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Courteney Cox and David Arquette Are Still Doing It
The Scream couple are working in Hollywood together. Also today: Lifetime remakes a modern Southern classic, some exciting Game of Thrones news, and HBO scoops up Liberace.
- Friends millionaire Courteney Cox and her carny ex-husband David Arquette may be split up romantically, but professionally they are still very much in business. They have sold two shows that they are producing together, one called The Next Insanely Great Thing which is about a town that submits itself to "social media experiments" and zzzzzz..... and another about a couple that's together for 10 years and then breaks up and it's called 10 Years. HMM. Sounds familiar. NBC bought both of the shows, so it'll be interesting to see if they pick up both or either of them. I'd say it could have some bearing on their relationship, but probably not! These two weirdos are like peas in a pod. [The Wrap]
- Ummmmm. The gay twitter world (or at least the old fruits I follow) is abuzz today about the news that Lifetime: Television For Laundry Day has decided to go on ahead and make a new version of Steel Magnolias with an all-black cast. Amazing! Who should play all the partzzzz?? Clearly Loretta Devine needs to play Truvy, because can you imagine anyone else but her (and Dolly) saying "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion"? No, no you cannot. Let's have Regina Hall as Annelle and, as I saw suggested on Twitter, Alfre Woodard as Clairee. Ouiser's a tough one, but if she's up for it maybe Cicely Tyson could do it. If not her, obviously Phylicia Rashad. And as M'Lynn and Shelby? Hm, maybe Angela Bassett and Jurnee Smollett? Now you go! [Deadline]
- Aha, the long-rumored Steven Soderbergh Liberace biopic starring Michael Douglas as the ostentatious pianist and Matt Damon as his youngah lovah has gone to HBO. Don't get too excited yet, though. They don't start filming until next summer. But, actually, do get excited, because the movie's title? Behind the Candelabra. Now that's a good title. Though, shit. There goes the name for my autobiography. How does Beneath the Cobwebs sound to you? Either one works for my life. [THR]
- Fox has gone ahead and bought another show from Jonah Hill, this one a live-action comedy starring popular New York comedian and writer Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, SNL). There's no word on what the show is about or anything, but both of those guys are funny dudes so this should be considered good news! Also, don't you wish your name was something exciting like Hannibal? It'd be great. "Hi, my name is Scipio Africanus Lawson. I'm here to pick up my brain pills? Yup. Scipio... Africanus." Just has a nice ring to it. [Deadline]
- SPOILER ALERT GUYS. If you're not done with Book 3 of Game of Thrones yet, do not read any further. OK, are they gone? They're gone. The GoT show has cast actress Rose Leslie, who charmingly played the ambitious maid who aspired to be a typist on Downton Abbey, as Jon Snow's future forest fuck-friend Ygritte. !!! This actress gets to be in Downton Abbey and then gets to roll around in a sex cave with Kit Harington? Nothing in life is fair. She is the 1%. Occupy Rose Lesile. [EW]
- Pretty Little Liars and soon-to-be Rock of Ages actor Diego Boneta, who is this person, has just been cast as Adam, as in like first guy alive Adam, in that Paradise Lost movie they've got coming out. I could believe him as the first man! Camilla Belle plays his Eve, while the role of Steve has yet to be cast. Early reports have Chace Crawford desperately pleading for the role. [Deadline]
[Photo via Getty]


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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Jon Lester and Jeff Locke each pitched four solid innings. Steven Wright still has some fine-tuning ahead.
Lester, projected to start for the Red Sox on opening day, gave up one run Wednesday in Boston's 9-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Lester allowed two hits and three walks while striking out three.
"Good four innings of work today," Boston manager John Farrell said. "I thought he used his curveball a little more today than he had in the previous two outings, part by design, part by some of the situations that arose. Might not have been as sharp as his last time out. But still, 52 pitches in four innings, a good day of work."
Locke faced the Red Sox for the second straight start. He permitted one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
"Today was kind of just like last week, but it went a lot better," the lefty said. "I was able to throw more pitches in the strike zone and keep the ball down a lot better. There were some pretty well-stroked balls, but that's just a part of baseball.
"For me, personally, with it being spring training and you're preparing yourself for the season, it was definitely a step in the right direction today. I mixed up my pitches and I was able to get quality work from the windup and the stretch," he said.
Manager Clint Hurdle was satisfied.
"The fact that he made pitches, he stayed away from the big inning, they scratched him for the one run, no more damage than that, he went out there four times, it was a good step forward for him," Hurdle said.
Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright permitted five runs on five hits and three walks in two innings. He was watched by former Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who started out as an infielder in the Pirates' organization before becoming a pitcher.
Wright realized during his outing he was having a problem with his mechanics, something he was able to discuss with Wakefield as soon as he came out.
"Working with Wake has definitely helped," Wright said. "I was talking to him now about the mechanical issues I was having. It's just trying to stay within and not trying got throw it hard and just trying to throw it right. Whatever the velocity is, it is what it is."
Andrew McCutchen drove in two runs for the Pirates.
NOTES: OF Ryan Westmoreland, a former top prospect with the Red Sox whose career was interrupted by twice undergoing brain surgery, announced his retirement at age 22. Westmoreland was diagnosed with a cavernous malformation of the brain during spring training in 2010. He was a fifth-round draft pick in 2008. In his only pro season, he hit .296 with seven homers, 35 RBIs and 19 steals in 60 games in Class A in 2009. ... Red Sox DH David Ortiz, making his way back from an Achilles strain that limited him to 90 games last season, had a scheduled off-day from running. There is no schedule yet for him to get into a game. ... Boston RHP Daniel Bard is scheduled to get into Thursday's game against the Twins. He has not pitched in a game since Feb. 25, working on his mechanics. ... Boston CF Jacoby Ellsbury was out of camp with illness. ... Jensen Millar, brother of former Red Sox 1B Kevin Millar, handled the public address duties for the game. He is a finalist for the PA job at Fenway Park. ... The Pirates used a lineup that was fairly representative of what they will have opening day, with at least seven starters. "We think it's time," Hurdle said. "Spring training is a little more complicated than when I played. Now we have night games, day games after night games, more split-squad games. But we're definitely going to start getting our guys out there that we need to get more reps from."

subset: commoncrawl


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
I am very excited as well. I'm trying hard to get my head around this code-base so that I can build a games plugin (at first mame, but there will be others.)-Thom
I understand that MythTV's backend is doesn't contain the functionallity of DCERouter at this time. My suggestion was that maybe it should.The concept behind MythTV and Pluto are one and the same, to create the "Mythical convergence device" for the home. Consequently there is a lot of overlap in functionality. MythTV is bolted on to Pluto for the PVR functionality, but it actually contains many of the components for which Pluto already has home grown solutions. In many cases these are more mature solutions. Pluto is a lot like Freevo, and in it's architecture is more like a bazaar than the cathedral like MythTV. In their development the roles are reversed which helps explain the strengths and deficiencies of both.
the code is very good... it's flexible as hell... it's just...not...documented worth a fuck... code forensics takes time. :-P
... and that Zaerc dude who must monitor these forums 24/7 ...
I don't think it is just as crucial, we can update the DB in the compile and so add devices and device templates. When we get things compiling, I'll look at what it will take to get a sqlcvs working for us.


