a good read, which details how the use of the "flip flop" characterization was primarily effective because it became part of the media assumption. The article points to the usual media suspects, but the terminology extended to all media outlets, even those Conservatives place in the "left wing media" camp. A great example of this general theme, the Afghanistan debate. If you actually go back a year prior to the actual "compromise", you will find the Liberal rhetoric hadn't really changed in a substantive way, particularly when compared with the light years "flip" of the Conservative position. Despite that, Harper was seen as pragmatic during the exercise, the Liberals were the "flip floppers". The superficial analysis was simply breathtaking, but yet there it was, primarily it worked, because it fit nicely into an already established frame, lazy journalism found another example.
The media must share some blame for the Liberal woes. That fact doesn't shelter the Liberals from their own self-reflections, which is clearly required, it isn't an "excuse", merely a recognition. It is empirical fact that the Conservatives have received more favorable coverage than the Liberals the last THREE elections (two of which have already been statistically verified, the 3rd will be, I have NO DOUBT). You don't just GLOSS over a reality, which has nothing do with partisanship, it's part of the equation. The media failed badly this election, they failed to use a critical eye during the election, the failed to present a honest discussion of the issues. That should bother everyone, regardless of preference, because what we receive now is becoming more and more slanted, it is part of a manipulation. Anyone who posits a left wing media should be laughed at hysterically, so detached from reality a sad statement on naked ignorance. Anyone who doesn't factor in the role of the media this election, when drawing conclusions, omits a central theme, unless of course information dissemination is a minor affair, how people receive messaging trivial.
Liberals need to do some soul searching, but part of this introspection should bring a realization that we are "up against it", when it comes to slick propaganda that has perfected the art of using the public medium to validate their frames. The Liberals can either play this game too, or develop a strategy that finds ways around entities which don't have the public interest at heart, which are so institutionally arrogant that they see no need for their own reflections, their own need for "reform". Liberals need to understand the climate, and know it's predisposed to be harsh, relative to their chief opponent. That ain't sour grapes, that's fine wine.


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text:
Meet the Top 10 College Women of 2010: Amazing Women You Haven't Heard of…Yet!
Maya Moore: Just your average college senior who's played ball with the President.
The Star Athlete
Maya Moore, 21, University of Connecticut
Her dream: "To win WNBA championships."
How she's reaching for it: Moore led the Huskies in back-to-back undefeated seasons, helping set an NCAA Division I women's basketball record of 78 consecutive wins. In 2009 her team was honored at the White House, where they shot hoops with President Obama. "We were in heels, and he had the home-court advantage, so we'd like a rematch," she jokes. But Moore's talent is serious: She was the first freshman in Big East basketball history—men's or women's—to be named Player of the Year. That's not all: She mentors student athletes and maintains an impressive GPA.
The moment that changed everything: "My mom propped a hoop on the back of our door when I was a toddler, and I haven't stopped playing ball since."
Next: The Musician >>
The Musician
Emily Elbert, 21, Berklee College of Music
Her dream: "To continue my career as an international singer, guitarist and songwriter."
How she's reaching for it: Elbert will never forget her fourteenth birthday, when she received a guitar as a gift. "That night, I went into my room and played until my fingers bled," she says. Seven years later, she has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic for her talent, and she's performed for audiences as diverse as parliament members in Scotland, art students in Puerto Rico and club-hoppers in Peru. She made her first CD in high school and used the profits from it and her local performances to get her start at Berklee. In September she debuted her second album, Proof.
What's on her iPod: "Alphabetically, I have everything from Aaliyah to ZZ Top."
Next: The Healer >>
The Healer
Sophia Khawly, 21, Florida State University
Her dream: "To work for the World Health Organization."
How she's reaching for it: While visiting Haiti, her parents' homeland, Khawly noticed abundant poverty and few public schools. At age 14, she decided to create an organization to build a school. "My sister and I named it Hope For Haiti's Children; our whole family got involved," she says. Now HFHC has opened two schools, which educate about 300 children annually—miraculously, the earthquake earlier this year didn't harm the buildings. Khawly, a nursing major, manages HFHC's medical services (donate at hopeforhaitischildren.webs.com). After becoming an R.N., she plans to get a doctorate of nursing practice.
