text:
drdiags wrote:CPHawk wrote:I understand the hate for Stern, he's a king douche bag, but why no hate for your own civic leaders in Olympia and Seattle who pretty much kicked Stern in the ass? You have to ask yourself, if only our local guys would have just shown they would try would the Sonics be gone? Right now I would bet good money Stern wouldn't have let the Sonics move had they just tried a little bit, hell the Sac group has an agreement for a new Arena that is as stable as RGIII ACL, and we offered at least double what the Kings are worth, and they aren't moving.
To me the issue was the 95 remodel of Seattle Center. Plus the lease not being the type of lease that the NBA later figured all teams needed to make money with. Stern himself was shaking hands and kissing babies when the 95 remodel occurred, saying the arena was state of the art. Then 10 years later, after many folks felt the two other stadiums got forced upon them, it was going to be a hard sell to get people on board to build the Sonics a new arena. NBA was not happy.
Plus the fact that Ackerley and company chose a configuration to discourage the idea of sharing it with the NHL and the whole thing was just one calamity after another. Schultz couldn't get what he wanted, Stern was snubbed and away we go. Though many knew the endgame, Bennett was presented as willing to work with the locals prior to giving up on the region. It wasn't until after the fact that the Ballmers of the world tried to rally late. Relocation had already been approved before the rallying cry was on from what I remember.
I doubt Stern would have been an ally to stop relocation like he was with Sactown because our politicians didn't give him reason to. Bennett wasn't credible and was scorned here prior to filing for relocation but the league could see it was poisonous by the time they allowed him out. Of course he helped along the fight but that is for another day.
Yep, the governor, city council, mayor and state legislature all helped make it a layup to get the team out of town. They all can take a leap but most are gone except for a few major dickheads.
I think you're spot on, Doc - and we're on the same wavelength.
The only difference is I always feel the need to stick up for Ackerly, because I think he gets an unfair share of the blame for The Key (and it's also the main reason I'm worried about the current MOU until shovels are actually in the ground). Ackerly never wanted to shut the door on the NHL - he was forced into it. He originally owned the land where Safeco now sits and had plans for a 20K seat true multi-purpose arena. He worked on it for years and was willing to front the majority of $. The public portion was going to fine from parking garages he built and then leased to the city and shared the revenue from on game days. He wanted the NHL to be a future tenant. He also wanted the city to sign a "non-compete" agreement for the old Coliseum to help ensure the profitability of his arena by getting first crack at all the concert/convention revenue.
Ackerly had the support of the Mayor (IIRC, it was Norm Rice at the time) and I don't know if he had the equivalent of an MOU, bit he had signed agreements with City Council and was into the permitting process.
Political pressure from some of the Council ultimately killed the deal. The opposition mainly came from the fear that losing the Sonics would have too big ab negative impact on Lower Queen Anne and the City's ability to operate Seattle Center (ironic, isn't it?) They buried Ackerly in red-tape until he realized he wasn't going to get the deal done.
To Ackerly's credit he never played hardball, never threatened to move or sell, and he felt so strongly that the Sonics belonged in Seattle proper that he ultimately turned down overtures from Bellevue. (And he really had been stuck in a sub par building for a long time - the Sonics had a RAIN OUT game, the roof leaked so bad.) He then worked out the compromised remodel of the Coliseum into The Key.
The anti-NHL configuration was a choice that was begrudgingly made because of the physical limitations of the Coliseum and the footprint of the main pyramid support columns. In order to add the Suite level and still keep it at the 18K seat size, they had to lower the floor so much that the NHL ice would no longer fit. Any other plan would've required a complete tear-down and made the construction costs too high and the project never would've penciled out or got approval from the City.
The sacrifices that were made to keep the Sonics playing at Seattle Center eventually caused them to leave town entirely. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.


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'Tis the Season: Christmas on Film
What is it that we love so much about Christmas movies? Is it the tradition? The sentiment? The décor? Or, some inexplicable combination of all three, that draws us in, sits us down and leaves us glued to our seats...year after year?
Not all of the films included here are 'Christmas movies' per se, but each of them represents Christmas in a memorable, magical, and somehow repeatedly watchable way. Most of us have seen them many times, yet we still watch - over, and over, and over. Is it the comfort in the familiar that appeals to us? Do they simply make us laugh? Remind us of the true meaning of the season? Or do they represent a longing for a time, a place (or a family!), that is somehow different from our own? Do we see ourselves in these films, or merely wish that we did??
First Row:
1. Love Actually, 2003
2. The Holiday, 2006
3. It's a Wonderful Life, 1946
4. Elf, 2003
5. White Christmas, 1954
Second Row:
1. Little Women, 1994
2. Home Alone, 1990
3. Bridget Jones's Diary, 2001
4. Christmas in Connecticut, 1945
5. Sleepless in Seattle, 1993
Third Row:
1. Christmas Vacation, 1989
2. You've Got Mail, 1998
3. The Bishop's Wife, 1947
4. A Christmas Story, 1983
5. Miracle on 34th Street, 1947
Forth Row:
1. Joyeux Noel, 2005
2. Holiday Inn, 1942
3. The Family Stone, 2005
4. Stepmom, 1998
5. When Harry Met Sally, 1989
Do you love Christmas movies? And if so, why? Which ones are your favorites?
Images: 1. My Modern Met 2. Hooked on Houses 3-4, 7b, 8. Elle Décor 5. Hooked on Houses 6. Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings. 7a. Hooked on Houses 9. Hooked on Houses 10. Those Were the '90s! 11. Hooked on Houses 12. Kid in the Front Row 13. TV Guide 14. Hooked on Houses 15. Ruby Lane 16. NY Daily News 17. here's looking at me kid 18. IMDb 19. Hooked on Houses 20. HitchDied.com

