text:
by Micah Hart
You may have noticed it's the offseason, which means we have plenty of time to sit around and think about many of the things that make it fun to be an NBA fan. Here at All Ball, we'll be passing the time until the start of the season with a new series, the Fave Five. Each week will count down a list of the five best, or worst … somethings. We'll try to get creative with it. Plus we're taking requests! If you have a suggestion for a Fave Five post, give us a shout and you may see it appear in this space over the next several weeks.
Remember last year when the Nets had four Williams on their team? Crazy right? Maybe not, actually. As it turns out, Williams is the most populous last name in professional basketball history, with 69 players.
Williams is the most popular surname — but is it the best? For this week's Fave Five, we took a look at the history books to pull out the five best teams by last name.
A couple quick notes: This list is entirely subjective, but there was a little method to the madness. First off, given the sheer mass of players who have competed over the years in the NBA and ABA, we narrowed the list to last names with at least 10 players listed in the Basketball Reference database.
Then, to help whittle down the contenders even more, we used Win Shares (if you are unfamiliar with them, here's a brief description) as a baseline for judging performance. With a few exceptions, the five players we chose for each team had the most career Win Shares within each last name. To help further guide our hand, we then averaged the win share totals per starting five. I'm sure anyone with basic skills in statistical analysis could poke any number of holes in this methodology, but like I say, this list is ultimately subjective. So too bad.
Also — we used statistics to help frame the debate, but ultimately the rankings came down to answering this question: If these teams played each other head to head, with each player in their individual primes, who would win?
Here we go!
5. Miller
Total Millers: 16 (including 2012 Draft picks Quincy and Darius)
Starting Five: Reggie Miller (174.4), Andre Miller (90.1), Brad Miller (76.5), Mike Miller (53.5), Oliver Miller (21.1)
Hall of Famers: One, as of Friday
Average career WS of starting five: 83.1
The Miller name is pretty top heavy. Reggie, making his way into the Hall of Fame this weekend, is 15th on the all-time list in Win Shares, while Oliver has the least amount of any starter in the top five. In fact, only one other Miller (Larry, a G/F who played seven seasons in the ABA from 1968-75), has put up even double-digit career WS totals*.
*Quincy and Darius, you have your work cut out for you.
This isn't the flashiest bunch of players, Reggie aside, but the rest of this lineup put together a fine collection of NBA careers in their time. And yeah, Oliver is the weak link here, but the dude — when he was fit enough, which perhaps wasn't so often — could ball.


text: thomas schorpp wrote: > thomas schorpp wrote: >> http://linuxtv.org/hg/v4l-dvb/rev/698119141230 and other CI-stuff >> seems to break saa7113 capture with xawtv (says driver refuses to >> capture) on at least KNC1 dvb-c plus, can anyone confirm this? > cannot find the fault in budget_av.c. guys, it is confirmed, that Your videobuf refactoring broke the saa7134 analog capture between release kernels 2.6.22..23 time: #linux-dvb IRC log: Dec 02 23:24:53 <Md> after (I think) upgrading the X server (to 7.3), anything which tries to access my saa7134 analog card (I tried xawtv, tvtime and even mplayer) fails with VIDIOC_DQBUF. any clues? Dec 03 00:09:31 <Md> buggy kernel, not X. upgrading to 2.6.23 fixed it by one of those commits: http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/mchehab/v4l-dvb.git;a=history;f=drivers/media/video/saa7134/saa7134-video.c;h=6396d9b5c0636ced4538fc47460078b54ec0c6d3;hb=HEAD and fixed for 2.6.23 by later commit. for the saa7164_video.c analog capture is still incomplete or broken in linux-dvb mercurial and releases kernels by one of those commits: http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/mchehab/v4l-dvb.git;a=history;f=drivers/media/common/saa7146_video.c;h=ae36d101006b6d0600898b76af319b95d90c1c31;hb=HEAD could the authors pls give a hint which commit for the saa7134 could have fixed it for saa7134 analog cards? I'll correct the saa7146_video.c code, then, otherwise it will take more weeks or 4E4 to find the bug. thx y tom

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Our Advertisers Represent Some Of The Most Unique Products & Services On Earth!
Carving Up The Libya Corpse For Profit
By Stephen Lendman
On September 1, dozens of predator states met in Paris to pick apart Libya's bones even though it's breathing, if barely.
We've seen it before, notably in Iraq under Paul Bremer's 100 orders that turned the country into a cutthroat capitalist laboratory. Baghdad was open for business at fire sale prices with US and other Western firms having first dibs on everything.
The "cradle of civilization" became Iraq, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate predators. The Iraq that was no longer exists.
A wish list of economic laws followed. Corporate taxes dropped from 45% to a flat 15%. Foreign companies got to own 100% of Iraqi assets and be able to repatriate all profits back home. Import restrictions ended, and investors could sign 40-year deals and leases so no future governments could change them.
Destruction, invasion, occupation, and reconstruction made Iraq a bold new experiment, transforming a once independent country into a fully privatized new market with a huge pot of public money helping at the expense of Iraqis left out entirely.
It was pure pillage, a classic example of war spoils to victors, taking full advantage of their new prize, backed by hardline enforcement to crush resistance.
As a result, mass arrests, aggressive interrogations, torture, other mistreatment, and death squads traumatized and cowed a shattered people. Iraq was erased and rebooted. For investors, a corporate utopia followed. For Iraqis, however, it's been a hellish dystopia.
They're plagued by unemployment, poverty, and human deprivation on a massive scale. State enterprises ended. Local ones were shut out. Nothing unrelated to Western interests went to rebuild local infrastructure, including electrical grids, schools, hospitals, and homes.
Iraqis played no role in planning. Local firms weren't given subcontracts. Jobs were destroyed, not created while thousands of serf-like foreign workers were brought in and abused. Moreover, critically needed social services ended or were ignored.
In addition, unsafe GMO crops infested the country. The combination of war, contamination and drought wrecked its ecosystem, drying up fertile farmland and marshes.
Arable land became desert, killing trees and plants. A Garden of Eden became a wasteland, perhaps never to be reclaimed.
Whenever Washington-led NATO arrives, Iraq's movable Green Zone follows in one form or other.
The Libya that Was No Longer Exists
Destruction litters the landscape everywhere. Ongoing NATO bombing creates more of it, plus unknown tens of thousands dead and injured. Death squad rebel killers up the body count daily, murdering anyone thought to be pro-Gaddafi.
Moreover, to crush resistance, NATO shut off electricity and water in large parts of the country. It also blocked other essential services, including enough food and medical care.
As a result, unspeakable crimes of war and against humanity were committed. They continue unabated. Libya is one of history's great crimes, and for Libyans, the worst is yet to come.
Energy is the country's biggest prize. A previous article said scrambling for it began last April when Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said energy giant ENI CEO Paolo Scaroni had talks with Transitional National Council (TNC) officials "to restart cooperation in the energy sector and get going again the collaboration with Italy in the oil sector."
In June, the Washington Post said ConocoPhillips, other US oil giants, and related companies also held talks with TNC officials.
Though accounting for only 2% of world production, Libya is Africa's most oil rich state. Moreover, its high quality is especially valued, and reports suggest vast reserves yet to be discovered.
Besides ENI and ConocoPhillips, other companies wanting back in include Britain's BP, France's Total, Spain's Repsol YPF, Austria's OMV, America's Hess, Marathon, perhaps ExxonMobil, and others. Russia, Brazil and China will be largely or entirely excluded.
On September 1, New York Times writer Steven Erlanger headlined, "Libya's Supporters Gather in Paris to Help Ease New Government's Transition," saying:
Around 60 nations met to help "restore stability and a functioning economy to a country ravaged by rebellion and 42 years of dictatorship."
Like other Times' articles, op-eds and editorials, managed news and opinions substitute for full disclosure truth, especially on issues of war and peace, as well as corporate empowerment.
Instead of discussing the Paris predators ball, Erlanger said convening it is "another important sign of the legitimacy of the Transitional National Council...."
Western powers, in fact, chose it to be Libya's puppet government, beholden to capital at the expense of millions of Libyans entirely left out.
Fact check
Carving up the Libya corpse began. Gaddafi's 1999 Decision No. 111 is gone. Under it, Libyans got free top flight healthcare, education, training, rehabilitation, housing assistance, disability and old age benefits, interest-free state loans, subsidies to study abroad and for couples when they married, free water, electricity, and practically free gasoline.
They also got free use of land for agriculture to create self-sufficiency in food production. Moreover, all basic food items were subsidized and sold through a network of "people's shops."
Moreover, women had equal status with men, including for education, employment, and their right to own and sell property independently of their husbands.
On January 4, 2011, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) "Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Libya Arab Jamahiriya" said Gaddafi's government protected "not only political rights, but also economic, educational, social and cultural rights."
It also praised his treatment of religious minorities, and human rights training of its security forces. After Washington and NATO intervened, publication of the report was postponed. It's now gathering dust, never to be formally released.
It covered Africa's most developed country. It's now the least, and discussions in Paris won't include restoring what NATO destroyed.
Instead, so-called "friends" convened to divvy up Libya's assets, starting, of course, with energy, but also its Great Man-Made River (GMMR). It's an ocean-sized aquifer perhaps more valuable than oil because it's replaceable. Fresh water, of course, can't be replaced except at great cost.
A Final Comment
Representing America in Paris, Hillary Clinton, an unindicted war criminal, said:
Our partners must "stay focused on the ultimate objective of helping the Libyan people chart their way to a better future....All of us are inspired by what is happening in Libya."
Gideon Polya maintains the Body Count web site, and in 2007 published a book titled, "Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950."
In September 2010, he highlighted eight million post-9/11 War on Terror deaths, mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan. A year later, add many more, and expect them to rise in each country NATO occupies and/or attacks, including Libya.
Nonetheless, Clinton is "inspired" by her handiwork, adding that "the international community must maintain the same sense of resolve and shared responsibility" going forward.
In a country of six million people, perhaps continued "resolve and shared responsibility" will leave too few left to notice, including Clinton interested only in sharing the spoils of war.
Why else are they fought instead of saving future "generations from the scourge of war" as the UN Charter "determined."
Clinton perhaps never read it. For sure, she, Obama, and Paris predators have no interest in "practic(ing) tolerance and liv(ing) together in peace with one another as good neighbors" when doing so sacrifices profits.
In fact, love doesn't make the world go round, just the spoils of war for victors to carve up. Libya is their latest victim.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at <mailto:email@example.com>email@example.com.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
Donate to Rense.com
Support Free And Honest
Journalism At Rense.com
Subscribe To RenseRadio!
Enormous Online Archives,
MP3s, Streaming Audio Files,
Highest Quality Live Programs
This Site Served by TheHostPros


