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Running a publicly traded REIT certainly has some advantages, including easy access to capital and a reputation for transparency that makes other companies more willing to do business with your firm.
It also has some disadvantages — for example, the market's refusal to recognize the true value of your company even when it has built a pretty impressive track record, says Leo S. Ullman, chairman, CEO and president of Cedar Shopping Centers Inc., a Port Washington, N.Y.-based shopping center REIT.
On the morning of January 14, for example, Cedar's stock traded at $6.23 per share, more than 25 percent below its 52-week high of $8.39 per share. To Ullman, who speaks of the REIT almost as it were one of his children, this seems less than fair, especially given the company's stated commitment to running a stable, well-leased portfolio. Cedar's focus is on grocery-anchored shopping centers and community centers, most of them located in Northeastern U.S. — exactly the kinds of assets that have outperformed the market in the past three years. As of third quarter of 2010, the REIT owned and managed 132 properties totaling 15.5 million square feet. And that portfolio boasted an overall occupancy of 91 percent, which trails other shopping center REIT average occupancies by about 100 basis points.
Cedar's shares are trading at a discount compared to other shopping center REITs because the firm has had slow internal growth and there are a few troubled properties in Ohio in its portfolio, which has hurt its overall occupancy rates, according to a note by Todd M. Thomas, a REIT analyst with KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. On the other hand, Thomas was impressed with Cedar's aggressive run of purchasing assets over the past 12 months, which has created the company's solid external growth. Overall, KeyBanc Capital Markets currently has the REIT at a Hold rating.
During its recent acquisition spree, undertaken primarily through a joint venture with Canadian giant RioCan REIT, Cedar has been able to grow its portfolio at a very attractive profit margin, Ullman notes. Like many other investors these days, the REIT wants to buy core properties in core markets with high occupancy levels and long-term leases with national, credit-rated tenants.
But unlike many firms that spent most of 2010 thinking whether they should wait for property values to drop further, Cedar's executives chose to strike while the iron was hot.
As a result, they've secured many high-grade assets at cap rates in the 7.5 percent to 8 percent range last year. Altogether in 2010, Cedar and RioCan purchased $345 million worth of shopping centers. The biggest chunk of that came when the joint venture purchased seven properties from mall REIT PREIT in a $200 million transaction.
"The borrowing costs were at historic lows so we were able to finance properties at very attractive leveraged yields and we were able to buy them at fair cap rates," Ullman notes. "And the joint venture agreement increased our yield considerably because we were able to accrete various fees on property management, leasing, etc. So our return was very attractive and we felt that the product we were looking for was the right product at the time."
Ullman's willingness to put Cedar at the front of the line in making acquisitions in 2010 makes perfect sense in view of his personal history.
One of Ullman's bigger regrets as he looks back on his life is that he was always in such a hurry to complete things, he says. As a result, he might have missed out on savoring moments.
For example, rather than wait to be drafted into the Army as a young man, Ullman joined the Marine Corps voluntarily for six months in the summer of 1959 — "I wanted to put it behind me and just go on," he says.
Modest roots
Ullman, who was born in Amsterdam, is a Dutch Jew. When he was a child, a Dutch policeman helped save his life by hiding him from the Nazis.
After the war, Ullman was reunited with his parents and moved to the U.S., where the family settled in Port Washington, N.Y. Today, Ullman and his wife still live in the same town. It also serves as home to three of his four children.
Ullman, who was eight-and-a-half at the time of the move and spent more than a year working in the Netherlands as a young man, speaks fluent Dutch. In fact, he writes a monthly column for a Netherlands-based publication on real estate investment in the United States.
After graduating from Harvard College in the early 1960s, he worked on his law degree and his business degree from Columbia University at the same time. Then, starting in the early 1970s, he spent years running his own law firm and representing Dutch and Belgian investors in the U.S. as a side business.
Ullman's involvement in real estate eventually took over his professional life. In 1998, he purchased Cedar Income Fund, a small cap real estate company that traded on the Nasdaq with the aim of growing its portfolio. Three years later, in 2001, he gave up his law career to devote his attention to real estate investment and management full time.
At the time of the purchase, Cedar Income Fund had only $30.5 million in properties in its portfolio. Five years later, Ullman and his partners grew the portfolio to many times that size. It formed joint ventures with Kimco Realty Corp. and completed acquisitions financed by Dutch lenders.
With the help of Richard Saltzman, then vice chairman of Merrill Lynch, the company undertook an IPO in October 2003. "It was just a wonderful experience, going from asset managing a few properties for some foreign investors to managing a publicly traded REIT," Ullman says.
In 2011, Cedar's management plans to continue growing its portfolio through the joint venture with RioCan, but it would also like to start looking into redevelopment and repositioning of its wholly owned properties as well as contemplating some ground-up development projects.
Many of Cedar's supermarket tenants are currently looking at adding new stores, Ullman notes, and Cedar would like to strike new construction deals with them for community centers of less than 100,000 square feet in size. Of course, this will only be done on a pre-leased basis and the conditions of the leases will have to be such that they will carry the debt required for building the centers, Ullman adds.
In his personal life, Ullman hopes to continue his athletic pursuits. When he was 53 years old, he and three of his children decided to run in the New York City Marathon together. After the Marathon took place, Ullman felt so invigorated that he took up running, biking and swimming full time.
Over the past 18 years, he has participated in the New York City Marathon multiple types, has biked across America and has taken part in the Ironman Triathlon, which includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26-mile run. He trained for the event for a year, working out four hours every weekday and six hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
"If I show up to a triathlon, I get a medal because there are hardly any people my age doing this sort of stuff," he says. "It's the only thing I wish I could have started earlier — my triathlon career."