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Don't Get Taken 2 the Cleaners
- Christa Banister Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- 2012 5 Oct
DVD Release Date: January 15, 2013
Theatrical Release Date: October 5, 2012
Rating: PG-13 (for intense scenes of violence and action, and some sensuality)
Genre: Action/Thriller
Run Time: 91 min.
Director: Oliver Megaton
Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Leland Orson, Jon Gries, D.B. Sweeney, Luke Grimes
Kicking off the new season of Inside the Actor's Studio this week, Liam Neeson sat in front of a group of future actors and filmmakers and discussed everything from the privilege of playing Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's masterful Schindler's List to getting back to his Irish roots three years later in Michael Collins where he portrayed the titular character, an unlikely hero who ended up being a key player in the establishment of the Irish Free State in the 1920s.
Neeson also addressed the more challenging aspects of acting in front of a blue screen in Star Wars: Episode I and waxed poetic on the rewards of sharing a stage with his wife, the late Natasha Richardson, on Broadway and the big screen in 1994's Nell. Perhaps, trying to prove that he's more than just "a serious actor," he talked about how fun it was making The A-Team and gave co-star Bradley Cooper (The Words) a big shout-out for his improvisational skills.
But when James Lipton asked him about 2009's surprise hit Taken, Neeson's successful foray into a full-on action star territory, he was noticeably uncomfortable. As it turns out, Liam thought the film was probably headed straight to video. Of course, when a movie that reportedly cost only $25 million to make grosses more than $226 million worldwide, a sequel was practically inevitable, not that Neeson wanted to talk much about it. After mumbling something about it having a "decent" script, they quickly cut to a clip where his character Bryan Mills was showcasing his particular set of skills yet again, namely showing the Albanians who's the boss (hint: it's not Tony Danza).
Much like Die Hard 2 or more recently, The Hangover Part 2, where basically the same story is re-told with only a minor tweak here and there, Taken 2 is nothing more than a shameless copycat of its predecessor. Really, the only thing worth praising is the sheer bravado of trying to pass this off as something new and asking the audience to suspend their disbelief to this degree.
This time around, our fearless quinquaginarian is hoping to put his violent past behind him. Seemingly content with nothing more than knowing his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace, Breaking Dawn, Part 1) is safe (he's not above spying via a chip in her iPhone to do so), his romantic prospects are looking up, too, since his ex-wife Lenore's (Famke Janssen, The Ten) wealthy husband is basically exhibiting the same jerky behavior from the first movie.
Not surprisingly, all this newfound family bonding doesn't last long. See, after being hired to be a bodyguard for a sheik in Istanbul, Bryan invites Kim and Lenore over for some much-deserved R&R after his assignment is completed. Unfortunately, as smart and resourceful as Bryan usually is when trouble's lurking, he never considers the close proximity between Istanbul and Albania, the home of all the bad guys he killed in Taken.
Naturally, when people are mourning so many loved ones that a transport plane was actually required to airlift the bodies back home from France, revenge is immediately on their mind once they realize Bryan is nearby. Rather than kidnapping Kim as their first play, however, it's Bryan and Lenore who are "taken." As grim as the situation appears, with poor Lenore hanging upside down in a warehouse with a slit throat and a black hood over her head, and Bryan chained to a pipe nearby, all it takes is a quick call to Kim with elaborate instructions involving a shoestring and a map to help triangulate their location. If that wasn't already ridiculous enough, Mills has Kim toss around some live grenades to finish the job.
So Kim is, apparently, a quick study. Even though she's failed her driving test twice now, she's capable of pulling some serious fast and furious maneuvers behind the wheel. Yes, folks, that's just how dumb this movie is.
As laughable as some of the antics were in the first Taken (a teenager being allowed to travel to Paris without a chaperone; a guy with no discernable muscles hurting people so spectacularly), there was still something rewarding about watching a father go to such great lengths to rescue his daughter from the clutches of sexual slavery. With Taken 2, Neeson looks like he's merely going through the motions... though he still walks away from this ridiculousness with a sizable paycheck while long-suffering movie lovers just get taken.
- Drugs/Alcohol: Social drinking, smoking depicted.
- Language/Profanity: When compared with most PG-13 movies, the profanity isn't nearly as prevalent. But there is still a steady stream of four-letter words, including a handful of instances where God's name is misused.
- Sex/Nudity: A pretty strong threat is made involving Kim being sold back into sexual slavery where "she will be abused by so many men that she'll be nothing more than a piece of meat a dog wouldn't have." There's also some mild innuendo as Brian and his ex-wife Lenore start reconnecting. Brian bursts in as Kim is making out with her boyfriend. Kim is often shown in tight, revealing clothing.
- Violence: While not as bloody as, say, a Quentin Tarantino film, the filmmakers squeeze a lot of violence—and drawn-out torture scenes—into Taken 2. At one point, Lenore's throat has been cut in such a precise way that she'd bleed to death very slowly while hanging upside down in a warehouse with a hood over her head. In the same room, Bryan is chained to a pipe. Showcasing just how high the body count was in the last film, a funeral showcases the mass burial that was required. Numerous scenes featuring intense hand-to-hand combat, perilous car chases, lots and lots of gunfire and explosives, all resulting in the deaths of many, many Albanians.
Publication date: October 5, 2012


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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children2016 Action/Adventure | Drama | Family | SciFi/Fantasy
When Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies. Jake must figure out who is real, who can be trusted, and who he really is.
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In the province of Almeria in southeast Spain, on the edge of Tabernas Desert, lies the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA). Owner and operator of the PSA is the spanish research center for energy, environmental studies and technology CIEMAT, a co-operation partner of the DLR for many years.
On this over-250-acre site, the full force of the Andalusian sun has been exploited since 1980 for the testing and optimisation of a variety of high-temperature solar technologies under nearly practicable conditions. More than 20,000 square metres of mirrors of various shapes in different test facilities concentrate the direct solar radiation to generate high and extremely high temperatures.
These facilities in the middle of a barren landscape, some of which seem to have come from the future, make up the largest test centre in Europe for concentrating high-temperature solar technologies - and one which leads the world in its variety. Every year, the site fascinates not only solar enthusiasts, but numerous scientific and private visitors. DLR played a major role in its planning and construction, and has been making use of the facility since the very beginning with on-site scientific staff to conduct its own solar technology testing and deveopment work. It works in close co-operation with its Spanish partner, CIEMAT.
Test facilities at the PSA
Actually the following test facilities are available at the PSA:
Plataforma Solar de Almería
Apartado 39
E-04200 Tabernas/Almería


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From a reader on last night's piece:
David, can you expand on this – " I would revise the concept of the cost of capital to make it credit-centric. All the efforts to calculate the cost of equity capital from equity market correlations are bogus. They don't make any economic sense. In most cases, the cost of equity should not exceed the yield on an average CCC bond."
All valuation classes teach the equity market correlation method so it would be interesting to hear your views.
Equity exists in many forms. In securitizations, equity is the tranche that takes the first loss and controls the deal. In a mutual insurer/bank/thrift, etc., the book equity is held by the dividend-receiving policyholders. The real equity is held by management, who actually control the place, because the dividend-receiving policyholders will not vote them out. In a credit tenant lease, there is the guy that owns the property, and typically he puts up a teensy amount of equity, because there is a "credit tenant," one that has an investment grade rating, and the mortgage is secured by:
- the property
- the senior unsecured credit of the "credit tenant," whose lease payments pay the mortgage, and go directly to the lender, and
- the equity owner.
In practice, the first two offer real security, and the third is a joke, sort of. The thing is, if commercial property values inflate, there is a *lot* of leverage the the CTL structure for the owner of the equity. And, if things go badly, most equity owners own the property though a thinly capitalized subsidiary. Can't squeeze blood from a stone. "Heads, I win. Tails, you lose."
Then there are more normal examples, like public and private equity. The ownership is clear, though control varies considerably, considering the stakes that control investors have.
Contingent Claims Theory
Leaving aside options on equity, the equity of an investment is the most volatile investment that funds the assets of an economic entity. The equity of an entity controls the entity, and possesses a valuable option — the option to abandon it all, and hand the company over to the next most junior investor.
Option valuation can tell us a lot about about the cost of capital. The put option inherent in any debt can be measured, giving the following observations:
- The more of the company that is financed with debt, the greater the risk of owning the equity (the default option is near the money), and the higher the cost of equity is.
- The more volatile the economic results of the company, the higher the probability of bankruptcy, and the higher the cost of equity will be.
- The underlying volatility of a company's assets radiates out through it liabilities, with liability volatility increasing as liability claims become more junior.
In essence, thinking like a securitization, where you have many, many levels of debt, and as debt gets more junior, its yield rises as its economic prospects become more volatile. Equity is not debt, but it is the juniormost claim on the assets and cash flow of the firm, even while it has control, which includes the option to adjust the capital structure. (Had to add that, because it is important, but not strictly relevant to my argument.)
Do you know which under-the-radar stocks the top hedge funds and institutional investors are investing in right now? Click here to find out.
Holding the equity is holding control, with a complex option to adjust the capital structure, including the possibility of giving up control under bad conditions, or selling out under good conditions. But now consider options on the equity — those options also imply a cost of equity capital:
- The more volatile the at-the money option is, the higher the cost of equity. (And the higher will be bond spreads…)
- Another way to think about it is how expensive it is to set a floor under and equity investment. Volatile companies have higher insurance premiums for their stocks. That implies a higher cost of capital.
- Using options, we can create pseudo-bonds, where we can lock in a certain range of returns.
- A capital structure hedge fund can trade corporate debt and CDS [Credit Default Swaps] against equity options — they all price off of the volatility of corporate assets in the short run.
- For any capital structure, the return on the assets can be modeled over a variety of credit scenarios. Those returns can translate into returns for the various liability classes — e.g. trade claims, bank debt, senior unsecured debt, junior bonds, preferred stock, equity, and given the current prices for each class, the yields and yield spreads can be calculated, as well as the probability and severity of loss.
Cost of equity is a function of the overall volatility of the value of corporate assets, and the degree of leverage the firm employs. This is how the cost of equity should be calculated. Using a method like this, I believe the estimated cost of equity would be lower than what MPT models would produce, and the equity would display significant optionality, having very low returns under stress and very high returns under the best scenarios.
If we calculate the cost of equity like this, it will be an enhancement to DCF, and not require the bogus assumptions of MPT, because:
- Risk is risk of monetary loss, not correlation to an index
- Beta is not a stable parameter; correlation coefficients are not stable either.
- This fits with the way that actuaries would price complex credit insurance policies, if they thought hard enough about it.
- This fits with contingent claims theory, which legally describes the claim structures for competing classes of liabilities.
By David Merkel, CFA of Aleph Blog
This is my theory of asset/liability/equity pricing in broad. Comments are welcomed.


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This is one of the nicest lots in any mountain area because of its great views & diverse terrain - and also because it is located only 20 minutes from Coronado.
Asking US$169,000
Panama Coast Rentals is the most reliable licensed real estate company serving Coronado, Gorgona, Panama, San Carlos, and the Pacific beach areas. With us, you can buy a beautiful house, condominium or land to serve as your next home to live in or rent as an investment property. All of our homes are titled and owned by Panamanian corporations. We offer full services with a bilingual staff to support you throughout the process.
*gated residential community
*one hour from Panama City
*shops, salons and restaurants, and 24-hour supermarket
*24-hour, fully-equipped hospital built in 2008
*equestrian club
*golf, aquatic, and spa services
*variety of social activities
*easy drive to tourist attractions
Click here to view photos of the area
U.S.-based K-12 international school. Click here to see the school website.