text:
Songs for Seeds, the award-winning children's band and music program, will hold a free holiday concert at The Galleria in White Plains on Sunday, Dec.3, at 11 a.m. with a special guest appearance by Santa Claus.
"We're delighted to bring the band to The Galleria," said Dana Fisher of Scarsdale, owner of Songs for Seeds in Westchester. "It's a great opportunity for parents and children to participate in the Songs for Seeds experience."
Songs for Seeds is an introduction-to-music program for children ages six and under featuring a live band of teacher/musicians. Classes are held in Scarsdale, Rye Brook and Armonk.
The program features 45-minute classes led by a three-piece live band of teacher/musicians who encourage children to sing, play instruments and dance. At the end of class, the students are invited to sing with the band (karaoke style) and play the band's instruments (guitar, keys and drums).
For more information about the free concert or winter classes contact Dana Fisher at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


text:
Germantown Mennonite Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
1956 Article
The Germantown Mennonite Church, the first Mennonite congregation in America, observed its first baptism and communion service in 1708, but congregational life began at least as early as 1690. In that year a visiting Reformed minister from Holland, Rudolphus Varick, found the Mennonites there worshiping every Sunday, with "Menist" Dirck Keyser of Amsterdam reading a sermon from a book by Jobst Harmensen. For a time the Mennonite settlers here, who first came in 1683, had worshiped with the German Quakers, who in the early years constituted the majority of the Germantown settlement. In 1690 (or 1698; the manuscripts differ), Willem Rittenhouse (d. 1708) was chosen as first preacher and Jan Neuss as deacon. In 1702 a second election was held, when Jacob Gottschalk and Hans Neuss were chosen preachers. In early 1708 the newly arrived (1707) Palatine Mennonite families united with the Dutch-speaking church, as a result of which three deacons (Isaac van Sintern, Heinrich Cassel, and Conrad Jansen) and two preachers (Härmen Karsdorp and Martin Kolb) were chosen from the newer immigrants. About the same time, when the membership was 34 (in 1712 it was 99), eleven new members were baptized by Jacob Gottschalk, who thus began serving as the first Mennonite bishop in America. Gottschalk's brief sketch of the early history of the congregation to 1712 (preserved in Michael Ziegler's historical letter of 1773 to Holland; see Wenger, 395) is the only extant source for the early years. In 1708 also the first log meetinghouse was built on land donated by Arnold van Vossen in 1703. In 1770 this building was replaced by a stone building, which is the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in America, in use until the early 1990s. At that time the membership was 25, but in 1789 it had grown again to 46. By 1798 the monthly services were being conducted by visiting ministers from the Franconia district churches. By 1839 the congregation was "facing dissolution," but it survived and in 1863 was reorganized as a member of the Eastern District Conference (General Conference Mennonite). In the early 19th century apparently the relations to the Franconia Conference (Mennonite Church) had become so tenuous that the congregation was in effect an independent congregation.
The first Mennonite conference session in America was held at Germantown in 1725. At this session the Dordrecht Confession of 1632 (18 articles) was adopted as the official confession of the American Mennonites, and was printed two years later (1727) in English to communicate to the Englishspeaking populace the Mennonite articles of faith. -- Harold S. Bender
During the early 1800s the old Germantown congregation gradually declined. In the division of 1847 in the Franconia Conference the remaining handful of members sided with the new Eastern District Conference led by John H. Oberholtzer and Abraham Hunsicker. In 1851, when the Hunsicker group broke with the new conference, the congregation stayed with Hunsicker. During the next years the preachers were Abraham Hunsicker, Henry Hunsicker, F. R. S. Hunsicker, and Israel Beidler. In 1863 the congregation was formally reorganized with 13 members. Finally in 1876, after the death of Beidler, the congregation returned to the Eastern District Conference and continued weekly worship throughout the years since then. Ministers from 1876 to the 1950s were John A. Haldeman, N. B. Grubb, W. MacArthur, H. Frederick, A. Funk, S. M. Grubb, S. Musselman, F. Gabel, J. Bayley, A. S. Shelly, H. Landes, W. Wolfe, and R. Brewer.
The 1770 meetinghouse, the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in America, is located with its ancient burial ground along historic Germantown Avenue at Herman Street (6117) in Germantown, now incorporated in North Philadelphia. In 1916 an addition was built to the meetinghouse. Though the membership in the 1950s was only 37 there was a renewal of interest and life in the congregation. The interior of the meetinghouse was largely restored to its colonial simplicity in 1952. To preserve and promote it as a Mennonite "shrine" the incorporated ownership of the meetinghouse and grounds was transferred into the hands of a Germantown Mennonite Church Trust, composed of representatives of the congregation, the Eastern District Conference, and the General Conference Mennonite Church. -- J. Herbert Fretz
2007 Update
In 1970 the trust reorganized to include delegates from the General Conference Mennonites, Mennonite Church, Eastern District Conference, Franconia Conference and the local Germantown Mennonite Congregation. In the 1970s the affiliation with the Franconia Mennonite Conference was reinstated, and Germantown became an early "dual-conference" Mennonite congregation with membership in the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church. In 1987 the congregation began renting space from neighboring facilities and in 1993 purchased a building at 21 West Washington Lane.
Germantown, in the last decades of the 20th century, became a congregation that welcomed full inclusion of sexual minorities into membership. Because of this position, the congregation was removed as member of the Franconia Conference in 1997 and as a member of the Eastern District Conference in November 2002. Germantown continued as an independent Mennonite congregation. -- Sam Steiner
See also Germantown Mennonite Settlement
Bender, Harold S. "The Founding of the Mennonite Church in America at Germantown 1683-1708." Mennonite Quarterly Review 7 (1933) 227-250.
Bender, Harold S. "Was William Rittenhouse the First Mennonite Bishop in America?" Mennonite Quarterly Review 7 (1933): 42-47.
Cassel, Daniel Kolb. History of the Mennonites: historically and biographically arranged from the time of the Reformation, more particularly from the time of their emigration to America, containing sketches of the oldest meeting houses and prominent ministers ; also their confession of faith, adopted at Dortrecht, in 1621. Philadelphia: Daniel K. Cassel, 1888.
Germantown Mennonite Church. "Relationship to the Mennonite Church." 2007. Web. 18 October 2007. <http://germantownmennonite.org/index.php?screen=menu&choice=about.mennonite_church>
Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust. "Significant Dates in The History of Mennonites in Germantown." 2004. Web. 18 October 2007. <http://www.meetinghouse.info/sigdates.html>
Grubb, N. B. The Mennonite Church of Germantown. Philadelphia, PA, 1906.
Wenger, John Christian. History of the Mennonite: of the Franconia Conference. Telford, PA, 1937. See chapter I (Part II, Congregational Histories) "Germantown," 87-95.
Additional Information
Germantown Mennonite Church website
Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust website
|Harold S. Bender
|J. Herbert Fretz
|Sam Steiner
|Date Published
Cite This Article
MLA style
Bender, Harold S., J. Herbert Fretz and Sam Steiner. "Germantown Mennonite Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 2007. Web. 22 Apr 2019. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Germantown_Mennonite_Church_(Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=130725.
APA style
Bender, Harold S., J. Herbert Fretz and Sam Steiner. (2007). Germantown Mennonite Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 April 2019, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Germantown_Mennonite_Church_(Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=130725.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 481-482. All rights reserved.
©1996-2019 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
- Churches
- Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations
- Mennonite Church USA Congregations
- Franconia Mennonite Conference Congregations
- General Conference Mennonite Church Congregations
- Eastern District Conference Congregations
- Independent Mennonite Congregations
- Pennsylvania Congregations
- United States Congregations


text:
Now retrieving data on the registration and assessment of land and property along with the vital statistics and public information of forefathers and relatives has become easy and instant. The deeds of land hugely provide useful data on the division and right of the property, geographical location, family members who hold shares and other related information.
Deed of land is a great source of genealogical information. From this county public record data seekers can obtain name of owner, names of grantor and grantee, plot-document number, township and many more. Genealogists and family history researchers dig out land registration records to unearth interesting and unknown clues.
Beginning a search with Richland County, LA Land Index will enable you to retrieve specifics on family property along with forefathers and other relatives. With this comprehensive and up-to-date repository, now you can easily explore land deeds information as well as other county public information and vital statistics, county birth marriage death, county civil court cases data, county last will/probate, adoption, divorce decree information, military service and war enlistment records, census and family history, county obituary burial and cemetery details. Thus, find your required information and trace the historical facts and information easily.
To obtain the Louisiana Richland County Records, please provide the information below. When you fill-up the form, make a note : The more fields you fill in, the more detailed result you will get.
Please Provide
I wish to receive updates and additional information from this website.
Our Database is loaded with over 400 million county records which include United States Nationwide Vital Records, Public Record and Information. We offer 24x7x365 Search Expert Support. We are working day and night to collect, authenticate and deliver up-to-date County Records in an easiest way.
Our 24x7 Dedicated
Search Expert Team
Will Search The
Record For you From The
Different Sources in The Web.
- 24x7x365 Dedicate Support Team
- Free Search Expert Support
- Cross verification of individual record.
- 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.
1. Comprehensive, detailed & updated database of USA Nationwide vital records & public information
2. Multiple vital & public records Search Facility
3. Offers variety of people's records - Anytime, Anywhere
4. Instant access to over millions of public records since 18th century
County Records API | Public Records API | Background Check API
Copyright © 2019 county-record.net . All rights reserved.
By using the website (county-record.net), you are complying with the privacy policies & terms of services. Further using of the website (county-record.net), or database or data please refer to our privacy & terms of service pages..


