text:
I want to be Mindy Kaling's friend, and I think I'm not alone. To admit, before the Emmy Award winning writer and actor's memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), debuted, she wasn't on my radar. I've seen a few episodes of The Office, and knew that she was an ace Twitter user (to note: "I'm dying to see my book on sale at @urbanoutfitters, up on the impulse gift buy table, with South Park Christmas shot glasses and stuff!"), but otherwise was unaware of what a jewel she is in today's roster of funny women writers/actors.
A New York Times' Magazine article about Kaling last month revealed that she unabashedly loves her family (her own parents played her character Kelly Kapoor's in an episode of The Office), was broken hearted when Target crashed the day of their Missoni collab debut, and is friends with Samantha Ronson (who DJ'ed Kaling's book release party with a special playlist called "You're Hanging Out with Mindy"). The article did not make Kaling sound like a distant, successful celebrity to be admired from afar, but instead like some awesome and talented friend of a friend that you would love to get brunch with. (Never having to wait in line for brunch, ever, is a level of fame that Kaling would like to attain, by the way).
Reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is akin to befriending Kaling for two hundred pages and basking in her sincerity and humor. The modern day comic-memoir structure tends to go something like this: one third funny stories about growing up weird; one third behind-the-scenes narrative about how the comic came to be on the show you probably know them from; and one third essays/insights on topics like dating, apartment living, Hollywood, and cupcakes. Kaling's book sails along this structure, self-deprecating without becoming self-loathing, and offering so many awesome gems of insight and hilarity that my copy is now dog-eared beyond the point of no return.
Friends are central to the book, but Kaling doesn't write about friendship in some sappy, girl-power kind of way. She writes about her friends, from high school to The Office, with genuine admiration. The friends she made in college, namely Brenda Withers and Jocelyn Leavitt, (candid photos of said friends pop up throughout the book), become her first roommates in post-college New York. They settle for Park Slope's cheap neighbor Windsor Terrace: "We could afford it, Prospect Park wasn't too far, and people already assumed we were lesbians, so we fit into the neighborhood right away."
Joining the legions of young people trying to balance day jobs and creative dreams, she and Brenda (who often spent their one-hour-a-day of creative time debating whether or not Harry Potter could really exist) wrote Matt & Ben, an hour long play where they dressed as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who discover the screenplay for Goodwill Hunting after it falls from a ceiling tile. The play was named best of the New York Fringe Festival 2002, and went on for successful runs in New York and L.A. From there, Kaling describes the series of events that lead her to write for The Office. Her reverence for friends never falls behind, though. The chapter "Best Friend Rights and Responsibilities" offers an official-document-sounding list of what having a BFF entails, and will have many readers nodding their heads in agreement.
Those They're Just Like Us! segments in tabloid magazines try to show celebrities being down to earth in sweatpants or at the dry cleaners, but with Kaling, you know she's just like you because she is. The book is so freshly sincere and positive without ever being cloying. Another victory of the book is Kaling's open admission to her relationship with her body. She talks about how much she loves to eat (but also loves dieting fads, calling them a "hobby") and laments personal stylists who want to dress her in navy, cap sleeves, or "poet tops," all in the chapter "When You're Not Skinny, This Is What People Want You to Wear."
By far, one of the best scenes in the book is where Kaling writes about the photo shoot she and Office co-star Ellie Kemper did for People's Most Beautiful issue. When the stylist brought a trailer full of size zero gowns, Kaling found herself crying in the children's bathroom of the public school where the photo shoot was happening. In the bathroom stall, she discovered a smear of what looked like excrement and a child's graffiti: "This school is bulls–t!" which made her a) laugh and b) demand that the stylist alter one of the gowns to fit her. In the end photo, she's smiling in a gorgeous fuchsia dress that the stylist had to rip down the back and alter with canvas. Looking at beautiful Kaling, though, you'd never know. It's a sweet moment of chubby girl victory.