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Used Truck - 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring Edition in Midland, Tx
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2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser ReviewThis car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale.
New turbos bring affordable power.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser has become a familiar sight. The Cruiser combines the retro looks of a late-1930's American sedan with modern styling and features. It made a big splash when it was introduced as a 2001 model. That was back in March 2000, and Chrysler has been selling more than 135,000 of them a year. In spite of this, the PT Cruiser still attracts attention. People are intrigued by the Cruiser's difficult-to-define character. Chrysler says the PT Cruiser is too cool to categorize. It's the only car we can think of that offers flames as an option.
Making the Cruiser more attractive is its combination of practicality and affordability. It boasts the interior volume of a sport-utility vehicle. Fold the seats down and you can carry an eight-foot ladder. Pull the rear seats out and it'll haul a load of building materials or a big TV box. Yet it's shorter in length than many compact cars, making it easy to park. It's also easy on gas.
Adding to the fun is the driving experience. The Cruiser is based on the Dodge Neon, a compact car noted for sprightly performance. New turbo models add fire under the hood. The GT (aka PT Turbo) features a 220-horsepower engine that gives the Cruiser a real boost. That kind of speed costs money, of course. A more affordable 180-horsepower turbo available for 2004 Limited Edition and Touring Edition brings the cost of speed down. We like speed. We also like affordability. On the downside, the PT Cruiser has all the refinement of a compact car.
New features are available for the 2004 models to enhance the Cruiser's sophistication. Sirius Satellite Radio and a Bluetooth system that allows hands-free cellular telephone conversations are on the options list for 2004.
Four models are available for 2004: PT Cruiser ($17,395); Touring Edition ($19,170); Limited Edition ($21,410); and GT ($25,365). All are four-door hatchbacks, though a convertible will be available early in 2004.
All PT Cruisers are powered by a 2.4-liter, twin-cam four-cylinder engine, but it comes in three states of tune. The standard 150-horsepower engine comes standard in base, Touring Edition, and Limited Edition models. A five-speed manual is standard with this engine; four-speed automatic is optional ($825).
A 180-horsepower turbocharged version of this same engine is optional on Touring Edition ($2,105) and Limited Edition ($2,090) models. The price of this option includes the four-speed automatic transmission, plus a body-color front fascia with larger lower opening, a large diameter chrome exhaust tip, and special badging. New 16-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels are standard on 180-horsepower Limited Edition models, optional ($700) on 180-horsepower Touring Edition models.
A 220-horsepower High Output turbocharged variant of the 2.4-liter four comes on the GT. This engine comes with a heavy-duty five-speed manual transaxle made by Getrag; a four-speed automatic is optional ($440).
Standard on the base model are air conditioning, power windows, rear defroster and wiper, six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, an anti-theft engine immobilizer, and 15-inch steel wheels. An optional Power Convenience Group ($705) adds remote keyless entry, automatic power central locking, and power exterior mirrors, and cruise control. New for 2004, an aluminum wheel/touring group ($579) adds 16-inch painted cast-aluminum wheels, 205/55R16 all-season touring tires, and a touring suspension.
The Touring Edition gets everything in the convenience package and the aluminum wheel/touring group, plus fog lights, security alarm, and other features. The Limited Edition comes equipped with just about everything: leather upholstery, power height adjuster for the driver's seat, side-impact airbags, glass sunroof, and chromed 16-inch aluminum wheels.
The GT adds four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, a performance-tuned suspension, traction control, and all-season performance tires on 17-inch chromed aluminum wheels. The GT also comes with side-impact airbags and most of the Limited Edition's luxury goodies. Leather sport seats are standard, but cloth upholstery is available.
Stand-alone options include a glass sunroof for Touring Editions ($695), heated front seats for Limited Edition and GT ($250), and side-impact airbags for base and Touring ($390). A new option for 2004 is Sirius satellite radio, which is offered on all models. The cost of the receiver ($325) includes a one-year subscription. Also new for 2004 is UConnect, Chrysler Group's hands-free, in-vehicle communications system ($360), which uses Bluetooth technology to link the user's cellular phone with the Cruiser's stereo speakers. Appearance packages include Woodgrain Exterior Accents, the Chrome Accent Group (expanded for 2004), and the chrome-and-leather Dream Cruiser 3.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser blends the retro look of a late-1930's American sedan with new-age styling cues such as dual-beam flush headlights and teardrop-shaped taillight lenses. But that's not all there is to the PT Cruiser. The shape is intriguing, but underneath is a modern platform with front-wheel drive.
By exterior dimensions, the PT Cruiser is quite compact. It's nearly 6 inches shorter than a Neon subcompact. Yet with 63 inches from pavement to the highest point of its roof, the Cruiser is also 7 inches taller than the Neon, and nearly as tall as some minivans. That height is a crucial element of the PT Cruiser's design.
The GT is distinguished from the other models by its chrome exhaust tips, larger grille and air intakes, and a spoiler on its liftgate; however, the spoiler ($150) is an option on the other models.
The PT Cruiser pulls its exterior styling themes into the cabin with painted inserts on its T-shaped symmetrical dashboard. The driver faces three white-faced gauges set in individual cylinders, with speedometer center, tachometer right and fuel and water temperature left. The GT's silver-faced speedometer reads up to 140 mph, while the standard Cruiser's speedo goes to 110.
Accessory switches are concentrated in the center panel, with radial-type climate control dials. Window switches are at the top of the center dash, not convenient for quick operation; you'll have to search for them until you get used to their location. The door levers have a nice action, and the switches operate with good tactile feel, though they're not world class. The stereo sounds tinny. Also, there's a separate Set button for the station presets, fussier than simply holding the preset down.
A bonus of the Cruiser's tall profile is its upright seating position, with a fairly high view ahead, somewhat like a sport-utility vehicle or minivan. The front seats in the three lower-line models have a reasonable amount of bolstering to keep driver and passenger from sliding side to side. The leather package offers a rich appearance given the Cruiser's price, with suede inserts in the doors and along the lower cushion edges. The GT gets sportier seats with more padding in its side bolsters to hold you firmly in place in corners. The GT also features a chrome-spoked, leather wrapped steering wheel, and chrome pedals.
Roominess is a virtue in the Cruiser. Its 121.5 cubic feet of interior volume is comparable to that of large cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Lincoln Town Car. Much of that space is a function of the Cruiser's height. The roof rises toward the rear like on a chopped-top hot rod.
To take advantage of this, the rear seat bottoms are higher than those in front, resulting in what what the industry calls theater seating. The front seats are mounted on tall boxes, leaving plenty of room for rear passengers to stretch their legs underneath. A six-foot, nine-inch passenger can fit comfortably in the front or rear seats.
Chrysler claims the PT Cruiser's cabin can be configured 26 different ways. This flexibility stems from three features: a 65/35 split rear bench that can be folded flat, tumbled forward or removed; a movable parcel shelf; and an available front passenger seat that folds flat. The rear seats are anchored with quick-release attachments for easy removal. Suitcase handles and steel wheels make it easier to stash them in the garage and move them about. The smaller seat weighs 35 pounds, but the larger section weighs a hefty 65 pounds. The Cruiser can provide up to 64 cubic feet of cargo volume. Still, a mountain bike doesn't really fit without removing the front wheel, removing the rear seats, or both. The load floor measures 40 inches between the wheel wells, not wide enough for four-foot building materials, but enormously useful. The front passenger seatback can be folded flat, forming a table next to the driver or making room for an eight-foot stepladder or a load of two-by-fours.
Bluetooth technology brings hands-free telephone operation to the Cruiser while leaving your cell phone free to travel with you when you get out of the car. The system works when you set your mobile phone down anywhere inside the vehicle, tying it into a microphone and a voice-recognition interface when you press a button housed in the rearview mirror. You can even continue a conversation while entering or exiting, without disrupting your call for greater mobility.
Safety features include front side-impact airbags in the GT and Limited Edition models and optional ($390) on the other models. Seatbelts should always be worn, however, and the PT Cruiser comes with three-point safety harnesses at all positions, including the rear center position. The front belts have pyrotechnically charged tensioner.
Driving Impression
The PT Cruiser is fun to drive. In essence, it's a tall, practical economy car, but the PT Cruiser goes relatively quickly. The standard engine is rated at 150 horsepower and 165 pounds-feet of torque. This is enough power to propel the Cruiser from 0 to 60 mph in about 8.5 seconds, and down the quarter-mile drag strip in about 16.7 seconds. Big four-cylinder engines like Chrysler's 2.4-liter have a natural tendency to idle roughly, so a counter-rotating balance shaft is used to smooth things out.
The PT Cruiser offers both a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmission. The manual gearbox is surprisingly precise, not sports-car grade, but not bad for a longer-throw gate with a lever that's a foot tall. Working the gears to get the most from the base engine is pleasing.
The automatic isn't as effective as the five-speed at getting the base Cruiser cruising because the power is biased toward higher rpm, which is not where automatics work best. The base engine develops 165 pounds-feet achieved at a relatively high 4000 rpm. On the other hand, there are four gears in the automatic, and kickdown shifts come fairly quickly. With properly timed dips of the accelerator, there's enough torque for safe, clean overtaking on two-lane roads.
The new 180-horsepower turbocharged version that's optional on Touring Edition and Limited Edition produces a healthy amount of torque, 210 pounds-feet. That should improve the performance of automatics considerably. (Torque is that force that propels the car from intersections and up steep hills.)
Speaking of torque, the engine in the GT develops 245 pounds-feet at just 2800 rpm. And this twisting power doesn't drop off until the tach passes 4500. That makes this 220-horsepower High Output turbo feel like a bigger engine, even though it's not. A rumbly exhaust makes the GT sound more like what hot-rodders wanted when the hot-rod body was first introduced. You know it's a turbo because of the telltale whine when it spools up, though chambers in the intake manifold act as sound dampers.
The GT can get to 60 mph in about 7 seconds. Driving the GT around town, you'll likely forget to downshift, since the engine pulls strongly at 2500 rpm in any gear. Once you decide to go quicker, the GT acts like the muscle car its body says it is.
The GT comes with Chrysler's AutoStick. It works like an automatic when it's in Drive, but also permits semi-manual shifting. It works well, though the tall shifter is reminiscent of an old-fashioned hot-rod setup. Stand on it at low rpm and there's a little lag as the turbo gets into the boost, but once it spools up it takes offs. The standard gearbox is a five-speed Getrag.
The PT Cruiser handles more like a sedan than a minivan. With the big 17-inch wheels and tires of the GT, it will hustle like a sports sedan, though it lacks their precision. Base models maintain composure in the corners, too. Body lean is well controlled. The rear suspension design maximizes cargo space, but the solid rear axle bounces a bit on rough pavement and the chassis does not feel rigid. Its ride quality feels like that of a compact car with road vibration entering the cabin. The mirrors shake when the stereo is on. Generally, it feels a bit dated and not very refined.
In quick, hard, slalom-type maneuvers the PT Cruiser starts to feel top heavy, even with the GT's stiffer suspension and big wheels. You can almost feel the high mass of the car try to continue in one direction as the front wheels turn in the other. Still, in sudden, emergency-type lane changes, the PT Cruiser is more composed than the typical sport-utility or minivan. At speeds beyond legal Interstate limits, the Cruiser is stable, and not particularly susceptible to cross winds. There is little wind noise, almost no tire or road noise, and a just-audible whine from the drivetrain.
Front disc and rear drum brakes are standard. ABS is.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser appeals to people of all ages and lifestyles with its whimsical, retro design. Its affordability increases the appeal. Its practicality often closes the deal with a roomy, versatile interior that makes it easy to justify.
The GT model adds needed hot-rod credibility, while the new 180-horsepower option should broaden its appeal.
Model Lineup
Chrysler PT Cruiser ($17,395); Touring Edition ($19,170); Limited Edition ($21,410); GT ($25,365).
Assembled In
Toluca, Mexico.
Options As Tested
AutoStick transmission ($440).
Model Tested
Chrysler PT Turbo GT ($25,365).
4310 W Wall St
Midland, Tx. 79703