text:
Jennifer Hudson Family Murderer Headed to Trial in April
The man accused of killing Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew more than three years ago will finally go to trial in April. Over the objections of the defense, who said they're still not ready, a judge set a date of April 9 for jury selection and April 23 for testimony to begin in the case.
William Balfour is charged with first-degree murder in the October 2008 murders on the South Side of Chicago. Prosecutors say Balfour, who is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister, Julia, was enraged that Hudson's sister had started dating a new man. They also claim gunpowder residue was found in Balfour's car. The trial is expected to last a few weeks.
Hudson hasn't talked much about the murders in public, but she did tell Oprah she thinks often about her mom. "I try to do everything to say, 'OK, will my mother like this? Will she be pleased? Will she be proud of that? How do I know she's happy and she's smiling down at me from heaven?' And that's what I try to go by and walk by."
Hudson has been busy promoting her weight loss memoir, 'I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down.' Her most recent album, 'I Remember Me' reached No. 2 last year.


text:
Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., is grasping at straws to block Elizabeth Warren's nomination as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He's making a fool of himself, and hurting his party's political prospects for November.
Dodd's latest foray into bank lobby dirty work came today in a series of inflammatory comments to reporters. Dodd made the preposterous claim that if Obama nominated Warren to the CFPB, Congress would retaliate by de-funding the agency. Here's Dodd, as reported by HuffPost's Ryan Grim:
"This is a big job, an important job, and it needs to be — you've got to build the support for that institutionally or the next Congress – and none of us know what the outcome's going to be politically — you could gut this before it even gets off the ground. If you don't have someone running it early on, it jeopardizes the existence of the consumer protection bureau," he said. Asked how Congress would gut it, he said: "Money. Take away the money. That's how you always do it."
This is just absurd. The CFPB is funded through the Federal Reserve, not Congressional appropriations. Dodd knows this. He was a top negotiator on the CFPB and wrote much of the bill. The only way Congress could actually de-fund the agency would be to pass a new law and get President Barack Obama to sign it. Obama would never sign a bill gutting the CFPB—he fought hard to get it included in the Wall Street reform bill—and Congress would never be able to get a two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. Defunding the CFPA is politically impossible, and will remain politically impossible regardless of what happens in November.
Speaking of November, Dodd's recent shenanigans are creating political problems for Democrats. His transparent pandering to the bank lobby on the Warren nomination makes his entire party look bad, and has tainted the public perception of the Wall Street reform bill. It almost looks like an intentional act of political sabotage. If Dodd's colleagues care about getting re-elected, they should convince him to shut his mouth.
It's also truly astonishing for an outgoing Senator to be threatening a President of his own party through the press like this. Warren is clearly the best candidate to head the CFPB. Dodd's opposition doesn't make him look reasonable or moderate, it makes him look like he's working for the Wall Street executives who drove the economy off a cliff. You'd think he could hold off on this kind of behavior until he's officially out of office.


text: Hi, due to the way S2API was pushed through (I would call it a plot) there is not much motivation left to spend my time with DVB. So - if someone wants to take over the dvb-ttpci drivers he should speak up now. The sooner the better. Oliver -- ---------------------------------------------------------------- VDR Remote Plugin 0.4.0: http://www.escape-edv.de/endriss/vdr/ ----------------------------------------------------------------


text:
New Delhi: It`s a clash of the titans at the Box Office this Friday as 'Vishwaroop', the Hindi version of Kamal Haasan`s controversial Tamil film 'Vishwaroopam', hits the Indian screens along with Deepa Mehta`s 'Midnight`s Children', based on Salman Rushdie`s Booker Prize-winning controversial novel of the same name.
Directed and produced by Kamal, 'Vishwaroop' revolves around a married couple Vishwanath alias Wiz (Kamal), a Kathak exponent, and Nirupama (Pooja Kumar), who has acquired her PhD. All seemed to be going well till Nirupama aspires for more and plans to opt out of marriage.
However, it is difficult for her to cite any specific reason to leave Wiz, as there is nothing much to complain about him. So she decides to hire a detective and find something about him, so that she can find a reason to end her marriage. Wires get cross-connected and all hell breaks loose.
Shot in scenic locales of the US, Canada as well as cities like Chennai and Mumbai in India, the film also features Shekhar Kapur, Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab and Andrea Jeremiah.
The film has been reeling under controversies even before the release. Kamal wanted to open new avenues by releasing his Rs.95 crore (over $ 17,000,000) project on direct-to-home platform a day before the release of the film Jan 11. But theatre owners opposed the idea and eventually, the actor-filmmaker had to revise his plans.
Later Jan 25 was locked as the new release date but before 'Vishwaroopam' could hit the screens, it again found itself amid trouble when certain Muslim groups claimed that their community has been shown in bad light and asked that the Tamil and the Telugu versions be banned.
In India, 'Vishwaroopam' has been banned in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh while in the overseas market, it has been banned in Malaysia.
Experts reckon the ban can lead to an approximate loss of Rs.30 crore.
Deepa Mehta`s 'Midnight`s Children' is based on controversial author Salman Rushdie`s Booker prize-winning 1980 novel of the same name.
At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, as India proclaims independence from Great Britain, two newborn babies are switched by a nurse in a Bombay hospital. Saleem Sinai, the illegitimate son of a poor woman, and Shiva, the offspring of a wealthy couple, are each fated to live the destiny meant for the other.
Their lives become mysteriously intertwined and are inextricably linked to India`s whirlwind journey of triumphs and disasters.
The novel came out in 1980 and objections were raised on unflattering portrayal of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and the internal emergency of 1975 in the book. Indira Gandhi sued the author for defamation in 1984. She won the case shortly and the publishers were forced to slightly alter the text and remove an offending passage.
Shot entirely in Sri Lanka, the film features an ensemble cast of Satya Bhabha, Siddharth, Shahana Goswami, Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Shabana Azmi, Kulbushan Kharbanda, and Darsheel Safary.
Salman Rushdie is said to have sold the rights of the novel to Mehta for $1 and after much coaxing, the author agreed to be the screenplay-writer of the film too. The film`s production cost reportedly is $12 million.
The shooting of the film was stalled after the Iranian government expressed distress to the Sri Lankan ambassador over the filming of a Rushdie book, but the controversy was resolved and the shooting resumed.


text:
Home » ReR Label » KOVAC, BORIS: From Ritual Nova 1 and 2
KOVAC, BORIS: From Ritual Nova 1 and 2
Boris produced these careful and extended works over 14 years. RN 1, was only released in Jugoslavia (as was) and has long been only a collectors item. RN II was released on our POINTS EAST label. Now 70 minutes from both LP's have been assembled and remastered on one CD. This is unique and wonderful music; timely when so much insanity and horror stains the lands of its origins.
Only available at this price as part of the ReR Sale Offer (minimum) 4 titles)
Code: ReRBKCD1
Price: £5.00


text: greetings: David Mathog wrote: > We currently have two SDLT320 external "shoebox" type SDLT320 > drives. It would be nice to move these into a rack, but so far > I've not been able to locate a 2U case that will hold them - that > doesn't already have a drive in it. We only want to buy the case, > not more drives. Somebody sells these cases to Dell for its > PowerVaults and Quantum for its racked tape drives. A kingston subsidiary (storcase) makes said item. http://www.storcase.com/DataSilo/ds352.asp > Google > has not been my friend and none of the usual suspects I've checked > (Antec, Chenbro, Enlight, Rosewill,Supermicro) seem to sell this > type of case - just 2U for computers, not for tape drives. > > So who makes and/or sells these cases _without_ the drives in them? > > Thanks, > > David Mathog > mathog at caltech.edu > Manager, Sequence Analysis Facility, Biology Division, Caltech > _______________________________________________ > Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org > To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Joel Jaeggli Unix Consulting joelja at uoregon.edu GPG Key Fingerprint: 5C6E 0104 BAF0 40B0 5BD3 C38B F000 35AB B67F 56B2


text:
6 Move around -- secrets of great presentations
How to give great presentations -- part 6. Movement is a really powerful way to keep audience focussed. Secret of great keynote conference speeches. How to give great lectures. Powerful presentation tools and tips. How to use Powerpoint. How to reach an audience. Connect with audience emotion. Understand needs of audience. Watch audience responses. Keep close to event organisers. Prepare very carefully. Adapt key messages. Take care over humour, jokes and culture. Guide, conference preparation tips and tools. How to win an audience over. Keep messages simple and relevant. Guide to great presentations by Patrick Dixon, Futurist and keynote conference speaker -- has spoken to audiences in 50 nations, up to 4 countries a week, 30-2000 people each time, and ranked as one of the most influential business thinkers alive today.
Presentations, lectures, conference, powerpoint, keynote, speech, event, workshop, seminar, prepare, success, tools, guide
Labels: audience, conference speakers, focus, futurists, interaction, motivation, passion, preparation


text:
...your specialist for mobile energy solutions and e-bike technology.
ANSMANN AG is divided in the business divisions Consumer Products and Industrial Solutions.
ANSMANN Consumer does not only impress with a wide range of batteries, rechargeable batteries, chargers, power supplies, flashlights, nightlights and much more, but also supports shops with an outstanding service and a customized PoS concept.
With the configuration, development and production of customized battery and charging technologies ANSMANN Industrial Solutions offers complete system solutions from a single source.
In the age of rising gas prices and an increasing pollution of the environment ANSMANN Industrial Solutions also focuses on environmentally friendly mobility. ANSMANN drive systems save your purse and the environment!


text:
I have been blessed with the opportunity to drive some of the world's fastest cars on some of the world's most famous tracks. My passions for speed and performance led me to create cars and products with that same world class spirit. The Shelby Collection is a gathering of select Shelby products from all over the world. These products are of the highest quality and attention to detail, and I am proud they all bear the name...SHELBY. My other great passion is the Carroll Shelby Foundation which reaches children all over the world. Many of the items found on this web site will aid in our efforts to give these kids a fighting chance. Join us on the racetrack of life and help make a difference.
Thanks for being a fan.
Copyright © 2018 Carroll Shelby Merchandise.


