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A long, long time ago, an old Chinese peasant named Yu Gong decided to move two inconveniently located mountains away from the entrance to his home. Legend has it he struggled terribly, but ultimately succeeded. Hence, the Chinese idiom "Yu Gong moves the mountains." When there's a will, there's a way.
Now Chinese developers are putting old Yu to shame.
In what is being billed as the largest "mountain-moving project" in Chinese history, one of China's biggest construction firms will spend £2.2 billion (US$3.5 billion) to flatten 700 mountains around Lanzhou, allowing development authorities to build a new metropolis on the northwestern city's far-flung outskirts.
The Lanzhou New Area, 130,000 hectares of land 80km from the city, which is the provincial capital of arid Gansu Province, could increase the area's GDP to £27 billion by 2030, the state-run China Daily reported. It has already attracted almost £7 billion of corporate investment.
The project will be China's fifth "state-level development zone" and the first in the country's rapidly developing interior, according to state media reports. Others include Shanghai's Pudong and Tianjin's Binhai, home to a half-built, 120-building replica of Manhattan. China's State Council, its highest administrative authority, approved the Lanzhou project in August.
The first stage of the mountain-flattening initiative, which was first reported on Tuesday by the China Economic Weekly magazine, began in late October and will eventually enable a new urban district of almost 26km2 to be built.
One of the country's largest private companies — the Nanjing-based China Pacific Construction Group, headed by Yan Jiehe (嚴介和) — is behind the initiative.
Chinese newspapers portray the 52-year-old as a sort of home-grown Donald Trump — ultra-ambitious and preternaturally gifted at navigating the nation's vast network of guanxi, or personal connections.
Yan was born in the 1960s as the youngest of nine children. After a decade of working as a high-school teacher and cement plant employee, he founded his construction firm in 1995 and amassed a fortune by buying and revamping struggling state-owned enterprises. In 2006, the respected Hu Run report named Yan — then worth about £775 million — as China's second-richest man.
His latest plan has evoked a healthy dose of skepticism. Lanzhou, home to 3.6 million people alongside the silty Yellow River, already has major environmental concerns. Last year, the WHO named it the city with the worst air pollution in China. The city's main industries include textiles, fertilizer production and metallurgy.
Liu Fuyuan, a former high-level official at the country's National Development and Reform Commission, told China Economic Weekly that the project was unsuitable because Lanzhou is frequently listed as among China's most chronically water-scarce municipalities.
"The most important thing is to gather people in places where there is water," he said.
Others also pointed to the financial risk of building a new city in the middle of the desert.
"All this investment needs to be paid back with residential land revenue, and I don't see much on returns in these kinds of cities," said Tao Ran (陶然), an economics professor at Renmin University in Beijing. "If you have a booming real-estate market it might work, but it seems to me that real estate in China is very, very risky."


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painter Cesar Santanders creations are ones of eye-popping
vibrancy and intensity, full of enticing nostalgia and
original composition.
Maggie Boellart,
Director, Plus One Gallery
Santander begins with the idea of a
painting, then arranges the people and things he means to
depict until the desired effect is achieved. Santander is, no doubt one of the most flamboyantly painterly of the painters associated with Exactitude.
John Russell
Critic and author,
Exactitude Hyperrealist Art Today

subset: commoncrawl


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Biotin-ACTH (1-39), human - ANA23968 - 0.5 mg - AnaSpec - proteins & peptides
This C-terminally labeled biotin ACTH (1-39) has been used in ELISA assays. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), also known as corticotropin, is a cleavage product from a larger precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC). This 39 amino acid-peptide hormone is produced in the anterior pituitary gland upon stimulation by the corticotropin releasing hormone from the hypothalamus in response to stress. It stimulates the secretion of steroid hormone, specifically glucocorticoids in the adrenal cortex by acting through a cell membrane receptor (ACTH-R). In mammals, the action of ACTH is limited to those areas of the adrenal cortex in which the glucocorticoid hormones cortisol (hydrocortisone) and corticosterone are formed. ACTH has little control over the secretion of aldosterone, the other major steroid hormone from the adrenal cortex.


text:
Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra+
Building on the strong reputation of its market-leading technology,
the Océ VarioPrint 6000 Ultra+ Line is a powerful family of
highly productive digital perfecting printing systems.
With built-in Océ Gemini technology, this is a family designed to meet the needs of a diversity of high-end production requirements:
Océ VarioPrint 6000 Ultra+ Line: for commercial printers and corporate in-plant environments
Océ VarioPrint 6000 TP+ Line: for Transactional Printing (TP) environments
- Unique Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology
- Ultra high speed duplex printing
- Field upgradeable speed
- Up to 350 x 500 mm media
- Near-perfect front to back registration
- Offset-like quality with impressive image resolution
- Non-stop production for up to four hours
- Intuitive Graphical User Interface
Detalizēti par funkcijām
Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra+ — ieskatieties un izpētiet sīkāk
Next-level performance
The Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra+ and TP+ Lines have been developed from their market-leading predecessors in order to maintain their status as the most productive digital perfecting systems in their class. Improved media handling and an intuitive new graphical user interface ensure print professionals benefit from high quality results - whatever the application. And with impressive environmental credentials your carbon footprint is kept to a minimum too.
Ultra-high speed productivity
The Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra+ is part of the Océ VarioPrint 6000 Ultra+ and TP+ Lines and is the fastest duplex printer in the series, capable of a stunning 314 A4 images per minute. These performance credentials make it the perfect solution for even the most demanding double-sided printing jobs.
At the heart of every device is Océ's unique Gemini technology which uses a single engine to drive two imaging belts, enabling both sides of a page to be created in just one pass - making it not just ultra-quick but ultra-reliable too.
Improved control and flexibility
Each engine features a new graphical user interface - bringing this family in-line with both the Canon varioPRINT 135 series and Canon imagePRESS C7010VPS series. Also, new paper input modules increase the size and weight flexibility of useable media - as well as boosting the maximum capacity to 24,000 sheets.
This winning combination enables you to offer customers offset-like quality, near perfect registration, and turnaround times that can't be beaten, making the Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra+ a shrewd investment decision.
Designed for a diversity of requirements
The Océ VarioPrint 6000 Ultra+ Line is available in a variety of speed, input and output configurations to meet a wide range of requirements.
You simply choose the modules that best fit your specific needs: Paper input module, Océ Gemini Instant Duplex
Izstrādājuma tehniskie dati
Uzziniet vairāk par Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra+, tā funkcijām un iespējām.
- Canon
- Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra+


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Butterfree's Current Obsession
Award-winning Icelandic BDSM techno-punk performance art group Hatari, who participated in Eurovision 2019 for Iceland. They must be seen to be believed. You can see a sample of their Eurovision entry and some of them being them as featured on Last Week Tonight here.
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- Residents
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You are here
Austin Water Commission & Task Force
Austin Water's commission and task force are important in that they enable citizens to participate in Austin's government processes.
Austin Water is led by Director Greg Meszaros. Reporting to the Director are the Assistant Directors of Finance & Business Services, Pipeline Operations, Treatment, Water Resource Management, Environmental Affairs & Conservation, and Engineering Services, and four direct reports consisting of Human Resources Services, Internal Audit, Office of the Director, and Information Technology Services.


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Seems like the number of expert-answering community websites is flourishing. I just noticed the existance of chiphacker. Everything very interesting around here. Thus my question is:
- what about something on Robotics?
Rationale: I'm currently working on a robotics project myself (the iCub), which involves lots of coding (either embedded and c/c++; so something that should be discussed on stackoverflow), hardware issues (chiphacker), system issues (a-la serverfault), so on and so forth and some added spices such as svn problems, versioning (superuser.com?), wiki, naming issues, etc.
Plus, the robotics community usually gets lost around re-inventing the wheel (in terms of algorithms, frameworks, etc). You have no idea how much code is lost and re-coded, and the poor comments are just lost in the midst.
Furthermore, I think it would be cool to take the robotics folks out of academia and into the real world. Just a bit, you know, so that we can be ready for when the bots will take over and rule the world :)
If the idea is accepted we need a name..