subset: commoncrawl


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Keeping the "pop" in culture
Popular culture is commonly defined as the totality of distinct memes, ideas, perspectives and attitudes that are deemed preferred by the majority of any given society. In other words, things cultural that are acceptable and enjoyed by the "mainstream," or the working class, falls into the category of popular culture.
Since its recognition, popular culture has been criticized, belittled, berated, and snubbed by the elitists in the aristocracy. They have deemed anything popular by the icky working majority as bourgeois, low-class, and without sophistication.
Sophistication is a product of the educated. Those who have had the privilege of a pampered life enjoyed the luxury of being schooled in cultural pursuits. They have traditionally looked down their noses at those who do not understand or appreciate the intricacies of well-composed classical music, opera, the ballet, fine art and good literature.
The majority of the population has not had the opportunity to indulge in such endeavors because they spend the better part of their day being productive by working for a living. Consequently, their appreciation for the arts, literature, and things cultural has traditionally been more primitive, and in my opinion, more fun.
The advent of American "pop culture," as we know it wasn't widely recognized until the giant engine driving the media gained momentum at the turn of the twentieth century. The growth of the publishing industry produced newspapers. Then radio became popular. After WW II, television completed the picture by shrinking the world and bringing the masses together in a unified wall of solidarity seeking identity.
Mass communication was the key. The introduction of radio allowed people in the most remote areas to enjoy music they never had the opportunity to hear before. In rural areas, the music they heard on the radio didn't exist in their world.
When recorded music became affordable to the working class on records, and the publishing industry introduced magazines, dime novels, and comic books, pop culture exploded on the American scene. New authors, composers, musicians and artists appeared almost overnight and enjoyed tremendous success.
Then came the turning point. The beginning of the 1950s introduced "rock 'n' roll." Pop culture became a force that was felt around the globe. With the rock generation came critics. The aristocracy was infuriated by the popularity of the vulgar, "devil's music," that was sweeping the country and corrupting youth. Rock 'n' roll was deemed sacrilegious, even though its roots were in gospel music.
Then, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and any music that could be enjoyed in saloons, were considered entertainment produced by the followers of Satan himself. Unless, of course, the music was declared acceptable by polite society and could be heard in the elite country clubs of Palm Beach, Long Island, and the bastions of upper class American society.
However, it wasn't just the music that was criticized. Popular films starring actors like James Dean, and books written by authors like Jack Kerouac, and poetry by Allan Ginsberg, all suffered from unwarranted stigmas because they were popular with the masses. The working class understood their cultural heroes. The common man found an identity and the aristocracy was not pleased.
They questioned the morality of lyric, plot, and poetry. They used the power of money, government, and law enforcement to regain control of a youth movement that was overtaking society.
If morality were the issue that plagued the upper crust, then I have a few questions. Would they endorse a movie about a gypsy girl who worked in a cigarette factory, juggled two lovers, and sent one into such a jealous rage that he stabbed her to death?
Or, how about a 16th century story about a womanizing nobleman who expressed interest in a young girl who was a commoner while he was publicly courting a countess? He seduced the young girl and she sacrificed herself at the hands of an assassin to save the nobleman because she was hopelessly in love with him. He got off scott free.
Try a turn of the 20th century plot about a military officer who was a bigamist with wives in two countries. One of them had his baby. She was so devastated when she learned the truth that she committed suicide. The offi cer took their child and enjoyed life with his other wife.
These stories are not shining examples of moral inspiration for a young maturing audience, would you say? However, if they were banned from public performance, the world would be denied the operas, "Carmen," by Bizet, "Rigoletto," by Giuseppe Verdi, and "Madame Butterfly," by Giacomo Puccini.
Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe "pop culture" rules. Sophisticated, aristocratic snots are largely responsible for why we live in a system we can't understand.


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Brain-Dead Canadian Woman Gives Birth, Dies
A brain-dead woman in British Columbia, whose husband had asked she be kept alive on a ventilator after a cerebral hemorrhage over a month ago, has died after giving birth to their frail but healthy son.
"My beautiful and amazing son, Iver Cohen Benson," is healthy and is "the cutest and most precious person I have ever met," writes Dylan Benson, 32, about the delivery by Caesarean section last weekend, on his personal blog.
The baby boy was born 12 weeks prematurely, and is in a neonatal intensive care unit in Victoria, British Columbia, according to CNN.
"On Sunday, we had to unfortunately say goodbye to the strongest and most wonderful woman I have ever met," he says of his wife. "I miss Robyn more than words can explain. I could not be more impressed with her strength, and I am so lucky to have known her. She will live on forever within Iver, and in my heart."
Robyn, also 32, collapsed in late December when she was 22 weeks pregnant, and was declared brain dead.
Benson thanked all those who contributed Canadian $152,000 for Iver's medical bills through an online fund-raising campaign. "I feel very, very, incredibly thankful. The message of positivity has been incredible, and it's made it easier to get through these past few weeks," he was quoted as saying.
If Robyn were still alive, she'd be happy and proud, he added. "She would be very proud of our son. I think she would be happy that there were so many people all over the world that want to see him healthy and happy."
In a similar case in the United States, a judge in January ordered John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, to remove life support from a pregnant, brain-dead woman, Marlise Munoz.
Munoz was 14 weeks pregnant when her husband, Erick Munoz, found her unconscious on the kitchen floor, Nov. 26.
The hospital cited a Texas law on pregnant patients to argue it was mandated to protect the life of the unborn child. Texas' Health and Safety Code Section 166.049 states that "a person may not withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient."
However, Erick Munoz said he and his wife, both paramedics, had discussed and agreed on not being kept alive through life support.


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We have the honor to invite you to the 5th International "Caspian Energy Forum – 2018" which will be held in Tbilisi in 8 May 2018 under the support of the Government of Georgia, Azerbaijan Republic, and also Caspian European Club.
Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili is expected to take part in the opening of the Forum.
Over 300 delegates will participate in Caspian Energy Forum – 2018. Among them there will be heads of government agencies, ministries and state committees of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and other Caspian-Black Sea and Baltic region countries, as well as representatives of diplomatic and international missions accredited in Georgia, heads of large international companies, international financial institutions.
The program of the event envisages additional opportunities for participants to work and communicate during the coffee breaks and the business lunch.
We have the pleasure of inviting your company to participate as a sponsor or a delegate in the 5th International Caspian Energy Forum – 2018.


text: Does anyone have any good (CHEAP) ideas for a homemade Omni-directional antenna or a good mounting system to implement a can-tenna on my vehicle. After the destruction of my magnetic based omni-directional vehicle antenna(thanks to my friend), I salvaged the pig tail and adapted it to a homemade can-tenna. However, it becomes to much of a chore to try and have it positioned properly while driving. Id duct tape or bolt the F%&*ing thing on to my car if it wasnt a new vehicle. I live in an apartment and go to school 1200 miles away from my garage so i dont have any building equipment besides basic hand tools(which limits my design).


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Hyundai teams up with Shell UK to offer vehicle health checks
Hyundai teams up with Shell UK to offer vehicle health checks
Ahead of the Wales Rally GB, throughout the week commencing Monday 9 November, Hyundai Motor UK, Hyundai Motorsport and Shell UK have teamed up to offer Shell customers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to have their cars inspected by the official Hyundai Motorsport World Rally Championship (WRC) driver crews.
The participating retailers are:
- Shell Black Cat, LL28 5LE (9th November);
- Shell Expressways, LL22 8HH (11th November);
- Hapsford Service Station, CH2 4QZ (12th November);
- Shell Chester, CH3 5NJ (13th November);
- Shell Talke, Stoke-on-Trent (14th November).
Each of the sessions will be in operation 9:00 until 16:00 Monday to Friday, and 9:00 until 12:30 on Saturday.
In the build up to Wales Rally GB, all four crews – Dani Sordo and Marc Martí, Hayden Paddon and John Kennard, Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul, and Kevin Abbring and Sebastian Marshall – will launch the week-long 'Experience Hyundai' initiative. The one-off event on selected Shell forecourts, near the Wales Rally GB site in North Wales, will give customers a free vehicle health check and fill their cars with fuel.
Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor UK, commented: "We are now in our second consecutive year supporting Wales Rally GB, and this year it's fantastic to really get the drivers involved with motorists in North Wales. The WRC drivers are extremely skilled – it's their responsibility to get the car back on the road should anything go wrong whilst on the stages - so Shell customers will be in excellent hands!"
In addition, selected Hyundai dealers in and around North Wales will also be involved in the vehicle health checks at their local Shell forecourts.
Following its success last year, Hyundai Motor UK will once again be the Official Car Partner of Wales Rally GB. As part of the collaboration, the company will provide over 40 cars for the duration of the event – including the All-New Tucson.


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Pregnant Kim Kardashian continues to experiment with her maternity style...
She has been experimenting with her maternity style extensively since her pregnancy was announced at the end of last year.
And Kim Kardashian got it spectacularly wrong when she stepped out in a pair of garish snakeskin peplum trousers on Friday whilst leaving her Beverly Hills mansion.
The patterned attire failed to flatter the 32-year-old's pregnancy curves with their tight fit and frilled waistband.
She wore her chocolate locks out in a wavy style, parting her tresses at the side.
The odd outfit is the second one in a row for the reality mogul.
Kim stepped out in a monochrome dress on Thursday which showed that there was no hiding the fact that a Kardashian baby is on its way.
Kim, who has more than four months in her pregnancy, looked extremely curvy in the black and white attire.
Few more at source