I was so impressed just to read about Kaling that I took for granted throughout the book how hilarious she is. She's cognisant of her place among today's funny women. In the first chapter's Q & A about the book, she answers the fake question "Why isn't this more like Tina Fey's book?" with: "I know, man. Tina's awesome. …it's very difficult to lure her into a Freaky Friday-type situation where we could switch bodies, even though in the movies they make it look so easy. Believe me, I've tried."
Another golden moment is where Kaling describes the two weeks where she was a guest writer at SNL, working with the likes of Fey, Amy Poehler and Kristen Wiig, but fails to produce any hit sketches. "I had spent the last four hours trying to write a sketch where Bill Hader was a pregnant female cat," she confesses. "I don't know why, but it seemed so funny to me at the time. Like, this is gonna be so great when the others hear this aloud. Like 'Land Shark' for a new generation." In another section, she lists her top favorite comedic moments of all time, favoring a lot of Will Ferrell (who wouldn't?) and giving props to Melissa McCarthy, Amy Poehler and more (honorable mention: Kristen Wiig impersonating Bjork. How did I miss this? How?)
Even with a bright list of household female comic names, Kaling is a minority as a successful female TV writer, as only 15% of television writers right now are women. And even with films like Bridesmaids beating out dude films at the box office, the debate of women being funny is still on the table. Kaling nails this at the very end of her book, in response to the mock question, "Why didn't you talk about whether women are funny or not?" "I just felt that by commenting on that in any real way, it would be tacit approval of it as a legitimate debate, which it isn't," she writes. "It would be the same as addressing the issue of "Should dogs and cats be able to care for our children? They're in the house anyway." I try not to make it a habit to seriously discuss nonsensical hot-button issues."
It's awesome to find a celebrity book that is equally as satisfying as it is genuine.


text:
Leave a Comment
Rockstar dropped a new update over the weekend for GTA V in celebration of the Christmas holiday, giving residents of Los Santos plenty to experience in the snowy southern regions of the city.
Over on the official Rockstar Games website, they roll out some of the new content added to the GTA Online portion of the game, including adding snowy elements to Los Santos so it mimics the early opening of the game's story mode where gamers performed the heist in North Yankton. With the snow also comes the ability to participate in snowball fights again, something that Rockstar has been doing with GTA Online during the Christmas season.
They didn't just throw in snow to give the city a visual overhaul, they also lobbed in a new vehicle as well, a custom Pfister Comet. The Benny's customs will allow you to overhaul the Comet into a "gritty urban dragster". Turning the Comet into a low-rider is GTA Online's way of giving gamers a way to take a vehicle like the Porsche and deck it out with aftermarket tuner parts, which has so far only really been possible in EA's Need For Speed games due to the exclusive license with the car manufacturer.
Anyway, they've also added a new Adversary mode in the form of Juggernaut. This sees a competitor on each team decked out in heavy armor with heavy weapons. The objective is for opposing teams to take out the other Juggernaut. Winning the match is pretty easy: your Juggernaut simply needs to survive or your opponent's Juggernaut needs to die. In order to seed players into the mode to keep it full for matchmaking purposes, Rockstar has enabled double RP and double the money for playing GTA Online's newest mode.
In addition to the new vehicle customization and Adversary mode, they're also handing out free Christmas goodies in the form of various items for those who log into and play GTA Online over the weekend, including a unicorn mask, blue or white pajamas, a fireworks launcher with ammo, 200 extra rounds of carbine rifle ammo, a marksman rifle with 200 rounds of free ammo, knuckle dusters and a full set of explosives.
Rockstar has been consistently updating GTA Online with all sorts of new stuff. Many gamers enjoy the new content in the multiplayer mode but -- in a manner equal to the updates -- complained consistently about the fact that these updates aren't available in the single-player portion of the game. It's a real shame for people who aren't fond of playing online because it essentially means they're stuck with what was left in the single-player portion of the game since launch. Modders on PC have opened up these multiplayer add-ons for PC gamers to play and enjoy in the single-player portion of the game, but they also have to deal with profile bans and other similar issues.