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I think that just about everything President Obama "knows" about American history comes from left-wing academics like American University professor Peter Kuznick, the co-author with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States. The book is a companion to Stone's Showtime series.
At American University, incidentally, Kuznick teaches the "path-breaking course Oliver Stone's America." On Showtime, Stone presents Peter Kuznick's America. They have got a circle of love kind of thing going between them. In any event, cultural artifacts such as the book and the series have done a lot of damage. It is a mistake to ignore them.
The title of the book notwithstanding, historian Ronald Radosh notes that it serves up "A story told before." Radosh writes: "An examination of the first four episodes and the accompanying 750-page book—The Untold History of the United States (Gallery Books), obviously written by Kuznick, although Stone's name appears first—reveals them to offer not an untold story, but the all-too-familiar Communist and Soviet line on America's past as it developed in the early years of the Cold War." Twice-Told Tales would be more like it.
In the video below, Roger Simon and Lionel Chetwynd interview Radosh about the Showtime series. The video is a terrific companion to Radosh's linked Weekly Standard article. Radosh et al. condemn CBS for broadcasting the Showtime series. Their condemnation necessarily applies as well to the book. The book is published by Gallery Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint. Publishing giant Simon & Schuster is also owned by CBS. CBS has earned the catcalls twice over.
In any event, the video gets to the point with astonishing speed and ferocity. Highly recommended.
Via InstaPundit.


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The Best Highlights for Your Hair
Never know what to ask for when it comes to highlights? Have no fear. We can help.
Celebrities are THE fashion icons for beauty, makeup — and of course, hairstyles. Mila Kunis is no exception. That's why we've got Mila Kunis photo galleries, pictures, and general beauty news on this celeb. Her style is totally inspiring and worth checking out. So if you're searching for some beauty tips, hairstyle options, and fashion advice, turn to Mila Kunis. She'll bring your fashion to a whole new place.
Never know what to ask for when it comes to highlights? Have no fear. We can help.
See how you can get an Oscar-worthy dress, hairstyle and makeup look — without a team of pros
No more flipping through endless magazines to find the perfect prom hairstyles — we've got the best looks to match any dress style
Need some inspiration? We found the hottest celebrity hairstyles from the Golden Globes for you to copy
See what hairstyles we think the 2011 nominees will be wearing on the red carpet
Is your long hair up in a non-cute, super lazy ponytail? Break that cycle with these exciting new ways to wear your long hair


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Hello Linux Geeksters. As you may know, Converseen is an open-source multi-platform image converter and resizer, written in C++ and using the Qt4 libraries. It has support for more that 100 image formats, including like DPX, EXR, GIF, JPEG, JPEG-2000, PhotoCD, PNG, Postscript, SVG, TIFF and many others.
It offers the user the basic photo manipulation functions, including convert, resize, rotate or flip.
The latest version available is Converseen 0.8.5, which has been recently released, coming with an option for disabling the automatic update check and a bunch of bug-fixes. For more information, see the official changelog.
In this article I will show you how to install Converseen 0.8.5 on Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn, Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr, Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin, Pinguy OS 14.04, Linux Mint 17.1 Rebecca, Linux Mint 17 Qiana, Linux Mint 13 Maya, Elementary OS 0.3 Freya, Elementary OS 0.2 Luna, Deepin 2014, Linux Lite 2.0, LXLE 14.04 and other Ubuntu derivative systems.
Because it is available via PPA, installing Converseen 0.8.5 on the listed Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pinguy OS, Deepin, Linux Lite, LXLE and Peppermint systems is easy. All you have to do is add the ppa to your system, update the local repository index and install the converseen package. Like this:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install converseen
Optional, to remove Converseen, do:
$ sudo apt-get remove converseen


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OCEAN CITY – Boat enthusiasts and spectators gathered this past weekend for another exciting year of good weather, fast boats, and intense racing as the OPA Offshore Power Boat Races came to town.
The races occurred on Sunday afternoon, with crowds gathering all along the beach to watch the boats race around the course from 4th street to 42nd street. Unfortunately for the boat Wicked, Sunday's race was a memorable one for the wrong reason.
While racing, Wicked, a New Jersey boat raced by Jay Muller, had its right hull break away resulting in a hole in the side of the boat.
According to Rob Asner, boat race promoter and racer, the Wicked turned off the engines and floated to shore with really no other option.
"It was either sink or come in," Asner said of the broken catamaran, explaining that a sunken ship in the ocean would not only be bad for the racer, but bad for the ocean and the environment as well.
"It was a controlled, slow landing," Asner said.
Ocean City Beach Patrol Caption Butch Arbin agreed that the landing was controlled but maintained there is always a concern for the safety of swimmers.
"We treat everything in the ocean exactly the same," he said, "whether it's a boat, a shark, a piece of plywood, or a crashed airplane."
Arbin said the patrol's main concern was clearing people out of the way so the boat could land safely.
"There was no imminent public danger," he said. "Still, our number one concern is public safety."
The boat remained beached for several hours as crews worked to clear the area and bring in the needed equipment. Further problems were encountered when the first crane became immobile, requiring a bigger crane to be brought in to remove not only the boat but the first crane as well. Nonetheless, the boat was removed from the beach Sunday night, and according to Asner is currently on its way to Florida to face costly repairs.
"It's a big expense for them, but its all part of the fun," Asner said, predicting that Wicked should be racing again in about six weeks.
As for the rest of the race, everything went as planned.
"I think everything went smoothly, we had big crowds at the marina and it was a success all around," Asner said.
Brian Tinkler runs the marina at Sunset Marina and agreed it was a great weekend for everyone involved.
"It was a great event that is defiantly something to build on," he said. "I think it will become one of the more popular weekends for the town."
Asner said that although the racers are the main focus, the real heroes of the race are those who made the whole event possible.
Geico was the big sponsor this year, making the race a reality for Ocean City and racing their own boat, Miss Geico, on Sunday.
Sunset Marina donated the marina, staff and hospitality to all of the racers for the entire weekend.
Asner is hopeful the races will return at the same time and place next year after the completion of another successful year of offshore powerboat racing in Ocean City.
"It really was a success and everyone had a good time," he said.