text:
Things are slowing down this week with Thanksgiving on Thursday and the busiest shopping day of the year on Friday. If you need a few distractions, there are still some good choices for you. On Tuesday, there's a Red Cross benefit for Hurricane Sandy at Palace Ballroom with an auction, music from DJ El Toro,Read more…
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NH special effects artist helps police capture armed robberBy SHAWNE K. WICKHAM
New Hampshire Sunday News
March 01. 2014 10:55PM
As an artist who creates special-effects makeup for movies and theme parks, Jeremy Oneail is content to work behind the scenes.
But he recently stepped into the hero's role in a real-life whodunit that led to the capture of a man who allegedly held up two banks and two post offices in Pennsylvania and Delaware in January.
The man wore a lifelike mask, with heavy, dark eyebrows, hair and mustache.
Oneail made the mask.
Oneail, 41, owns and operates Oneail FX Studios in the basement of the Goffstown home he shares with his fiancee. Over the past year, he started concentrating on custom-designed, lifelike silicone masks, which he sells on eBay.
After he designed a mask for a theme park in Mumbai, India, last year, Oneail dubbed it "Raj" and started selling versions of it online.
Last month, the feds called.
They were trying to solve a series of armed robberies and wanted to know whether Oneail recalled selling one particular mask to anyone in Pennsylvania; it turned out to be his "Raj" mask.
"I'd only made six of them," Oneail said.
A quick check of his records turned up a Blair Thomas Jr., who in late December had paid about $400 for a "Raj" mask and had it shipped to an address in East Landsdowne, Pa.
The buyer used his real name and address; even his email address was a combination of his real name and birthdate.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service got a search warrant for the address, where they found the mask, a semiautomatic handgun and about $3,000 in cash, according to court records.
"After Thomas was advised of his rights, Thomas admitted that he had, while wearing the 'Raj' mask, attempted to rob the United States Post Office" in Darby, Pa., according to an affidavit by a federal agent.
Oneail, who has a degree in studio art from the University of New Hampshire, is a native of Seabrook. He said most of his mask customers are actors who "want to do skits for YouTube."
But it is something special-effects artists acknowledge and even joke about - that someone will use their handiwork someday to commit a crime, he said.
"I guess it's like if you make ski masks, you know at some point someone might do something weird with it."
At a sci-fi convention last summer, he even joked with some customers that "our masks pay for themselves in their first heist."
"It used to be a joke," he said.
Oneail said he prefers to think the man who bought his mask had "the best of intentions" at first. "Maybe he figured he was going to be the next Internet superstar or ... go do magic tricks for kids in the burn unit.
"I would like to think that," he said. "And then life gets in the way and people make bad decisions sometimes."
According to court documents, Thomas has two prior felony robbery convictions in Delaware, "one of which involved his wearing a mask."
On Jan. 22, according to court records, a man entered the Darby post office just before noon and demanded 10 $1,000 money orders at gunpoint. The clerk told him he (or she) "could not print money orders without an official transaction," and the man fled.
The clerk did notice something unusual about the man. His skin was odd and "almost waxy-looking," like he was wearing makeup or a mask.
And the robber forgot one key detail: "When the male drew the gun from his waistband, the skin on his belly was black, which the clerk thought was odd because his masked face was tan or white."
Thomas was indicted last week by grand juries in Pennsylvania and Delaware on felony charges, including two counts each of attempted robbery of a postal employee, bank robbery, and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence; and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Thomas is due to appear in U.S. District Court in both states on Thursday.
According to the federal indictments, Thomas attempted to rob a post office in Yeadon, Pa., on Jan. 22, at gunpoint. And the following day, he allegedly robbed a Wells Fargo Bank in Springfield, Pa., and the M&T Bank in Wilmington, Del. In each case, the robber was wearing the mask, authorities said.
Oneail said federal investigators were surprised at how forthcoming he was with the information he had; they told him people are sometimes reluctant to get involved.
But he said, "I want to get a guy off the streets that's doing this type of thing. I'd rather do what I can to make the world a better place."
He did ask one agent about a $50,000 reward offered by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the bandit. But apparently because they contacted Oneail, not the other way around, he's not entitled to the reward, he was told.
That's OK, Oneail replied; it wasn't about the money. "It was my civic duty to do that," he said.
The agent did a double-take. "We'll do what we can," he told Oneail.
Reginald Wade Jr. is public information officer for the Philadelphia Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He said the information Oneail provided "played a big role" in catching the robbery suspect.
And Wade noted an ironic twist in how Thomas got caught: "Here he is trying to use that mask to disguise himself, and we were able to use the mask to track him down and apprehend him."
Crime, law and justice Public Safety NH People Top Section Stories


text: Apple-iPhone-X-2017-Apple-Watch-Series-3_42 Greg Barbosa - Sep. 12th 2017 10:39 am PT @gregbarbosa 0 About the Author Greg Barbosa @gregbarbosa Greg Barbosa is the Product Manager at Electrek, 9to5Google, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Toys and a writer for 9to5Mac. Email him at email@example.com. Greg Barbosa's favorite gear Nomad Workstation All the tools I use to keep me productive and moving while out and about. iPhone Camera Gear Accessories and apps I use to get the best possible shots with my iPhone.


text: This paper is intended to catalyze discussion at the Delaware Conference on Equal Opportunity in Housing. By providing facts and analysis pertaining to Wilmington and surrounding areas, the paper is written to help familiarize attendees of the housing situation in Delaware. A key goal is to educate on the racial disparity and deterioration of urban areas. "The national housing objective is to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing to all people" and this document encourages the execution of developed solutions. The data includes population trends, characteristics of the ghetto, residential patterns in education, and urban renewal programs.


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Sport climbing at Castelbianco is nothing new, seeing that the crag was developed at the start of the '90's by Andrea Gallo & Co who established routes up to 8a. At the end of the '90's two climbers from Genua, Luca Biondi and Andrea Bisio, added a series of new routes up to 8b.
Castelbianco became synonymous with steep overhanging testpieces but in the first decade of the new millennium the crag matured and a series of easier routes were added to the left-hand side up great compact limestone.
Take the motorway Genova - Ventimiglia, exit for Albenga, reach Cisano sul Neva, continue towards Garessio and turn off left, circa 1km after Cisano, following signs for Castelbianco - Alto. Park the car beneath the obvious crag circa 300m after the village Castelbianco and reach the crag on foot in just 5 minutes.
Powerful stamina climbing through the steep overhang.
The gear for the routes equipped by Luca Biondi and Andrea Bisio was offered by Kong, while the routes added by Andrea Bisio were sponsored by Andrea Gallo's Idee Verticali Edizioni.
Oltrefinale #2 di Andrea Gallo, Idee Verticali. Euskal, Corte, Red Wall, Castelbianco, Terminal, Toirano, Planetarium, 80 crags, 1200 routes
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate negotiators neared a deal on Tuesday to avert a showdown over threats by Democrats to strip Republicans of their power to filibuster President Barack Obama's executive branch nominees, said Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"We may have a way forward on this, I feel fairly confident," Reid said, adding there were still some details to iron out.
The chamber was preparing to vote on the first of seven Obama nominees that have been delayed.
(Reporting By Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan; editing by Doina Chiacu)


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Orlando Ruff.......
Sunday, July 20, 2003 4:33 P.M.
Saints move at LB gives some a sinking feeling
Nick Deriso / Sports Editor
Posted on June 21, 2003
The word is, actor Roy Scheider ad-libbed the line. But it turned out to be one of the most memorable moments in the movie "Jaws."
Chief Brody, upon getting his first look at the shark, says: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Saints coaches found themselves in much the same situation, after two years of getting chewed up by opposing offenses.
Climb aboard the S.S. Orlando Ruff, New Orleans' answer for the lingering question mark at middle linebacker.
"He moves well inside the box," Haslett says of Ruff, a free-agent signing from San Diego. "He is a tough guy who attacks people. He is very intelligent and I think you are going to like what you see in him."
But a quick poll of online Saints fans at www.thenewwstar.com/saints, shows a singular sentiment bubbling up: It would be nice if the new boat wasn't leaking to begin with.
Ruff, an undrafted free agent in 1999, arrived for his first coaching sessions in New Orleans with just one sack and one interception on his resume. He lost his starting job when the Chargers brought in Donnie Edwards.
A question mark, indeed.
"Placing our hopes of a stouter 'D' and better run-stopping capability on the shoulders of a situational middle linebacker?" says James McDaniel of Leesville. "Wasn't Ruff a backup on a defensive squad worse than ours last year? See how those ended with a '?'"
Wayne D'Antoni of Fort Collins, Colo., agrees.
"Is middle LB a question mark? Heck, the whole LB corps has so many question marks, it looks like one of the Riddler's garish, green suits," D'Antoni says.
An ironic overlay to the problems the team is having at linebacker can be found in the playing resume of third-year Saints coach Jim Haslett. Haslett went to two Pro Bowls in his nine-year career ... as a linebacker.
"You'd think this would be a strength of the team, not an endless visit to a black-and-gold Twilight Zone," D'Antoni says.
Departed linebacker Charlie "Clemons clearly wasn't the answer in the middle - and after a Pro Bowl season in 2000, Keith Mitchell's game disappeared quicker than Amelia Earhart." Then there was Mark Fields, who D'Antoni called "the consummate bust."
Is Orlando Ruff the next name to sink below the roiling surface?
You're gonna need to convince D'Antoni otherwise.
"In an era when guys like Ray Lewis and Zach Thomas rack up between 150 to 200 tackles a season," says D'Antoni, "our man Ruff - wasn't that the name of Dennis the Menace's dog? - totaled 142 tackles in two seasons as a starter in San Diego. That's an average of 71 stops (including assists) per campaign. Not the kind of numbers that earn you a free plane ticket to Hawaii in late January - and usually not the kind of numbers that allow one to keep one's starting position, which he didn't."
So, you're gonna need a bigger perspective, if you want to understand why the Saints signed him.
"Orlando is a guy that has come down the hard road," says Saints director of player personnel Rick Mueller. "He was an undrafted kid out of college. He earned himself a spot on the team and also got himself a starting job. He plays with passion and that is something we are looking for. He is a young guy that is on the upswing."
New Orleans fan Price Barnes of Franklin, Tenn., also admires how Ruff fought through those meager beginnings.
"First of all, let's gather a little background: He scratched his way to a starting position in just his second season via hard-nosed special teams play. And this is a starting position on what has been one of the NFL's top defenses the past decade; we're not talking about starting MLB for the '76 Buccaneers," he says.
"In 2000 and 2001, he ranked 4th and 5th respectively in tackles," Barnes says. "All of this was done by playing almost exclusively on run downs - which, by the way, is exactly how the Saints plan to use him."
You're gonna need to understand that pine-riding was a character-building experience for Ruff, too.
"It's tough for anybody. As a competitor, you want to be on the field; you want to go out there and make plays," Ruff says. "Whenever you're forced into a situation of that sort, it's not comfortable. But at the same time, you have to realize that the team as a whole is bigger than the individual - and you have to put personal feelings aside and do what's best for the team. That's the situation that I was faced with last year."
And, in the end, Ruff said sharing a unit overflowing with talent - he played with both Edwards and future Hall of Famer Junior Seau - provided valuable experience.
"Being around the group of veterans that I was fortunate enough to be around for the past four years, it did a lot of things for me," Ruff says. "I learned the game. I learned what it took to be a professional. I took those traits and I added them to my work ethic."
So, Ruff's not drowning in passing-down stats? He likes reeling in the guy with the rock, anyway.
"My goal is to get to the ball carrier as quick as possible," Ruff says. "If there's somebody in the way, I'm going through them. This defense allows me to do that."
But, you're gonna need a better performance from the line.
That's a different script, Mr. Scheider.
Orlando Ruff.......
Hopefully he\'ll be the next Vaughn Johnson for us.
He does have youth and upside. Which seemed to work well with Horn, but admittedly not so well with Albert Connell.
But character and work ethic was Connel\'s problem.
That doesn\'t seem to be a problem for Ruff.
I give him a 7 in 10 chance of success, which ain\'t bad. I b!tched about signing some unproven nobody named Joe Horn a few years back and boy did he prove me wrong.
[Edited on 21/7/2003 by tweeky]
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Vaastu Dev Puja - Vaastu Puja Mantras
Pt. Rajendra Prasad Kimothi, Ph.D.
Shlokas from a complete Vaastu Puja, recited by a trained pundit. Track: Vaastu Dev Puja Album: Vaastu Puja According to Hindu beliefs, gods reside in a person's home, as well as the heavens. It is further believed that the gods have a specific place assigned to them in the house. This belief is in accordance with the principles of vaastu, that have been enumerated in ancient Indian texts. Vaastu is the the art of constructing buildings according to the prescribed rules, which take into account the placement of various rooms within the house. Further, Vaastu describes the importance of the eight directions, namely, north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast and south west. For instance, Vaastu tells us that one must have windows and the doors on the eastern and the northern side of the house, instead of the other directions. This is to let in the morning sun and the air. This would help in keeping the house well-lit and ventilated thus reducing the need for air-conditioning and extra lights, which in turn would help to conserve energy. Vaastu also contains instructions on maintaining the harmony of nature with our living. Vaastu talks of the five elements that comprise humans - air, water, fire, earth and space, and how to maintain the balance of these elements while designing our places of work and habitation. The disturbance of this balance is said to be the cause of numerous problems, such as ill-health, family discord, loss of wealth etc. Unfortunately, in the modern age, most people have almost no control over the construction of their houses or offices, as they have to make do with the properties that have been made by builders and developers. Vaastu puja is one way to correct the anomalies that arise in these constructions. Vaastu puja is performed by praying to the Vaastu Purush, which is a representation of thirty-two gods. Puja to the Vaastu Purush is like a puja to all these gods. It is commonly recommended that Vaastu puja be done continuously for 40 days. This album contains the complete prayers to the various gods who reside in our abode in the ethereal form. The mantras in this album have been taken from the rare Indian spiritual texts and strictly follow the Indian Vedic rules.


