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Hans Zimmer on Inception and His DAW of Choice
Hans Zimmer needs no introduction, and yet there's so much happening around him that we simply feel the urge to spread the news from time to time with great fervor.
Scoring well over 100 films, Hans Zimmer has been awarded with two Golden Globes, one Oscar and three Grammy's as well as counting an array of nominations. Last week Zimmer was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, while two weeks ago, he was nominated for Inception and Sherlock Holmes in the category Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture at next year's Grammy Awards, slated for February.
We at Steinberg congratulate Hans Zimmer on his latest achievements.
You have a tremendous repertoire of music which you've composed for numerous box office hits, just like one of your most recent movies, Inception. Can you tell us how you get these high-profile jobs?
I have been thinking about this recently myself. I simply work well with directors. I mean when I first began to work with Chris [Nolan, director of Inception,] on Batman Begins he hadn't done a "blockbuster" type movie before, and he just thought what I do is interesting. So what Chris and the other directors do is phone me up, inviting me to go on an adventure with them. I mean that's how it works. It's always the director that phones me, and never the producer or an agent. If the director takes an interest, it really just goes from there. For instance, after The Dark Knight Guy Richie called me who I had never spoken to in my life. He told me that he was working on the Sherlock Holmes movie and that every time he went to the cutting room the editors had put The Dark Knight all over the movie and that's not what he wanted. So I thought that was pretty cool for him to call me up personally to tell me that that's not what he wanted and asking me to come up with something else.
VST Expression is absolutely brilliant. It makes perfect sense.
— Hans Zimmer
All of these movies have a rather dark atmosphere to them...
Of course all of the mentioned films have a particularly dark side to them but during that same period of time I also made music for some really happy movies: Kung Fu Panda — very happy movie — and Madagascar — now you can't get any happier than that. So, you see I'm not only doing these gloomy things. What happens is that whenever I work on a comedy or something similar, all I want to do is something dark and as soon as I'm working on a dark movie, I'm simply praying to work on a comedy. And, after working on Inception, I was working on a comedy but it kills me — it's really always the same, I sit there, big panic starts and at the end of the day it takes a long time just giving the whole thing some thinking.
So, how did the music to Inception come about exactly?
Chris gave me the script just after we finished The Dark Knight, now that's quite a while back, and we would just see each other, we would phone each other, just talk about things and spend a long time figuring out, not the notes or even the style of music and so on, but what do we want to do, what is this movie about, what's the subtext, how big a part does the music play in the movie. A lot of these conversations took place on the beach, with our kids playing around us and both of us being dads. We would talk about the feel of the movie. Chris is really good at putting something in front of me and then letting me come back with my ideas. You see a film composer's job isn't to do what the film director tells you to do, but to do something that the director doesn't really expect — you're supposed to come up with your own ideas. And Chris is particularly good at just listening to ideas — well, sometimes he steers me a little bit — plus I'm really good at analyzing movies, the scripts and the story telling, pointing out where viewers might have problems understanding a bit and where the music can help making it clearer. Inception was a complicated movie, but funny enough, on the paper it's a very simple movie because Chris wrote the story as well, and he simply writes beautifully so it was actually very manageable for me to read but I could also tell that as soon as you would put it up on a screen people would get confused and so the main job the music had was to somehow give you an emotional anchor that went all the way through the film and if you just trust in the music, it'd get you through the movie — even if you're a little confused here or there. You could say with Inception Chris made a movie about time and for me that was the more interesting aspect, it was more about time than about dreams and among it all, this profound yet tragic love story with many existential questions.
... the DAW has to be as transparent as possible so that it becomes timeless.
— Hans Zimmer
You are a veteran in film score composing. Do you still encounter situations that take you aback?
All films come with difficult situations. It's not like a job that you learn to get good at because repetitive motion is involved. Honestly, the whole point is everyone forever asking me to do something new and unexpected. The bottom line is that I always start with a blank page and that's the job: looking to reinvent yourself time and again plus you're supposed to be slightly ahead of the zeitgeist. The problems of being a film composer are vast [laughs] — every day is a dilemma somehow.
And that's why you have to be able to rely 100% on your DAW. How does Cubase support you during the composing process?
By not crashing — but seriously, I was amazed by how much I was throwing at Cubase and it never winced, never seized up, never faltered. It's always an extreme thing, and although I honestly can't recall how many audio tracks were being used, remember that everything we do is in 5.1 so that quickly adds tracks, plus there are 300–400 MIDI tracks going at the same time. We also tried to keep everything virtual on this movie up until the very end. Other than the orchestra and soloist Johnny Ma, even most of the synths were kept virtual all the way through the mix.
Another thing is that Cubase sounds really good. And what I mean by that is that what you put into Cubase is what you get out. It's not colored like other systems. I can tell straight away when somebody brings in a Logic track — I know exactly what it was recorded on. Part of why I like Cubase is that I don't sound like everybody else. I mean we never use library sounds. You don't really want to hear a sound you have in your 160-million-dollar movie in somebody else's movie in the theater next door so everything we use is made from scratch. And so it's very important to me that the quality of the software ensures that what ever work I put into it, it isn't going to get colored. We already had this with the early digital recording where you can listen to a recording and you literally can put a time stamp onto it. And I think this will also happen with other DAWs. So you don't really want to be able to identify the sound and that's why the DAW has to be as transparent as possible so that it becomes timeless.
Are there any features you enjoy particularly in Cubase?
For doing orchestral stuff, VST Expression is absolutely brilliant. It makes perfect sense. It seems crazy that we've been writing down instructions on paper in a simple way for hundreds of years but this wonderful sequencer just couldn't do it. Sometimes it's good to embrace some of the old things that simply work. But I think I get the most fun out of the things you can now do with soft-synths and the incredible things you can do with plug-ins.
You already mentioned orchestra and soloists. Were there any other people involved in scoring the music for Inception?
Obviously making a film score isn't just one guy sitting there — there are other people that work on the score as well. There was a lot of sound design going on from Mel Wesson, a lot of arranging, programming and so on from people like Lorne Balfe. We have a way here of networking things together. We can just share files since we all have the same setup. It's really efficient — you can pull up somebody else's sequence via the network and do some work on it.
Are there any virtual instruments you use?
I use very few now. The main thing I use is Zebra by Urs Heckman for synthesizers but also some hardware, such as a few old Moog modulars via MIDI interfaces. There's also my sampler which we had to build from scratch. Mark Wherry has been building it and it's slightly over the top as far as the technology is concerned. And we've been creating our own library and that project just goes on forever because we keep on adding to it. The problem with samples is that you get bored. Unfortunately, every time you press the same note, the same sound comes back at you. I've never understood why people don't make their own sample library because it's really not that hard, it just takes a bit of time and having a few friends who can play instruments extraordinarily well plus a hall for recording. And it's so much better because it's custom-made.
You've composed the music for a video game before. Have you ever thought of focusing entirely on a different genre other than film music?
I love writing music for movies because it gives me such incredible freedom. You see, I don't have to do verse, chorus, verse, chorus. I don't have to conform to all the pop-song tyranny that exists out there, for example. I can change style — I can do a Kung Fu Panda and The Dark Knight in the same year. I mean I come from rock'n'roll, and I know what to look for. I need a hook, I need a good chorus, I need a good tune, I need a good production value. Inception is the self-most produced score I've ever done. It's very much like doing a record, except that I do it in 5.1. I find it very difficult to listen to my own soundtracks because I can't stand being in stereo — once you take all those nice surround speakers away from me, it feels very bare as if half the world has been taken away from me. Another reason why I like doing films is because of the visual information. "Das Auge hoert mit." [ed. The eyes listen too.] If you watch a performance it's quite a different thing than just listening to it, and the great thing for me with movies is that there's a visual all the time attached to the music — it completes the music.
Do you have any final words before we close up this interview?
If you come to think of it, these movies which cost zillions of dollars, at the end of the day, they put their trust in a piece of software like Cubase. It works flawlessly, we meet the deadline and we get to do everything we imagined to do. That's quite a testament on how reliable Cubase is these days. It's an incredibly advanced program and although it's difficult for me to say since I've been working with it for so long, it does seem like anybody can just pick it up and make music with it very, very quickly. And isn't that the point, that whatever's in your head, you're supposed to be able to get it out and into your sequencer as quickly as you can.
Visit Hans Zimmer's website at www.hans-zimmer.com.