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South Carolina denied in-state college tuition rates to U.S. citizens living in the state but unable to prove the lawful immigration status of their parents – an unconstitutional policy that more than tripled the cost of tuition. The SPLC filed a federal lawsuit to end the practice.
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Few martial artists, whether in the United States or abroad, have not heard of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. The ability of the Gracie brothers to work successfully against fighters of many various styles is exceptional. Even more impressive is the fact that they seldom seriously injure an opponent, even one who is obviously attempting to cause them harm. The Gracies' soft, blending approach has much in common with aiki, yet they have avoided the temptation to make their style harder in order to deal with actual conditions, either in the ring or on the street.
I first came to know the Gracie family in the late 1980s. My brother-in-law, Chris Poznik, had begun training with the Gracies and spoke highly of their style of Jiu-Jitsu. [Note: We have used "Jiu-Jitsu" as the spelling of "jujutsu" in this article as it is the preferred spelling of the Gracie family] Chris and I had wrestled in college together and I respected his opinion. Determined to find out just what these Brazilians had that was so special, I made an appointment for a private lesson. At the time the dojo was in the garage of Rorion Gracie's home. I found Rorion to be about my height, slender and very polite. The ensuing session convinced me of the viability of the Gracie system. The fact that I was bigger and stronger, with extensive wrestling and martial arts experience, did not prevent me from ending up in several submission holds. Most of the time I had no idea how I had placed myself in the predicament. While I sweated and strained, Rorion remained calm and polite. His breathing never seemed to change. When the session was done I was quite impressed both with the practicality and sophistication of the art as well as the calm courteous demeanor of Rorion. As I bowed to him to end the class I was surprised to hear him say, "No, no, James. We are both men here. You don't bow to me." A firm handshake ended the lesson.
Over the years I have found this unique style of Jiu-Jitsu to be interesting in many different respects. All of the brothers that I have met and worked with, Rorion, Rickson, and Royce (with whom I have spent the most time), have been polite and self-effacing, never making a big deal of their abilities. It wasn't until 1994 when taking photos for this article with my friend Toby Threadgill that I found out where this attitude and demeanor originated.
Helio Gracie is the patriarch of the Gracie clan. At eighty-two years of age and 138 pounds, he is still a force to be reckoned with on the mat. Instead of the assertive ego that is so frequent in martial artists of his caliber, Helio is a polite, soft-spoken, humble man who still gets on the mat and teaches students on a regular basis. Working with Mr. Gracie and observing him interact with his students and his sons, one is struck most strongly by the man as a whole. His physical health and attitude are excellent, the consequence of living his life as a warrior with a soft, blending Jiu-Jitsu approach and adhering to an exceptional diet developed by his older brother, Carlos.
I can speak from personal experience about the effects of this holistic approach to life. During a sparring session with Royce preceding Ultimate Fighting Challenge IV, I was admonished by Mr. Gracie, who was coaching the session, to take better care of myself. Considering who the advice was coming from and the fact that after the first twenty minutes of the session I was beginning to fatigue, I decided to take his advice to heart.
After the session I asked Rorion for a copy of the Gracie diet and some brief instruction on how to implement it. The results have been significant. I achieved a radical reduction in body weight that has resulted in improved health, flexibility and endurance. My ability to perform in a combative setting has also improved significantly. Few people these days approach their martial training in such an all-encompassing manner as the Gracie Clan. Jiu-Jitsu is not so much what they do as who they are. Their approach is more reminiscent of the classical bushi than many styles that claim descent from the arts of the samurai. However, for the Gracies, this classical mind set is cultivated on the inside and only becomes apparent when you begin to look deep into their art and personal characters.
–James Williams
The following is an edited version of two transcripts of interviews of Rorion Gracie conducted by James Williams and Stanley A. Pranin of Aikido Journal in the fall of 1994.
Aikido Journal: Who first brought Japanese Jiu-Jitsu to Brazil?
Esae Maeda. As a matter of fact, he came to Brazil around 1914. I think his trip was a reward for winning a championship or something like that in Japan. This was before the Japanese immigrant colony came to Brazil. My grandfather Gaston was a politician and a scholar at the time. He helped the Japanese champ get established in Brazil and, to show his gratitude, Maeda started teaching Jiu-Jitsu to my grandfather's oldest son, my uncle Carlos, who was the eldest of five brothers. That is how the Gracie family first got involved in the art of Jiu-Jitsu.
My uncle was eleven years older than my father. He passed away last October at age ninety-two. I'm sure he's in good hands. He was the oldest of eight children, five of whom were boys.
How did your father Helio become involved in Jiu-Jitsu training?
My father was the smallest of the five brothers and physically frail. He would often faint when doing any physical activity. He was actually told by his doctor to avoid any kind of exercise, so he used to sit on the side of the mat watching my Uncle Carlos teach classes. He did that for a couple of years. One day, when he was sixteen years old, a student showed up for class, but Carlos was not around and my father said, "My brother is not here, but if you want, I can go through the techniques with you. I've been watching for so long I know what I'm doing."
My father went through the moves with the student. He was so excited, so determined, so enthusiastic about pleasing this student that the guy picked up the vibes. The student was really happy with my father's enthusiasm for the whole thing. When my uncle showed up for the class and apologized for being late, the student said, "I've had a class with your brother and if you don't mind from now on I'll continue having classes with him."
How did your father establish his reputation in Brazil?
When my father was growing up in Brazil he challenged everybody and his victories were all the more impressive because he was physically so unimposing. He is only 5'8″, 140 pounds. People didn't expect much of him in a fight and would go crazy when he won. The biggest selling point for Jiu-Jitsu was the fact that he did not have a lot of physical strength. If a large man wins, it's no big deal. Everyone thinks that the best fighter in the world is the world heavyweight boxing champion. They idolize such a man, but in the process they diminish themselves. You can't be sad because you are not 6'4″, 220 pounds. You have to do what you can with what you've got. The fact that my brother Royce is not a big, strong guy is a wonderful selling point for our method of Jiu-Jitsu because the average guy says, "Hey, look at what that skinny guy is doing! I can do the same thing!"
From the time that my father taught his first class my uncle Carlos practically retired from teaching. Carlos was about twenty-five years old and that's when he started studying the diet and managing his brothers. My father Helio is the one who actually masterminded what we call now Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Initially he taught the traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu that he had learned by watching my uncle. In time, through trial and error, he kept polishing the art and made it more refined. He made it a more workable tool so that he could become more proficient himself.
The movements and chokes you see in judo and other Jiu-Jitsu practitioners are basically the same ones we do. If you were to take a picture they would look the same. The Japanese applied the choke like this [demonstrates a choke]. My Dad realized that if you push both hands, close your hands, turn your wrists, and extend your chest, you don't have to use as much strength. So it's the same choke but you put him to sleep easier. It required less strength from the person who is applying the technique. He could do the techniques instead of muscling. The techniques that we have in Jiu-Jitsu were not invented by my father. He never claimed to do that. What he did was make the art a little more accessible to the weaker person. My father did not invent Jiu-Jitsu, but he was the one who publicized it in Brazil. Everybody who does Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil has directly or indirectly learned from him.
So, then what is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?
That's a very important question. I'm glad you asked. Jiu-Jitsu is the teaching method developed by my father. This teaching method is so efficient that it does not require speed, strength, or coordination. This is why I have a registered mark ® on the name Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
You mentioned that your father needed to be able to defend himself.
In Brazil one could encounter dangerous situations every day. My father had to find a way to save his neck every day. It was like sharpening his blade on a daily basis. When students come here to the Gracie Academy to learn self-defense, their reasons may vary. Some want to get in shape or to lose weight or to become more limber, or because they like martial arts or they like the philosophy of different styles. Their reasons don't really matter to us. My only objective is to prepare the student to defend himself on the street. That's the focus of our way of teaching.
What about breathing? Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioners have extremely good breath control.
Breathing is also the result of practice and conditioning. In training you learn to breathe. You train without losing the timing of your breathing. You accomplish this by remaining relaxed. But in order to be relaxed you have to have learned the basic elements. If you don't know how to swim and you tell the person in the pool, "Look! Relax!" he can't do it, so you have to first teach the person how to swim. Then he can relax. Otherwise it won't work, so the breathing goes with that. You have learned the technique so you know you can relax because you have the moves already pretty much planned. You know what you're doing, therefore there is no urge to tense up and use muscular strength. You have to have confidence in the technique.
Do you use kata or forms to practice?
You can do the movements by yourself. I can go on the mat now and workout by myself. For example, I can pretend I am passing the guard or working on the mount position—I could do the whole thing. You could practice everything alone, but it is much more practical to do Jiu-Jitsu with somebody else. When we roll around we can do it very smoothly.
Everything you do is in relationship to your opponent, which makes it easier to naturally respond to whatever is happening. You have the opportunity to adapt and change as the fight is going on. Being relaxed and being more sensitive to all the different opportunities makes a big difference. You have more opportunities. If you are strictly a puncher and kicker and you miss or can't drop your opponent with that perfect punch, he may get hold of you and that could be bad news! Ultimately, what counts is knowing that most fights will end up on the ground and being prepared for it.
What is the grading system like in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?
For adults there are white, blue, purple, brown and black belts. For children: white, yellow, orange, green, brown and black. It takes about ten years to become a black belt. But a black belt is not a person who knows more technique. He is a person who is more sensitive to the application of the basic techniques.
So it doesn't mean a student knows more technique or that he's faster. It means that he has more awareness of what he is doing?
Yes, a person who has taken forty classes knows everything I know. He doesn't have the execution that I have, but he knows the same moves.
It seems that your art is a part of your lifestyle. It engenders a soft, aware approach to life.
Yes, my philosophical beliefs combined with my diet and Jiu-Jitsu give me the confidence to deal with my life in a very positive way. A lot of people think all they need is to buy my instructional videotapes. But they forget that you can't get the person into a choke unless you can get control of him from the top, all the way down, to put him in a position to be choked. They don't want to go through the basics. They want to go right to the end.
We don't win the fight with the techniques that we want. As we roll around, the opponent gives us openings. He tells us what technique he wants to lose the fight with. He says with his actions, "Here's my arm!," and we take his arm. We create a chaotic situation for the opponent who, out of desperation, offers opportunities. We take whatever he gives.
I know diet plays a very important role in your lifestyle. It goes with your flexible, aware mental attitude and flexible body.
Yes. The idea of our diet came first from my uncle. He was somewhat of a self-taught nutritionist. He never went to school or got a degree or anything like that, but he studied with many different experts and he came up with his own conclusions on the subject. Everybody in the family pretty much followed his diet. Many students and friends have benefited from it.
He started developing the concepts of the diet because in the old days there was always a fight going on. It wasn't like now where fights, tournaments, or competitions are organized and planned. People would come in and say, "Look, I've heard about you guys and I want to fight!" Things happened on a daily basis. We've got to pretty much be ready to go at any time. For example, if you have a fight tomorrow, and you wake up with a major stomachache or a toothache or a headache, your performance is not going to be the same. A healthy diet is priceless.
I believe there are no diseases, only sick people. What happens is a body becomes weakened at its weakest part. It's like a rope breaking at its weakest point. Some people never have headaches, but they have continuous stomachaches. Other people eat a lot of junk and never have stomachaches, but always have headaches. Some people can eat all kinds of junk and say, "Look! I'm thin. I don't gain weight." But they suffer from something else. It affects people differently. The concept is to combine foods so that when they are chemically mixed inside the body, they do not become acidic. It is an anti-acid type of diet which is easy to digest. We call it the Gracie Diet.
Do you eat much meat?
I personally don't eat meat. But meat is okay in the diet. Royce eats a little meat, but mostly he eats fish and chicken. I personally am mostly vegetarian/frugatorian. I eat fish once in a great while. When I go to a restaurant, I might order rice with fish and vegetables, for example.
Do you drink at all?
No, no alcohol. I might have three glasses of wine per year. But, my theory is that if you are going to drink anyway, at least eat right. If you are going to be involved in a sporting kind of life, be aware that alcohol will affect you in the long run. But if you are forty-four or five years old and are not competing professionally, it won't be so damaging to you!
Part Two published iand Aikido Journal #106
AJ: Would you describe how it was that you came to America?
Rorion Gracie: I first came here in the late 60s. I was seventeen or eighteen years old. Then I went back to Brazil and stayed there for a couple of years, but I started missing California very much. So I came back again for a few more months, then returned to Brazil and entered law school, then graduated after five years. I never practiced law, but I have a bachelor's degree. At the same time while going through college, I also got married in Brazil, had two kids, and got divorced. I felt I had to go back to the United States. In the late 70s, at twenty-seven, I decided it was a perfect time for me to go back. The Gracie family is popular because during the 1930s my father was the first Brazilian sports legend. He had taught people from all walks of life including a former Brazilian president, state governors, and others.
Coming here and starting out from scratch with nothing but self-confidence was a challenge I had never had in Brazil. There I was born famous. Everyone was there to help us. We never had to stand in lines. We just went around and got in everywhere for free. The Gracie name was a tremendous door-opener. It was different from being the family of a politician since a politician may be very liked by some people and hated by others. But because my father was a sportsman, everyone regarded him as a national hero.From my previous trips to the United States I knew there was no teaching method that came close to the kind of Jiu-Jitsu we do. I was looking for adventure and wanted to start something here. The Jiu-Jitsu here was taught quite differently and was not very popular at all. I came here and spent the first ten years really struggling. I had to do everything from panhandling to sleeping on the beach. I was absolutely broke. Of course, nobody knew of the Gracie family. I got myself a house and made a couple of friends. We put a mat in the garage and every person I met I brought to the house for a free introductory class.
Everyone, of course, fell in love with the art. Then I started teaching a few classes here and there while cooking hamburgers, working in construction and cleaning houses.
I ended up getting a job as an extra in the movie business when I started doing some cleaning chores for people. I was cleaning the house of a lady whose husband was then an assistant director for the "Starsky and Hutch" series. She said, "How come you're not in the movie business? Since you're from Brazil, you're an unusual type." I expressed an interest in the idea so her husband took me to a casting office. I ended up getting the job and I did everything from "Fantasy Island" to "Hart to Hart." I worked as an extra on many different television shows for ten years.
A production assistant for the movie "Lethal Weapon" had seen one of my fights against a kickboxer. The script had a big fighting scene and the director needed a fight coordinator. The man who had seen me told the director: "Look, you've got to meet this guy. He's the best." So the director hired me to choreograph the fight and teach Mel Gibson and Gary Busey for "Lethal Weapon I." A couple of years later I worked with Rene Russo on "Lethal Weapon 3." I not only trained her, but also when it came time for the fight scene, they hired me as a stunt man.