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With the recent struggles of the Vancouver Canucks, the whole city is abuzz with a mild form of 'controlled' panic. Many fans and media alike are asking the same question, "What is the matter with the Vancouver Canucks?" Why are they not playing like the team we have been used to seeing dominate over the past season and half? What happened to the Sedins? Luongo is no longer focusing like he was from November to February! What is up with the team's defense?
I'm not saying it's not frustrating seeing games the Canucks should be winning but not. At the same time, as Tom Benjamin said in his blog here on Canucks Corner, there is nothing any of us in the stands, at home watching on TV or those listening on the radio can do about it. We can't go to the players and give motivational speeches, that's not our job. Our job is simple to cheer, grin and bare it and hope.
Some then question, why aren't our stars playing like stars? Personally I find that our stars get over-analyzed by other blogs, media-types and every fan expert on every message board there is out there. Let's hope the boys don't read most of the criticisms going on out in cyber space that they have those little drops of doubt in their head that weren't there before. Seriously, how many times can we talk about how the Sedins aren't point-per game players at the moment? We're so spoiled sometimes, seeing back to back Art Ross wins by twin brothers and so we expect it every year.
I am a little concerned about the number of odd man rushes that the Canucks have been giving up. I count entirely too many the last five games and that is a trend that causes a small quiet (and muffled) alarm go off inside me. The worst part about it is, a lot of those opportunities either become good scoring chances and even goals on both Schneider and Luongo. The defensive game has become very loosey goosey the last little while and I would like to see that come to an abrupt end.
As far as scoring goes? Except for Ryan Kesler, maybe everyone needs to take more shooting lessons. Perhaps some of us fans should go out there and 'show them how its done'! Can you imagine the lessons the guys could get from us? I am cringing at the thought. Let the players be the ones to 'correct' themselves. We have nothing to offer them in terms of how to play the game. All we can do is cheer.
We live in a city that is in anticipation for the playoffs, and we had concerns last year that the Canucks didn't have anymore gas at the end. This year, we're complaining that they might get stuck in this rut before the playoffs and we're even subconsciously predicting a first round exit with the present play of our team. We've been spoiled from last year until we hit game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks could not lose and when they didn't look like they were going to make it, they found ways to win. I think we have grown to expect that for this season.
What we should have expected is the perhaps the Canucks are feeling a little like a few of their fans. Playoffs on their mind and the season couldn't end fast enough. I know that's how I feel. It's obvious with my lack of blogs, my lack of interest to going to all the games this season, that I am in anticipation for April. Yes, they may lose a few more games, but I don't see them losing all of them. The team isn't going to win any top individual awards this year, they most like aren't going to win the President's Trophy. Heck from where we are standing right now, the Canucks aren't even in line for first place in the Western Conference. They are still in 2nd place, for now and I don't see them getting bumped out of it by anyone in the near future.
However, as we all felt from last year in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, second place isn't enough.
Justine Galo
Twitter: @Aviewfromabroad