Nevertheless, if you enjoy playing online and you really want to get in on the limited time Christmas event in GTA Online, be sure to download the update and join in on the festivities through the weekend.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A Coming of Age Story:
Planning. She has worked at Historic Deerfield since 1986 and during this time has also held the positions of Curator for Interpretation and Chair of the Curatorial Department.
Ms. Lanning's research interests focus on women's history topics from the colonial period to the colonial revival, historic foodways, taverns, and the history of technology. She developed two of the museum's signature interpretative programs – open hearth cooking demonstrations and classes and the historic trades demonstration series – as a way to engage and teach visitors about life and work in pre-industrial New England. She is currently researching the Barnard Tavern, the museum's latest restoration project, to get a clearer picture of how this public house functioned during the early National Period and the young family who operated it. She has lectured and published on a variety of topics. She received an undergraduate degree in history from the College of New Rochelle (NY), and a master's degree in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program (NY).


text:
Subscribe to this blog
Search This Blog
- Get link
- Other Apps
so soft and pretty with that touch of gold! lovely!ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDeleteReplies
Ooops...I put my comment for your W&W post here and had to delete. lol...Delete
I really love these super-pretty and feminine pastels with the gold. I'm not sure what these blender pens are that you used, but your watercolor effect is just beautiful. Love that you did another gift wrap example along with a coordinating card from the leftovers. These are such unique ways of using the awesome W&W products!! Thank you so much for sharing with us!!
jwoolbright at gmail dot com
I love the soft colors and textures! Beautiful gift box and card set!ReplyDelete
These are sooooo gorgeous and I love your photography.ReplyDelete
These are gorgeous! Love the soft colors and that pop of gold. Fabulous ♥ReplyDelete
Stunning work!! Love the soft pastel colors and the addition of gold as well :) The photos are very pretty too.ReplyDelete
Very pretty colors and I like the gold sparkle.ReplyDelete
slrdowney at hotmail dot com
You're a great Leading Lady! I've now got to try actually using my blender pen--what a happy accident that you couldn't find your water pen!ReplyDelete
More gorgeousness! I love the the mix of textures, the sparkle, the softness, just so delicate and well balanced!ReplyDelete
Another dazzling card-and-wrapping presentation, Rebecca! Beautiful water-colouring (a medium I so struggle with...sad, but true!) with results that are nothing shy of gorgeous. Your 'labour of love' will be much appreciated and treasured by the lucky person receiving this marvelous ensemble. You are an incredibly inspiring Leading Lady!ReplyDelete
Wow! Love your pretty creations!!!ReplyDelete
gorgeous! I love the color combo on all of these!ReplyDelete
The pink and gold, and your beautiful details make these projects real standouts!ReplyDelete
WOW another gorgeous package I probably wouldn't open (IF I were the recipient.) I would sit quietly with a cup of tea and stare at it, admiring its beauty! LOLReplyDelete
Seriously beautiful, Rebecca, a job well done!
Wonderful coloringReplyDelete
and came out so
Carla from Utah
How pretty...love the soft colours and the touch of lace on the edge.ReplyDelete
How did I miss this soft delicate beauty?! I remember your debut, was smitten by your finale, and somehow life was busy and missed the two in between. So glad I took time to back track! You've inspired me to look at my stamps and dies in so many new and different ways. Wish you could stay forever with W&W!ReplyDelete
Love that peach and green. Good enough to eat!ReplyDelete


text:
Wire-free (Plastic) & in-line Dimmer KitsRegular price
Model LW205 + LW822 / LW206 + LW822x2 (Connect Series)
The Wire-free Switch can be used to control any Connect Series Lightwave receiver such as relays, sockets and plug-ins. It can also dim Connect Series Lightwave dimmers. The switch can be screwed to a back box or positioned anywhere using the adhesive pads provided. It is a useful alternative to 2-way switching. The switches can be linked to as many Lightwave receivers as desired to control multiple devices at once. They come in 1 and 2 gang with finishes to match the dimmer range.