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Stu's Story
Video - 2012 short film telling the story of Stu's Superior Fly designs
Video - Stu's Willow Grub has been featured in the Gin-Clear film "Hatch"
Video - Stu's Fly Shop has been featured in Gambit Stone's film "The Waters Of Greenstone"
Video - 2013 Trout Diaries interview with Stu Tripney
1976 - At the age of 9, Stu won his first competition - Schoolboys Championship
1977 - At the age of 10, Stu won the Schoolboys Championship for the 2nd year in a row
1978 - At the age of 11, Stu won the Schoolboys Championship for the 3rd year in a row
1979 - At the age of 12, Stu won the Schoolboys Championship for the 4th time!
1981 - At the age of 14, Stu with more trophies won at another angling club
1982 - At the age of 15, Stu became Junior Fishing Champion in Queenzieburn
1983 - At the age of 16, Stu with his biggest ever caught Scottish wild brown trout
1985 - Fishing in Scotland article by old fishing/poaching friend
1988 - Stu travelled, studied and worked throughout the world as a safari driver in Africa, spin and fly fishing - photo with Talapia
1990 - Stu registered his first fishing company in Uganda - "Uganda Sportfishing Safaris Limited"
1991 - Some of Stu's flies have been featured in the USA Fly Tying book "Fly Patterns: Tie Thousands Of Flies" by Randall & Mary Kaufman
2001 - Stu's NZ Guided Fly Fishing adventures began - Born To Fish
2002 - Queenstown Fly Fishing School
2004 - Stu became a Royalty Fly Tier for the Umqua Feather Merchants fly tying pro team who produced 17 of Stu's fly designs. Stu had no control over his designs so he dropped out of the program.
2005 - Stu became a Royalty Fly Tier and member of Rainy USA fly tying program. He was the first fly tier outside of America ever to sign a contract by a large American fly tying company.
2005 - Stu was commissioned to design and tie flies by an Auckland Real Estate company for the promotion for the selling of some NZ prime real estate life style properties. The fly designed and tied was called the Bendemeer Beauty.
2006 - Stu won the 1st gold medal for fly tying in Australasia – the People's Choice Award in an international fly tying competition with his fly the Bionic Bug
2006 - Stu's fly designs are featured in the book NZ best trout flies - 6 pages of flies
2006 - Stu became a certified IFFF Fly Casting Instructor
2007 - Stu released his cutting edge fly tying film, A Foam Odyssey
2007 - 'High flyer born to fish in NZ' - Southland Express, Oct 11, 2007
2007 - Stu went to the USA and became the 1st FFF certified master fly casting instructor in Australasia
2007 - Stu with the legend and inspiration Mel Krieger and other FFF Masters
2007 - Stu represented NZ Southland as a guest fly tier at the 22nd FFF conclave in Livingston, Montana, USA
2007 - Fly-fisherman Stu masters his goals Otago Daily Times
2007 - Rise Article in Trout Fisher magazine, August 2007
2008 - Article by Rob Sloane from FlyLife
2008 - Article in NewsLink Oct 2, 2008
2008 - Article In Troutfisher, February/March 2008 'Chasing your dreams or goals'
2009 - The Complete Flyfisherman - article about Stu bringing the foam back into the world of fly tying
2009 - Stu as a saltwater guide in Northern Australia, Cape York
2010 - Front cover of Flyfisher magazine, flies and article
2010 - Article 'Flash Flies' in 'Be Guided' Winter 2010 issue
2010 - The Southland Times article, Oct 29, 2010 'The Artistry of Fly-tying'
2010 - The Waters Of Greenstone featuring Stu
2010 - New York Times featuring Stu fishing the Mataura river - Jan 31, 2010
2010 - FlyLife Article, Autumn 2010 'Review - Stu's Superior Flies'
2011 - Flyfishing & Tying Journal, Fall 2011 – 'Neutral Buoyancy Nymphs' article
2011 - Stu's fly designs are featured in the top selling fly fishing book The Trout Diaries
2011 - Stu's flies were painted for the month October in the NZ fly fishing calendar
2011 - The Complete Fly Fisherman, Nov 2011 - Stu appeared besides well-known other fly fishing legends, authors and industry players e.g. Lefty Kreh
2011 - Election newspaper article, The Southland Times, Nov 2, 2011
2011 - SAGE advert featuring Stu's Fly Shop
2012 - Stu's saltwater crab fly got a mention in The Western Australia Fishing Magazine Nov/Dec 2012, Issue 6
2012 - Stu was interviewed and filmed for the Willow Grub section of the award winning Fly Fishing Film 'Hatch'
2012 - Trout Fisherman article 'Foam? Subtle? Some mistake surely...'
2012 - 'The Essence Of Fly Casting', Derek Grzelewski
2012 - Article in Fliegenfischen (Germany's biggest fly fishing magazine), Issue 1/13, Dec, 2012
2013 - FlyLife Magazine Article 'Shop Locally'
2012 - FlyLife Advert, Edition 69, Spring 2012
2013 - Front Cover of NZ Trout Fisher magazine, Feb/March 2013
2013 - Stu's advertising and cutting edge marketing campaigns inspired professional Australian photographer Jesse Whyte
2013 - Some of Stu's Superior Flies have been painted by Wanaka artist Stella Eve Senior for the NZ Trout Bohemia book
2013 - Stu's Fly Shop is listed at Landandsee.com
2014 - Stu is featured at 'Around The Mountains'
2014 - 'Fisherman Content in His Niche', Otago Daily Times
2014 - FlyLife Advert, Edition 75, Autumn 2014
2014 - Stonefly Magazine Advert
2014 - Trout Unlimited Advert, Summer 2014
2014 - Stu's Fly Shop and New Zealand Fly Fishing School are listed at www.newzealand.com
2014 - Field & Stream Review by Kirk Deeter, July 2014
2014 - Stu fly tying at Sage factory usa
2015 - Field and Stream Blog Q & A with Stu on the NZ Mouse 'Hatch'
2015 - TROUT Spring 2015 article
2015 - The Last Word in Denizen Magazine
2015 - Drake Fly Fishing magazine story
2015 - NZ fly school buys land
2015 - Australian fly fishing club talks
2015 - World's first trout truck
2016 - Stu's adventures, so many .
2017 - Stu's world famous fly shop - closes its doors
2017 - Stu starts on the new, NZ Fly School building and fish tank home
2018- The fly school /house takes shape
2018 - NZ Fly School, creative area & home is complete
2019- Trout Diaries books & Stu
2019 - Stu visits Nepal & India yet again - Two books
2019 - NZ fly fishing school, Stu opens new building and casting area.
2019 - Queenstown Writers Festial- Stu gives book talk
2020 - NZ fly fishing school History - 18 + years
2020 - Stu & fly fishing history
2020 - Jungle Blues book nearly finished
2020 - JUNGLE BLUES BOOK - Crowd funding launch
2020 -The Best Fly Fishing Book in Years - FROM ANGLING TRADE MAGAZINE
2007 - Stu went to the USA and became the 1st FFF certified master fly casting instructor in Australasia


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Friday, September 13, 2013
Into the Great Unknown: Zero Hour at Lava Falls Rapid
Still, the oarsmen have a saying: "You don't f*ck around with four rapids in the Grand Canyon, Hance, Horn (or Granite? I don't always listen well), Crystal, and Lava Falls". And they were right. I took a long and harrowing swim in Crystal Rapid several days earlier, and I wasn't anxious to do such a thing again. For several days now, the oarsmen in our group had been talking about Lava Falls, and now having passed the massive volcanic plug of Vulcan's Anvil, we were at the top of the worst rapid on the Colorado River, and one of the toughest rapids in North America. It is rated at Class 10 out of 10 on the river runners scale.
Really, how many rapids rate a 90 page geological analysis? You can see it right here: http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1591/report.pdf .
A quote from the ever-staid and formal geological investigators:
Lava Falls, at river mile 179.4 on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, is one of the most
difficult navigable rapids in the continental United States and is the standard against which all rapids in Grand Canyon National Park are judged for navigability.
I had been thinking about Lava Falls a lot over the last couple of days, and after my dunking in Crystal Rapid, I was pretty sure I would elect to walk around the rapid. Looking at my journal, I see that I even said so twice in the days leading up to our arrival. Still, I told myself that I would take a look and consider it.
The second very strange thing that happened was that I experienced a Hitchcockian case of vertigo every time I looked at the rapid. The whole scene swam in front of me whenever I looked at the waves. I've never had vertigo in my life, and didn't even know what to call it at the time, but I would look away to the cliffs above, and no problem. I'd look at the river again, and it would start wavering and swimming in front of me. As best as I can figure, the reptilian core of my brain was desperately trying to overcome the analytical part of my brain and toss it into the river so I would do the safe thing and walk around the rapid.
All the rapids on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon exist because of debris flows. These floods of giant boulders and mud emerge from the tributary canyons and pile into the river, pushing the flow into a narrow channel on one side or the other. The river has to speed up as it passes through the constriction, and it drops anywhere from a few feet to as many as 30. The severity of the rapid is determined by the length of the rapid, the drop, and the arrangement of large boulders along the way. The level of the Colorado River is also an important consideration. Some rapids are better if the flow is higher. Others are better at low flows.
Lava Falls formed because of debris flows that emerged from nearby Prospect Canyon. During intense cloudbursts, water pours down the cliffs of the Supai Group and overlying Permian formations, and drops over a 1,000 foot cliff of Redwall Limestone. The waterfall hits the slope debris at the base of the cliff, and forms the debris flow via what the researchers call the "firehose effect". The deposits along the river record a great many flooding events over the last 3,000 years. One of the prehistoric events dammed the river to a depth of nearly 100 feet. The rapid formed by that event would have dwarfed the present-day Lava Falls. More recent debris flows altered the rapid in 1939, 1954, 1955, 1963, 1966, and 1995. The 1939 event was the largest historical debris flow in the modern history of the Grand Canyon, larger even than the 1966 event that turned Crystal Rapid into such a monster. The flow was estimated at 35,000 cubic feet per second. That would be considered a high flow on the main Colorado River. The pile of debris constricted the river to only 20% of its normal width for a time (about 50% today). Lava Falls had become a monster rapid.
Lava Falls Rapid has a gigantic ledge at the top that forms a huge standing wave that can trap a small raft for hours. Routes can be possible on both the right side and left, but the left side has large boulders that can trap boats near the base of the rapids. High flows can diminish the danger. Most runs occur on the right, but there is another huge hole and standing wave that must be avoided on the far right side. Boats have to punch through the huge V wave, avoid the huge boulder called the Cheese Grater, and then navigate past two other gigantic waves, the Kahunas. It's the worst rapid, but short. The whole ride lasts less than 20 seconds if done right. Done wrong, and you'll be pitched into the water for a wild ride, or caught on a boulder for hours (see an interesting story about one such trapped boat right here).
Meanwhile, I was still up on the scout rock watching my brother's family running the rapids. The moment of truth had come and someone behind me asked if I was going to ride the rapid. A disembodied voice quite separate from my conscious mind said "yes". I wasn't sure who spoke, but since everyone was looking at me, I guess it had been me. I don't know what I was thinking... I pulled Pete, on whose boat I was riding, off to the side and said to him "I need an honest answer...is it better if I'm in the boat (extra weight, lots of it), or not?" He said he needed the weight to help punch through the waves, so I was going.
We got in the boat, and this time the camera and the journal were stowed as tightly and securely as possible. I wasn't going to lose a second camera, and the loss of my journal would have been devastating. I hunkered down in the front of the raft and we pushed off.
A story of redemption and courage would end with a victorious run through the rapid, and a confirmation that it is always better to bravely face your fears. Always get back on the horse after you are thrown. Jump back into the battle after your nose has been bloodied. The story ends with an affirmation of the human spirit, and a slow motion montage of arms thrown in the air in victory. That's how the movie script would end. Here's what actually happened, courtesy of Bruce Burger who was shooting our ride from the scouting rock (his effort to get the movie posted is greatly appreciated!):
Yup, we flipped on the V wave. Personally I don't think anything was wrong with our approach. Our boat was just too short and too lightly loaded, and we simply caught the edge of an unlucky wave. In any case, I was in the water again. It was a shock, but it was far less terrifying this time around. I bobbed up quickly and the boat was right there. I grabbed on, and once again I realized I was in front and headed towards being crushed against the Cheese Grater. I quickly shifted to the side of the boat, but the current shifted left, so we missed the big rock. We rode out the two Kahuna Waves and the river quickly settled down. I was in calm water within a minute or less.
I found out that Pete had a worse time of it, because he got trapped under the boat briefly, and tumbled head over heels in the dark water. That had to be a horrific ten seconds (and seriously, they would have been the longest ten seconds of anyone's life), but by the time I was able to check behind me he was swimming too.
Once again, Barry and Bev came to the rescue, and since I had only been in the water for two minutes or so (and being a hundred miles downstream the water was not quite as cold as before), I was able to help climb onto their boat, and I was even able to be an active participant in catching our overturned raft. We got the boat flipped back, and the only losses were my rowing gloves and my hat (I had a spare). The camera was safe, and a few moments later I snapped a self-portrait of the not quite drowned river rat.
We headed down the canyon to our camp at Middle Chevron. It was situated beneath an immense cliff of basaltic lava that would be a dominant feature of the canyon for much of the remainder of our journey. We had a delightful meal of chili and cornbread with cheesecake for dessert. I laid down to sleep and watched lightning flicker in the eastern skies. The stars blazed overhead, and soon I was asleep. The trip was now "post-lava-falls". I slept soundly.
5 comments:
- Gaelyn said...
OMG, you have definitely been christened by the Colorado. Awesome videos.
I was nervous days before Lava yet had worked myself into the smaller boat, a 22' motorized raft with plenty of weight, for that run. At 26,000 cfs I'm pretty sure we hit the Ledge full on and before I knew it we were through. I wanted to do it again.
Congrats on being a survivor.
- September 14, 2013 at 10:22 AM
- Lockwood said...
Looking at the first few photos, it's utterly impossible to grasp the scale of this monster. The in the photos with rafts and people... yeow! Congrats on your courage and success. Maybe "survival" is a better word. Dunno if I could have gone through with it.
- September 14, 2013 at 10:40 AM
- intaminag said...
I wish you could see it right here:
But the link is down because of the shutdown. Oh what fun!
- October 8, 2013 at 1:05 PM
- intaminag said...
I wish you could see it right here:
But the link is down due to the government shutdown. Oh what fun!
- October 8, 2013 at 1:07 PM
- RAEchel Running said...
GREAT to relive the journey with your post ! glad I stumbled upon your blog; ) Very inspiring and made me laugh out loud and have a compulsion to pour a bucket of cold water over my head for some reason ; ) Reallly enjoyed the run swim and all ; )
- November 22, 2015 at 6:07 PM


