text:
- A Novel of Judas
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 05-02-13
- Language: English
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: £20.39
Acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Tosca Lee brilliantly adapts the life of Judas Iscariot into a dazzling work of fiction - humanizing the man whose very name is synonymous with betrayal.
Based on extensive research into the life and times of Judas Iscariot, this triumph of fiction storytelling by the author of Havah: The Story of Eve revisits one of biblical history's most maligned figures and brings the world he inhabited vividly to life.
In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One - the promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, he joins the Nazarene's followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life. But soon Judas' vision of a nation free from Rome is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention - who seems, in the end, to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas must confront the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.
Iscariot is the story of Judas, from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus that forces us to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous - and infamous - religious icons in history.
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- Evangheline
- 15-04-13
Felt very real and got me thinking
One of the reviewers had stated that this book didn't feel real and that the disciples didn't feel real and couldn't see how they went on to start a church because they didn't have enough faith. I feel the exact opposite, yes this book does show the disciples as human beings who struggled with faith as much as we do in this present age, but to me this added to the believability of this book. We have each read the gospels and we know the story and therefore we think we would have acted differently had we lived, walked, talked with and seen Jesus ourselves...however this book shows how real people without a glimpse into the future would act. More importantly I felt the character of Judas was very real. Through this story I felt his doubts, his longing for a Messiah, for someone to fight for him and for his people, to bring down the Romans with a crushing blow, to bring down the hypocrites in the temple...and his dissapointment when that did not happen. Tosca Lee does an extraordinary job in this story and it moved me to tears because it made me look at myself and all my doubts and I saw the Judas in me. It made me see that I too could have been Judas. The ending was good too but I was hoping for something a bit different, but that is the writer in me seeing a thousand different possibilities. Overall, I loved this book and look forward for more stories from this author...oh, and I highly recommend this one! It is definatly one of Tosca's best so far!
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
- melissa
- 09-09-13
Compelling and Beautifully Written
I was so engrossed with this story. I normally avoid period pieces, as well as anything with biblical leanings however Tosca Lee is so gifted that this novel could take place at any time and in any place. The language was effortless. The story was so compelling, even the most familiar stories from the bible took on a new life for me. It renewed my interest and my faith. This is a must-read. This is a beautifully written work that engages from start to finish. There are wonderful moments of incredible warmth and deep sadness as it speeds along to what most can admit is the tragic conclusion of the ultimate story of love and betrayal.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
- 30-09-16
Thought Provoking!
ENJOYED! Started out slow but later could not wait to get to the end, even though I knew the ending. The author portrayed the disciplines as simple as the average person.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
- Doug/ Linda
- 19-03-13
Brings out the real Judas awesome book
Awesome book well written. Brings out many life changing questions. Must read for all.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
- Kindle Customer
- 27-02-13
Not what I expected
I've read various versions of the "Judas Story" but this is the best researched and beautifully written one that I've ever come across.
It took me back to Judas as a child. I could relate to his dreams of being accepted and loved. The rule of the Romans is shown through a child's eyes and then through the adult's. But it isn't just about rebellion. This book shows a man with a man's dreams and ambitions. It is about friendships that Judas forms and where they lead. He both loves and is frustrated with his family and their problems. He is a man with the wish to "fit" somewhere.
The author took me on a history lesson that felt more like a trip in time. For the first time I really felt I understood the values and customs of the early Bible stories. I've read the Bible my whole life and am a devoted Christian but didn't find anything to offend me in this book,
It is more of a Jewish history than a Christian one.
In this book I learnt the atmosphere around the time of Jesus with the different fractions. Some Jews were trying to live with Rome. Some trying to rebel. Some were hoping for a miracle and to have the whole situation changed in a instant. A lot like today.
Not that this book is a history text book. It is filled with tension, drama and fun. I felt I knew all the characters personally and was upset to let them go when the story was over.
Mostly it shows there is no black and white answers. No good or bad. Just choices that are made and what it is to live with the consequences.
Judas is shown as a human with human failings and even if the intention was right, the outcome can still go wrong.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction. It uses some of the Bible stories as a backdrop but doesn't preach. Nor does it say that Jesus was the Son of God or not. It is the story of the man Judas, not Jesus. So don't be put off if you aren't a Christian.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
- His Child
- 29-07-17
I love this amazing story of love and forgiveness. I see myself... all of us in this story.
- Jamie
- 25-07-17
What a journey!
Where does Iscariot rank among all the audiobooks you've listened to so far?
One of the best audio books I have listened to. Did not want to stop.
What did you like best about this story?
I love how Tosca Lee brought this historical figure alive.
Which character – as performed by Jason Culp – was your favorite?
By far, Judas, because he was struggling with many things we all struggle with. Made me look at him in a whole new light. Not that his choices were OK, but how he HAD choices and made the wrong one in the end.
If you could take any character from Iscariot out to dinner, who would it be and why?
It would for sure be Jesus! In the flesh.
- Wesley
- 18-08-13
I've read this before, It's called the Bible.
What would have made Iscariot better?
If it was a paper book (At least I could have stopped my coffee table from wobbling.)
Has Iscariot turned you off from other books in this genre?
It's like Lord of the Rings from Gollum's perspective, but not as interesting.
It's over emotionised intraspective repetative rubbish. She's taken the Jesus story and made it dull. She chews and chews at themes that make you wonder what Buddha is doing. It lacks the passion of a Christian perspective or the eye for detail of the skeptic. This just leaves it tepid.
Would you be willing to try another one of Jason Culp's performances?
Yes. The narrator did a good job. It's not him, it's the content.
You didn't love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Stopped 3/4 of the way through.
Any additional comments?
Lets face it, Christian or not, the Jesus story is compelling.
Ms Lee however goes on and on. I get it. Judas was a good fellow, selected by destiny to perform a necessary function in allowing Jesus to fulfill his mission, and his bad press is a lack on understanding of the big picture.
That being the case in this novel Tosca Lee writes like a woman pretending to be a man.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful


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Shipping Information for Picnic Time 811-00-175-095-2 - Dallas Cowboys Picnic Table
- This product ships directly from the manufacturing center in California
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The manufacturer is so confident in the integrity of their products that they offer a limited lifetime warranty for every product they sell. Their product are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product when the product is used for the purpose intended, and does not apply to damages caused by unreasonable use, neglect, accident, intentional misuse or acts of nature, normal wear and tear, exposure to extremes in temperature or humidity, immersion in water, fading or variations in color or finish over time, scratches, blemishes or slight color variations in wood grain, minor variations in size, unauthorized repair, alteration, abuse or misuse of Product.
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This manufacturer accepts non-warranty returns. Your purchase may be returned up to 10 days after receiving it. However, you must first contact us (in writing) by sending an email. We will then issue a Return Authorization Number to you. It must be new, it may not have been used, and in the original packaging...so it can be re-sold. Upon receipt and inspection to determine if the item is in the same condition as when shipped by the manufacturer, a credit will be issued to your card minus a 5% (of the selling price) restocking fee, and original shipping costs incurred to send your purchase to you. The customer sets up and pays for the return shipping cost.
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Title: Dallas Cowboys Picnic Table
Buy SKU: 811-00-175-095-2
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Buying SMS Tags: FurnitureNFLPicnic TablePicnic TimePortablePortable TablesTableTablesTailgating
Purchasing ImageID: Dallas-Portable-folding-picnic-table-cowboys-tailgate-party Product Price: 135.95