Secret obsession: "Koala bears!"
Next: The Politician >>
The Politician
Mackenzie Lowry, 22, Harvard University
Her dream: "To be a policy adviser to the President on health care."
How she's reaching for it: The Iowan's dad died of lung cancer when she was a teen. Soon after, she started working with local anti-tobacco advocates to institute a $1-a-pack cigarette state tax increase. "I wanted everyone to look at my widowed mom, my sister and me, and see that smoking doesn't hurt just the person doing it," she says. Lowry deferred Harvard for a year to continue pushing for the tax she so fiercely believed in; in 2007 it was signed into law, and the governor cited Lowry and her father in his speech. On campus, she founded the Tobacco Control Policy Group, a student-run think tank at the Institute of Politics.
What inspires her: "Cigarette smoking kills almost 180,000 women in the United States a year. I think about them and can't stop fighting."
Next: The Doctor >>
The Doctor
Oluwadamilola Oladeru, 21, Yale University
Her dream: "To serve as the minister of health in Nigeria."
How she's reaching for it: Oladeru grew up in a two-room apartment in Lagos, Nigeria, with 11 of her family members. When she was 10, she immigrated with her family to the Bronx, New York. Now a prize-winning scientist, she's interned with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the National Institutes of Health. But she's also giving back to her homeland: She worked with her grandfather to open the Read at Peace library in Erin-Ijesa, Nigeria. "At the opening of the library, a little girl came up to me and said, Remember my face, because I'll never forget how you changed my life,'" Oladeru recalls. "That impact is part of why I want to be a doctor and help people." Medical school is next.
Her Dos & Don'ts: "Do dream big. Don't settle."
Her Motto: "No one is ever too young or too busy to make a difference."
Next: The Trailblazer >>
The Trailblazer
Michelle Pomeroy, 22, New York University
Her dream: "To empower women."
How she's reaching for it: While competing in rodeos near her hometown of Hesston, Kansas, Pomeroy hoped to have a global career. She's off to a great start. She taught exiled Tibetan nuns in India to use computers—and Facebook (really!)—and later worked with the Tibetan Women's Association to help women obtain political office. "I always listen to the voices of the local women," she says. "I can't help them find a solution until I hear their day-to-day struggles." This passion brought Pomeroy to Israel, where she interned with the U.N. high commissioner for refugees. At NYU she's working toward a master's of public and nonprofit management and policy alongside her bachelor's degree.
How she unwinds: "In Kansas I go for horse rides; in New York I do yoga."
Next: The Documentarian >>
The Documentarian
Erica Fletcher, 19, University of Houston
Her dream: "To make documentaries that educate the public."
How she's reaching for it: Inspired by her Latina heritage, Fletcher has traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where her parents grew up and where she has dual citizenship, and to Mexico City. When the triple major (that's anthropology, psychology and sociology) discovered that Latina and Hispanic women in the United States have an AIDS diagnosis rate five times higher than that of white women, she decided to make a film to show the faces behind that stat. "Suddenly it hit me—those numbers probably include people I know," she recalls. Marianismo has been screened throughout Houston, and the Texas Department of State Health Services is considering using it as an educational tool. Up next: a documentary about sex trafficking.
How she unwinds: "I love cooking; maple syrup is the special ingredient in my beef chili."
Next: The Engineer >>
The Engineer
Amy Qian, 21, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Her dream: "To create products that help people live better lives."
How she's reaching for it: Qian traveled to the Qinghai Province in western China during the winter of her sophomore year. "It had the most piercing, pulse-stopping cold I have ever experienced," she remembers. The freezing weather was actually what brought Qian to the area: She designed a low-cost, portable solar-powered cooker to reduce people's dependency on harmful fuels linked to respiratory diseases. So far her cooker, created with One Earth Designs, has won the St. Andrews Prize for the Environment and grants from the Clinton Global Initiative University and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Her dos and don'ts: "Don't lose sight of your goals. Do make time for all of the unpredictable, awesome things that will happen along the way."
Next: The Renaissance Woman >>
The Renaissance Woman
Merritt Moore, 22, Harvard University
Her dream: "To be the best dancer I can be—and become an adviser for nuclear weapon nonproliferation."