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Strong rides by both Cyril Despres and Olivier Pain on stage ten of the 2014 Dakar Rally have seen them move further up the overall standings today. The 631km special stage between Iquique and Antofagasta required all the skill of the Yamaha Factory Racing riders to conquer the fesh-fesh and sand along the coast line of Chile. Despres was the fastest Yamaha rider of the day, completing the timed section in third to move up two places in the overall standings to sixth. Despres is now just 26 minutes and 24 seconds from the top three. Olivier Pain was not far behind Despres, coming home in fourth today to move up to fourth in the overall standings, just 14 minutes and 9 seconds from the podium. Fellow Frenchman and third Yamaha Factory rider Michael Metge had a less successful tenth stage. Having found a good pace and holding good time, Metge fell whilst leaving the track to overtake a slower rider, costing valuable time and dropping him to 20th. Despite the result he Metge moves up a place to 13th overall.The leading Yamaha 700 quads were again the machines to beat in the quad class, taking the top three positions on the stage. Russian Sergey Karyakin took the win with Chile's Ignacio Casale in second and Uruguay's Sergio Lafuente in third. The results mean Casale sits in top overall with Lafuente second and Polish rider Rafal Sonik rounds out the Yamaha top three. Cyril DespresYamaha Factory Racing"I really enjoyed the first special in the dunes. I caught up Marc Coma, got past him and then opened the piste. The navigation wasn't easy but I managed to stay concentrated and really enjoyed myself on the bike. And as is often the case, when you are enjoying yourself you go quicker and pull back time. The second special was a completely different story, with a lot of fesh fesh and zero riding pleasure. At the end Marc was just in front of me when he made a little error and we turned too early into a gully. When we realised our mistake, instead of turning back, we rode out the side, up a really steep climb, to get back on to the road book. We had a good laugh about our 'debutants' error when we got to the finish line." Olivier PainYamaha Factory Racing"Now, with Viladoms's penalty and the time I took off him today, I'm just over 14 minutes off the podium and hopefully he's feeling the pressure. For my part I'd rather push for the third than settle for 4th – it was the objective I gave myself at the start of the rally and I'm sticking to it. The problem is that 'they' are coming up behind me and I while 3rd is a possibility 7th is also a possibility! Michael MetgeYamaha Factory Racing"I was riding at a good pace and feeling happy on the bike when I came up behind another rider in the fesh fesh. I should have held back and waited but I wanted to maintain my rhythm. Result: I fell changing ruts and landed right on my head. I felt a bit groggy after that and backed right off. I think I might be in for a telling off from 'the boss' this evening!" Results Stage 101. Joan Barreda, ESP (Honda) 4:42:14 2. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 4:49:56 3. Cyril Despres, FRA (Yamaha) 4:51:404. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 4:53:115. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 4:53:26 6. Jakub Przygonski, POL (KTM) 4:57:08 7. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 4:57:14 8. Javier Pizzolito ARG (Honda) 4:58:58 9. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 5:00:17 10. David Gouet, CHL (Honda) 05:01:21 19. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 5:16:28 Standings1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 41:48:33 2. Joan Barreda, ESP (Honda) 42:32:57 3. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 43:50:36 4. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 44:04:455. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 44:09:45 6. Cyril Despres, FRA (Yamaha) 44:17:007. Jakub Przygonski, POL (KTM) 44:17:48 8. David Gouet, CHL (Honda) 44:54:27 9. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 45:21:40 10. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 45:30:27 13. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 46:45:05 - Yamaha Amsterdam, also photo
15.01.2014 / MaP
STROOSSEN ENGLEN asbl
Motorsport Live Results
on Flashscore not only Motorsport Live Results
2001-2023 automobilsport.com full copyright


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AJ Allmendinger
By Mike Mulhern
The strange AJ Allmendinger saga that broke July 7th at Daytona, just a few hours before the Daytona 400, ended just as abruptly Tuesday afternoon 73 days later, with NASCAR executives 'reinstating' the veteran racer "effective immediately."
Allmendinger was pulled out of Roger Penske's Dodge that Saturday afternoon after NASCAR officials said, without much further explanation, that he had failed a routine drug test.
NASCAR says Allmendinger, a five-year Sprint Cup tour driver who lost one of the most prestigious rides in the sport with the accusation, had successfully completed what the sanctioning body calls its 'road to recovery' program, a program which neither NASCAR nor its drug testing firm has very clearly defined
Allmendinger professed innocence for several weeks in July, insisting he had never knowingly taken any banned substances. He indicated the test was possibly a 'false positive' from his use of vitamin supplements.
However eventually Allmendinger conceded he had taken some type of 'speed' pill Wednesday July 4th when he was tired and a friend offered him the drug.
Allmendinger has been all but in hiding ever since the initial test reports in July. Penske invited Allmendinger, a winner on the Indy-car tour before moving into NASCAR, to last weekend's Indy-car race at California Speedway.
What might happen next for Allmendinger is unclear. Penske has said all along he would be willing to rehire him. But Penske already has three Cup drivers lined up for 2013, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Sam Hornish. Penske of course does have an opening on his Indy-car team.
Allmendinger offered a brief statement: "I want to thank everyone for their support through this entire process.
"I appreciate that NASCAR created the Road to Recovery program and am grateful for the opportunity to return to competition.
"The Road to Recovery program was really helpful to me in getting my priorities reset away from the race track. And honestly that helped find my love of racing again and why I began racing in the first place.
"I'm looking forward to taking this experience and be better for it moving forward."
Looks as of now RP doesn't have enough funding to run more than 2 cars in either NASCAR or IndyCar so that being said looks like Nationwide, trucks, or another team in IndyCar or Sporty Cars but I could be wrong
© 2010-2011 www.mikemulhern.net All rights reserved.
Web site by www.webdesigncarolinas.com