This in-line dimmer may be used to dim LED or incandescent lighting circuits (200W max. incandescent). It can also be used to switch non-dimmable LED lighting (with no minimum load). The device can be operated remotely from the Lightwave App, or from a Lightwave wire-free switch or remote. The dimming range can be adjusted to maximise compatibility with LED lamps. The in-line dimmer can also be used to drive LED strip lighting if used in conjunction with a suitable dimmable driver (required to be wired in circuit before the driver). The device may be used externally if mounted within a Lightwave LW824 waterproof housing.
For stock information please call us on 0121 250 3625
or visit our eBay Outlet Store:
Wire-free switches are compatible with all Generation 1 devices. They can be used to switch and/or dim Lightwave dimmers, sockets and plugin devices.
Totally Flexible
Wire free switches can be positioned on any flat surface as they do not require cabling. They have a range of up to 15m and can wirelessly link to as many Lightwave devices as desired.
Need some help?
Speak to an expert
We're happy to explain how all our products work and to help get you started over the phone. Real people, plain English and no obligation.
Call us on: 0121 250 3625
Product Specifications
Connect Series device
Compatible with Connect Series dimmers, sockets and relays
DIY retrofit
All Lightwave devices are safe and legal to DIY retrofit in your own home
Remote control
Can be used to control multiple Connect Series devices
Full Specs - In-line Dimmer (200W)
18.5 x 48 x 69 mm
Full Specs -
Full Specs - Wire-free Switch - Plastic
17 x 11.4 x 4.8 cm
CR2032 Battery required


text:
French bread dip
Photo by Tam West
- Slice small baguettes in half. Spread both sides with mayonnaise mixed with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, mustard, lemon zest and juice.
- Pile warm braised beef (or use whatever leftover meat and the all-important gravy, you have to hand) on one half and sauerkraut on the other. Pour braised beef gravy over both halves, close and cut into serving-sized chunks you can dip into extra gravy as you are eating.
More of Warren's winter sandwich ideas


text:
I am the father of 3 children and the grandfather to 2. I spend my days working for a medium sized company where I am an Agile Coach. I enjoy blogging, photography, and cycling. I view myself as a Servant Leader, have a passion for leadership, particularly, in helping people develop their individual leadership skills and abilities in the context of contributing to a team.
"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" at the top of the page is Latin and is frequently translated as "Abandon all hope ye who enter here." It is from the epic poem Inferno by Dante Alighieri


text:
The first "Iron Man" was the rare surprise in the world of action flicks, catching nearly everyone off guard. The combination of a B-level comic book character, unorthodox leading man and unlikely director didn't seem to be blockbuster material, but it was a fast-paced, fun flick that launched a franchise.
Given the quality and care taken with the first film, expectations were high for IRON MAN 2 (PG-13, 2 1/2 stars), the continuing adventures of billionaire playboy Tony Stark and his superhero alter ego.
And while all the major players return, the film falls into the "more is less" category, resulting in a somewhat bloated, less enjoyable and needlessly frenetic film, that, while still better than a large majority of Hollywood blockbusters, does not come close to the heights the original reached.
Robert Downey, Jr. returns to the role that put him on the A-list as Stark, who, at the end of the first film, has just announced to the world that he is the man inside the metal. Ever the iconoclast, Stark will not sell his suit or its secrets to the government, infuriating the military.
Stark may be having the time of his life as Iron Man, but the suit is literally killing him, as the element that forms his heart is slowly eating away at his body.
At the same time, we learn that Russian scientist Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) is planning revenge for his family by building a suit of his own and taking out Iron Man. That's in addition to corporate suit Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) attempting to one-up Stark by creating his own military line of robots. And, oh yeah, let's not forget Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) attempts to get Stark/Iron Man to join up with S.H.I.E.L.D.
So, there's a lot going on here, and I haven't even gotten to the Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) or Rhody/War Machine (Don Cheadle) subplots.