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A bird sang sweet and strong
Bytuene Mershe ant Averil
A bird sang sweet and strong
(G.W. Curtis, YBAV)
A bomb has fallen over Notre Dame
(P. MacKaye, MAP)
A book of Verses underneath the Bough
(E. Fitzgerald, OBEV)
Above yon sombre swell of land
(R.H. Horne, OBEV)
Absence, hear thou my protestation
(Anonymous, Gold)
Absence, hear thou my protestation
(J. Donne, OBEV)
Absence heare my protestation
(J. Hoskins, Meta)
Absent from thee, I languish still
(J. Wilmot, OBEV)
Accept thou Shrine of my dead Saint
(H. King, Meta)
Accept, thou shrine of my dead saint
(H. King, OBEV)
A Chieftain to the Highlands bound
(T. Campbell, Gold)
A child 's a plaything for an hour
(M. Lamb, OBEV)
Across the fields of yesterday
(T.S. Jones, MAP)
Adieu, farewell earth's bliss
(T. Nashe, OBEV)
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever
(R. Burns, OBEV)
A fierce unrest seethes at the core
(D. Marquis, MAP)
A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by
(W. Wordsworth, Gold)
A flying word from here and there
(E.A. Robinson, MAP)
A! Fredome is a noble thing
(J. Barbour, OBEV)
After the whipping, he crawled into bed
(S.V. Benét, MAP)
After those reverend papers, whose soule is
(J. Donne, Meta)
A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot
(T.E. Brown, OBEV)
Ah, be not false, sweet Splendor
(R.W. Gilder, YBAV)
Ah, Chloris! could I now but sit
(Sir C. Sedley, Gold)
Ah, Chloris! that I now could sit
(Sir C. Sedley, OBEV)
Ah! County Guy, the hour is nigh
(Sir W. Scott, Gold)
Ah, how sweet it is to love
(J. Dryden, OBEV)
Ah, London! London! our delight
(R. Le Gallienne, MBP)
Ah! sad are they who know not love
(T.B. Aldrich, YBAV)
A hut, and a tree
(M. Eastman, MAP)
Ah! were she pitiful as she is fair
(R. Greene, OBEV)
Ah, what avails the sceptred race
(W.S. Landor, OBEV)
Airly Beacon, Airly Beacon
(C. Kingsley, OBEV)
Alas! our pleasant moments fly
(E.C. Pinkney, YBAV)
A late lark twitters from the quiet skies
(W.E. Henley, MBP)
A late lark twitters from the quiet skies
(W.E. Henley, OBEV)
A letter from my love to-day
(J. Davidson, MBP)
Alexis, here she stay'd; among these pines
(W. Drummond, OBEV)
A life on the ocean wave
(E. Sargent, YBAV)
A little flock of clouds go down to rest
(F. Ledwidge, MBP)
A little peach in the orchard grew
(E. Field, YBAV)
All are not taken; there are left behind
(E.B. Browning, OBEV)
Allas! my worthi maister honorable
(T. Hoccleve, OBEV)
All day long I have been working
(A. Lowell, MAP)
All day to watch the blue wave curl and break
(T.B. Aldrich, YBAV)
All holy influences dwell within
(Sir A. De Vere, OBEV)
All in the April morning
(K.T. Hinkson, MBP)
All in the April morning
(K.T. Hinkson, OBEV)
All in the Downs the fleet was moor'd
(J. Gay, Gold)
All is best, though we oft doubt
(J. Milton, OBEV)
All Kings, and all their favorites
(J. Donne, Meta)
All my past life is mine no more
(J. Wilmot, OBEV)
All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair
(S.T. Coleridge, OBEV)
All quiet along the Potomac, they say
(E. Beers, YBAV)
All 's over, then: does truth sound bitter
(R. Browning, OBEV)
All the afternoon there has been a chirping of birds
(A. Lowell, MAP)
All the flowers of the spring
(J. Webster, OBEV)
All the words that I utter
(W.B. Yeats, OBEV)
All thoughts, all passions, all delights
(S.T. Coleridge, Gold)
All thoughts, all passions, all delights
(S.T. Coleridge, OBEV)
All under the leaves and the leaves of life
(Anonymous, OBEV)
All within and all without me
(T.B. Read, YBAV)
Along A River-Side, I Know Not Where
(J.R. Lowell, YBAV)
Along the banks where Babel's current flows
(J. Barlow, YBAV)
Aloof upon the day's immeasured dome
(G. Sterling, MAP)
Amarantha sweet and fair
(R. Lovelace, OBEV)
Amid this hot green glowing gloom
(E. Sitwell, MBP)
A mile behind is Gloucester town
(W.V. Moody, YBAV)
A mist was driving down the British Channel
(H.W. Longfellow, YBAV)
An ancient chestnut's blossoms threw
(W.S. Landor, OBEV)
An apple orchard smells like wine
(L.W. Reese, MAP)
And are ye sure the news is true
(W.J. Mickle, Gold)
And do they so? have they a Sense
(H. Vaughan, Meta)
And here the precious dust is laid
(T. Carew, Meta)
And how could you dream of meeting
(J.R. Lowell, YBAV)
And is this Yarrow?this the stream
(W. Wordsworth, Gold)
And, like a dying lady lean and pale
(P.B. Shelley, OBEV)
And then I pressed the shell
(J. Stephens, MBP)
And thou art dead, as young and fair
(G. Byron, Gold)
And will you cut a stone for him
(W.W. Gibson, MBP)
And wilt thou leave me thus
(Sir T. Wyatt, Gold)
And wilt thou leave me thus
(Sir T. Wyatt, OBEV)
Angel, king of streaming morn
(H. Rowe, OBEV)
Angel spirits of sleep
(R. Bridges, OBEV)
An old silver church in a forest
(M. Bodenheim, MAP)
Antiseptic Baby and the Prophylactic Pup
(A. Guiterman, MAP)
A pitcher of mignonette
(H.C. Bunner, MAP)
A plenteous place is Ireland for hospitable cheer
(Sir S. Ferguson, OBEV)
A poet had a cat
(G.W. Carryl, MAP)
Apparition of these faces in the crowd
(E. Pound, MAP)
Apple-green west and an orange bar
(E.M. Thomas, MAP)
April, April
(W. Watson, MBP)
April, April
(W. Watson, OBEV)
A Queen was beloved by a jester
(W.B. Yeats, MBP)
Ariel to Miranda:Take
(P.B. Shelley, Gold)
A rose, as fair as ever saw the North
(W. Browne, OBEV)
Art thou pale for weariness
(P.B. Shelley, Gold)
Art thou poor, yet hast thou golden slumbers
(T. Dekker, Gold)
Art thou poor, yet hast thou golden slumbers
(T. Dekker, OBEV)
As a white candle
(J. Campbell, MBP)
As doctors give physic by way of prevention
(M. Prior, OBEV)
As I in hoary winter's night
(R. Southwell, OBEV)
As it fell upon a day
(R. Barnefield, Gold)
As it fell upon a day
(R. Barnefield, OBEV)
As I was walking all alane
(Anonymous, Gold)
As I was walking all alane
(Anonymous, OBEV)
Ask me no more where Jove bestowes
(T. Carew, Meta)
Ask me no more where Jove bestows
(T. Carew, OBEV)
Ask me why I send you here
(R. Herrick, OBEV)
Ask not the cause why sullen Spring
(J. Dryden, OBEV)
A slumber did my spirit seal
(W. Wordsworth, Gold)
A slumber did my spirit seal
(W. Wordsworth, OBEV)
As one, at midnight, wakened by the call
(W.W. Gibson, MBP)
As one that for a weary space has lain
(A. Lang, OBEV)
As slow our ship her foamy track
(T. Moore, Gold)
A star is gone! a star is gone
(G. Darley, OBEV)
A sunny shaft did I behold
(S.T. Coleridge, OBEV)
A sweet disorder in the dress
(R. Herrick, Gold)
A sweet disorder in the dress
(R. Herrick, OBEV)
As those we love decay, we die in part
(J. Thomson, OBEV)
As time one day by me did pass
(H. Vaughan, Meta)
As virtuous men passe mildly away
(J. Donne, Meta)
As we rush, as we rush in the Train
(J. Thomson, OBEV)
As ye came from the holy land
(Anonymous, OBEV)
At anchor in Hampton Roads we lay
(H.W. Longfellow, YBAV)
At dawn, he said, I bid them all farewell
(E.J. Cutler, YBAV)
At her fair hands how have I grace entreated
(Anonymous, OBEV)
A thousand martyrs I have made
(A. Behn, OBEV)
A thousand silent years ago
(W.W. Story, YBAV)
At midnight, in his guarded tent
(F. Halleck, YBAV)
At the corner of Wood Street, when daylight appears
(W. Wordsworth, Gold)
At the last, tenderly
(W. Whitman, OBEV)
At the mid hour of night, when stars are weeping, I fly
(T. Moore, Gold)
At the mid hour of night, when stars are weeping, I fly
(T. Moore, OBEV)
At the round earths imagin'd corners, blow
(J. Donne, Meta)
Avenge, O Lord! Thy slaughter'd saints, whose bones
(J. Milton, Gold)
A very remarkable history this is
(J.G. Saxe, YBAV)
A voice peals in this end of night
(A. Meynell, MBP)
Awake, Æolian lyre, awake
(T. Gray, Gold)
Awake, Æolian lyre, awake
(T. Gray, OBEV)
Awake, awake, my Lyre
(A. Cowley, Gold)
A ward, and still in bonds, one day
(H. Vaughan, Meta)
Away! away
(M. Akenside, OBEV)
Away, delights! go seek some other dwelling
(J. Fletcher, OBEV)
Away! the moor is dark beneath the moon
(P.B. Shelley, OBEV)
A weary lot is thine, fair maid
(Sir W. Scott, Gold)
A weary lot is thine, fair maid
(Sir W. Scott, OBEV)
A wet sheet and a flowing sea
(A. Cunningham, Gold)
A widow bird sate mourning for her Love
(P.B. Shelley, Gold)
Bacchus must now his power resign
(H. Carey, OBEV)
Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight
(E. Allen, YBAV)
Balkis was in her marble town
(L. Abercrombie, MBP)
Balow, my babe, lie still and sleep
(Anonymous, OBEV)
Bards of Passion and of Mirth
(J. Keats, Gold)
Bards of Passion and of Mirth
(J. Keats, OBEV)
Batter my heart, three person'd God; for, you
(J. Donne, Meta)
Beating Heart! we come again
(F. Locker-Lampson, OBEV)
Beautiful lie the dead
(S. Phillips, MBP)
Beautiful must be the mountains whence ye come
(R. Bridges, MBP)
Beautiful must be the mountains whence ye come
(R. Bridges, OBEV)
Beautiful! Sir, you may say so. Thar is n't her match in the county
(F.B. Harte, YBAV)
Beauty and the life
(W. Drummond, OBEV)
Beauty clear and fair
(J. Fletcher, OBEV)
Beauty sat bathing by a spring
(Anonymous, Gold)
Beauty sat bathing by a spring
(A. Munday, OBEV)
Before I joined the Army
(P. Macgill, MBP)
Before the solemn bronze Saint Gaudens made
(W.V. Moody, YBAV)
Before we shall again behold
(Sir W. Davenant, Meta)
Behold her, single in the field
(W. Wordsworth, Gold)
Behold her, single in the field
(W. Wordsworth, OBEV)
Behold me waitingwaiting for the knife
(W.E. Henley, MBP)
Being your slave, what should I do but tend
(W. Shakespeare, Gold)
Being your slave, what should I do but tend
(W. Shakespeare, OBEV)
Be in me as the eternal moods
(E. Pound, MAP)
Be it right or wrong, these men among
(Anonymous, OBEV)
Beneath the warrior's helm, behold
(T.B. Aldrich, YBAV)
Beneath these fruit-tree boughs that shed
(W. Wordsworth, Gold)
Beside a stricken field I stood
(J.G. Whittier, YBAV)
Best and brightest, come away
(P.B. Shelley, Gold)
Best and brightest, come away
(P.B. Shelley, OBEV)
Beyond my window in the night
(J. Drinkwater, MBP)
Bid me to live, and I will live
(R. Herrick, Gold)
Bid me to live, and I will live
(R. Herrick, OBEV)
Birds against the April wind
(J.G. Whittier, YBAV)
Blackbird, blackbird in the cage
(R. Torrence, MAP)
Black swallows swooping or gliding
(J.G. Fletcher, MAP)
Blasted with sighs, and surrounded with teares
(J. Donne, Meta)
Blessèd Damozel lean'd out
(D.G. Rossetti, OBEV)
Blest pair of Sirens, pledges of Heaven's joy
(J. Milton, Gold)
Blest pair of Sirens, pledges of Heav'ns joy
(J. Milton, OBEV)
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
(W. Shakespeare, Gold)
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
(W. Shakespeare, OBEV)
Blown in the morning, thou shalt fade ere noon
(Sir R. Fanshawe, OBEV)
Boat is chafing at our long delay
(J. Davidson, OBEV)
Bonnie Kilmeny gaed up the glen
(J. Hogg, OBEV)
Boy, I detest the Persian pomp
(E. Field, YBAV)
Brave flowers, that I could gallant it like you
(H. King, Meta)
Brave flowersthat I could gallant it like you
(H. King, OBEV)
Breathes there the man with soul so dead
(Sir W. Scott, OBEV)
Bright Star! would I were steadfast as thou art
(J. Keats, Gold)
Bright Star, would I were steadfast as thou art
(J. Keats, OBEV)
Bring Kateen-beug and Maurya Jude
(J.M. Synge, MBP)
Bring me wine, but wine which never grew
(R.W. Emerson, OBEV)
Bugler sent a call of high romance
(R. Graves, MBP)
Burly, dozing humble-bee
(R.W. Emerson, YBAV)
Busie old foole, unruly Sunne
(J. Donne, Meta)
Busy, curious, thirsty fly
(W. Oldys, OBEV)
By feathers green, across Casbeen
(A.C. Benson, OBEV)
By our first strange and fatall interview
(J. Donne, Meta)
By the lamplit stall I loitered, feasting my eyes
(W.W. Gibson, MBP)
By the rude bridge that arched the flood
(R.W. Emerson, YBAV)
Bytuene Mershe ant Averil
(Anonymous, OBEV)
· [
Top 150
] ·
World Lit