subset: commoncrawl


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|2008-10-24, 17:59
|Link #1
Nothing More
Join Date: Mar 2003
Age: 39
Toradora! - Character Discussion - Kitamura Yuusaku
The purpose of this thread is to provide a place to discuss all things Kitamura Yuusaku related.
To keep the discussion enjoyable for all Toradora! fans, please follow the guidelines below and stay on-topic!
Note: Please don't use this for the specifics (i.e. episode, chapter, game, etc. discussion) there are other threads for that stuff.Thread Guidelines
Last edited by Pellissier; 2008-12-06 at 04:46.
|2008-10-24, 18:19
|Link #2
Senior Member
Superiority complex refers to a subconscious neurotic mechanism of compensation developed by the individual as a result of feelings of inferiority. (Alfred Adler)
So far, this is only vibe I getting from him in the anime.
|2008-10-24, 21:43
|Link #6
singing heartbreak
Spoiler for ep 4:
He hasn't done anything yet, but he probably has some underlying feelings against Takasu because he's taken Taiga from him, so now he's going after Minori out of spite(when I say 'going after' I mean just joining the same activities). Actually, since Ryuuji was considered scary, which in context, means he'd think of himself as better, Kitamura became friends with him to show everyone that Ryuuji wasn't all that, and because he[kitamura] was superior, he could be friends simply because he[kitamura] is the superior person. Then, when Kitamura noticed the subtle hints that Ryuuji liked Minorin, he joined the softball team and student council to be near Minorin, just so he can show Ryuuji that he's better than him. Of course he didn't expect Ryuuji to catch Taiga like he did, so that's why he mentioned to Taiga to be friends, so that he can slowly take Taiga away from Ryuuji while staying close to Minori(so Ryuuji can feel down). Only then, will he feel the joy that only a superior person as himself can feel when he shows those who he befriended that they are not superior to him.
|2008-10-25, 00:13
|Link #9
Seitenkan no Greeter
Ehh...I won't say anything more, as this is in itself may be a spoiler, but there seems to be someone else that Kitamura likes by this point. (Remember that he said he had forgotten he still had Taiga's picture? If he still had feelings for her, you would think that he wouldn't have forgotten about it.)
|2008-10-25, 01:15
|Link #11
singing heartbreak
As he is superior, he has to show his intelligence by figuring out that the photographs are from Taiga, perhaps he was even eavesdropping(intentional or no). He sees this as a chance to attack Ryuuji's confidence, though it has no effect in terms of Ryuuji liking Taiga romantically, because he doesn't, but since Kitamura does not know this, as superior people like him always assume the worst-case scenario, he does it anyway. What a cunning bastard >.>!
|2008-10-25, 01:56
|Link #12
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Despite the revelations in the most recent ep 4, Kitamura is still largely a mystery in regard to his motivations. frubam's theory certainly is hilarious and intriguing (and I'm purposely not getting ahead in the novels/manga to illuminate anything) but I have to file it as "alternative explanation" for now
Last edited by Vexx; 2008-10-25 at 02:40.
|2008-10-25, 02:20
|Link #13
Senior Member
Kitamura still looks like a stalker goof even after episode 4, and yes he doesn't seem to have any underlying feelings for Taaga anymore. You are just looking too deep. frubam, you are chasing a black cat in a black room, that isn't even there.
|2008-10-25, 05:57
|Link #14
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: CH aka Chocaholic Heaven
Age: 35
Kitamura as a cunning bastard... Now that would be a plot twist...
So far he looked more like a very transparent character: saying what he thinks or simply acting with little concern for "normal" behavior patterns.
Maybe it's an aftereffect of Hanai, but this is the kind of characters I can relate the most; but what's with this trend of making them into athletes? And super-popular with the ladies to boot!
But it is true that, according to my memories of middle school, extravagant behavior can trigger mass-popularity effect in distant crowds of girls; maybe it has to do with the extravagant behavior causing a gentleman aura, opposed to the normal jerks; and the distance blurring the oddity...
|2008-10-25, 16:21
|Link #15
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
An aside question: when did being fond of someone, worshipping them from afar, being frozen by stage-fright to actually approach a person, or pining about them become "stalking" (with all of its negative and illegal connotations)?
I feel like a lot of posters are tossing that word around with too much ease....
|2008-10-31, 13:41
|Link #17
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Paris
Age: 30
I just read several chapters of the volume 4 of novel yesterday and I must say I don't get this guy at all.
He's like, totally out of it. Almost in bad way. His "I do not care" attitude about Ami's personnality, for instance, is shocking, to say the least.
I don't hate him or anything, but I can't where this character is going. At all.
|2008-10-31, 13:48
|Link #18
singing heartbreak
|2008-11-13, 00:34
|Link #19
Hopeless Dreamer
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: On bended knee asking Belldandy to marry me
All this bad mouthing of Kitamura. Things are being attributed to him that are in no way revealed so far in the anime.
He's made friends with Ryuuji and is the only one who seems to care about the fact that he's a decent guy underneath the scary face. He even makes effort to help others see that.
He's observant and insightful. He shows that by pointing out how much different Taiga is when she's with Ryuuji. And he has the self-restraint not to be overcome by emotion when she confesses to him, instead calmly assures her that he'll commit to a friendship with her.
He's good at sports, but doesn't make it out to be a big deal.
He's popular with girls, but doesn't gloat over it or take advantage of it. If anything, he's indifferent about it, politely brushing off their attention.
He supports the president from the sidelines, and trys to keep her from making a fool of herself, without looking for any credit for himself.
Kitamura KNOWS Ami... childhood friends, remember? He can't do anything about her personality, and he knows it. He's not going to undermine her by exposing her to the whole school because he knows that would be rude and hurtfull. Instead, out of concern for her well-being and lack of potential to move beyond her duplicitous self, he knows (because he's a smart, observant, caring guy) that the best thing for her, is to be challenged by relationships that will force her into revealing her true nature and actually come to grips with it. So he goes to the only girl he can think of, someone he feels he can trust, who already knows what she's really like, and rather humbly asks her to help his childhood friend.
I honestly don't think Kitamura is taking advantage of Taiga's blind willingness to do whatever he asks. If anything, he seems to be just as indifferent to that as he does anything else.
Granted, he may have some underlying motives that are yet to be seen, but so far, I think he's the most stable, "normal" person out of the whole bunch.
And I'm going by the anime alone. I haven't read the manga and I won't be any time soon. So, with regard to my opinions, anime discussion only, please... for anyone who cares.
Last edited by Mushi; 2008-11-13 at 01:03.
|2008-11-13, 00:46
|Link #20
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
|Thread Tools


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Imagine8 Design, Inc. is dedicated to creating, exploring and imagining what's next. Imagine the possibilities of what can happen when you dismiss the ordinary and explore designs that work best for your company's goals. Imagine how design can help you grow by expressing what's most important to you and your audience. Imagine it all.


text:
The Fire welcomed home a player they have some familiarity with on Thursday when the club announced the signing of PDL, Super-20 alum and Naperville product Brendan King.
"Coming home to the Fire is part of the dream," the midfielder told Chicago-Fire.com. "You train at the stadium, you go to games and watch the first team play. It's a really special thing for me to come home and play for the Fire."
A highly touted player out of Notre Dame, King was part of the club's Super-20 team that won the USL North American championship in 2008 and the PDL team that finished as USL runners-up the following season.
Selected 27th overall by Portland in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, King went on to sign with Irish Airtricity League side Bray Wanderers before playing seven matches with Norwegian first division side Alta IF.
Following Alta's relegation in November, the Fire reached out to the 22-year-old midfielder to see if there was interest in a return to the club, filling out a spot on the team's apprentice roster.
"The Fire had called and asked if I wanted to come in for preseason but I was still under contract here and I said I'd be interested in coming back. Then they finally decided to offer me a contract. It was a no-brainer, I had to take it. The club here was really great about letting me go and let out of the contract pretty easily.
"Once I heard the Fire were going to offer me a contract I was really excited about returning."
Extremely happy to be coming back home to Chicago to play for @chicagofire. Can't wait to get home and get going!!— Brendan King (@BrendanKing1717) January 31, 2013
Typically a left-sided player, King says he feels comfortable at any position throughout midfield. As he welcomes the new opportunity with the Fire, he recognizes the potential to continue to grow as a player.
"I just want to get in and learn as much as I can from the guys, Frank and the rest of the coaching staff. I want to work hard to improve every day because I'm still young and I think have some years left in my career.
"I want to do whatever it is the coaching staff asks of me. I want to put in 100 percent every time I step on the pitch."
King is set to travel from Norway and arrive in Chicago Friday night before boarding the team's flight to Los Angeles for Phase Two of preseason camp in Ventura, Calif.