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John McRae, "Father, I Can Not Tell a Lie; I Cut the Tree," 1867 engraving after a painting by
G.G. White
George Washington's reputation as a man of moral fortitude reveals more about America's view of morality than it does about the man himself. Washington was an exceedingly bland heroic leader, embodying an eighteenth-century ideal of republican virtue that emphasized duty, sacrifice and honorable disinterest. Flamboyance and daring were emphatically not required. Washington's virtue was admirable, but not overly interesting.
Perhaps this is why the most famous example of his fortitude of character is, in fact, just fiction. The story of Washington and the Cherry Tree, a tale which still lingers through probably every grammar school in the U.S., was invented by a parson named Mason Locke Weems in a biography of Washington published directly after his death. Saturated with tales of Washington's selflessness and honesty, A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits, of General George Washington(1800) and The Life of George Washington, with Curious Anecdotes Laudable to Himself and Exemplary to his Countrymen(1806) supplied the American people with flattering (and often rhyming) renditions of the events that shaped their hero. Weems imagined everthing from Washington's childhood transgression and repentence to his apotheosis when "at the sight of him, even those blessed spirits seem[ed] to feel new raptures" (Weems, 60). According to historian Karal Ann Marling, Weems was struggling to "flesh out a believable and interest ing figure ... to humanize Washington" who had been painted as "cold and colorless" in an earlier, poorly-selling biography. While it is likely that some readers of the time questioned the authenticity of the tales, Weems' portraits soared in popularity in the early 1800s.
More than a century later, Weems would be vigorously debunked by a new corps of biographers intent on resurrecting the real truth of Washington's life. Some favored dismantling the myth wholesale and dismissing it from the record. Others, however, intended to portray the story as apocryphal, but commend its inspirational value anyway. As Marling quotes from a woman who remembered every verse of the story from her days as school, "If the tale isn't true, it should be. It is too pretty to be classified with the myths" (Marling, 310).
In considering the virtues associated with Washington throughout the 19th century, Weems' stories help to unravel what attributes Americans cherished at that time. Piety, for example, stood foremost in the minds of many citizens, especially in the early to mid 1800s, and biblical references were known to everyone. During his lifetime, Washington was often associated with the figure of Moses, leading his people to freedom, a story the people knew well. After his death, perceptions of Washington's relation to God grew. Weems, a parson himself, may have chosen to attach a serene religiosity to Washington as a way to provide a venerated example to the public. One of his best known stories of Washington's piety comes from Weems' account of Washington praying at Valley Forge. Weems tells of a man named Isaac Potts who silently witnesses an unsuspecting Washington, kneeling humbly in the snow, praying for God's blessing of his troops. Although the story was questioned as early as the 1850s, it became emblazoned on the American memory by a painting by Henry Brueckner in the 1860s. Several imitations followed, including the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1935 and an image on a 1977 postage stamp commemorating Christmas (Marling, 2).
But Washington may not have been as pious as Weems suggests. While Washington regularly attended a Christian church, he would not take communion. On his deathbed, he did not request a minister to be present and asked for no prayers. Biographer Barry Schwartz reports that Washington's "practice of Christianity was limited and superficial, because he was not himself a Christian. In the enlightened tradition of his day, he was a devout Deist--just as many of the clergymen who knew him suspected" (Schwartz, 175).
Honesty and humility also stood as strong 19th-century virtues. The American public may have known that Parson Weems' story of young Washington and his cherry tree rang false, but for the citizenry of the early United States of America, the idea behind the fable declared what they believed was true: Washington equaled honesty. I have no desire to hold onto my power, Washington told the people, and then he kept his word, proving no intention to deceive.
As early as 1799, artists picked up on the persuasive imagery of this act. Alexander Lawson's "General Washington's Resignation" (seen below) depicts Washington, in undecorated military garb, standing a few steps down from the strong female form of Liberty. He has just handed her his resignation and his left hand points downward toward the idlyic countryside. He takes no notice of the elevated power (symbolized by the towers above) he is giving up; his face instead looks pensively outward toward the foregrounded Eagle symbolizing his country's escape from tyranny.
"General Washington's Resignation (1799)," by Alexander Lawson after a design by John Barralet (in Schwartz's George Washington, reprinted from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
The Capitol Rotunda's historical painting by John Trumbull entitled, George Washington Resigning His Commission to Congress as Commander in Chief of the Army at Annapolis, Maryland, December 23, 1783, creates the same effect. Washington's relinquishing power became an essential symbol of America's self-enacted defense from tyranny.
His selflessness appealed to the new American citizenry as well. Washington never requested the appointments he received. When asked to head the Continental Army in 1775, Washington worried aloud if he had the ability to carry out the task. When asked to preside over the Constitutional Convention in 1789, he went reluctantly, leaving a Mount Vernon retirement of rest and domesticity. By the time the Constitutional Convention ended, it was clear that Washington was the best man for the position of President of the United States. But he really didn't want the job. The American public knew that he took it because of an overriding and sacrificial sense of duty to his country.


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Former City Clerk Of Thayer, Kan.,
Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $120,000 In City Funds
WICHITA, KAN. – A former city clerk of the City of Thayer in Neosho County, Kan., has pleaded guilty to embezzling $120,000, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Laura Whittley, 49, Thayer, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering. In her plea, she admitted she used more than one method to steal money from the city including:
– Pocketing cash paid by citizens for utility bills, municipal court payments, parks and wildlife licenses and permits.
– Issuing unauthorized checks to herself.
– Using a city credit card to pay for her personal purchases.
– Submitting fraudulent bills for clean up work done after a large storm in May 2009. The bills were paid by the city, partly with funds received through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
In order to conceal the thefts, she presented a fraudulent letter to Emprise Bank in Chanute, Kan., directing the bank to cash a $100,000 certificate of deposit belonging to the city. She had the bank put $50,000 into a new CD, and she deposited some of the remaining proceeds into the city's account to conceal the thefts.
Sentencing is set for Aug. 13. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on the bank fraud count, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the money laundering count.
Grissom commended the Neosho County Sheriff's Office, the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst for their work on the case.


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The Best Way To Help Needy College Students Easily Access Text Books
It is always a fulfilling experience when you get an opportunity to put a smile on another person's face. That is what happens when you get to involve yourself in some humanitarian activities. You could have assisted someone somewhere who is a complete stranger to you with stopping to know where they happen to come from. This is the kind of heart that really touches should more than any other kind of gesture you could ever show to anybody. There are currently many ways of giving back to society. In this case, the process entails having to assist those who are still in college to buy their college books. Most of the students union colleges require support to buy their revision materials, but they might not be able to afford it. The truth is that you might not be able to afford, but taking part in a promotional campaign can be what it would mean for challenges that most the students need to break out of their challenge manifested world and neglect.
There are several websites nowadays which show the best way of assisting college students in pursuing their education by offering them books. This is very advantageous because the books are always too many students, and if there is a way that indeed they can get the books as donations, then it helps in changing their lives in a positive way. Through the book donations, there are those students who gain a lot of motivation and encouragement, and they continue pushing through with their lives.
Another way of promoting college education is through the supplying of the used textbooks. Indeed there a lot of people who have a lot of textbooks lying in their homes with no one to read them. If they happen to be the case, it is advisable to offer it out as a gift to be read by someone who really deserves it. It might seem like a difficult thing to do but always think about the bigger picture. Society is always built around sacrifice. If that is the case, then your intervention to help a student achieve their full potential today will not go unnoticed forever. There is always a positive impact that comes out of your gesture.
As the saying goes, old is gold. However, old a book might seem it should never be thrown away. We should encourage those with such books to recognize that, however old the books might be, they contain rich information that can aid a lot of people, especially college students who are not able to afford to buy new textbooks. This means that the old books can always be taken to a well-established group of good wishers who can buy them as old they might be just for the sake of assisting the less fortunate college students. By selling your old book, you lose nothing, and still, you contribute to the betterment of the education of some college students.
It is also advisable to formulate other community-based projects that can indeed help the less fortunate college students. Coming up of the projects can also involve the students on a part-time basis, and through the projects, they can earn extra coins to keep themselves in college. Indeed education is key to the development of society and books from a major part of realizing that.


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Blogger Perez Hilton is alleging, in typically classy fashion, that the Miss California pageant paid for Carrie Prejean to get breast implants between the Miss California and Miss USA competitions. But is it true?
Perez says Miss California judges Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler told Access Hollywood about this little silicone gift — but his post links to the Access Hollywood main page, not to a specific story. In facd, we can't find any mention of Carrie Prejean on the (admittedly, badly-designed, difficult-to-navigate) site.
As for the pageant itself, the Miss California pageant has a noble quest to find "outgoing, intelligent, confident, attractive young women excited to represent the beauty of California." And what is the beauty of California exactly? The website has a helpful definition: "The Beauty of California embodies the unique landscape, distinct business, progressive ideas, and the beautiful spirit of the people of California." Progressive ideas like "opposite marriage," presumably?
Of Carrie herself, the website tells us that in addition to her appearances as "Super Taste" centerfold in "Blisss" [sic] Magazine" and shill for "Naughty Monkey" shoes, she's also "an advocate for encouraging healthy lifestyles for young women. Carrie wants people to remember her as being compassionate and real."
If it turns out that Miss California organizers bought her new breasts, they should be called on the carpet; and Prejean may need to rethink that last statement.
Jesus Loves Fake Titties! [Perez Hilton]
Miss California Emerges As 'Opposite Marriage' Spokeswoman [Politico]
Carrie Prejean Bio and Gallery [Miss California Pageant Official Site]