text:
Does your kid want a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich for Christmas? How about a battery? No?! A few (un)lucky kids received just those things—among other terrible gifts—as a joke suggested by Jimmy Kimmel.
Plus: Holiday Gifts for Everyone on Your List
The TV host (who played a similar trick with asking parents to tell their kids they ate their Halloween candy) collected videos of parents letting their kids open an early Christmas present. What's inside wasn't exactly what these kids have on their wish lists. One kid gets preeeetty upset ("You stinkin' parents!").
Plus: Amazing DIY Christmas Gifts
My favorite exchange is around the 4:15 mark, where a mom (jokingly) says: "I thought real hard about what to get you this year," and one of her sons deadpans: "Well, you didn't do a very good job."
What do you think: Is this trick naughty or nice?


text:
Watchmen (UK - BD)
Who watches the Watchmen? Chris has done so on Blu-ray. Here's the review...
In an alternate-timeline 1985 police are investigating the apparent murder of Edward Blake (aka the Comedian), government agent and former member of the 'superhero' group known as the Watchmen. When the police struggle to come up with any solid leads the only person who continues to search for the killer is Rorschach, a costumed vigilante who has been operating illegally ever since the State outlawed the Watchmen and their kind. Rorschach believes that he has uncovered a plot to kill costumed avengers, and so he sets about warning four of his retired comrades: Dan Dreiberg (aka Nite Owl), billionaire entrepreneur and 'smartest man in the world' Adrian Veidt (aka Ozymandias), Laurie Juspeczyk (aka Silk Spectre), and her lover Jon Osterman (aka Doctor Manhattan), the only truly super-powered member of the team. All initially reject Rorschach's claims as nothing more than paranoid delusions.
After Blake's funeral Doctor Manhattan is accused on national television of causing cancer in a number of his old friends and colleagues, and as a result he exiles himself to Mars. This turn of events throws the world into political turmoil, with the Soviet Union seizing the opportunity to invade Afghanistan due to the perceived American weakness. Furthermore, an assassination attempt on Adrian Veidt appears to vindicate Rorschach's theory about a 'mask killer', especially when Rorschach himself is framed for the murder of a reformed supervillain called Edward Jacobi (aka Moloch the Mystic). With the world teetering on the brink of atomic annihilation it falls to Nite Owl and Silk Spectre to free Rorschach from prison and attempt to discover who is behind the plot to destroy the Watchmen before the world comes to a fiery end.
The above summary doesn't even get close to describing Watchmen's densely-layered narrative, which in itself is considerably less complex than the graphic novel upon which it is based. This is probably for the best though, as trying to cover everything would mean that this review would probably be about twenty thousand worlds long. Anyway, fans of the graphic novel will already know exactly what to expect, and the uninitiated are better off going into the film without knowing all the ins and outs. Before I saw the film at the cinema back in March I was one of those uninitiated individuals, but since then I've taken it upon myself to seek out the graphic novel so that I would have some basis for comparison when writing this review. Now obviously I'm not as invested in the original material as the hardcore fans, but I think Zack Snyder made just about the best adaptation possible given the system he has to work within (the Hollywood system).
Admittedly some of the characters do suffer in the move from comic book to screen, particularly Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias). This is due in no small part to the omission of Tales of the Black Freighter, the 'comic within a comic' that parallels Veidt's story. Most of the characters' back-stories are also truncated, which isn't a particularly big problem the first time you experience the film as a Watchmen 'virgin', but after you've read the novel you just might find yourself pining for the small character beats (I know I did). However the biggest weakness, for me at least, is the loss of the book's minor characters. The day to day lives of Rorschach's psychiatrist, the newsvendor, and his various customers formed part of the emotional payoff in the graphic novel. In removing them, and to a lesser extent changing the ending, the film loses some of its punch.
Of course such omissions and changes are to be expected, and one has to remember that this is an adaptation, not a literal translation. If Snyder had incorporated every little detail from the source material the film would ended up running about five hours long (and then some). Sure, the fanboys would have loved that, but Watchmen wouldn't have made any money (most people I know have trouble sitting still for two hours, let alone five). It might lack the richness and intricately woven subplots of the novel, but if you are experiencing Watchmen for the first time there is no reason that you won't perceive the film as a fully realised and complex story in its own right. If you are familiar with the comic you will hopefully be able to recognise the variances for what they are and enjoy one of the most skilfully crafted 'superhero' features of recent times.
Unfortunately the UK has been short-changed when it comes to the home video releases. Whereas the US and Canada are getting the director's cut of the film with some twenty-four minutes of additional footage, we only get the theatrical cut. This means that we also miss out on one of the best extras, the PiP commentary with director Zack Snyder. I can only assume that this has something to do with Paramount distributing the film in the UK (rather than Warner Brothers in the US), but whatever the reason it is yet another example of UK consumers being offered an inferior product. I had hoped that regional variances would disappear with the advent of Blu-ray, especially on major releases like this, but sadly it appears that we are still not there.
Watchmen arrives with a pristine 2.40:1 widescreen transfer (1080/24p AVC). Many of the events depicted in the film occur at night or in dimly lit locations, but thankfully the disc presents deep and unwavering blacks throughout. Shadow detail is also very good, with a prime example being the opening scenes of the Comedian's death in his apartment. Colour rendition is excellent, if unnatural, but this is due to the stylised palette employed throughout. If you're looking for 'pop' this isn't the place to come, but colours are remarkably faithful to the theatrical experience and there are times when they are employed to great effect—the flames of war in Vietnam are particularly memorable, Doctor Manhattan's otherworldly glow baths everything around him in an eerie blue, and the alien landscape of the Red Planet looks sensational.
Detail is absolutely fantastic, allowing you to pick out the tiniest elements from the patterns on clothing and the pulsing blue circulatory system under Manhattan's translucent skin, to the individual grains of rock on the surface of Mars and the snowflakes at Veidt's Antarctic retreat. You haven't seen anything until you've seen a Vietcong's ribcage fly from his exploding body in 1080p high-definition! Of course you'd expect such a recent feature to be free from film artefacts and digital nastiness, and you certainly won't be disappointed. In fact only the presence of some light film grain dispels any thoughts of an all-digital affair. I had high hopes for Watchmen on Blu-ray, and it gets off to a great start with a superb, film-like transfer that ticks all of the right boxes.
The disc includes a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack that is every bit as impressive as the visuals. It's incredibly atmospheric, features plenty of directionality, some fabulously subtle touches, and moments of out-and-out bombast. There are numerous aural highlights, from simple things like the sound of falling rain on the streets of New York as Rorschach patrols, to the roar of the Owl Ship as it flies over the city. Panning between channels is seamless, which is perfectly illustrated every time Doctor Manhattan teleports (the resulting 'shockwave' emanates from the centre of the soundstage and spreads to every other channel). Bass is powerful when it needs to be, but it is refined enough that it never overwhelms the rest of the track. Dialogue is almost universally intelligible; a couple of lines were a little indistinct, but this seemed to be due to Rorschach's mask and Veidt's accent rather than any problems with the track itself.
The film's music is the unsung hero of the piece, whether it be the sounds of Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin'', Cohen's 'Hallelujah', Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence' or Hendricks' 'All Along The Watchtower'. In fact, one of my favourite moments in the film is made all the more enjoyable by the inclusion of Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries'. Tyler Bates' score also provides a solid accompaniment to the action. All things considered this is a stunning soundtrack that is consistently engaging and offers wonderful fidelity. As with the visual elements of the disc, you will not be disappointed.
Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World (16:49 HD): In this featurette a psychics professor who was a technical advisor on the film discusses some of the science in Watchmen. He talks about quantum mechanics, specifically in relation to Doctor Manhattan's intrinsic field, his powers over matter, and his blue glow. He also examines the physics that could possibly allow the Owl Ship to fly, whether or not a man could catch a bullet, and Rorschach's mask . If only I my physics teacher had been this interesting perhaps I wouldn't have sucked at it.
The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed Comics (28:48 HD): In this featurette the cast, DC employees, journalists, the lead singer of My Chemical Romance, and Dave Gibbons proclaim their love for the Watchmen graphic novel. They discuss how the novel came into being, the design, the thematic elements, and the 'filming of the unfilmable' with the translation from book to screen. It's a pretty interesting featurette on the whole, at least compared to the fluff found on most releases.
Real Superheroes: Real Vigilantes (26:19 HD): This featurette examines the history of vigilantism in New York, from the crime-ridden seventies and eighties up until the present day. It features interviews with members of the Guardian Angels and talks about what they set out to achieve. It also deals with Bernie Goetz, the New Yorker who shot four young black youths on a subway train in an apparent case of self-defence. It also discusses the differences between British and American laws concerning the application of lethal force in such cases. For the most part this is a pretty interesting featurette, but when costumed vigilantes 'Tothian' and 'Ecliptico' show up and start striking superhero poses I had to choke back the laughter.