How she's reaching for it: The physics major took a year off to dance for the Zurich Ballet company. "While dancing, I still felt a strong pull toward physics," she says. "So during lunch breaks, I would go to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and audit a quantum mechanics course." Moore can't get enough of the subject: "Quantum computing makes the hair on my arms stand up!" She continues to marry her interests at school, where she was artistic director of a 72-person-strong multimedia dance performance.
Most embarrassing moment: "During a competition, the strap on my leotard broke, and I flashed the judges. Whoops!"
Next: The Groundbreaker >>
The Groundbreaker
Shabana Basij-Rasikh, 20, Middlebury College
Her dream: "To become a minister of women's affairs in the Afghan government."
How she's reaching for it: Growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, Basij-Rasikh dressed as a boy for five years and walked 45 minutes to and from a secret school six days a week—that was the only way she could get an education. After the Taliban fell, she proposed a plan for a girls' school to the deputy minister of education. She was just 16, but she convinced him. Today, the school has six classrooms and its own well, and Basij-Rasikh arranged for the construction of nine other wells. "Only about 20 percent of the Afghan population has access to clean drinking water," she explains. Now she's attending Middlebury on a full scholarship, where she launched her nonprofit, HELA, which means "hope" in Pashto, her native language. Her next goal? To build fields for girls' athletics in Afghanistan (make a donation at helainc.org). Oh, and to attend law school.
Her secret obsession: "I save most of my voice mails—I turn them into MP3s for my iPod."
Next: How *You Can Be the Next Top 10 College Woman *>>
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Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development is a research project within the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, at the University of Colorado Boulder. The Blueprints mission is to identify evidence-based prevention and intervention programs that are effective in reducing antisocial behavior and promoting a healthy course of youth development. This website provides information on the Blueprints project (such as background and a dissemination project related to the model program LifeSkills Training).
Please see our new website, www.blueprintsprograms.com, where you will find all of our specific program information, including fact sheets and interactive search tools that will allow you to find a program to match your needs.
Demand for programs that promote healthy youth development continues to grow. Across the country, a raft of programs that claim to prevent problem behaviors is underway. All of these programs are well-intentioned. Yet very few of them have evidence demonstrating their effectiveness. Many are implemented with little consistency or quality control. Unproven programs not only waste scarce resources but also can do harm. Blueprints promote only those programs with strong scientific evidence of effectiveness.
Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development, a project of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado, provide answers to that question. The Blueprints mission is to identify and disseminate evidence-based prevention and intervention programs that are effective in reducing antisocial behavior and promoting a healthy course of youth development. In doing so, Blueprints serves as a resource for governments, foundations, businesses, and other organizations trying to make informed judgments about their investments in youth programs.
Blueprints staff systematically and continuously review the research on youth programs to determine which are exemplary and grounded in evidence. Blueprints' standards for certifying model and promising prevention programs are widely recognized as the most rigorous in use. Program effectiveness is based upon an initial review by Blueprints staff and a final review and recommendation from a distinguished advisory board, comprised of experts in the field of youth development. This independent panel of evaluation experts certifies programs as meeting rigorous requirements for evaluation and effectiveness. Users can have confidence in the ability of the certified programs to change targeted behavior and developmental outcomes.
First, many programs, despite their good intentions, are either ineffective or actually do more harm than good. Second, ineffective or harmful programs are a waste of scarce violence prevention dollars.
For example, Scared Straight, which is supposed to deter delinquent youth from a life of crime by showing them life in prison, actually increases crime. Yet shock probation programs like Scared Straight continue to be used throughout the country. Ineffective prevention programs include boot camps, gun buybacks, peer counseling, summer jobs for at-risk youth, neighborhood watches, and home detention with electronic monitoring.
But other prevention programs, like LifeSkills Training and Project Towards No Drug Abuse, not only work but are highly cost-effective. They are among the model programs certified by Blueprints, meaning that they have a high level of evidence supporting their effectiveness and can confidently be replicated in other communities to prevent violence and drug abuse. In addition, Blueprints has identified many promising programs that have shown good results but require either replication in another community or additional time to demonstrate sustainability.