text:
dear all,
reading these fora have saved me many a time from going absolutely crazy, so please accept my thanks for the work you are doing.
i am a FTM, 35 years old, an academic who works way too much (80 hour weeks), is rather underpaid, and we have a little girl who is 4.5 months old.
I have breastfed DD for this whole time, despite considering giving up due to thrush, mastitis, bad treatments for both, and then a range of emotional issues (anxiety, OCD-type stuff, panic). I go back to work in one week's time.
The story: DD used to feed for 20 minutes each side for the first over two months, but something changed after Week 12/13, we both got sick with the virus and then sinus infection (no medication), she would cry a lot at night, was in teething discomfort, and would never really fall asleep. She also just nursed about 10 minutes, 20 minutes on a rare occasion, and sometimes does the sleep-nurse thing for 40-45 minute cycles, whether in the middle of the day or at night. We went on a 90-minute awake time, then sleep, cycle, so now she sleeps for 45 minutes at at time, about 3-4 times a day, and nurses every time after waking up. Then bedtime is 6 pm, but while she used to fall asleep nursing, she doesn't quite do that and starts getting frfrenetic and now needs to be rocked, and then wakes up every hour or so, until 10-12 pm, and then might, if lucky, stay asleep for two 3 hour stretches, with one more feeding between 3 and 4. These are all rough estimates, since she is not very regular about that. I just dread bedtime, because I never know what lies ahead, and her short naps in the evening somehow seem more frustrating and depressing, for I worry she will never sleep. I am continually tethered to her, feel too anxious to leave, and cannot quite relax when I am away from our room (we co-sleep), for I think she will never fall asleep again, or would be up for an hour and two and fuss, if I missed the opportunity to nurse her back to sleep immediately.
She also does this weird thing that she pulls away after 5-6 minutes on each side, and sometimes approaches the breast and doesn't nurse. I worried about OALD, for her mouth is always full for the first few minutes, but I have recently gotten some advice from a lactation consultant that really worries me.
Granted she has been sick and teething (no teeth yet), but is this "normal." She is gaining weight (75th percentile) and height (off the charts), and is happy and very amiable. Also, she was born with one kidney, and has some indications of potential hypertension, so I am over-concerned about dehydration (especially at night) and crying too much.
So, my questions are:
(1) I thought my supply was "fine" (after worrying about it too much), and convinced myself that DD was just getting more efficient, and that cluster feeding at night was okay, and that at 4-5 months, babies till need 7-8 feedings. However, the NP at the pediatrician's office suggested solids that would make her sleep more (I find that silly, reading all the things here). But, speaking to the lactation consultant who didn't quite ask good questions and sent me spinningly worried about whether "I had enough" makes me very very anxious, especially with a few days left to me leaving for work. She suggested that since DD was eating very frequently, there was a chance I didn't make enough milk, and that my supply would was bound to be affected adversely once I go back. I thought all this while that just feeding DD more often would actually serve to build supply rather than not, but this suggests a different story. Can anyone weigh in on this? I suggested to LC about OALD, but she ignored it.
(2) The other thing has to do with pumping and going back to work. I will be away from DD for three days for 5-6 hours, and for one day for 8 hours. What would you recommend I do, since I will have one 10-15 minute break on the shorter days, and probably 2 of those on the longer day. I pumped a while back more than a couple of months ago for many days, but couldn't keep it up, what with feeding DD every hour and a half or so, and then worrying like hell about her lack of sleeping pattern. How am I supposed to plan for this--I cannot even fully fathom all that will change and all this will take, and my work, even though I am a professor, is quite unrelenting.
(3) Is there something harmful in a 4.5 month old having no fixed sleep pattern, and this strange "pattern" at night that I have mentioned above? Could this be because of hunger on her part? Or needing pacification. I don't mind filling either need any number of times at night, but could I not be doing it well enough which in turn isn't helping her sleep well?
Thank you for any help you can give me. I am all alone, and just don't have any support system besides my DH who is amazing and tries to fix things that he just cannot fix. With my anxiety issues, and not taking any medication, that can be a lot. I hate going back to work so soon.
best always.
DD weighs 16 pounds, is 27.5 inches long. 4.5 months, (birth weight 6 lb 14 ounces; length 20.5 inches)


text:
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Now, that's much more interesting. Except — spoiler alert — they're one and the same.
However you learn about money, pay attention to the experts. Venture capitalists and investors in startup companies typically ask five bottom-line questions before committing money. The check-list includes diversification, quality, return after fees, taking an active or passive role, and vetting management. In this week's top story, you'll see how these factors apply to individual investors.
5 questions to ask before you invest in startups (or mutual funds)
These 5 questions to ask when weighing angel investing versus investing in a private equity fund also apply to mutual fund investors.
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A growing body of research suggests that fund managers are trying harder to beat the indexes these days, in many cases by doing less but believing in themselves more.
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It turns out that investors often act irrationally when their teams lose, Mark Hulbert writes.
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Buy mutual funds — especially index funds — to invest like a rich guy or gal.
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What to consider when deciding how much to withdraw yearly during your retirement.
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It's unanimous — the five advisers with the best records over the past decade say equities will keep rising, Mark Hulbert writes.
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Wells Fargo Advisor's Scott Wren gives his view on the market and the economy in the coming months and explains why investors need to be cautious about high-yield debt.
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text:
The Rogue River and Bear Creek will get some sprucing up Saturday by volunteers working in conjunction with the annual National Public Lands Day.
Separate cleanup efforts are planned for a 33-mile stretch of the upper Rogue and the banks of Bear Creek from Ashland to its confluence with the Rogue.
Crews in driftboats and rafts as well as volunteers on the bank will collect debris from the base of Lost Creek Dam to Fishers Ferry boat ramp downstream from the former Gold Ray Dam site.
Several Rogue fishing guides already have plied the Rogue upstream of Shady Cove, but more work is needed in that area, said Molly Allen, environmental education coordinator for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Medford.
More volunteers are needed, Allen said.
"We have at least 30 so far, and we're expecting 50 or 60," Allen said.
Groups will meet at 9 a.m. at Casey State Park along Highway 62 and at the boat ramp area of TouVelle State Park off Table Rock Road, Allen said. Volunteers will be divided up and given cleanup assignments there, she said.
A 1 p.m. picnic for volunteers is planned at the upper TouVelle picnic area, she said.
For more information, call Pete Mazzini, coordinator of the Upper Rogue Watershed Council, at 541-210-0670.
The Bear Creek Watershed Council is organizing a similar cleanup along the creek from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Volunteers should meet at Bear Creek Park near the skate park to get trash bags and directions to their cleanup locales. Crews will also pull purple loosestrife that has infested a wetland near the skate park and will tend to trees planted recently along a stretch of Larson Creek, organizer Dick Barbara said.
For more information, call Barbara at 541-324-4895.
Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or email@example.com.
Volunteers to clean up waterways
The Rogue River and Bear Creek will get some sprucing up Saturday by volunteers working in conjunction with the annual National Public Lands Day.