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Saturday, February 25, 2012
And the Oscar Goes To...
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh ("My Week with Marilyn")
Jonah Hill ("Moneyball")
Nick Nolte ("Warrior")
Christopher Plummer ("Beginners")
Max von Sydow ("Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close")
We'll start with probably the biggest lock of the night, as Christopher Plummer has won nearly all the critics and industry awards in the run-up to Oscar night, and is a beloved industry veteran who's never won (and only been nominated once before, in 2009). Interesting bit of trivia: should he win, at 82 he'll be the oldest acting Oscar winner of all time. Any chance of an upset will come from the similarly beloved, old and under-nominated Max Von Sydow, who has the distinct advantage of being nominated for his performance in a film that is also a Best Picture nominee. But the consensus is that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has a small but devoted group of fans within the Academy that got it nominated, and that when the dust settles, the Academy will fall in step and give the award to Plummer.
1st Pick: Christopher Plummer
2nd Pick: Max Von Sydow
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo ("The Artist")
Jessica Chastain ("The Help")
Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids")
Janet McTeer ("Albert Nobbs")
Octavia Spencer ("The Help")
The traditional mantra when multiple actors get nominated from the same film is that they split the vote, allowing someone else to swoop in and win the award. And while The Help has a huge amount of support from the acting branch, the largest voting body of the Academy (it more or less swept the Screen Actors Guild awards), it's entirely possible that Chastain and Spencer could split the vote. In which case, the likely benefactor would either be Melissa McCarthy, whose standout (for the Academy) comedic performance is the kind of thing that can, on occasion, win a best supporting Oscar, or Berenice Bejo, taking advantage of The Artist's big bight. All that said, McCarthy's nomination for such a broad, crude role in a popular comedy is largely seen as its own reward, and with Spencer cleaning up other awards for her fun, pleasing performance, it seems likely that she'll avoid any split and come away the winner.
1st Pick: Octavia Spencer
2nd Pick: Melissa McCarthy
Performance by An Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir ("A Better Life")
George Clooney ("The Descendants")
Jean Dujardin ("The Artist")
Gary Oldman ("Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy")
Brad Pitt ("Moneyball")
This is largely a two horse race between Jean Dujardin, riding a wave of support for The Artist and Hollywood's classy gent, George Clooney. Who you pick largely comes down to whether you think the Academy loves The Artist more this year than they do Clooney in general. Bichir and Oldman's nominations are largely seen as their own rewards, and while Pitt was quite good in Moneyball and is also loved by the Academy, this simply isn't his year. Expect Dujardin to triumph, as Clooney, once considered the frontrunner, has seen his momentum overtaken in recent weeks.
1st Pick: Jean Dujardin
2nd Pick: George Clooney
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Another two horse race. Though Michelle Williams won the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical award at the Golden Globes (despite My Week with Marilyn being neither) the Globes are not the Oscar predictors many think they are, and for most of awards season, this has been viewed as a contest between Meryl Streep, Oscar's leading lady, and Viola Davis. While it has been a surprisingly long time since the current record holder for most nominations last won (Streep took home her best actress Oscar in 1982 for Sophie's Choice), her bevy of nominations almost works against her: it's possible voters will overlook her, assuming (probably rightfully) they'll get another chance to vote for her next year, or the year after (also, it doesn't help that The Iron Lady isn't spoken of very highly beyond Streep's performance). But what it boils down to is the tremendous amount of support shown to The Help, and the fact that Davis is viewed as the film's dramatic center. Never count out Streep, but expect Davis to join Spencer in the winner's circle.
1st Pick: Viola Davis
2nd Pick: Meryl Streep
Achievement in Directing
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Stop me if you've heard this one before: The winner of the Directs Guild of America prize wins the Best Director Oscar. For the last several years, there has been a two person race for this award heading in to Oscar night, and it's always been framed as the DGA winner vs. a likely upset (in 2010, it was Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron, last year Tom Hooper and David Fincher). This year it's The Artist's Michael Hazanavicius vs. Martin Scorsese. While Hugo is clearly loved by the Academy, leading the pack with eleven nominations, and Scorsese himself is an industry darling, history comes down on the side of this year's DGA winner, Hazanavicius. As in year's past, there's enough reason to consider a possible upset, and history isn't always right, but this is one category where I won't be betting against the likely groundswell of support for The Artist, nor historical precedent.
1st Pick: Michael Hazanavicius
2nd Pick: Martin Scorsese
Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Early in awards season, this year's best picture race was shaping up to be a battle between The Descendants and The Artist. But The Descendants has been fading recently (expect it, at the very least, to pick up the Adapted Screenplay Oscar), and with Hugo capturing the most Oscar nominations (a sure sign of widespread support for the film across the Academy) it has risen as the presumptive underdog able to take out The Artist. Both films deal with the history of film, the power of the movies, and the transformation of the medium, themes that always speak to the Academy but which are particularly relevant now. The Artist has remained the presumptive favorite throughout awards season, positioning it as the first (and only) silent film to win Best Picture since Wings in 1927, and though there has been the now-customary backlash against the film in the runup to Oscar night, there is little to suggest it won't walk away a winner on Sunday.
1st Pick: The Artist
2nd Pick: Hugo
4 comments:
I really don't have a stake in any of the winners this year. Usually I make an effort to see all of the Best Picture nominees, but this year, I've only seen two of them.ReplyDelete
Best Animation is the only one that matters - and really hope Rango wins.
- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 5:37 AM
I think Berenice Bejo is very ugly woman without makeup! You can see her bare face Bérénice Bejo without makeup post.ReplyDelete
@Anonymous: Okay...ReplyDelete
@Alex: Usually I make an effort to see all of the Best Picture nominees, but this year, I've only seen two of them.ReplyDelete
I used to make a point to see all the nominees, but when the field expanded, that became untenable, both due to time and the fact that usually there was at least one or two nominees I genuinely didn't want to see. So now I just try to catch a majority, including the frontrunners.
So this year I saw six of the nine, skipping War Horse and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (both of which I had little interest in seeing) and never getting around to Tree of Life (which I do want to see at some point).


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Apple has released the final version of iOS 4.2 to developers, and will soon make the update available to the general public–possibly as early as tomorrow according to some reports. The first major update of iOS for the iPad brings a number of tweaks and changes, including a few that greatly enhance the value of the Apple tablet for mobile business users.
For users who also have an iPhone or iPod Touch, the long (very long) wait for Apple to introduce an iOS 4.0 update for the iPad has been barely tolerable. Switching between the iPhone 4 and an iPad is like going between Windows 7 and an old Windows XP system; you try to use the features and tools that make the more current system more efficient and productive, and end up frustrated when you remember that the legacy platform lacks those functions
The wait is over now…almost. So, what's the big deal? Well, here are a few of the benefits that iOS 4.2 will bring that will make the iPad a more effective business tool.
Folders. With nearly 300,000 apps available–more than 40,000 iPad specific–it doesn't take long to clutter the iPad up with a chaotic menagerie of icons. The more useful tools you add to the iPad, the harder it is to find them. Folders will let users group iPad apps in whatever way makes the most sense to them to make them easier to locate and use.
Multitasking. The value of multitasking on the much smaller iPhone display is questionable, but on the iPad it will greatly enhance productivity. The iPad can replace notebooks and netbooks as a mobile computing platform in a variety of scenarios, but the lack of multitasking has limited its effectiveness. Users need to be able to switch between researching information on the Web, reviewing data from a spreadsheet, and writing a report without having to start fresh each time they switch.
E-mail. The unified Inbox in iOS 4.2 makes it significantly more efficient for users that maintain multiple e-mail accounts. Rather than having to manually switch back and forth between accounts, users can see all of the e-mail messages in one place. iOS 4.2 can also group e-mail messages based on the conversation thread–making it easier to follow an e-mail discussion over time.
Enterprise Support. Many businesses have already embraced the iPad, but there are also many that are reluctant because the iPad lacks crucial elements. iOS 4.2 introduces new security features, device management tools, and integration that help IT admins maintain and protect the tablets within a business networking environment.
International Support. English is a default language in more countries than any other language, and it is the leading language on the Web, but alternative languages–especially Chinese and Spanish–are rapidly gaining ground. iOS 4.2 adds a variety of international keyboard and dictionary options that will make the tablet more valuable as a business tool around the world for non English-speaking users.
Whether it's tomorrow, or Friday, or next week, the iOS 4.2 update will make the iPad a much more effective business tool, and a significantly more formidable competitor for the avalanche of rival tablets coming to market.


text: Hello all, I seem to be experiencing an issue with the 'Management tool' It seems that if I go to server > settings > dns my setting for Zonefiles Dir. gets set back to /etc/bind -- since I'm running centOS 4.2 with bind in a chroot, it should be '/var/named/chroot/var/named' If I set this to the correct setting -- and save it, it shows back up as '/etc/bind' immediatly... If I look in the DB, server_bind_zonefile_dir is blank. If I issue the following mysql query, it shows up correctly... for a bit... then something I do (in ispconfig) or a cron job, sets it back to /etc/bind and the DB field to notta/empty -- I haven't found what's setting it back. mysql> update isp_server set server_bind_zonefile_dir = '/var/named/chroot/var/named' where doc_id=1; Query OK, 1 row affected (0.00 sec) Rows matched: 1 Changed: 1 Warnings: 0 Any ideas? Thanks


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"I needed invitations for a bridal shower and someone recommended Shutterfly. They were easy to order and came in a timely manner."
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"I'm very happy with the recent order of invites. The quality of paper is so nice. I'll be proud to send them out. Thank you!"