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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 28th Nov 2012 15:17 UTC
"As we pass the one month anniversary of the general availability of Windows 8, we are pleased to announce that to-date Microsoft has sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses. Tami Reller shared this news with industry and financial analysts, investors and media today at the Credit Suisse 2012 Annual Technology Conference. Windows 8 is outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades." Not bad, but there are the usual asterisks, as Ars notes.
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RE[2]: Only 15M licenses in reality
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This product is currently sold out.
You can obtain status and/or reserve this item by contacting us. We can also be reached by calling toll free 1-866-326-9377 (Dialing from outside the US +01 314 772 3566) between 10AM and 6PM CST (-6 GMT).
Laugh in the face of convention with the durable polyester fabric of the Junk Underjeans Gravity Trunk. As the name suggests, they're a great option to wear under jeans without having to worry about it riding up or bunching. Other details include vertical and diagonally striped patterns, elastic waistband with a Junk Underjeans logo and a contoured pouch that provides an enormous profile boost.
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text:
DURHAM Duke Medicine has been awarded $15 million to support an innovative research program that explores the use of umbilical cord blood cells to treat autism, stroke, cerebral palsy and related brain disorders.
The award from The Marcus Foundation, an Atlanta-based philanthropic organization, will fund the first two years of a planned five-year, $41 million project by Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, chief scientific and medical officer of Duke's Robertson Cell and Translational Therapy Program, and Geraldine Dawson, PhD, director of the Duke Center for Autism Diagnosis and Treatment.
"Joanne Kurtzberg has done groundbreaking work on cord blood transplantation at Duke, and Geri Dawson brings an enormous wealth of knowledge and experience of autism," said Victor Dzau, MD, chancellor for health affairs and president and CEO of Duke University Health System. "This research holds the promise of truly transformational discovery."
Kurtzberg and Dawson hope to develop cell-based therapies that can potentially restore brain function in people with the disorders, for which there currently are no cures. If successful, the study could identify therapies for further evaluation in clinical trials to potentially decrease disabilities and improve the quality of life for millions of children and adults.
The project will consist of a series of clinical trials using umbilical cord blood cells to treat a total of 390 children and adults with autism, 100 children with cerebral palsy and 90 adults with stroke. Based on previous research, Kurtzberg and Dawson hypothesize that cord blood may promote repair of dysfunctional or damaged areas of the brain.
"Funding for this type of research is very scarce, so the only way we can truly make progress is with support from private philanthropic organizations like The Marcus Foundation," said Dr. Nancy Andrews, dean of Duke University School of Medicine. "With the foundation's help, we hope to give untold numbers of people with autism and related disorders hope for a better outcome."
There are approximately 2 million people in the United States with autism spectrum disorder, a group of conditions affecting social communication and behavior.
Stroke kills an average of nearly 130,000 in the U.S. every year, while cerebral palsy currently affects an estimated 764,000 children and young adults.
The initial phase of the program – a preliminary trial involving 20 pediatric subjects with autism using their own banked cord blood – is already under way. It will conclude with Phase II trials using donated cord blood in children with autism and cerebral palsy and adults with stroke.
Cord blood cells are collected without risk to the mother or baby from the placenta, which is otherwise discarded as medical waste after a baby is born. After collection, the cells can be frozen and stored for future use in blood stem cell transplantation or cellular therapies.
Kurtzberg's previous research has shown that cord blood cells can reduce inflammation and signal normal cells to repair damage in areas of the brain affected by inherited pediatric brain diseases. A recently published Duke study indicates that treating children with their own cord blood cells can have similarly beneficial results in cases of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.
Building on those research results, the new study will try to determine whether cord blood cells will have the same effect in cases of autism and stroke. Using methods developed by Dawson, the study will examine whether the therapy not only improves behavioral outcomes in children and adults with autism, but also reshapes the patterns of brain activity.
Kurtzberg and Dawson also will explore the key question of whether the beneficial effects of cord blood can be achieved by treating patients with donated cord blood rather than only with their own banked blood cells. If that is found to be true, it could make cord blood treatment available to the largest numbers of patients in need.
"We all wanted to have a treatment that, if it's effective, would be accessible to everyone," said Dawson, who was the founding director of the University of Washington Autism Center and then chief science officer at Autism Speaks before joining the Duke faculty in August 2013.
Established by Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, The Marcus Foundation has a long-established interest in autism, stroke, cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions, and in stem cell research. It focuses on biomedical research projects that are close to clinical application, that may bring novel therapies to bear on disorders without existing treatments, and that are unlikely to receive funding from traditional sources such as the National Institutes of Health.
Marcus also opened the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta in 1991 and donated the funds to start the Autism Speaks advocacy organization in 2005.


text:
Arsenal up for the fight - Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger warned Champions League rivals Tottenham and Chelsea that the Gunners were "ready for a fight'' after they reclaimed third place in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at QPR.
The victory came courtesy of a Theo Walcott goal after just 20 seconds and it lifted Arsenal, who have won six and drawn two of their last eight league games, two points ahead of Spurs and Chelsea.
• Mangan: Arsenal grind it out again
• Smith: Small changes give hope of new QPR future
The three London clubs are engaged in a battle royal for the last two Champions League places. With Arsenal and Spurs both winning today, all eyes now turn to Chelsea and Sunday's trip to Manchester United.
Asked how much pressure Arsenal's triumph now places on Chelsea, Wenger said: "I don't know how much but it puts you under pressure because you have to make a result.
"We are up for it. We are ready for a fight and the team is highly focused to do it. We are on a very strong run. We definitely have a momentum, if you look at the points we have made compared to two months ago. We are going for it and we make the points.
"Away from home recently we have won everywhere - at Fulham, at Sunderland, at Swansea, at QPR. Derbies are difficult to win.''
Walcott's goal, his 20th of the campaign, was the quickest by an Arsenal player in the history of the Premier League and the fastest by anyone in the league this season. The England international struck the post soon after but QPR competed well and in the end Arsenal had goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to thank for the win after he brilliantly denied Loic Remy.
"We scored early and started well,'' Wenger said. "He (Walcott) is 24 now. He is a mature player. He has improved his finishing. He has improved his ability to resist pressure from the opponents. It was as similar goal to the one he scored on Sunday against Manchester United. After that I felt QPR played with quality, pride and they were fearless.
"You can see that if they had not had to play with fear in the last few months they had the quality to stay in the Premier League. We needed a special focus today to win the game. The points were vital for us today. We couldn't make any mistakes and that was a bit detrimental maybe to our offensive game.
"They made life difficult for us. We had good focus and good determination. We lacked a few final balls in the final third. Overall, I expected a difficult game and I was not disappointed.''
QPR manager Harry Redknapp was proud of the spirit his relegated side showed in pushing Arsenal so close. "It was an awful start to go 1-0 down within a minute but I thought we showed fantastic spirit today,'' Redknapp said.
"There was nothing in the game. I always felt we were going to get something out of the game and their keeper's pulled off a world-class save late on. I couldn't have asked for more from them. Their heads could have dropped after that start and we could have been beaten by five or six today.
"But we didn't. We got after them, we worked them and I thought it was an excellent performance. I was delighted with the players. People keep on about a lack of spirit. We've lacked people to score goals and maybe a bit of ability in certain areas. It is not a lack of spirit.''
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
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text:
© ® The Nobel Foundation
IPCC honoured with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
Phone: +41-22-730-8208/84 e-mail:
Carbon pools in the world's forests are estimated to be 348 Gt C in vegetation
and 478 Gt C in soil (to 1 m) (updated since Dixon et al., 1994b, by Brown,
1998). Bolin and Sukumar (2000) based their numbers on Dixon et al. (1994b).
The largest vegetation and soil carbon pools are in tropical forests (60 and
45% of the total, respectively) because of their large extent and relatively
high carbon densities. Carbon stocks in forests vary, depending on the type
of forest in relation to climate, soil, management, frequency of disturbances,
and level of human-caused degradation.
Based on traditional carbon inventories, terrestrial ecosystems were shown
to be carbon sources during the 1980s in the SAR (Brown et al., 1996); a high-
and mid-latitude forest sink was exceeded by the source from low-latitude forests.
However, recent workusing atmospheric measurements and modelingsuggests
that terrestrial ecosystems appear to be net sinks for atmospheric carbon, even
when losses from land-use change are taken into account (Bolin and Sukumar,
2000). For the 1980s, a net storage increase of 0.2 ± 1.0 Gt C yr-1 by
terrestrial ecosystems (largely in forests) was estimated as the difference
between a net emission of 1.7 ± 0.8 Gt C yr-1 from land-use changes (primarily
in the tropics) and global terrestrial uptake of 1.9 ± 1.3 Gt C yr-1
(Bolin and Sukumar, 2000). In the 1990s, estimated net emissions from land-use
change decreased slightly to 1.6 ± 0.8 Gt C yr-1, and global terrestrial
uptake increased to 2.3 ± 1.3 Gt C yr-1, resulting in a net terrestrial
uptake of 0.7 +1.0 Gt C yr-1 (Bolin and Sukumar, 2000). This terrestrial net
sink of carbon arises as the net effect of land-use practices (agricultural
abandonment and regrowth, deforestation, and degradation); the indirect effects
of human activities (e.g., atmospheric CO2 fertilization and nutrient deposition);
and the effects of changing climate, climatic variation, and disturbances. The
relative importance of these different processes is known to vary strongly from
region to region.
Regional source and sink relationships also have been inferred by techniques
of inverse modeling of observed atmospheric CO2 gradients and circulation patterns
(Ciais et al., 1995; Fan et al., 1998). These estimates are relatively imprecise
and are difficult to relate to those that are based on forest inventory data.
For example, the study by Fan et al. (1998) suggests that 1.4 Gt C yr-1 was
taken up by terrestrial biota in North America in the 1980s. However, mechanistic
models and measurements based on forest inventories do not agree with the magnitude
or spatial distribution of this carbon sink (Holland and Brown, 1999; Potter
and Klooster, 1999).
Temperate forests are considered to be net carbon sinks at present, with estimates
of 1.4-2.0 t C ha-1 yr-1 (Nabuurs et al., 1997; Brown and Schroeder, 1999;
Schulze et al., 1999). These findings are consistent with recent estimates of
carbon in woody biomass, based on statistics for 55 temperate and boreal countries;
these statistics indicate a general increase in forest biomass from the 1980s
to the 1990s (UN-ECE/FAO, 2000c). Changes in forest management (reduction of
harvest levels, increased regeneration effort, and administrative set-asides),
as well as changes in the environment (N and CO2 fertililization), appear to
have contributed to this trend, but the relative contribution of different factors
varies among forest regions and countries (Kauppi et al., 1992; Houghton et
al., 1998, 1999; Brown and Schroeder, 1999; Liski et al., 1999; Nadelhoffer
et al., 1999).
In boreal forests, carbon budgets vary strongly among different forest types
(Apps et al., 1993; Bonan, 1993, Shvidenko and Nilsson, 1994). Although some
boreal forest regions currently appear to be net carbon sources (Shepashenko
et al., 1998; Kurz and Apps, 1999), others appear to be net sinks, varying between
0.5 and 2.5 t C ha-1 yr-1 (Shvidenko and Nilsson, 1994; Jarvis et al., 1997).
The difference between annual increment and net fellings reported to the FAO
(reported in UN-ECE/ FAO, 2000c) does not account for changes in the frequency
and severity of disturbances that have a large influence on source and sink
relationships in boreal forests (Kasischke et al., 1995; Kurz and Apps, 1999;
Bhatti, 2001). For example, detailed analyses of forest inventory data together
with observed changes in disturbance over time indicate that Canadian forest
ecosystems changed from a modest sink (0.075 Gt C yr-1) from 1920-1970
to a small net source of 0.050 Gt C yr-1 in 1994 (Kurz and Apps, 1999). Similarly,
in Russia between 1983 and 1992, managed forest ecosystems in the European portion,
where disturbances were relatively controlled, were a sink of 0.051 Gt C yr-1
but a net source of 0.081-0.123 Gt C yr-1 in the less intensively managed
Siberian forests of the east (Shepashenko et al., 1998). Factors that were not
included in these analyses that may offset losses of biotic carbon from disturbed
forests include nitrogen deposition and CO2 fertilization (Chen et al., 2000;
Schimel et al., 2000), but experimental verification of these influences is
not yet possible from inventory data.
In the tropics, forests are still reported to be a net carbon source as a result
of land-use change. Although some studies suggest net carbon uptake in some
tropical forests (Grace et al., 1995; Phillips et al., 1998), losses associated
with high rates of forest clearing and degradation exceed such gains. The magnitude
of the net carbon source from the tropics has been reported to be about 0.1
Gt C yr-1 lower in the first half of the 1990s than in the 1980s (Houghton and
Hackler, 1999; Houghton et al., 2000; Houghton, 2001), mostly because of reduced
rates of deforestation in the 1990s (FAO, 1996, 1997a).
In summary, carbon stored in forest ecosystems appears to be increasing, and
at an increasing rate with about 0.2 Gt C yr-1 being stored in the 1980s and
0.7 Gt C yr-1 in the 1990s. Most storage occurs in temperate forests, with a
small net source from tropical forests and boreal forests varying depending
on the disturbance regime they experience.
Table of contents
IPCC Homepage


text:
A strengthening economy that encourages more Americans to seek work would have a paradoxical effect: Making it harder to lower the unemployment rate to the level Federal Reserve policy makers want to reach before considering an interest-rate increase.
Fed officials in June forecast the jobless rate will fall to 6.5% to 6.8% in the fourth quarter of 2014, down from last month's 7.6%. Policy makers have pledged to keep their target interest rate near zero "at least as long" as unemployment is above 6.5%, and with more people looking for jobs, it may take until 2015 to reach that threshold.
Currently, "there are a fair number of discouraged workers that don't want to look because the chances of finding something are so low," said Jesse Rothstein, a former chief economist at the Labor Department who now teaches economics and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. As the outlook improves, the result could be that "unemployment will fall slowly as people start flooding back in" seeking work.
The worst recession since the Great Depression arrested the growth of the workforce, as thousands gave up searching for jobs, filed for disability, went back to school or retired early. That brought the labor force participation rate -- the proportion of the working-age population either holding a job or looking for one -- below its long-run trend. Participation dropped to 63.3% in March, the lowest since May 1979, when Jimmy Carter was president.
Outside Workforce
In June, there were 2.6 million Americans interested in working who remained outside of the labor force because of discouragement, illness, or school, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That's up from 2.2 million in June 2009, when the recession ended.
Now, with the economy entering its fifth year of expansion, more people see improved chances of finding work. As they re- enter the workforce, not everyone will find a job right away. The result: A stable or rising participation rate and a slower decline in the unemployment rate.
The jobless numbers are calculated as a percentage of the total labor force, which includes people with jobs and those seeking work.
Joel Prakken, senior managing director of Macroeconomic Advisers LLC, the St. Louis forecasting firm, estimates that a "cyclical rebound in participation" will roughly offset structural forces, such as an aging population and rising disability rolls, that are drawing people permanently out of the labor force.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
|2013-04-14, 23:38
|Link #61
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
But I don't think trying to force anime to fit into some other culture's existing definition of "mainstream" is going to be a net benefit either. I would also say that I don't believe that there's necessarily as much room in the mainstream market for anime as they can buy in late-night ad blocks, nor that the different demographics are "trade-able" (as if doing less anime for one demographic automatically means limited queue space is automatically available now for another demographic). As I've said in this conversation in other threads before, the key issue is the economics/business plan.
But, by the same token, even with "universal appeal", creating a piece of entertainment that is enjoyed widely the world over is pretty hard. Hollywood has gotten pretty good at it, but they've been a major and influential cultural exporter for decades now. It's still hard for "foreign film" to get a voice, even if it's culturally acclaimed and well-regarded by those in the know. You're competing with a well-oiled marketing machine with profound cultural influence over decades of imprinting (and lots of entrenched interests that want to stay in control).
It's not impossible, nor necessarily not a worthy concept... but I think it's a very tough road to travel. It would require an awful lot of investment, and I'm just not sure that it'll pay-off. But then again, if there's a business there, I'm sure someone will figure it out eventually.
|2013-04-14, 23:39
|Link #62
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 43
And mainstream for whom? Because Ghibli is as mainstream as you can get, as far as Japanese audiences are concerned. And Ghibli movies are comparable to those of Disney, which, to me, are as mainstream as Western animation gets. Both enjoy broad appeal, and not just in their home countries. The common trait they share? An emphasis on universal themes, which, unsurprisingly, could be considered bland and not innovative by some.
|2013-04-14, 23:55
|Link #63
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
So I guess all that to say, though the "broad appeal" may be the same (and you could do one of those "if you liked <x> you'd also like <y>" things and almost certainly be right), the demand and market reach is not equal. If you're going to aim for a market, they have to be there to support you. I think it's not just creating great works with universal themes that does it (though obviously that is essential too).
Last edited by relentlessflame; 2013-04-15 at 01:02. Reason: fix typo...
|2013-04-15, 00:36
|Link #64
Boo, you whore
Well, lets ask ourselves this question; when has foreign media ever became mainstream here in America?
British music...uhhh...maybe. That's from a culture that is very similar to ours. And...that's about it.
I guess Naruto or Dragonball Z is the closest thing we have to mainstream anime, even if most people don't watch it...they at least have heard of it. Ghibli films can be accepted by the mainstream if the mainstream knew what the heck they were. GITS and Cowboy Bebop are about as mainstream as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and almost everything else on Adult Swim; it's still niche, and it will most likely remain niche.
And let's not get started on stuff that is "mainstream in otakuland", stuff like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha...oh whatever, why not throw in Queen's Blade as well, after all QB merch is everywhere at cons...don't get me wrong, I love those shows and for good reason (except QB which I watch for moronic fanservice), but...come on. You're really gonna tell me that those shows would be accepted by the mainstream? I have a bridge to sell you.
|2013-04-15, 01:16
|Link #65
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Idaho
Age: 26
Foreign video game industry also finds a lot of love in the United States, as a lot of developers and even publishers aren't actually from the U.S. Paradox Interactive, Bohemia Interactive, CD Projekt Red, JRPGs, Sony, Squenix, Ubisoft, etc.
It's not as if foreign entertainment doesn't reach the U.S. and become mainstream. Anime specifically is just more of a niche than those other mediums of entertainment. If we want to be really honest, you could blame that in part on the publishing industry in the U.S. Say what you will, but if you push and prod your target audience hard enough in all the right ways you can get them to like something. All you have to do is make it big enough to conquer the social stigmas of liking it. Right now anime pretty much subsists off of its audience trying to make it mainstream, and less off its industry trying to get people to buy into it.
Though that in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing either. Like all things, you take the good and you take the bad.
|2013-04-15, 01:20
|Link #66
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Suburban DC
With certain exceptions, I think it's as big as it's gonna get here.
Everyone knows about the harsh S and P practices of TV and the cultural differences, but I think the biggest thing is that the new car smell has worn off. People generally know what it's about here, it's not as "hip" or "exotic" anymore.
That and frankly, a sizable amount of anime has NO CHANCE of being mainstream in America. Hell most anime is niche cult entertainment AT BEST IN JAPAN.
Remember, not everything is One Piece.
|2013-04-15, 01:31
|Link #67
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 43
"Mainstream" in terms of marketing reach? Or in terms of scale of production? Or in terms of content appeal? It seems to me that we haven't been very clear about how we define the label, and we have been using it in mixed ways.
For example:
Also, somewhere along the way, we have taken "mainstream" to mean what is accepted by most people in the United States. I think the opening post has been edited, because I seem to recall it was longer and more detailed. In any case, there isn't any mention of a specific market in the opening post. So, while I don't know why America is taken to be synonymous with "the West", my interest in the discussion is more rooted in the common points of interest between Japan and "the West" where anime is concerned.
It is from that perspective that I find more things in common than people give "mainstream" anime credit for.
|2013-04-15, 01:40
|Link #68
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Idaho
Age: 26
Y'all remember Archer? Great show. So too is the Venture Bros.
What do Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Archer, and The Venture Bros. have in common?
Adult themes, and considerably larger audiences than the majority of their respective industries.
I'm not saying that the U.S. likes more serious and adult anime that's high quality, with more serious and adult themes, fascinating settings and characters, and all the rest they have, but...
|2013-04-15, 01:45
|Link #69
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 43
Anime for adults, shows like Usagi Drop, Planetes and Hataraki Man, deal with a variety of mature topics of interest to a broad range of people. None of them require boobs and bombs to elicit interest. So, why this assumption that Americans will go for nothing but blood, gore and grit? Does that accurately reflect the viewing interests of Americans in this forum? If it doesn't, what makes Americans here so different from other Americans? What makes Americans here, in this forum, so special?
|2013-04-15, 01:52
|Link #70
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Idaho
Age: 26
We like other stuff too, but the mainstream audiences tend to favor that genre.
|2013-04-15, 01:54
|Link #71
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
Also, I would say anecdotally that I don't know if anime has gotten a great deal more market acceptance in any other International market.
|2013-04-15, 02:03
|Link #72
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Idaho
Age: 26
But yes, you do have to pay attention to trends. We're sitting here having this discussion as if there's all kinds of factors within the show itself, and culturally, and otherwise. That's not to say they can cause a show to hit or miss, but meeting those criteria is easy on a case-by-case basis. At the end of the day, playing your cards right and proper marketing are really the way to get something to appeal to a large audience. Probably we wont see anime penetrate into the mainstream market any time in the foreseeable future simply because there's nobody willing to put out high quality material with effective marketing and good advertising. Even then all you would be doing is fixing that social stigma, while popularity would trend and fall as with any other genre.
|2013-04-15, 02:25
|Link #73
Pretentious moe scholar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 31
For whatever reason some people seem to see the decline of such anime in the west as somehow related to the rise of "moe" fandom with all the persecution and inter-fandom rivalry that brings too. Hence why many moe fans don't necessarily like the idea of having more "mainstream" fans around - and yes, I'm completely guilty of that one. And both sides tend to see the competition between them as some sort of zero sum game as well.
Meanwhile, something like Pokemon which probably reached many, many more people goes pretty much unmentioned in such discussions despite probably being the "actual" mainstream.
I was initially tempted to say that conceptualized this way, the popularity of "mainstream anime" has very little impact on me as I don't have a lot of contact with "causal" fans - then I remembered just how many of the people I know in the anime fandom started out as Pokemon fans. Heck, my girlfriend owns a DS pretty much exclusively for Pokemon games. Obviously, the barrier between what one might see as"causal" and "hardcore" anime is permeable despite what many seem to think.
|2013-04-15, 02:43
|Link #74
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 43
To me, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, a negative feedback loop. Creators think audiences want dumb entertainment, so only dumb shows get created. In other words, it's a chicken-and-egg problem. If such content weren't even created, it's hardly fair to lambaste audiences for their "poor taste".
Now, if by mainstream we refer to anime that can reach a broader spectrum of adults, not just those with niche interests in the medium, I'd say, why not? Be it in Japan or in the West, I don't see why anime cannot address topics of interest to adult audiences. Stories that deal with real-life, day-to-day — or even existential — concerns. The question, really, is why aren't creators trying?
I think we'll find that it's not really about how foreign markets function. It boils down ultimately to how the anime business model works in Japan, where anime is essentially advertisement for merchandise. But even then, you can see how Japanese creators try to take it beyond mere advertisement. After all, if the point of Gundam is just to sell toys, why bother investing as much they have on creating such an extensive back story for the Gundam universe?
You will find, I strongly suspect, that the "suits" are not as mercenary as the public likes to think. Yes, there will be intense interest in the bottom line, but that's part of doing business. Anime has to help its stakeholders make money. But you'll find that even the most hardened executives will understand that if they don't have a good story, they won't make money either. Not in the long run, in any case.
Which is to say that I don't buy the idea that "mainstream" anime won't sell in a market like America's. If the content has broad appeal, I feel it can work. So, perhaps marketing is indeed what's needed. That in turn means that you'll need entrepreneurs who feel that the potential gain is worth the risk.
|2013-04-15, 02:47
|Link #75
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
I know that some companies continued trying for a while to get TV space for "mature anime", but (as alluded to before) they're competing for space with all the other content out there, and finding that there's little room for anime these days (a bit more recently than there was for a while, at least). At least the Net provides a platform... but again, they're up against everything on Hulu, Youtube, and all the other Platforms out there, and the revenue is minuscule.
I like the theory of the negative feedback loop, and your optimism that universal themes can sell. But I think this isn't a "content problem" because the content is already there. There isn't a lack of good movies and TV shows, particularly when you dig through the catalogue a bit. Creating even more like-content isn't necessarily going to open more doors yet. First someone has to prove that they can make it work with what they have, then more will follow down the path.
(I know this does tie back to your point at the end about finding entrepreneurs who consider it worth the risk. But I still felt that somehow you were underselling the extent of the problem as I perceive it anyway. The media market is totally saturated with content as it is; cutting through, even with exceptional content, is hard.)
Last edited by relentlessflame; 2013-04-15 at 02:58.
|2013-04-15, 03:33
|Link #76
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 43
By removing such barriers of entry, in terms of content and hardware, gaming became mainstream, and with it came all the attendant pros and cons.
So, I suggest, remove the "otaku" complexities* from anime with which you want to reach a broader range of audience. At the same time, look into the ideal means of distributing the media, be it via streaming or pay-per-view download, or whatever other means of delivery.
By the way, before anyone screams blue murder over this suggestion ("You see! That's what I warned you about going mainstream! No one's going to rob me of my moe anime! That's NEVAR going to happen. NEVARRR!!!"), I ask you to consider what I've suggested as "mainstream" content that would appeal to a broad range of adults, the likes of Usagi Drop, Hataraki Man or even Seirei no Moribito. I consider them mainstream, and none of them relied on cutesy anime tropes to be effective stories. I'm not asking for producers to stop making moe anime. I'm asking for creators to start targeting a wider audience with stories that have broader adult appeal.
Last edited by TinyRedLeaf; 2013-04-15 at 04:04.
|2013-04-15, 17:51
|Link #77
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
Really, the key is who you're going to get to fund these "mainstream projects" and what's in it for them (and how much time and investment will it take before they start getting their money back). The second is, of course, how you're going to make money off of these viewers in a direct sense. From my point of view, the demand is too low, the cost to market is too high, and the ROI is far too uncertain at least for animated TV series designed to reach this "broader adult" demographic, because you still generally need to get them on TV and in a timeslot where that audience can watch it. If the concept is so good that it can appeal to a broad cross-section of people in that format, I'd really wonder if it wouldn't be better to make it live-action, at least to reach a broader domestic market. Animated movies are perhaps a bit more feasible (and there are animated movies released every year in Japan that can appeal to a "broader adult audience"), but when Disney can't make even the best Ghibli films work overseas, I'd really want a clearer understanding of what they're doing wrong.
I think there will always be some shows that can also appeal to a broad cross-section (because "otaku" are people too, and universal themes also appeal to them, go figure), but specifically chasing after that elusive "broad adult market" that must be out there somewhere isn't where I'd place all my chips, anyway. I really can't believe in "if you build it, they will come."
|2013-04-15, 18:05
|Link #78
Bittersweet Distractor
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 26
Just going to throw a thought out there, but... Game of Thrones (Based on the acclaimed Song of Ice and Fire book series) is supposedly the most pirated television show of all time. I read something like 4 million people pirated the damn thing and another 4 million watch the show. I would say that counts as pretty main stream.
Yet Game of Thrones is extremely complex in setting, characterization, etc. Does it have violence and sex? Sure. But most of the show is just dialogue. So no, the US market isn't as dumb as some like to portray it as. There is room for these sorts of things, it just has to be well written and engaging.
|2013-04-15, 18:38
|Link #79
Senior Member
This, to me, would constitute anime going mainstream:
1) It's part of "water cooler talk" at everyday workplaces. Co-workers can bring it up, and discuss it, without it seeming weird. At least, they can do this about the most popular of the recent titles. In my neck of the woods, this is true of pro sports, pro wrestling, video games, some American TV dramas, and movies in general. In fairness, it's also true of some older anime shows.
2) Stories of economic success for businesses heavily invested in anime can be found in the mainstream news. When anime is discussed seriously on CNN or BBC, and it's for commercial reasons, then that'll be a pretty good sign of anime being mainstream.
I don't think anime would need to change radically to go mainstream, but it would have to change some. For those of you here who are familiar with comic book superheroes as I am, think of the changes that these characters and supporting casts go through when they get the Hollywood movie treatment. The sillier bits of Captain America's costume gets thrown out. Thor's helmet is gone. Superman's red trunks will be gone for the upcoming Man of Steel movie. Batman and his world becomes grittier and more realistic, while Batman himself is still a decent fighter and generally competent but no longer the "BatGod" of internet fame and infamy.
If anime goes mainstream, I think you'll have more shows like Madoka Magica and Steins;Gate, only with the "sillier" (to general audiences) bits removed. So, for example, the fanservicey OP for Madoka Magica, and a lot of the otaku in-jokes in Steins;Gate. That goes the way of Thor's helmet and Superman's red trunks.
But much of what otakus like could be maintained, just like most of what comic book superhero fans like is maintained. People in general are not necessarily opposed to cuteness, just as they're not necessarily opposed to flashy costumes. But there are limits, and going mainstream means those limits get enforced.
I also think that if anime goes mainstream, you'll still have a decent number of shows geared towards hardcore audiences. It's just that these shows will basically be off the radar screen for more casual, new anime fans, if anime goes mainstream.
That being said, I can understand why some are leery of the idea of anime going mainstream. I myself am truly sick and tired of the grimdark "everything is brown" approach of huge chunks of the modern video game, comic book, and TV drama sectors. This is a big part of the reason why I no longer collect comic books, or follow them regularly. If the price of anime going mainstream means the death of heartwarming, lighthearted, beautiful shows like Tari Tari, Hanasaku Iroha, Tamayura Hitotose, and Love Live!, then that's probably a price that I don't want to pay either.
But like I wrote before, I don't think that's the price that has to be paid, based on my own observation on what changes when a comic book property goes from out of the comic book pages (and the actual comic book medium itself has been in sharp decline since the mid-90s) and onto the big movie screen (which is as mainstream as ever).
|2013-04-15, 19:34
|Link #80
Cross Game - I need more
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: I've moved around the American West. I've lived in Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Oklahoma
Age: 39
Heck, it's based on Faust, the major source of the "deal with the devil" storyline in Western culture. (One of the most amusing things about watching Madoka as it happened was the difference in reactions of the Japanese and the American audiences. The Japanese kept trying to figure out how the Americans were correctly predicting all the plot twists).
Plus, Magical Girls shows are also western in origin. No really- specifically Bewitched, which the Japanese cite as the inspiration for Magical Girl shows. Think also of She-Ra, the popularity of Sailor Moon, and more adult versions such as Xena the Warrior Princess.
Are there several anime/otaku only references in Madoka? Of course, but they don't preclude Western mainstream fans any more than the geek insider elements of Star Trek prevent an appeal to a wider audience.
Marketed right, a slightly edited Madoka could probably appeal to a large segment of Christians in the United States. Punch up the Christian elements (especially with Kyoko), make QB a symbolic devil, and you have the perfect show to appeal to an audience that is regularly marginalized by normal Hollywood fare, but has also repeatedly shown it's ability to drive a show to blockbuster status. It doesn't even require any significant changes to the plot.
Granted, the other shows you mention probably could not be mainstreamed.
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The Passion: A Misfire of Biblical Proportions
Mar 20, 2016 11:54 PM EDT
Lots of bad things have been done in Jesus' name. Fox's The Passion was not on the same level as, say, the Crusades, but it was not a worthwhile representation of Christianity or its vibrant tradition of storytelling. Instead, it was a dull, lumberin… Read more


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CentOS 7 (x86_64) - with Updates HVM
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CentOS 7 (x86_64) - with Updates HVM
Product Overview
This is the Official CentOS 7 x86_64 HVM image that has been built with a minimal profile, suiteable for use in HVM instance types only. The image contains just enough packages to run within AWS, bring up an SSH Server and allow users to login. Please note that this is the default CentOS-7 image that we recommend everyone uses. It contains packages that are updated at points in time to include critical security updates.
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Linux/Unix, CentOS 7
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I am not trying to start a controversy here
Isn't a majority of this site a white law student discussion board?
How about "White Entertainment Television" or the NAAWP instead of the NAACP? Personally, I don't think either of these are necessary, but then again I don't think it's necessary to have a seperate area for black students to talk about law school. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that we are probably going to the exact same law schools and will be sitting right next to each other in class. We don't have seperated law schools; why have seperated law school forums?


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A Jedi v. Sith movie set 88 years before TPM flies in the face of the "The Sith have been extinct for a millenia" line from episode 1. The whole thing would end up being lame... Jeff
But the James Bond series has been around for over 20 years now and yet still sees each film make a nice $100-$150 million at the box-office.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dateline: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 By: NEWS EDITOR By: Source: Scoops Another scooper, MK, wrote in with his story of meeting none other than George Lucas, while in Hawaii on his (MKs) honeymoon. MK had this to say about his chance encounter with the Master: I was vacationing at the Mandarin Oriental in Hawaii for my honeymoon in 2004. I ran into George Lucas and his family on the beach there. I was sitting in a hammock, just about to get up, and he asked me if I was done. I said yes and began to leave.... He said so "Where are you from" ... I said I was from NY. He said "Are you here for the shoot?" I said no, Here on my honeymoon. I told him I was a big STAR WARS fan and was anxiously awaiting the conclusion of the most recent trilogy. I asked him if STAR WARS was going to end with this next installment and. He said, "'Star Wars' will never end. My involvement may, but the story will go on...." I said what do you think would be more interesting.... telling a story prior to PHANTOM MENANCE or after RETURN OF THE JEDI? (Lucas) said, no question about it, prior to PHANTOM MENACE. He said, that if he did ever do another storyline.... that he would do when the Jedi regained control of the universe from the Dark Lords (there were many of them) 800 years before PHANTOM MENACE. And a young Jedi named Yoda was instrumental in the effort.
He said so "Where are you from" ... I said I was from NY. He said "Are you here for the shoot?" I said no, Here on my honeymoon.
When pigs fly.
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Old Man of the Mountain MuseumApril 21. 2011 3:48PM
Franconia Notch State Park
Franconia, NH
Ph: 603-823-8800
Before his collapse, The Old Man of the Mountain could be viewed year-round from two different viewing areas on I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park.
The Old Man of the Mountain, nicknamed the Great Stone Face or Profile, was located in Franconia Notch State Park. The Old Man of the Mountain was scenically set 1,200' above Profile Lake. Discovered in 1805, the rocks that made up the profile collapsed on May 3, 2003.
Take Exit 34B off the highway and follow signs to the museum. It's located near the base of Cannon Mountain.
The small museum houses a store with "Old Man" items as well as photos and artifacts pertaining to the "Great Stone Face" that will forever be a part of New Hampshire's history.
Website: Old Man of the Mountain Museum


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Classic Cocktail: The Corpse Reviver #2
Do you drink before 11am? No? Me neither. But did you know that there used to be an entire subsection of cocktails devoted to morning drinking? Drinks designed to get you up and going? Indeed — and an excellent expression of these morning cocktails is the tart, sweet, summery sipper the Corpse Reviver #2.
This cocktail has come up before at The Kitchn, when Nora mentioned in it her post on top 5 intriguing cocktail names. A corpse reviver was designed to revive the corpse of a hungover citizen, to wake him up and give him some energy for the morning. This style of cocktail achieved some notoriety through The Savoy Cocktail Book's mention of them: "To be taken before 11 a.m., or whenever steam and energy are needed."
I don't know about you, but I drink coffee for steam and energy. But if you say a cocktail can do the same — well sure, twist my arm. I find though, sadly, that I get a bit dopey after this cocktail (like all others) — the alcohol has its usual slowing effects. It takes just one, not four, to reach the state of Harry Craddock's warning, "Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again." So I'll stick to coffee for waking up in the morning, but in the late afternoons, this is my current cocktail of choice.
Why? It's such a simple cocktail, just right for those stunned post-work evenings. Very few measurements to remember: Just mix sweet digestivo wine (like Lillet, or my current favorite, Cocchi Americano — watch for more on that soon) with dry gin, aromatic orange liqueur, and bright lemon juice. Add a dash of absinthe or Pernod for depth and pep and shake it all up. It's a dead easy (sorry for the pun) cocktail, and one that's simple to mix up pitcher style then shake off one by one for a crowd. It's tangy, floral, sweet, balanced — the ultimate grown-up lemonade.
• Read more about Corpse Reviver-style cocktails: Spirits: Corpse revivers, the original energy drink by Jason Wilson at The Washington Post
The Corpse Reviver #2, Americano Cocchi-Style
Makes one drink
3/4 ounce
American Cocchi (or Lillet Blanc)
3/4 ounce
Cointreau (or triple sec)
3/4 ounce
dry gin
3/4 ounce
lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon
Pernod (or absinthe)
Combine all ingredients in shaker full of ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds then strain into coupe. Drink immediately.
Related: The Perfect Lunchtime Cocktail Recipe: The Suppressor #2
(Images: Faith Durand)


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University of Vermont
2011-12 Online Catalogue
Mathematics (Master of Science)
The Department of Mathematics offers programs towards the Master of Science, Master of Science in Teaching, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematical Sciences. There are two areas of concentration: pure mathematics and applied mathematics. The programs emphasize the interaction between these two areas and the common role of scientific computation. Students can take courses common to both areas, enabling them to gain an appreciation of the mathematical techniques and the connections between theory and applications.
The department offers an Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) leading to a B.S. and M.S. degree in five years. Interested students should contact the department by the end of their sophomore year.
Department research interests include classical analysis, harmonic analysis, Fourier analysis, approximation theory, algebra, number theory, graph theory, combinatorics, fluid mechanics, biomathematics, differential equations, numerical analysis, and modeling.
General Requirements
Specific Requirements
Requirements for Admission to Graduate Studies for the Degree of Master of Science
Because of the breadth of pure and applied mathematics, it is recognized that applicants for admission will have diverse backgrounds. Admission requirements are therefore flexible. Applicants should have demonstrated strength in either pure or applied mathematics, a bachelor's degree with a major in mathematics or a closely related discipline, and satisfactory scores on both the general and subject (mathematics) sections of the Graduate Record Examination.
Minimum Degree Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science
Each student must complete one of the following options:
a. Twenty-four semester hours of acceptable graduate credits in advanced mathematics courses; six semester hours of thesis research culminating in a master's thesis, or
b. Thirty semester hours of acceptable graduate credits in advanced mathematics courses; no thesis required.
Under either option students must take, or acquire the knowledge of the content in, the courses MATH 331 and MATH 333, and must satisfactorily complete at least four 300-level mathematics courses and the seminar MATH 382. In both options students must select a major concentration from among the areas: Analysis, Algebra, Applied Mathematics, or Discrete Mathematics. The concentration shall consist of at least nine approved credits in advanced mathematics courses in the respective area, three of which must be at the 300-level; students in option b. may count the six credits of thesis credit towards these nine credits. In both options students must also select a minor concentration consisting of at least three approved credits of advanced mathematics complementary to the major area. With approval of the student's advisor up to six credits of courses outside mathematics may be used to fulfill the major, minor, or degree requirements.
- Colleges and Schools: College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. Graduate College. College of Arts and Sciences.
- Departments and Programs: Mathematics and Statistics Department.


