text:
ERAMAN Malaysia Excellent Customer Service Campaign
20 November 2009
Sepang, 20 November 2009 - Eight staff members from Malaysia Airports (Niaga) Sdn Bhd, better known as ERAMAN Malaysia, have been chosen as the best
Customer Service Assistants for this round of the campaign. The winners comprise of Customer Service Assistants from both ERAMAN's retail and F&B
outlets nationwide.
Details of the winners:
Three from KLIA's outlet
One from LCCT's outlet
One from Penang's outlet
One from Kuching's outlet
One from Kota Kinabalu's outlet
Food & Beverage
One from Marrybrown @ LCCT
The event was launched by En. Umar Bustamam, Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Airports (Niaga) Sdn Bhd together with Puan Rosehaida Abdul Rahman, Senior
General Manager Human Resource Services, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. The event was witnessed by Yang Berbahagia Dato' Azmi Murad, Senior General
Manager, Operation Services, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and senior management of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.
The highlight of the event was the prize giving ceremony - the winners received a getaway package of 2 days and 1 night stay at the five-star hotel, Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Hotel inclusive of breakfast, dinner cruise at Putrajaya Lake and movie tickets at the Golden Screen Cinema.
According to ERAMAN Malaysia's Chief Executive Officer, En. Umar Bustamam, "the support and co-operation reflected by all the participants had been most impressive. More than four hundred and fifty Customer Service Assistants took part in this campaign and they were very committed to giving the utmost dedication to enhance our customer service level at ERAMAN Malaysia."
"It is compulsory for all CSAs to attend training, grooming, greeting and approaching workshop that have been planned for them. The activities organised for all CSAs motivates them to use this knowledge and with that, learn and practise if they have truly understood the knowledge," added Umar Bustamam.
Umar Bustamam explains that while CSAs are encouraged to be as innovative and creative as possible, he also stresses on the need for strong foundations in theory, concepts and principles.
The training exposes ERAMAN's CSAs to the importance of not only knowledge, but also communication and people skills. Through sharing sessions, CSAs openly identify and discuss strengths and weaknesses revealed through specially tailored activities.
"Learning cannot only be seen from one perspective, given opportunities and facilities, we discover how different people are affected by different motivations. What is important is to learn how to use the knowledge we have to manage these different variables."