Blueprints advocate for faithful replication of proven prevention programs - otherwise known as implementation fidelity. When communities "tweak" a program to suit their own preferences or circumstances, they wind up with a different program whose effectiveness is unknown. Evidence-based programs have produced better outcomes when implemented with fidelity. Fidelity can be achieved when implementation supports are put into place (see Fixsen et al., 2005, Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature). Find monograph at: nirn.fpg.unc.edu


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Hana and Alice Comparison
We examine the HK and South Korean region three releases of Shunji Iwai's Hana and Alice. So, which one should you place on y...
|Hana and Alice – HK Region 3 (Panorama) vs South Korean Region 3 (Enter One)
5th April 2005
Rating/Certificate: HK Category I
Region: 3
DVD Release Date: 31st December 2004
Run Time: 135 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Video Signal: NTSC
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
Genre: Drama
Soundtrack: Dolby Digital 2.0 Japanese, Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese, DTS 5.1 Japanese
Subtitles: Chinese, English
Extra Features: Behind the Scenes Documentary, Four Short Films, Director Information, Trailer, TV Spot
Easter Egg: No
Director: Shunji Iwai
Starring: Anne Suzuki, Yu Aoi
Related Movies: Jam Films, Jam Films 2, Casshern, Battle Royale
Rating/Certificate: South Korea 12
Region: 3
DVD Release Date: 1st February 2005
Run Time: 135 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Video Signal: NTSC
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
Genre: Drama
Soundtrack: Dolby Digital 2.0 Japanese
Subtitles: Korean, Japanese, English
Extra Features: Behind the Scenes Documentary, Four Short Films, Director and Cast Information, Trailer, Music Video
Easter Egg: No
Director: Shunji Iwai
Starring: Anne Suzuki, Yu Aoi
Related Movies: Jam Films, Jam Films 2, Casshern, Battle Royale
This review is sponsored by
If you have been paying attention to the Japanese film industry over recent years, then you may be aware of Shunji Iwai. He is the latest in a line of directors that are responsible for evolving the shape of Far Eastern cinema; pushing the boundaries of conventional filmmaking and providing an audio-visual flair that is unique to each director's individual style. Iwai has a well established history of directing commercials, music videos, TV dramas and now feature length productions. His careful attention to imagery and striking use of music has made him one of the most influential filmmakers of today's generation.
Despite Iwai's vast catalogue of titles, Hana and Alice is only his fourth feature length film, behind All About Lily Chou-Chou, Swallowtail and Love Letter. It is interesting to note that whilst his works utilise consistent mellow patterns, the narrative themes explored and character study are startlingly contrasted with each title. Swallowtail for instance is a mind-blowing experience, illustrating the lives of foreign fortune seekers in a megalopolis named Yen-town. All About Lily Chou-Chou on the other hand is a melancholic study of youth pop culture, following a group of boys as they obsess over an idol.
Shunji Iwai diverts attention to two teenage girls in his latest opus Hana and Alice – a tale of two best friends whose friendship is threatened by the presence of a handsome student. Alice is outgoing, energetic and embraces every opportunity to do something spontaneous. Conversely, her best friend Hana (Japanese for 'flower') is slightly more conservative and does not always express her true intentions. The two are literally inseparable, always acting like teenagers, walking to school together and attending the same ballet lessons. However, the girls face the all important transition to senior high, enforcing a barrier limiting the amount of time that these two friends can spend together.
Hana tricks her high school crush Masashi Miyamoto into thinking he has amnesia and is also her boyfriend. In an act of desperation, she persuades Alice to pretend to be his ex-girlfriend so that the whole story appears convincing. The irony is that Alice has openly expressed how much she adores Miyamoto, whilst Hana sat quietly and insisted that he was nothing special. Hana's surprising actions have formed a new reality for herself and her boyfriend but have also created a romantic entanglement, as Alice still obviously has feelings for Miyamoto. Likewise, Miyamoto is confused over why he broke up with Alice in the first place. Furthermore, with Hana spending more time with Miyamoto and Alice chasing her dreams of stardom, the precious bond between the childhood friends is gradually distancing apart.