text:
Tall Boots
Tall Boots - Knee High Boots & Over The Knee Boots
Nothing works harder to show off a pair of cool high socks than a pair of chic tall boots. Crafted from high quality leathers, our tall boots are both durable and attractive. For fall, we love pairing our knee high boots with super soft and intricately patterned tall socks. Free People knee high boots come in heavily distressed, cool and colorful woven blanket fabrics, and a multitude of heel heights to suit every girl's taste. Studs, fringe, buckle straps, and lace-up detailing makes knee high boots one of the best accessories of the season. Also, we love to wear our over the knee boots laced up all the way up to the top with slouchy socks and a pair of distressed cutoff shorts. Or you can try a pair of sleek buckle over the knee boots with a ruffled tall sock and a sundress for a more feminine and soft look. Whatever look you are going for this season, a pair of tall boots from Free People will start you off on the right foot.


text:
I think this is an angel trumpet but I dont know quite why i think that.... but its definatly soething, so lets assume its an Angel Trumpet for the time being.
I'll soon know if it blooms.
This is an August 2011 shot pre trimmed. The aleged Angel Trumpet is in the center to the left of the plumaria.


text:
News that Animaniacs may be getting the reboot treatment sent a thrill through the big kid in us. It also got us thinking about other old children's TV animations that still stand up to this day. Here are 30 childhood favourites we should all still cherish.
Aired: 1993-1998 Here's how multi-talented Stephen Spielberg is: while he was shooting Schindler's List he spent his evenings finishing up the effects shots in Jurassic Park and proofing episodes of zany cartoon Animaniacs. Produced in the spirit of Chuck Jones and Ted Avery, this sketch show of perfectly-formed animation gags still stands up to repeat viewing. The film references are plentiful – an episode riffing on 2001: A Space Odyssey is particularly inspired, while the "Goodfeathers" are clearly riffing on gangster movies – and the dumb humour is surprisingly smart. The three Warner siblings who form the show's backbone – Yakko, Wacko and Dot – are as cute as they are funny, even when they're educating us, and we still can't believe they got that fingerprints joke past the censors.
Mr. Benn
Aired: 1971-1972
Stargate for the under-12s, Mr. Benn sees its titular banker disappear through a magical fancy dress shop and into a range of adventures, usually returning before the mysterious fez-wearing shopkeeper hits him with late fees. It was all the handiwork of an unassuming Devonshire illustrator called David McKee – and, frankly, big high-fives to him. McKee later created King Rollo, a benevolent monarch who looked a bit like Paul Giamatti in Ironclad, but Benn is the one we really love. Of course, the animation looks a little creaky now and it's not so easy to get behind a banker these days, but as kids, this was escapism of the purest kind, kindling the imagination with magic, pirates, knights and a dragon or two.
Aired: 1965-1966 Gerry Anderson's fanbase is huge and global, with his devotees fanatical to the point of obsessive and most of that passion is for this, his most famous 'supermarionation'. In it, the Tracys, essentially a whole family of Tony Starks, fight to prevent terrorist atrocities by supervillains with large eyebrows. Since it first aired, there's been a live-action movie, a Busted song, a hilarious Pete and Dud piss-take called Superthunderstingcar, a stage show and Team America: World Police to continue its legacy. And thanks to 2015's telly remake, Thunderbirds Are Go, a whole new generation was able to discover International Rescue. F... A... B!
Danger Mouse
Aired: 1981-1992 Sure, he's the greatest. Okay, he's fantastic. Granted, wherever there's danger he'll be there – we'll give you that. Ultimately, though, Danger Mouse is still a small, smug rodent who interferes with the mail – and if we wanted that we'd just take a look in our office out-tray. The one we're really here for is Penfold: Jesse to his Walt, a hapless but loveable sidekick who, we'd like to think, was using his quailing, bespectacled persona to run British intelligence without anyone noticing. For a decade the pair filled our teatimes with their struggles against Baron Greenback and his oddball array of villains in a Bond pastiche that David Jason narrated with perma-cocked eyebrow.
Hong Kong Phooey
Aired: 1974 Unless you've got the word 'Venerable' before your name, you probably missed Phooey first time around. The pooch's first run was brief (only 16 episodes) and way back in 1974. As with many children's animations, it was a parody of a movie trend of the time – in this case, Shaw Brothers martial arts flicks. This inspired Hanna-Barbera and Playboy cartoonist Marty Murphy to create a canine janitor who combined crime-fighting, ass-kicking and an uncanny ability to navigate filing cabinets into one amazing package. Like most things in the '70s, he seemed a bit stoned, but, hey, the whole "faster than the human eye" bit was never going to make good telly anyway. Phooey had movie pedigree of his own: the mighty Scatman Crothers voiced him in that bit of his career between singing 'Everybody Wants To Be A Cat' in The Aristocrats and being brutally axed to death in The Shining.
Captain Pugwash
Aired: 1957-1966 (b/w); 1974-1975 (colour) Although Horatio Pugwash never seemed that good at piracy and his sense of direction was often a bit questionable, he did find the spot in our hearts marked 'X'. Unlike his nemesis, Cut-Throat Jake, a true scourge of the high seas, Pugwash was more of a Brillo pad of whatever stretch of water he happened to be in at the time. Long before boozy Jack Sparrow turned piracy into step one of the 12-step programme, here was a brigand who proved that sobriety was no impediment – and we loved him for it. Along for the ride were pals Tom (not Roger) the Cabin Boy, pirates Willy and Barnabas, and Master Mate (not Bates). All that sexual innuendo may be an urban myth, but we're still rating Pugwash "ARRRHH" for Tony Almeida-style facial hair.
The Magic Roundabout
Aired: 1961-1974 Basically Avatar for the Woodstock generation, this brilliantly weird melon-twister lives on for people of a certain age – not least Emma Thompson, whose dad, Eric, narrated it in English – and continues to define cult tea-time telly. It was originally a Frenchman, Serge Danot, who conjured Zebedee, Brian the serotonin-deficient snail, Ermintrude the cow, and Dylan the rabbit from his tête and introduced Florence ('Margote' in the French version), a young girl who joins in with stop-motion adventures that were every bit as magical as that roundabout. Later, a blue cat called Buxton and a CG studio movie would show up and endanger the hippy legacy, but even those worked out okay in the end – the former turned white and the latter got three stars from us.
Willo The Wisp
Aired: 1981 With its flutey theme tune, hammy Kenneth Williams voices, cockney caterpillar, angry Welsh dragon, extra-terrestrials travelling about in a space mushroom and a series of thinly-plotted but largely demented arboreal adventures, this cannot have been the simplest pitch meeting in TV history. That it got commissioned in the first place tells you everything you need to know about the BBC's children TV department back in the early '80s, when minds were broader and everyone was drinking the Kool-Aid. This show is so surreal we don't have any idea what's going on as fully sentient adults, let alone as six year-olds, which ultimately is why we adore it. Seriously, it's a television show where the villain is a TELEVISION. What's not to love?
The Wombles
Aired: 1973-1975 Everyone can list the Magnificent Seven, but how many Wombles can you name? We've got Uncle Bulgaria, Orinoco, Gamma Quadrant, Liam, Bunga-Bunga, Disco Steve and Tobermory, but got a bit stuck after that. No matter, there are two seasons and 60 episodes of their Wombly, rubbish-collecting ways to help us refresh our memories. Furrier than a bear burrito, Elisabeth Beresford's creations sport a motto – "make good use of bad rubbish" – they'd probably picked up from Steve Seagal movie. Their adventures weren't quite as high-octane as that (hold onto your hat for the episode where Bungo and Tomsk take the bins out), but, boy were they cuddly.
Battle Of The Planets
Aired: 1978-1985 Take five young superpowered folk with some seriously fly clobber, a HAL-like robot called 7-Zark-7, one of the coolest intros in kids' telly history and a masked villain with an army of ninjas to call on, and, sorry mum, but those fish fingers were just going to have to wait. There was too much fun for just one teatime in this anime – 85 of the suckers just about covered it – as its Avengers-meets-X-Men premise handed its five G-Forcers cool kit (Galacti-cycles! Razor boomerangs! Flaming bird ship!), "cerebonic" abilities (that involved turning into some kind of acrobratic display team) and a worthy adversary to use them on. Sometimes they were underwater, sometimes they were in space. They were always awesome.
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Aired: 1982-1983 Until someone commissions Pol Potties, this has to be the only children's telly show set in the middle of a genocide. Admittedly, the show doesn't major on the Spanish conquistadors and their atrocities – this wasn't Aguirre Babies – instead following the far more wholesome adventures of a Spanish boy called Esteban as he embarks on a perilous voyage to the Americas. When he gets there, there's a quest for those mysterious cities to undertake, a giant mechanical condor to hang out with, and gold, loads of gold ("mwahahaha!" etc.). We're not sure what lessons all that bling imparted on us, but it may explain why we came to work in golden shoes today.
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe
Aired: 1983-1985
Denizen of Castle Greyskull, a drafty des-res in the up-and-coming part of Eternia, He-Man had a kind of Clark Kent/Superman thing going on. One minute he was Prince Adam, regal scion of King Randor and Queen Marlena; then with a bellow of "By the power of Grayskull!" - a spell we can confirm worked literally not once on the playground - he'd morph into a mighty warrior with a massive sword and a battle cat. Seriously, who has a battle cat? The dude had game. He had a touch of the Robert E. Howards about him, too. Skeletal foe? Semi-nudity? Sequel-baiting ending? Sexy female spin-off? Yep, he's basically Conan with training wheels. He also had some pretty cool toys, and indirectly gave birth to a football chant. Altogether now: "SHEEEEEE-RA!"
Aired: 1985-1989 One of the most iconic cartoons of the '80s (you can tell because there's a range of popular basketball shoes with these characters on) and certainly the biggest yet to be adapted for the big screen (though we'd pay real money to see this made), ThunderCats tells the unlikely story of the nobility of Thundera, who escape their dying planet pursued by mutant enemies. They find a new home on the Third Earth, but those mutants team up with the native Mumm-Ra The Ever-Living, and it's up to young leader Lion-O and his magic sword to make the world safe. Honestly, looking back, the mythology barely makes a lick of sense and Snarf can snarf right off, but you still can't resist joining in for that "Hooooooooo!"
Johnny Bravo
Aired: 1997-2004 Capacious of muscle but skimpy of brain, Johnny Bravo is one of the great underrated characters of the '90s. A sort of Elvis by way of Looney Tunes, the hulking himbo with an ego the size of his pompadour spends all his time chasing women only to get rejected, ignored or – surprisingly often – beaten up. Somehow, women seem able to resist lines like, "Hey there Spanish señorita; sprechen zie love?" and are positively repelled by his tendency to strip to show his "studly bod". Seth MacFarlane was one of the show's early writers, but don't let that put you off. Just for the episode where Johnny shows his caring side by taking a wealth of piñatas down to release them in the wilds of their native Mexico, this is very nearly essential.
Aired: 1959-1993 While they originated in Finland, there have been many Moomin series, made all over the world. There's been animation from Japan, Finland, Sweden, West Germany, the Soviet Union, Holland, Austria, Germany and Poland. Clearly something about these fat-bellied little trolls strikes a chord with a large swathe of viewers around the world. The best-known one is probably the 1977-1982 felt-based animation, wherein the hippo-like creatures had heartwarming adventures, usually with a moral, that only occasionally got too scary for the younger kids. And the theme tune was catchy, just as a bonus. Let's all get together and promise one another that we'll never tell the guy from Troll Hunter where this lot live – deal?
Ulyssess 31
Aired: 1981-1982 The handy thing about this science-fiction serial was that one could plausibly claim, when called upon to stop watching TV and do some homework instead, that it was literature. It was, after all, closely modelled on Homer's Odyssey and therefore it's a 3000 year-old classic – just with robots and blue-skinned aliens. Ulysses, in the 31st century, is a spacefarer who angers the gods by killing a cyclops in order to free the children that the monster had enslaved – including Ulysses' own son Telemachus. His entire crew is frozen in retaliation, and Ulysses must sail the stars until he finds the Kingdom of Hades and can thaw them all out. With his magnificent hair, Ulysses could have barely been more '80s if he'd worn leggings and known all the words to 'Like A Virgin'), but anyone paying attention could tell that tiny robot Nono was the real star here.
Batman: The Animated Series
Aired: 1992-1995 Debates about the best Batman rage wherever two or more fanboys are gathered together. The cinephile consensus overwhelmingly favours Chris Nolan and Christian Bale, of course, but the most common dissenting voice cites this "dark deco" animated series and its big-screen spin-off Mask Of The Phantasm, which took the Bat seriously enough to satisfy those cravings for darkness, danger and grit, but never forgot its comic-book origins. With four Emmys to its name and a host of great voice work – kudos to Mark Hamill's Joker, in particular – this launched popular characters like Harley Quinn (then added to the comics) and kept the series' popularity high even while it stuttered on the big screen with the disastrous Batman & Robin. Gorgeously designed, in a way that still defines the DC universe in animation, this is a must for any serious Bat-fan.
Pinky And The Brain
Aired: 1995-1998 The theme song puts it best: "One is a genius, the other's insane. To prove their mousey worth, they'll overthrow the Earth. They're dinky, they're Pinky and the Brain." The phlegmatic, megalomaniac lab mouse and his manic, idiotic partner were born as the best single sketch in Animaniacs and soon proved sufficiently popular to merit their own show. The result was one of the great double acts and has a claim to be the most quotable cartoon of all time. "Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" wondered Brain, regularly. "I think so, Brain, but where are we going to find a duck and a hose at this hour?" was a typical Pinky reply. Like the Brain, it's utter genius with a side helping of utterly stupid.
Jayce And The Wheeled Warriors
Aired: 1985 J. Michael Straczynski, later of Babylon 5 and Thor fame, worked on this show and, in his own words, tried to "hijack a dopey concept and make it into something more". He's right on both counts. The idea, which had the 'Lightning League' and their crazy saw-wheel vehicles fighting against plant-based 'Monster Minds' in their plant cars, is certainly dopey, but by giving the characters more of a back story and a purpose in life, it helped the series to stand up a little better. Now we know that Jayce, as well as driving a cool car, has to reunite with his father Audric to reassemble a magical root that can destroy the Monster Minds (in plant cars, for goodness' sake) and their leader, Saw Boss. All right, on reflection it's batshit crazy, but somehow it's stuck with us.