As I said, for the first ten years I was teaching Jiu-Jitsu in the house. I had about one hundred and twenty students coming to the house and eighty people on a waiting list. We couldn't handle the number of students anymore, so we moved to our present location about mid-1990. Of course, success breeds competition, so now you have many people claiming to teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and have been trained by the Gracies. Everybody comes in from Brazil hoping to work with us, but my standards are very high. They say, "Gosh, you're just like your father. Everything has to be exactly right; everything has to be perfect!" So they do their own thing and go on misleading the fans and the public who want to learn the Gracie method. It's very easy for these imitators to say, "Oh yeah, I've trained with so-and-so who's trained with a Gracie," even though they are not certified by the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
So now all of those people claim to have some kind of involvement with the Gracies because that's their claim to fame. That's a good way to fool the public. There are a whole bunch of these guys who may be black belts but they don't have any teaching training. That's why these people can't stand to work with me because I'm too picky in the way I want classes to be taught. It has to be one way. If they're not willing to teach the way I want it, which is to do what is best for the student, I can't work with them because my goal is not to get money from students. My goal is to help students and money is a consequence of my work. It's not the reason for my work. That's why I'm starting a certification program. I'm training instructors now. I do not endorse anyone who is not certified by the Gracie Academy.
The same kind of thing has happened with ninjutsu and aikijujutsu.
There are a lot of American Jiu-Jitsu associations and international organizations. That doesn't impress people much. They want to somehow be connected with the word "Gracie"—the Gracie family name. The reason for this is that the Gracies are willing to back up their claim about the effectivenss of their art. Royce is winning open championships and defeating bigger opponents.
Do you have any other brothers here?
Yes, Relson. He's teaching at the University of Hawaii and Rickson is also in California.
You and the Gracie family have proved that your mental and physical approach works in the real world. Your dad still teaches some classes, I understand. At age eighty-two, it's really wonderful to be able to do these things. Do you have a family?
Yes, I have a wife, four boys and three girls.
Will your daughters be brought up with Jiu-Jitsu, too?
Yes, I think it's great for the girls. My wife's father was a sheriff and she used to work at the sheriff's department sometimes, taking police reports. She used to read about women being attacked by guys with a knife and raped and this and that. She had nightmares of being attacked by a someone with a knife. When we went began dating I taught her some Jiu-Jitsu. Then she would use the techniques she had learned in her dreams and see herself defending against a guy with a knife. She never had nightmares again.
In my mind the real value of martial arts is being able to eliminate fear. To be able to let go of fear and grow as a person is a lot more important.
I don't know if you can eliminate fear, but you can control your fears. People ask about the philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu. As a teacher I want to give you the confidence that you are not going to get beat up. If you come to feel that you're now better than you ever were physically speaking, that you have the means to defend yourself to the maximum, then you're ready to accomplish anything.
You have an fascinating approach to choosing names for your children.
I believe that names have a certain influence on people. Take the name John. There are great Johns out there and not so great Johns. I believe that not only does the name have an influence on the individual, but also, even more specifically, some letters are stronger than other letters. That's the reason I use "R" so much. Beyond the idea of choosing names with strong letters, we also try to come up with names that are original. Therefore, the person is not influenced by the already existing aura of the name. So, for example, not only does my name "Rorion" begin with the letter "R", but also there is no other Rorion. The name is in effect the constellation of Orion with an "R". That's where the name came from. I guess my parents had high hopes for me.
For example, when naming by son Ryron, I was not only thinking of a different name, but also of "iron." The kid turns out to be very strong—as strong as iron. For Rener I was thinking of inner strength, one who has true intellectual strength. So I was thinking of inner, enner, Rener. Later, I read a book about a sheik. The sheik's name was Malik. He was very smart and very strong. That was the origin for the name of my son Ralek—always an "R". When my daughter Segina was born I was thinking of chosing a name with an "R," but my wife Suzanne, who's got a name with an "S" said, "Come on! It's a girl. I want to name her with an "S" like me. I said, "Great, a girl with an "S", but find a name that is unique, which doesn't exist, and has got some meaning to it. So we thought of "sage," "wise one," and came up with Segina. So Segina is her name, but the essential word is "sage" and, boy, is she special!
When Reylan, our youngest boy was born, it took about six months to name him. In Portuguese, "re" is king and then "land" is "land" so I thought of "Reylan" without the "d." For the the record, my children are Ryron, Rener, Ralek, Segina, and Reylan. From my first marriage I have two daughters, Rose and Riane.
In your dojo, I've noticed that unlike in Japanese dojos, you don't bow. You advocate a philosophy of mutual respect and courtesy.
I think Japanese bowing is understandable because it's a cultural thing. In Japan, people on the street or in restaurants see each other and bow. We don't have that here. I think people, especially a lot of martial arts instructors, like to be looked up to as more important than their students, so they have them bow to show respect. I don't think that is appropriate. On the contrary, it is I who must bow to my students because if it wasn't for them coming in every day, I couldn't operate this school.
It's strange if you bow to me as you walk into the class, then beat the daylights out of me, and walk out and bow again. Something is not right!
I would like to ask you to talk about the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu "open challenge" to all comers. In this context, what is your view of the value of other martial arts?
First of all, we believe that all martial arts are good. They all have good, strong points about them. Some have more than others, but they all have good things about them. If you trace back to the roots, all the masters, regardless of what style, have themselves challenged people to prove how good their beliefs were. They went in and said, "Look, I'll fight anybody! I believe so much in what I do." In the early days, to establish their name and the reputation of each of those styles, there were people challenging everybody else. When my dad and the Gracie family got involved in Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, there was capoeira, a style that had its origins in Africa. There were boxing and wrestling, too. So there were styles already established as "effective self-defense systems." The only way the Gracies could bring their art to the attention of the public and show its techniques was to offer an open challenge to anyone for a match. This is not to put down a discipline like boxing. A perfect punch will knock me out like that. There's no question that boxing is something that does work. However, we felt we had something that was more complete. Boxing is good for punching, but it is vulnerable to an opponent who may be bigger, heavier and stronger and succeeds in grabbing you and throws you on the ground. The "Gracie challenge" is not to put down the other martial arts. That's not the idea.
The idea is to say, "Look, you believe in what you do. I believe in what I do." I want to teach my students something and go to sleep at night knowing that I'm not fooling them. So it is a question of professionalism. It's a question of self-respect. My dad put his name on the line at 140 pounds against anybody and everybody. It was not a matter of saying, "Hey, I'm a bad ass! I'll beat everybody!" But rather, "Look! I believe so much in what I do that even though I'm small I'm willing to fight anyone!" Like he did with Masahiko Kimura who was eighty pounds heavier. It's sort of like David and Goliath, to show that your faith will carry you through.
That's the bottom line. But some people see the Gracies as cocky and boastful. They say we are bad guys. The truth is that we are confident. The opposition does not have the humility to say that their style is good but lacks the grappling aspect. If they admitted it, it would make them even more respected by everybody.
Do you feel that you have achieved what you hoped to achieve in terms of recognition of the validity of your system?
Absolutely, it's taking off. It's unstoppable now! More importantly, we have made the whole world realize the importance of ground fighting.
Let me ask you something about the competitions the Gracies have participated in. I saw the videotape of one of the Ultimate Fighting Challenge matches, in which your brother Royce competed. Many people will measure a fighting system, not by what goes on the street, but by what happens in a ring. In other words, the winner is judged to be the superior fighter. But in one sense a ring is quite far removed from reality. You have a ring, for example, where a competitor can tap out to acknowledge his defeat. Such matches are certainly very demanding physically and mentally, but this is quite different from being in a street situation where your life is in danger. I don't think anyone has ever died in one of these tournaments.Not in this kind of tournament.
I wonder then, does Gracie Jiu-Jitsu approach competition and a real situation in a different way?
No, we would use the same techniques in a survival situation in the street.
How would you adapt it to, say, a multiple-attack situation?
Basically, I don't believe one person can fight two people effectively. Strategically speaking, Jiu-Jitsu strongly stresses and addresses grappling. We push for grappling because we believe most fights are going to end up on the ground. But I am not going to try to go the ground if I'm fighting two guys.
Of course, I don't want to grapple with one guy and let the second guy kick me in the head. I'm going to try to stay away from the guy on the outside, keep the guy from standing up and, hopefully, have a chance to throw one down and be ready for the second one, like anyone else would do. The bottom line for me, though, is even though I'm going to try to do this, it's not guaranteed that I will be able to keep the two guys at bay. If you have two karateka, kung fu exponents, or boxers fighting against each other, they will likely end up in a clinch. But that's not their expertise. They are going to end up on the ground without knowing what to do. By having Jiu-Jitsu, at least I know what to do when I get to the ground.
That answers my question. In that particular situation, then, you would not use the same strategy as you would in the ring.
Of course not, I'm from Brazil, but I'm not stupid!
What about those living in a city like Los Angeles? Probably the average citizen is more afraid of an attacker armed with a weapon than of somebody punching them.
Yes. This is why even though I've been doing Jiu-Jitsu some forty years, I also have a gun. We have some techniques for all situations where you are bare-handed against an assailant with a weapon. In fact in my next series of videotapes, "Gracie Street Self-Defense," we show what to do if you are walking down the street and you are attacked by a guy in a headlock, or a bear-hug or with a club, knife or gun. These videos have been translated and are available in Japanese.
I remember especially a fight in Ultimate Fighting Challenge I that your brother Royce had with Ken Shamrock who represents the opposite end of the spectrum. He's big, strong, aggressive, and he's got technique. He goes right after what he wants. Shamrock is pulling on Royce's leg in an attempt to control him. He doesn't realize that he's pulling on something that isn't connected to Royce anymore. Royce has emptied the strength out of his leg by relaxing it and is improving his position without concern for the fact that his leg is still being held. It's fascinating when you make a really good top martial artist make such basic mistakes.
Yes, because he's not aware of the sensitivity that Royce has. He is looking for just one thing to chew on. He wants that thing. He doesn't have the ability that Royce has. He plays with one arm while he catches it from the other arm. Before his match with Royce in Ultimate Fighting Challenge V, Shamrock practiced Jiu-Jitsu to increase his chances even though he didn't publicize the fact. He fought Royce in a very defensive way, looking for a draw, which for him is like a victory. It's shameful!
I observed your brother Rickson during his tour of Japan, I think in mid-1994, and, as I said, I saw the television tape with Royce competing in the Ultimate Fighting Challenge. Do you emphasize in any way or have any kind of special training for maintaining one's calm? Or is that just a by-product of the actual physical training?
We want to be calm, but one is only going to be able to really be calm when he has the confidence to able to handle the situation he's in. We remind students to relax and not to muscle their opponents. We stress this in private and in group classes. If a student does the right technique, he doesn't have to muscle. As a matter of fact, if you have to use strength then you are not doing a proper technique.
I first heard about your Jiu-Jitsu system a number of years ago in the various martial arts magazines. But the information was presented in a sensational way. So when I saw the article I just put Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in that same category. Then I got some different input from some of my Japanese friends and I saw the tournament and began to have a very different perspective. From observing Rickson and Royce in the ring and listening very carefully to the tape of your interview, I have seen that you lay great emphasis on cultivating humility. I think it is a very natural part of your lifestyle. It's useful in social interactions as well. You could even regard a humble attitude as a frontline defense from one viewpoint.
Absolutely, I agree with that.
Now that you have amply demonstrated the validity of the Gracie system, are you then going to change directions and not emphasize the challenge so much?
Now there is the open fighting championship. It's not just matches against Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, but anybody who believes in what they do. It's time to show the world. With the open fighting championship, there is a venue where anyone who says his style is the strongest can go and fight. Jiu-Jitsu didn't win the last tournament. Anybody can go in there and win. Martial artists have to believe in what they do and send somebody there to fight or go themselves and fight. It doesn't mean that Royce Gracie is going to win everytime. People say all the time that the Ultimate Fighting Challenge is rigged, that I promote it to make sure that Royce is going to win easily. This is not true. We saw that in the last championship. Furthermore, with the television requirements for timed fights and the increase of rules which keep pushing the UFC away from the original concept, I decided to sell my interest in it. I'm no longer the promoter.
Would you tell us more about your videotapes?
A lot of people are of the viewpoint that if we put our techniques on videotapes, the whole world will buy them, learn the techniques and come to challenge us.
I really debated whether I should teach Jiu-Jitsu through the tapes or just hold the knowledge within the family, in order to keep winning fights as we've done for sixty-five years. It would be nice to say, "Let's keep winning. Let's not teach anybody. Let's just beat everybody all the time forever!" But, on the other hand, I understand what my father accomplished through Jiu-Jitsu. It's done so much for him, a very frail kid, weighing only 140 pounds. Jiu-Jitsu transformed his life, and mine, too. It gave me the confidence to come from Brazil at seventeen with nothing, have a hard beginning, panhandling in the streets, and build an organization that has gradually grown bigger and bigger internationally. I felt it would be selfish to keep it for myself. It's too important not to be shared!
I believe that my mission in life is to perpetuate the teaching method that my father developed. I must spread the knowledge and have millions of people learning and saving themselves in back-alley fights. I have to reach people all over the world, which I'd never be able to do without the videotapes.It's like being in the middle of a desert with a bucket of water and saying, "Look, it's ten bucks a glass. You don't pay, you don't drink!" I can't let people die because they don't have any money. I can't do that. I have to give the water away. Besides, if our opponents ever learn enough Jiu-Jitsu to defeat us, I will have accomplished my mission.
What, if any, concessions do you make to age?
I'm in my forties and my father is eighty-two and still practicing. Jiu-Jitsu becomes something that one does throughout their entire life.
Do you stop competing in the open challenge after you pass a certain age? Are you still competing?
Like in any physical sport, your performance will go down as you get older. I'm very busy with the business end of the academy right now. Of course, if you are going to be at a competition level, it requires a certain amount of time dedicated to training every day, which I don't have. You have the same technique you did before, but you might not have the reflexes as a result of lack of training. In my case, I'm busy with other projects. They say life starts at forty, and I'm just starting to realize that.
So now I'm looking, higher up the mountain, and I can see much further. If I drop everything else and concentrate only on fighting, I could be competing today. There's no reason why not. When my father was forty-two or three years old, he fought one of the longest fights in history—three hours and forty-five minutes non-stop! George Foreman just won the world boxing championship. So it's doable. But competition does demand a certain amount of stamina, endurance and training and I just don't have the time to do that stuff anymore. I'm looking at other battles now. Plus, if I did the fighting, Royce would have nothing to do!