Not only does Shunji Iwai helm his colossal projects with the utmost competence, he is often responsible for penning the original draft on paper, thus emphasising how creative he truly is. Above all else, he is a masterful storyteller who approaches certain moods with incredible accuracy. In Hana and Alice, he highlights two regular teenagers but exposes the complex nature of these characters and what it feels like to go through such a difficult chapter in life. Iwai avoids tiresome clichés and delivers a remarkably sincere coming of age tale, where innocent children are forced to tackle relationship issues like mature adults. The dual protagonists provide a greater understanding of the joys and sorrows of growing up but perhaps greater attention is given to Alice, as she is the one secretly suffering.
There is also a level or poignancy introduced with Alice's family background. Her parents are divorced and she lives in cluttered house with her mother, who periodically has a new boyfriend. It is somewhat shameful to watch a scene where a mother publicly ignores her daughter, so that the latest boyfriend is unaware of the additional family member. In contrast, the times spent with Alice's father are tender and sweet, as he is the only one who feels true affection towards his daughter. Through regular visits, Alice finally learns the value of love and sacrifice.
Iwai's approach to the film's pacing and editing has ensured that viewers will not notice the reasonably long runtime of 135 minutes. Every chapter, shot and dialogue is carefully planned and serves a purpose; always with the intention of nurturing the story and character relationship. In fact once the film had finished, I had an immense urge to either watch the film again or find another Iwai title to stick in my DVD player. The initial third of the film is beautifully slow, pacing itself to exhibit the sweet innocence of the teenagers before pushing them in rigorous situations that will test their judgement as adults. I have heard complaints towards the story's open-endedness, with various loose ties and inefficient conclusions. It must be noted that the film is fundamentally about the friendship of two girls, as they face a vital period of their adolescent lives. Personally, I felt that the last scene contains the perfect closing dialogue to such a warm, pleasant tale – ending the film on just the right note.
The performances from Anne Suzuki and Yu Aoi, who play Hana and Alice respectively, are remarkably genuine – exploring a thorough range of emotions to create their multi-dimensional characters. Examining a scene where Hana is tormented with guilt and sadness, it is possible to pin-point the exact second where her heart breaks. Words fail to describe the sorrow; the tension on Anne's face and the rigidity of her muscles as she chokes back the tears will provide an excellent understanding of the meaning of pain. Anne Suzuki is a well recognised child actress in Japan, appearing in many TV dramas and has even broken into Hollywood. She has come a long way in a few short years since Returner and will undoubtedly continue to astonish fans in the future.
Yu Aoi is like a ray of sunshine in this film, always beaming with enthusiasm and rarely pausing. Only her quieter scenes with her father and Miyamoto remind the viewer of her softer, more delicate side. Her suppressed rage and frustration with Hana's character accumulate until it is no longer possible to act in the background. Evidently, whilst Aoi's lines are delivered with plenty of charm and affection, she can be surprisingly cold but there is always a crystal bond with Hana, which will never disappear.
Of course the main romance that the audience has with any Iwai title is the breathtaking imagery and music. Hana and Alice is a special case because Iwai composed the ballads himself. The score plays a governing role in capturing the desired moods and tones that the director is aiming for. The gentle melodies comprise of piano, strings and woodwind elements that resonate blissfully throughout the film. In fact, there are only a few chapters free of any music whatsoever – these segments quite often rely on dialogue or even silence to achieve the preferred feeling.
The visuals are absolutely beautiful, capturing a consistent dream-like haze where the boundaries are blurred. A lot of Hana's scenes contain a fantastic array of flowers, of course remembering that Hana does mean 'flower' in Japanese. The Cherry blossoms especially look graceful as the fallen flowers trail in the wind. Conversely, Alice's scenes capture a lot of the green landscape and forestry, which are still gorgeous but the pallet is restricted to a single primary colour. Perhaps Iwai used these backgrounds to symbolise the divergent beauties and qualities that both girls have to offer. Either way, what he has done is created a poetic masterpiece that loses nothing from constant viewings. My advice would be to pay close attention to Shunji Iwai from now on, explore his back catalogue of titles and hopefully look forward to further intimate projects.
Both discs present Hana and Alice in an anamorphic widescreen format, maintaining an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Due to the dreamy nature of the film, neither transfer is particularly sharp – not that this is a negative comment; there is a gentle layer of softness throughout the film. I believe this may be intentional, as various shots contain out of focus sections, particular towards the left and right side of the frame. Hana and Alice generally uses filters to produce a manipulative colour scheme, but still manages to provide healthy skin tones and shade reproduction. However there are times when the saturation increases on both versions to exaggerate objects such as flowers and the scenery but in effect, also makes the skin shades turn slightly redder than usual.