Aired: 1983-1986 Another Gerry Anderson joint, this time in collaboration with businessman Christopher Burr, Terrahawks is set in 2020 (only three years to go, you guys!) and had the titular group protecting Earth from invasion by aliens and androids led by a figure called Zelda. No, Link hasn't gone crazy; this baddie is a crazy-haired alien originally created to be a bodyguard to the prince of Guk. Ranged against her are the Terrahawks, led by Lt. Hiro, who's supported by a team who almost all have bird-related names (Kate Kestrel, Mary Falconer, Derek Pink-Tailed Bunting). We suspect dodgy hiring practices. The show's then state-of-the-art computer graphics have dated less elegantly than its marionette characters, but it's a lively space-centric addition to Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds.
Aired: 1986 Max Ray. Jake Rockwell. Ace McCloud. The original three centurions were joined later by Rex Charger and John Thunder. They were all, as you might have guessed from those names, dripping in testosterone and about as subtle as a brick. The heroes wore "exo-frames" onto which could be bolted a variety of specialised tools and weapons beamed down from an orbiting space station by a lone and presumably long-suffering woman. That lucky girl, Crystal Kane, got to hang out with Jake's dog and Lucy the orang-utan while the boys fought the terrifying cyborg Doc Terror and his sidekick Hacker (surely it's only a matter of time before somebody resurrects that character and redesigns him to look like Assange or Snowden?). It's all ridiculous and sexist even by the standards of the time, but the mech suits looked cool and the toys were awesome.
Bucky O'Hare And The Toad Wars
Aired: 1991 It's heart-breaking that Bucky O'Hare's TV outing lasted only 13 episodes. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on your view of earworms – the show lived on thanks to its startlingly catchy theme tune that squatted in the frontal lobes of fans for the next two decades. Based on the cult '70s comic by Larry Hama, the show stayed true to its joyfully bonkers source material, keeping Bucky a talking green space hare, his crew a mix of telepathic cats, human kiddly-winks, four-armed-and-one-eyed pirate ducks and robots who like to say "Calamity and woe!". Bucky and his gang were part of Team S.P.A.C.E. – Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Encroachment – who stood against the evil militarism of the Toad Empire, headed up by haywire computer program KOMPLEX and its legions of warty amphibian goons. A few more details to wet your whistle: Bucky's ship is called Righteous Indignation, a 'Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon' is a key character and you get to meet a talking dog called Commander Dogstar. You're right, they don't make 'em like that any more.
The Tick
Aired: 1994-1996 From Sunbow Entertainment, the animation studio that brought you Bucky O'Hare (just as good as you remember) and Visionaries: Knights Of The Magical Light (nowhere near as good as you remember), comes The Tick (even better than you remember). The first cartoon to prove superhero parodies could work on the small screen, creator Ben Edlund's heroes were two preposterous 'pajama policemen': lunking blue meathead The Tick and his weak-but-willing sidekick Arthur. Although the show was generally just silly for silliness's sake, there was some more direct Super-lampooning, as Batman became cowardly gadgeteer Die Fledermaus, while Captain America and Wonder Woman got a twofer with the show-throwing temptress American Maid. Funny, flippant and definitely not just for kids, The Flea was like a Saturday morning Kick-Ass, only more amusing and with less Nic Cage. The live action version starring Seinfeld's Puddy, Patrick Warburton, which only lasted nine episodes but, happily, a new version starring Peter Serafinowicz starts this Summer.
Biker Mice From Mars
Aired: 1993-1996 "In this wild and woolly universe, there are three things you can count on: your brains, your bros and your bike!" So says Throttle, leader of the rodent roadhogs known as the Biker Mice From Mars, talking to his fellow biking brotagonists, Modo and Vinnie, in the very first episode of an early '90s show about mouse-men and the art of motorcycle maintenance. The last of their kind, the long-tailed trio leave their home planet after the evil fish aliens known as the Plutarks take all of Mars's natural resources and set their sights on Earth. Aided by human companion (and garage mechanic) "Charley" Davidson, the three cyborg critters – did we mention they were cyborgs? Well, they're cyborgs – tear up Chicago week after week, usually ending proceedings by blowing up big bad Lawrence Limburger's office tower to the sound of a well-executed cheese pun. Combining nerd-friendly weaponry, talking animals and an environmental message, BMFM (as no-one called it) kicked Captain Planet's posterior, and looked good doing it.
Earthworm Jim
Aired: 1995-1996 Most kids' shows were kids shows first, then computer games, but Earthworm Jim was another beast entirely – and not just because it involved a talking earthworm inside a supersuit. Originally released on the Sega MegaDrive in 1994, the game spawned a sequel, a comic-book and this, a 23-episode animated adventure into the seriously surreal. Firmly planting its flag in the freaky-deaky soil of absurdist humour, Earthworm Jim was a fourth wall-breaking, Deadpool-ish cartoon that revelled in life's minutiae. You were as likely to see bad guys like Psy-Crow, Queen Slug-For-A-Butt, Evil The Cat, Bob The Killer Goldfish and Professor Monkey-For-A-Head finishing off the ironing as plotting nefarious deeds. A word of warning before watching, mind – the theme tune contains the words "Earthworm Jim, he's such a groovy guy" and once you hear them, they'll haunt you forever.
Aired: 1985-1986 Taking the best bits of G.I. Joe (a team of military men) and Transformers (transforming super tech) and smushing them together into an acronym-filled hybrid, M.A.S.K. was let-the-show-sell-the-toys TV of the highest order. If they ever get around to putting Mobile Armored Strike Kommand and their enemy, Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem, on the big screen, pray to all the gods you hold dear that the theme tune lyric "Masked crusaders... working over time! Fighting crime!" makes the cut, because there's no ignoring that level of songwriting genius. As for its enduring appeal, that's down to the powers the team's masks gave them, such as anti-gravity and laser blasts, and the inherent cuteness of seeing a single father – the excellently named Matt Tracker – balancing saving the world with looking after his young adopted son.
X-Men: The Animated Series
Aired: 1992-1997 You can watch all 76 episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series on Marvel.com. If you haven't already clicked that link and disappeared down the X-Hole, here are some reasons why the show was so much better than its rivals. As well as the built-in brilliance of the key team's chosen characters – notably including your favourite card-throwing Cajun, Gambit – it dealt with issues everyone else would run a mile from: the Holocaust, AIDS, divorce, religion and, of course, racial prejudice. Then there were its interpretations of classic runs from the comics, notably Days Of Future Past, The Legacy Virus and The Dark Phoenix Saga, on top of cameos from Deadpool, Spider-Man, Punisher and many more. Sure, firework-firing '80s hangover Jubilee could be one of the most annoying superheroes ever created, but there's more than enough bickering between Wolverine and Beast to make up for it.
Aired: 1975-1976 The mix of 2D and 3D animation would be enough to make rewatching the original 1970s Paddington shorts worthwhile, especially if the CG-not-DIY style of the recent movie didn't float your boat, but there's so much more under the classic kids show's proverbial hat. The gentle organ/piano/drum theme tune, the way Paddington's snout wiggles up and down when he eats, the black and white papery backgrounds, the use of the phrase "Bears like..." or "Bears are good at...", references to Paddington's Aunt Lucy, narrator Michael Hordern's gloriously posh voice… the list goes on and on. Essentially a bottomless suitcase of charm, sandwiches and red wellington boots, it's guaranteed to make all but the fiercest bear-phobics grin a big marmalade-eating grin – or, as an advert once had it, a marmite-eating grin...
Aired: 1978-1981 Although it was named after the bigger, badder, altogether more frightening member of the 'God-' family, Godzilla wasn't really the star of this '70s animated show – it was his wimpier cousin, Godzooky, a Pete's Dragon-meets-Scrappy-Doo 'Zilla wannabe who had wings but couldn't fly, a roar but no fire-breathing capabilities. Working with the rest of the good ship Calico's scientific research team as they tackled such beasties as the Moon Monster and the Stone Creatures, Godzooky was the comic relief and Godzilla summoner combined, and easily the most memorable part of the theme tune ("And Godzooky..."). Okay, Godzooky was genuinely terrible, but the investigatory aspect of the crew as they pootled about the world, discovering inexplicable creatures and destroying the last of their kind with their own pet Kaiju, remains lunchbreak-destroyingly addictive.
Chorlton And The Wheelies
Aired: 1976-1979 The world owes a debt to Manchester animation shingle Cosgrove Hall Films. This British studio turned out golden stop-motion work from 1976, bringing children such classics as Danger Mouse, The BFG, Count Duckula and The Wind In The Willows, as well as Chorlton And The Wheelies, a mad-as-a-bag-of-spanners headtrip for the under-tens. It's right up there with The Magic Roundabout in the "well-I'll-never-get-that-image-out-of-my-head" stakes. Cosgrove Hall's very first production, it saw a group of wheeled creatures scooting around their handily bumpless world, butting heads with the wicked witch down the road and calling on their pet dragon, Chorlton, whenever things got too tough. And if you were wondering why they were all on wheels, well, it made the animation easier, and, we suspect, much simpler to differentiate between a number of children's shows when one had a bunch of hyperactive busybodies zipping about with wheels for legs.
Aired: 1985-1991 A true fan of the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon would be able to list all of the Autobots (Brawn, Bluestreak, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Gears, Hound, Huffer, Ironhide, Jazz, Mirage, Prowl, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, Windcharger, Hauler) as well as all of the Decepticons (Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Reflector, Soundwave, Laserbeak, Ravage, Rumble, Shockwave) but even if you're not a dyed-in-the-Allspark 'bot buff, just hearing a couple of those names will bring back memories so awesome that you yourself will want to transform into a laser rifle and shoot something close by. Admittedly, the films have rubbed some of the sheen off the nostalgia, but with the yet another instalment out later this year, here's hoping the magic of the Sunbow original will live on this time around.
Dungeons & Dragons
Aired: 1983-1985 After we started watching this animated spin on the massively popular game, we went on a lot of rollercoaster rides, hoping each time that we'd suddenly get swept into another dimension where there were multi-headed dragons to fight. Alas, it never quite worked, and we had to live vicariously through this band of misfit kids who are mysteriously transported to a magical realm and pitted against the evil Venger (why does he ride an evil horse when he also has evil wings?). The Dungeon Master, modelling his look very much on Yoda, gave the kids each powers and weapons (magic, invisibility, wooden club - that sort of thing) and set them loose, but in retrospect he seems a far-from-responsible authority figure when he hands a flaming bow to a 15 year-old boy. With a little more inter-group tension than most shows of the time and a lot more danger, this is at least 75 times more exciting than playing with D20s.
Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends
Aired: 1981-1983 The Marvel Cinematic Universe nowadays has its crossovers and guest cameos, but it had nothing on this series. Spider-Man, Firestar and Iceman are college students at Empire State University by day, but they're also crime-fighting superheroes (and mutants) who have to fend off everyone from Loki and Kraven to Dracula, Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster and more. For many children of the '80s this was their first introduction to the sprawling Marvel universe, so let's assume this was what primed us all for the current world-straddling film series. We also remember being unbelievably impressed by some of the fiendish schemes the villains here invented: imprisoning Firestar in an icy cage while Iceman was stranded amid flames in another room. Oh the irony! Thank goodness Spidey was around to rescue both, eh?
The Real Ghostbusters
Aired: 1986-1991
Ghostbusters 3 may never happen, but we'll always have the 147-episode run of The Real Ghostbusters to make up for it, as well as the tie-in comic books, the video games and the action figures. Switching its tone at the beginning of the third series – and changing its name to Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters in the process – the show was at its funny and fearsome best in the first two years, going from scaring the wits out of little 'uns to catering for scaredy-kids over the summer break. It was then that the Slimer-heavy episodes began and Janine changed her gloriously-quiffed hair to something altogether more pedestrian. Boo, indeed. And if you're wondering why it was called "The Real" Ghostbusters, blame animation house TeleNation's cash-in reboot of the short-lived 1975 live-action TV show The Ghost Busters, which involved a gorilla named Tracy and wasn't very good.
Dogtanian And The Three Muskehounds
Aired: 1981-1982 It sounds so obvious in retrospect: take a classic literary tale and remake it... WITH DOGS. Sure, Dogtanian was the only character from Alexander Dumas' novel to get a proper doggie pun – seriously people, Pawthos! – but the canine swashbucklers always delivered adventure and thrills unimpeded by the obvious constraints of their species. At no point, for instance, do any of them take time out from battling the nefarious Black Moustache to pee on a lamppost or sniff Monsieur Treville's bum. The Muskehounds concept was the co-creation of a Spanish and Japanese animation studio, a partnership that would later give us Around The World With Willy Fog in which Phileas Fogg was turned into a lion. We only wish they'd got around to redoing Bleak House with gnus.
Aired: 1974 Once upon a time, not so long ago... Bagpuss ruled our early afternoons. The fabulous feline only had three months on the small screen to call his own (admittedly, a decade in cloth-wrapped antique cat years), but the cuddly old so-and-so left a mighty impression. A BBC poll declared him the UK's favourite children's TV programme in 1999, and it's still impossible not to get a bit nostalgic about what was itself a sepia nostalgia-fest created by stop-motion dreamteam Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, the Ray Harryhausens of squeaky DIY mice and banjo-playing toads. The pair were also responsible for Pingwings, Clangers, Pogles' Wood, Noggin The Nog and Ivor The Engine*, but their tale of a little girl called Emily who owned a shop selling odds-and-ends was, while in contravention of most child labour laws, simply enchanting.