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PARIS, June 17 (UPI) -- Diplomacy has a language all its own from demarche for an initiative to bout de papier for a very informal proposal. But one of the most useful is "fudge" -- and it means that some creative language was used to keep the show on the road.
On Friday night, after 12 hours of wrangling in Luxembourg, the European Union delivered a fudge that successfully found a way around a threatened French veto in order to begin formal negotiations with the United States on a highly ambitious free-trade pact.
The French have insisted from the beginning that any such deal cannot include the audio-visual sector since their culture and language deserve protection from the juggernauts of Hollywood. Many other Europeans feel the same way.
The European Parliament passed a -- non-binding -- measure backing the French position. It was the Dutch-German film director Wim Wenders who claimed that giving up Europe's cultural exception would be like "burning our books, closing our museums, sacrificing our first-born, rebuilding the Berlin Wall."
This isn't just a matter of Hollywood movies but it also reflects European concern at America's online dominance. The French complain there is no possibility of having a level playing field for French or European companies in the world of GAFAM -- French slang for new corporate titans Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft.
The latest leaks and controversy about the extent to which the U.S. National Security Agency can monitor phone and online communications has given the issue a sharper edge.
Still, despite the French veto threat the free-trade negotiations are going ahead. The European Union has given its commission a formal mandate to open talks with the United States on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the commission claims nothing has been ruled out from the talks and they can negotiate freely with the Americans on anything.
At the same time, the French say they have won their point and that audio-visual affairs are specifically excluded and they point to Paragraph 21 of the mandate.
"We are satisfied but I don't want to call it a victory," French Trade Minister Nicole Bricq said. The cultural exception had been saved, "written clearly in black and white."
Oddly enough, the commission and the French are both right. Paragraph 21 of the negotiating mandate excludes audio-visual matters but a new paragraph opens the way to modifying the mandate. It says the commission "may make recommendations to the council on possible additional negotiating directives on any issue, with the same procedures for adoption, including voting rules, as for this mandate."
The commission, which is Europe's civil service, runs all trade negotiations. But it has to get its mandate from the Council of Ministers, which is the body where Europe's 27 national governments meet.
The fudge that was reached Friday night means that somewhere along the line, when almost everything else about the TTIP has been settled, the cultural exception will clamber out of its coffin like Dracula and lay its icy grip on what could be the most important Euro-American agreement since the founding of NATO more than 60 years ago.
Logic might suggest the Europeans, with their economies flat or shrinking, would leap at the chance of a trade deal that would benefit them to the tune of $150 billion a year or more, boost their automobile exports to the United States by 150 percent and provide Europe and the United States a big, secure market to help them withstand the challenge of China and other emerging economies.
Moreover, it should allow the United States and European Union, which remain by far the world's biggest economic blocks with about half of global output, to continue to set the rules for global trade and investment, in services as well as goods. Most previous free-trade deals have been about goods alone; this one specifically includes services.
London's Center for Economic Policy Research, in an independent analysis, reckoned the European Union's economy could benefit by $160 billion a year -- equivalent to $750 for an average EU household -- and the United States by $125 billion a year.
"The TTIP will be a trade agreement fit for the 21st century -- the increased business will not only benefit multinationals but also small- and medium-sized firms, either through exporting directly or as suppliers to bigger companies," the EU Commission asserts.
European Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht said of the fudge: "I can live with this. ... This is not a carve out. ... It will be discussed with the U.S. ... and if need be, we will come back to the council for a mandate on this specific issue."
Sadly, the French fudge makes it easier for the Americans to put reservations on key issues, like financial services, procurement by public bodies (several states in the United States have "buy American" rules) and pharmaceutical standards.
This could weaken the overall TTIP deal, despite the evident benefits to both sides. Still, the talks will begin, the French save face and the real arguments can take place down the road. That's why they call it a fudge.


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Winterruption YEG: Jennifer Castle / Bodega / Wares / Ezra Furman / Bully Edmonton AB, January 24 to 26
Published Jan 27, 2020Winter doesn't typically erupt on the prairies. It's more like a slow rolling, collective coma that takes hold just after the holidays and doesn't let up until late April. The downtime this year was Winterrupted by sharing acts and importing the established Winterruption Regina, Saskatoon and Big Winter Classic Calgary festivals to Edmonton. We ventured out from a January hibernation to break up the long northern winter nights and take in five of Winterruption's acts.
Jennifer Castle
Freemasons Hall, January 24
There was a spectacular interruption early in Jennifer Castle's gentle set of Joni Mitchell-esque folk songs. A man who had been sitting at a table collapsed, falling out of his chair to land face down on the hardwood floor. He didn't move as members of the crowd rushed over to assist. All Castle could do is kneel down and hope the man would quickly recover. A few seconds later the man opened his eyes, a little dazed and embarrassed. It wasn't revealed if he'd taken too much of something, not enough of something else or simply dozed off in the early Friday evening, but he seemed to be alright. He was escorted into the lobby as Castle wished him well and mentioned that someone else had collapsed at one of her Toronto shows and that it may be "starting to emerge as a pattern."
It unfortunately derailed the rest of her set. It would have been nice to pay greater attention to her poetically infused folk, but even as she switched from softly strummed guitar to more elegantly played piano, wondering about the fate of the man cast a somnambulant fog across Castle's performance.
Freemasons Hall, January 24
Nostalgia for the present shouldn't be a thing, yet somehow, Brooklyn's Bodega manage to wrap it into a post-punk package that is equal parts provocative and pleasing. The band grabbed the crowd by their ears and eyeballs immediately and refused to let go through the entire set. Percussionist and vocalist Nikki Belfiglio acted as the lithe hype person, visually anchoring the band by hitting a hi-hat while posing and dancing center stage. She also shouted out chorus lines that punctuated singer Ben Hozie's not-quite-sung, not-quite-spoken vocal delivery.
For all their sardonic pretence and wry cleverness, the band were more sincere than expected, expressing genuinely that they were happy to be playing their first show in Edmonton. Hozie said that he was unsure how many people would opt to watch them rather than queue for the oversold GZA show happening parallel to their appearance. The crowd may have been modest in size, if not enthusiasm; Edmonton crowds have a particular penchant for self-awareness and they matched the band's fervent energy, feeding it back in an appreciative infinity loop.
Freemasons Hall, January 25
Wares' set began with a specific confrontation — front-person Cassia Hardy's nerve ends v. the universe. Nervy ardour was part of the Edmonton group's live charm. After the first few notes, Hardy took control of her adrenaline and channelled her jagged energy and prodigious guitar playing into a wildly impressive performance. She shredded and transcended, somehow merging punk, noise and warbly indie rock into anthemic new territory. The local Edmonton scene isn't the only one who've taken notice of Wares' talent either. Partway through the set, Hardy introduced a new song, revealing that it would be out in February via a signing to stalwart indie label Mint Records.
At another point in Wares' set, Hardy climbed a speaker stack determined to literally elevate her performance. Through it all, it was beautiful to watch a performance that seemed as though it could unravel at any second. Drums fell over and a grating hiss of an ungrounded DI line threatened the set, but as Hardy threw herself across the stage with an unbridled personal chaos it was clear that it would take far more than a few minor stage issues to make the band flinch.
Ezra Furman
Freemasons Hall, January 25
The lighting in the Freemasons Hall was as bright as the dull glow of a dying campfire, but Ezra Furman is no stranger to fighting everyday darkness. From punk protest anthems through to snarling personal elegies, Furman shone like an incandescent bulb about to explode for her first appearance in Edmonton. The lighting, the red Dickies jumpsuits adorning her band, and Furman donning a classy pearl necklace over her floral print shirt, all combined to create a subtly audacious visual tableau. Through her first few songs, Furman may have just been getting started, but she's long since learned to howl.
Furman stopped to address the crowd part way into the blistering set saying, "Despite whatever emotions I'm about to express, I'm very happy to be here." Then she tore through "Trauma" with an utterly fearless growl. Ezra Furman's entire set was intensely earnest and formidable. Her appearance drew a large assembly of the activist set to the show and everyone in attendance's resolve was strengthened by the unbridled belief in the possibility for the evolved culture that Furman and her music represents.
Rocky Mountain Ice House, January 26
There was no buildup, banter, bright lights or punch lines for Bully's appearance as the final act of Winterruption Edmonton. Bully have a simple but effective formula: deliver a devastating set of grunge-tinted punk without any extra accessories. Alicia Bognanno's visceral lyrics, whipping platinum blonde mop and raw one-two-fuck-you attitude was enough to charge the crowd into a subtle, Sunday night frenzy. The rest of the band followed Bognanno's lead, energized but stoic, trying to find room to move on the small stage and letting the feedback from Bognanno's sea-foam green guitar provide the interstitial soundtrack for the preordained tuning breaks that were marked out on the set list.
The cozy stage and faux wood panelled backdrop cast a strange smokehouse vibe that contrasted with Bully's saccharine grunge-punk. It may have been a better venue for an Americana act, but being from Nashville, it can't have been the first time Bully were booked into a venue that didn't entirely fit them. Even without enough room to truly flaunt their sharper edges, the band cut through any Sunday night lethargy with their calculated chaos. After they thrashed through their set to end of the festival, they stepped down, walked through the elated crowd, leaving only a pile of broken glass behind them.


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Brooklyner font is based on the typeface used for The Brooklynite, a magazine which saw its heyday in the 1920's. The typeface before you is an all caps affair, making it a perfect choice for headlines, posters and ads. Since I had to work with just a handful of glyphs (11 to be precise), it took me a while to design the rest. Brooklyner font is loose, cartoonesque and very legible – and it comes with extensive language support.
Get it here: