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Animal Man: Deus Ex Machina -
DC Comics, Nov 1, 2003 - Comics & Graphic Novels - 232 pages
After a bizarre incident with an alien spaceship, Buddy Baker, married father of two children, suddenly gained the power to temporarily duplicate the abilities of any creature within his immediate vicinity. Assuming the identity of Animal Man, the suburbanite began a new existence in which he tried to balance his realistic family responsibilities with his fantastical super-hero obligations. In this wryly humorous and deeply introspective volume, Animal Man endures a tumultuous journey of self-discovery that leads to spiritual enlightenment, suicidal depression, and a surreal encounter in which he steps outside of the story and meets with the book's author in the real world. SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS.
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LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - LaneLiterati - LibraryThing
I was absolutely blown away by this last volume of Animal Man by Grant Morrison. Everything that had been written up until this point, is utilized in such a special way. It's so hard to ignore the ... Read full review
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While it's a little disappointing that this marks the end of Morrison's run on Animal Man, I'm more than a little relieved that his story was not unnecessarily stretched out. His work here clearly ... Read full review
Common terms and phrases
Alan Moore SIephen Alfredo Alcala ANIMAL ANP WRITE ARKHAM ASYLUM Azzarello Eduardo Risso Brian Azzarello Eduardo CHRIS WESTON VARIOOS CONNECTEP COULP Dave McKean DC COMICS Dean OrmsIon LUCIFER Eduardo Risso 100 ELLEN Ennis SIeve Ennis/SIeve Dillon PREACHER EPITOR FABLES Frusin GarIh Ennis GarIh Ennis/SIeve Dillon GRANT MORRISON HOWARD GRANT MORRISON PHIL Guerra Jose Marzan HOWARD PORTER JOHN INVISIBLES JILL THOMPSON JIMENEZ JOHN STOKES John ToIleben SWAMP Kelly Dean OrmsIon KILLEP Kyle Baker Leialoha LOOK Mike Carey Mike Carey/PeIer Gross Moore SIephen BisseIIe MORRISON HOWARD PORTER MORRISON PHIL JIMENEZ Neil Gaiman various OH OH PeIer Snejbjerg PHIL JIMENEZ JOHN PIPN'T PON'T KNOW POWN Psycho-Pirate RI6HT Rick VeiIch Risso 100 BULLETS Ryan Kelly Dean SCWE SEE/MS Shawn McManus SIeve Dillon HELLBLAZER STORIES SUFFEREP TH/S THINK ToIleben SWAMP THING TOLP TROOG DOOG HAZLEWOOD various HELLBLAZER various THE SANDMAN WANTEP WHO'VE WORLD WORLP WOULP WOULPN'T


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Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register delivered these remarks to the Metro Council Education Committee on Thursday, July 10, 2014:
Chairman Glover, members of the Council Education Committee, and other Council members, after Steve talked to me about this session, I asked for a moment at the start of the meeting to say a few words to you about our school system in general and specifically about today's briefing on Public Charter Schools. Your decision to meet as the Education Committee of the Metro Council on this important topic is both farsighted and commendable. Thank you for taking the time to be here today.
I know I am taking advantage of my long-standing relationship with Chairman Glover with this request to address you, but without his involvement six years ago, I might not be standing here today as your superintendent, as Steve was the first person from Nashville to ask me to apply for this job. I appreciate this opportunity to say a few words, not as your director of schools necessarily, but as an educator, someone who cares deeply about public education and particularly about our school system and our children.
First I want to commend the Council and Mayor Dean for the significant investments in funding public education in Nashville you have made during my tenure here. We could not do what we do without your help and support. Thank you.
Let me start this off by saying what I hope all of you already know—we have a really good school system in this city with a strong foundation, great leaders and committed wonderful teachers. We have pockets of notable excellence and, of course, we still have a few areas of weakness. We are absolutely on the right path, but that path is not always easy.
As my official time as the leader of this community's education system begins to wind down, and as I consider my experience as a lifelong educator and longtime superintendent, I want to tell you that your school system has the potential to be great…not just good or adequate, or OK, but truly great. The possibilities are endless, our goals are absolutely attainable, and the future is bright.
As all of you know, we have over the last few years experienced transformational change in the way we approach the education of our children in this community and across the nation. These changes have greatly increased the amount and the intensity of education-related discourse in our neighborhoods and across the city, as well as in the media.
The on-going, and frankly sometimes passionate, discussion about this important topic is good. Passion around the education of our children should be encouraged and celebrated. But over the last year or so there has been a steady and ever increasing tendency toward miscommunication and gamesmanship in our dialog and a push for polarization in our ongoing discussions about the future of public education in this city. These actions have created distrust and hard feelings where understanding and common purpose once ruled the day.
In the very near past when we disagreed, we did so respectfully. Not so today. It has at times become mean and personal. We have lost civility in our dialogue on education reform in general and, regrettably, particularly as it concerns our public charter schools. This loss of civility has caused good people and quality institutions that have the same basic goals—the quality education of future generations of Nashvillians–to take sides and develop an unhealthy "us" versus "them" mentality.
I think that most in the room will agree with me….enough is enough! This is not some sort of game where it's OK to judge "winning or losing" by which press release or pithy statement gets printed in the newspaper or gets highlighted on the nightly news, or gets the most play on social media. This is not about a campaign to discredit one person or another because they may disagree with you; it should be about, and only be about, what's best for our school system and developing and maintaining great schools for our children.
When we take a step back and really think about it, the biggest losers in this kind of scorched earth campaign-style approach to our discussion about schools of choice are our children. I believe this type of behavior needs to stop and it needs to stop now. If you agree with me, I ask for your help.
I am asking all of you tonight, individually as important opinion leaders in our community, and as members of the Council, to join me in finding the most effective way to immediately transition our dialog to a place where this community, and our school system, can find stability and reinstate a collaborative and transparent environment where innovation and true partnership can flourish. A place where all ideas are discussed respectfully. A place where the best ideas rise to the top and are implemented. And a place where bad or outdated ideas are simply left behind.
I plan to ask my partners over the coming days and weeks – Mayor Dean, Vice Mayor Neighbors and this Council, our state legislative delegation led by Speaker Harwell, Governor Haslam's administration, community partners like the Public Education Foundation, Nashville's Agenda, the Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, The United Way, the Charter community, and of course, our School Board, to join this effort.
It's my desire that over the next few weeks and months we can address and eliminate the hard feelings that have developed and reinstate a constructive climate of trust and true collaboration. Why do I think this is so vitally important? Because our future, I believe, depends on it.
The next mayor of this city and the next superintendent of your school system will have an exciting opportunity presented to them as they transition into their new roles. These opportunities include the opportunity to take public education in Nashville to new heights of excellence. But I respectfully submit to you that if we aren't thinking about how we reset the conversation on public education in this city, right now—tonight, starting right here in his chamber, this very instant–the new mayor and the new superintendent are going to find themselves in a precarious place and will be less able to take our system to the next level. This meeting today is the perfect context for this topic.
It is absolutely critical that the District embrace the important role that our education colleagues in the charter school sector play in the future of education in Nashville. I know that this District's charters are by and large very successful. It is evident that we are seeing outstanding educational gains from public charter schools as well as from other schools of choice and many of our zoned schools.
While I am so very proud of all of these schools, I acknowledge there is a real and pressing need to literally reset the conversation about charters and other schools of choice. Specifically, I want to immediately jump start the process of determining best practices associated with what makes charters and other high performing schools work for our parents and children, and to facilitate the implementation of some of those ideas across our system. I hope the charter community will agree to assist me with this important work.
To that end, and as a first step, I am asking the Charter Center to work with me to convene a monthly meeting with charter school leaders, Dr. Coverstone, and other members of my senior staff, and any willing members of the Board of Education. There is so much common ground that exists among these individuals and institutions and we simply need to work harder to find and exploit this for the benefit of our children. We should be about this work starting tomorrow morning.
In the end, the question that we seem to have missed in the ongoing and overheated debate about charter schools is really very simple: How we can utilize our district assets—all district assets–especially our high performing schools that are built around some level of choice and excellence to ensure that our children, ALL OF OUR CHILDREN, regardless of where they reside, or where they go to school, can achieve to their highest potential.
To that end, I will be reaching out to my partners in the Nashville educational community (generally as we did with our recent attrition study) to have them assist the District in conducting in-depth research that will assist us in analyzing our financial practices to make sure that we are giving adequate weight to educational quality, results, and "return on our investment" in our District funding models. This research, when completed, will advance and build upon the limited initial work of the fiscal impact study that is currently underway, such that when both studies are complete we, and our constituents, partners, and funders, will have a more robust and complete, comprehensive and unbiased understanding of what it takes to lead our schools to the results we desire and that our children richly deserve.
In conclusion, I want to reset the conversation about the future of public education in Nashville. We must learn and build on our best practices from all high-performing schools to improve practices in every school. Most importantly, I want to renew a sincere spirit of civility, cooperation, and optimism when we agree, and lead a respectful, meaningful and constructive dialogue when we don't. Over the next year, I am committed to doing everything I can, professionally and personally, to position Metro Schools to move toward being a world-class school system for this community. On this you have my word. Thank you Mr. Chairman for indulging me this courtesy, and thank you all for all you do every single day for this great city.

subset: commoncrawl


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Custom Wedding Napkins
Tie your wedding theme into every detail, like personalized wedding napkins with your photos, colors, and fun messages for your guests.
Create your own personalized wedding napkins to match your wedding invitations. Our beverage-size wedding napkins can be personalized with your wedding colors, photos of the happy couple and text of your choosing, depending on the design. You can print a special message of thanks to your guests on your wedding napkins, ask for advice, share a recipe, a joke or a favorite quote, all in your wedding colors of course! Personalized wedding napkins are just one more way to add fun and flair to your wedding, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower or bachelorette party!
Pear Tree also offers matching wedding decorations and wedding favor tags to add to the decor on your big day. Printed on our signature card stock, our multi-piece wedding decorations can be used as table decor, poked into centerpieces, or strung as garland. Our wedding favor tags and stickers give your wedding favors a personal touch, and can also be customized to match your wedding colors and wedding invitations.
Our wedding napkins can also be customized for birthday parties and other events. Looking for more ideas? See our entire selection of graduation party decorations and graduation napkins for other options that can be personalized for any occasion.


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How To Get Started With Adobe Illustrator CC —10 Things Beginners Want To Know
Brand new to Illustrator? Maybe you're not brand new but still want to know how to best setup your document and artboards, work with colors, shapes and brushes, and how to do these fundamentals the right way.
Then you need to join Terry White, Adobe worldwide design evangelist, and tap into Terry's deep knowledge of Adobe professional design products in his podcast on How to Get Started with Adobe Illustrator CC — 10 Things Beginners Want To Know How To Do.
And more experienced Illustrator users may just discover new tricks, too, as Terry covers the latest tools and approaches that just may help you break out of long-term habits and work more efficiently.


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Swimming Pool Blog
by Guest Blogger Charlie Nadler November 28, 2012
Easy Energy-Saving Tips for Your Pool and Hot Tub
For owners of swimming pools and hot tubs, motivation to cut down on energy use may come from an environmentally-conscious place; if not, it will definitely come in the form of a monthly utility bill. Between the air conditioning and the pool pump, the operating costs and environmental impact of pools and hot tubs are a serious cause of stress for many owners.
While pool and hot tub ownership will invariably come with their share of expenses, there are some easy ways that you can shave some money off those utility bills, cut down on water and energy usage, and limit the environmental impact of your pool and/or hot tub. When you're running your equipment at peak efficiency, you can feel better about your investment and enjoy your pool or hot tub to the fullest.
Swimming Pool Energy Saving Tips
- Use a variable speed or multi-speed pump. When a new pump becomes necessary or desirable, investing in multi-speed or variable speed pumps will pay for itself within three to six years. Rather than the highly inefficient oversized pumps found in most pools, these types of pumps allow you to use up to 75% less energy.
- Reduce pool water consumption. By reducing the amount of water needed for your pool, you're also cutting down on energy needed to pump and treat water. Keep your water lower in the pool to reduce the amount splashed out. Using a cartridge pool filter will reduce water wasted during backwashing.
- Operate the pump less. Running your pump only as much as you need to can drastically reduce the energy demand. Some people run their pumps 24 hours per day, but most pool pumps will move all of the water through the filter in 8-10 hours time.
- Keep the pool clean by performing regular pool maintenance and keeping the water clear and free of organic debris.
- Harness the power of the sun. Hopefully your pool is in direct sunlight and benefits from the sun's heat – reducing the amount of heating energy needed. If you have good daily sun exposure, you could use a solar pool heater to replace gas or electic pool heating.
Hot Tub Energy Saving Tips
- Utilize a windbreaker. To conserve the amount of heat needed for your hot tub, look for ways to block the wind near the tub. Along with giving you some privacy from the neighbors, wind blocks such as shrubs, fences, trees and walls reduce the heat lost from wind.
- Invest in a quality cover. One of the critical ways to conserve energy with your hot tub is to make sure you have a strong spa cover. Sometimes an older cover can look like it's doing a good job of keeping in heat, but if it's waterlogged, if it doesn't secure tightly onto the top, or if there are any rips or leaks, the cover is not properly insulating your tub.
- Set the thermostat lower. The thermostat does not need to be set at the high temperature limit. You can lower your energy consumption and only have to wait a few minutes when you want to heat it hotter.
- Clean and change the filters. Similar to a swimming pool, the hot tub's filters are vital to efficient operation. Mark your calendar to clean out the filter three or four times per year, and switch out the filter once a year. By ensuring that the filter is never broken or clogged, you're making sure the pump's motor and heater are not working overtime – and not wasting energy.
Charlie Nadler is a writer for AAA Pool Service, a weekly pool service company serving the North Shore and western suburbs of the Chicagoland area.


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Globalization is fuelling the international demand for plant and animal products, says Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.
Not surprisingly, globalization and the rapid economic development of many countries are having an immense impact on trade patterns, nowhere more so than in China. Home to a fifth of the world's population, ever more people are gaining the affluence and interest to purchase wildlife products from around the world.
Already the effects of consumer-led demand in China are being felt in the world's poorest economy—Africa, a continent rich in natural resources, yet lagging behind in economic development. In 2006, China's investment alone in Africa was estimated at US$ 50 billion, and is forecast to reach US$ 110 billion by 2010.
This huge Asian investment in Africa's resources has the potential to bring many positive benefits through increased wealth generation. But there is also the possibility it will lead to even greater exploitation of the continent's natural resources. Without proper control and governance, the danger is that foreign investors will take much and put little back in return.
Already we see evidence of this in the wildlife trade sector through the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), a database of worldwide ivory seizures. In 2007, the message from analysis of the ETIS data was clear: Asian-run organized crime syndicates based in Africa are increasingly implicated in an escalating illegal trade in elephant ivory. There is also evidence of commercialscale illegal ivory operations involving Chinese nationals in 22 African Elephant Range States.
Asian links clearly exist in the activities of criminal syndicates in other spheres of trade in natural resources too. In May 2007, TRAFFIC launched a report into illegal logging which revealed that China's import statistics included ten times more timber from Tanzania than was documented by Tanzania's export records. TRAFFIC also reported an increase in uncontrolled timber harvesting in southern Tanzania, largely as a result of demand from Asia. A few days later, authorities in Mozambique seized 531 containers of illegal logs awaiting export—a staggering 11,000 cubic metres of timber. The logs had been sold by timber operators to Chinese companies and were awaiting export.
In January this year, President Koroma of Sierra Leone placed a temporary ban on timber exports to halt the damage to his nation's tropical forests and climate. He claimed that indiscriminate destruction by Chinese loggers in the country's north was wreaking havoc and a restructuring of the timber industry was urgently needed.
The Chinese government has recognized the problem and has begun taking steps to encourage responsible trade by its citizens. It is understood to be sending delegations to its missions in Africa to create greater awareness of the seriousness of illegal ivory trade. In October 2007, China participated for the first time in a meeting of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. Government delegates from ten Central African countries met representatives of selected European countries and the US to discuss sustainable forest management. With China now on a par with the European Union as a leading importer of Central African timber, its participation was indeed timely.
But much more needs to be done. There is a need for greater awareness amongst government policy makers, industry and consumers in China of the country's worldwide impact on wildlife resources. In recent years, China's CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Management Authority has become very active in discussions on cross-border wildlife trade with its Asian neighbours and similar initiatives could be extended to key trade partners further afield. African governments also need to harness the development and conservation benefits of new wildlife trade relations through sustainable trade policies, improving governance and strengthening law enforcement action and co-ordination.
However, it is important not to oversimplify matters and to remember the true nature of the global economy. Whilst there is undoubtedly a rapidly growing domestic demand for African wildlife products in Asia, the final consumers of such goods may be elsewhere. Skilled Asian carpenters turn African wood into beautifully crafted furniture, which is then re-exported to where it will find the highest prices—often in Europe and North America. As ever, it all comes back to the global economy where it is usually a matter of who can afford what, and who can supply the goods in demand at the best price.
More than ever before, actions to address conservation challenges arising from international wildlife trade need to be developed with a global perspective and with a close eye on the opportunities and threats posed by a shifting world economy.
Based on an article in TRAFFIC Bulletin 21(3). TRAFFIC is a joint programme of IUCN and WWF.


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Living in London – Places to Go, People to See This Week
Well, I'm officially back in the UK from my long stint in the States. In between strong bouts of homesickness (which I've never fully recovered from since moving to London three years ago) and napping to get over jet-lag, as soon as my plane touched down yesterday, I hit the ground running. If you're making an international relocation to London yourself, you'll soon learn that this city will keep you on your toes. There is never nothing to do, just as Samuel Johnson observed back in 1777:
"No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." [read more]


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(From HSUS)
Wildlife and wildlands are in peril!
Please urge Sen. Maria Cantwell (202) 224-3441 and Sen. Patty Murray (202) 224-2621 to oppose the dangerous "Sportsmen's Act."
The U.S. Senate will soon be voting on the dangerous "Sportsmen's Act," a radical handout to extreme trophy hunting groups.
In a single swoop, this legislation would open millions of acres of public lands–including sensitive Wilderness Areas–to hunting and fur trapping, at the expense of other land users and endangered and threatened species.
It would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from even considering the issue of toxic lead ammunition which poisons wildlife and the environment. And it would permit the latest in a series of import allowances for sport-hunted polar bear trophies from Canada, encouraging trophy hunters to escalate the killing of threatened species around the globe.
Your senators need to hear from you right now. Please make a brief, polite phone call today to Sen. Maria Cantwell (202) 224-3441 and Sen. Patty Murray (202) 224-2621 urging them to oppose S. 2363, the "Sportsmen's Act."
For more info and to send a follow-up message, please see the HSUS info online.