The brightness and contrast are also kept fairly consistent but occasionally, there is some powerful lighting that masks certain objects. However as this is a filming issue, it will not affect the video grading. The black levels are admirable, certainly not grey but adapt well to the remaining colour scheme.
Note: clicking on each image will download the full resolution screen grab.
HK (Panorama) Region 3
South Korea (Enter One) Region 3
HK (Panorama) Region 3
South Korea (Enter One) Region 3
HK (Panorama) Region 3
South Korea (Enter One) Region 3
HK (Panorama) Region 3
South Korea (Enter One) Region 3
Examining both transfers side by side, it can be concluded that there are some major differences. Firstly, the Korean disc has slightly stronger colours that emphasise the landscape and primary details. This is definitely easier on the eye and provides a visual boost, making the HK transfer look dull in comparison. Moreover, the Korean transfer is noticeably sharper, with finer details on leaves, fabric texture and even hair patterns. Whilst both transfers suffer from poor colour transition and exhibit chroma noise, these problems are far more evident on the HK disc, where shades progress in massive 'chunks' and are no way near as smooth as the Korean video.
The aforementioned issue most likely originated from weak MPEG compression. In essence, this has also lead to pixilation on the HK disc. During instances where there is extensive camera movement, the screen is riddled with nasty blocks that distort a beautiful image. In addition, the amount of ghosting is enormous – every body movement results in a noticeable trail that is distracting to say the least. Thankfully these issues are not present on the Korean disc, thus making it the obvious winner with regards to the image transfer.
The Korean Enter One disc contains a Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo soundtrack, whilst the HK Panorama version boasts Japanese Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 mixes in addition to the Stereo track. Upon initial examination of the Stereo options available on both versions, it was revealed that they are strikingly similar. In this case, the audio is predominately originated from the forward channels; namely dialogue background noises and such. The score is evenly distributed throughout the remaining speakers with sufficient precision and clarity. Any differences are negligible and are not enough to award either track the definite winner.
I hate to be the source of bad news but the difference between the Stereo and DTS soundtrack is surprisingly slim, where the latter is barely an improvement at all and is definitely not showcase material. The DTS achieves more or less the same effect but with great control of the surrounds. A minor amount of ambient noise did creep into the rears but is dismissible unless you really listen out for it. A great example is the ballet photograph scene, where the shutter can be heard stronger at the surround channels on the DTS mix. The Stereo track just has music playing at that particular location.
The surprising victory here is for the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, where on this rare occasion it outshines the DTS option. The audio, especially Iwai's marvellous score, is richer and more fulfilling than any of the previous tracks. Moreover, the dialogue and background noises appear more aggressive, taking advantage of better audio separation and control. Overall, the Dolby 5.1 mix contains comparatively superior texture and greater dynamism, making the HK disc the winner in the audio department.
HK (Panorama) Region 3
South Korea (Enter One) Region 3
HK (Panorama) Region 3
South Korea (Enter One) Region 3
The English subtitles for both versions are very much identical, with only the occasional word being different but the overall meaning is translated nevertheless. They appear to be relatively free of major spelling or grammatical errors and are nicely paced. The subtitles on the HK disc have a nicer looking font but this is not really a primary concern.
Both HK and Korean special editions consist of two discs, presenting the film on the first DVD and the supplementary materials on the second. They both also include a one hour behind the scenes documentary entitled, Filming H&A, which is separated into five chapters. This is a very thorough featurette, providing a wealth of behind the scenes material and interviews with the director, cast and crew. Furthermore, there are even interviews with Ryoko Hirosue and Takao Osawa, both of whom have appeared in previous Iwai titles and provide cameos in Hana and Alice. The ballet rehearsals were fascinating to watch, as were the consequences – plenty of pain and bandages on the actresses' toes. Perhaps my favourite moment occurs quite early on, where the secrets of Tomohiro Kaku's 'stunt' are revealed. Just a simple scene, where someone walks into a garage door and tumbles down, involves plenty of padding on the pants.