text:
The Bayerische tweakers at AC Schnitzer released pics of their new, twin-turbo BMW E92 3-Series coupe, ahead of its unveiling at the Essen show next month. A shot of the tuner 335i leaked out last week, sending those who fancy such beasts into a tailspin of anticipation. But the pics are just a tease; the company hasn't released performance numbers or specifics of the tuning program yet. For more, you'll just have to hit up exhibition stand no. C 124 in Hall 3.
AC Schnitzer's New BMW 3-Series on the Way [internal]


text:
Our list of the worst science fiction and fantasy movies of the year doesn't include films that practically nobody saw — for example, we left out Branded. Otherwise, a strong contender for inclusion would have been Red Lights, the weird paranormal thriller that has an A-list cast: Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro and Cillian Murphy. Red Lights had a short theatrical run and was playing on VOD for a while this fall, and we reviewed it at Sundance.
Above is a clip of what Jordan Hoffman's review calls De Niro's "Razzie-worthy performance" as a spoonbending stage psychic who appears to have real mental powers, confounding the skeptical Murphy and Weaver. I'm just going to quote a bit more from Hoffman:
His risible stage harangues are the new nadir of this once commendable actor's career. Travis Bickle is now officially a joke. He may as well have been shouting, "Not the bees!" I simply can't wait for these clips to make their way to YouTube.
The film, in general, kind of collapses under its own weight, even as Weaver and Murphy strain to keep it going. The final reel dissolves into a giant soggy mess, and then there's a last-minute "twist" that would make M. Night Shyamalan groan. It's hard to believe a movie with such a great cast would wipe out so badly.