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Death Ship (UK - DVD)
Not to be confused with Ghost Ship or Event Horizon, says Gabe Powers.
This review is sponsored by
As a hip and happy cruise ship sales the Caribbean, an evil rust-bucket vessel approaches. The malevolent vessel uses its evil boat powers to attack and sink the cruise ship. Only seven passengers survive, including the captain, who has been seriously injured.
The naive castaways think they're saved when they happen across a ghostly freighter. Little do they know that this former war machine is the same death ship that sunk their first boat. They innocently climb aboard, unaware that they've sealed their fate, and insured their doom. Doom!
Spending my college years bleeding ever major video store in the Phoenix area of their horror movie collections ensured two things: one, I didn't have a girlfriend, and two, I ran out of cult classics pretty quickly. Thanks to John McCarty's Official Splatter Movie Guide volumes one and two, I've carried a list of ultra-violent must-sees around with me for years. The problem is that so many of these lost 'classics' aren't available on DVD in the US, so I end up having to import them to see them, and most of them aren't worth the money.
Death Ship has been on my list for a while, and here I've finally gotten the chance to see this elusive little video hit. Now that I've finally seen it I realize my problem is one of expectations. I expected a thrill a minute, classless exploitation movie, filled with gore and little ambition. Instead I got an atmospheric and old fashion thriller, that takes elements of The Shinning and The Poseidon Adventure and riff on them with class. It's actually a pretty good movie. What the hell?
Seriously, this isn't a cheesy gore epic, and I'm pissed. Let's run down a list of all the things wrong with Death Ship:
1. It features a bunch of solid actors (George Kennedy and Richard Crenna front the cast).
2. When a character hears a scary sound they walk away from it and get help.
3. There is only one bloody, naked woman the entire movie. The entire movie!
4. Four characters die of suffocation (drowning or strangulation). That's not very violent.
5. It's called Death Ship, instead of Evil Nazi Boat, which is obviously a better title.
At least the budget is low, there are some skeletons with gross, rotten flesh on their bones, and there's a whole lot of unnecessary slow motion. Next time the filmmakers might want to trade all the middle aged people for some nubile and busty teenagers, and all the atmospheric creepiness for some grotesque blood and guts. One naked woman in a shower spurting blood just isn't gonna do it.
On a serious note, when I reviewed the Italian release of Galaxy of Terror I mentioned that large sections of the plot had been taken by Paul Anderson for Event Horizon, a film mostly accepted as the director's best (relatively speaking). Now that I've seen Ghost Ship, oops, I mean Death Ship I know the real source of Anderson's inspiration. Or you know, thievery. Whatever... The films are so similar they both pop up on Amazon.co.uk when you do a Death Ship search.
'At least it's anamorphically enhanced', the box art should read. It's dirty, it's grimy, it's like watching 8mm projected on a lumpy brown wall, but at least it's anamophically enhanced. The image is obviously damaged, and artefacts flicker about with wild abandon, but honestly it doesn't deplete very much from the viewing experience. The colours are accurate, if a little dark, and details are sharp enough that I was never unclear on what was happening. The transfer isn't going to win any awards, and Nucleus isn't winning any comparisons to Blue Underground or Anchor Bay, but I'm really not all that disappointed.
Inadvertent hilarity is what makes a great bad movie, but as I've already noted, Death Ship somehow isn't a bad movie. There is one valuable case of inadvertent hilarity here though, and it's in the soundtrack. At the beginning of the film the music spikes into super dramatic mode every time we cut to the outside of the doomed cruise ship, then falls silent when we cut back inside. Comic gold.
Anyway, we've got two Mono tracks, one labelled Dolby Digital, the other PCM. They sound more or less identical. I understand the sentiment behind the uncompressed PCM track, but it's really a waste of disc space. The sound is clean considering the source, but both tracks peak pretty regularly and these peaks are a bit distorted. Because it's a Mono track things get a little cluttered, and the track is flat.
I've got plenty of well restored and remixed B-horror releases on my shelves, but so many of them are nearly bare in the special features arena. This Nucleus release is full of love and information.
The first extra is a rather intellectually rooted commentary track with director Alvin Rankoff and the author of English Gothic (the film is a UK/Canada co-production), Jonathan Rigby. Rankoff is pretty mean to the film, but still manages to remember what happened on set, and Rigby (also not a real fan of the feature) is full of all sorts of back-story information. Rigby is very well prepared, and a good moderator. The track is runs out of steam a bit at the end, but there is very little silence, and I learned quite a bit.
The meatiest extra is the fort-two minute documentary, entitled 'Stormy Seas: The Journey from Blood Star to Death Ship'. Chapter one is all about director Alvin Rakoff's basic disinterest in the subject, original writer Jack Hill's ( Coffy, Foxy Brown, The Big Bird Cage, Switchblade Sisters) basic anger at the project being ripped from his hands (he includes a reading of his producer's script notes), and everyone's shock that the film has a cult following. It's all very similar to the even more in depth story behind Alien on that DVD. The focus moves onto the actors, who everyone seems to agree were great. Then there's some talk of the 'infamous' shower of blood scene, and the anecdotes continue so on and so forth. I'm frankly shocked at how much these guys remember about such a minor film. It's a very pleasant little documentary.
The deleted scenes are from an alternate Canadian video cut. These brief scenes are pretty low quality, but include subtitles for those of us that don't want to deal with the garbled Betamax dialogue. None of these scenes are particularly interesting, but their inclusion is important for completion's sake. The proceeding notes thank a message board poster on DVDManiacs.com for the footage, which made me smile. The internet works.
Next is a selection of pages from Jack Hill's original script, which is more in keeping with his style of filmmaking (i.e. not subtle). This seems to be more of what I was expecting from the film. The pages aren't flippable, but in slide show form, and sometimes go by a little too fast.
This packed to the gills single disc also houses three fun-time trailers, a smashing gallery of poster press book and video art from around the world (man did Ghost Ship rip them off), a note on the video quality of the disc, letting us know this was really the best they could do with what they had, and a trailer reel for other Nucleus releases.
Not exactly what I expected from such a well spoken for cult item, Death Ship may appeal even to those uninterested in underground horror gems. This DVD, though lacking a bit in video quality, is fully stuffed with entertaining extra features.
Check out my friends at Xploitedcinema.com for this and other cult horror releases.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Suitable only for persons of 18 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 26th March 2007
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
RCE: No
Video: PAL
Aspect: 1.85:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono English, PCM 2.0 Mono English
Subtitles: English
Extras: Director/Author Commentary, Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Original Story, Trailers, Gallery
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Alvin Rakoff
Cast: George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Sally Ann Howes, Kate Reid
Genre: Horror
Length: 87 minutes
6Review Guide
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At home, Jesse thinks Cassandra missed her flight. Angie returns and thinks Joe Martin is her surprise when he comes for a visit. Angie thanks Jessie before he leaves. Joe and Angie discuss their personal tragedies. Angie is disappointed about losing the baby and that Jesse lied to her about it. They discuss Opal and Petey. Angie thinks it would be helpful for Joe to see Dixie.
I Promise.
Jesse asks someone for help, Petey makes new friends in Pine Valley, and Celia thinks about what she wants.
At the airport Jesse demands to review security footage to find Cassandra. He sees her leave with an unknown driver. He calls Zach Slater to inform him the car she got in was registered to his casino. Zach offers to help.
Opal makes plans for Pete to stay longer. He's set on a short visit. Before going out he asks Opal the name of the school matching the uniform he remembers Celia wearing. She tells him Bramwell Hall.
In her room, Celia explains about the condom when Heather comes in asking who the hot guy Vicki saw her with was. Ms. Johnson dismisses Heather and Celia opens up about her work passing out condoms at the Miranda Center. Celia doesn't want her guardian to know and is tired of his restrictions.
AJ comes home in a hurry to leave for Jane's. Brooke asks if he called Dixie but AJ says she'll be alright. After cleaning up he finds Dixie downstairs. He asks if she was at the hospital or the cemetery. She doesn't respond. He offers to cancel with the guys but Dixie encourages him to go. Brooke finds her crying alone and understands.
At Jane's, Bianca teases Miranda that she's the best mom ever for scoring tickets to One Direction. Miranda thinks it is so yesterday but agrees to go until she realizes it conflicts with a school dance. Bianca regrets they can't do a family thing together. Bianca leaves at Miranda's request when Hunter comes in. He joins Miranda and invites her to hang out Thursday. AJ arrives and gets upset that she's happy over Hunter.
Pete gets coffee from Jane. He thinks he sees Celia but apologizes to Heather for thinking she was someone else. They discuss social media over coffee. He peruses her school page before Jane reminds Heather it's close to curfew.
At the hospital, Dixie lets someone's hand go and promises to be back tomorrow. She leaves and the hand moves on the blanket.
Cassandra's purse is being riffled through in a room somewhere. She's handcuffed to the bed trying to stay away from her assailant.
Tomorrow's Pine Valley spoilers for All My Children:
Jessie receives news.
An ex-con figures out who helped.
Cara wants to keep her secret.
Please abide by the Soaps.com guidelines when posting and contact us if moderation is required. Don't forget about our All My Children News Room, Comings and Goings, and All My Children Spoilers!
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Brand Label: Marc Jacobs