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dr5: A Fresh Spin on Cross Processing
By nicole mabry
13 Jul 2007
We are all familiar with the term cross processing. For me this has always meant processing color negatives as positives/chromes, which resulted in unnatural or opposite colors and high contrast. Being one to love high contrast, I delved into this realm with gusto. After trying it out several times, the novelty wore off and I went back to regular processing. Then one day in 2000 while working at a photo agency in Los Angeles, a co-worker was examining some of her self portrait chromes. I asked to take a peek and to my surprise, they were sepia toned. How was this possible? Medium format chromes already tinted? She smiled and replied, "dr5, look it up." I quickly did just that.
The website, www.dr5.com while obviously in basic stages at the time, had me captivated at first glance. The dr5 process is black and white cross processing, but creates results I never imagined from my experiences with its color counterpart. The film review link showed me every film they will cross process, and an example of what I should expect for each type. I had the choice to have my film sepia tinted during processing or left plain, and I could see examples of both. It also showed me the push and pull process and settings necessary for each film so I wouldn't be trying this out blind, and be left with unsatisfactory results. dr5's creator David Wood made this process so simple, I felt I couldn't go wrong. Within the next few days, I rushed out, bought film, and shot my first rolls. I could barely wait the week or so it took to get the chromes back but I couldn't have been happier with the results. Everything Mr. Wood promised he certainly delivered. My images were sharper and had more tonal range than I'd ever accomplished before with regular processing. I shoot mostly skin and the textures in my skin tones were palpable.
By far the best part is the contrast. During regular cross processing you are dealing with color, so while contrast works really well with the unusual color palette it creates, in my experiences it also tends to lose detail in the lights and darks. In my images with dr5, this was less the case. The only places I had detail fallout due to the increased contrast were the absolute blacks, and almost nowhere did I have absolute whites. What's more, I have a much more expansive tonal range leading in and out of my lights and darks. This is really hard to create with normal processing, or even in Photoshop, and still retain this level of contrast.
Not only is this an innovative process, but its creator is an amazing person. When I first moved to New York City, the dr5 lab was one of the first places I visited (with a freshly shot roll of film in hand of course). David Wood was very friendly, informative, and eager to talk about his lab and methods. He also gave me some numbers to call for possible job leads. He openly states in his Creator's Statement, "I did not create the dr5 process to get rich. My only goal was to give something valuable to the photo community, to photography. The root of what I've created is versatility, permanence and exceptional image quality. Explore the process to its fullest." I am happy to say that I am on my way to doing just that. Thank you David Wood for your truly invaluable contribution to photography.
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1 response
d s gave props (15 Dec 2008):
wonderful series!
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subset: commoncrawl