The only other common extra on both editions is Short Films Hana and Alice – four short films that essentially make up a condensed and re-edited version of the main feature. I believe that the project originally began as a series of short films that later developed into a film. These appear to be edited quite well but feel empty in comparison with the 135 minute version.
The HK disc has a Shunji Iwai biography and filmography (in Chinese and English), followed by a trailer and TV spot.
The Korean disc has biographies and filmographies for Shunji Iwai, Anne Suzuki, Yu Aoi and Tomohiro Kaku. However these are in Korean only. In addition, it also includes a Korean trailer and music video – 'Want You Hear' by Loveholic. The music video contains a montage of footage from the film. The track itself is an enjoyable upbeat ballad.
None of the extras on any disc have English subtitles but the menus contain English text and are therefore, remarkably easy to navigate. The quality of the Korean menus appears more of a professional standard but both are admirable attempts.
The HK special edition contains a cardboard box that houses two keep cases. The main case includes the official theatrical artwork, which in my opinion is excellent. The Korean version is aesthetically more pleasing, utilising original artwork with plenty of pink cherry blossoms. The packaging includes a sturdy cardboard case that houses two slim digipaks (like the original Korean Oldboy DVD). Furthermore, a picture/notebook is included and is nice to look at, despite it being in Korean.
Hana and Alice is a refreshing, well blossomed tale that leaves a sweet aftertaste. The two leading actresses, Anne Suzuki and Yu Aoi, provide immeasurable depths in their performances, tackling mature relationship issues in a complex teenage environment. Shunji Iwai once again provides breathtaking imagery soaked in a spectacular musical score that was composed by none other than Iwai himself. The delightful story and character study will ensure that Hana and Alice will be continuously cherished for years to come.
It is tremendously difficult to point the finger at a single release as the supreme winner. In terms of supplementary materials, the Korean edition wins due to the music video and attractive packaging. However, considering that none of the extras contain English subtitles, this makes the issue redundant. Therefore, the winner is dependant on the audio and visual quality of both discs. Hana and Alice is just as important visually as it is in terms of audio; therefore it is up to the individual to determine which is more vital. Personally, I am more swayed towards the Korean's improved image transfer.
Hong Kong Region 3
South Korea Region 3
The HK and Korean releases can be bought for HKD $130 and US $34.95 from DDDHouse and DVD Asian respectively.
Editorial by Bodhi Sarkar
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,721
Ghosting Ah, ghosting, that's what it's called. I'm very slowly working on a comparison of my own and had that very same problem but wasn't sure what to call it.
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Civil servants can receive compensation for clothes damaged at work even if they are to blame, it was claimed today.
A dossier has come to light detailing the sums employees can expect to be reimbursed for based on the original price and the age of garments.
They included, for example, £225 for a £300 woollen suit that was 12 months old, falling to £150 if it was two years old.
A £5 pair of tights that is snagged at work could result in the wearer getting £4.50 back, it was claimed.
But the Cabinet Office denied there was any "free-for-all" on clothes replacements and that compensation was only justified where there was a "reasonable case" for it.
The Civil Service Management Code states that compensation for damaged personal property should only be made where there is "no negligence on the part of the officer".
It was reported that a national newspaper had been handed documents outlining potential claims by a whistleblower who had recently joined the civil service from the private sector.
The whistleblower told the paper: "My jaw hit the floor when I was told about all the perks I would be entitled to. There is no way you would get anything like this in the private sector - companies would go bust and the economy would collapse if you did."
The claims come as Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude is trying to strip out waste in Whitehall while the Government is making cuts in the wider public sector.
But Tory MP Philip Davies said: "The civil service seems to be living in a parallel universe. It just goes to show how much more Whitehall waste the Government can cut," he said.
A TaxPayers' Alliance spokesman said: "It's absurd that civil servants are able to claim taxpayers' money if they ladder their tights at work or wear out their shoes in the course of doing their job."
The Cabinet Office said it did not know how much had been paid out in compensation and had not seen the documents the Mail referred to.
A spokesman said: "There is no free-for-all clothes replacement in the civil service.
"Departments can compensate employees for property damaged at work but only if there's reasonable case for it.
"We are currently reviewing terms and conditions as part of our civil service reform programme, all outdated and obsolete policies are being reformed or scrapped - any abuse is not tolerated."