ITEM MOVED TO ARCHIVE: On June 4, 2018 4:42 pm, Fashion Stylist Online noted this item may be out of stock at Shopbop because it was not referenced in their latest online catalog. If this item is out of stock at Shopbop, you may be able to find similar fashions sold there or elsewhere on our Marc Jacobs Designer Brand Directory.
Available for Purchase Online at Shopbop for $165.00Pin It
Leather: Cowhide Cross-grain texture Colorblock panels Gold-tone hardware Snap at top Zip exterior pockets Pouch interior pockets Card slots at interior Patch interior pockets Lined Weight: 7oz / 0.2kg Imported, Vietnam Measurements Height: 3.5in / 9cm Length: 5.5in / 14cm Depth: 1.25in / 3cm.
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This item was published for sale online by Shopbop on June 4, 2018 3:43 pm and last updated by us June 4, 2018 4:42 pm.
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The Preacher Kids - Pray [Urban Inspirational Christian Group]
"The Preacher Kids present to you the music video for their single "PRAY". In today's world, life has become a never ending story of trials and tribulations, stress and struggle, pain and problems. "Pray" not only addresses these issues, but also provides a solution. Director Delmar Washington created the vision and concept for the video after speaking with Brian Taylor, co-founding member of The Preacher Kids. "I wanted to know their thought process, why they made the song, where they were in life to make this type of song. It was my job to bring that conversation to life," stated Washington. Follow the link below to see "PRAY" by The Preacher Kids." - B
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All News Releases By Date
U.S. EPA settles with Los Angeles and Vernon, Calif. wholesalers for pesticide violations
Release Date: 09/27/2007
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi 808-541-2711 firstname.lastname@example.com
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently settled with Four Seasons General Merchandise, Inc., a Los Angeles, Calif. non-durable goods wholesaler for $24,960 and 26 California Bazar, a Vernon, Calif. company for $9,360 for the alleged sale and distribution of unregistered pesticides, a violation of federal pesticide law.
The EPA alleges that Four Seasons sold the unregistered pesticides Clorox Disinfecta--a Mexican version of Clorox Bleach--and Citronella Incense mosquito coils to retailers in Guam and Calif. on five occasions between August 2006 and March 2007. In addition to the fine, the wholesaler has agreed to return all unused products to the original seller.
The EPA alleges that 26 California Bazar sold the unregistered pyrethroid pesticide, Camping Mosquito Sticks, to Guam retailers on two occasions. In addition to the fine, the company has agreed to cease selling the product.
"Companies must ensure that all products that claim to act as pesticides are registered with the EPA," said Katherine Taylor, associate director for the EPA Pacific Southwest region's Communities and Ecosystems Division. "Without the required registration, we have no information on the potential effects of these products, which could result in serious harm to public health and the environment."
The alleged violations at Four Seasons were discovered during inspections performed by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Guam Environmental Protection Agency. The alleged violations at 26 California Bazar were found by Guam EPA inspectors. The federal pesticide law governs sale and distribution of pesticides in Guam, a U.S. trust territory.
Before selling or distributing any pesticide in the United States, companies must register the pesticide with the EPA. The sale or distribution of a pesticide that has not been registered with the EPA is a violation of federal pesticide law, which requires registration of pesticides and pesticide-production facilities. These requirements protect public health and the environment by ensuring safe and consistent production and distribution of pesticides.
For more information on what types of products are regulated as pesticides under the federal law, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/index.htm
- # # #
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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Who do you support for State Board of Education in Alabama (District 8) in 2010?
Posted in the Lower Peach Tree Forum
1 - 11 of 11 Comments Last updated Oct 31, 2010
#1 Oct 12, 2010
Cares more about the state and knows more about education and law. Is prepared to support the people who have their children in public education where she sends her children
#2 Oct 13, 2010
I wish I knew! The people who run for this office are just using it as a stepping-stone for moving up to a County Commissioner or even a higher office in a future election. Furthermore, they have no sense of fiscal responsibility and only prefer to give the Baldwin County School Administration anything they ask for since it is the taxpayer's money that has to pay for it. Just look at how the Baldwin County increased sales tax is being wasted right now. It's a crime.
Lahore, Pakistan
#3 Oct 14, 2010
#4 Oct 24, 2010
If any of you attended the debate in Fort Payne , you would know who to vote for. Mary Scott Hunter has been to every BOE meeting in her district. She has been to the Crossville school to see the hispanic population. She knows all to well what is happening here in DeKalb County and in the Fort Payne city schools. Mary Ruth has no clue, seems she never leaves Huntsville. Vote for someone who cares about your children!
#5 Oct 24, 2010
"Vote for someone who cares about your children!"
I'm going to vote for someone who also cares about my tax dollars. These school board members think money grows on trees and all they have to do is ask the Commissioners for more money and they will get it. Part of providing a good education is making sure that the taxpayer's money is spent wisely and we need some people on the BOE that watch the Kitty.
#6 Oct 24, 2010
That would also be Mary Scott Hunter.
#7 Oct 24, 2010
That's great. Please post something that she said that indicates she is looking out for the taxpayer's money.
United States
#8 Oct 25, 2010
#9 Oct 25, 2010
Let me tell you something as one who has lived in many different places. There has never been one member of any Board of Education that gave one damn about spending taxpayers' money. They constantly go to the County Commissioners for more money for gold-guilted schools, acres of land for new schools that have soccer fields, senior high school student parking lots, football fields and stadiums, baseball fields and huge running tracks and useless extra-curricular activities that cost millions of dollars and have nothing to do with making a student college-ready. If I could be sure that there is one candidate for the Board of Education that was concerned with how the school administration spent taxpayers' money, I would vote early and often on election day for that candidate. All these phony BOE candidates run on is a pledge to do everything for the students and appeal to the parents of these school aged students. Usually, that is enough to get them elected.
#10 Oct 31, 2010
Before the debate in Fort Payne, I understand that Dr. Yates ask Ms. Hunter if each debater could ask the other a question to end the debate, and Ms Hunter said "NO". Fort Payne Radio had a debate which was broadcast to the Eastern counties of district . Does the Western counties of District 8 deserve a debate from the two people for state school board?
Ten years ago I talked with Dr. Yates,about one grade in Crossville Elementary had a class with over 50% Espanish. Those students should be Seniors or Juniors. What will Ms. Hunter do to help some of the students to go to colleges, to get a higher education.
#11 Oct 31, 2010
Ask not what she will do for them, but rather where the hell you can learn to put a sentence together? Ms Hunter should advise every student in the district to fill out a FAFSA Loan paper and go to college. It's called the student loan program and it works well.
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Chiwetel Ejifor (one of FG2BH's favorite Brit imports) has a 7-page pictorial in the June issue of "King" magazine. Chiwetel discuss with "KING" about being a style icon. "I clean up very well," says Ejiofor. "Whenever I get styled, there's this unnatural sheen that never fails to surprise me".
"Some actors are overly concerned with fashion," says Ejiofor, who's currently headlining "Redbelt", a mixed martial arts-centered mortality tale. "Not me. It's acting first and style a distant fourth or fifth."The film roles Chiwetel associated with has certainly got the attention of Hollywood, right? All he needs is the right film to get that beloved Oscar nomination!
Check out the trailer for Chiwetel's latest film, "Redbelt" AND the interview he did with "ReelTimeTube" below:
Onto the other notable Naijas/Africans in the media...
Estelle has made signficant headlines since that whole Duffy debacle. The record executives over her record label Atlantic Records apparently forced Estelle to change her boyish hairstyle and her characteristic teeth.
Sandra Rose has proof (see photo above) that Estelle caved into the pressure. Image in the music industry apparently equals into album sales for FEMALES....but not so much for MALES (**coughs**Fat Joe).
Let's just hope Estelle doesn't change her fly hair style or her eccentric style.
Photo credit: MOVIES.YAHOO.COM/SCREEN GEMS
Idris Elba's film "Prom Night" landed at the number one spot in its opening week. Congrats to Idris Elba (my Ghana brother from another)!
Idris dropped by the "Tyra Show" on Thursday April 17th to promote his film, "Prom Night". Tyra sure has a way of bringing out the fun side of any person she interviews.
uploaded by The Movie Report
You can expect much more from Idris on the big screen in the coming year. Elba has five feature films that you read up about over at IMDB.COM.
Comedian Godfrey added this new "GQ"-inspired photo shoot onto his official myspace page. If you checked out Godfrey's myspace spot, you'll notice he showcase his favorite running presidential candidate.
When Nigerians throw a party, we come in large numbers. When Nigerians throw a party with a theme, something unexpected occurs. Some follow the theme and others simply didn't get the memo. A popular theme is the everyone-wear-your-traditional-attire. Why is that a select few just doesn't want to cooperate?! Lastly why do they (the ones who didn't get the memo) get offend when question about the whereabouts of their outfit??! Things that make me go hmmm....
disclaimer: rants are all in good fun!
Hoopla from the Naija blogosphere:
- If you need your relationship problems answered, then you'll need to visit tankojjetty's blog, 18 AND ABOVE!
- Find out why Common appreciates Nigeria over at Ladybrille.
Bella Naija has the scoop on the SMVA 2008.
- Do you find the rants I posted up funny? Well be entertained by La Reine's blog, The Rantings of A Young Bee.
- Sharpen your inner fashion skills over at Mimi's blogspot, Boutique Mix Fashion.
- Get to know
African male eye candymodel Kwame from Ghana over at YAYE MARIE.