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Julia Milhorn celebrated her 90th birthday on July 29 with a lunch at Shoney's in Harriman.
Out-of-town guests included Mr. and Mrs. Tom Milhorn, Wylie Milhorn, R.H. Milhorn, Angie Milhorn, Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Milhorn, Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Milhorn and Tony and Carolyn Jones.
Her family includes daughters and sons-in-law, Janie and Van Hughes and Cathy and Curtis Griffis; and grandsons Adam Griffis, Eric and wife Christy Hughes, and Shane Hughes.
Kathryn Ruffner of Oliver Springs and William Ledbetter of Harriman announce their forthcoming marriage.
The ceremony will be on Sept. 17 in Knoxville.
The bride-elect is the daughter of John and Renee Davis of Oliver Springs and Mark Ruffner of Oak Ridge.
A 2007 graduate of Oliver Springs High School and a 2011 graduate of the University of Tennessee, she is a nurse at Parkwest Medical Center, Knoxville.
The prospective groom is the son of Jim and Debra Ledbetter of Harriman.
Martin and Dorothy Skinner celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with a family gathering in Destin, Florida.
They were married on Aug. 24, 1946.
They are the parents of five: Bill (Annie), Bob (Mitzi), Marti (Robbin), Mike (Sharon) and the late Mary.
Anne Marie Wesolowski and Timothy James Anderson were married on May 21 in Winston-Salem, N.C., First Baptist Church.
David Hughes officiated during the 5:30 p.m. ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of David and Mary Ann Wesolowski of Kingston.
The groom is the son of Richard Anderson and Linda Engle, both of Winston-Salem.
Music was provided by Timothy Olsen, principal organist of First Baptist.
An 85th birthday party was given in honor of Faye Lail of Kingston on July 22.
Close to 50 guests attended the special celebration at Roane County Park.
She has five children and their spouses, Barbara and Geoff Dunsterville and Sue and Kenneth Jewell, all of Lilburn, Ga., Buddy and Darlene Lail of Newnan, Ga., Danny and Cathy Lail of Crossville and Ginger Hembree of Harriman.
Steven and Julia Atchley-Pace of Vonore announce the engagement of their daughter, Julia C. Hurley, to Christopher E. Ahler.
He is the son of Dr. Julian and Margo Ahler of Kingston.
No wedding date has been set.
The bride-elect is employed by the state of Tennessee, Lenoir City Utility Board and her company, The JaCy Consulting.
The prospective groom is employed with Ahler and Co. in Harriman and Visionary Horizons in Knoxville.
Jerry and Brenda Freels announce the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Jessica Freels, to Benjamin Jones.
He is the son of Donnie Jones and Miriam Kelmers.
The ceremony will be at 4 p.m. Sept. 10 at Misty Mountain Chapel, Wartburg. A reception will follow in Misty Mountain Reception Hall, Wartburg.
All relatives and friends of the couple are invited to attend.
The bride-elect is the granddaughter of the late Jess and Violet Freels, and the late Ralph and Kate Cromwell.
Rella Dora McKenzie Redmon of Oakdale will turn 100 years old on Aug. 23.
She will mark the occasion with a special time of fellowship and celebration from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 20 in Orchard Community Center.
No gifts are requested.
Redmon is a longtime member of Oakdale United Methodist Church.
She is the mother of Charles Roe Redmon of Atlanta.
She is the grandmother of Christopher McKenzie Redmon and wife Missy of Rockwood, and the great-grandmother of Marissa and Caleb Redmon of Rockwood.
Rachel Elizabeth Bagby and J. Adam Wright were married on May 7 in Chapel at the Park, Gatlinburg.
The Rev. Timothy McIntyre officiated during the 5:30 p.m. ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of Lee and Beth Bagby of Franklin.
The groom is the son of Randy and Darlene Wright of Harriman.
The bride, escorted by her father, wore a traditional white beaded ball gown with a fingertip-length veil. Her bouquet consisted of fuchsia and orange roses.
Tom and Brenda Tilley of Harriman announce the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Kendra Tilley of Cincinnati, to Cody Jones of Johnson City.
He is the son of Doug Jones of Cincinnati and Donna Wilburn of Knoxville.
The ceremony will be on Aug. 27 at Castleton Farms, Loudon.
Formal invitations have been sent.
Copyright © 2019
The Roane County News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Roane County and Kingston, Tennessee, and the surrounding area.


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From the juiced-box (kinda…) and the soundtrack: Preparation for Attack – Alexandre Desplat & the London Symphony Orchestra
[Press 'Play' for Jazzical, jazz mixed with classical]
Ramblings: Mission Accomplished
Final Proof: 3½ Shots
You know how you get drunk on Irish coffees? They're dark and sweet and bitter and you don't realize how much of them you've drunk because they're so smooth but the real problem is you're drinking them in a bar, squeezed into a booth and the caffeine kicks in pretty damn quick and so your leg starts to bounce and you squirm in your seat and you really have to pee but you're trapped between a passed out Marine who's packing and a girl you have a crush on that you'd rather crawl on than over so the tension mounts and the pressure builds and you catch yourself having a super suspenseful time even if there's not a lot of action. That's what sitting through Zero Dark Thirty is like.
Kathryn Bigelow is cool and hot which is good because it means the movies she makes are exactly like that and Zero Dark Thirty is no exception. What's not to like about a film that has action and hot actresses and not even a scentilla (it means 'a little whiff', and yes, it's a word, can't you see i just wrote it?) of romance. Making this more of a macho movie than both The Expendables combined.
Kathryn Bigelow makes good decisions (well, apart from marrying James Cameron) and this movie is full of the good decisions like telling the story of killing Been Lauden through a girl's eyes. The other good decision was about the torture and you know me (and if you don't, you don't know the meaning of torture, kiddo), the closest i get to political is listening to Rage Against the Machine so i'm not going to the torture place in this blog (apart from my writing style). Alls i'm gonna say is that Bigelow made the right decision starting off the movie with authentic cell phone recordings left behind by 911 victims from the Twin Towers or the planes. That shot of reality will sober you right the fuck up and put the torture scenes in the right perspective.
Another good decision Big&Low made was not to go too intense with the torture. Maybe you wanna know if the torture scenes were too much and lemme tell you they were just enough. i'm a wimp when it comes to shit like torture and rape scenes in movies and the older i get the wimpier i become and i'm very fuckin' older so if i think the torture wasn't too traumatic, you probably won't either.
Other than that, Zero Dark Thirty is a good drama and a good thriller and a good detective movie and a good espionage movie and a good action movie (especially the last 30 minutes) and when you have all those good movies mixed up in one, it can really suck sometimes but here it doesn't because it's good.
So why only 3½ Shots? Because it's all of those things that make it good that i just mentioned. Where The Hurt Locker took new ground and not just broke it but blew the shit out of it (if a little unevenly), Zero Dark Thirty stays within the parameters of the mission and gets the job done but without any of the shock and awe i was hoping for.
Buzz Kills (Watch Out for Spoilers)
Sex: 1½ Shots
For the first time, 1½ shots is actually a good thing. No i haven't gone Bieber on you, i'm just saying that in an action film the only kind of nudity you want is nudity in action, like bare breasted females fighting topless or something and short of that, just give me pretty ladies and hold the romance, please. Which is what Bigelow gives us here.
In case you were worried i'm becoming too politically correct, here's the notes i took:
- JC [Jessica Chastain]'s ass looks nice in tight slacks as she leaves the torture room
i don't know if i knew Jessica Chastain ("Maya") or not before this movie but what i do know is i love her hair. i've always had a thing for gingers (or 'strawberry blondes' as we called them at my end of the bush) and the other nice thing about Jessica is that she can act better than you, and this i know because she was nominated for an Academy Award and you weren't.
Fun trivia: Jessica Chastain likes cleavage so much, even her chin has cleavage. Check out the picture i just posted. And then check out this.
Before i forget, there are solo shots of the actresses filling my drawers. Just scroll to the bottom of this post until you see the headline.
We were blessed with two actresses whose talent was matched only by their beauty. Unfortunately, their appearances on screen were like touching myself in the shower (over all too quick), but don't worry, i'll post some shots here so that you can make the moment last.
Starting with Lauren Shaw ("Lauren" in the movie) who is not just drop dead gorgeous and also and actress but is a stunt woman as well. How cool is that!? i'll fucking tell you how cool it is, it's way fucking cool.
Wrapping things up is the beautiful Jessica Collins ("Debbie"). The first time i fell in love with her was when she played the Miniature Killer in CSI, and then i got to fall in love with her again in her brief appearance here. i also want it to go on record that she has the cutest nose. If you ever find yourself wondering what kind of nose i like, it's this kind.
Drink: 2 Shots
There were enough references to keep me busy scrawling shit in my little notebook throughout the movie which means about 2 shots.
- Wine at dinner with brunette [Jennifer Ehle as 'Jessica'] & JC [Jessica Chastain]
We got lots of wine.
Good, bring me back a bottle.
–phone conversation between Maya & Jessica
- Wine at pre-mole meeting
- JC drinks something out of a clear plastic cup after her friend dies
- Martinis @ a Kuwaiti bar
- Bud for lunch with security guy @ Pakistani fast food
- Beer on tap in a bar
Rock & Roll: 3 Shots
It's like i was talking about in the intro section, there's a lot of tension and suspense even if there's not a lot of action. Until the last 30 minutes, which is a close to real time account of what it looked like when they wasted Ben.
Apart from the nice score that Alexandre Desplat made, the music in Zero Dark Thirty is rock and roll. Well, there's only one other song and it's not on the soundtrack and it's the song they play to torture a guy with: Rorschach – Pavlov's Dog
[Press 'Play' for the music that tortures people]
Boring Technical Crap
Written by: Mark Boal
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Jessica Chastain – Maya
Jennifer Ehle – Jessica
Lauren Shaw – Lauren
Jessica Collins – Debbie
Bottom Line
It's my #3 favorite Oscar movie (of the 5 i've seen—#1 being Argo and Django Unchained a very close #2), which means it's definitely worth a look-see.
Another Round
Haven't Had Your Fill of the Booze Revooze? Click here for another round.
Al K Hall's Drawers
It's all over but the sexy shots of the actresses with no witty text…or the text i had in this review.
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Collins
Lauren Shaw
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Carver tells congressional panel of concern over military's religious freedom climate
WASHINGTON (BP) -- Retired Gen. Doug Carver, who oversees Southern Baptists' chaplain ministry, noted concerns about "growing ignorance, insensitivity or intolerance regarding matters of religion" within the U.S. military to a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday, Jan. 29.
The hearing regarding religious accommodation in the U.S. military drew a large crowd, including several Southern Baptist congressmen.
Current military leaders testifying at the hearing held that no substantiated instances of religious discrimination have taken place recently in the military, and that military chaplains of all faiths are free from any undue influence in matters of faith practices or conscience.
But even if substantial instances have not occurred, Carver pointed toward a climate that is creating a more restrictive faith environment. A winter storm in Atlanta prevented Carver from attending, but his written testimony was entered into the record.
"I am concerned about the perceived tension, misinformation and suspicion regarding an individual's free exercise of religion and conscience while serving as a member of the Armed Services," Carver stated in testimony he submitted. Carver, a former Army chief of chaplains, is executive director for chaplaincy at the North American Mission Board.
Other witnesses at the Religious Accommodation in the Armed Services hearing included Virginia Penrod, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy; Brigadier Gen. Bobby Page, deputy chief of chaplains, U.S. Air Force; Brigadier Gen. Charles R. Bailey, deputy chief of Army chaplains; and Rear Admiral Upper Half Mark L. Tidd, chief of Navy chaplains.
During her testimony, Penrod said a recent teleconference with approximately 30 line chaplains revealed no religious freedom threats. She said command chaplains have not expressed any concerns.
"They have communication with their chaplains, and their chaplains are not concerned regarding the free exercise or expression of their faiths," Penrod said, adding that the sampling of chaplains on her teleconference believe if they do encounter issues that those would be handled appropriately.
Carver acknowledged the military's history of religious freedom protection.
"It was my personal experience of 38 years as a commissioned Army officer that the military placed the highest value on ensuring the religious liberty of our troops," Carver said. "The Department of Defense has historically, although sometimes too lengthy and cautiously, taken extraordinary measures to approve religious accommodation.... Our troops, and most Americans, understand the tension that exists between the religious needs of a service member versus military necessity."
A number of House members addressed the hearing as well, including four who are members of Southern Baptists churches, Alan Nunnelee of Mississippi and Vern Buchanan, Doug Collins and Austin Scott, all of Georgia. House Armed Services Committee chairman Buck McKeon, R.-Calif., also attended the hearing.
Nunnelee expressed concern over the reported activity taking place at military briefings held by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, saying that anti-Christian statements were made during some of those briefings. Penrod said she had no reports of such statements and would have to investigate to give a proper answer for the record.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R.-Ohio, a combat surgeon veteran of the Iraq War and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said, "There is a fine line between accommodation and respecting all religions and restricting religious freedom and that's the line we are walking on here."
Response to the hearing prompted subcommittee chairman Joe Wilson, R.-S.C., to call for an additional hearing on the matter within the next 60 days.
Matthew Hawkins, coalition director for the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, attended the hearing and said it went "fairly well, considering the complex issue and limited time."
"I believe the subcommittee sees a need for further hearings," said Hawkins, who helps foster collaboration with likeminded groups on issues of law and public policy. "We do not want the federal government imposing decisions of faith on anyone, and definitely not on members of the military.
"There is much agreement that using a position of authority, such as a commanding officer's, to attempt to push someone into a faith decision is equally unacceptable," Hawkins added. He said he's interested to see where the conversation goes and whether "inappropriate proselytizing" will ever be sufficiently defined. The display of a religious text on an officer's desk, Hawkins said, certainly should not be defined as inappropriate.
To view a video of the full hearing, read Carver's complete testimony or find more information from the hearing, visit http://goo.gl/GnPhXb. To learn more about Southern Baptist chaplaincy, visit www.namb.net/chaplaincy.
Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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Remember When Garth Brooks Played for the New York Mets?
Major League Baseball spring training is right around the corner, and in the year 2000, that meant country superstar Garth Brooks reported for duty to the New York Mets clubhouse. It was the second of three stints the singer had in the bigs, and he left with an unimpressive batting average.