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New sex assault charge for suspect in Jessica Ridgeway slaying
Associated Press
GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) – Prosecutors said Wednesday they have filed an additional sexual assault charge against a teen accused of kidnapping and killing a 10-year-old Colorado girl.
The additional charge and a sentence enhancing charge of a crime of violence alleges that 17-year-old Austin Sigg used physical force and threats to sexually assault 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway. Prosecutors also tweaked some language and corrected spelling errors in charges previously filed in Jessica's disappearance and slaying Oct. 5. Jessica was abducted as she walked to school in the Denver suburb of Westminster.
Sigg is also accused of attacking a 22-year-old woman in Jessica's neighborhood in May. She escaped.
Also during a hearing Wednesday, District Court Chief Judge Stephen Munsinger said he would bar the public and the media from a preliminary hearing for Sigg, saying he wanted to avoid influencing any potential jurors if Sigg's case goes to trial. Sigg's public defender, Mitchell Ahnstedt, argued for closing the Feb. 22 hearing because of "massive and pervasive" media coverage of the case.
Prosecutor Hal Sargent objected, arguing that juries in Jefferson County have fairly tried a number of high profile cases.
"I don't think having it (a preliminary hearing) in public will impact having a fair trial," Sargent argued.
Preliminary hearings are where prosecutors present evidence against a suspect, sometimes publicly revealing previously undisclosed information. A judge decides whether to hold a trial or release the suspect.
Police arrested Sigg on Oct. 23. His mother told The Associated Press she called police and her son turned himself in.
Sargent, the prosecutor, said during the hearing that Sigg had not been a suspect prior to his arrest despite hundreds of police scouring the neighborhood and collecting cheek swabs for DNA from potential suspects as part of the search for Jessica and subsequent criminal investigation.
Sigg, who turns 18 next month, was charged as an adult and is being held in an adult jail. The original charges included four counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count each of sexual assault on a child and robbery in Jessica's abduction and slaying.
He was also charged with attempted murder, attempted sexual assault and attempted second-degree kidnapping in the attack on the runner and with six counts of crime of violence.
If convicted as an adult, Sigg faces up to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
Prosecutors said he confessed to kidnapping and killing Jessica and attacking the jogger. It's not clear if he has made any comment on the charge of sexually assaulting the girl.
The 22-year-old woman said she was running in a Westminster park when a man grabbed her from behind and placed a rag with a chemical smell over her mouth.
Munsinger issued several orders in the case, including the preservation of evidence and investigator notes and emails sent between prosecutors and law enforcement.
Munsinger also barred prosecutors from using the jail's electronic record keeping system to keep track of his defense team's visits to the jail or to get updates on Sigg's medical and mental condition. Munsinger granted the request after public defender Katherine Spengler raised concerns that such tracking has happened in other cases.
The next hearing in the case will be Feb. 8.
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Epilepsy that causes generalized seizures is more
common in children than in adults. Unlike partial seizures, which begin in a
specific, often damaged area in the brain, generalized seizures cannot be
traced to a specific location or focus. The abnormal electrical activity that
causes seizures begins over the entire surface of the brain. And these seizures tend
to affect the entire body.
Epilepsy that causes generalized seizures may have no known cause
(idiopathic), or it may result from another condition (symptomatic). Drug
therapy is the usual treatment approach. But surgery may be helpful in
some cases.
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Last Revised:
August 26, 2011
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics & Steven C. Schachter, MD - Neurology
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October 19th
We are blessed with a thriving community of passionate, creative, dedicated people. The Gifts of Authenticity online store is our way of honoring all the beauty, goodness, and joy they create in the world. It is also a way to celebrate and affirm the authentic creativity that lives in each of us.Enjoy unique, from-the-heart gifts created and donated by the members of the Guild's community. All proceeds support our mission of helping children transcend limiting expectations and explore and develop their authentic selves through creativity education.
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Lone Pinellas Site Perfect for Rays Stadium
For years during my many roadtrips to and from Tampa, Florida back towards Pinellas County and St. Petersburg my eyes have always seemd to focus towards this dense and swampy parcel of land just outside my passenger window always questioning why some developer had not previously built something amazing on this prime real estate parcel. And it simply astonished me that this parcel of tall grass was not being held vacant because of the salt water intrusion or the mangroves thickets lining the southern most edges of the parcel, but for some other cosmic solution.
Sure I had seen a few scattered rental communities and office buildings spring up just off this uneven and water-soaked parcel, but even with the distant encroachment of modern civilization, this one huge pact of land has remained pretty consistant and dormant for several decades. And even as I stare quickly scanning this large parcel, my wild imagination used to rush a bit and tried to envision what could one day be built upon this land and maybe become a welcoming beacon of this community to any traveler cruising Southbound on I-275 just beyond the Ulmerton Road and 9th Street exit ramps towards the hamlets of mid Pinellas County or St. Petersburg.
Why had this massive singular parcel with stood the rush of greed and money and had somehow been sparred by the decades of real estate speculation and explosions to remain clear and free of development? Had there been a wise or (hopefully) missed decision by someone stuck somewhere within an office building without windows to not build, sell or even excavate and level this lush green segment just off the southern tip of the Howard Franklin bridge. Was it held instead by a sly developer or real estate mastermind for the future, and an endeavor of great magnitude unforseen by the region's citizens for so long.
Could someone had visualized so far into the past that this same parcel could one day be the site of a great architectural symbol of this Florida region built upon its sandy soil and forever be known throughout the baseball world for its construction on this very site? That it would house the benchmark in green technology and also embrace the surrounding mangroves and oyster beds to showcase that man and nature could co-exsist, even with the intrusion of sports just beyond the tide pools?
And maybe it was a blessing that finally on Monday, the A Baseball Community (ABC) coalition began to finally bring to light some of their year long discussions and meetings to finalize their detailed report to the local Tampa Bay communities on the future of Major League Baseball and the Tampa Bay Rays franchise in this area. And it was real big surprise to me and maybe most of Tampa Bay, that two out of the three recommended locales for a stadium were within the confines of Hillsborough County.
It really did not surpise me in the least that the lone plot of land even being considered for a recommendation by the ABC Coalition on the Pinellas side of the bridge was this lone sandlot of land that might have been held for just this purpose in hindsight. That the miracle that this plot did not go under the blades of a bulldozer or excavator before now is simple unimaginable to me. And for the sake of total honest here, this same parcel of soil was my personal choice for the building of a baseball stadium site back in the late 1980's when the discussion first came up for the site of the then Florida Suncoast Dome/Thunderdome/Tropicana Field.
Finally it is so wild that this little preserved parcel of land might some day might be considered to produce the centerpiece building or stae-of-the-art facility this region has been seeking for the Rays and this community as a whole for so long. And it is still a bit mindboggling to me that this parcel of land has stood the test of time and is still standing here, undeveloped and might just prove to be the perfect location to make both sides of the bay again embrace baseball with a open arms from both sides of the pristine blue Tampa Bay waters.
It is simply unimaginable that at this very location lies some great infrastructural groundwork already being done to improve the area's roads and provide additional external ramps for future usage. That this parcel might neeed a bit more subtle tweaking and upgrading compared to the other two sites to take on the extra burden of game day traffic and even ground transport to and from all points around Tampa Bay. This parcel of land sits smack in the middle of a ever growing section of Pinellas County that can support such a complex being built on this site, and should flourish beyond present expectations as both an entertainment center and transportation hub.
And even the odd thoughts of reliable forms of alternative transportation options might have been done by accident in the past, but could prove a bright shining star to showcase this parcel. Because of the local business district at Carillion Parkway, there is an already established Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) bus route that serves the surrounding neighborhood office complex/condo community to the west of this parcel of land that could be greatly expanded to ease the transportation burdens of fans or might even be more fine tuned to the needs of the stadium complex.
Sure there will need to be additonal road construction or even off ramps or remote parking lots to take full advantage of the stadium, but they could be effectively designed to take the additonal stress off of the usual I-275 traffic going towards other Tampa Bay regions. And I personally like the idea of a year round Convention Center being constructed on the parcel to help bring a burst of activity to the stadium year round. But the biggest priority will have to be to build a great infrastructure supporting system to ease the demands by the I-275 traffic returning from Hillborough County at the 5 pm rush hour on game days.
And if you really want to look into the future about possible traffic solutions, maybe the PSTA and Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit Authority (HARTA) could combine or share some resources and produce a traffic alternative to bringing fans to Rays games from satellite parking lots or pre-destined pick-up locations throughout the Tampa Bay area. But because this parcel of land, to me, is so perfect for this future Rays stadium, my imagination is already running a mile a minute with ideas and future personal idea recommendations. Guess that is why they did not consider me for a post on the Coalition(lol).
And it is great to be finally have the ABC report coming out and we can get a bit of closure towards all of the ideas and proposals thrown up in the air over the last two years considering locations for a future home for the Rays. And it finally puts the obsurd idea of refurbishing Tropicana Field or even considering the distant Tampa Fair Grounds out as choices for final stadium consideration, and we can quickly move onto the three best locales.
And the Pinellas County choice is simply ideal as it is also situated within a critical epicenter of the cross-county area to give more access to Tampa residents and upper Pinellas and Pasco-Hernando county citizens, but might prove a bit of an added driving burden for people traveling north from Sarasota or Manatee Counties. But if it is a state-of-the-art stadium with all the bells and whistles to entice corporate America to expand their involvement and support with the Rays, then we are all going to be winners in the long run, not just the Rays.
This beautiful parcel of land was left in it's present state for some reason. It has withstood the Florida construction booms to stay true and unbuilt upon for decades. Could this be the ultimate locale for the Rays future proposed stadium? Can we finally put to rest the echoes of discontent by the citizens of Tampa to their "bridge phobia" or the hour long commute to games and finally bridge this stadium location into a unified show of community support by the Tampa Bay region on this one proposed site.
Next time you rush down Ulmerton Road on your way home from Tampa, look to the northwest and check out this parcel of land and see if you can see what I see…. A beautiful retractable roof stadium with a natural grass surface situated right off a main span of highway, but with a distant flickering lights of the downtown buildings surrounding Tampa Bay from the sight points on this tract of land.
This debate might be destined to go back and forth for the next few years with each side proclaiming some thin sliver of a slice of advantage to their location. But this location to me is perfectly suited to entertain the notion and the construction of a new masterpiece stadium for baseball. People soon forget that the first drawings of Tropicana Field had the stadium open to the elements on its southern side.
Instead it was enclosed and with Minnesota opening their new open-air stadium in 2010, the Trop will be the last of the totally domed stadium in Major League Baseball. So maybe it was a sort of locale devine intervention that left this parcel vacant for so long and loudly screams "baseball stadium" to me. And hopefully it will be heard loud and long enough for even the multitudes of Rays fans in both counties to conclude….This has to be the new home for Rays baseball.
18 Comments
Where ever it happens, I just hope it gets done. I actually like those original designs for a new park. I'm glad the days of Domes are just about gone. The Trop isn't the Rays fault. But is Tampa behind their team? Are they going to show up at the park?
I think Tampa in the West Shore region is not right for a stadium. And downtown would be nice, but I spend an hour or so trying to get out after a concert with less than 20,000 fans.
Consider a Yankee series, or a concert/hockey game down near Channelside all getting out abouyt the same times and you got major league gridlock.
But, it could have a leftfield porch like in Seattle where the city backdrop would make an awesome postcard to send to friends in an email.
Funny thing is, if the Trop has been built 3 years later, it would never has been designed as a dome. Might of had the same type retractable as Safeco Field, but look retro like Camden Yards. The original Rays stadium was built right before the architectural concepts for a "old feel" stadium with state-of-the-art technology hit the drawing boards…Bummer
Rays Renegade
They really should listen to a fan's voice when discussing this pressing issue. Especially someone like yourself. you deserve a spot on that coalition. the renderings and visuals of the proposed new stadium look so awesome
No one listens to me, not even the dang dog!
Seriously, the Rays and the local governments would never put something like that in the hands of someone who has a passion and a love for the game of baseball.
They want "yes" people and little froids that will do what the puppermasters behind-the-scenes say is right, not public consensus or what might happen in the long run.
In short, I am too close to the situation to make a sound judgement decison… or that is what they would have you believe (lol).
Rays Renegade
That plot of land looks good to me. And as for whether people will show up to support a new stadium, my feeling – to steal the line from "Field of Dreams" – is that if you build it they will come!
I was expecting some images of a destitute Lou Piniella here but I guess I got my Piniellas & Pinellas confused. Can't blame me though, Sweet Lou is from the Tampa area… so I hear.
Funny you should mention that line from the film.
When they first built the Trop., that line was constantly being said over and over again by a local radio station because we were building a stadium and did not have a team at the time.
After swinging and missing for Minnesota,Chicago (White Sox) Seattle, San Francisco,Oakland missing out on a team, we finally struck the ball in the second round of expansion.
Long wait for baaseball, but well worth the time and effort.
Rays Renegade
Both you and Jane seem to be a linking of the minds today.
Lou Piniella actually has a home out on Reddington Beach that I used to deliver soda and Aquafina water to when he was with the Rays and before he headed to Chi-town.
Actually I can see Lou with his feet up in a hammock looking out at the Gulf of Mexico at sunset dreaming of the day the Cubs again play up to their potential…..Could it be 2010?
Only the colors of the rainbow know for sure……..and they aren't tell anyone.
Rays Renegade
rays, great blog as always. Thanks 4 comenting on mine didnt know u liked both colts and saints fan. its weird i have a manning AND brees jersey now there in the super bowl this yr move over manning here comes brees lol. now with damon most likely out of the yankees the rays have a shot at him do they???
A new park for the Rays? Sounds like a plan!! Was at Tropicana back in 2005 and thought it was pretty nice. But then again, it was my first visit, and they were playing the Red Sox. Hope the plans go though.
Why would we want a guy who can't throw into the outfield with any gusto?
Nope, I can not see Johnny Damon here unless he falls to around $ 3 million, if then.
Seriously, Scott Boras, his agent, is basically in crisis mode since the Yankees signed Randy Winn today who is faster, has a better arm, and can still hit the ball.
I think I hear the exit music of Damon wearing pinstripes in 2010.
Rays Renegade
This is just the first move in a long Chess match by the Rays and the Tampa Bay community.
It will not be a 10-move match, but might take until maybe 2015 before a stadium is "offically" put in the works.
But until then, there will be many moves and traps both for and against the stadium issue and their locations hit the daylight and the next move might be critical to all those involved in the stadium issue.
Now that Oakland might get their wish of a new stadium, only Tampa Bay is sitting in a pre-1990 rendition stadium that is out-of-date physically as well as fiscally.
Should be fun to watch how this all plays out….Really fun!
Rays Renegade
Very nice entry. It's always exciting just thinking about a new stadium!!
It is exciting knowing that you might be seated in some modern, futuristic baseball stadium within the coming seasons, but it is only in its infant stages right now.
But hopefully like raising a child, the experience will be great and be somehting you always dreamed of….But sometimes reality just bites you in the booty, and it could just as easy go sour and you see the moving vans pulling up to Tropicana Field.
Guess we wil just have to stay tuned and hope this soap opera has a happy ending.
Rays Renegade
Cliff, check this out: http://www.nesn.com/2010/01/tampa-bay-rays-moving-to-southern-connecticut-or-new-jersey.html
Your thoughts?
I put that right in the same bow along with the Milwaukee Brewers moving to Orlando.
That came out via some sort of Peter Gammons column a few days ago, and it is totally without merit.
Think about it, the Yankees and Red Sox would have to approve such a move (which I doubt would happen without large $$ thrown around) into their territorial rights region, plus why would you try and hog-tie a region with three teams loyalties like that?
Honest truth, it is a farce to us down here, but other cities could be inserted to make it more believeable.
If it had said San Antonio or Charlotte it would have carried more weight with me.
Rays Renegade
I feel ya. Was curious as to how you felt about the possibility of losing the Rays all together. It saddens me that the Rays and the Marlins can't draw large crowds. They're both really sound organizations with the keys to win for a good long while! It just irks me to no end seeing those stadiums so bare, with few fans while the product on the field is high caliber.
Florida has always been a transient state. Most people in the Northern state tend to use it as a warming plate for their Winters, and we do not sustain a viable legion of followers to just "The Rays".
It is the reason for sell-outs against the Yankees and Red Sox, both with expandable fans bases that follow their team, even when they move away from the Northeast.
Me, I am one day moving to Seattle, but I will follow the Rays still even if it makes no sense to anyone else.
The true generation to follow the team is now in High School.
they are born and bred here and will have more localized loyalties to the team in the future as they become breadwinners and get better jobs……..Hopefully the Rays will last here that long.
Rays Renegade