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A remarkable bird is the pelican; his beak can hold more than his belly can.
Standing two feet away from a gorgeous brown pelican perched on a piling on the fishing pier in Cedar Key (cedarkey.org), I wished that something more meaningful would have crossed my mind than the opening lines to a favorite childhood limerick.
Ah, well. It didn't seem to bother the bird, which sat patiently as I fiddled with my cellphone camera to take several pictures to document the encounter. Eventually, the pelican did take flight, hovering motionless for a few moments against the resistance of a wind gust, before gliding away.
The bird didn't look stressed out. Maybe these pelicans are used to the attention of visitors, or perhaps the laid-back vibe is unavoidable in this tiny island town about 60 miles southwest of Gainesville on State Road 24.
Although there's still not a single hotel chain represented on the island, development in recent years has added higher-end town houses and condos to lodging options that have featured rustic cottages, bed-and-breakfast inns and mom-and-pop hotels.
Even with those additions, a walk along one of the sandy beaches or the stretch of galleries on Second Street remains remarkably unchanged. A giant ceramic fisherman still reels in a catch in a kitschy courtyard sculpture next to the Cedar Key Art Collective, where paintings and jewelry by local artists emphasize sunsets and seafaring themes.
At the nearby marina, kayak rentals are available to see egrets, herons, pelicans and white ibis on Atsena Otie Key, about 3 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. There also are power-boat rentals and sunset tours.
If paddling isn't your thing, there are shops and restaurants on Dock Street, most offering terrific waterfront views. For lunch, it was a tough decision between an old favorite, Big Deck Bar & Grill, and Steamers Clam Bar & Grill. I went with the latter and its narrow outdoor deck on a tiki-room-style second-floor dining room and bar.
I would also recommend a stop at Black Dog Bar & Tables, with its lineup of more than 150 craft beers. I went with Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale ("tempered over burning witches"), a good method to get in the mood for a lovely Cedar Key sunset.


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Black Law Students / Re: Academic Dismissal« on: November 14, 2012, 03:22:20 PM »
I know. It finally clicked what I was doing wrong at the end of my second semester of law school. While I know no school has a mandatory kick out rate, the school I attended is known for it's tough grading. I think if I had been put on academic warning or something I would've have realized sooner what was wrong.


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Baby born with heart outside her body is making strides
An infant girl born with all the right parts but a key one in the wrong place is recovering at Texas Children's Hospital, five weeks after she was delivered with one of the rarest of heart defects.
Texas Children's doctors reported Tuesday on the remarkable case of Audrina Cardenas, who was born with much of her heart outside her body, a highly unusual condition that's usually fatal within the first few days after birth. The doctors said her prognosis is favorable.
"I think she's going to make it," said Dr. Charles Fraser, the Texas Children's surgeon-in-chief who led the surgery. "Her heart's structurally in good shape, and she's survived the initial 48 to 72 hours after birth that are so tenuous for these patients."
Fraser and his team of cardiovascular, pediatric and plastic surgeons performed a six-hour open-heart surgery the day after Audrina's delivery Oct. 15, fashioning a cavity in the chest, putting the protruding heart in it and then stretching skin from elsewhere on her body over it. You can see video of the baby's heart beating here. (Warning: video is graphic)
The heart, which was conspicuously visible outside the infant's abdomen at birth, now doesn't protrude, even under the skin, Fraser said.
The surgeon, also a Baylor College of Medicine professor, said the fragility of infants' chests makes the surgery particularly challenging. He added that a heart that's unprotected by the breastplate and surrounding tissue and exposed to the outside world is very vulnerable to infections, which is a common cause of death.
Doctors ultimately will need to fashion a breastplate around Audrina's heart, Fraser said.
Mortality 90 percent
Normally, the heart cavity and breastplate develop naturally.
Audrina's condition, known as ectopia cordia, occurs in six to eight of every 1 million babies. Doctors don't know the condition's cause, but about 90 percent of babies born with it are either stillborn or die within the first three days of life.
Excruciating choice
Audrina's condition was discovered 16 weeks into the pregnancy of Ashley Cardenas, 25, an Odessa title loans manager and mother of twins. She'd never heard of the diagnosis when doctors told her an ultrasound showed the developing malformation.
Cardenas was referred to Texas Children's but not before her doctors gave her three options: abort; bring the baby to term, but then provide only comfort care to ease any suffering before she died; or put her through the difficult, often unsuccessful surgery.
At the time, doctors didn't know Audrina's chances, whether she was a good candidate to survive or - more likely - to be stillborn or die soon after birth.
Acknowledging the difficulty of the decision, Cardenas said, "You'll never know what it feels like to make that decision until you're in that situation yourself."
She said prayer and the support of family and friends helped her decide.
Dr. Carolyn Altman, a pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children's and Baylor Med who was part of the team, said she saw signs of hope when she viewed ultrasound images of Audrina.
"When I first heard we had an ectopia cardis patient, I got a pit in my stomach because I know how difficult they are and because the outcome is usually so bad," Altman admitted. But after the ultrasound scan, she said, "I thought, 'This little one might actually have a chance.' Only about a third of the heart was outside the body and there was none of the bad congenital problems you usually see. I thought this was one we could actually help survive."
Altman said that life-threatening, complex heart disease occurs in about 60 percent of ectopia cordis cases.
'Better every day'
Audrina will need more surgery to correct relatively minor heart defects, but her doctors hope to wait at least a couple of years to give her time to heal and develop. The defects, involving two holes and an obstruction in chambers of the heart, are not uncommon in babies and are treatable.
Audrina remains in intensive care, still on a ventilator, but not needing any other support. She is on normal nutrition.
For now, Cardenas has had to be content with holding "her little hand, putting a head band on her, that sort of thing," because she hasn't yet been allowed to hold Audrina in the ICU.
"I feel blessed just to know she's here and getting better every day," said Cardenas. "She's my little miracle baby."
More Information
Miracle baby goes home: Born Oct. 15, she beat the odds
Graphic video: See Audrina's beating heart


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Nike was responsible for a great leap forward in tennis shoe design, but they were pretty good with the classic models too. The Tennis Classic is a simple, classic court silhouette that recalls days of wooden rackets, long hair, sweatbands, wide collars, and short shorts.
This time around, the Tennis Classic is lighter on its feet, as the classic silhouette is outfitted with Nike's patented Flyknit. The lightweight feel and the modern take on a classic color palette provided by the knit construction bring a new dimension to this perennial favorite.
If a size is not listed, it is sold out.
Nike Tennis Classic Ultra FlyknitWolf Grey/White/White830704-002


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Blues aficionados won't want to miss the Stoney B Blues Band when it performs a special daytime show at the newly revamped Kona Kai Resort. A transplant from New Orleans, guitarist Stoney B has been nominated in the San Diego Music Awards the last two years, most recently for its album, "Sho 'Nuff Blues," The band plays a mix of originals and standards ranging from evergreens like "Pride & Joy," as well as Motown gems like "How Sweet It Is." Between the great music and the beach front location, this show promises to be one of the month's best bets for anyone who loves the blues.
• Stoney B Blues Band: Saturday, June 1 at the Kona Kai Resort, 1551 Shelter Island Drive. Noon. $12. www.resortkonakai.com
The Ocean Beach Farmers Market is known for providing the community with great free musical entertainment, thanks to event organizer Michael Head. On June 5, the event kicks things up a notch with a performance from the Ocean Beach Playhouse Production of "Godspell," opening June 14. The corner of Bacon Street and Newport Avenue is one of the city's prime spots for people-watching on a normal evening, with a farmers market night being even busier. Bring in singing and dancing and it all adds up to what promises to be a wonderful mix of music and street theater.
• Cast of "Godspell": Wednesday, June 5 at Ocean Beach Farmers Market, Newport Avenue and Bacon Street. 5:45 p.m. All ages. www.oceanbeachsandiego.com/events/farmers-market-wednesdays
It's no secret that reggae is one of the most popular musical sounds in San Diego at the moment, with the best draw in town easily being the band Tribal Seeds, which performs at Winston's Beach Club on June 8. The band's show takes place just before it heads off on a tour with hitmakers Slightly Stoopid, which includes a stop at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista on July 20, making this June 8 show the most intimate venue it will be performing in some months. Tribal Seeds hasn't released anything new since its 2011 single, "Run the Show," but it continues to have one of the most devoted fanbases in town. With rising popularity and a widening tour circuit, it won't be long before the band breaks through on the national level.
• Tribal Seeds: Thursday, June 8 at Winston's Beach Club, 1921 Bacon St. 6 p.m. All ages. www.winstonsob.com
Good soul and funk can be hard to find in San Diego nightspots, which is what makes Funk's Most Wanted so special. Appearing at Gallagher's on June 9, the 2011 Ultimate Band Competition winner is an amazing group — so tight it can turn a song around on a dime, with vintage-era dance moves that are guaranteed to get a crowd up out of their seats. Best of all, the band does its chosen genre proud with terrific harmonies on classics like "Just My Imagination" and irresistible beats on dance-floor favorites like "Jungle Love." If vintage soul and funk is your game, Funk's Most Wanted could quickly become your favorite band.
• Funk's Most Wanted: Sunday, June 9 at Gallagher's, 5046 Newport Ave., 9 p.m. 21 and up. For more information, visit www.gallagherspubob.com.
Anyone who enjoys time on the dance floor won't want to miss Y3K when it appears at Humphreys Backstage Lounge on June 26. Boasting both male and female vocals, the six-piece band is adept at a range of material, from Nancy Sinatra to Depeche Mode, with a lot of cool tunes in between, ranging from soul to rock. If it's variety you like, as well as a good dance groove, Y3K is the perfect band for you. The band is nothing less than a human-powered jukebox, ready to spin the hits.
• Y3K: Wednesday, June 12 at Humphreys Backstage Live, 2241 Shelter Island Drive. 7 p.m. $12. www.humphreysbackstagelive.com


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The Salem witch trials, portrayed in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," currently at Bay Street Theatre through Nov. 24, show only one in a series of unfortunate periods in our history where mob mentality overcame common sense.
It may seem ridiculous to us now that a few young girls in a Massachusetts town could point the finger at others — others who had caused them real or imaginary offense — and send those people to the gallows for witchery. But it happened. And, in the grand scheme of things, not really that long ago.
Abigail Williams, dismissed from the Proctor household by Mrs. Proctor for having a tumble in the hay with Mr. Proctor, is found by her uncle, Reverend Paris, dancing in the woods with her friends at midnight. (What the good reverend was doing in the woods at midnight himself is perhaps another story.) Some of the girls have fallen ill (too much running around at night, perhaps), and to avoid trouble herself, Abigail tells her uncle that the Devil made them do it. And from there the trouble begins.
As additional people come to believe Abigail, she grows more powerful and vengeful, and more of the townsfolk are either identified as witches, forced to become "friendly witnesses," or left to rot silently in jail, and the horrifying cycle continues.
This would be enough to make "The Crucible" the dramatic classic it is, but that's not really what it's about. Miller wrote the play as a response to the House of Un-American Activities Committee's blacklisting of over 300 of the film and theater crowd during the early 1950s, including the famed "Hollywood Ten" and the playwright himself. During the Red Scare, which was fueled by the alcoholic ramblings of Senator "Tailgunner Joe" McCarthy, friends turned on friends, citizens were threatened for harboring communists or being them, and hysteria bloomed across the nation. Again, this really happened.
But back to Salem, 1692. Murphy Davis's shortened version of "The Crucible" is part of Bay Street's "Literature LIVE!" educational outreach program for middle and high school students and educators in the community, but it is open to the public. Mr. Davis explained before the show that in order to fall within the Board of Cooperative Educational Services guidelines, all "Literature LIVE!" performances must run 90 minutes or under, so cuts to the original production had to be made.
Gary Hygom's set of stark trees doubles, with an assist from Mike Billings's lighting, as prison bars, and a skirt of dead leaves around the stage adds to the barren feel. The cast is exemplary. Joanna Howard's Abigail sends off those obsessive "Fatal Attraction" vibes whenever Rob DiSario's John Proctor is around, and Mackenzie Engeldrum as Mercy and Kate O'Phalen as Mary Warren turn in wonderful performances as Abigail's cohorts. Ms. O'Phalen in particular gives a moving turn as a young girl torn between going with the crowd and doing the right thing.
Kate Mueth plays Ann Putnam, who has lost seven babies, with just the right amount of crazy, a woman looking for a reason and finding one in the accusation of witchcraft. Lisa Cory — a descendent of Giles Cory, one of those found guilty in Salem three centuries ago — gives the audience a solid, no-nonsense Rebecca Nurse, and the three elders of the court, Ken Forman as Reverend Paris, Peter Connolly as Reverend Hale, and Joel Leffert as Deputy Governor Danforth, walk the line between hateful and human as the stakes are raised.
Mr. DiSario and Chloe Dirksen as the Proctors, who are trying to recover their marriage in the midst of mayhem, give inspired performances. It's a superior production. A single quibble would be the editing out of Giles Cory, whose character adds levity to a very serious play. But all in all, the production is a very good one, and we are lucky to have a professional theater of Bay Street's caliber in our midst.
The blame, the tension, the deceit and subterfuge exhibited in "The Crucible" reminds the audience that — in the words of George Santayana, who died during the H.U.A.C. hearings — "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."


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Let the sound vibrations of this chime help keep your chakras in tune.
Each of the 7 rods of the Zenergy Chakra Chime is tuned to the related frequency of a different chakra. Tapping a rod with the mallet provided and focusing all of your thoughts on that tone can help maintain good energy flow within your body.This chime comes with the genuine stones associated with each chakra. These can be placed next to the corresponding rod or held as the rod is played.Ancient Hindu beliefs say the secret to our happiness and well-being lies within. There are 7 major energy centers in our body - the 7 chakras - and each one vibrates at its own frequency. When they are all vibrating correctly, all the energy in our body is in balance and we will enjoy good physical, mental and spiritual health.From left to right, the rods and stones of the Zenergy Chakra Chime represent:


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Canadian Law Students / Re: Why should I go to an American school?« on: June 26, 2007, 07:53:17 PM »
I can think of a few good reasons to stay in Canada:
1) Tuition -- Tuition in Canada ranges from 7000 - 22000 (with most schools around the 10,000 range). Why pay 45,000/year when you don't have to?
2) Admission standards -- due to Canada's small population, less people apply to law schools and thus there is less distinction between the best schools and the worst schools in terms of admission standards. A 166 could get you into any school in Canada
3) Rankings -- there is less pressure to get into a "good" school in Canada. Though a school's rank is somewhat important in Canada, it is no where near as competitive as it is in the US
However, I've heard that significant scholarships are more common in the US, so if you're getting a full or partial ride, that may affect your decision to study in the states
Lower Admission standards, less emphasis on rankings, less pressure, LESS GAP BETWEEN THE RICH ("good" school) and POOR ("bad" school), Such typical Canadian socialist thinking. You're certainly entitled to it. That said, my 3000/year tuition did lead me to stay in Canada.


text: Good argument for designing disc rotors that can't chop off fingers for use in road racing (if ever UCI approved). Just lighten the solid disk with a number of slots or drillium rather than having spokes. There may be interest from the general public too. I'm not that comfortable with having a potential "finger guillotine" on my front wheel. Maybe a better idea is disc guards. This should fix both the problems of rotor burn and losing fingers. But I'm probably being too practical now.cobba wrote:There's plenty of nasty photos around of severed fingers from disc brake rotors.


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Police hunt gunman in Paris after newspaper, bank shootings
Police were hunting a lone gunman in Paris on Monday after he opened fire at the offices of a left-wing newspaper and a major bank before hijacking a car.
Police were hunting a lone gunman on the loose in Paris on Monday after he opened fire with a shotgun at the offices of a left-wing newspaper and a major bank before hijacking a car to take him to the Champs-Elysees avenue.
The assailant burst into the office of the Liberation daily in central Paris, shooting and seriously wounding a photographer's assistant before fleeing, police and staff at the newspaper said.
About 90 minutes later, he fired at least three shots into the lobby of the suburban headquarters of Societe Generale in the La Defense business district 10 km (6 miles) west of the center, the prosecutor said. A window was shattered but none of the dozen or so workers standing nearby was hit.
President Francois Hollande, speaking from Jerusalem, said he had asked his interior minister to use all possible means to find the gunman, "who tried to kill and could still do so."
"Freedom of the press is being targeted," Hollande told French media from Israel.
A police helicopter hovered over the Champs-Elysees area where the gunman had vanished into the crowd, having hijacked a car and forced the driver to drop him there.
A Paris prosecutor released two photographs said to show the suspect from surveillance footage and urged the public to call in any tips to a hotline.
One man wearing different outfits is suspected to have fired shots at the bank and the newspaper, hijacked a car and threatened people with a gun on Friday at a 24-hour news channel, BFMTV, said Paris prosecutor Francois Molins.
"Given the similarities between these four cases... we are favoring the hypothesis that there is one author," Molins told journalists. "The suspect is of European type, with salt-and-pepper hair and possibly 2 or 3 days of stubble."
The suspect - who was photographed in a baseball cap with a sling bag, green sneakers with white soles, and either a puffy vest or long green coat - had not claimed the shooting or given any indication of his motive.
The victim of the shooting at Liberation, wounded close to the heart, was fighting for his life, Molins said.
Investigators had found two types of 12-gauge shotgun cartridges at the Liberation offices and in BFMTV's lobby where the gunman had fired shots. They were testing the shells for possible DNA evidence, Molins said.
Liberation managing editor Fabrice Rousselot said witnesses had described the assailant as a short-haired man in his 40s. Police said he was "of European type."
"He walked in, fired twice and left," Rousselot told reporters.
Deputy editor-in-chief Fabrice Tassel said in a tweet that the young male victim was fighting for his life in hospital.
Police deployed outside the offices of other media outlets in the French capital.
The mid-morning incidents came days after an armed intruder entered the offices of the BFM TV channel, threatening journalists before disappearing. Police said video surveillance footage showed it was the same man.
Liberation's offices near the Place de la Republique in east-central Paris were cordoned off as forensics experts investigated.


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