text:
AfriGeneas Genealogy and History Forum Archive
Re: Death Certificate Question
In Response To: Death Certificate Question ()
What Census homework have you done?
I found Will and Lula in 1920 and 1910 Waxhaw twp, Lancaster County, but not finding a Will and Lula in 1900....in 1910 Census they had a son William age 19 born abt. 1891.
In the 1920 Census Will and Lula had daughter Lula E. or C....So am wondering about that " Lula Emaline", "Emeline Lula"??
Messages In This Thread


text:
Govt pulls plug on ALP water
THE Bligh government's cumbersome south-east Queensland water bureaucracy will cease to exist next Tuesday, replaced by a new single bulk water authority.
Seqwater will replace the three former water authorities, LinkWater, the South-East Queensland Water Grid Manager and the former Seqwater.
The Queensland Water Commission will also be abolished on Monday.
Water Minister Mark McArdle said the new entity would be committed to excellence in service delivery and catchment management at the lowest possible cost.
"Legislation covering Seqwater's operations is in place, and between now and New Year's Day, the necessary administrative changes will be finalised to wind up the existing entities and transfer responsibility to Seqwater," he said.
Mr McArdle said Seqwater would focus on a lowest-cost-possible water supply to met the needs of three million water customers.
However the Newman government's decision to scrap compulsory rain water tanks on new homes has been heavily criticised by industry body The Water Tank Group who funded independent research which showed existing homes with tanks reduced water demand by 21.2 gigalitres annually at an infrastructure saving of $1.4 billion.
The research estimated that if compulsory tanks for new homes had been maintained savings would amount to 107 gigalitres annually by 2056 and reduce infrastructure needed by $7.75 billion or $6500 per household.
Mr McArdle said amalgamating the former entities and abolishing the commission to form a single bulk water supply authority servicing south-east Queensland would reduce board and executive costs and enable the new business to rationalise administrative and corporate costs.
Mr McArdle has appointed former Unitywater CEO Jon Black as the director general of the Department of Energy and Water Supply on a salary reputed to be about $600,000 a year.
He said the creation of Seqwater delivered on the government's election commitment to simplify the complex, costly bulk water supply sector and reduce cost of living increases pressures for SEQ households.
"Seqwater will deliver the Government's vision to plan properly for south-east Queensland's future water needs and in early 2013 will develop its corporate strategy and plan setting out its objectives and priorities and their expected outcomes," Mr McArdle said.
"Cutting duplication and creating a single, more streamlined water authority will result in improved planning and efficiencies for the state's future water needs."


text:
Loire Valley self catering accommodation, France
Responsible tourism
Responsible tourism: Loire Valley self catering accommodation, France
We recycle all recyclable materials, compost all organic waste, & are in process of re-planting our land with locally sourced trees & plants which thrive. This year it was cherry trees and plums to add to our apple, apricot, cherry, peach, walnut & hazlenuts.
We heat our buildings with wood taken from our land or local sustainable sources. We have insulated to better than recommended levels to ensure excellent heat retention during winter months (reducing the need for heating) thus also ensuring a cooler environment during summer months. All labour & materials used in the renovations were locally sourced & with respect to local traditions.
We have double glazed all our windows & doors, & use low energy light bulbs wherever possible. We collect rainwater for garden use and a project for this autumn is to try & reinstate the use of well water for garden use. We also are in process of researching the use of alternative energy sources e.g wind, solar, geothermal & are committed to becoming more energy self sufficient within 5 years. Wind power being the current favourite, watch this space!
We encourage all our guests to buy food stuffs locally to support the local economy, (predominantly made up of small/medium scale farms). In our small farm road alone you will find a veritable route gastronomique! with farms producing goats cheese, yoghurt, milk, charolai beef, apples, & foie gras all within 1-5km. Guests are welcome help themselves to the well stocked veg & herb garden on site, fresh eggs are also available from time to time depending on the performance of our resident chickens!
We encourage our guests to recycle by providing clearly marked bins for sorting, to save energy & water. We recycle up to 60% of our waste. All vegetable kitchen waste is fed to the chickens. Anything that is left, and grass clippings are used for compost. We have a fosse (non-mains) sewerage filter system on site, which via a well-managed process of naturally occurring bacteria is filtered & ultimately runs clean water into our adjoining field. This waste system focuses us on the use of only bio-friendly products in our garden and home.
We support & recommend to our guests local bars, restaurants, markets & events; the majority of our guests utilise our immediate local amenities on a regular basis. We have a large selection of brochures for local attractions & events (not just the obvious ones but also those which are less well marketed) we actively encourage the guests participation.
We are acutely aware of the need to respect and understand the traditions and values of the region. We encourage our guests to adopt a similar approach to their vacation. We are closely integrated with our local community; our children attend the local school in le Grand Pressigny and we provide support both financially and with our time, helping out at local events. We strive to use email in our business practices, to keep our office as paper-free as possible. We own one car and by careful planning of our work/leisure/school run requirements we manage to minimise the number of trips made.
Popular similar vacations
Dordogne self catering cabin sleeping 4
Off-grid, off-beat self catering cabin
From 650 - 900 per week (sleeps 2-4)
Loire Valley self catering farm cottage, France
Perfect Loire Valley country cottage for two
From 560 - 750 per cottage per week (sleeps 2-4)
baby friendly family accommodation in France
Family Friendly Loire Valley self-catering vacation cottages
From 550 - 875 per cottage per week (sleeps 2-6)
Accommodation in the Mercantour, France
Beautifully located gite in the Mercantour, France
From 518 7 days per accommodation per week


text:
Hollywood keeps making adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, even though they've never really burned up the box office. Maybe "The Lucky One" will be, well, the lucky one, but it's hard to imagine why. Sparks films have become their own subclass within the Romance genre; and this one feels so familiar that, in my mind, its details began to blur with those of its predecessors before the closing credits had finished.
Zac Efron plays Logan Thibault, a recently returned Iraq vet, who is determined to track down a beautiful girl (Taylor Schilling), whose photo he found buried in the desert. He doesn't know her name or anything about her, but her image kept him (in his words) "alive," though, based on some of his actions, not necessarily sane. Now home for good from his third tour of duty, he locates this unwitting guardian angel in a small Louisiana town. Her name is Beth Green, and the photo belonged to her brother, who was killed in action under murky circumstances.
Due to the kind of creaky contrivance on which romantic melodramas are frequently constructed, she mistakes him for a job applicant — she runs a dog training and boarding facility — before he can explain why he's there. Beth's wise old grandma, Nana (Blythe Danner), immediately intuiting that Logan is one of the Good Guys, hires him, despite Beth's misgivings.
At that moment, you think: Wait a minute, Danner is playing her grandmother? Did I hear that right? While a perusal of the two actresses' vital stats reveals that Danner is, in fact, old enough to have begot Schilling's mom, it's still a jolt for those of us of a certain age.
That Nana has better instincts than Beth is soon apparent. Beth is struggling as the single mom of a precocious 8-year-old (Riley Thomas Stewart); her lout of an ex (Jay R. Ferguson) is a local sheriff and son of one of the town's most powerful men (Adam Lefevre). He wants her back and figures that a campaign of harassment and threats will surely recapture her heart.
It's unfortunate that Schilling's previous starring role was Dagne Taggart, the cardboard cartoon of a heroine in 2011's "Atlas Shrugged: Part I." But, even if that performance hadn't kept popping to mind, it's likely that the casting of Danner and Schilling would still have distractingly made me wonder how the gene pool had deteriorated so significantly in a mere two generations. Beth is frankly a complete pill; and Schilling's uncomfortable, Coulter-ish version of beauty makes her a brittle pill to swallow indeed. So, while Beth is more age-appropriate for Logan, he immediately loses sympathy points for finding her more appealing than Nana in any regard.
With the slightest shift in tone, the story could have been more interestingly shot as a sort of film noir; its basic elements could work either way. But a noirish tone would have required more character ambiguity, which "The Lucky One" studiously avoids. At every turn, Logan comes across as the most admirable being to have walked the earth since roughly 33 A.D. And everybody's problems are tidied up by the end with Swiss Movement precision.
It should also be mentioned that the plot is a diluted modernization of the 1932 Ernst Lubitsch film "The Man I Killed" (aka "Broken Lullaby"), even down to emotionally important scenes of a violin/piano duet. It should go without saying — but I'll say it just for insurance — that neither Sparks nor screenwriter Will Fetters nor director Scott Hicks ("Shine") can compete.
ANDY KLEIN is the film critic for Marquee. He can also be heard on "FilmWeek" on KPCC-FM (89.3).


text:
Greenville-Downtown Office
Office: (864) 297-1953
Fax: (864) 297-8037
323 Buncombe StreetGreenville,
View List of Associates
Visit our Facebook Page
Mark Bardo
About Me
Kelly Smith
The Allen Tate Greenville-Downtown branch is located in the heart of downtown Greenville, a few blocks off Main Street, near the corner of Buncombe and N. Academy Streets. This 6,200-square-foot office accommodates up to 60 Realtors® who serve the Upstate South Carolina region. The branch features two conference rooms, an agent training room, kitchen facilities and a welcoming lobby area with video screens and local art. Additional services offered for the convenience of our clients include mortgage and insurance.
Located in the scenic Piedmont region in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville offers a rich history of diverse living environments and neighborhood identities. Housing options vary and include traditional older neighborhoods, historic districts, suburban single-family homes and downtown condominiums.
Greenville's downtown is a bustling district filled with independently owned retail shops and restaurants. Arts and entertainment options include the ballet, symphony, jazz concerts, farmers' markets, local theater, the Greenville County Art Museum, concert venues and an outdoor amphitheater. Heritage Green is the city's urban and cultural arts complex.
The area features abundant recreational opportunities, including 39 parks, playgrounds and recreation centers within city limits. Residents can bike, jog, play miniature golf and participate in shuffleboard, tennis and other sports.
Nearby universities include the Bob Jones University, Clemson University, Greenville Technical College, Furman University and the University of South Carolina Upstate. Greenville is easily accessible by major roads and is just minutes from the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Charlotte is 90 miles away and residents can be at the South Carolina coast in three hours.
The Allen Tate homeownership partners serving this office are:


text: The History and Political Thought Department endeavors to equip students to "see life steadily and see it whole." The interdisciplinary nature of the courses required for this major attempts to look at the human experience both communally and individually as well as in both the past and present. The courses are approached from the liberal arts tradition of learning for the sake of learning and within the tradition of the humanities using great texts and looking at the "best of what has been thought and said". The courses cover a broad range of topics, generally include the primary works particular to the course subject, and have rigorous reading and writing expectations. The graduate of Concordia University with this major will not only have a mind well-filled, but well-trained.