text:
Ultimate Force of Four Collection (US - BD)
Gabe enjoys four great movies, but isn't happy about the audio on the discs...
Following an assassination attempt the Emperor of Qin (Chen Daoming) spends his time alone in his palace, constantly dressed in his battle amour. Visitors are forbidden from coming within one hundred paces of his throne. A nameless officer (Jet Li) earns the right to kneel within ten paces of the Emperor by killing three of his lordship's most wanted enemies. Nameless displays the weapons of legendary assassins Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), Broken Sword (Tony Leung) and Long Sky (Donnie Yen), and is given audience to recount his story. But at the end of the story the Emperor suspects Nameless isn't telling the whole truth, and that perhaps his intentions are less than benevolent.
I admit that there isn't a whole lot of plot to hold on to while watching Hero. The politics are oversimplified (even shockingly irresponsible), the characters are quiet and understated, and the 'true' story could've been told in less than thirty minutes had director Zhang Yimou not opted for the Rashomon gimmick. But the gimmick requires the audience to experience the internalized emotions rather than the plot, which is mostly predetermined before it is told. Most of the gorgeous on-screen battles are either entirely played out within characters' minds, or likely didn't even occur due to Nameless' untrustworthy narration. The film's value is found almost exclusively in the overwhelming visuals, which feed the internalized drama in a dreamlike sense. Hero is a painting come to life, a series of images that beg the viewer to crawl into the screen, and dance among the colours. Save the political bits (which stand in harsh contrast to all previous Yimou films) the real story is told without words. It belongs in a class of otherwise unrelated films ( Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Suspiria, Ran, Django, etc.) that achieve greatness through the pure punch of imagery (very different imagery in many cases, obviously). And in the end it is the simplicity in the storytelling that sets Hero apart from Yimou's follow-up Wuxia epics. House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower both suffer from entangled plot twists that constantly push and pull with the stunning visuals.
Iron Monkey
By day herbalist Yang Tianchun (Yu Rong Guang) provides healthcare to the poor, and by night he dons a black mask and robs rich landowners and corrupt government officials as the Iron Monkey. Tianchun's nocturnal habits draw the ire of the local governor, and a massive manhunt is instigated. A young Wong Fei Hung (Angie Tsang), and his herbalist father Wong Kei Ying (Donnie Yen) arrive from Foshan just in time to get into a skirmish, and be counted among the accused. Kei Ying is allowed to leave to personally hunt the Iron Monkey. Until he succeeds, his now ill son will be held prisoner.
Iron Monkey is a frontrunner for my favourite pre- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, non-supernatural wire-fu flick, set among the Once Upon a Time in China trilogy, Fong Sai Yuk (aka: The Legend), and director Yuen Woo Ping's own follow-up Tai Chi Master (aka: Twin Warriors). I know this sounds like an incredibly specific categorical system, but following Ang Lee's first (and as yet only) shot at Wuxia, wire-fu got really serious, and the budgets started to balloon until the genre was all permanently changed. Things changed for the better in most cases, but one sometimes misses the more quaint pictures, the ones not made to play to the broadest possible audience. Also, the supernatural tinged wire-fu flicks, like A Chinese Ghost Story, Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain and Mr. Vampire, really belong in their own category, as they're largely incomparable to other wire-fu Wuxia in so many ways.
Iron Monkey's narrative is a bit of a novelty in the sub-genre because it covers a much earlier period in the legendary Wong Fei Hung's life, but is largely familiar to Western audiences as a loose adaptation of the Robin Hood myth. There aren't many surprises as the plot unfolds, but Woo Ping finds a surprising balance between the comedic, dramatic, and action aspects of the film. Often, era (late '80s to mid '90s) Wuxia skewed more towards either comedy or melodrama, and Hong Kong filmmakers seldom took time to blend between the extremes. The characters here aren't particularly subtle, but they're more natural than usually found in the sub-genre. The comedy bits aren't the strongest, and some of the straight up hijinx stop the momentum, but the levity offers an important antidote to the constant ethical dilemmas. Being a Woo Ping film, however, it's the action that holds precedence over everything else. Iron Monkey's fights are of a more consistent quality than usual, meaning there aren't any huge standout sequences, but there aren't any weak links either. The fisticuffs are among the more graceful in the director's oeuvre, and are among more physically believable in modern wire-fu, where physics often go to die. The heroes achieve impossible feats throughout the film, but they do them with a relatively natural sense of weight and impact.
Legend of the Drunken Master
If we were to use our imaginations we could pretend that Legend of the Drunken Master (originally known as Drunken Master 2) was a sequel to Iron Monkey. Jackie Chan plays a slightly older iteration of Wong Fei Hung, who is still a bit of a rascal being raised under the strict thumb of a well-meaning, but creatively oppressive herbalist father (this time played by Ti Lung, who is only eight years older than Chan). Fortunately Fei Hung now has the support of his loving stepmother Ling (played by Anita Mui, who was nine years younger than Chan), who cleverly defends her well-meaning stepson when he gets into trouble. After a luggage mix up aboard a cross-country train, Fei Hung is accidentally thrust into an international incident involving an evil British Consulate. The unlikely hero is forced to utilize his secret fighting weapon—the aptly named Drunken Boxing.
LotDM is probably Chan's best period film, and probably his third best film all around, behind Police Story 3 and Armour of God II: Operation Condor. Like many of Chan's films (and the other films in this set), LotDM is a clear case of style of substance. The plot follows the lines of about a gazillion other Wuxia period pieces, concerning itself with the oft-adapted Wong Fei Hung myth, and the usual Evil Colonialist politics (which kind of lost their punch in 1997). The story is there to serve the kung fu set pieces and the jokes, not the other way around, and that's the way we like it. The steel mill is a gigantic example of Chekhov's Gun, not a valuable plot point. This basically defines the entire film. The intricate and energetic fight scenes are among the most incredible one is ever likely to see without the aid of trick photography, wires, or special effects. It's also still quite funny, in both the physical sense (Buster Keaton meets Bruce Lee) and in regards to the dialogue, which is wittier than a lot of Chan's more dated comedy. Anita Mui arguably earns even more belly laughs than Chan as his supportive step-mother (a role similar to the one she plays in Jet Li and Corey Yuen's Fong Sai Yuk).
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
One of these things is not like the other, says I, noticing that Zatoichi isn't a Wuxia movie, but a modern, art house take on the Samurai epic. This fact aside, I suppose it's still a good addition to the collection. I don't find the film as eternally re-watchable as the other three, but it succeeds in living up to every on-paper promise it sets forth. The character of the Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman had already appeared in twenty six original films (from 1962 to 1989), and had a four season run on Japanese television by 2003. The (then) latest film saw the character was back to his old tricks—wondering the Japanese countryside, feigning invalidism, discovering kindly people with Yakuza problems, gambling, fighting armies of Samurai gangsters, and facing off against equally masterful Ronin. This time he is joined by a pair of Geisha siblings (one of whom is actually male), a widowed farmer with valuable land, and her gambling addict nephew.
Writer, director and star Takeshi Kintano (aka: 'Beat' Takeshi) seems an unlikely choice to bring the popular Blind Swordsman back to the big screen, but once one accepts his participation, one knows exactly what to expect. A former comedian, turned game show host, turned actor, turned writer/director, Kintano is a definitive cinematic brand. His films have all the trimmings of the mainstream, but are freckled with oddball humour, art house visuals, focused pacing, graphic violence and wrenching emotional tragedy. Zatoichi utilizes all of the director's trademarks. The overall film is a little on the patch-work side, and begins to lose focus about halfway through, but mostly remains true to the majority of the Zatoichi series' most defining elements. In addition Kintano takes Altman-esque interlacing character approach to a re-introduction to the character. Unlike most series reboots Kintano assumes his audience doesn't need any major back story on the title character, and almost turns him into an afterthought. Assuming the audience has seen any other Zatoichi films, or any of Kintano's films, the only real surprise is the use of sound, which inventively forces the audience to experience a blind man's aurally based world. The strange ending this rhythmic sound inspires remains the film's most lasting impression.
Hero is one of a couple of dozen movies I've personally been craving in HD ever since I got the Blu-ray player. I've owned the film on HK import, Miramax release, and now Blu-ray, and I've slowly watched the image quality improve up to this point. This is as close as I can ever get to that initial theatrical experience, where I was virtually drowned in intense and ever changing colours. The colours are the transfer's best asset, and the 1080p finally puts a damper on many of those compression artefacts that have bugged us over the years, not to mention the DVD releases lack of brightness. The first story Zhao school scenes were the biggest problem for standard definition, and their impossibly bright reds were swimming with blocking and noise. In HD the colours aren't only free of the majority of these artefacts (there is still some noise related to film grain), but they are now much purer, and the transfer even reveals slight variations in the red hues. Unfortunately, the green-laced scenes are far noisier, and at times a bit distracting, specifically Leung's battle with Ming amongst the green banners. The blue and white 'stories' faired decently on DVD, but are still clearly richer here, and the blacks are much, much deeper.
I'm sure there will be some complaints concerning the transfer's overall grain, but this is exactly how I recall the film looking in theatres, with the possible exception of the green-laced throne room fight. The transfer's possibly avoidable problems include occasional edge enhancement, and a lack of detail in long shots. The second issue is the larger problem, and is most apparent during the widest shots of Li's interrogation, Cheung and Ziyi's leaf fight, and Li and Cheung's desert fight. Yimou's films are usually more like paintings than photographs. His focus on overwhelming pallets and shallow depth of field during close-ups doesn't too reveal many super-sharp details, so even the close-ups aren't exactly swimming in minute textures. This probably isn't the last word on Hero, but I don't expect a whole lot more detail any time in the future.
Iron Monkey looks as I would expect it to look. It's an older movie, and featured a relatively low budget. The print is pretty grainy, some of the brighter and warmer colours dance with noise, and there are flecks of white print damage and dirt peppered throughout. Like many HK films of the era the focus is a little soft, and contrast is a little muddied, so the overall detail isn't as sharp as some fans may prefer. In addition, black levels are a little on the grey side. Details are sharper than standard definition can achieve, and the sharpness is consistent throughout the film, unlike the newer films in this collection, which lose definition outside of close-up. The Blu-ray transfer's advantage over the old Miramax DVD is in the lack of edge-enhancement, both of the white line and compression noise varieties. The colours are distinctly brighter, but not exceedingly so. The red highlights don't really pop, but the cyan only flashbacks are sharp and clean.
Legend of the Drunken Master is the weakest of all four transfers, but more for reasons of age and generally lack of upkeep. All said it's still an upgrade, assuming you're ok with the missing bits. The print is dirty and effective by quite a bit of noticeable artefacting, like dirt, scratches and tracking lines (though grain remains relatively even). The colours are a bit washed out, and not as bright as the format can support, but they're relatively clear of compression noise. Contrast is a little dull, and both blacks and whites are rarely pure, but there isn't a lot of compression noise despite some sort of fuzzy edges. The image clarity is inconsistent, but pretty randomly so, apparently more due to mistakes made during filming rather than during the transfer process (four cinematographers are credited, usually a sign of a speedy production). Detail is never fantastically sharp, and occasionally downright blurry, but mostly better than the DVD versions I've rented over the years.
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi is another relatively weak entry in the collection. The transfer is pretty sharp, but the only real advantage over simply upscalling your old DVD copies is finer grain (I assume, having not seen the DVD in years). The details are inconsistent, often defaulting to downright muddy in wide shots. The most brightly lit days shots are relatively flawless, and feature some pure whites, but any darkness leads to heavy grain. The print's occasional colour flourishes, which are most commonly either a cool blue overcast, or bright red highlights (splashes of blood and the Geisha's outfits), are brighter than most DVDs could manage, but the hues aren't pure, or clear of compression noise. And then there's the matter of the edge enhancement, which is an offender throughout the entire film, decreasing slightly in close-up, but not enough to really make anyone's day.
Did you hear that sound? That was the dull thud of Miramax dropping the ball in the audio court. Even with the Weinstein Brothers out of the picture it seems that the people at Miramax simply don't care about these movies. They'll put the minimal effort into the video transfers, but there isn't any love concerning original cuts, or the original language audio tracks.
Things begin a slightly higher note with Hero. If you're willing to listen to the film in dubbed English you've got yourself a pretty impressive, lossless DTS-HD track to look forward to. Unfortunately, those of us that appreciate the original Chinese, and prefer reading subtitles to watching our favourite Chinese actors dubbed by Americans that sound nothing like them, are stuck with a compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 track. If I didn't have the two tracks to compare I probably wouldn't have found a lot to complain about, as it is a generally impressive DD track, but there are some key differences. The volume levels are almost identical, as is the overall impact of the bass, but there is some clear compression in the details. The DTS-HD track is clearly crisper and warmer, and features more clearly defined stereo and surround effects. There's also a lot of echo missing from the DD track. Ironically enough the clarity makes the out of place English dialogue stand out even more as being unnatural and clearly not a part of the original production, while the Mandarin of the DD track is well integrated. There's still plenty to enjoy on even the compressed track, like swishing weapons, clanging swords, tromping soldiers, galloping horses, screaming arrows, swishing water, and chattering warriors. Tan Dun's soundtrack is the most impressive aspect of either mix, including unstoppably aggressive tycho drums and mournful strings. It's sad to note in post-script that the original Miramax DVD featured a DTS Mandarin track.
Iron Monkey was already twelve years old by the time Miramax re-released it in American theatres, and not a huge amount of effort went into remixing the available sound effects into surround channels. Most of the minimal exertion went into changing the existing smack effects into more 'Americanized' and brutal punch effects, and into creating a new soundtrack that was more in-keeping with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. These changes apply to both the English and Cantonese tracks on the disc. The vocal effects (which are too loud on the English track) are clearly different, and there is a slight difference in compression (again, most of the differences are in general clarity, and the impact of the bass), but sound effects and directional work is the same on both tracks (and the Spanish dub track, for those that care). The changes in music go beyond my notice, because I don't remember the original score well enough to make the comparison. Ideally speaking the Cantonese track wouldn't only be presented in a lossless format, but it would be the original tracks, even if that meant mono was the only option. Likely the minor cuts made to the film itself made this more trouble than the Miramax people thought the effort was worth. Too bad.
Legend of the Drunken Master is not only a presented in a slightly cut form, but there is positively no original language option available, not even in a lossy format. Not even a mono track. Personally speaking Chan's films usually work alright dubbed (this is actually the way I originally experienced most of them in the days of VHS), but the lack of language options on a post-DVD format is ridiculous. As if to add insult to injury French and Spanish DD dubs have also been included. The lip-sync is awful, of course, but the acting is better than usual for dubbing, especially the actress that dubs Anita Mui, and Chan, who dubs himself. The American theatrical remix for 5.1 (which is presented here in lossless DTS-HD 5.1) doesn't feature a lot of surround channel work, but occasionally something will move from front to rear, and the stereo channels are pretty consistently active. The LFE is quite busy with the soundtrack's drums, flaming, uh, fire effects, and just about every impact in the film (even a simple toe-stomp results in a bassy thud). I haven't seen the uncut VHS version of Drunken Master 2 in such a long time that I cannot recall any musical differences between versions, unfortunately.
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi is the one film in the set with a definitively weak DTS-HD track, which is good enough news for viewers. Besides having no real volume based or clarity advantage over the compressed DD track, the mix itself is very weak. It's not just that the English language cast is excruciatingly miscast and flatly mixed, but many incidental sounds are entirely deleted. The major effects are still there, like the sounds of sword fighting, spraying blood, and all the other cause and effect elements, but simple things like the wind through the trees, the swish of clothing against clothing, or pouring liquid are missing. And even when these incidentals aren't deleted, they're often muffled. On the DD track things are clear, relatively natural, and directional effects work quite well. The storm sequence affords a realistic representation of a torrential downpour, complete with LFE rocking bass. Keiichi Suzuki's score sounds gorgeous electronic and rhythmic score sounds solid whichever track you pick, as is the film's most aggressive audio element—the tap dancing wrap-up.
Miramax misses out on a chance to really please fans by including the alternate cuts of the three Chinese films. In most cases the notorious Weinstein Brothers re-cut these films with mass appeal in mind, Hero being the major exception. The theatrical version of Hero is apparently the director's preferred version, but there is an extended version that runs something like eight minutes longer (I've personally never seen it). The changes made to Iron Monkey were pretty subtle, and mostly tonal (such as cutting some of the comedic elements, and toning down the political subtext via the subtitles), making them minor but no less artistically demeaning. Legend of the Drunken Master is less cut than I thought it was, but is trimmed, and altered slightly for tonal reasons (strangely, it still got an R-rating upon it's US release).
The actual extras are all found on the previous Miramax DVD releases. Hero features 'Close-Up on a Fight Scene' (09:00, SD), a glance at the Li/Yuen fight, ' Hero Defined' (24:00, SD), a somewhat informative, EPK style featurette, a storyboard comparison (5:00, SD), 'Inside the Action' (14:00, SD), which features Quentin Tarantino interviewing Li on his career with focus on the martial arts, followed by another EPK, and an ad for the soundtrack. Iron Monkey features an interview with Tarantino (09:20, SD), who supplies us with one of his most heartfelt and thought out speeches he's ever given, and an interview with Donnie Yen (06:20, SD). Legend of the Drunken Master only carries an EPK interview with Chan (06:30, SD). The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi features a relatively informative behind-the-scenes special (40:00, SD), made up of a press conference, on-set footage, fight choreography, tap dance practice, release and awards, etc, and a collection of interviews (21:30, SD).
Three great movies, and one very good one, all for a fair price? Why wouldn't everyone want to own this set? Let's ignore the lack of new or particularly interesting extras, the films should speak for themselves. Let's ignore the middling transfers too. Aside from Hero how much can be expected from the material, right? It's still worth the price tag. But what about those Miramax cuts? If Dragon Dynasty can find room for both the US release and original release cuts on their standard DVDs, why can't Disney do it with the infinitely roomier Blu-ray disc space? And how about the lack of lossless original audio tracks, or in the case of Legend of the Drunken Master, any original audio track at all? All in all I find it very hard to recommend the collection, but wonder how Disney will read the sales figures. Do we stand to get better releases through a boycott, or would consumer interest bode as better proof that there is a paying audience for uncut versions? I'll leave it up to the readers, and hesitantly recommend the solo release of Hero. Also a warning: the 'Special Edition' DVD release of Hero features only two brief extras, and has done away with the DTS Mandarin track.
I'm trying to figure out why these four films are still owned by Disney, whereas so many of the other Weinstein backlog are being released by the Weinstein owned Dragon Dynasty label. At first I thought it was related to theatrical release versus straight to video release, but I recall that Supercop saw a US theatrical release. I hope that Dragon Dynasty has some Blu-ray releases planned sometime in the future (assuming the studio doesn't fold), and hope that Disney doesn't go anywhere near Fong Sai Yuk (aka: The Legend), even though I'd love to see it in HD.
* Note: The images on this page are not representative of the Blu-ray release.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
Those Disney f**kers have pretty much destroyed my anticipation for Heroes. Lossless dub and lossy original audio? Having a giraffe. Bloody expensive over here as well. Really not sure I can go for it with only a fair video transfer and 640Kbps Dolby audio...
Cinque Member Join Date: June 2007 Location: United States Posts: 710
What?!? Miram-axe actually dropping the ball on highly anticipated foreign film releases?!? That's unpossible!!
hogaburger Contributor Join Date: April 2007 Location: United States Posts: 1,153
I can't believe they didn't put the original cuts on these (or audio for that matter). That is pretty infuriating. I'm not going to buy the set, despite loving all 4 movies.
I also hope that Dragon Dynasty does some blu-rays. They have had some pretty amazing releases so far. I think Hard Boiled on blu-ray would be amazing.
I also hope that Dragon Dynasty does some blu-rays. They have had some pretty amazing releases so far. I think Hard Boiled on blu-ray would be amazing.
It's such a shame Miramax have been able to stuff up every one of these films in some way, without even counting possible picture problems:
1. Hero - Altered subtitle stream to dumb things down (different from all other subtitle streams). Chinese only in DD5.1.
2. Iron Monkey - "Significantly" altered subtitle stream to dumb things down (different from all other subtitle streams), adding in stories that never existed before. Altered soundtrack. Chinese only in DD5.1.
3. Drunken Master 2 - This one is no better or worse than their DVD but this isn't saying much, only dubbed English.
4. Zatoichi - New title and Japanese only in DD5.1. WORST of all it's been significantly altered in it's colour palate from any other DVD release and the theatrical run. Check out how different it looks to all other releases over at DVD Beaver.
Thankfully there is a really good UK BD of Zatoichi with Japanese DTS-HD MA and the correct colour palate. The rest we'll have to make do with these stuffed up BDs.
For purists you'll probably be better sticking with the UK HKL Platinum Edition for Iron Monkey, which only features 5.1 remixes too but at least it's the original audio and original subtitles.
When both the original Collector's Edition and the later Platinum Edition of Iron Monkey (by HKL) are so good. I don't see why I should make do with this stuffed up BD, just to get an HD transfer. I was going to put up with the stuffed up subs but the altered audio too makes it a no purchase for me.
The same goes for Hero, the subtitles are crucial and I don't want a dumb downed version. I'm not a fan of the other two films.
1. Hero - Altered subtitle stream to dumb things down (different from all other subtitle streams). Chinese only in DD5.1.
2. Iron Monkey - "Significantly" altered subtitle stream to dumb things down (different from all other subtitle streams), adding in stories that never existed before. Altered soundtrack. Chinese only in DD5.1.
3. Drunken Master 2 - This one is no better or worse than their DVD but this isn't saying much, only dubbed English.
4. Zatoichi - New title and Japanese only in DD5.1. WORST of all it's been significantly altered in it's colour palate from any other DVD release and the theatrical run. Check out how different it looks to all other releases over at DVD Beaver.
Thankfully there is a really good UK BD of Zatoichi with Japanese DTS-HD MA and the correct colour palate. The rest we'll have to make do with these stuffed up BDs.
For purists you'll probably be better sticking with the UK HKL Platinum Edition for Iron Monkey, which only features 5.1 remixes too but at least it's the original audio and original subtitles.
When both the original Collector's Edition and the later Platinum Edition of Iron Monkey (by HKL) are so good. I don't see why I should make do with this stuffed up BD, just to get an HD transfer. I was going to put up with the stuffed up subs but the altered audio too makes it a no purchase for me.
The same goes for Hero, the subtitles are crucial and I don't want a dumb downed version. I'm not a fan of the other two films.
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
Do you have a link to the differences between the subtitles?
Not as such, but it's been discussed over at Bullets and Babes DVD Forum:
Iron Monkey:
Hero: Up until a few days ago there was details of the subtitle changes over at Wikipedia, oddly it's now gone. I remember reading opening Prologue has been changed to make it less grand. I'll see if I can find a new link.
From what I gather the sub changes in Hero are quite minor but more severe in Iron Monkey.
The Hero cut is also the same Theatrical cut released elsewhere, so only subtitles were changed.
Iron Monkey:
Hero: Up until a few days ago there was details of the subtitle changes over at Wikipedia, oddly it's now gone. I remember reading opening Prologue has been changed to make it less grand. I'll see if I can find a new link.
From what I gather the sub changes in Hero are quite minor but more severe in Iron Monkey.
The Hero cut is also the same Theatrical cut released elsewhere, so only subtitles were changed.
stevepulaski Member Join Date: June 2009 Location: Niger Posts: 741
Shocked The Forbidden Kingdom didn't get mentioned. Good review though I thought Hero was just okay.
Quote: Original Drunken Master 2 was presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, but most DVD releases, including this one, are re-cropped at 2:35:1. I didn't notice any major lack of head or foot space myself, but understand the fan frustration.
This is completely wrong btw . Originally the film was shown in 2.35:1 -
1. The USA DVD from Miramax is in this aspect ratio but obviously English/cut only.
2. The Australian DVD from Miramax is in this aspect ratio but obviously English/cut only.
3. This USA BD from Miramax is in this aspect ratio but obviously English/cut only.
4. The Mainland Chinese Thakral DVD is the only release to (severely) crop it to 1.78:1 but it at least is uncut and has the original Cantonese audio.
I'm not aware of any Mainland European DVDs to be able to comment.
The aspect ratio is one of the few things Miramax have got right!
Quote: Original Drunken Master 2 was presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, but most DVD releases, including this one, are re-cropped at 2:35:1. I didn't notice any major lack of head or foot space myself, but understand the fan frustration.
This is completely wrong btw . Originally the film was shown in 2.35:1 -
1. The USA DVD from Miramax is in this aspect ratio but obviously English/cut only.
2. The Australian DVD from Miramax is in this aspect ratio but obviously English/cut only.
3. This USA BD from Miramax is in this aspect ratio but obviously English/cut only.
4. The Mainland Chinese Thakral DVD is the only release to (severely) crop it to 1.78:1 but it at least is uncut and has the original Cantonese audio.
I'm not aware of any Mainland European DVDs to be able to comment.
The aspect ratio is one of the few things Miramax have got right!
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,721
You're right, I misread the wording on the aspect ratio. Though I did note the subtitle changes in my review.
Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
Disc Details
Release Date: 15th September 2009
Discs: 4
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: Various
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Mandarin, Dolby Digital Japanese, Dolby Digital French, Dolby Digital Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, Spanish
Extras: Close-Up on a Fight Scene, Hero Defined, Inside the Action, EPKs, Star Interviews
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Zhang Yimou, Yuen Woo Ping, Lau Kar-Leung, Jackie Chan, Takeshi Kitano
Cast: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Daoming, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Tony Lau, Yu Rong Guang, Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy and Drama
Length: 403 minutes
8Review Guide
Follow our updates
Hot Easter Eggs
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Complete Season Two UK - BD Sideways UK - DVD R2 Wizard Of Oz, The US - DVD R1 Evil Dead: Limited Edition US - DVD R1 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith US - DVD R1
Unseen Reviews
Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka UK - DVD R2 Stuff, The UK - BD RB Body Double UK - DVD | BD Capricorn One UK - BD RB Maniac (4K Remaster) US - BD RA
Released Soon
White Boy Rick US - DVD R1 | BD RA Night School US - DVD R1 | BD RA Hell Fest US - DVD R1 | BD RA Halloween (2018) US - DVD R1 | BD RA Goosebumps 2 US - DVD R1 | BD RA
Most Talked About
Halloween (2018) US - DVD R1 | BD RA Venom US - DVD R1 | BD RA Cloverfield Paradox, The US - DVD R1 | BD RA Suspiria (2018) US - DVD R1 | BD RA The Super US - DVD R1 | BD RA

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Whereas science is defined as and limited to explanations based on natural, observable and testable phenomena and, therefore, is explicitly distinguished from other types of explanations that depend on concepts relating to the supernatural (for exampl
At least nine county school boards in northern Florida have adopted resolutions calling for the state board of education "to revise the new Sunshine State Standards for Science such that evolution is not presented as fact, but as one of several theories," according to a January 23, 2008, report from Florida Citizens for Science. These resolutions represent a backlash to a draft set of new state science standards, which are presently undergoing revision in response to comments from the public.
The Institute for Creation Research's quest for Texas certification of its graduate school, which would offer a master's degree in science education, is on hold, at the ICR's request.
Less than a month remains before Darwin Day! Colleges and universities, schools, libraries, museums, churches, civic groups, and just plain folks across the country -- and the world -- are preparing to celebrate Darwin Day, on or around February 12, in honor of the life and work of Charles Darwin. These events provide a marvelous opportunity not only to celebrate Darwin's birthday but also to engage in public outreach about science, evolution, and the importance of evolution education.
Science, Evolution, and Creationism, the new book from the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine designed to give the public a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the current scientific understanding of evolution and its importance in the science classroom, is receiving wide attention -- and, what's more, praise both from the scientific community and newspapers across the country for its uncompromising endorsement of the necessity of including evolution in science education.
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Oakland, CA 94612
fax: 510-788-7971
For Reporters | Store | Events


text:
Itineraries: detail
July 14 2014
Tour up to a maximum of 4 people
The Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD flooded with lava all the little Vesuvius towns in the nearby. Oplontis?s excavations belong to the Archaeological Park of Torre Annunziata: it was a residential town for people of the highest rank, all buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Excavations and archaeological researches have recovered lots of jewels of great quality and fine workmanship. All these remains with the other ones unearthed at Pompeii and Herculaneum, form a unique collection of priceless evidence testifying the existence of a genuine school of goldsmiths. The Villa of Poppea, Nero's wife, is of great interest. It is preserved in excellent condition and at the time of the eruption, it was uninhabited for the sustained damage occurred during the earthquake of 63s A.D. For this reason, there are no ornaments of all kinds but just lot of rich frescoes and they are visible all its spacious and luxurious environments: its entrance and peristyle; its spa and reception room; its garden, the master bedrooms and rooms for the servants; its porch and finally its lararium with a large swimming pool.. Herculaneum was destroyed by a 25 m thick layer of mud and lava. It is merely the mud that preserved all the rests without any great changements thanks to its seal function. The beauty of Herculaneum villas is amazing. If we look at their villas, all built just in front of the sea we will understand how lots of rich Romans enjoyed to spend their holidays over there. Walking along Decumani of Herculaneum is like walking through the time: their houses, their baths and temples, have saved their former colours. The archaeological site of Herculaneum is one of the most beautiful in the world.
This tour starts and ends at the Neapolis Hotel.
The departure is scheduled at about 9 am
The tour lasts approximately 3/5 hours.
You will visit: Ercolano and Oplontis
The timetable for each visit is linked to the importance and the huge of things to see. However, you can define some different time staying by an agreement with your guide or driver.
The price does not include any entrance ticket to monuments.
The price does not include any lunch
We suggest to wear some comfortable shoes, hat and sunglasses during spring and summer period. Do not miss to have a bottle of water with you.
Price to tour up to 4 people
Go back
Are you a Nozio Traveller?
Access extra discounts reserved only for you >


text:
Even though we haven't had a traditional winter here, little snow to speak of and only a handful of bitterly cold days, that doesn't mean we should miss out on our opportunity to make some classic winter dishes, before this winter (or what we've had of it) slips away into early spring.
Of course a really great French Onion Soup requires just a couple of ingredients and the time to let them develop into a surprisingly complex soup that hits all the notes; sweet and complexly meaty with a bit of a subtle tang. To create a rich broth with a buttery quality, I simmered roasted marrow bones (which by the way can be found at almost any grocery store for just a couple of dollars) and then in a separate skillet I caramelized onions until they developed a nice golden sheen and sweetness. I do this in a separate pan because if I were to add those beautiful caramelized onions to my simmering stock, I'd run the risk of them disintegrating. Thus, I add them to my soup at the very last minute. Getting back to my stock, along with the roasted marrow bones, I add the classic trio of carrots, onions and celery then a couple of bay leaves and some sprigs of fresh thyme. Then I simmer it for at least 4 hours (although it gets even better the longer you let it go).
Besides the caramelized onions and rich broth, the third part (and my most favorite) is the crouton raft and melted gruyere cheese that sits on top. The bread absorbs the broth and you have to wrestle with the cheese but to me that's the fun of eating French Onion Soup in the first place. And even though I think a grey snowy day is ideal for a soup like this, it's certainly not a requirement. So check out the recipe below and get your stock pot out...it's soup time!
French Onion Soup
- 2-3 marrow bones
- 6 onions; 2 of them cut into fourths, 4 of them cut into thin half-moon slices
- 4 carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 celery stalks, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
- Olive Oil for the pan + 1 pat of butter
- 3 Bay leaves
- 7 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Splash of Sherry Vinegar
- Sourdough Bread, cubed and toasted (any bread you have on hand works well here too)
- Enough shredded Gruyere cheese for the top of each soup
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a foil lined baking sheet, roast marrow bones until they start to get fragrant and brown a bit. Remove from oven and set aside. In a medium size skillet, melt 1 pat of butter and enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the thinly sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt. Stir onions to coat them in butter/olive oil mixture and reduce heat to low, continuing to stir every once in a while until the onions are very soft and deep brown in color.
In a stock pot, Add the other two onions, celery and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and sweat the vegetables until they start to get a little golden in spots. Add the marrow bones, bay leaf and thyme. Add just enough water to cover the bones and vegetables in the pot. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Continue to simmer for at least 4 hours, preferably 6-8 hours.
Strain the liquid and discard the vegetables and bones. Return liquid to pot and add caramelized onions. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Sherry Vinegar. Ladle into oven safe bowls and top with croutons and cheese. Heat until the cheese melts and serve immediately.
Classic French Onion Soup
5 comments:
- Michelle Collins said...
Cheese and bread in soup = heaven. I need to create a vegetarian version of this!
- February 7, 2012 at 3:34 PM
- MOLLY GALLER said...
I love the term crouton raft! This soup looks incredible. The photos are gorgeous.
- February 7, 2012 at 4:17 PM
- Megan said...
Jeff always complains that my onion soup doesn't taste meaty enough. I wonder if the marrow bones would fix that.
- February 7, 2012 at 7:30 PM
This looks amazing. I want some!
- February 10, 2012 at 2:27 PM
- Crescent Dragonwagon said...
One of my faves. Being V, I use vegetable stock and white wine as liquid. OHHHH so good. And I have little gratinee-in-able soup bowls inherited from my aunt... just perfect for this.
- February 10, 2012 at 9:21 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
What's Hot From The Small Boston Kitchen
Yesterday I left a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end of my post (oh how dramatic of me) and promised that I'd show you a little t...
I'd like to ask you to consider the meatball for a moment. Humble in stature, it doesn't receive nearly as much attention as it de...
Yesterday I posted pictures of a tasty little hors d'oeuvres that I had made in school this week and then I never included the recipe....
When I first started really exploring Chinatown, Gourmet Dumpling House came up in nearly every discussion and was always strongly recomme...
Pierogies, after a quick fry in some butter I can't help but think of my Babcia every time I make pierogies. The way she shuffled he...
It's been a little while since I last wrote but I couldn't think of a better reason to take a break from work (as much as possible ...


text:
ReproCELL, Expands to U.S., Opening Office in Boston and Planning to Hire
The new office currently employs three people, with plans to hire an additional nine employees by 2016. ReproCELL is based in Yokohama, Japan.
"The U.S. market is the most important for ReproCELL to enter in order to foster our growth -- we estimate that the U.S. market is 20 to 50 times larger than that of Japan," said Takashi Masai, COO, ReproCELL USA. "Massachusetts is the perfect place to start our business in the U.S. because of its high concentration of top-level customers for both of our business lines. In addition, the Commonwealth provides access to the network of biotech professionals and support from government partners, such as the MLSC."
Founded in 2003, ReproCELL is the only Japanese human embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-related company. ReproCELL offers the following product lines: human iPS/ES cell culture media and the world's first commercialized human iPS cell derived cardiomyocyte, dopaminergic neuron, cholinergic neuron, Alzheimer's disease model neuron and hepatocyte. In October, the company was included on the "Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Japan" list.
"Thanks to our growth strategy of investing in education, innovation and infrastructure, including our 10-year, $1-billion Life Sciences Initiative, Massachusetts continues to lead the world in life sciences," said Governor Deval Patrick. "I congratulate ReproCELL, and appreciate the company's commitment to growing in Massachusetts."
"I am so proud to welcome the innovative, Japanese stem cell company ReproCELL to Massachusetts," said Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, who met with representatives of ReproCELL at the BIO International Convention in June. "As Massachusetts moves forward and begins to emerge from this economic downturn, we are focusing our efforts on bringing new jobs and making our Commonwealth more competitive through passing ground-breaking economic development legislation and leading the nation in health care cost containment. ReproCELL's expansion into Massachusetts paves the way for other innovative companies and start-ups to find a home in Massachusetts."
"ReproCELL is a welcome addition to the life science cluster in Massachusetts," said Japanese Consul General Akira Muto. "ReproCELL's technology shows the strength of Japanese innovation by enabling groundbreaking biological research to take place, such as Dr. Shinya Yamanaka's Nobel Prize winning work with iPS cells, and will provide positive economic benefits to both Massachusetts and Japan."
"On behalf of the Center, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to the team at ReproCELL as they open their first U.S. office here in Massachusetts," said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the MLSC, the agency charged with implementing Governor Patrick's 10-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative. "Massachusetts is home to groundbreaking work in stem cell research and development, and we are proud that one of Japan's leading stem cell companies has chosen the Commonwealth as its U.S. base of operations. It also is very exciting that ReproCELL is the third Japanese life sciences organization to announce plans for a Massachusetts location in the past six months." "ReproCELL's decision to grow in Massachusetts highlights the strength of the cluster here in the Commonwealth and speaks to our leadership position in the most cutting-edge stem cell research," said Robert K. Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio, a 600+ member life sciences trade association. "We're thrilled to have a growing company like ReproCELL build a presence here in the Commonwealth and look forward to working with them."
The new U.S. office is based at:
ReproCELL USA, Inc.
24 Denby Rd.
Suite 220
Boston, MA 02134
About ReproCELL, Inc.
ReproCELL, Inc. was established in 2003 with the goal of contributing to people's health and welfare through the development of stem cell technologies. Many of ReproCELL's technologies were developed by stem cell pioneers, Prof. Norio Nakatsuji from the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, and Prof. Hiromitsu Nakauchi from The Institute of Medical Sciences, the University of Tokyo.
ReproCELL develops diverse products, with an underlying theme that focuses on stem cell technology, to address the needs of researchers and clinicians. This product range encompasses ES/iPS cells and somatic stem cells.
ReproCELL's technologies, research reagents and services have applications in clinical diagnostics, drug screening and toxicity testing. For more information, visit www.reprocell.com/en.
About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is a quasi-public agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts tasked with implementing the Massachusetts Life Sciences Act, a 10-year, $1-billion initiative that was signed into law in June of 2008. The MLSC's mission is to create jobs in the life sciences and support vital scientific research that will improve the human condition. This work includes making financial investments in public and private institutions that are advancing life sciences research, development and commercialization as well as building ties among sectors of the Massachusetts life sciences community. For more information, visit www.masslifesciences.com.
For further information, please contact:
ReproCELL USA, Inc.:
Takashi Masai
COO for ReproCELL USA, Inc.
+1 617 987 2015Massachusetts Life Sciences Center: Angus McQuilken Vice President for Communications and Marketing +1 617 921 7749 firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
This fantastic score is about imagination, enter in a world of fantasy and magic, juste close your eyes and dream…
High strings, celesta and choirs make this score magic, to his final crescendo
Here the 2nd part of this song; Hope you'll enjoy this one to ==> Dreaming
Save some Money $$$ !!! Sci Fi Action Music Pack


text:
Ralph Strunk, 82
Ralph J. Strunk, 82, of Sidney, died at 3:45 p.m. Monday, May 6, 2013, at St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima.
He was born Jan. 15, 1931, in Blair Mountain, W. Va., the son of the late Margaret (Garland) and Lewis Strunk. On Oct. 22, 1952, he married Bertha June Hilliard, who died April 6, 2005.
Surviving are a son, Allen R. (Tina) Strunk, of Wapakoneta.
Funeral services will begin aat 10 a.m. Friday at Bayliff & Son Funeral Home in Cridersville, with the Rev. Tony Klopenstein officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Point Cemetery in Pasco, near Sidney; where military rites will be observed.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Auglaize County Humane Society.
Condolences may be shared at BayliffAndSon.com.


text:
Edited by secretsign, 16 January 2008 - 01:29 PM.
Names and Meanings
Posted 10 August 2003 - 08:37 PM
Posted 11 August 2003 - 01:03 AM
Well mine is pretty wierd I suppose so I'll explain.....
I'm a huge fan of Kylie Minogue (Aussie singer) and have been for 15 years now. One of her songs is called 'Spinning Around' and when I used to go on the Kylie forums I'd use inaspin as my nickname. I had to put a 2 after it on here as it said somebody already had my name when I registered! Not seen them appear yet though ???
Posted 11 August 2003 - 01:47 AM
I think my parents were hoping for a boy when they were waiting for my birth- many moons ago - and they were going to call me after my Dad - Alfred. So they just stuck an 'a' on the end of it.
I am known more by 'Fred' than anything else.
Nothing mysterious I'm afraid.
Posted 11 August 2003 - 04:49 AM
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." Albert Einstein
I've been hit by mrsspookypants
Posted 11 August 2003 - 05:24 AM
Posted 11 August 2003 - 06:14 AM
Posted 11 August 2003 - 09:01 AM
"Have you found the Yellow Sign?"
"Have you found the Yellow Sign?"
"Have you found the Yellow Sign?"
I was furious. What did he mean by that? Then with a curse upon him and his I rolled over and went to sleep, but when I awoke later I looked pale and haggard, for I had dreamed the dream of the night before and it troubled me more than I cared to think.
Posted 11 August 2003 - 11:57 AM
Posted 11 August 2003 - 12:47 PM
Hmmmmmm lets see here . ???
Just kidding, I used to drive a dumptruck
Now I drive a fuel truck ( tank wagon for a local energy company). Should I change it to PetroDriver2k1? lol just kidding.
I liked the name and it was my email address too. I didnt feel like changing it so ergo Rockhauler2k1.
The 2k1 is because Rockhauler was already taken . ;D
I am also known on the internet as SpectorDetector ;D
Posted 11 August 2003 - 01:37 PM
and just for the hell of it ... other names people call me:
mogwai (given by hubby as i started calling him gremlin after he did an impression of spike from gremlins)
and wallaby ... there is no logical reason for this name.. my friend b/f called me his little black haired wallaby (i had dyed my hair black) and the name stuck ..... however i do call him cannibal spud.... he declared he was a potato and that he liked eating potato salad...
and no we weren't smoking anything ;D
Posted 11 August 2003 - 05:42 PM
Mine is quite simple actually, Cajun stands for south Louisiana and the Knight part is for Law Enforcement, the knights were the original police of the past. So out bounced 'CajunKnight' one night and it has stuck ever since. It actually ticks me off to find others have taken the name since I first put it online. I have the same spelling on all the online sign ups I have done.
Posted 12 August 2003 - 07:35 PM
I understand getting ticked, eight years ago I started out as mommy, apparently one of the first since I even got that as my e-mail when geocities ran it...had to get off line for a few years and I had to rename myself,...very frustrating when someone steals your identity *g*
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." Albert Einstein
I've been hit by mrsspookypants
Posted 12 August 2003 - 09:10 PM
I do alot of Cemetery work by day(and Ghost Hunting by night LOL) in old cemeteries. I Care for some really old ones near me, doing research, genealogy work, ploting and maping, and restoration.
I have a favorite one that is a very old one that most of my ancestors are buried in, that I tend to. There is a Sheriff that I met there one day, that grew up playing in that cemetery as a child, and it is one of his favorite places also. Well we became friends, and his ex wife has the same name as me, so not to confuse us in e-mails, he called me goulie girl all the time, and well the name kinda stuck. Guess it is only appropriate since I spend most of my free time working in them in one way or another LOL.
And yes I have done a Ghost hunt out there, I am very at ease and comfortable in this place all day, but when we went at night...well it changed very quickly! ....but thats another story, maybe sometime, I will tell it in the story area LOL. Needless to say, it took all the courage I had to back by myself one day to work.
Thanks for the question, it's interesting to hear everyones responces, as you always wonder how peoples names come about.
Posted 12 August 2003 - 09:37 PM
My name...obviously is very easy to figure out, haha. I'm a ghost hunter, and a very girlie girl....so whatdoyaget?
GHOSTHUNTER_GIRL! So logical.... ;D
Posted 13 August 2003 - 07:04 AM
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
Matrix Online Screens, take the red pill
Matrix Online Screens, take the red pill
Aug 8 2005, 02:01 AM
Post #1
Antarctica Traffic Control
Group: Dark Templar
Posts: 1823
Joined: 10-December 02
Member No.: 1
Friday evening Bryn and I went to Gamestop looking for something new to play. I spotted Matrix Online for $20 and it included a free month trial. The price was right so I picked up a copy and figured twenty bucks was worth a month of gameplay. We are both huge fans of the first movie and the Animatrix so this was worth a look. I made a character and had a look around the city. It is a pretty cool game, notwithstanding a slightly poor performance on my aging machine.
This game feels like a cross between City of Heroes and Anarchy Online. A bit hard to figure out the upgrades and abilities but plays very fast, and easy to jump into the action. Bryn wanted to join in on the fun so we went back and picked up another copy.
Jacking in to the Matrix.
Residual Self Images.
Knock knock motherf#ckers!
Let's rock!
Giving the office a fresh coat of bullet holes.
exp and ejecting shells.
Crushing Zion loyalists with our Hacker Code and Simulacrum.
Gettin' down after the battle at a nearby club.
You notice the radio tuner in the lower right corner? You can tune into any streaming broadcast or your own music library in game. The official station of the game has live DJ's who are in game when they broadcast and give updates on any pvp action, parties, or movie character appearances throughout the city. I'll have to set up AT Radio with a .asx file before I can access it with the in game tuner.
Matrix Online also comes with AIM built into the interface. You can contact anyone in or out of the game, and people who don't have the game can contact you while you are playing, kind of like Xfire.
Pretty fun game for what we paid. I am not sure if we'll take it beyond the month trial, we'll see how it pans out. For now we'll be fighting on the Merovingion side, terminating Zionists and Machinists.
Aug 30 2005, 03:33 AM
Post #2
Antarctica Traffic Control
Group: Dark Templar
Posts: 1823
Joined: 10-December 02
Member No.: 1
Woe takes the Red Pill.
Somebody call AT?
Henge(Woe) and Divewire pause for a moment of badass.
State Property by Rocawear.
|Lo-Fi Version
|Time is now: 18th December 2018 - 07:17 PM


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - stands for Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in stands for Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Learning English View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message muniJoined: 08 May 2003Posts: 176 Posted: Wed May 14, 2003 6:28 am Post subject: stands for please correct this what does it stand for or it stands for what please do reply regards muni Back to top ZanthrickJoined: 31 Mar 2003Posts: 51Location: IA, USA Posted: Wed May 14, 2003 2:01 pm Post subject: "What does it stand for?" would be the correct one. I'm not sure how proper the second phrase is. If someone was saying what something stood for, and you didn't understand them/catch what they said then the second phrase would be all right in conversation.. at least around here in Iowa. Back to top pugachevVJoined: 16 Jan 2003Posts: 2295 Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 4:25 am Post subject: If somebody told you that some symbol etc., stood for something that you found very surprising or shocking, you could say, in disbelief , shock or outrage..."It stands for WHAT?!" Back to top muniJoined: 08 May 2003Posts: 176 Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 5:18 am Post subject: thanks for reply Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Learning English All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


text:
Wednesday 31 August 2016
The new deal begins in 2017, with Cooper seamlessly continuing supply to the championship following a highly successful association with World RX since its inception in 2014.
Cooper has been selected by the FIA as part of a tender process launched in April of this year.
The FIA Off-Road Commission recommended Cooper to the World Motor Sport Council based on its strong technical understanding and history of rallycross tyre requirements, as well as its commitment to the promotion of the championship.
Cooper is the tyre of choice for rallycross competitors across the world, having also supplied tyres to European Rallycross Champions for the past two decades.
Cooper's unique rallycross tyre composition offers unrivalled levels of grip and traction on both tarmac and gravel to provide the best all-round performance. For competitors to tackle the changing surfaces, from tarmac to gravel, they need a tyre which is capable of handling both rough and smooth surfaces. Meeting this unique challenge is something that Cooper excels at and particularly prides itself on.
Cooper has always worked to give drivers the best rallycross tyres possible with more than 20 years of continuous testing and development experience in this area. To stay ahead in a competitive tyre market, the company's on-going research and development teams regularly test new compounds and constructions, working with teams to create tyres that allow rallycross stars to compete lap after lap in one of the world's toughest and most spectacular forms of motorsport.
Sarah McRoberts, Marketing Communications Manager for Cooper Tire Europe, said, "We are extremely proud to be continuing our association with the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
"Our partnership with the championship over the last three years, since it began, has given us the perfect platform to be able to demonstrate and promote Cooper's unrivalled off-road expertise, producing tyres which can transition effortlessly across all surfaces found on rallycross circuits."
So far in the Supercar category this season, there have been four different winners in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, due to the competitive nature of the sport and the tyres.
Find out more about Cooper's World RX tyres here: http://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/article/9242/cooper-tire-europe--world.
Discover World RX at: www.fiaworldrallycross.com.
For more information about Cooper Tire Europe, go to www.coopertire.co.uk. Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


text:
Valparaiso men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew announced today that Vashil Fernandez, a 6'11" center from Kingston, Jamaica, has joined the Crusaders' men's basketball program for the 2011-2012 season.
"We feel very blessed to have Vashil as part of the Valpo family," said Drew. "He is a tremendous young man with potential to be a very special player at Valpo. He brings great size and length to our program, which is a premium in college basketball. We are very excited to get him started in the classroom and on the basketball floor."
Fernandez attended Calabar H.S. in Jamaica, averaging nearly a triple-double on the court in the points, rebounds and blocks categories. Fernandez also had the distinction of being one of the founding players of the Jamaica Basketball Academy.
Fernandez concluded his prep career last season in the United States, enrolling at Princeton Day Academy in Laurel, Md. for the 2010-2011 school year. He came on strong later in the season, posting a double-double for Princeton Day over the second half of the year while also registering nearly five blocks per game. Fernandez also helped Princeton Day to the National Christian Schools Athletics Association (NCSAA) regional title.
"Jamaica Basketball Association is proud of Vashil's accomplishments as a stellar student-athlete," said Ajani Harris-Williams, president of Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA). "We believe that with his discipline and drive, he will continue to make steady progress towards success. We are pleased Vashil chose Valpo, and look forward to him getting the chance to work with newly-appointed head coach Bryce Drew in the years to come."
Fernandez will become the second Jamaican native to suit up for the Crusaders, following in the footsteps of Michael Rogers, who played for Valpo from 2007-2011.
Athletics-Recreation Center (ARC)
1009 Union Street
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Staff Directory


text:
TORONTO (Reuters) - Sears Canada Inc's SCC.TO parent said sales at the Canadian chain's established department stores fell 5.8 percent in the nine weeks to the end of December, a performance likely to hold back results for the quarter that included the holiday season.
The parent, Sears Holdings Corp SHLD.O, disclosed the sales figures late on Monday as it announced in a statement that its chief executive would step down. Its shares rose 2.3 percent before regular trading hours on Tuesday.
It also said it expected the company as a whole to show higher adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in its fiscal fourth quarter.
But the retailer expects all of the improvement to come from its domestic business, as it sees Sears Canada's fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA falling by about half.
Results at Sears Canada were hurt by weaker earnings from electronics, as well as "unseasonably warm temperatures in parts of Canada," the company said.
Sears Canada is struggling to turn around its business ahead of U.S. discount retailer Target Corp's (TGT.N) Canadian launch this spring, expected to shake up the retail landscape.
Chief Executive Calvin McDonald has said his turnaround plan - which in part involves refocusing on the company's stronger categories such as mattresses and major appliances - is working, albeit more slowly than expected.
In the third quarter to October 27, Sears Canada same-store sales, a key measure for retailers, dropped 5.7 percent, following a 7.8 percent decline in the same quarter a year earlier.
In November, Sears Holdings trimmed its stake in the Canadian unit from about 95 percent to 51 percent, distributing the stock to Sears Holdings shareholders.
Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Andrea Ricci


text:
Life is in the Details
Top HeadlinesDate: December 31, 2004
Contact: email@example.com
Website: www.andrews.edu
Phone: 269-471-3322
Whoever said "life is in the details" must have been talking about Boon Chai Ng, associate professor of engineering at Andrews University. While most of us struggle to make sense of what we can see with the naked eye, Ng likes to spend his time looking at the world through the lens of an electron microscope.
Ng's work with the small things in life has produced research that could greatly benefit the world of space aeronautics. As part of his doctoral work at Michigan State University, where he will complete a philosophy of science degree in materials science in June 2005, Ng has developed a way to predict the paths of cracks in gamma-titanium aluminide (TiAl) alloys.
Gamma-TiAl alloys are being looked at as a potential replacement for current alloys used in the automotive and aeronautics fields due to their light weight, strength, and ability to withstand high temperatures. However, they have not yet been put into use due to their low level of toughness, which is associated with the ability to resist cracks. Through his study of gamma-TiAl alloys, which is sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Ng has discovered a way to predict the propagation of cracks. This breakthrough leads to a greater understanding of gamma-TiAl alloys and opens the door for other researchers to now find ways to stop/prevent cracks from forming. The use of gamma-TiAl alloys will decrease the weight of aircraft significantly, enabling them to fly faster and reach greater heights. The understanding of the formation of cracks will also lead to the creation of a safer machine.
Ng's work has resulted in more than a dozen publications in technical journals such as Metallurgrical and Materials Transactions, Ultramicroscopy, Intermetallics, and Materials Science and Engineering. Before joining the AU faculty in 2002, Ng worked as an intern for General Motors in their research and development center.
Ng received a MS in Materials Science from Michigan State University in 1997 and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Western Michigan University in 1994. Ng also taught for eight years as a training officer for the Vocational and Industrial Training Board in his native country, Singapore, before moving to the US in 1990.


text:
ICD-10 Diagnosis Code M12.0
Chronic postrheumatic arthropathy [Jaccoud]
Diagnosis Code M12.0
Short Description: Chronic postrheumatic arthropathy [Jaccoud]
Long Description: Chronic postrheumatic arthropathy [Jaccoud]
This is the 2019 version of the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code M12.0
Not Valid for Submission
The code M12.0 is a "header" and not valid for submission for HIPAA-covered transactions.
Code Classification
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00–M99)
Inflammatory polyarthropathies (M05-M14)
- Other and unspecified arthropathy (M12)
- Inflammatory polyarthropathies (M05-M14)
Information for Patients
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Also called: RA
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a form of arthritis that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in your joints. It can affect any joint but is common in the wrist and fingers.
More women than men get rheumatoid arthritis. It often starts in middle age and is most common in older people. You might have the disease for only a short time, or symptoms might come and go. The severe form can last a lifetime.
Rheumatoid arthritis is different from osteoarthritis, the common arthritis that often comes with older age. RA can affect body parts besides joints, such as your eyes, mouth and lungs. RA is an autoimmune disease, which means the arthritis results from your immune system attacking your body's own tissues.
No one knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis. Genes, environment, and hormones might contribute. Treatments include medicine, lifestyle changes, and surgery. These can slow or stop joint damage and reduce pain and swelling.
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- Collagen vascular disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Felty syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Rheumatoid arthritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Rheumatoid factor (RF) (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Rheumatoid lung disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
[Read More]


text:
ghelas Titan E X C A L I B U R Saturday 15/09/2012, 10:08
This week in ELO has brought a game balance problem to my attention. Now that Copy Bonus cards are becoming a little bit more prominent, and many clans are getting powerful 8 power cards, SoB clans are starting to feel outdated. In UR's delicate ecosystem, SoB clans were usually a balancing force. They messed up games for clans that have incredibly good synergy between bonus and ability. A good deck had to be able to defend against both SoA and SoB without losing the ability to win rounds.
A good example of how damaging underpowered SoB clans are to the game is Jungo. Askai is currently unbanned, and the vast majority of ELO players are either running him or have tried to run him this week. If SoB clans weren't weak in the current metagame, running Jungo would pose a risk of a low damage draw, even with Askai. Many Jungo staples have mediocre damage, if they are deprived of their bonus. With SoB clans too weak to threaten Jungo, they are becoming overused. The same can be said of All Stars... Deprived of their incredible round-winning bonus, they struggle to secure the rounds they need. However with Saki's arrival, and Robb Cr unbanned, All Stars pack an even bigger round winning punch and gain the ability to wall vs SoB clans.
Has anyone else noticed this? I think Lizbeth is a step in the right direction, but her price puts her out of reach of many players...
@ghelas I disagree about the SoB only leveling the playing field. Some clans get hit HARD by SoB, effectively negating their main strategy (all atk manip clans, all power manip clans, SoA clans, Vortex) Only clans that don't get hit as hard are the dmg manip clans, life manip (although that can still suck for certain Jungo draws), other SoB clans, and Skeelz. If you compare the number of atk and power manip clans to the number of other clans SoB doesn't hurt as badly, you can see that SoB shuts down a majority of clans in the game. Individual ability-based SoB and CoB cards are just that, ONE CARD out of a 4 card draw. A smart and experienced player can play around that one card.
So as I have just explained, SoB doesn't 'level the playing field' at best; against most clans it is a game changing factor your opponent has to consider when they' would normally rely on atk or power manip or any other clan bonus.
ghelas Titan E X C A L I B U R Friday 28/09/2012, 02:38
@Saint: Sorry, I don't see what makes you say that. I think you're making assumptions rather than considering the lineup of every particular clan.
Most clans, even attack manip clans these days, have a good number of staples with 7 power and good gap. SoB clans don't act as a "game changer" against those clans -- they only negate the advantage as much as another attack manip clan would. In that situation, it's my 7 powered card against yours. So, saying "SoB clans shut down attack manip clans" is comparable to saying "attack manip clans shut down attack manip clans." They don't.
Now, let's go over what hurts SoB clans even in the "ideal" situation of facing an attack or power manip clan...
Ability SoB.
Ability SoA (because of those low-ish natural stats, many SoB clan cards rely on strong abilities. It's easy enough to get an ability reliant draw where the fact that your opponent has an ability SoA does translate into a serious disadvantage for you.)
Prot: Bonus.
8 power (rare in SoB clans, but starting to become pretty common in many others.)
I'm counting on you to draw your own conclusion from this.
@ghelas Did you not read what I just wrote before my previous post??? Ability based SoA, SoB, and CoB are usually going to be one card out of your opponent's 4 card draw. A experienced player will know how to play around that. Also there're the non-clan related aspect of the game, including calling bluffs and perfect pilling your opponent. Piranas ' pillz manip is one of the most dangerous mind-game creating abilities in the game; pillz manip allows you to overpill to win without losing advantage even if your opponent might have atk manip or higher power. It's not all about who has more power or better atk manip.
And in accordance with your previous statement: please explain to me a situation in which I'd see a card lineup with more than one or two 8 powered, SoB, CoB, or Protection: Bonus cards. Do please explain to me a situation in which I'd see a ENTIRE hand or deck that would kill a Piranas or Nightmare deck consistently and almost ALL the time. I am heavily of the opinion you're talking about situational cards or draws that normally do not do too well against other decks that do not contain a SoB clan.
wats_happenin Titan Casual Grind Friday 28/09/2012, 13:53
Well Ghelas I think that everything currently has to do with the meta...for instance currently Nightmare is destroying ELO with Azel and the amount of times I've faced Karrion/Azel/Kenny is beyond ridiculous....tbh I'm actually sick of Nightmare this week lol
Piranas are the hit hard clan...that's because of a few things
1. They have no dr's
2. Their old great 2* are kinda iffy these days except for Hawkins....poor old Tula has been left well behind the bell curve
3. They have 1 good 4*, and some shaky other options
Lizbeth wasn't what they needed...they need a solid 4* and a bloody DR lol...give them an artus and piranas will be fine
ghelas Titan E X C A L I B U R Friday 28/09/2012, 16:25
As I keep trying to explain, this situation is starting to become really, really common. Does this sound like an impossible draw to you?
-One 8 power (or 7 power with ability attack manip)
-One 3* with decent gap and 7 power
-One ability SoA OR CoB OR SoB
-One good DR or Defeat
To me this is a typical, well-balanced hand that any ELO deck worth its salt should be able to draw, and as I keep trying to explain... I draw hands like this all the time, oddly enough. You forget that in addition to 8 powers, SoB, CoB, ability attack manip etc etc etc low-star 7 powers will usually beat SoB clan cards pill-for-pill, too! A 7 power 3* is almost as good for beating Azel or Karrion as an 8 power.
@wats_happenin: I do agree that Piranas are much harder hit by this than NM. I have been seeing a lot of NM lately, too, but they honestly feel like a free win 75% of the time, with an occasional one sneaking one of those high-gap cards through. With a good round-winner and a good SoA or DR in my hand, I definitely feel like I'm more in control of those games than my opponent is (most of the time.)
0 Anderson Imperator Time Conquers All Friday 28/09/2012, 16:27
Give them a DR then mono piranas becomes top played clan in ELO each week *again*.
@wats-happenin I don't think Piranas are that behind just because they don't have one card. Mono-Piranas still has some great options including many support cards which are pretty good and playable like Puff, Scubb, and Tajilion. And by solid 4* did you mean Raeth? Also I really don't think a lack of a usable DR is something that kills a clan. If you look at Nightmare they'll only use 1 DR in their deck and you'll only draw it a fraction of the time meaning you'll have to deal with draws that doesn't have a DR in it. Now I'll admit, no DR does make it difficult for Piranas to create a life-gap with Piranas and splashing in Spiaghi or Uranus may not work out as well as most people would think. So obviously this means people can't just all-pill 3rd round and just sit back and let the DR do its work. But regardless I think that Piranas are still a very strong clan with their own strengths. Oh and yeeeeeeesssss, it'll only be a matter of time before we finally get a amazing release for Piranas which'll convince all the noobs that Piranas are worth playing just like when everyone decided Gheist was worth playing when Hriger came out. Really I don't think that any clan is weak right now, they just need to be used correctly.
0_4DPaladin Veteran Thursday 22/11/2012, 02:45
(From the point of mono-Piranas) For reasons that take too long to explain, Piranas still pwn, please stop thinking otherwise
Although a DR would help, I can see the reason for not having one: Piranas are rock-freaking solid. SOB shuts out Roots and GHEIST, and most of thier abilities are some really useful pillz manip. (Hawkins, or Selma) or attack manip (Raeth, Taljion). Although a suprising amout of players justn say "Herp Derp splash uranus", she doesn't have SOB, GHEIST/Roots rip her apart, along with she messes with my Scubb and Taljion.
The reason Piranas might seem like a weak clan is that soooooooo many players make rookie mistakes. Don't take this the wrong way Ghelas, but using Lizbeth is one of the worst mistakes ANY piranas player can make. Selma is truely the only 5 star to use, maybe Dahlia, but honestly 5 damage is pathetic and doesn't help any bit with their damage And now I regret making Dahlia seem comparable to Selma. One last jab at Lizbeth: Having her in your hand and your opponent with even just one SOA card, your opponent practically forces you into playing her in one of two rounds. Not only this, but she becomes a puny 6/4 if you try to take a suprise-SOA shot with her, whereas selma is much, much better. Lizbeth is a step in the WRONG direction, and is really only good for her artwork, if anything.
TL;DR, Mono Piranas>Split piranas. Selma>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lizbeth, DR would make Piranas worse than present Jungo and AS combined. and Selma>Lizbeth
0_4DPaladin Veteran Thursday 22/11/2012, 02:50
I just necro'ed, sorry thought this was a legit topic lol. Awkward.
ghelas Titan E X C A L I B U R Thursday 22/11/2012, 06:43
That one time when you necro something by accident instead of on purpose, huh?
At any rate, excellent reply. It's true that Piranas have a nice bag of tricks up their barnacle-covered sleeves, but I think their lack of gap can be a very difficult thing to overcome. Piranas don't deal well with DR, and they deal even worse with Defeat, which is starting to become much more common. The bottom line is that they are starting to feel very underpowered in a world where it's not unusual for a 3* to gap for 6.
You're right about Selma -- she is a powerhouse. I think Lizbeth is still a great card, though. The odds of your opponent drawing 2 ability SoA cards in ELO are practically 0. There's not much of an issue with your opponent forcing her into one of two rounds with 1 SoA, and that's because she's a 9-powered SoB on those turns. Forcing her into one of two possible rounds only makes her *somewhat* easier to fight.
We are definitely getting into the murky realm of opinion here... Everybody has a different play style, which sometimes lends itself to a certain clan -- I am, for whatever reason, a pretty good Vortex player in ELO. I think that your particular style may make it easy to steal 3-round wins with the Piranas... They can be an excellent clan for that, in the right hands. But what's not a matter of opinion is that by today's standards, their gap is low, and that keeps them from being what could otherwise be a much stronger clan.


text:
This punchy Jpop inspired electro-rock tune will propel you through the stratosphere! It features drums, electric bass, electric guitar, analog synthesizers and a lot of editing and slicing.
So many uses, an excellent track for your project.
effects or others !
Why you should buy this track:
- It's UNIQUE
- It's PUNCHY
- It's POWERFUL
- It's DRAMATIC
- And I will love you forever!
Hope you'll enjoy this one !
Don't forget to rate this item after your purchase


text:
Jump to navigation
Based on the Gold Coast, we have clients all around Australia, please contact us for a quote via the form below or one of the methods available on the left.
Gold Coast Visual Media
Varisty Lakes QLD 4227
Web email@example.com
Design firstname.lastname@example.com
Print & Publishing email@example.com
copyright © 2007-2015 Gold Coast Visual Media. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Denver News Station Accidentally Airs Giant Penis During Helicopter Crash Coverage
Well, someone at Denver's Fox affiliate is likely back in the job market today.
A Fox 31 producer probably got a pink slip moments after letting a giant pink uncut penis slip on the air while haphazardly shuffling through random pictures on Twitter. It probably would've been a good idea to stop scrolling through Twitter pictures during a report of a helicopter crash in Seattle after you hit an image of Edward Scissorhands, but that wasn't red flag enough. The gasps from the panelists following the mistake are nearly as entertaining as the unexpected dick pic!
Oh well, it's the Internet that has now reaped the bounty of the gigantic (literally) gaffe.
Video below is NSFW, for a big surprise penis.
UPDATE: Denver News Station Issues Statement After Airing Big Penis During Morning Broadcast.
Me & my boyfriend was planning to get married last month, just last week we had some argument that made him get angry on me just because of the argument, he said we will not be married again and the next day he left me and we broke up. I still loved him and I wanted him to marry me, for me to get him back i had no choice than to contacted dr.marnish@ yahoo. com to help me and he helped me to bring my lover back to me so we can continue our plan to be married. he came back after 3 days
Shelley Dustin
In America. Only American's seem to be afraid of being asked "Mommy, what's that?" by their children. Other countries show nudity openly on TV, their parents explain sex organs and responsible use of them to kids while they are still very young, and DON'T have multiple "porn capitals of the world" where repressed children end up acting out with emotional responses that are quite predictable given the attitude placed on sex there.
Yeah it wasn't really giant, just filled the screen lol. I mean really it looked close to average size when you take into account what little reference there was around it in the picture. I always love the 6 inchers that are proclaimed to be "huge" by the women being sexed up by them, or by some horny guy on the internet trying to draw traffic to his tumblr :)
Hahahaha!! You sound like one bitter sorry ass mother fucker! Perhaps even the Mother of all Fuckers! I almost cracked a rib I laughed so hard at your "No wonder no man will ever love you" bullshit! Sounds to me like you have a tiny pecker and no man will ever love you because of it. You're bitter and angry because of your economy sized cock and lashing out at others. And the people you say love you are actually the fake ones because they're leading you on to believe they love you despite your inadequate manhood when in reality they are ugly and desperate themselves and are only fucking you because they are just like you, sad and angry. There!! How does it feel! Oh and P.S. That's why you fucked your moms poodle bitch! Poodle fucker! Poodle fucker!
So, you talk about "decency" then go on to label people who disagree with you as "liberals" (as if it's an insult! lol) and "fags".
I can quite easily label you as a Christian, Republican bigot who is so mentally ill the sight of a natural part of the Human body causes them to have something akin to a nervous breakdown.
If anyone is wrong here it's clearly the person who is so easily traumatized by the sight of something they should be pretty familiar with by now.
You need to grow up, act your age and move on with your life. It's just a penis, no one died, no one is going to be "damaged" by seeing it, and no one should be up in outrage about this. It's pathetic that some grown adults so immature they can't cope with seeing a penis!
As a gay man, I find your comment very offensive. I happen to be a liberal too, but I have morals and ethics just like the VAST MAJORITY of the gay community and have the utmost respect for others in lieu of decency. Pull your homophobic head out of your ass and realize that just because you're a closet case, does not mean the rest of the gay community is anything like you.


text:
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
An interesting question.
Over the weekend I got an anonymous question from a regular reader. I won't repost the whole thing here as she'd like to remain totally anonymous. Essentially what she wants to know about is my experience in this sort of body as an adult.
She admitted that she's one of the people who looks at someone like me and thinks inwardly that I am not really fat and she does not understand the place of someone like me in the fat community. She said it hadn't occurred to her prior to finding smaller fat folks on the Fatosphere and in Fatshionista on LJ that smaller fat folks would have any of the same sort of problems pretty much at all.
So some of the issues I have personally (Now I may be Queen of all I Survey however the vote is still out among the smaller fat folks about who is queen) experienced and experience daily.
One of the things that probably bothers me the most at this size is the assumption by the world at large that I am a work in progress. That I am at the midway point between some 'horrifying' before picture and the 'lovely' after picture. I think at the size I am which is probably a little larger than average in spots (I'll get to that later, that has to do with proportion) it is assume that I am actively losing weight.
And when I correct people on this point a lot of them get pissed off.
Most of the time I can let that roll off of my back. Sometimes, it's a really fucked up thing to deal with.
I think that too many people feel far more comfortable trying to exert their will over another persons body when said body is close to what they think it should be. What can often be construed as a privilege is sometimes an ass flavored burden.
So there's that kind of thing.
What else?
Doctors. Can we talk about health care for a minute?
I have had countless doctors give me the following speech in one way or another.
"If you just cut down (insert whatever here) and do more (insert other whatever here) you'll lose those last 20 pounds in no time."
Now usually those conversations lead to me being angry because after asking me once and I decline the "weight help" how about just fucking treating me for what I came for?
You dig?
For me personally as I have probably mentioned size is way less of an issue for me personally than economics is. Frankly, I'm of the mind that regardless of the size of another human being if they have awesome fatshion advice or whatever I'm down to listen. Even if it doesn't pertain to my currently size 14/16 ass.
My advice my anonymous friend, is this.
I can't tell you the Inbetweenie/smaller fat experience. What I can tell you is what goes on in my slice of the universe. I highly advocate that you and whomever else instead of focusing that this person is not the same size as me, instead take that set of blinders off and actually look at what that person with the different ass is saying.
For instance (I'm totally talking about you here Lesley) Lesley over at Fatshionista.com has an entirely different body shape than I do. Like even if we wore the same size, our bodies are still entirely different. Now that being what it is, I could reasonably say that I don't read her fashion posts because we are so different.
But, I fucking love Lesley. Her aesthetic is not mine, our bodies are way different but I think she has some ass kicking style and after being a regular reader of her wardrobe posts I've been clued into some shops and deals I would have otherwise never heard of.
Now because I have stayed with the fashion posts, that has led me to her other posts which are equally awesome.
See what I did there?
This also ties in with the whole diversity and intersectionality thing in the fat community.
There are lots of folks in the Fat community talk about a lot of things. If you can only deal with one sort of fat talk, then you're not going to get the richness and full awesome flavor that the fat community has to offer.
Additionally it's not the job of bloggers or even groups of bloggers to make sure that readers are exposed to diverse voices. The onus of that is on the person taking in the information. If diversity is important to you, you have to take the responsibility to either learn to find diverse voices or points of view that are different than yours.
If you can't hack it, or can't widen your horizons to take in those other voices it's your fucking loss. No really it is.
You can't just talk about wanting this or that to magically appear in a community, chances are it's out there. It's up to you to find it.
I had more planned to say but I seriously digressed so I'll save that for another post.
So to end it, again my homies feel free to ask me anything you wanna. You can do it anonymously via my form there (sexytimes questions, wardrobe questions, whatever questions) and if you ask I won't quote your question word for word.
All this said, I am off. I need some water to counteract my mega assload of coffee I've had today.
I love you guys.
Homo out.
5 comments:
- amy said...
i kinda wonder where this "you're too small to really be fat" thing is going to stop.
i remember being about a size 12 and 17 years old and REALLY identifying with fat politics. i was way curvier than anyone else i knew, and had FINALLY gotten comfy with my body size and felt fucking sexy for the first time ever, really. but i felt slightly awkward id'ing as fat, because i knew that some people wouldn't think a size 12 was truly fat, despite the fact that i'm only 5'2" (size 12 on a 5"2" frame is a hell of a lot different than size 12 on a 5'9" frame or something).
years went by and i gained some weight and was pretty steadily a size 18, and i really felt like i could say i was fat. i was bigger than most of the people i saw on the street, and was definitely one of the very few fat queers in my community.
and then i joined fatshionista, and now, even as a 22, i still feel like people are judging me for "not being fat enough" when i post OOTDs. i don't know if this is a US thing, or if it happens in cities like toronto that actually have a fat community too. (vancouver? uh-uh. there are very few of us)
i remember going to a femme conference years ago and everyone was FREAKING OUT worrying about the fat caucus. not worried about what we'd talk about, but worried about being judged for attending.
i don't get it. i don't understand why there has to be this litmus test for fatness. i totally understand the frustration of skinny friends whining about how fat they are, definitely. but judging people's for being an 18 instead of a 28 or a 12 instead of a 22? why? the most common explanation i've seen is the "but they don't have the same experiences as us" line. but no one has the exact same experience. if you take two people wear the same size clothes, they are both going to have a different fat experience. everyone's body is different, everyone's surroundings are different, everyone's situations are different.
I just want to say that my ass is way huger than Shannon's ass, but I have found some of your fatshion talk more up my alley than fatshion talk of those with similar-sized asses. ;)
As for the in-betweenie thing, I think it's sooo pointless to go around silencing people who want to talk positively about fat issues, regardless of their size. It's not just a certain category of size that can talk about fat issues in a way that makes sense (fatshion, too) --- we *all* live in this world, from teeny-tiny to humungly-bungly, and thus we're all exposed to anti-fat messages, and therefore we all have something to say about why we think those messages need to be relegated to the garbage can.
- MigiziNse-ikwe said...
Here's the thing that I thought of when I started an FA/HAES thread on my favorite forum; I am SEEN as fat, not average as my pants size says. I identify as fat, always have, even though I'm not 'death fat' or have muffin top and can comfortably *ha!* fly on a small airplane. However, I still struggle with accepting my body the way it is. I have a hard time identifying what my body wants when it wants it, from sleep to liquids to food to activity. I can't buy my size pants in certain stores and I've been told repeatedly that I'd be so pretty if I just lost x pounds, or to 'suck it in' during family photos.
It doesn't matter if someone ELSE says I'm not fat 'enough' to be apart of the FA community; this is where I identify and this is where read/lurk/comment.
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/lifestyle-discussion/fat-acceptance-health-at-every-size-read-first-post/t.37341773/ <---that's my FA/HAES thread on the forum. Don't know if you'll be able to see it or not without logging in.
- wellroundedtype2 said...
Most of the time, I don't wear a bit of makeup. For me, a "made-up" day is when I put on moisturizer and lip balm. But I learn so much from when you post about applying makeup, and appreciate the art form that it is. It makes me think about makeup differently. It also makes me think about how hard it is to not be able to afford things that make a person happy.
I've been smaller fat and where I am now, medium fat, and I think the pressure to lose weight (and to feel I was never going to be small enough) was greater at those lower weights. Where I am now, someone has to be pretty ballsy to bring up my weight, unless they are also fat and are trying to bond.
How you write, and what you write about, all of it is very, very good. Sanity-supporting. World beautifying.
I try to teach my very thin, very young duaghter that people coem in all shapes and sizes. I think a strong fat positive movement is necessary because the harsh, abusive treatment that has been so much a part of life.
I have struggled with an ED for many, many years. I am not fat, I am not thin, I am in the middle. I am definitely fat by Hollywood standards and I have hated my body for as long as I can remember. This community has been a very positive part of my recovery. I am still working on accepting my body as is. You all inspire me.
Even so, there is a difference between being fat and feeling fat. I am under pressure to be thin, to be OK and fit in but I have not received the abusive treatment most larger women have.
I respect you all and feel very connected in a way I have not felt before.


text:
Resources >> Browse Articles >> Career Advancement
Resources >> Browse Articles >> Job Search
10 Top Hospitals Hiring Nurses Right Now!
Georgia Price
Central Florida Health Alliance
Leesburg, FL
The hospitals in Central Florida Health Alliance have consistently delivered unparalleled patient care in a plethora of areas, from cardiovascular services to orthopedics. The two primary care centers, Leesburg Regional Medical Center and The Villages Regional Hospital, and 7 other affiliated facilities serve the residents of Lake, Sumter and Marion counties.
Staff at Central Florida Health Alliance are able to detach their practice from the business aspect of healthcare though the system's Alliance Practice Management Services which help physicians with billing, scheduling, and volume tracking, among many other things.
Central Florida Health Alliance has many job openings in almost every department. Healthcare administrators will find openings as a patient safety coordinator or vice president of planning, while RNs can expect openings in departments like cardiac rehab and the infusion center.
Search for jobs at Central Florida Health Alliance
Or check out the Central Florida Health Alliance Career Center
Central Florida Health Alliance | The Cancer Institute of New Jersey | Mount Sinai Medical Center | Forsyth Medical Center | The Cleveland Clinic | Texas Children's Hospital | Georgetown University Hospital | Southwestern Vermont Medical Center | University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers | Scripps Health
Select a hospital above or use the navigation buttons to view more top hospitals.