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WAG 03-04-02-a.
To qualify as a child for TANF , an 18 year old must go to high school full-time. A vocational school that is equal to a high school counts, but GED classes do not. A residential program that provides a regular curriculum of instruction equivalent to that which leads to a high school diploma also counts. See PM 03-04-02-b for the meaning of full-time school.
A child who is a high school graduate no longer qualifies when they are age 18. An 18 year old who is not in high school full-time does not qualify as a child. The child remains eligible for All Kids Assist until the child reaches age 19. If the 18 year old has a child, they may qualify for a separate TANF case.


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More people are dying from valley fever than previously thought, and illnesses including diabetes, lung disease, arthritis and certain cancers may increase a person's chances of dying from the disease, according to a new study.
More people are dying from valley fever than previously thought, and illnesses including diabetes, lung disease, arthritis and certain cancers may increase a person's chances of dying from the disease, according to a new study.
This past year, researchers have puzzled over the rise of valley fever cases. Diagnosed cases have grown to more than 20,000 in 2011 from 1,200 in 1995, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now researchers have new evidence to consider: a study to be published in this month's issue of the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.
There were 3,089 documented deaths nationwide that valley fever - also known as coccidioidomycosis - was an underlying or contributing cause of death between 1990 and 2008, an average of about 170 deaths every year, according to the researchers' study of data pulled from death certificates. That's nearly twice the number reported by the CDC in the past, which has recorded as few as 73 in 2003 to as high as 100 in 2004.
"Coccidioidomycosis remains a major cause of death in the United States," wrote Jennifer Y. Huang, who authored the study as her master's thesis at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California along with researchers from UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health.
"Given the growing U.S. population of elderly and immunosuppressed persons, the number of coccidioidomycosis-related deaths will probably increase, resulting in higher costs to the health care system."
D. Rebecca Prevots, chief of the epidemiology unit at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the report fills a gap in research on valley fever and mortality. The study stands out, she said, because it is national in scope, covers an 18-year span and highlights the racial and ethnic disparities within the disease. "I think it is an important work that calls attention to the issue of cocci and deaths from cocci," Prevots said.
The study cements the prevalence of valley fever and draws attention to the fact that, despite its health impact, the disease has not drawn significant federal or private research funding, added Dr. George Rutherford, professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. "There are few infectious diseases for which we tolerate this kind of mortality."
Rutherford said the data establishes a base line to compare trends in the future.
The aging of the U.S. population and the rise in chronic illnesses could drive an increase in valley fever-related deaths, researchers found. The fungus that causes valley fever is mainly found in California and Arizona, and researchers attribute the high concentration of deaths in those states to the fact that the valley fever fungus is common there and the states are "classic retirement magnets" for "elderly persons to migrate and settle down, thereby introducing new, unexposed populations" to the fungus.
The study found that more than one-third of the deaths associated with valley fever were people between ages 65 and 84.
Researchers also found that there were certain health conditions more often associated with the disease. The most common was diabetes, with 384 deaths that listed both diabetes and coccidioidomycosis on the death certificate. That was followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, HIV infection and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Researchers also looked at valley fever-related deaths across different race and ethnic groups. While the majority of deaths were among white people, the study found that people of other ethnicities, particularly Native Americans and Latinos, had the highest mortality rate. Native Americans were about six times more likely to have valley fever appear on their death records than white people, and Latinos were about four times more likely to have the disease listed on their death records, the study said.
Researchers wrote that the high rates of valley fever-related deaths among Native Americans could be tied to cultural practices and exposure to dust. Health care could play a part as well, they wrote.
The study's researchers concluded that valley fever-related deaths will probably rise.
"One can probably expect to see more valley fever in the future because we're seeing more people with problematic immune systems," said Dr. Benjamin Bristow, a public health physician and one of the study's authors. Researchers noted that "almost half of the reported case-patients are hospitalized and make multiple visits to emergency rooms and outpatient facilities during the course of the illness."
Bristow said that it is now up to physicians, public health officials and policymakers to look at the burden from the disease and design an appropriate response.
"Understanding the problem is the first step, and that's what this paper helps us do," Bristow said. "This gives valley fever a voice. This says, 'Valley fever is real, it is present, it is killing Americans and it deserves attention.' "


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Winning the War Against Cancer in the Genomics Era: Is It About Time? Overthrowing the Emperor of All Maladies Series -- Exploring Ethics
Date: 2/10/2014; 59 minutes
Razelle Kurzrock, the director of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy at the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego, presents breakthroughs in genomics and targeted therapies that are being used in clinics and have the potential to revolutionize the practice of oncology. However, to realize that potential, Dr. Kurzrock argues that the old paradigms for treating patients and designing clinical trials must be replaced with approaches that target the abnormal genes in individual tumors and use advanced technological tools to match each patient with the best drug for his or her specific cancer. Dr. Kurzrock was presented by the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology in San Diego. (#25837)
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As any investor holding low-interest-rate bonds knows, when interest rates rise, the value of those bonds will go down.
As any investor holding low-interest-rate bonds knows, when interest rates rise, the value of those bonds will go down.
Moreover, since interest rates only have one direction to move these days, it truly is a question of "when," not "if." So, like most investment decisions, timing will be critical in determining when to move out of bonds.
One of the greatest investment-timing decisions concerning bonds involved a character not normally associated with high finance.
Ziggy Stardust didn't work for Goldman Sachs, but his "alter ego," performer David Bowie, with the help of financier David Pullman, created "Bowie Bonds" in 1997.
Back before there were iPods and Sirius Radio and Pandora Stations, record companies sold physical pieces of matter called records, cassettes, 8 tracks and CDs — remember?
The future royalties to be earned from Bowie's first 25 albums secured Bowie Bonds. It generally is considered to be the first securitization of intellectual property rights — and it gave Bowie a $55 million payday — huge money any day, but then some in 1997.
The concept and execution of Bowie Bonds is considered one of the more elegant expressions of financial astuteness, and it is fitting that the scheme (as the Brits say) is associated with a classy bloke like David Bowie.
Always considered ahead of his time, it would not be surprising to find out Bowie suspected the royalty gravy train might be coming to an abrupt halt as digital recordings began to trickle onto the technology landscape in the late 1990s.
Whether he suspected the sea change that ultimately did occur, Bowie Bonds were payable for 10 years, from 1997 to 2007, from the dawn of digital recordings through to ubiquitous use.
It probably was a good investment at first — Prudential Insurance bought the entire bond issue — with everything going according to plan.
Then, all of a sudden, Napster and other like services appeared and people began "downloading" songs for free over the Internet. Goodbye royalties.
Though he has declined knighthood, Bowie likely was feeling mighty royal investing the $55 million he earned before file-sharing and other technologies transformed the music industry.
Of course, since Bowie regained the rights to his music once the bonds were retired in 2007, he also regained the royalty stream, which, as we now know, was severely diminished.
Is it a coincidence then, that just last month, Bowie released his first album in 10 years? Pent-up artistic expression or a cash shortage? The timing is curious.
As we move from quarter to quarter with the Federal Reserve holding to the company line regarding low short-term interest rates holding tight for the foreseeable future, individual and institutional investors are left to ponder the "when" for a rise in interest rates.
While I'm fairly confident David Bowie is not fretting over low interest rates, if he does have any further insight regarding where the bond market is going, there are plenty of investors who would be happy to confer with Mr. Stardust.
Tim McCausland is a trust and business development officer with the Orange County Trust Co., He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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May 6, 2019, 12:41 pmMohamed BambaC, Orlando Magic
Mo Bamba's left tibia stress fracture has healed, and he's been able to jog and shoot jumpers since mid-April.
Bamba's rookie season was cut short after 47 games, and it's great to hear that he's recovered. Doctors don't believe that this will be a recurring option for the big man and he may play in Summer League. His immediate fantasy value will hinge entirely on what the Magic do with Nikola Vucevic, though he remains a nice dynasty hold.
Source: The Athletic
Fantasy News
August 18, 2019, 9:33 amJonah BoldenPF, Philadelphia Sixers
Jonah Bolden has opted to withdraw from Team Australia in the FIBA World Cup.
Bolden becomes the fifth NBA player to skip out on playing for Australia in the World Cup, a trend that seems to be prevalent for several country's national teams. Bodlen could be looking at an increased role as a backup center for Philly's thin bench this upcoming season. He is not expected to be a relevant fantasy option though.
Source: Fox Sports Australia
August 18, 2019, 9:25 amJeremy LinPG, Toronto Raptors
Jeremy Lin is in advanced discussions with the Bejing Ducks according to a report from Chinese journalist Sonx Xiang.
Lin previosuly turned down a deal to play for CSKA Moscow, and has also discussed his openness to playing in China. The nine year guard still hopes to resmue his NBA career at some point, but a move to China may be the best career option for him at this juncture.
Source: Sportando
August 18, 2019, 9:18 amDwight HowardC, Memphis Grizzlies
The Lakers will soon ask Memphis permission to speak with Dwight Howard according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Shams goes on to mention that there is mutual interest here and that Joakim Noah could be another veteran of interest for LA. The realistic options for free agents at the five really don't go much further than these two for the Lakers. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
Source: Shams Charania on Twitter
August 18, 2019, 8:37 amDwight HowardC, Memphis Grizzlies
In the wake of the DeMarcus Cousins injury, one name the Lakers are considering is Dwight Howard, according to Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated.
Howard is still a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, but it is widely assumed that he will be waived before the season starts. A reunion in LA would certainly be pretty surprising for the Lakers after Howard famously did not resign with them after a miserable season playing with Kobe Bryant. Still, the Lakers need depth at the five and there really aren't any options on the market who compare to Howard's level of productivty, even at this stage of his career. Other center options the Lakers could pursue include Joakim Noah, Kenneth Faried and Zaza Pachulia.
Source: Rohan Nadkarni on Twitter
August 17, 2019, 9:40 pmMalachi RichardsonSG, International
Malachi Richardson has signed with Hapoel Holon in Israel.
Richardson played 22 games for the Raptors last season and averaged 1.4 points. At 23 years old, he still has time to develop and possibly return to the NBA in the future.
Source: Sportando
August 17, 2019, 9:16 pmRudy GobertC, Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert scored 14 points along with nine rebounds, two assists and a block in France's 86-72 win vs. Brazil in the World Cup exhibition games.
Gobert led the team in scoring across 22 minutes of playing time. With the new additions of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic on the Jazz, Gobert may take a slight hit in scoring however you can still expect excellent field goal percentage, rebounds and blocks. Evan Fournier chipped in 13 points with five rebounds, three assists and a steal for France. Brazil's Bruno Cabloclo scored nine points, seven rebounds and a steal.
Source: FIBA
August 17, 2019, 8:35 pmDennis SchroderPG, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dennis Schroder scored 19 points to lead Germany to a 83-62 win vs. Hungary as the teams prepare for the Wold Cup.
Schroder filled the box score tonight by adding three rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block and four treys. He will come off the bench again next season behind Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Anyone who drafts the often-injured Chris Paul may want to handcuff him with Schroder. Fellow countryman Daniel Theis scored 11 points with six rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Source: FIBA
August 17, 2019, 2:10 pmTyler DorseySG, International
Tyler Dorsey has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. of Israel.
Dorsey played 21 games for the Grizzlies last year after being acquired midseason from the Hawks via trade. He played well over that span with 9.8 points in 21.3 minutes but will take his talents overseas where, "He'll have a chance to showcase what great things he can do," according to his new head coach. Maccabi has signed several former NBA players this offseason as Dorsey will be joining Omri Casspi, Nate Wolters, Quincy Acy and Tarik Black.
Source: Macabi Tel Aviv on Twitter
August 17, 2019, 12:57 pmRayjon TuckerPG, Milwaukee Bucks
Rayjon Tucker will be signing with the Bucks on a partially guaranteed deal.
Tucker is a little older than most rookies and will be 22 before the start of the season but he played well enough at Little Rock last year to deserve a look, scoring 20.3 points per game and knocking down 2.4 triples per game at a 41.1 percent clip. He rounds out the Bucks 20-man training camp roster but since they already have 15 guaranteed contracts and both two-way spots occupied, he is very unlikely to make the team and could very well end up in the G-League.
Source: Darren Wolfson on Twitter
August 17, 2019, 12:45 pmDe'Aaron FoxPG, Sacramento Kings
Per Chris Hayes of Yahoo, De'Aaron Fox will be withdrawing from the FIBA World Cup in order to focus on the upcoming season.
Fox follows the trend set by many other players that have withdrawn for the same reason. Maybe this is related to him only playing six minutes in the exhibition against Spain on Friday but either way, he should be in line to improve last year's huge leap in production and could even be in the All-Star conversation. Derrick White is much more likely to make the final roster now with Fox out.
Source: Chris Haynes on Twitter


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29 November 2011 at 1.43pm | 2 Comments
Thurrock tours for schools
Throughout the autumn term we have been delivering pilot tours of the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop in Purfleet, to a hugely positive response from those local schools that attended. Our state of the art, purpose-built building is where craftspeople and technicians create the scenery for productions and is set in the glorious surroundings of the High House Production Park.
Tours will be open to a greater number of primary and secondary schools and further education colleges from mid-2012, and will provide an opportunity to find out more about the backstage crafts and the people who work behind the scenes at the Royal Opera House.
The experience includes a tour of the workshop building, a virtual resource packed with educational games and films and a practical workshop exploring backstage crafts, delivered by a Royal Opera House practitioner.
Creative INSETs
"In 15 years of teaching and quite a few music INSETs, in my experience this has been the best; thank you."
- Key Stage 2 teacher and participant
Autumn term has been a busy time in Thurrock with teachers from 11 schools in Essex holding In service training day (INSET) sessions at the production park. Schools were offered a choice of creative workshops based on themes that teachers wanted to explore, and Royal Opera House Education found practitioners to deliver them. Teachers chose from sessions focussing on set making, creative writing and singing.
Creative INSETs can be full day workshops or twilight sessions, and include a tour of the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop as well as refreshments and/or lunch.
For more information about Creative INSETs email us and if you have participated in a workshop or tour we would love to hear about your experience with us.


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a little suspicious of kart racers
I'm very suspicious of kart racer. Let me rephrase
that. I hate kart racers. There. That's more
to the point. But let me rephrase that too.
I hate crappy kart racers. Thankfully, Crash
Tag Team Racing isn't one.
reason for my distaste of the genre is the advantage
taken by the videogame companies to lump all
their mascots, both popular and once-popular,
into a generic style of gameplay with very little
imagination or production values. It's a cheap
way to generate revenue and is of questionable
business ethics since it tricks kids into buying
games with their favorite characters on the
box, assuming it's a continuation of their favored
series. Instead, what the kids get is an insert-your-character-here
program that has facilitated every known group
of characters with the possible exception of
Hitler, Eichmann and Goering.
it be known that this game is not for hardcore
Crash fans. It's too easy and doesn't further
the challenge from where the platforming series
left off. Consider this a big, long side quest.
Although it does feature racing, it has enough
platform elements to keep even myself interested.
If driving were the only gameplay element I
would be justified in throwing a verbal tantrum
but with platforming, combat, exploration and
collecting this game goes way beyond the generic.
racing is relegated to combat racing. The action
takes place in an amusement park. You pick up
power-ups such as exploding chickens and attempt
to eliminate all competition through means both
fair and foul. Please excuse the puns, I couldn't
Clutch's amusement park is the scene of the
action. Unfortunately the power crystals that
power the rides have been stolen. By racing
and exploring the amusement park you will find
smaller crystals that you can use to feed a
large machine that will help you find bigger
crystals. You will also collect coins, fight
enemies and use your platform skills to navigate
the various obstacles that you will encounter
in the park.
is an original concept that keeps the kart racing
interesting. It's the ability to assimilate
your vehicle with another to create a more powerful
tandem hybrid. By activating your clash button
all you have to do is slam into another kart
and you will have a two-person vehicle in which
the AI will drive allowing you to more accurately
aim your weaponry which ranges from machineguns
to grenade launchers. The weapon icons that
you pick up when in this mode will allow you
to launch incredibly ludicrous items such as
grand pianos and submarines at your adversaries.
You can instantly exit the clash mode when you
have to and return to your own kart.
on enjoying the single-player modes. There is
no online component so you'll have to play LAN
(up to 8 players) or suffer with the split screen.
Neither one is particularly compelling especially
if you're a skilled gamer but younger kids will
certainly love it since it's very straightforward.
and his fellowship of wacky characters are all
very colorful and well animated if not a little
too cute for my liking. The voiceovers straddle
the fence between funny and annoying. It's great
to watch the vehicles explode into numerous
particles and would be so much more of a joy
if the characters also exploded. With deep explosion
sounds and zany cartoon sound effects you can
expect a top notch performance from your surround
fact that there's a lot more to do than racing
a kart makes me want to recommend this as a
rental to all gamers but it just might be a
case of this game exceeding my original lowered
been waiting for a long time for some development
team somewhere to infuse the kart racing genre
with innovation and it appears that Radical
(definitely on roll these days) has stepped
up to the challenge.
interest in Crash Tag Team Racing was picqued
while I wrote the preview (below) for the game.
It appeared that Radical really was attempting
something new in the genre and thinking "outside
the box"...or perhaps "outside the
crate" would be more appropriate.
Crash Tag Team Racing is not targetted towards
the same demographic that is shooting up the
streets of Liberty City or blowing away demons
with their BFG in Doom 3; this is one aimed
squarely at younger gamers and it succeeds with
flying colors on all fronts.
isn't your average kart racer as it features
a plot, platforming elements, exploration on
foot and a healthy collection of entertaining
mini-games...oh yeah and racing too. The game
is littered with colorful characters and color
commentary provided by a Howard Cossel sound-a-like
chicken and his hip partner. Not only do they
provide some entertaining dialogue but they
also explain how to play the game which is often
overlooked in many of todays kids games. Most
young children can't read, which means having
someone explain how to play the game is extremely
helpful. As a parent that's definitely appreciated
as I don't have to hear "Dad! What does
this say now?" Unfortunately spoken instructions
of the mini-games was overlooked, but that's
a minor issue.
game takes place in an amusement park hub "overworld"
area where Crash can interact with the people,
get instructions from other racers and locate
numerous cool objects (which activate the "Die-O-Rama"
machines which feature humorous death sequences
of Crash biting the big one for the heck of
it). Characters in the world can be talked to
by walking up and pressing the talk button (triangle
on the PS2). If anything I had a good laugh
at the Andrew Dice Clay sound-a-like selling
platforming and mini-games provide a few hours
of entertainment which generally won't frustrate
young gamers because "dying" doesn't
mean being sent back to the beginning as you
just pick up where you left off. Primarly you'll
be send on numerous missions to locate Power
Crystals and other items which will have you
traipsing all over the game in search of them
which results in unlocking new characters, mini-games,
races and worlds.
a racing game, the platforming elements are
extremely well done and capture the Crash Bandicoot
school of platforming to a tee. Aside from the
usual camera issues inherent in every 3D game
ever created, the control is pretty much dead
on. Tell yourself or your kids (or other game
journalists for that matter) if you're having
trouble lining up jumps to floating platforms
simply look for the circular shadow. That'll
do the trick.
you get down to the racing elements of CTTR
- there are 5 categories of races to choose
from: Race. Crashinator, Rolling Thunder, Run
and Gun and Fast Lap - you'll soon realize that
vehicular combat is what it's all about. Familiar
trappings of the kart genre are in full representation
with floating powerups to be obtained, however
CTTR adds one particularly interesting new element
called Clashing. Clashing involves fusing your
vehicle together with an opponents to become
a mutant-hybrid of the two, granting you temporary
incredible firepower. At this point you can
either be the tailgunner or the driver (switch
at the touch of a button). Since it's more fun
to take aim and shoot things and your AI driver
is more than competent enough to steer, you'll
almost always find yourself attempting to blow
up stuff. Since this raw power allows to you
knock everyone out of the running, winning isn't
usually all that hard to accomplish.
the game can be played on a LAN with up to 8
players, most likely you'll settle for splitscreen.
I've never been a fan of splitscreen, but my
kids don't know any better and they enjoy it
without complaints, so who am I to knock it?
is a step in the right direction for the kart
racing genre as it's eclectic and unique and
manages to teach an old dog new tricks. The
colorful characters and environments will thrill
young eye candy junkies while the ease of difficulty
will give younger gamers a confidence boost
because they'll be able to see a lot of what
this game has to offer. It's definitely a rental
for older gamers who are curious but youngsters
might want this in their collection permanently.
usually don't say this, in fact, I don't think I've
ever said it, but the next Crash Bandicoot game actually
just might be on to something..... Yup. I just checked
and that's definitely the first time I ever wrote
that phrase and the words "Crash Bandicoot game"
in the same sentence.
down...Quiet...QUIET! Okay, I understand I've just
caused a big stir, some hub bub if you will, a commotion....but
really, hear me out. Radical Entertainment looks like
they're attempting to advance the Kart racing genre
as we know it.
off, players will be able to fuse two cars together
on the fly to form a super vehicle with the all-new
"clashing" technology. That's never been
done before and it's kind of exciting...to an extent.
The second innovation is that when the two players
become one, one player can choose to steer while the
other operates a 360 degree turret full of destruction,
hellbent on wiping out the rush hour traffic. Now
granted, we've seen this mechanic in the recent Mario
Kart on the Cube, so perhaps it's fair to call this
a homage, rather than outright creative genius at
work. But wait....there's more!! How does travelling
on foot sound? In a racing game? What kind of year
3000 futuristic science fiction time travel goobledygook
is Radical on? It's true. Every word. Not sure how
it will be implemented, but I'll give Radical the
benefit of the doubt as I truly admired their take
on the Simpsons in "The Simpsons: Hit & Run",
arguably the best game based on Springfield's favorite
Crash Tag Team Racing, players can combine their car
with an opponent's mid-race to make a super-car equipped
with a powerful turret gun. When clashed, players
can either get behind the wheel and drive or fire
an onboard weapon. Each character has his or her own
uniquely deadly 360 degree rotating turret. Players
can continue the action out of the car where they
can explore the entire world on foot and collect upgrades
for their cars and unlock bonus tracks.
Tag Team Racing features split-screen multiplayer
for up to eight players with system link on all consoles,
and wirelessly supports up to four on the Nintendo
thrilled to give Crash Bandicoot fans another hilarious
adventure with the irrepressible marsupial,"
said Ian Wilkinson, President, Radical Entertainment.
"The development team showed off its ability
to create a break-out vehicle-based game with The
Simpsons: Hit & Run and is set to deliver another
innovative and wildly fun title in Crash Tag Team
by Crash Twinsanity writer Jordan Reicheck, best known
for his work on Ren & Stimpy, Crash Tag Team Racing
brings the trademark Crash Bandicoot humor to new
levels. After being humiliated yet again by Crash
Bandicoot at the end of Twinsanity, Dr. Neo Cortex
returns to his evil scheming in his dilapidated Iceberg
Lair. He hatches a sinister plan to challenge Crash
to a seemingly friendly race competition ... with
plans of crushing the hapless bandicoot under the
ruins of the hazardous racetrack!
Tag Team Racing will be available at retail in Fall
2005 for a suggested retail price of $39.99 (Xbox,
PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube) and $29.99 (Nintendo


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While fishing for carp recently, the Tackle Editor for the Angling Times reeled in a "Frankenfish."
Mark Sawyer was fishing in Magpie Lake in Cambridge, U.K., when he caught what some are saying has the features of at least three different fish species.
The U.K.'s Practical Fish Keeping has more details: [Sawyer] thought at first it was just a common brown-colored goldfish, but on closer inspection it appeared to be made up of at least three species, with the head of a Roach, the body of a Common goldfish, the tail fin of a Fantail and the anal fin of a Bream.
He said: "I have shown the picture to a number of marine boffins who say it is definitely the result of mixed parentage.
"I have caught thousands and thousands of fish but have never seen anything like it before. It is a proper oddity."
Practical Fish Keeping reports experts speculate that a Fantail goldfish was released into the lake, bred with a carp, and resulted in this unusual catch. Another expert thought it could be a cross between a Fantail and a common goldfish. The Daily Telegraph includes fisheries ecologist Dr. Paul Garner calling it a "one-in-a-million" fish" not just because of the unusual characteristics but due to the slim odds of Sawyer catching it.


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Flood damage closes Foster Fish Creek road
A gaping hole in the Foster to Fish Creek road, caused by flooding late yesterday, will take weeks to repair.
The road was closed last night when floodwater washed a six-metre trench under the roadway and swept away a third of the road surface near the corner of Shields Road.
The Foster Fish Creek road is a V/Line bus route.
Councillor Moya Davis from the South Gippsland Shire says falling trees and blocked drains are causing serious problems with the road network.
She says about 140 millimetres of rain has fallen in the area this week.
"There's a river that has run under the road and gouged out all the material that supports the road, so half the road ... half the bitumen has gone as well," she said.
"We've had these terrible storms with trees coming down and blocking drains and then the road is compromised because the drains aren't working, so it's a major industry for us in South Gippsland."
Sebastian Motta from VicRoads says flooding has also interrupted traffic on the Bass Highway near Inverloch and on a number of minor roads.
He says teams of inspectors and engineers are assessing the damage to the Foster Fish Creek road today.
"It's probably our biggest concern at the moment down in the South Gippsland area," he said.
"We do have local signage in place that's directing traffic locally around the detours, so people should be able to get around the site fairly easily.
"The alternative is to, if people are trying to plan their journey ... visit the VicRoads' website."
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, floods, fish-creek-3959, foster-3960, sale-3850


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All members are new to the board of directors, which is comprised solely of C-level lodging executives representing the full scope of the lodging sector, including brands, owners and REITs, management companies, independents and state associations. The AH&LA board meets twice yearly to discuss a broad range of industry and association-related issues.
"AH&LA has undergone a major transformation that brings together the entire industry under one national umbrella, focuses the association on advocacy and allows the industry to speak with one strong voice." said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of AH&LA. "Our new board of directors is an outstanding group of leaders representing every segment of the industry, who will provide the thought leadership and guidance to ensure that AH&LA is positioned to deliver real value to hoteliers throughout the country."
The new board of directors was appointed by the AH&LA nominating committee and AH&LA bylaws task force. A new board was selected to reflect the completely new strategic direction and membership model passed last June by a vote of association members.
"The nominating committee reviewed submissions from hundreds of hoteliers who were eager to serve a role on the new AH&LA board," said Jim Abrahamson, AH&LA vice chair, CEO of Interstate Hotels & Resorts and the chair of the AH&LA nominating committee. "From brands to management companies to independent owners, this board is a veritable who's who of our industry."
Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.8 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, state hotel associations and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry generating $155.5 billion in annual sales from 4.9 million guestrooms.
"The new AH&LA board of directors is truly reflective of the association's new membership model," said John Fitzpatrick, AH&LA chair, and president/CEO of Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, North America. "We have a strong group in place to drive the association forward to create a unified and sustained presence and better position AH&LA to tackle the myriad of issues the industry faces."
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NL Capsules
NEW YORK (AP) Slumping newcomer Curtis Granderson hit a sacrifice fly in the 14th inning and the New York Mets outlasted the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Sunday to prevent a three-game sweep.
David Wright had four hits and New York took advantage of three early errors by Atlanta, which had won seven of eight. Granderson went 0 for 6 with an error and was booed all afternoon, but turned those jeers to cheers at the end of a long day.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis drew a leadoff walk from Gus Schlosser (0-1) and advanced on Ruben Tejada's sacrifice bunt. Eric Young Jr. was intentionally walked to bring up Granderson, hitless in his last 16 at-bats and stuck in a 4-for-44 slide.
The runners moved up on a wild pitch, and Granderson lifted the next delivery into medium left field. Nieuwenhuis slid home ahead of Justin Upton's throw, and the Mets mobbed Granderson near first base.
Jose Valverde (1-0) worked a scoreless inning for the win, hours after he was demoted from his closer role in favor of Kyle Farnsworth.
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Khris Davis delivered the biggest hit in a game interrupted by a punch-filled brawl, homering in the 14th inning to lift Milwaukee.
Ryan Braun hit a tying home run in the ninth for Milwaukee.
Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez, Pirates outfielder Travis Snider and Milwaukee bench coach Jerry Narron were ejected after the third-inning fracas.
The problems started when Gomez paused at the plate and flipped his bat after hitting a two-out triple. Gerrit, who was near third base backing up the play, stormed toward Gomez and they exchanged words. Gomez took a couple steps toward Cole before players rushed the field from both dugouts. Milwaukee's Martin Maldonado threw a punch that knocked off Snider's hat.
The Brewers won their third in a row and sent Pittsburgh to its third straight loss.
Davis hit his first homer, connecting for a leadoff shot against Jeanmar Gomez (0-1).
Zach Duke (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Francisco Rodriguez got his seventh save.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Denard Span hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and Washington, with Bryce Harper back in the lineup, rallied past St. Louis.
The Nationals loaded the bases in the ninth against Seth Maness (0-1) when Danny Espinosa singled with one out for his third hit, Jose Lobaton singled through the right side of the infield and pinch hitter Nate McLouth walked.
In his second game since being activated from the seven-day disabled list following a concussion, Span lofted a fly to left field. Espinosa easily beat the throw from John Jay, who shifted over from right field as St. Louis used a five-man infield.
Harper started in left field and went 1 for 4 with his first stolen base of the season. The two-time All-Star was pulled from the game a day earlier for what manager Matt Williams called a "lack of hustle."
Rafael Soriano (1-0) pitched one inning for the win.
CHICAGO (AP) – Homer Bailey pitched six scoreless innings for his first win of the season and Jay Bruce homered and doubled as Cincinnati won for the 17th time in its last 19 games at Wrigley Field.
Zack Cozart hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati, which took two of three this weekend from the Cubs.
Bailey (1-1) struck out eight while allowing six hits and three walks.
The Reds have won 10 straight when Bailey faces the Cubs. He is 7-0 in his last 10 outings against Chicago and 5-0 in his past six at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs have lost six of their last seven.
Carlos Villanueva (1-4) was tagged for five runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Yasiel Puig hit a three-run homer and threw out a runner at second base, leading Los Angeles over Arizona.
Puig flipped his bat after connecting to cap a four-run sixth inning. His second homer of the season came after a two-out intentional walk to Adrian Gonzalez.
Dodgers starter Josh Beckett pitched five innings of one-hit ball, striking out seven and walking two.
Jamey Wright (1-0) got three outs for his 93rd career victory, spread over 19 big league seasons and 10 different clubs.
The Dodgers won on manager Don Mattingly's 53rd birthday.
Josh Collmenter (0-2) gave up Puig's homer.
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Buster Posey hit a two-run home run and Tim Lincecum earned his first victory of the season for San Francisco, which had only three hits in snappng a three-game losing streak.
Padres pitchers retired 23 of the final 24 batters and the Giants didn't get a hit after the second inning.
The Giants had scored only one run in each of their previous three games.
Lincecum (1-1) was chased by Nick Hundley's first homer of the season, on the first pitch of the seventh inning that pulled the Padres to 4-3. Lincecum allowed three runs and seven hits, struck out seven and walked three. Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances.
Padres starter Robbie Erlin (1-2) took the loss.
DENVER (AP) – Jimmy Rollins homered early, then hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning that sent Philadelphia past Colorado.
Rollins finished with three hits as the Phillies averted a series sweep. Ryan Howard added four hits, including a homer and triple while driving in three runs.
Rockies star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez exited early because of a sore left knee. He appeared to tweak it running out a high chopper to end the sixth inning.
Justin Morneau homered and drove in five runs for the Rockies. The teams combined for 30 hits, 15 for extra bases.
Jake Diekman (2-1) got the win despite allowing two runs in 1 1-3 innings. Jonathan Papelbon earned his fifth save in six chances.
Matt Belisle (0-2) gave up Rollins' single that broke an 8-all tie.
MIAMI (AP) – Adeiny Hechavarria hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning after an instant replay went in Miami's favor and the Marlins completed a three-game sweep.
Mike Dunn (1-2) picked up the win in relief and Steve Cishek pitched the ninth for his third save of the season and 32nd in a row.
Tom Wilhelmsen (0-1) took the loss for the Mariners, who dropped their sixth straight.
In the bottom of the eighth, Christian Yelich was ruled safe at home after plate umpire Ed Hickox initially ruled him out on a force play. First baseman Justin Smoak threw home on a grounder by Garrett Jones.
Marlins manager Mike Redmond challenged the call. It was overturned after a delay of 2 minutes, 20 seconds. Replays showed Yelich slid in safely tying the game at 2.
With the bases loaded and one out, Hechavarria followed with a sacrifice fly to right field against Wilhelmsen.


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Friday, June 30, 2006
9 Comments:
- OnMyWatch said...
interesting take on things. especially, "sounds like a bunch of 40 somethings..." So true, and isn't that a shame?
makes you wonder how the Rolling Stones crossed generations like they did.
- Mike said...
As everyone knows, I am a Queensryche fan, and I have to agree with Mark on this. I listened to this album probably 10 or so times.......trying so hard to really get into it. It didn't work. O:M I is one of my favorite albums of all time, but O:M II is just ok. I really enjoy the whole story and wish someone would make a movie out of it, but the music on the second album just isn't up to par with the original album......or most of their previous albums. I think it's due to the fact that Chris DeGarmo is out flying planes and had no input. Geoff Tate's voice is still great, but again, not as excited as I wish I was about this album.
I'm going to see them perform O:M I & II back to back in the fall. We'll, see how I feel about it after that. OK, done rambling now.........
- FredCQ said...
I think that Queensryche were banking on this being a big hit but it barely even charted. Even the metal press has been kind of lukewarm on this release.
- Bruce said...
Like Mike, I'm a huge Queensryche fan, too, and I was disappointed in the cd overall, as well. There are a couple of good songs, but that's about it. Mike also makes a good point about the DeGarmo factor; he wrote about half the songs on O:M I, and was a huge piece of the band before he left.
BTW...I'm 53; what is a 40 year old supposed to sound like?
- Metal Mark said...
Onmywatch-Not everyone believes the Stones did that.
Mike- I am sure they will be good live.
Fred-That's kind of surprising because it was probably the most talked about hard rock/metal release of the first half of the year.
Bruce-It's not as much being an age as it is being who you are. Lemmy is 60, but he still rocks because he knows what his audience is and he knows his limitations. I think Queensryche spent several songs on their album trying to be something they are not and it just makes them sound old and out of touch.
- OnMyWatch said...
maybe they wouldn't, but nobody should deny them their reign between '65-'89, at least. and even if their newer stuff isn't fabulous at least their concerts contain new material as opposed to most ancient rockers who just milk their few hit singles from back in the day.
okay, I'm done now. :)
- said...
Unlike the pundits I find Tate's voice to be limited and mundane on this one, almost like he's just going through the motions. The first 3 songs (not counting the intro) end the same exact way - he screaming a lame note - I suppose that's emotion, but sounds washed-up to me. I think the album is depressing, repetive and boring. Stick a fork in em, QR is done. As far as seeing them live - pay attention, half of what your hearing is pre-recorded.
And I am/was a ryche-head - saw them live at least 10 times and GT solo as well. Hard to believe its the same guy from Rage For Order
- Metal Mark said...
Onmywatch- I like the Stones a lot, but for me the good period ended around the mid-1970's. There were a few good albums here and there after that, but not too many. I think they stayed good live for a while though. Then again they did so much between 65-74 that they didn't have to do a whole lot else because they had alreay established their legacy just during that period.
- bob_vinyl said...
Regarding Mindcrime II: Thanks for busting on Queensryche, Mark. You know I appreciate it.
Regarding the Stones: The Stones have become the worlds greatest Stones cover band. A bunch of old men trying to recapture the sound and passion of Exile on Main St and earlier. If you listen to any of the solo stuff from Jagger or Richards over the last 15 or so years, it's actually really good whereas the Stones haven't done much worthwhile in 30 years. The solo stuff is good, because it's them being who they are, not who they were.
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Producing one-eighth of all U.S. food and fiber—more than 300 different crops—on just three percent of its farmland, California is the nation's biggest agricultural producer. It is also the most populous and fastest growing state. This combination presents considerable challenges for farms and farmland.
This year, we worked with partners throughout the state to make significant progress on each of the groundbreaking initiatives we've launched to address the challenges facing farms in California. To us, the challenges represent opportunities to advance our mission of saving farmland, promoting environmentally friendly farming practices and maintaining the economic viability of agriculture. Here is an update on how our strategy is working.
Saving San Joaquin Valley Farmland
We're helping to guide the first regional planning process in the San Joaquin Valley, California's most important agricultural area. The Blueprint that emerged this year will save more than 120,000 acres of farmland by reducing urban sprawl. But to accomplish this, it must be incorporated into the land use plans of the region's local governments, which is now our focus in the valley. At the same time, we have persuaded regional officials to produce a complementary "greenprint" that will inventory agricultural and natural resources and recommend strategies for their conservation and management.
San Francisco Bay Area Foodshed
The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area is losing about one percent of its remaining farmland every year as agriculture in the region struggles to compete—not only with development but also against farmers and ranchers in other areas of California who face lower costs and fewer urban headaches. To halt this trend, American Farmland Trust and partner organizations like the Greenbelt Alliance are promoting a regional agricultural economic development strategy to help farmers and ranchers capitalize on the market advantage they enjoy because of the region's strong interest in locally grown food.
Environmental Stewardship
Our on-the-ground demonstration projects are helping convince growers that conservation practices do not have to reduce yields and profits. Our Nutrient BMP Challenge® program helped farmers growing feed for dairy cows adopt new environmentally friendly farming practices on 2,400 acres in the San Joaquin Valley. We are also beginning a new project in partnership with the Campbell Soup Company to help tomato producers reduce fertilizer and conserve water. And we are holding focus groups with farmers across the state to identify other obstacles keeping farmers from adopting practices that safeguard the environment.
California Agricultural Vision
One of the most significant things we have ever done in California is to orchestrate a process that led to the adoption by the State Board of Food & Agriculture of a set of strategies to address the major challenges facing California agriculture, among them water, regulations, workforce, invasive species and land use. This year, we have been working with leaders from agriculture, the environmental community and other interest groups to implement California Agricultural Vision, as the plan is called. Foremost among our priorities is an assessment of agriculture's future land and water needs in light of a growing population, climate change and other factors likely to influence supply and demand for food, which we are pursuing in partnership with researchers at the University of California.
A Look Ahead
While continuing to make progress on the initiatives mentioned here, we will have to address new threats to farmland in the coming year. Among them is a high-speed rail system that—without good land use planning—threatens to encourage more urban sprawl. We also face hundreds of proposals to build industrial-scale solar energy facilities—you guessed it—on California's irreplaceable farmland.
About the Author: Edward Thompson, Jr., California Director at American Farmland Trust has been with the organization since it was founded 30 years ago, serving in multiple positions and helping initiate a wide variety of projects.


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Reference No: FHC/02/NSW/19
Location: Denaby, Doncaster
Salary: £8.25 - £8.90 per hour dependant on qualifications (overtime available at enhanced rates)
Because of the nature of its work with children and vulnerable adults the Hesley Group uses the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to make checks at an enhanced level on all persons whose work or proposed work for any Group Company will involve regular contact with or working in close proximity to children and vulnerable adults in the Group's care. This post is subject to the enhanced level DBS check, please ensure you complete the form by clicking the link above before continuing with your application Our user reference for the check system is HESLEY with password Hesley. A summary of the Group's policy is available by clicking here.
Fullerton House College is a specialist residential school, offering flexible education and care for up to 52 weeks per year, for young people aged 18 to 25. All of our young people have complex needs including behaviour that may challenge and a learning disability, often in association with autism.
At Fullerton House College, young people live in the heart of the community, in an urban setting with facilities including a local sports centre with swimming pool, supermarket, outdoor market, shops, playgrounds, cafés, restaurants and large open spaces for outdoor activities.
Being a Night Support Worker at Fullerton House College is a career like no other. It's rewarding, challenging and offers a level of job satisfaction you won't find elsewhere. Supporting young people with autism and complex needs with their daily routines and helping them access new experiences are the little things that you can do to make a difference.
If you have patience, empathy, resilience and are a natural communicator, this could be the ideal career for you. At the Hesley Group we believe that our staff are key to the success of the organisation and so we offer support and excellent training opportunities to help you progress your career to become a Qualified Support Worker and beyond in a great working environment.
You will be joining a team whose focus is to provide support of the highest quality, safeguard and promote the needs of the people we support and you will be joining a company who values its employees.
If you're unsure whether or not you would enjoy and excel at being a Support Worker within one of our services you can take our interactive quiz. You don't need to register to complete it and your answers will be completely anonymous. Completing the quiz will give you a real insight into the role of being a Support Worker with Hesley Group. You'll be given instant on-screen feedback from your answers throughout the quiz and an overall summary at the end on whether this could be the ideal career for you.
For an informal discussion about this role, please contact Donna Tanner on 01709 861663
You may find the following documents useful to read through to help you decide whether this is the right career for you.
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To apply online click the button above, alternatively to request an application pack please email firstname.lastname@example.com stating the job reference number FHC/02/NSW/19 and include your full name and address.
By application only, CVs will not be accepted.
Closing date for receipt of both postal and online applications is Noon, 28 February 2019.
Please note that applications submitted after 12pm (Noon) on the closing date may not be processed.
Hesley Group is an equal opportunities employer.


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MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-March 1, 2010--SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today announced that Eli Harari, Chairman and CEO will present to the investment community attending the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco, on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 11:00 am, Pacific Time. The session will be webcast and can be accessed live from SanDisk Corporation's Investor Relations website at www.sandisk.com/IR. A replay of the webcast will also be made available.
About SanDisk SanDisk Corporation is the global leader in flash memory cards, from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk's product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.
CONTACT: SanDisk Corporation
Jay Iyer, 408-801-2067
SOURCE: SanDisk Corporation