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All you need to know about cheque bounce
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHEQUE BOUNCECheque bounce is one of the most common problem people face these days. What is cheque bounce? When does cheque bounce happens? What are the reasons for cheque bounce? How to deal with that? These are the common queries people have regarding cheque bounce. In this blog, I shall discuss all the topics related to cheque bounce and how to deal with that.WHAT IS CHEQUE BOUNCE?Before that we need to know what is actually a cheque? A cheque is basically a bill of exchange drawn upon a designated banker which is payable only when it is demanded by the applicant. Cheque bounce which is also known as dishonour of cheque is a basically failure of payment by the drawer towards the drawee or say it is an unpaid cheque returned back by the bank due to some or the other reasons.WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR CHEQUE BOUNCE?There are various reasons a cheque can bounce. Following are the reasons for cheque bounce:-· The signature on the cheque and the signature on the official documents like passbook, etc are different.· Overwriting on the cheque can also be a problem if it is clearly visible.· Cheque presented after the expiry of time period i.e. 3 months· By any chance the bank account has been closed by the account holder or by the bank itself.· Opening balance is insufficient· Insufficient funds in the account of the drawer.· The payment has been stopped by the drawer himself· Inconsistency in the figures written on the cheque.· Inconsistency in the amount number on the cheque.· If the stamp of the company presenting the cheque is missing.· In case the cheque is presented from a joint account and the signature of any of the account holder is missing.· Any of the person i.e. the drawer or the drawee has died.· By any chance the drawer has turned insolvent.· Signs of insanity found in the drawer.· Any alterations found in the cheque.· Cheque issued against the rules of trust.· The bank doubts the authenticity of the cheque.· The cheque has been presented at the wrong branch by the drawee.· The amount mentioned in the cheque crosses the limit of the cheque overdraft.Thus, above mentioned are the situations where a cheque issued can bounce due to some minor problems and hence can create a problem for both the drawer and the drawee.Well, every problem comes with a solution. Thereby we will discuss about the solutions and how to deal with cheque bounce cases:-CHEQUE BOUNCE CASE- WHAT AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM?According to Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881 cheque bounce is a criminal offence. Nevertheless, the aggrieved party in such cases can file both the criminal as well as a civil suit against the accused.Below mentioned are the actions one can take for a cheque bounce case:-· Resubmission of the ChequeAfter being aware of the bounced cheque, the issuer of the cheque gets another chance to correct the error which caused the cheque bounce and can ask the payee to resubmit the cheque for clearance provided it is done within the time frame which is 3 months from the date of cheque bounce.· Demand NoticeBy any chance if the cheque happens to bounce for the second time the recipient of the cheque opts to send a demand notice to the issuer of the cheque asking to transfer the required amount within the next 15 days. Also, the demand notice is sent within 30 days of receiving the notice of bounced cheque from the bank. · Filing a ComplaintEven after sending a demand notice there is no response from the issuer of the cheque then the drawee can file a complaint before the court within 30 days. You can also file a case after 30 days if you can provide a reasonable justification for the delay and the magistrate finds the reason justifiable enough. Keep in mind the court must be situated in a location where the cheque was presented or returned by the bank.The case can be filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, making sure that the cheque issued as a gift cannot be covered by under such section.Moreover, for seeking remedies the recipient of bounced cheques can also file a complaint about cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.· Civil ComplaintIf filed a complaint regarding bounced cheques the issuer gets the punishment in terms of jail but in most cases does not let the recipient get his dues. Thus, it is advisable for the recipient if the bounced cheque to file a separate civil suit for the recovery of the amount he is supposed to get.PUNISHMENT AND PENALTYAfter receiving the complaint along with relevant papers and affidavit the court shall issue summons and hear the matter. If found guilty then the defaulter shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of two years or more or monetary penalty which can be twice the amount of the cheque or both. Also, the bank has the right to cease the cheque book facilities and close the account for repeated offences of cheque bounce. Consult Lawyer for Cheque Bounce Matter
Posted By
Neha Roy
1 week ago
How is an NGO, a Trust and a Foundation Different?
From a legal standpoint, there is hardly any difference. An NGO or a Foundation cannot be registered. The legal viewpoint is that an NGO has one of three entities; its either a Public Trust or a Society or a not-for-profit organization or foundation. Under the Income Tax Act, all 3 entities are tax-exempt entities.Both trust and society alike are two types of a non-profit or non-government organization in India. Therefore if anyone intends on doing social work and for this purpose needs a legal entity, then either a trust or a society can be registered. One can also register a company under section 25 but in most cases, a registered is a norm or society for benevolent work.Trust is a comparatively simpler entity and can be easily registered and operated. Such organizations are fundamentally rooted in trust. Donations are purely based on trust that the donated funds would be fully utilized to serve the purpose mentioned in one's trust deed. Trustees do not owe any explanation to anyone other than the Charity Commissioner and the applicable laws. Any tax breaks u/s 80g and 12a can be revoked if trustees do not abide by the rules, laws, and regulations of the Income Tax department. Analyzing NGO Registration people seem to think that even with lack of funds if NGO registration is done then their goals and objectives can be attained. Truth is as quickly as some NGOs are being registered they are also winding up quickly or even leaving it in the middle. If NGOs are registered with the intention or mindset of obtaining external grants and donations then such NGOs would not be sustainable in the long run. A company donating a chunk of funds to charity on a regular basis, then in such cases an NGO can be registered with enhanced sustainability planning. In India, there are many registered NGOs only on paper and only about a little over half of NGOs are actually working for the betterment of society. NGOs can be formed in no time at all. However, when project funds from local government schemes or contributions from foreign countries are on hold indefinitely then the entire NGO comes to a screeching halt. Rather than looking for easier options for forming an NGO, for NGO registration its imperative to analyze the actual requirement and the strength to form, manage and maintain such NGO is far more important.Call 7604047601 for consultation with a registered expert Trust and Society NGO lawyers on Vidhikarya.
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Avik Chakravorty
2 months ago
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Kelly goes on disabled list with strained hamstring
Cards send Butler to Triple-A, will promote rookie right-handers Fornataro, Rondon
WASHINGTON -- An MRI taken on Thursday confirmed that starter Joe Kelly sustained a left hamstring strain when he lunged for first base trying to leg out a bunt single on Wednesday. The diagnosis prompted the Cardinals to place Kelly on the 15-day disabled list.
It's too early, manager Mike Matheny said, to speculate whether Kelly could be ready to rejoin the rotation shortly after that two-week period ends or if his recovery is going to take significantly longer.
"What you never know is how a guy is going to respond," Matheny said. "When you take somebody as athletic as Joe, you increase your odds a little bit [of a quicker return]. I think history tells you with that injury, where it's located, it could be a little longer. We're not going to rush it. I think people have seen what happens there. But we also don't think it's a prolonged period too much beyond what 15 days would be."
This is the first time that Kelly, who entered Thursday as the National League's ERA leader with a 0.59 mark, has ever been sidelined due to injury at any professional level. In his discussion with Matheny on Thursday, Kelly, who returned to St. Louis to be examined, described himself as "sore."
The Cardinals made a wave of transactions Thursday that will reshape their pitching staff while Kelly is sidelined.
The club optioned right-handed reliever Keith Butler to Triple-A Memphis, and rookie right-handers Eric Fornataro and Jorge Rondon were slated to arrive from Memphis in time for Thursday's series opener against the Nationals.
Butler had appeared in two games for St. Louis.
Fornataro and Rondon will both be in the Majors for the first time. Fornataro, a former sixth-round Draft pick, appeared in four games for Triple-A Memphis this season and did not allow a run. Rondon, who was originally signed by St. Louis out of Venezuela, led Memphis with 51 relief appearances last year.
Both are 26 years old. Fornataro has a career 25-43 record and a 4.00 ERA in seven Minor League seasons, and he had a 6.02 ERA in 37 appearances for Memphis last season. Rondon is 16-43 with a 4.86 ERA in his Minor League career, and he's exclusively been a reliever since 2011.
Fornataro will wear uniform No. 67 and Rondon will wear No. 68.


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An accident closed part of the M1 near Chesterfield this morning.
Multiple vehicles collided on the northbound stretch of the motorway between junctions 28 and 29, resulting in the closure of one lane.
The lane has now reopened but motorists are being warned to expect delays, with traffic particularly heavy around Tibshelf Services.
There is no word on any injuries.


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|Champion of Gnomeregan
|Earn the right to represent the Gnomeregan Exiles in the Argent Tournament.
Complete The Valiant's Challenge for the Gnomeregan Exiles faction.
Exalted Champion of Gnomeregan requires completion of [80] The Valiant's Challenge (Alliance).
Non-Gnome alliance characters must:
- completed [80] The Valiant's Challenge (Alliance) (for your race)
- complete [80] Valiant Of Gnomeregan
- complete the Gnomeregan version of The Valiant's Challenge as above.
If you complete this achievement, you will be rewarded with 10 .
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Suspicious Person Near Hyalite Elementary School
Bozeman Police are investigating a report that on Tuesday February 5, 2013 a female first grade Hyalite Elementary student was contacted by a male in a pickup truck near the intersection of West Babcock and Yellowstone Avenue while walking home from school.
As the female walked by, the male reportedly opened the passenger-side door of the truck and stated, "Get in the truck." The female told him "no" and ran back to an adult on Babcock. The girl stated the truck drove away after she began to run away.
The truck was described as a dirty, black, two door older model pickup truck (possibly a Ford Ranger or similar size) with an extended cab. The male was described as possibly in his 20's, having brown hair, short brown facial hair and wearing a black coat. There was also a black dog of unknown breed in the truck cab.
Anyone with information on this incident should contact Bozeman Police at 406-582-2000. We would ask that anyone observing a vehicle and subject matching this description, especially in the vicinity of our schools, report it immediately by calling 911.
Parents are encouraged use this as an opportunity to speak with their children about stranger safety and what to do if approached by an unknown person. Officers will continue to maintain a visible presence in the vicinity of our schools, and proactively patrol, as we investigate this incident.


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Dee Rees elevates her storytelling to a whole different level with 'Mudbound'. Rarely do women, and particularly women of color, have the opportunity to tell epic stories. But damn, this movie is epic, complemented with extraordinary acting all around. It's a post-WWII period piece about race that feels so relevant to today. – Melissa Silverstein, Women and Hollywood. More:
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Background Real Name: Unrevealed. Other Aliases: Fluttering Giant. Marital Status: Single. Known Relatives: None. Group Affiliation: None. Base Of Operations: Mobile throughout America. Height: 6'6" Weight: 407 lbs. Eyes: Blue Hair: Blond Powers and Abilities Rufus,...
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Background Real Name: Dan Hibiki. Other Aliases: My father was strong, Rushing Burst ! Strongest Road ! Marital Status: Single. Known Relatives: Gou Hibiki (father, deceased). Group Affiliation: None although he did briefly partner up with Sakura and Blanka. Base Of...


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Few television comedies are as beloved as Seinfeld. The series – which ran from 1989 to 1998 – is still widely considered one of the best written shows ever conceived, and fans are still clamoring for more, despite the 2009 pseudo-reunion that took place on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, which stars Seinfeld co-creator Larry David.
Recent word that David and Seinfeld were working on a "secret project" got the rumor mill swirling again about a potential extension of the Seinfeld brand, but few details were disclosed, leaving the mystery very much under wraps. However, new insight into exactly what the duo has been up to may give Seinfeld fans a reason to break out the Festivus pole once again.
Seinfeld recently appeared on WFAN's Boomer and Carton radio show in New York, and the hosts questioned him at great lengths about a photo (see below) of the comedian and Seinfeld co-star Jason Alexander in front of Tom's Restaurant, the real-life Manhattan eatery that served as the exterior for the show's Monk's Café. Seinfeld confirmed that the project was not a Super Bowl commercial nor an episode of his web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee but also said it is a "secret project."
The show's hosts managed to convince Seinfeld to play a game of 20 questions over the project, and here's what we've learned. The filmed "secret project" runs over one minute in length and features Alexander reprising his role of George Costanza, with other Seinfeld characters having a part of it as well. David is also involved but does not appear either onscreen or as voice talent (meaning that he's not returning as the voice of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner). Other locations are involved, but Jerry's apartment from the show is not one of them, Seinfeld confirmed. Whatever the project is, he said that it's probably a "one and done" affair and that fans should be seeing it "very, very soon."
Seinfeld fans may be scratching their heads to figure out exactly what this project could be, but based on the details Seinfeld provided (as well as his mention that Alexander was not surprised to receive the call), there is one most likely scenario. On the DVD box set for the show's final season, Seinfeld mentioned that he and Alexander discussed filming one final scene at the coffee shop, which would take place after the gang completed the prison sentence they were charged with in the series finale and has since mentioned that it could still happen. Fans may remember that Jerry and his friends were only sentenced to one year behind bars, but if Seinfeld and David have finally scripted this coda to their series, the fact that 16 years have passed since that episode aired could punctuate the comedy of how traumatic life in prison was.
This possibility would satisfy all of the criteria Seinfeld disclosed and could perhaps lend a bit more closure to a series finale that some feel was anti-climactic. This is all purely speculation at this point, but fans would probably jump at the chance to see Seinfeld and company back in character, even if it's likely to be a one-time opportunity.
Robert Yaniz Jr. blogs at Screen Rant.


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Friday February 28, 2020; 05:27 pm EST
The summer Milky Way is backdrop for the Delta-Aquarid meteor shower
The moon wanes through morning skies, reaching last quarter on the 29th. That offers a chance to see the great Milky Way arcing across the heavens. You'll need to escape any urban glare, but the reward is worth the effort. The Milky Way is our home galaxy, as well as home of all the stars you can see with the unaided eye. It encircles the globe and is visible from anywhere on earth, where we are looking edgewise into its center.
In our section of sky, the Milky Way stretches from W-shaped Cassiopeia in the north down through Cygnus, Aquila and Sagittarius and to the southern horizon at Scorpius. Cultures across earth and through the ages have seen the Milky Way as a river of stars. In our light-drenched modern world, you're more likely to notice it as a hazy band. But if you're lucky enough to find a dark spot from which to look, the number of stars can be disorienting. Or try binoculars, which will cut through the haze and bring into view countless stars.
This is a good week for long, deep sky-gazing, as early Monday and Tuesday mark the peak of the annual Delta-Aquarid meteor shower. This is a modest shower, generating between 15 and 20 meteors an hour at its best. But what it lacks in oomph, it makes up for in staying power, with meteors crossing our sky for up to two weeks before and after its peak.
The Delta-Aquarids are the byproduct of debris from two comets orbiting the sun for eons: Marsden and Kracht. When earth crosses this stream of debris, and as the bits of dust and ice hit our atmosphere, they burst into flame and appear as shooting stars. The meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Aquarius — the radiant point — but you can see them anywhere in the sky. However, the higher the radiant, the more meteors you're likely to see. Aquarius is at its highest in the south around 3:30am. Good luck.


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Nuggets' Kenneth Faried named Western Conference player of the week
The Miami Heat's LeBron James and the Denver Nuggets' Kenneth Faried were named Eastern and Western Conference players of the week, respectively, by the NBA on Monday for games played Monday, Nov. 5 through Sunday, Nov. 11.
Faried helped the Nuggets to a 4-0 week, posting three point-rebound double-doubles in the process. Faried averaged 16.8 points on .563 shooting from the field to go alongside 12.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals. Faried tallied 18 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks and two steals during a 107-101 victory at Golden State to close the week.
James guided the Heat to a 3-1 week with averages of 21.0 points on .569 shooting from the field, a conference-best 11.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. James grabbed his 5,000th career rebound on Friday during Miami's 95-89 win over Atlanta. James posted a point-rebound double-double in all four of Miami's contests on the week and handed out six or more assists in three of four games.


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2018 Special Exhibition Tour
Saturday, July 21, 2018
3:00pm — 4:00pm
3:00pm — 4:00pm
Type: 2018 Exhibitions
At 3pm Saturdays and Sundays visitors are invited to a guided tour of the special exhibition, Indicators: Artists on Climate Change. Forty-five minutes to one hour in length. Please meet in front of the Visitor Center.


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Rob Kardashian To Kim Kardashian! "I Think You're A Whore & You Should Shut Up" (Kris Humphries Wants To Put Hands On Rob)
The Kardashians
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Fonts have personalities.
It's not surprising when you realize that the letter forms are actually inspired by the human form. Think of the letter A and T, or the last time you reluctantly did the YMCA at a party. Discovering which font speaks to you is a fun process, and you can finally say goodbye to Times New Roman, if you want. Use the guide below to determine which font type you are.
Are you a Serif? Do you take yourself seriously? If you are an academic or are applying for a job that requires a suit and tie, collect antiques or like period movies then the serif is for you. Think classic and historic.
Are you a Sans-Serif? If you like Ikea furniture and lean toward the minimalist side of things then the sans is for you. These type faces are modern, sleek and paired down to the essentials.
Are you a Slab-Serif? Do people tell you that you have a big personality? If you are bold and maybe little loud then the slab is for you. Think sports team logos, and big poster type.
Are you a Script? Are you fanciful and feminine? If you are drawn to wedding invitations then the script is for you. Keep in mind that writing an email entirely in script may offend some people. Reserve script for titles only.
Are you a Decorative font? If none of the above speak to you, then you maybe a one-of-a-kind, decorative font. These tend to be a little over the top, so use with caution.
Connect with us: ToneCreative.com | Facebook | Twitter | Email


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Johnny Manziel has once again used a huge performance against the Alabama to impress Heisman voters.
The defending Heisman winner retook the top spot in the latest HeismanPundit Heisman Straw Poll thanks to 562 yards and five touchdowns in a losing effort against the Crimson Tide. He opened the season atop the poll before falling off the last few weeks.
"His game against Bama was just what he needed to get back in the race," said one voter. "He reminded everyone why he won it last year."
Manziel garnered six first place votes and 20 total points from the weekly panel of Heisman voters. Marcus Mariota of Oregon was second with 16 points and two first-place votes. Alabama's AJ McCarron (one first-place vote) and Clemson's Tajh Boyd tied for third with five points each.
Teddy Bridgewater, last week's poll leader, dropped to fifth with four points after a less-than-stellar effort in a win over Kentucky.
The weekly straw poll surveys 10 actual Heisman voters. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the past seven seasons. It is released every Tuesday during the season on HeismanPundit.com.
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll, 9/17/2013
Total Points (with first place votes in parentheses)
1. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M — 20 (6)
2. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon — 16 (2)
3. (tie) AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama — 5 (1)
Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson — 5
5. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville — 4
6. Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA — 3 (1)
7. (tie) Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia — 2
Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado — 2
9. (tie) Duke Johnson, RB, Miami — 1
Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State — 1
Chuckie Keeton, QB, Utah State — 1


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It has been at least 20 years since Republicans have argued this angrily about foreign policy. Voters don't much care about this debate, though, and probably won't until events overseas turn more menacing. In the meantime, Republicans vying for the 2016 presidential nomination are pushing the party toward one of two extremes on the issue — neither of which will do the party or the country much good…
Paul portrays himself as a "realist" as well as a Reaganite: someone who asks hard questions before putting American credibility, money and troops on the line. It's an attractive self-presentation, because policy makers should ask those questions: Are our interests at stake abroad? Is there any feasible way to promote them? Would the effort have an acceptable cost?
You can be skeptical about foreign interventions — from Iran to Syria to Ukraine — without having a conspiratorial mindset about them. Paul sometimes makes it a package deal, as in his repeated suggestions that former Vice President Dick Cheney pushed the Iraq war because of his ties to Halliburton Co. — a ridiculous charge that even Cheney's bitter Democratic opponents have had too much sense to make.
And you can set a high bar for taking action against an aggressive and illiberal foreign regime without making excuses for it. Paul doesn't always observe that distinction.
The knives are out for conservatives who dare question unlimited involvement in foreign wars.
Foreign policy, the interventionist critics claim, has no place for nuance or realism. You are either for us or against us. No middle ground is acceptable. The Wilsonian ideologues must have democracy worldwide now and damn all obstacles to that utopia. I say sharpen your knives, because the battle once begun will not end easily…
With regard to the Iraq War, [William F.] Buckley came to believe not only that it was a mistake but that it was not a "conservative" approach to foreign policy. In fact, in discussing foreign policy Buckley sounded quite the realist…
Reagan himself was sometimes castigated for not intervening around the world enough. According to Peter Beinart, Norman Podhoretz, one of the founding neoconservatives, wrote that "in the use of military power, Mr. Reagan was much more restrained" than his more hawkish fans had hoped.
So as today's young aspiring Buckleyites sharpen their knives to carve up conservatives who propose a more realist and nuanced approach to foreign policy, they should realize they're also pointing daggers at some of their own.
None of Paul's critics at NRO have said anything like what Paul claims about nuance or realism, or called for unlimited involvement in foreign wars. And criticism of Paul — and his excuse-making for the Russian and Syrian regimes – does not amount to criticism of realism. Nor does William F. Buckley Jr.'s retrospective opposition to the Iraq war amount to Senator Paul's view that Halliburton's influence over Dick Cheney had something to do with its start.
I'm glad Senator Paul is there to push back against, for example, the ill-considered proposal to strike at Syria last year. But he'd be a more effective advocate for realism if he showed an ability to make obvious distinctions.
Again and again, he characterizes his opponents as flat-out warmongers, such as those "within the Christian community [who] are such great defenders of the promised land and the chosen people that they think war is always the answer, maybe even preemptive war." Choices are always binary in his world — one must either follow his way of diplomacy or, as in his Heritage speech, take the position that "war is the only option." In a recent speech at the Center for the National Interest, he built the same militaristic straw man. Those who favor bigger defense forces and more robust postures, he said, have the attitude that "diplomacy is distrusted and war is, if not the first choice, the preferred option."
The worst warmongers in Paul World are always the nefarious "neocons," sometimes directly associated with Israel, who are blamed for such a wide assortment of ills and bad motives that an uninformed listener might think they are more dangerous to world peace than the Soviets ever were.
How many times has Obama accused his critics of wanting to force "false choices" between two absurd, all-or-nothing extremes, when virtually nobody has seriously suggested that those are the only choices? This is exactly what Paul is doing. So when Rich Lowry asserts that "Paul's belief that the Iraq War may have been about padding a corporate bottom line echoes charges of 'war profiteering' that have been a staple of the Left," Paul rather nastily (and wrongly) writes that "today's young aspiring Buckleyites sharpen their knives to carve up conservatives who propose a more realist and nuanced approach to foreign policy." But is it more "nuanced" and "realist" to accuse Dick Cheney of choosing to send thousands to their deaths because of his search for lucre, or is it instead more realist to question such a vicious conspiracy theory?…
Rand Paul is more intelligent than this. He must know he is vastly misrepresenting his critics and vastly oversimplifying complex foreign-policy questions. If he continues to do so, his statements will no longer be able to be considered rhetorical sloppiness, but instead will justly be labeled demagoguery.
The Tarrance Group recently conducted a survey on behalf of Concerned Veterans for America that was released on April 18. It just so happens that "nearly three-quarters of veterans and members of the military (73%) agree with former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen's statement that our nation's debt is 'the greatest threat to our National Security.'"
That is to say: Admiral Mike Mullen and 73 percent of veterans, Guard/Reserve, and active-duty military surveyed share Rand Paul's "naïve and otherworldly" claim…
Judging by this survey, Rand Paul is simply echoing the concerns of a former Joint Chief, and the vast majority of military men and women surveyed by a noted veterans advocacy organization. That's not bad company to keep.
The default position of the GOP is still toward strength, and the party will instinctively recoil from the distorted view of America implicit in some of Paul's more impolitic statements.
If we launched the Iraq War for corporate profits, we have a poisonously corrupt government that is a threat to world peace. If we caused Japan to react angrily with ill-considered sanctions prior to Pearl Harbor, as Paul said in 2012, perhaps we were reaping what we sowed in what is usually regarded as one of the most notorious sneak attacks of all time. If we are guilty of tweaking Russia while it secures a traditional sphere of influence, as Paul said when the Crimea crisis first broke out, it's no wonder that Vladimir Putin lashes out…
Paul likes to calls his foreign policy "realism," but his record on Russia suggests the label is inapt. Last year, he thought what was wrong with President Barack Obama's Syria policy was that we weren't engaging the Russians enough. Earlier this year, he held out the Syria chemical-weapons deal — a humiliation for the United States that secured Bashar Assad in power — as a model for future diplomacy. He thought the Russians were a partner for peace, right on the cusp of their launching a war.
You don't have to be a war profiteer to consider this dewy-eyed foolishness. Barack Obama's can't-we-all-get-along naiveté didn't hurt him in his primary fight in 2008, but he was running in the other party. Rand Paul is running in a party that, while chastened on foreign policy, still has a hawkish reflex — and not because it is beholden to Halliburton.
Paul says he's a "non-interventionist," and by saying so tries to wrap himself in the image of Ronald Reagan. Let's be clear: every conservative is a non-interventionist. But, like Ronald Reagan we believe that some acts of aggression are so severe they cannot be tolerated, and that some adversaries cannot be deterred, so they must be defeated at the time and place most advantageous to us…
Paul claims his policy is "nuanced," and that such sophistication in strategy is what we have lacked before his deft-handed approach came along. But Paul is stumbling along a path we've trod before. He's probably unaware of it, but the political world is round and when you go far enough to the right, you end up on the left. Rand Paul's foreign policy would have the same effect as Obama's because they are different only in names and labels.
Not even the Republicans are dumb enough to nominate Rand Paul, but a Paul candidacy — like the last one — will have only negative effects. The media will try to damage the whole field of candidates by associating them with Paul's civil rights horrors. And Paul will serve as the media's foil on foreign policy. Reagan mastered "strategic ambiguity" because he knew that it meant keeping the adversary off-balance. To Rand Paul, strategic ambiguity means confusing our allies and our military, keeping them off-balance while trying to understand when he means to be are serious and when he does not. He's just a chip off the old blockhead.
Mr. Paul's conclusion: "9/11 became an excuse for a war they already wanted in Iraq."
Cui bono—to whose benefit? It's the signature question of every conspiracy theorist with an unhinged mind. C heney. Halliburton. Big Oil. The military-industrial complex. Neocons. 9/11. Soldiers electrocuted in the shower. It all makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
If Mr. Paul wants to accuse the former vice president of engineering a war in Iraq so he could shovel some profits over to his past employer, he should come out and say so explicitly. Ideally at the next Heritage Action powwow. Let's not mince words. This man wants to be the Republican nominee for president.
And so he should be. Because maybe what the GOP needs is another humbling landslide defeat. When moderation on a subject like immigration is ideologically disqualifying, but bark-at-the-moon lunacy about Halliburton is not, then the party has worse problems than merely its choice of nominee.


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"Everyone has his reasons," said the great French filmmaker Jean Renoir. He meant that in a book, play or movie, all characters, no matter how dastardly their actions, should be guided by their own plausible logic. Renoir might have been referring to the films of Marcel Pagnol, one of the lions of French cinema in the 1930s and '40s, and a man who could fashion intense social conflict with nary a villain in sight.
Consider three examples from Pagnol's 1940 film The Well Digger's Daughter (La fille du puisatier). A young man of position takes an innocent village girl to bed, then disappears without a word to her. Why would he do that? When the girl becomes pregnant, her father, a well-digger, sends her away — from pride or love? The young man's mother keeps a secret that might resolve the tension of these two families. Is that maternal protectiveness or a mere plot device?
A modest schoolteacher from the Southern area of Provence, Pagnol wrote plays and novels, then wrote and directed movies, about the people he knew — rural workmen, city shopkeepers and their devoted, rebellious children — so carefully and caringly, and with such popular acclaim, that he was able to build a studio in Marseille where he produced his own films, as well as Renoir's 1934 Toni. And, as producers will, Pagnol married one of his most lustrous stars, Josette Day, who played the title role in The Well Digger's Daughter.
(FIND: a Jean Renoir film, but no Pagnol, on the all-TIME Movies List)
The first filmmaker to be admitted into the Académie Française, Pagnol was world-renowned for his "Marseille trilogy," which became the Broadway and Hollywood hit Fanny. As the film historian David Thomson writes, "Marius, Fanny and César are frequently revived, their world forever warm." (The fourth major character in the trilogy lent his name to Alice Waters' Berkeley, Cal., restaurant Chez Panisse.) In 1986, Claude Berri directed the two-part adaptation of Pagnol, Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring, starring Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Emmanuelle Béart as the angelic Manon and — in the role of Montand's vindictive son Ugolin — Daniel Auteuil, launched by the films' success into a career as one of Frence's most valued actors.
Pagnol must have adhered to Auteuil's soul. The actor is now shooting remakes of the Marseille trilogy, with himself as César. And as a warmup exercise, he has written, directed and starred in a new version of Pagnol's 1940 film The Well Digger's Daughter. It's just satisfying enough to offer viewers a rear-view glimpse into the rich dramatic soil of Pagnol country, where good intentions are challenged by unforeseen events, and passion conflicts with propriety.
(READ: Corliss on Daniel Auteuil in Michael Haneke's Caché)
In the Provençal town of Salon, as war breaks across France, Pascal Amoretti (Auteuil) does honorable manual labor, digging holes to create wells for the locals. His late wife gave Pascal no sons but six daughters, his dearest being the 18-year-old Patricia (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey). "A princess" he calls her, "an angel." Pascal's simple, cheerful assistant Felipe (Kad Merad) thinks so too — he'd love to marry the girl. But Patricia, who spent 10 years in Paris, learning proper French that Pascal can hardly understand, is beguiled by the sophistication and good looks of Jacques Mazel (Nicolas Duvauchelle), the aviator son of the town's wealthy shopkeeper (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) and his wife (Sabine Azema). Patricia's tryst with Jacques has consequences that will explode in both families like the rocks Pascal blasts when he digs his wells.
In this virtually verbatim remake of the Pagnol tale, Auteuil keeps all of the plot and most of the dialogue, as when Pascal tells the shopkeeper, "You can't trust a man who sells tools and never uses them." His cast's gestures also mimic those of the original stars: Raimu (as Pascal), Fernandel (as Felipe), Charpin (as M. Mazel) and Day (as Patricia). When Felipe asks about Pascal's late wife, the well digger exclaims, "What a woman she was!" And Auteuil sculpts in the air a silhouette of her bosom and buttocks — exactly as the great Raimu had.
(READ: Corliss on two modern Pagnol classics by subscribing to TIME)
Raimu said of Pagnol, "His genius lies in his ability to take the public from laughter to tears and back again in a flash." And however earthy the author's characters, they rarely overheat into rustic bluster. Auteuil wisely follows Pagnol's rule and keeps the emotional temperature at simmer. In both versions of The Well Digger's Daughter, the tense confrontation between Pascal and the Mazel parents is conducted in a muted tone, as the proletarian's respect for this bourgeois couple mutes his rage that they won't acknowledge their responsibility.
Pagnol's films looked as rough as a well-digger's hands; shot in black-and-white and mostly in closeup or medium shot, they revealed the Provençal landscape mostly through its effect on their characters. Auteuil's version — filmed partly in Chapelle Saint-Sixte, near Raimu's Toulon birthplace — glistens with the color-filled, sunlight-streaked images that compel critics to use the word "dappled." The camera caresses the actors' pretty or craggy faces, on the alert for each nuanced reaction, every moment of suppressed fury.
Alexandre Desplat's luxurious score also tries to cushion the characters — though the overworked composer (The King's Speech, the Harry Potter finale, The Tree of Life, The Ides of March, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Moonrise Kingdom and the Cannes 2012 entry Rust & Bone, just to name films from the last two years) seems to have momentarily run out of tunes. For his signature melody here, he appropriates, nearly note for note, Krzysztof Komeda's theme from Rosemary's Baby.
(READ: Corliss's review of Moonrise Kingdom)
Even in 1940, Pagnol was something of an anachronism. In a country that had just been invaded and occupied, his films seemed vestiges of a simpler time. Yet today, to the sympathetic eye, they look timeless. Auteuil's faithful version of The Well Digger's Daughter thus plays like a revival of a classic play. And because the first "production" can still be seen — not on an official DVD but available from private dealers — the new film's performances have to be judged by the high standards set by Pagnol's actors.
The results are mixed. The gruff baritone that Raimu brought to the role of Pascal is replaced by the high-pitched tenor of Auteuil, who indulges in more ruminative head-scratching and brow-furrowing than his predecessor. Bergès-Frisbey, the runway model who played the mermaid in the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, is too pretty-pouty to impart much gravity to Patricia. And Azema, that ageless comic sprite, hogs the screen as Mrs. Mazel; she is the one shrill note in the ensemble.
(READ: Corliss's review of Sabine Azema in Alain Resnais' Wild Grass)
On the plus side, Merad, the Algerian-French radio comedian who has proved a sensitive film actor, makes a very engaging Felipe, with a considerably higher charm level and IQ than Fernandel. Also superb is Darroussin, who will play the gentle, cuckolded Panisse in Auteuil's imminent remake of the Marseille trilogy. He is expert at revealing M. Mazel's troubled conscience, sympathizing with Pascal even as he needs to support his more aggressive wife. The full-bodied performances of Merad and Darroussin give everyone — everyone with an indulgence for old movies about old values — a reason to see this Well Digger's Daughter.


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Be Careful What You Wish for, Mr. Leicester Bryce Stovell!
Now that Lebron James has joined what could possibility be one of next best teams to watch, the Miami Heat, it is very honorable and not surprising that anyone and everyone wants to claim ownership to his existence and/or success.
Leister Bryce Stovell, has stepped front and center and proclaimed to the world, "That Lebron is my son!" Really! Mr. Stovell is a Princeton graduate with a law degree from the University of Chicago and he waited until now to proclaim his rightful place in LeBron's life.
According to Mr. Stovell, he met LeBron's mother when she was 15 and he was 29. Please, someone quick! Tell me, "What is the age for "statutory rape" in Washington, DC?" Since Mr. Stovell was well above the age of 21 and quite intelligent, then surely he had to know the risk he was taking if LeBron's mother was under age. By saying that he thought she was 20 is not sufficient, considering that fact she told him, that this would be her first time.
I believe that this is the first time, I've heard of an alleged father suing his son and notwithstanding, for millions. Come on dads! I need you to tell this man that"'He Needs to Man up!" Check with Judge Mathias and he will certainly school Stovell on this foreign concept.
Anyway! As I understand it, a previous paternity test was taken and it came back with 0.0 chances that Stovell was the father. "I want another test!" decries Stovell as he sees millions of dollars slipping through his shameless hands. Yea! I'm sure he needs the money to pay for child support and child neglect for 18 years out of the millions that he envisions getting from the same child that he casted aside so many year ago.
I say "Shame on You! Leicester Bryce Stovell, for having the unmitigated gall to speak with such self-absorbed, intellectual ignorance, without any thought to what emotional turmoil you're putting LeBron and his mother through yet again."
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These Orange and Black Tinsel Craft Pom Poms come 4 pom poms to a bag, and are 3.5 inches in size. Pom Poms come in several different sizes and colors, and are ideal for many different craft projects.
We also carry a complete line of Beads, Birdhouse Kits, Christmas Crafts, Craft Supplies, Kids Crafts, Misc Crafts, Wood Craft Kits, and much more.