text:
Any doubts that farm organizations supported the 2008 farm bill conference report were laid aside Wednesday when more than 1,000 of them sent a letter to the House and Senate urging them to override the president's veto.
The groups, led by the National Farmers Union, also mounted a massive telephone and e-mail campaign that left no doubt where the majority of the nation's farmers stood on the conference report, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.
The House subsequently voted to override the veto by a vote of 318-106. Because of a mistake in the enrollment process, the House was scheduled to vote on the bill again later today and on the bill's Trade and Food Aid Title, which was inadvertently omitted from the bill sent to the president on May 20.
Senate action on the trade title and the full bill were also expected later today.
The National Farm Union's Tom Buis, who was credited by House leaders with being one of the prime behind-the-scene movers on the farm bill in a press conference May 15, summed up the feeling of most farm organizations.
"There is widespread support for the farm bill, both across this great nation and in Congress as we saw in last week's super-majority votes," he said. "While it is disappointing to see the president's veto, we are hopeful members of Congress will listen to their constituents and override this veto."
The 1,054-group coalition that signed the May 21 letter far surpassed the record 557 groups that called on Congress to pass the farm bill the week of May 12. The coalition represented farm, conservation, commodity, specialty crop, nutrition, anti-hunger and consumer groups, cooperatives, religious organizations and others.
Among those writing to Congress was the National Cotton Council, whose chairman, Larry McClendon, said that while the farm bill conference report was not perfect, it retained an effective safety net.
"Although prices for some commodities are currently at attractive levels, farmers are planting at a time of unprecedented increases in input costs with no commodity policy in place," said McClendon, a cotton producer from Marianna, Ark. "In some areas, farmers will soon harvest crops for which there is no loan program in place.
"The bill's opponents have offered no viable alternatives after nearly two years of debate. There is simply no option but to override the veto and put predictable policy in place for farmers, lenders and rural communities."
National Corn Grower Association leaders also supported the override, while defending the Average Crop Revenue Enhancement (ACRE) program against Bush administration attacks.
"We are gratified that the farm bill received bipartisan support from the House," said National Corn Growers Association President Ron Litterer. "This is a bill that producers have needed for some time."
In the letter sent by the state and national organizations, the authors said the "conference report makes significant farm policy reforms, protects the safety net for all of America's food producers, addresses important infrastructure needs for specialty crops, increases funding to feed our nation's poor, and enhances support for important conservation initiatives.
"This is by no means a perfect piece of legislation, and none of our organizations achieved everything we had individually requested. However, it is a carefully balanced compromise of policy priorities that has broad support among organizations representing the nation's agriculture, conservation, and nutrition interests."
In writing to congressional members, the NCC emphasized that the legislation includes many of the cotton industry's recommendations and priorities: improving market orientation, competitiveness and flow to market plus providing important financial assistance to domestic textile manufacturers to spur investment and helping maintain good paying jobs in an industry competing with heavily subsidized imports.
The NCC noted the farm bill conference report contains significant reforms to payment limitations and program eligibility. The three-entity rule is eliminated and spouses are provided greater equity. Redemptions of loans with certificates no longer will be authorized and limitations on marketing loan gains are eliminated. Cumulative limits on direct and counter-cyclical payments are maintained at current levels resulting in a 50 percent reduction for some growers due to the termination of the three-entity rule.
The agreement significantly tightens an income means test first enacted in 2002, by providing that individuals with non-farm income exceeding $500,000 will be ineligible for all program benefits and those with farm income exceeding $750,000 will be ineligible for decoupled income support. These and other modifications to eligibility standards in this farm will help ensure program benefits are directed to true farmers.
"The House and Senate have worked diligently to produce sound, balanced agriculture policy," McClendon said. "The bill is fully paid for and will not add to the deficit.
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
I had no plans to post anything today until I ran into @Zunguzungu's thorough Twitter fisking of this depressing NYT article about Udacity's deal with San Jose State to create MOOCs for their remedial classes. Like Aaron, I am appalled by the idea of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown cold-calling Sebastian Thrun to whip their higher education problem rather than talking to anyone who actually works in California's university system. However, I have two related points about all this which, if I remember all of Aaron's tweets right, he didn't make.
1. They're not just outsourcing education, they're outsourcing professors. From the article:
"The Udacity deal could blunt some faculty opposition, because the effort will continue to involve professors — but it will also use online course assistants, or "mentors," hired and trained by Udacity."
[emphasis added]
Raise your hands if you think Udacity's "mentors" will have tenure. The privatizers are simply following in the footsteps of the exploitive labor system that public higher education has already pioneered.
By the way, in traditional higher education, course design usually involves nobody but professors. The glass isn't half full, it's half empty.
2. This news is a disaster for higher education of all kinds, especially non-MOOC online education. From the article again:
The cost of each three-unit course will be $150, significantly less than regular San Jose State tuition.
Now Aaron was right to remind everyone:
But I think the more interesting comparison is in the other direction – between the price of this MOOC deal and other online courses. Until the year of the MOOC, I spent months and months bitching about the faults of regular old online courses in this space. One of the things I kept wondering is why online courses aren't cheaper than regular face-to-face courses. Apparently, now they are – in this instance at least.
If you can get the same credit from a $150 MOOC that you can in an online course which costs much more because it has a living, breathing professor at the other end of the computer screen, which one are you going to take? In the regular online course versus face-to-face course, at least those of us on campus have the advantage of direct contact with students and football games to occupy their Saturday afternoons during the fall. If you've already compromised your education by moving it online, the only thing left to haggle about is price and universities with online arms that cost as much as on campus classes are going to find themselves in a terrible bargaining position.
If both these points have a theme it's that we have a duty now for the future to prevent MOOCs from destroying a higher education system that has taken years to build up. Sure it may look like we're whipping today's problems good, but we're really only whipping ourselves.
PS The Devo theme of this post is no accident. As Jeff Cowie explains in his magnificent Stayin' Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class (p. 343):
"[Devo's] Dadaesque anti-agitprop, as frontman Mark Mothersbaugh put it, was a sort of "guerrilla behavioralist experiment," and the band's music, as they repeatedly said, was "the important sound of things falling apart.""


text:
Shop America Alliance LLC is the travel trade organization representing hundreds of the premier shopping tourism destinations, retailers, shopping centers and outlets in North and Central America. Founded in 1998, Shop America Alliance co-produces the annual ONE Travel Conference and SASI-ONE Awards, Shop The World Tourism Conferences, publishes Shop America Magazine, and markets dozens of shopping and cultural tours in 40 cities. Shop America Tours Club engages and rewards shopping travelers worldwide. For more information, visit shopamericatours.com or call 707-224-3795.
US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council LLC (USCHT) is a travel trade association with a mission to market U.S. cultural and heritage tourism experiences both nationally and internationally. Founded in 2008, USCHT represents leading U.S. tourism destinations, museums, attractions and travel partners engaged in marketing U.S. cultural and heritage to travelers throughout the United States and around the world. The organization co-produces the ONE Travel Conference, provides market research on the Cultural and Heritage Traveler and publishes The Cultural Traveler magazine annually. For more information, visit TheCulturalTraveler.com or call 833-872-4862.
ONE Travel Conference for Shopping, Dining and Cultural Tourism is produced annually by Shop America Alliance and US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council in a premier travel destination. The conference program, developed with an advisory committee of industry leaders, features three days of executive level educational and networking programs focusing on building business and ROI. For complete detail visit ONEtravelconference.com


text:
Kragujevac (Serbian Cyrillic: Крагујевац, pronounced [krǎɡujeʋat͡s] ( listen)) is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the river Lepenica. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 150,835 inhabitants, while administrative area has a population of 179,417.
Selidbe, Kartonske kutije, Knjigovodstvena agencija, Otkup automobila, Parket, Restorani za svadbe, Apartmani Beograd, Apartmani Sokobanja,Sokobanja, Vrnjačka banja, Srebrno jezero


text:
FOX Business: Capitalism Lives Here
The markets climbed on Thursday, but traders remained cautious over tumultuous talks to avert the looming fiscal cliff.
Continue Reading Below
Today's Markets
As of 2:50 p.m ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 42.3 points, or 0.32%, to 13294, the S&P 500 was up 6.9 points, or 0.48%, to 1443 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 8.9 points, or 0.28%, to 3053.
It has been a manic week on Wall Street. The markets posted a big rally Monday and Tuesday amid optimism talks to avoid the fiscal cliff were heading in a positive direction, and then slid the following day as it became clear serious issues remained.
Market participants were expected to continue watching Washington, D.C. with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives expected vote on two budget-related bills Thursday evening. Both are backup plans aimed at dulling the impact of the fiscal cliff should a broader bargain not be forged. If either are passed, they are expected to face stiff resistance in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The White House has also threatened to veto so-called 'Plan B' if it reaches President Barack Obama's desk.
There are also a slew of economic reports on tap. A final reading on U.S. gross domestic product from the Commerce Department showed the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 3.1% in the third quarter, up from a previous reading of 2.7%, and higher than the 2.8% economists were expecting. While the report serves as one of the most important economic indicators, economists say the result of U.S. budget talks are likely to have a big impact on the economy's forward trajectory.
Existing home sales rose 5.9% in November from October to a 5.04-million unit annualized rate, the highest since November 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors. The association said sales would have been 'modestly higher' had Hurricane Sandy not occurred.
A report from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve showed the manufacturing sector in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly revved up in December. The gauge soared to 8.1 from -10.7, easily besting estimates of -3. Reading above 0 point to expansion, while those below point to contraction.
The Labor Department said new claims for unemployment benefits rose to 361,000 last week from an upwardly revised 344,000 the week prior. Claims were expected to rise to 357,000 from an initially reported 343,000.
In corporate news, IntercontinentalExchange (NYSE:ICE) unveiled plans to buy NYSE Euronext (NYSE:NYX) for $33.12 a share in stock and cash, valuing the exchange operator at roughly $8.2 billion. NYSE closed at $24.05 on Wednesday and was halted in the pre-market.
Commodities markets were fairly flat. The benchmark crude contract rose 15 cents, or 0.17%, to $90.13 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline climbed 0.41% to $2.754 a gallon. In metals, gold sold off by $21.80, or 1.3%, to $1,646 a troy ounce.
Foreign Markets
The Euro Stoxx 50 climbed 0.14% to 2658, the English FTSE 100 fell 0.05% to 5958 and the German DAX edged up 0.05% to 7672.
In Asia, the Japanese Nikkei sold off by 1.2% to 10039 and the Chinese Hang Seng ticked up by 0.16% to 22660.