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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Forget the DVR.
Not this time. Not after this long of a wait.
Millions of fans actually watched the season-two finale of the ABC drama "Scandal" the old-fashioned way: on a TV screen, as it was fed from the network to their local affiliates.
But a crowd of approximately 700 at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood experienced this "Scandal" episode differently Thursday night. The audience, comprised primarily of Emmy voters and their guests, got a live performance by the majority of the show's cast members. Star Kerry Washington and company sat in chairs on the Academy stage facing the audience, and recreated the episode's so-called "table read." They delivered dialogue and stage directions directly from the finale's script.
"Scandal" spins around crisis manager Olivia Pope (played by Washington), a political fixer who could use some fixing herself.
On the arrivals line, Washington said that this reading wasn't all that different from those the "Scandal" cast and crew does for each episode.
"It's such a great opportunity, because we all enjoy working together so much, we're like a theater company," added the actress, who, like many of the "Scandal" principals, has logged considerable time on the stage.
If you have not seen the "Scandal" season-two finale, read on at your own risk. The following details what Washington called the "jaw-dropping" last scene of the episode.
Done, apparently once and for all, with her long on-again off-again affair with U.S. President Fitzgerald "Fitz" Thomas Grant III (Tony Goldwyn), Olivia is ready to start life anew. As she opens the door to begin her morning jog, Olivia is greeted by a swarm of reporters, asking variations of, "Are you the president's mistress?" A dazed Olivia is briskly escorted into a limousine, where she's greeted by the mysterious Rowan (Joe Morton).
"Hello, Olivia," he says.
"Dad?" she responds.
End scene and episode.
Recalled Washington, "When I saw it (the word "Dad"), I didn't even know how to make it come out of my mouth. It was such brand-new information for me," she continued. "We haven't had any knowledge of Olivia's personal life outside of the White House."
"Scandal," last week's highest-rated TV drama in TV marketers' coveted 18-49 demographic, was recently renewed for a third season, and is expected to return with new episodes in September.
In a post-performance conversation with the audience, show creator Shonda Rhimes gave up few answers about the fates of her "Scandal" characters.
"I think there are a lot of questions," Washington said. "What's happening with Jake (Scott Foley)? What's going on with Olivia and her family? What's going on with the first couple in the White House? I mean, there's just tons and tons of questions this year."
It seems only one thing's for sure. For "Scandal" fans, it's going to be a long summer.
Follow Michael Cidoni Lennox at http://www.twitter.com/MikeCLennox


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Eddie Cibrian: Shirtless for 'Charisma'!
Eddie Cibrian goes shirtless in a new ad campaign for Charisma.
The 38-year-old Playboy Club actor will have his campaign featured in the October issues of lifestyle magazines including Elle Decor and House Beautiful.
"Charisma bedding is so comfortable and luxurious, the only problem is that you don't want to get out of bed in the morning, it feels so good. The products have an understated elegance to them and an attention to detail that I really appreciate," Eddie said in a statement.
Eddie Cibrian for Charisma
15+ pictures inside of Eddie Cibrian going shirtless for Charisma…


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4 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14, 2014
From the Georgia Department of Transportation:
GAINESVILLE, GA. – Perilous roadway conditions are possible this morning as refreezing occurred overnight and black ice is a threat across the Northeast Georgia Region, especially on bridges. If you can wait, please do not travel until after the sun rises and temperatures get above freezing to minimize your chance of encountering black ice.
Crews are removing the slush and excess gravel from state routes and interstates throughout the region. Georgia DOT received reports of icing at the following locations and crews are working these areas as available;
· Barrow County SR 211 at Wilbanks
· Clarke County - SR 10/US 78 at Lexington Heights
· Elbert County - SR 77 at Elmhurst Drive, SR 368 at SR 77
· Forsyth County – SR 20 at Bethelview Rd
· Gwinnett County – SR 120 at I-85
· Hall County - SR 53/Winder Hwy from Youngblood Rd to SR 211, SR 53/Mundy Mill Rd @ Frontage Rd and SR 60 at Aviation Blvd and SR 52 at Magnolia Station Dr.
· Madison County - SR 8/us 29 at Joe Graham Rd
"Our crews are working diligently in every county to remove ice, slush and the remaining gravel from the roadways and provide safe travel on interstates and state routes. My biggest concern is last night's refreezing created black ice. Icing can occur quickly on bridges – be very attentive as you approach a bridge, slowing down to half your normal speed. Do not use the gas or brake pedals. Remember, if you see an area that looks like water on the road or bridge – it is ice! Please wait until after the sun comes up and temperatures rise before you drive if possible," asks Bayne Smith, Georgia DOT District Engineer.
Georgia DOT continues to coordinate with all state agencies at the Emergency Operations Center and Special Operations Center which will remain active throughout this winter storm event.
Georgia DOT urges travelers to exercise caution and call 511 for updated information on roadway conditions before getting on the road during a winter weather event. Georgia 511 is a free phone service that provides real-time traffic and travel information statewide, including winter weather closures, reports of icing or other hazardous conditions on interstates and state routes. Callers also can transfer to operators to request assistance or report incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information is available at www.511ga.org. For more information on Georgia DOT, please visit www.dot.ga.gov or subscribe to our Press Release RSS feed. You also may follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GDOTNE ) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/GDOTNE).
GDOT: Black ice a threat this morning
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Before & After: Amy's $200 Cocoa-Colored Kitchen Update
Like this entry? Favorite it below!
- Name:
- Amy
- Location:
- Mobile, AL
- Division:
- United States
- About my kitchen reveal:
- Refreshed the black tile grout on the floor with white grout paint, as well as the yellow grout on the tile countertops and backsplash; stained the cabinets a java wood color; replaced the 1970s oven; and replaced the cabinet pulls and knobs.
- My best tip for a successful kitchen makeover::
- The best changes aren't always expensive. I think the best change I made is painting the grout, which only cost $8. Other than the new oven, the entire project cost about $200 ($150 for the new knobs and pulls and $50 for grout paint and cabinet stain and topcoat).
- My favorite meal to cook in my kitchen::
- Baking! The thermostat on my old oven didn't work, so I had to constantly open the door to check the internal temperature. I love not having to do that anymore!


text:
Research Center at U. T. Dallas to Help Mark National Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month
September Events Planned Around Theme 'Discover the Cure'
RICHARDSON , Texas (Aug. 11, 2005) - The Sickle Cell Disease Research Center (SCDRC) at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) next month will help raise public awareness of the deadly genetic disorder that strikes primarily persons of African descent through a host of events, ranging from an open house at the center's newly renovated offices to a gene therapy seminar conducted by a world-renowned sickle cell researcher. The local activities will be part of a National Sickle Cell Awareness Month campaign to be held throughout the country during September. The goal of the effort, whose theme is "Discover the Cure," is to call attention to the effects of sickle cell disease and highlight the efforts to find a cure.
"Dallas is a major front in the war on sickle cell disease and we want to call attention to the innovative research and treatments being developed locally to ameliorate – and perhaps eventually cure – this devastating disorder," said Dr. Betty Pace, a medical doctor and director of the SCDRC. "We invite members of the public to participate in one or more of our activities next month in order to increase their knowledge of sickle cell disease."
Bolstered by a $7.8-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), UTD and a sister institution, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, along with other local medical facilities, in 2003 formed a sickle cell research and treatment center in Dallas. It became the first NIH Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center in the Southwest and one of only 10 such centers in the U.S.
Under the collaborative arrangement, basic scientific research on the disease is carried out at both UTD and U. T. Southwestern, while clinical studies involving patients is conducted by U. T. Southwestern, principally at Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects the hemoglobin protein found in red blood cells. In persons with the disease, the red blood cells become sickle or crescent shaped due to the abnormal hemoglobin and often become lodged in blood vessels. The lack of blood flow as a result of these blockages can result in tissue damage, severe recurrent pain, strokes and organ damage.
Ninety-five percent of sickle cell cases affect individuals of African descent. However, the disease is also found in limited numbers in persons who trace their ancestry to South and Central America, several Middle Eastern countries, India, Italy, Greece and Turkey.
In the United States, approximately 80,000 African-Americans suffer from sickle cell disease. Millions are affected worldwide. One in every 350 African-American babies born in the U.S. has the disease and one in eight are carriers of sickle cell trait, making it the number one genetic disease in that population.
"A cure in the form of bone marrow transplantation is available to a limited number of children with sickle cell disease," said Pace. "However, early diagnosis through newborn screening, better medical management and education have improved the quality of life and survival for others who suffer from the disease."
A universal cure, though, remains elusive. Pace and her colleagues at UTD are studying gene-based therapies as a possible cure for sickle cell. This research involves trying to unlock genetic "on-off switches" to fool the body into healing itself.
Many in the medical community believe that gene therapy is the most promising area of sickle cell research.
The lineup of SCDRC activities during September, all of which are open to the public, includes:
- An open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 1 at the newly expanded and renovated SCDRC offices in Berkner Hall. Due to an expected large number of members of the campus community and the public at the event, a "virtual ribbon-cutting" will be held at a different location, the Green Center Commons. That will be hosted by film and television actress Kiki Shepard and will run from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The SCDRC offices, Berkner Room 3.204, will be open for visits from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- A sickle cell disease awareness art display, featuring the works of artists Hertz Nazaire and Daniel Rodney, in the Visual Arts Building, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Sept. 1 – 30.
- A seminar on Sept. 30 titled "Renaissance of Sickle Cell Research: Discover the Cure" by noted researcher Philippe Leboulch, M.D., associate professor, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women's Hospital, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the McDermott Library auditorium.
In addition, the center next month will sponsor an education awareness night on the UTD campus for college students and will also participate in two fundraising events, a golf tournament in Dallas and a silent auction in Fort Worth, being conducted by Sickle Cell Disease Association of America chapters in those cities.
For additional information about SCDRC activities for Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month, please contact the center's administrative assistant, Judy Du, at 972-883-6230.
- Updated: February 6, 2006


text:
|2013-03-06, 21:10
|Link #2023
( ゚∀゚)アハハ八八ノヽノヽノヽノ \ / \/
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: (◣_◢)
|2013-03-06, 21:15
|Link #2024
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
|2013-03-06, 23:52
|Link #2025
( ゚∀゚)アハハ八八ノヽノヽノヽノ \ / \/
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: (◣_◢)
You mean the magnifying glass item you can make later on that lets your characters search?
|2013-03-07, 01:55
|Link #2026
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
|2013-03-16, 22:33
|Link #2030
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Hello everyone,
im stuck at chapter 6 and cant level up to seven. There should be a test at the end of the chapter but it wont start. My Evaluation is over 9000, Room Yard, Store and Workshop are all 7 and the Synthesis rank is B. The last Quest i did was Nr 076 and i think ive cleared what i can do from the other quests -there are still some missing spots like quests 008-011 -perhaps thats the reason? My charas are all over lvl 30. Thanks for reading, hope someone can help me.
|2013-03-17, 12:01
|Link #2032
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Theres nothing going on anymore in the game -I double checked everything: no new quest, every area has a clear stamp on it and no new events but i cant advance to the seventh chapter:-(
My Quest status:
Yet to be done: 1, 26, 52, 64, 70, 73
Completed: 2-7, 14, 17, 19-21, 23-25, 27-31, 36-43, 46, 47, 50, 51, 54-60, 63, 65-69, 71-73, 76-79
Failed: 118
Im sure that im overlooking something but i really dk what it is.
|2013-03-17, 13:17
|Link #2033
ダメ人 - 人間失格
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Germany
Age: 32
|2013-03-17, 13:27
|Link #2034
( ゚∀゚)アハハ八八ノヽノヽノヽノ \ / \/
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: (◣_◢)
You should probably post which heroine route your doing. Haven't played in awhile so I can't really help you, but kamidori isn't that hard that you should be getting lost. Maybe your missing a item or something. I personally never failed a mission. The only mission i had problems with was the alchemy upgrade thing. Those chests where freaking annoying.
|2013-03-23, 01:16
|Link #2036
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Hello again..
Finally have some freetime to play it again for the 4 times..
wanna complete yuela camo CG n create the remaining ulti weapon..
now then, gonna use golem n leguna still lv 1 though else already max..
Btw is there any new game like this game or rance which ero rpg with well balance between gameplay, story n hscene?
wanna prepare some new game while finishing this game
|2013-03-23, 06:13
|Link #2037
Join Date: Dec 2003
Are you willing to play non-translated games, or ones with only an interface patch? You can use machine translators and guides as possible aide for story telling.
Daiteikoku is mostly translated although game play can get somewhat old and graphics aren't as nice.
Soukoku no arterial (another eushully game) has good graphics and an interface patch.
Pastel Chime 3 from Alicesoft is relatively new and is an SRPG similar to kamidori. I think there is a light patch for skill translation.
You can also try Himegari for Lily awesomeness.
Ar tonelico series is similar in a way that its an RPG with alchemy system. No ero though but a lot of innuendo...
|2013-03-23, 15:41
|Link #2039
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
I've been playing this game over the last 2/3 weeks but took a weeks break. Into chapter 7 and been enjoying this game much. Tho I have to admit, its harder to level my favourit characters up when I keep getting more who I like >< So my starting team has gotten bigger ><.
One thing I want to say tho, I hate how the skill assingment works. By using an example, Flyer type creatures such as Sharty, Melodianna, Elizasleyn. All have to use the flying skill, which takes up 1 of 4 valuable slots. For races with wings that can fly, it should be a racial trait only. Feels kinda retarded taht I have to assign a skill to fly when they already have wings. Thats probably my biggest jiff on the game.
Also I dont raelly know what to think of Wil, he has some good points to him, but sometimes he can be so full of himself. I have to admit, I like Lugana more than Wil. If I had to say, Melodianna probably been my favourit char, but I have a liking to a few of the others aswel.
|2013-03-23, 17:39
|Link #2040
( ゚∀゚)アハハ八八ノヽノヽノヽノ \ / \/
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: (◣_◢)
|eushully, kamidori alchemy meister
|Thread Tools


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Perfect fit, precise sound
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The soft flexi-grip material that the body of the headphone is sheathed in enhances its performance and extends its durability. It protects the cable connection from damage that otherwise could occur due to repeated bending of the headphone body from frequent contact with the user's fingertips when being put on and removed.
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The perfect in-ear seal of these earphones will surprise you with exceptional noise isolation.
A unique curved headphone housing design enables easy grip and makes it easy to get perfect in-ear fit - even on the go.
Download the Philips Headset App to personalise the sound of your headset as well as the remote to Answer/End call, Play/Pause music, Adjust volume +/- and Change tracks.


text:
The Lay of the Land
- Frank Bascombe, Book 3
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Series: Frank Bascombe, Book 3
- Length: 24 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 13-10-2006
- Language: English
- Publisher: Random House Audio
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $69.54
Publisher's Summary
His story resumes in the autumn of 2000, when his trade as a realtor on the Jersey Shore is thriving, permitting him to revel in the acceptance of "that long, stretching-out time when my dreams would have mystery like any ordinary person's; when whatever I do or say, who I marry, how my kids turn out, becomes what the world, if it makes note at all, knows of me, how I'm seen, understood, even how I think of myself before whatever there is that's wild and unassuagable rises and cheerlessly hauls me off to oblivion."
But as a presidential election hangs in the balance, and a postnuclear-family Thanksgiving looms before him, along with crises both marital and medical, Frank discovers that what he terms the Permanent Period is fraught with unforeseen perils: "All the ways that life feels like life at age 55 were strewn around me like poppies."
This is a holiday, and a novel, no reader will ever forget, at once hilarious, harrowing, surprising, and profound. The Lay of the Land is astonishing in its own right and a magnificent expansion of one of the most celebrated chronicles of our time.
Critic Reviews
- National Book Critics Circle 2006 Award Finalist, Fiction
"The third and most eventful novel in the Frank Bascombe series." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Ford summons a remarkable voice for his protagonist, ruminant, jaunty, merciless, generous and painfully observant, building a dense narrative from Frank's improvisations, epiphanies and revisions." (Publishers Weekly)
"As ever the drama is rooted in the interior world of its authentically life-sized hero, as he logs long hours on the highways and back roads of New Jersey, taking expansive stock of middle-age defeats and registering the erosions of a brilliantly evoked landscape of suburbs, strip malls and ocean towns." (New York Times Book Review)
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- D. Vance
- 04-11-2006
Richard Ford, get out of my mind!
Richard Ford has written one of those books that make you believe he has been reading your mind for years. If you are a middle-aged suburban man, Frank Bascome is as real as the guy you see in the mirror every morning. We have the tendency to think our personal experience is unique, but a good author that so perfectly recreates your experience can let you see how universal life's story's are. I find it liberating and humorous to realize my situation is not as unique as I thought, hearing another man struggle with the same questions puts my fears and doubts in perspective.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
- Jon
- 24-03-2007
Wisdom from the realtor
Richard Ford has to be one of the best writers working today. Each sentence, wonderfully narrated, is packed with meaning. The strength of this novel is not plot but character. You get to know Frank, and in the process he teaches you a great deal about how to learn to accept life, family, and a variety of other imperfections. There is a great deal of wit here - I agree with the reviewer who found delight in Frank's visit to the Lesbian bar while waiting for his car to be repaired across the street. But I would say that the wisdom in this book is what finally makes it such a good one. Frank learns to accept what his life has given and to accept and even love the people he encounters. I had the feeling several times that Frank is a better person than I am, or at least a much wiser one. Frank a very likeable man - one I would delight in purchasing a house from - but also a very wise man who has embraced all that life offers with a serene intelligence that is at the same time pragmatic and down to earth. The narrator is excellent, with just the right timing for those marvelous sentences. This is one great listen.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
- Alan
- 31-01-2007
Great book!
I liked this book quite a lot. There were several times that I laughed out loud so I consider the book to be quite funny. There's a really funny part that takes place when the main character (1st-person narrative) ends up stuck in a lesbian bar while waiting for his car to be repaired. The author is able to make events funny, while drawing out the seriousness and trouble that clouds our lives from time to time.
Not a lot happens in the book in terms of plot (at least until the last parts of the book). There are long and detailed descriptions of events, people, etc. that might cause many to call the book "slow." At first, that was a little off-putting, but eventually, I came to understand what the author was doing, and that style didn't make any difference to me at all at the end. I was sorry to have it end.
Themes include observations about modern life, fatherhood, loss of a child, neighbors, divorce, selling, late-middle age, cancer and more.
The narration was first rate. The reader put effort into different voices for each character, and did lots of accents (southern, midwest, East Indian and others) all of which I enjoyed.
I recommend it.
(There's a sixteen-mintute interview with the author after the end of the book, so it's not actually a 24 hour 57 minute book.)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
- Stephanie
- 23-12-2006
A Wonder of a Book
After an 11-year hiatus, the Pulitzer prize-winning author revisits his most enduring character, Frank Bascombe, a former sportswriter turned real estate agent. Bascombe, now 55 years old, newly divorced, battling prostate cancer, has reached the Permanent Period: "the time of life when very little you say comes in quotes, when few contrarian voices mutter doubts in your head, when the past seems more generic than specific, when life's a destination more than a journey and when who you feel yourself to be is pretty much how people will remember you once you've croaked. . . ." It's Thanksgiving week, and Frank Bascombe narrates with an armchair philosopher's appreciation for everything from the route he drives to work to the grandest themes in everyday life as he navigates the highways and byways of the Garden State. His two grown children (his "reformed" lesbian daughter and his emotionally removed son who pens greeting cards for Hallmark), his Tibetan business associate, Mike Mahony, and his ex-wife Sally, all come under his highly entertaining scrutiny. Although the book could be criticized for taking pages to describe the simplest interactions, with detail that can be overwhelming numbing, the very notion of this novel is that the drama is in the details of our non-dramatic lives. The audio format lends itself to such expository story-telling, and the narrator -- who sounds like I envision Frank Bascombe sounds -- enhances the tale.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
- Jaci P
- 19-08-2007
This was a read about everyday life, in an area of the US I've never visited, and from the viewpoint of a man in the decade of his life I'm preparing to enter. Character, Frank Bascombe has great insight and amusing portrayals of family members, neighbors, and friends. I may have to go back and read the previous Richard Ford novels about this character. The book did move a little slow, but I smiled quite a bit, and it was a nice change of pace from fast action or high intrigue.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
- Amazon Customer
- 05-02-2007
Hyper-articulate writer/hyper-skillle reader
Can anyone alive turn a phrase better than Richard Ford? I believe listening to or reading good language can enhance the listener's/reader's language facility. Both writer and reader of Lay of the Land are inspiring.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
- Paul
- 27-04-2010
A fantastic book. It contains all segments of real, ordinary life. All people who read this book can find all sorts of events that they themselves have been experiencing.
The book deals with death, humour, embarrasment,
guilt, joy, yearning and so on.
Those who read it have to be patient and can not expect any suspence or "drama".
This is a book where the reader just have to listen intently to all the details given along the way.
To me this book should belong with the "classics".
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
- Daniel
- 27-05-2009
I loved it, but realize what your getting.
If you like Richard Russo style musings of a story that tends to slowly unveil through the eyes of a middle age male (of which I am...) then this is a great book. I loved it and was not happy when, at first, this was the only Audible Richard Ford book.
My daughter is all about Jodi Picoult and the new Twilight books. Clearly they meet her needs as a teenage reader, although I find them overwritten, melodramatic tripe.
And this is my point: This book met me where i was at, and is a great read for those looking to see how a big segment of middle age white guy thinks and sees much of the world. I suppose for many, this would seem silly...but I loved the writing and the narration was great.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
- ogres3
- 29-09-2007
self indulgence
This is the first audiobook (out of over 150) that I couldn't finish. I almost made it through the first third, but realized that I had sufficiently experienced the mid-life crisis about which the narrator is perpetually expounding. I found myself repeatedly telling him, almost out loud, to get over it. At the point that I stopped no plot had been established. I don't give up easily, having managed to complete Proust's "Swann's Way", which was no easy feat. "The Lay of the Land" is comparable to "Portnoy's Complaint", it is difficult to maintain any empathy with the narrator. Don't waste your time on this one!
7 of 10 people found this review helpful
- Lowroad
- 23-11-2007
Where's the story?
Verrrryyyy loooonng on meaningless details, very short on any interesting events. I skipped large parts because I just could not stand to listen to more descriptions of stores, roads, traffic signs, cars, expressions, feelings, etc. And guess what, I did not miss any of the story. So little happens, that it could be told in 10 minutes. One of the worst books i have listened to.
7 of 12 people found this review helpful


text:
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This versatile jewelry chest, by Towle, features a dark mahogany wood finish with a cream velvet interior that will cradle your jewelry. The two large drawers and top mirrored compartment will hold precious jewelry. This jewelry chest also includes two side opening doors with 4 hanging hooks on each side to store necklaces or bracelets. Dust or clean with furniture polish and soft cloth. Dark mahogany jewelry chest measures 13-1/2 x 9 x 10-1/2 inches.
Dust or clean with furniture polish and soft cloth.


text:
Carnival Corporation & plc Re-establishes $1 Billion Share Repurchase Program; Declares Quarterly Dividend
Jan 17, 2013, 09:15 EST
MIAMI, Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE :CCL ;NYSE :CUK ) announced that it has renewed its authorization for the repurchase of up to $1 billion of its common stock and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.
The company has repurchased two million shares of Carnival Corporation common stock valued at $78 million since the start of fiscal 2013, bringing the total amount purchased to date under the September 2007 $1 billion authorization to $835 million. Yesterday, the company's board of directors increased the remaining $165 million repurchase authorization to $1 billion.
"Our ongoing share repurchase program demonstrates our continued confidence in the earnings power of our global brands," said Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO. "We remain committed to increasing shareholder returns through a combination of dividend distributions and opportunistic share repurchases," he added.
The share repurchase authorization covers both Carnival Corporation common stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Carnival plc ordinary shares traded on the London Stock Exchange. Repurchases will take place in the open market or privately negotiated transactions in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. The stock repurchase is subject to prevailing market conditions and other considerations.
The board approved a record date for the quarterly dividend of February 22, 2013 with a payment date of March 15, 2013. Holders of Carnival Corporation common stock and Carnival plc ADSs will receive the dividend payable in U.S. dollars. The dividend for Carnival plc ordinary shares will be payable in U.S. dollars or sterling. In the absence of instructions or elections to the contrary, holders of Carnival plc ordinary shares will automatically receive the dividend in sterling.
Dividends payable in sterling will be converted from U.S. dollars at the exchange rate quoted by the Bank of England in London at 12 noon on March 1, 2013. Holders of Carnival plc ordinary shares wishing to receive their dividend in U.S. dollars or participate in the Carnival plc Dividend Reinvestment Plan must elect to do so by February 22, 2013.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 100 ships totaling 203,000 lower berths with nine new ships scheduled to be delivered between March 2013 and March 2016. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation


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Kim Kardashian And Her Grill Covers 'CR Fashion Book'
The fashion world is full of surprises. (A very pregnant) Kim Kardashian was revealed as the cover girl for Issue 3 of Carine Roitfeld's CR Fashion Book. A swollen Kimmy poses for the legendary Karl Lagerfeld as "Miss USA," adorned in diamond masks (just like her boo, Kanye), golden grills, smudged lipstick, fitted caps and veils. The shoot was directed by Riccardo Tisci, who was also responsible for her MET Gala floral dress.
Flip through to see North West's mom flaunt her baby body.


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August 23, 2012Everyday
Our Live Chat With Aerin Lauder!
It's almost time to talk beauty with Aerin Lauder! Don't forget to tune into our live Facebook chat with Aerin today at 9AM PST/12PM EST. She'll be answering all your pressing beauty questions, plus we'll be discussing her new cosmetics collection. You'll even be able to shop the collection during the chat--see you soon!
Explore: Aerin Lauder, Estee Lauder


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I came in to the world with nothing. I still have most of it.
Hi RCG, I hope that you and yours are well
"Walk on the wild side"? is what comes to mind.................
The journalist got it wrong.....he had two kidneys and one liver.................
The material before "walk on the wild side" is what comes to me...
Velvet Underground, one of the first rock bands with a girl drummer.
I was so in love with her.
Hi RCG,
Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2014 to you!
Yeah! ......................girlie drummers
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