Desolation Row Music Video by My Chemical Romance (03:17 HD): What can I say? This one is pretty self-explanatory and you either like their music or you don't (I don't).
Video Journals (36:12 HD): There are eleven of these 'Webisodes' in total, each concentrating on a different aspect of the Watchmen universe. The Webisodes cover such topics as the original Minutemen (Hooded Justice, Captain Metropolis etc), set design, costume design, the Owl Ship, Dave Gibbons, pyrotechnics, cinematography, creating Doc Manhattan, comparisons between the graphic novel and the movie, the female stars, and Rorschach's mask. They aren't much individually, but together they provide a fascinating window into the production.
Viral Video: NBS Nightly News (03:07 SD): This is a spoof news report from the seventies celebrating Doctor Manhattan's tenth 'birthday'. It features a couple of besuited anchormen discussing Manhattan's creation, his role as a government agent, and his importance to the American military. There are also fake interviews with members of the public and even a short clip from a Doc Manhattan cartoon! It's all presented in the sort of quality you'd expect from thirty-year-old videotape, with fluctuating colours and sound. This adds to the 'authenticity' and makes for an enjoyable featurette.
Digital Copy: Disc three includes the digital copy of the film, but quite why anyone bothers with these is beyond me. The included leaflet states that it probably won't work past the 27th of July 2010, so it essentially has built-in obsolescence. The DRM on these things also makes them more trouble than they're worth in my eyes, but hey, it's here if you want it. I just think they could have left it out and reduced the price of the set.
Watchmen was supposed to be unfilmable, but Snyder has proved the doubters wrong with a strong translation that easily ranks as one of the best films I've seen this year. The audio-visual quality of this Blu-ray release is beyond question, and even if the extras aren't quite as good as the Warner release there is still plenty to enjoy. The biggest problem I have with recommending this title is the price. Why would you buy the theatrical cut when you can pick up the director's cut with additional extras and the digital copy for around the same price? With that said, this is the version of the film that was shown in cinemas, something that even the US release doesn't offer. I guess you have to ask yourself just how much you need to see the additional footage. I'm sure the die-hard Watchmen fans will be opting for the import (or maybe both for the sake of completeness), but casual viewers should be more than satisfied with what's on offer here.
* Note: The above images are taken from the Blu-ray release and resized for the page. Full-resolution captures are available by clicking individual images, but due to .jpg compression they are not necessarily representative of the quality of the transfer.
Review by Chris Gould
EthanRunt Member Join Date: March 2009 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 265
About the digital copies, it's just nice to be able to go out and watch it on holiday, I spent my whole holiday watching films on my iPod because it was better than anything else.
Great film that looks mesmirisingly brilliant in HD, but the DC is infinitely better.
Great film that looks mesmirisingly brilliant in HD, but the DC is infinitely better.
I guess if you have an iPod they're more useful, but I can't be doing with transferring them to a PC to which they are then tied. The fact that they expire is also rather stupid.
Disciple Member Join Date: April 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 775
First of all: I really feel for all of you UK members who will only be getting the theatrical cut on BD. We get a 2-disc director's cut and a 3-disc with the Tales of the Black Freighter feature on disc 3 here. Kind of strange as we always get really bad releases on BD. They tend to wanna remove all or part of the special features featured on the US discs. Ah...just noticed that the Maximum Movie Mode feature is missing. Oh well, at least we get the director's cut, and i have the US dics to watch the Maximum Movie Mode with.
Second of all: This is one of the best films i've seen so far this year.
Another thing that bothers me with these digital copies is that when i bought Wall-E, i bought the 2-disc BD as i didn't want the digital copy, but that meant that i didn't get the slip cover. Someone should start a petition to get rid of them IMO.
Second of all: This is one of the best films i've seen so far this year.
Another thing that bothers me with these digital copies is that when i bought Wall-E, i bought the 2-disc BD as i didn't want the digital copy, but that meant that i didn't get the slip cover. Someone should start a petition to get rid of them IMO.
EthanRunt Member Join Date: March 2009 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 265
The expiration is indeed rather phenomenally dumb, surely it should expire when the world ends in 2012...
Lucky Swedes.
Lucky Swedes.
Christ, don't start going on about that. I had managed to purge my mind of all doomsday related events. I really should get cracking on that threesome with Japanese twins before its too late...
Intergalactic Ponce Member Join Date: April 2005 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,164
From the packaging on the back of the USBD of the Director's Cut, the Maximum Movie Experience has a WB trademark attached to it so unless they licence it out to Paramount, Paramount BD's won't ever have that feature on them. Which is a shame.
I makes me wonder what sort of 5 disc release we'll get in the UK, if any. Does anyone know if we are due to get an equivelant to the US 'deluxe' multi disc version at all or who is distributiong it in the UK?
I makes me wonder what sort of 5 disc release we'll get in the UK, if any. Does anyone know if we are due to get an equivelant to the US 'deluxe' multi disc version at all or who is distributiong it in the UK?
rebel-scum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,101
Haven't seen any mention of a UK release. We're still waiting on that 5 disc Bladerunner set, aren't we? lol
I'm not, but I take your point We do get the short end of the stick though.
Worst Nightmare Senior Member Join Date: July 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 6,716
rebel-scum wrote: Haven't seen any mention of a UK release. We're still waiting on that 5 disc Bladerunner set, aren't we? lol
We also get shafted here down under as we closely follow the UK for the so-called special editions...I imported my Blade Runner set from the US...
We also get shafted here down under as we closely follow the UK for the so-called special editions...I imported my Blade Runner set from the US...
Suitable only for persons of 18 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 27th July 2009
Discs: 3
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.40:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, Audio Description 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 French, Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian, Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish (Spain), Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish (Latin America)
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, English HoH, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish
Extras: Featurettes, Video Journals, Viral Video, Music Video, Digital Copy
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery and Sci-Fi
Length: 162 minutes
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Is it Time to Consider New Uses for Facilities?
With a large network of facilities and post offices, and yet mail volumes in decline, the U.S. Postal Service finds itself with a good deal of unused capacity. The dynamics over closing and consolidating facilities has raised the question of whether there are other uses for them. Further, the Postal Service could still own the facilities even after it closes or consolidates operations. Rather than sit empty, could the Postal Service use some of that capacity in non-traditional ways to generate additional revenue?


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NOAA / Space Weather Prediction Center
The Preliminary Report and Forecast of Solar Geophysical Data, called "The Weekly", summarizes a week of space weather activity and provides outlooks for solar and geophysical activity for the next solar rotation -- 27 days.
The Weekly, issued every Monday (Tuesday before 3/19/2012), has been compiled and distributed to customers around the world by the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), and its predecessors, since 1951. Online publications are available from 1997 at Historical SWPC Products.
User Guide to the WEEKLY in Adobe PDF format.
Most of the data in the Weekly is available on-line in near-real-time as ascii or gif format files. Links to online weekly content
The Weekly files, in PDF format, range from 500 to 600 Kbytes. An Acrobat(R) Reader 5.0 or later is needed to view these documents and is available free from Adobe at http://www.adobe.com/products/index.html
Weekly reports issued in 2013
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Send suggestions, comments or problems concerning The Weekly to firstname.lastname@example.com
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Alerts / Warnings, Space Weather Now, Today's Space Wx, Data and Products, About Us ,
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text:
You will learn
In this tutorial series you will start from zero and develop a fully operational weather application. In total there are 10 parts to the series, each building on top of its predecessor. The entire source code of both the final and all intermediate parts are available on GitHub.


text:
(Reuters) - Texas A&M University cleared about 700 people from its football stadium and adjacent buildings on Wednesday while investigating a threat written on a wall, but found no bomb and decided to open the facilities on Thursday, the school said.
Police searched the 83,000-seat Kyle Field football stadium at College Station, Texas, and four nearby buildings after authorities were notified of the threat written on the wall of a non-academic building on campus, the university said.
"Authorities made a thorough search and no bomb was found," the university said on its website.
The university disclosed around midday on Wednesday that it was investigating the threat and that Kyle Field and the nearby buildings would be closed the rest of the day. All other facilities and events went on as scheduled.
Kyle Field has been the home of the Texas A&M Aggies football team since the 1920s. It is known for the "12th man" tradition, where students remain standing during games as a sign of support for the 11 players on the field.
The state-supported school in east-central Texas is the flagship of the Texas A&M University System. It has more than 50,000 students and was Texas' first public institution of higher education.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson and David Bailey; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Bob Burgdorfer)