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Improved partition loading
We have a table that contains just over 1.7 billion records and requires a daily feeding of around 9 million. It is split into 10, roughly equal, partitions. I originally just pushed the daily feeding into the main table from a staging table and it worked well, but thought to myself, as I nearly always do when developing: "Is this the best that can be done?". The single source stuck in the back of my head, but at the time never made it forward.
While working on a different project, I realized that sometimes pre-processing specific pieces of information provides an overall benefit to the process. That's when the single source thought in the back of my head came sliding forward and smacked me. Pre-process the single source using the partitions!
Here is what the steps look like:
The first Data Flow Task, "Pull Missing Records multi", extracts the 9 million records and divides them up into 10 Raw File Destination components, based upon the partition function.
I recreated the partition function, very easily, in a Conditional Split component. I put them in the order they appeared in the function in SQL Server.
I decided to split the data loading into 3 Data Flow Tasks 4/4/3. Oh, you might be thinking, "Hey, Joe! That adds up to 11". It does. I have the default output just in case something is not caught by the partition function. This has always been 0. Now I have to read the data back in.
Each of the OLEDB Destination Tasks looks like this:
The important thing is NOT to select 'Table Lock', however you can choose whatever 'Maximum Insert Commit Size' suits your needs. This improved our load times significantly, but of course your mileage will vary. What I hope to have shown you is to think of problems in a less static way. Things aren't always as rigid as they might appear.


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Nutrition Facts
Ingredients and Preparation
- Steam sun-dried tomatoes in a small amount of boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, omitting salt and oil.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it apart with a fork as it cooks, until evenly browned. Add garlic and cook another minute.
- Add chicken broth to the skillet. Stir around, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the Swiss chard, cover and cook for another 2 minutes, until Swiss chard is tender.
- Reduce heat to low and add in sun-dried tomatoes and drained pasta. Stir to combine. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.


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Supporters of gay marriage in Washington state say after crunching numbers throughout the night, they have determined that Referendum 74 will prevail once all ballots are counted. Voters passed similar measures in Maine and Maryland.
With slightly more than half of expected ballots tallied Tuesday night, R-74 entered Wednesday with 52 percent of the vote, compared to 48 percent for those opposed. When the ballot count was released Wednesday evening, the percentage remained unchanged.
"This is a clear win," Washington United for Marriage Campaign Manager Zach Silk said in a statement. "We have run the numbers every which way, and we can now confidently say that we have won. This is an historic day for Washington, an historic day for our country and, most of all, for families across the state who have dreamed of this day and the wedding celebrations to come."
The group opposed to R-74, Preserve Marriage Washington, said the campaign was still too close to call.
"There is still a path to victory for us," said Chip White, Preserve Marriage Washington spokesperson. "I think people need to respect the process and wait for the ballots to come in."
Eleven counties will return remaining ballots starting at 4:00 p.m. PST.
The measure asked Washingtonians to approve or reject a state law legalizing same-sex marriage that lawmakers passed earlier in the year. That law was signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, but has been on hold pending the outcome of the election.
The road to gay marriage in Washington state began several years ago.
A year after the state's gay marriage ban was upheld by the state Supreme Court, the state's first domestic partnership law passed in 2007, granting couples about two dozen rights, including hospital visitation and inheritance rights when there is no will. It was expanded a year later, and then again in 2009, when lawmakers completed the package with the so-called "everything but marriage" bill that was ultimately upheld by voters later that same year.
This year, after lawmakers passed the law allowing gay marriage, Preserve Marriage gathered enough signatures for a referendum.
If voters uphold the law, gay couples could start picking up their marriage certificates and licenses from county auditor offices Dec. 6, a day after the election is certified. However, because Washington state has a three-day waiting period, the earliest the certificate could be signed, making the marriage valid, is Dec. 9.
"The reality is, if we could pass this thing, we have young people all over this country they're going to wake up knowing that they're going to be fully recognized. Their relationships are going to be validated and they're going to be a part of an institution that everyone else is a part of," said Lacey All, R-74 campaign chair.
The law does not require religious organizations or churches to perform marriages, and does not subject churches to penalties if they don't marry gay or lesbian couples.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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How to Change Page Setup of a Microsoft Works Document
The page setup settings in Microsoft Works' word processor determines such things the margin size and page orientation. Change page setup in MS Works when you first create a document, or anytime prior to printing the document on paper.
1With the document whose setup you want to change displayed, choose File→Page Setup.
The Page Setup dialog box appears.
2Click the Margins tab.
Use the up and down arrows (called spinner arrows) to increase or decrease margin settings, or type a new measurement in any of the Margins boxes.
3Click the Source, Size & Orientation tab.
Select either Portrait orientation (with the longer edges of the paper on the sides) or Landscape (with the shorter edges of the paper on the sides). You can use the Paper settings to specify the size of paper you want to print on — and, if your printer has multiple paper trays, you can also select the tray that the paper is located in.
4Click OK.
Your selections are applied to this document only.
If you're inserting a header or footer (for example, a page number or the name of the document that you want to appear on every page on either the top or bottom), you should adjust some settings in the Page Setup dialog box.
On the Margins tab, you can specify how far from the edge of the paper the header or footer should appear. On the Other Options tab, you can control what page number you start with and whether the header or footer should appear on the first page of the document. (To insert headers or footers into your document, use the Header and Footer command on the View menu.)


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braham Lincoln came of age while living and working as a private citizen in Springfield, Illinois. It was here that he chose to settle down, build a life for himself and his family, and worked hard to achieve success. Lincoln was a husband, parent, and neighbor, who experienced the same hopes, dreams, and challenges of life still experienced by people today. Many of Lincoln's social and political beliefs were formed while he lived in the house at Eighth and Jackson Streets. It was Lincoln's belief in freedom and democracy, his eloquence, and the support of family and community that propelled him to the White House, uplifted him through the turbulent Civil War, and inspired him to turn the war into a "new birth of freedom." It was also to Springfield that Abraham Lincoln was borne in a funeral train to be buried.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people visit the Lincoln Home every year to learn more about the man who fought for the ideals of freedom and democracy. Even during Lincoln's life, when he was an attorney turned president-elect, people came to Springfield at Eighth and Jackson Streets to learn more about Lincoln, his family, and his home. Reporters and photographers also came, charged with telling the rest of America through words and images about the little known, Abraham Lincoln.
About This Lesson
Getting Started: Inquiry Question
Setting the Stage: Historical Context
Locating the Site: Maps
Determining the Facts: Readings
Visual Evidence: Images
Putting It All Together: Activities
How the National Register
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Teaching with Museum Collections: Lincoln's Legal Career
Teaching with Museum Collections: Reminder of the Past, Lincoln Keepsakes
Teaching with Museum Collections: Lincoln - The Candidate: "The Taste is in My Mouth a Little"
Teaching with Museum Collections: The Abraham Lincoln Home in Springfield, IL
Teaching with Museum Colletions: Mary Todd Lincoln and the Boys
American Presidents & First Ladies: Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln
The lesson is based on the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Lincoln Home National Historic Site has been designated a National Historic Landmark.


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May be because we wanted to distinguish divisare from the web that is condemned to a sort of vertical communication, always with the newest architecture at the top of the page, as the "cover story," "the focus."
Content that was destined, just like the oh-so-new architecture that had just preceded it a few hours earlier, to rapidly slide down, day after day, lower and lower, in a vertical plunge towards the scrapheap of page 2.
So we began to build divisare not vertically, but horizontally.
Our model was the bookcase, on whose shelves we have gathered and continue to collect hundreds and hundreds of publications by theme. Every Collection in our Atlas tells a particular story, conveys a specific viewpoint from which to observe the last 20 years of contemporary architecture. A long, patient job of cataloguing, done by hand: image after image, project after project, post after post. Behind all this there is the certainty that we can do better than the fast, distracted web we know today, where the prevailing business model is: "you make money only if you manage to distract your readers from the contents of your own site." With divisare we want to offer the possibility, instead, of perceiving content without distractions. No "click me," "tweet me, "share me," "like me." No advertising. banners, pop—ups or other distracting noise.
It is a different idea of the web, which we might call slow web.
Instead of the fast, distracting web, we prefer a slow, careful one. Instead of information hastily received, we prefer knowledge calmly absorbed. This is why we love to publish books and encourage you to put down your device, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy a high-quality read the old-fashioned way.
Divisare Books are not available at bookstores or elsewhere. The only way to get your issue is to buy it here. All of our issues are extremely limited editions. Don't be late!
We tried. Lord knows we tried. But after more than 20 years spent in the transient, fleeting and contingent world of the internet no amount of pivoting or faking could squeeze a proudly independent online magazine into a conventional printed periodical.
So if you expect a traditional architecture magazine, DIVISARE BOOKS is not for you. But if you're looking for something more fluid and flexible, you may be open and inquiring enough to appreciate the work we are doing.
DIVISARE BOOKS is a high-quality, independent editorial project, a modular publication dedicated to architecture documents, a constantly growing archipelago of monographic issues each tackling a different topic: drawings collections, photographic surveys, visual essays, short writings, projects, etc.
All of our issues are extremely limited editions. Don't be late!
Our editorial project it's about switching off and getting away from the screen. That's why we don't offer a digital version.
Printed with vegetable inks on 100% recycled Cyclus Offest thick paper. It even smells good.
Not available at bookstores or elsewhere. The only way to get your issue is to buy it at divisare.com.
Our editorial project is published and printed in Rome. Each issue is shipped in strong corrugated cardboard box out of our distribution centre based in Berlin, Germany.
All of our prices include shipping to anywhere in the world.


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The Hebrews, Egyptians, Babylonians and the residents of Mesopotamia used a measurement called a cubit. One royal Hebrew cubit is about equal to 20.76 inches which is about 52.7 cm. Scholars of the cubit measurements of Solomon's Temple found in the Bible know for the past few thousand years no one has been able to get all the cubits of the Bible to fit correctly. This means a correct model of Solomon's Temple has never existed even though all of the clues are recorded in the Bible.
The big question is; Can the cubits of Ezekiel correctly dovetail into the cubits of I Kings and II Chronicles? This difficult puzzle of correctly placing the cubits so that all fit has been an extremely complex mystery. This model of Solomon's Temple uses every verse found in I Kings, II Chronicles and Ezekiel which apply to the 500 x 500 cubit square Temple Mount area. It is the opinion of this patent owner that Ezekiel contains the remaining measurements of Solomon's Temple.
Many temple scholars think Solomon's Temple was only 30 cubits high. The 30 cubits or 52′ height was an inside measurement of the ceiling. The Temple that King Solomon built was actually 120 cubits tall as shown here (II Chronicles 3:4). Architects and builders might scoff that no one could build a 20 story tall building 3,000 years ago. But the Bible states that it did occur and so do a few other ancient historians.
The Temple of Solomon is shown here in a modern downtown setting of Jerusalem where it originally stood on the Temple Mount. Some temple scholars over look the fact that the main Tower in Solomon's Temple had two sets of winding staircases. So this brings forth a dilemma. Could Solomon's Temple have been vertical instead of horizontal? If it is horizontal as most believe where do the two sets of winding staircases fit?
According to the prophet Ezekiel, the First Temple as built by King Solomon will someday be rebuilt. The style used here for rendering purposes uses the pylon design which fits in with the original Phoenician and Egyptian era. The gates & main Temple structure might have had straight walls rather than pylon shaped walls. For this particular architectural rendering the older Egyptian and Mesopotamian style was used rather than straight walls of later temples. Many of the gigantic buildings and gates built in the middle east prior to the Greek & Persian Empire's were built with sloping walls inward such as the ziggurat towers, pyramids, Egyptian temples and most probably Phoenician temples were probably designed after their contemporary temples and buildings. The blueprints of the Temple were drafted by King David. The Temple door faced East. However the inside Temple entrances were from the south. So that the priests first entered into the lower chamber from east to west and then ascended into the upper chambers from the south. The Temple was engineered by a Phoenician King Hiram who sent a mason who was half Hebrew and half Phoenician to execute the principal works of the interior including casting, masonry, arch stone angles and the logistics of raising the arch stones 20 stories in the sky. The mason's name was also Hiram.
Along the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount near the Northern end of the wall there is an underlying layer of pre-Herodian stone which displays a corner of a very old wall protruding out. Archeologist Leen Ritmeyer has called this unique corner spot the "offset". It is clearly an older protrusion of an existing wall and corner upon which King Herod had his masons built a new wall. Could this "offset" have been the original NE corner of the outer courtyard of Solomon's Temple?
The original outer courtyard of Solomon's Temple measured 500 cubits square as is documented by the exhiles in the Mishna. The Jewish exhiles who were freed by the Persians returned to Israel to rebuild a Second Temple. When the exhiles returned they measured the outer courtyard as being 500 cubits square. They did not build the outer courtyard the 500 cubit square was the remains of the First Temple. This fact dovetails with Ezekiel's measurements as being Solomon's Temple each had a 500 square outer courtyard. So this means that the original Temple had a courtyard of such dimensions. The only contemporary scholar who recorded that was Ezekiel.
In this picture the Northeast corner of the outer courtyard of Solomon's Temple is placed at the "offset". The results of this is, the Rock (which is in the Dome of the Rock Mosque) fits smack dab in the center of the Main Temple of the model. Using any other location North or South on the Eastern Wall the Rock under the Mosque does not fit in the Main Hall of the Temple where it probably once sat. So possibly this "offset" might have served as the original NE corner of Solomon's Temple.
Furthermore when the North East corner of Solomon's Temple is placed at this "offset" location the Laver (Molten Sea or Brass Sea) where the priest's wash their hands, lines up directly above the largest underground cistern #5 as noted by Charles Warren in his "Plans, Elevations, Sections for the Palestine Exploration Fund". Possibly the Molten Sea wash basin was located directly above the long cistern #5 so that water could have been drawn directly above and into the Molten Laver. This unusual underground cistern #5 reaches both inside the inner court and to the outer court. Which means rainwater could have drained from both the inner and outer courtyards into this cistern.
The inner court inside the pillars was a 100 cubit square. In the center of the square was the altar which had stairs which faced east. The priests would march around the altar from West to East by way of the South. This kept their left hand closest to the altar at all times.
Does the "offset" have to be used? Not necessarily however if it is used as a corner this model lines up extremely close of allowing the Rock to be centered in the main tower structure.


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A vice principal at a Riverside County high school accused of having sex with three current and former male students is married to a San Diego County police officer, law enforcement sources confirmed to NBCLA on Friday.
Erin Henton, 45, a vice principal at Tahquitz High School, was arrested Wednesday after allegations surfaced March 8 that she had sexual relationships with current and former students, police said.
Erin Henton is married Tim Henton, a lieutenant with the El Cajon Police Department in San Diego County, according to law enforcement sources and his LinkedIn profile.
Law enforcement officials said he filed for divorce shortly after the allegations surfaced and is devastated by the allegations.
Erin Henton, who is in a Riverside County jail, faces charges including unlawful intercourse with a minor and oral copulation with a minor, according to the Riverside County Jail inmate information website. She has pleaded not guilty.
Outside court Friday, Henton's San Diego attorney, Stephen G. Cline, said he is reviewing the case and that she and her family are distraught.
The incidents were believed to have happened off-campus over a period of several months, Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart told the Associated Press.
One of the boys' parents discovered the relationship and reported it to authorities, police said. Henton had been under investigation since March 8, the same day she was placed on administrative leave by the school.
Detectives say they found evidence including emails and texts of lewd pictures and videos sent by Henton to the students.
Police did not yet know how the relationships began and did not release the ages of the alleged victims.
"We take these situations very seriously and have taken appropriate personnel actions in response to this arrest to ensure the safety of our students and staff," the Hemet Unified School District said in a statement on Wednesday.
The district had said March 15 it was assisting in the investigation of an unnamed school employee.
Henton oversaw the school's student council and athletics and assisted in discipline, according to media reports.


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George Zimmerman's motion to disqualify Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. from the Trayvon Martin shooting case was denied Wednesday.
The ruling was issued by Lester following Zimmerman's filing of the motion last month which claimed Lester's comments in an earlier bond order led him to believe Lester was prejudiced against him.
Lester had said in the order that Zimmerman and his wife misled him about their finances.
In his motion, Zimmerman argues that Lester made "gratuitous, disparaging remarks" about his character in a July 5 ruling setting Zimmerman's bond at $1 million.
Prosecutors later argued for Lester to stay on the case, saying the judge has given Zimmerman bond twice as well as other privileges that show he isn't prejudiced.
Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Miami Gardens teen Trayvon Martin in a gated community in Sanford in February. He has pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense in the shooting of Martin, 17.


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FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2012 file photo, a Chinese man holds up a portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong during protests outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, China. The face of dissatisfaction with China's Communist Party is the face of the man synonymous with it: Mao Zedong. Portraits of the revolutionary leader, hoisted by people born after his death 36 years ago, often led packs of demonstrators in protests over Japan's effort last week to bolster its hold on islands claimed by China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
BEIJING (AP) — The face of dissatisfaction with China's Communist Party is the face of the man synonymous with it: Mao Zedong.
Portraits of the revolutionary leader often led packs of demonstrators in protests over Japan's effort last week to bolster its hold on islands claimed by China. Many were hoisted by people born after his death 36 years ago.
Mao, widely revered by Chinese and praised by Communist Party leaders, is supposed to serve as a unifying symbol, but it often isn't so.
To some he represents a condemnation of corruption and inequality under a government that long ago abandoned his radical policies. More frequently this week, his image was a subtle slap by nationalists who accuse leaders of being too weak in the territorial dispute.
"Mao Zedong was tough. He never backed down when it came to the national interests," said Lu Lei, a Beijing salesman who went to the Japanese Embassy with his friends to protest Tuesday. "Our current government is spineless. If Mao were alive, we would have already attacked Japan."
Mao has become a safe way for Chinese to criticize a government bent on stifling dissent. His giant portrait still looks out to Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, and his name is etched into the country's constitution and the party's charter, even if his ideology has been abandoned in practice.
His image has rarely been displayed in such numbers as during the protests this week. Rows of his portraits floated through the parades — often in the company of a sea of red flags — in an eerie resemblance to the scenes from the fervent days of the Cultural Revolution when Mao was worshipped as a god.
Behind the scenes of the angry protests that rippled across more than two dozen cities this week runs an undercurrent of grievances, many of them critical of the government.
Protesters held up signs that touched on broader social issues such as corruption, food safety and the widening gap between poor and rich. Some protesters even joked that urban code enforcers — resented by the Chinese public for their brutality against unlicensed street peddlers — should be sent to fight the Japanese military.
Those messages mixed with anti-Japanese slogans on a rare occasion where the government tolerated and at time abetted public demonstrations.
"This movement has multiple purposes. Nationalism is only part of the protests." said Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore. "More people are angry about the current government, and they wanted to use this opportunity to vent."
The government, normally inclined to crush protests, allowed these of public anti-Japanese fury to gain leverage in its latest tiff with Tokyo over small uninhabited East China Sea islands called the Senkaku by Japanese and the Diaoyu by Chinese.
Japan controls the islands and purchased them from their private owners last week, thwarting plans by Tokyo's nationalistic governor to buy and develop them. China responded with furious rhetoric.
Both countries have sent patrol ships to the waters surrounding the islands, and there is no sign of progress in resolving the dispute between the two Asian economic powerhouses.
Allowing the protests, however, carries risks for China, as protesters can bend the intended message. They sent a quiet critique with a sign seemingly hard for the government to quarrel with: "Chairman Mao, we are missing you very much."
After his death in 1976, Mao was much criticized for radical excesses in which tens of millions killed and persecuted in mass movements. Laid-off workers, however, eventually began parading his portrait at protests as a plea for more egalitarian policies.
Mao first became a protest icon about a decade ago during mass layoffs that accompanied privatization of state industries. Social injustice, corruption and a yawning rich-poor gap have only worsened since and were themes amid the anti-Japan protests.
Many Chinese are worried about the chairman's re-emergence on the scene. His most ardent supporters tend to be stridently nationalistic and advocate an authoritarian populism. Some protesters called for the release of Bo Xilai, the disgraced politician and a populist who was ousted from the leadership in a political scandal.
Wang Zheng, a Beijing teacher who has been detained for her support of Bo, said the public remembers Mao as a resolute man who showed no ambiguity on sovereignty issues.
"Our government has been spineless on many things — Diaoyu being one of them," she said. "The diplomatic protests are meaningless when they are not backed with actions. The government has behaved the same year after year, making the public more nostalgic about Mao."
Some protesters employed other methods to use the outrage against Japan as a jumping-off point to deliver other messages.
In Beijing, some held up signs saying they would be willing to eat unsafe food to reclaim the islands. Food safety is a big public concern in China.
In Changsha, a small group of protesters at an anti-Japan rally held up a hand-written sign calling for the ouster of corrupt officials. Some of them wore mouth covers marked with an "X."
"That means we cannot freely speak our minds," local protester Wu Qingjun said.
Wu said his group did not catch police attention, but the rights group China Human Rights Defenders reported at least three cases when activists were taken away.
It said Jiao Guobian, a former college teacher, was arrested on Sept. 12 on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power," allegedly for saying the government should have kept an eye as close on the islands as it does on dissidents.


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The Felt QX Equipped line blends all of the comfort, durability and stable feel of a mountain bike with the speed and efficiency of a city bike. Ideal for everyday commutes or weekend trail rides, it is the perfect choice for variable terrain. Designed with a lightweight butted aluminum frame and reliable components, QX helps you enjoy the ride, wherever it might take you.
What sets the QX Equipped apart are the trekking specific accessories that make these bikes ideal on longer trips. By beginning with a standard QX, then carefully equipping each with just the right high-quality fenders, chain guard, rack and lighting system, a QX Equipped is a bike that places no limits on just how far you can go. From a single day outing to a weekend trip or more, the QX is comfortable no matter what the journey is. These versatile and easy to ride bikes offer the durability of a mountain bike, the efficiency of a city bike, and the long-range capability of a true trekking bike. Their quick, smart styling and crisp ride quality make them perfect in so many situations.
With a wide range of men's and women's styles, including a full size selection and multiple color choices, there is a Felt QX Equipped for everybody.


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The Center for Courageous Kids, also known as CCK, is a world class medical camp located in Scottsville, KY, serving children and families from across the country who are living with a variety of medical challenges, free of charge. We are open year round and can host 120 kids at a time. When you add our counselors, volunteers, trained Programs and Medical staff, our mascot, Dr. Cubby the Courageous Lion, and our top notch facility, you start to see just how "We Prescribe Fun!" We are a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation and operate solely on donations which we receive from across the globe. Registered as Project CAMP, Inc. dba The Center for Courageous Kids, our campers call us "CCK" and you'll often hear the cheer "CCK, HOW DO YOU FEEL?"
Staff Info
For the summer, The Center for Courageous Kids hires 60 staff members. Employment is contingent on two references, a background check, and an interview process. Summer staff are required to work from mid-May to early August. Applicants must be at least 19 years old or 18 years old with one year of college.
Summer Paid Positions
Den Counselor: As a den counselor you are assigned to 8 campers each week. This position requires the counselor to be actively involved in the supervision, guidance, and motivation of campers while maintaining a high standard of care.
Program Counselor: Program counselors are responsible for preparing, supervising, and facilitating one of thirteen program areas we provide on camp. For a full list of program areas, please refer to the application.
Information to Consider Before You Apply
The Application Process:
December to April: Accept Application for Employment
January until all positions are filled: Interviewing.
March until all positions are filled: Employment offers are extended


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Gear Authority is a premier motorcycle gear, apparel and lifestyle retailer. We offer a large assortment of the top brands in offroad, sport bike, cruiser, adventure, and race apparel gear, along with motorcycle lifestyle clothing, footwear and more.
Since day one, our top three priorities are: to provide unparalleled customer service, to stock riding gear for all riders on the road and those that venture off, and to ensure our staff of riders is among the most knowledgeable in the industry.


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How Does Bowtrol Work
The easiest way to maintain bettor health. Don't interest these community of interests college educatees adolescents are more well and more than than effective than these. So these paths are the detox program the individual is taken for real effective fiber part. We live in a put to get a estimable laxative took in herbal … [Read more...]