For a big-budget action film, there's a curious lack of "WOW!" action scenes. There's a nice one early on during a street race in Monaco, but the film slows down considerably until the finale, when trying to decipher who's doing what during all the clanging and metal-on-metal action becomes tedious.
Look, Downey is the man, but here he acts a bit too much like himself, and not enough like the character he's supposed to be playing. Rourke's villian is wasted save for his electric introduction; Johansson is little more than eye candy.
I'm willing to give Jon Favreau a pass on this one – I know he's passionate about the material and wants to do his best to please a picky fanbase. I also know that the whole Marvel Universe thing is exploding, with an all-hands-on-deck "The Avengers" film coming soon. But I'm sincerely hoping the third film (which you know will be coming soon) pares things down a bit and gets back to the basics of this conflicted character.


text:
I had no clue what I was supposed to do.
That is especially true for a foreign language teacher. Students need to hear the target language being spoken as they read the text.
Quite a bit of research on language comprehension reveals that sub-vocalization improves comprehension in individual's struggling to read.
Beyond the research, I would also argue that subtle intonations and pauses in the text lead to natural speech, which is critical for students who seek to use their language abroad and be comprehended by others.


text:
Ülker Bizim Yağ| Strawberry Island
Before Ülker Bizim Yağ Strawberry's digital launch, we made a research to find out the right media to reach the right target audience, and the right answer was field. Strawberry Island went down to field after the social media application was prepared, and we had the exact results we have expected. The 2-part advergame caught not only the attention of children, but also the attention of parents. During the campaign, we witnessed little rebels who kept on saying "Mon, I will play too" or "Dad, you constantly play". Strawberry Island became one of the best cases that shows how digital marketing has effective results when reaching to the right audience.


text:
With director M. Night Shyamalan's After Earth opening this weekend, Sony Pictures invited us to the Virgin Galactic Spaceport in New Mexico for the press junket. As you can imagine, it was an amazing place to talk about the movie. If you're not familiar with the plot, After Earth stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith as a father and son who crash land on a post-apocalyptic Earth, and it's up to the son to fight for survival when the father is seriously injured. For more on the film, watch three clips and some behind-the-scenes footage. After Earth also stars Sophie Okonedo and Zoe Kravitz.
During our exclusive interview with screenwriter Gary Whitta, he talked about how the project came together, how the story changed during production, the father-son dynamic, how Hollywood doesn't make many films aimed at younger teenagers, his experiences working on the live-action Akira movie and what was his take on the story, future projects, and a lot more. Hit the jump for what he had to say.
Collider: I noticed in the credits last night that Will Smith came up with the idea for the film. How did all this germinate?
Gary Whitta: Yes, totally legit. I think this is actually the first movie that Will has a story credit on. I wasn't on any of his other movies, but to me, it feels like [there's more] of his DNA in this that any movie he's ever made. It was his original idea, he had a little one-page premise; not a lot of meat on the bones, but it was his original idea, and they wanted a writer to help him develop it. So they sent me the little logline and I went away and built the world out a little bit and pitched it to him. We developed it together, and then I went away and wrote the script. So the way the writing credits broke down, I think, is actually totally representative—story by Will Smith, and [director M. Night Shyamalan] and I wrote the screenplay together.
From what you read in that one-pager to what we see onscreen, how close is it to what Will pitched?
Whitta: Well, the original pitch that he had was literally a paragraph. And it was so broad that… it was something like, "A thousand years after humanity has been forced to abandon Earth and go live someplace else, a father and a son who are having a strained relationship crash-land on Earth, which has now become this inhospitable place." And I thought, well, there's a lot I can do with that; I can really build that out. So I went back and pitched with him. The final movie still totally conforms to that original description. The very first version that I pitched to Will was very different to what we eventually made, because through development, it changes and morphs a lot, and you always want to hone it and make it better. But a lot of Will's DNA is in there and a lot of mine is in there. But certainly the movie that he set out to make, I think he made it.
It is very much a father-son movie, and what's really cool about it is that it's a positive father and son story, mixed with sci-fi—it has a lot of things going for it that you wouldn't expect. When did it become a father-son dynamic?
Whitta: What's interesting is that it wasn't even a sci-fi movie at first. I don't know if you've heard this story, but it was originally a much smaller movie. Will and Jaden played a military father and son, but it was present-day. And they were on a trip into the Alaskan wilderness, like a fishing trip, and the car went off the road. Same as the story today: Will's badly hurt, Jaden has to go and get rescue, and he gets chased by Grizzly bears and wolves. It was like The Grey, a much more grounded version.
But of course, Will being Will, at some point said, "You know what? Let's blow this out." Then it became a big science-fiction movie, and then it came to me. It was a father-son story first and a science-fiction story second. And when I was sitting around with Will in the early days of developing the story, he would always say, "Let's never lose sight of the fact that this is a father-son story first." Will has done so many big science-fiction blockbusters, that I think he almost takes that for [granted], because he knows that the CG is going to be there, he knows that the world is going to look amazing and we're going to build this incredible world out around the story. But he always said, "The movie lives… when the camera is on me and Jaden and we're just having that relationship." So we always tried to imagine, when we're talking about the father-son aspect of the story, that we stripped all the science fiction away; we tried to remember that we're telling the version of it where they were just in the car in Alaska. I always feel that even a big science-fiction story has to work just as a human, emotional story first. You have to be able to take away all the science fiction gimmicks, and the story can still stand on its own, as just a universal story about, in this case, a family. We tried to always stay true to that, and hopefully, I feel like the movie still works on that level first—a father-son story first and [then] a science fiction story.
It's nice to have all that great fun, but I became a father during the process of making this movie, and I get it now. I'm like, "Oh yeah. This is fathers and sons really [going] out of their way to be there for one another." And when they put us with those military families [for research], and I learned about that dynamic, a lot of the material came out of that. Will was always very big on this idea, that the whole movie is leading up to that salute, where he finally shows Jaden that… the kid has earned his respect. And that moment is still there in the movie. I think, first and foremost, we've told a father-son story. I call it "Smith Family Robinson," I think it's actually like an old-fashioned family adventure [and] they don't make those movies any more. Science fiction and summer movies have become—especially after Chris Nolan had such huge success with Batman by taking it really gritty and dark—everything has to be gritty and dark now; Star Trek is gritty and dark, Superman is gritty and dark, and don't get me wrong, I love those movies. But it's nice to have more than one flavour. I think if the movie stands out this summer it'll be because it isn't part of that arms race, it isn't part of the the big explosive escalation that we've seen over the summer. This movie kind of operates on its own level. It's more contemplative, it's quieter, and it never forgets that it's a human story first.
Was there a longer cut of the movie?
Whitta: I saw a very early rough cut, and not much changed. But I had a very different experience when I saw the final film. Because, you know what it's like—the rough cut that I saw had no visual effects in it. So when Jaden sees all those monkeys, that's a bunch of guys with Ping Pong balls, and I can't get with this; it takes me out of the movie. I need to see the more complete version. [But] the only thing they really changed is, we always felt like the movie really begins when you get to the crash. That's really the big inciting incident. So we actually had more on Nova Prime; I think they felt that the movie was a little slow in getting to the real big action opening of the film, so they condensed the opening of the movie and just got to the crash more quickly. I think it's like 100 minutes, the final running time; and again, a lot of movies this summer are like 220. I think it's a more lean, more efficient… like I said, [more of] a simple story than some of these more expansive…
What's also interesting about this movie is that it's going after an audience that is really underserved by Hollywood, which is a 12-15 year old, younger teenaged crowd. And I'm not saying that it's just to be enjoyed by that audience, but that audience doesn't get quality movies like this aimed at them anymore. When I was growing up, I had Goonies…
Whitta: Right, what happened to those movies?
They don't make them anymore. So was that something that the studio/Night/Will sort of identified, saying, "We can really make a movie for an age group that's been underserved"?
Whitta: I don't think that was the mission statement. I think it organically came out of the fact that we knew Jaden was going to be the real star of the movie, and that his audience is primarily teenaged boys and girls. So obviously you're not going to do an R-rated movie, because it shuts those kids out. But over the course of developing it, I think we slowly caught on to the fact that, yeah, we're making almost like the old-fashioned, throwback adventure movie; almost like those old Disney adventure movies that you don't see anymore. And certainly, the movie's pretty intense; it's definitely earned a PG-13, it's scary in places. But I do think, like I've said, you cannot even take your kids to see Batman anymore; what the hell is that about? I love those movies, but they're no longer… kids love Batman, but that movie is over their heads. Other than the animated movies that are coming out this summer, there's very few things out there that are genuinely appropriate for teenaged kids and families. And hopefully we'll hit that spot.
We just did that panel, and you guys were talking about how, if the film's a hit, there's always the possibility of a sequel. Have Will and Jaden talked about their interest in that? How serious do you think that is?
Whitta: I always think that, you don't want to count your chickens. I mean, who knows how the movie's going to do? It's a very crowded, competitive summer. I'm proud of the fact that we're one of the few original movies this summer—it's basically us, Pacific Rim, and Elysium. Everything else is superheroes, comic books, sequels. Like I said, I'm proud of that fact, but it's a bigger challenge to get people to understand what the movie is. Who knows how the movie is going to do? I think it's going to do well, but I don't think anyone's going to pull the trigger on a sequel or a TV show until they see how the movie does. But certainly they want to be prepared. When you've got the biggest movie star in the world in your movie, you don't rule anything out. You like to think it would be a success. And in building the mythology, we haven't written ourselves into a corner; if we want to do a sequel, the foundation certainly is already built.
What else are you working on right now?
Whitta: I just finished writing a spec, which hopefully if [After Earth] does well, then maybe that's a good little boost for getting a new piece of work out there. I'm working on a couple of TV projects, and I'm very, very close to something that… Oh my God, it's so cool; if I told you what it was, you'd be like "Oh my God." But I seriously can't. Maybe in a couple of weeks. But I'm working on something that is so awesome… I'm hoping they're going to announce it soon. It's so badass.
So basically, you've been working on it with the studio, but it hasn't leaked yet…
Whitta: It's not official. And it hasn't leaked, thank God. But I'm hoping, all things going well, that we'll have something to reveal pretty soon. It's very cool, very much up your stream.
Yeah, I can tell by the way you're talking. And I definitely want to ask you, before I run out of time, what was your experience like working on Akira?
Whitta: I worked on it for about six months. And I pretty much lived on the lot with the director at the time, Ruairi Robinson, trying to work out that movie. It's a tough movie; it's hard to figure out how to do it below an R-rating. It's a difficult movie, which deals with very mature subject matter; it's hardcore. I hope they figure out how to make it. My experience on it… I'll just say I learned a lot about the realities of studio filmmaking. My friend Albert Hughes was on it after me; and they've had numerous writers come and go. Some movies are just trickier to crack than others, and I hope they crack it, because I would love to see them get it right. But I understand why it's difficult.
Well, it's one of those things where, if it could be made for $50 million, then of course they could do an R. But it's at least $100 million to make, and maybe even $150 million.
Whitta: I'll give you a little something that's actually never been spoken about before. How interesting it is, I'll let you decide. But we always dealt with the problem of, [and] I think what a lot of the fans felt was problematic, was the westernization of it; [it's like] "they're never going to make the $100 million movie with an all-Japanese cast. You need to westernize it." And that almost became kind of a joke—like, the idea of Shia LeBeouf as Tetsuo or whatever. People are going to have a hard time with that, and certainly the fans.
So we came up with an idea that I actually thought was really cool; I don't know if it survived into future versions. It's not New Manhattan—because that was the [initial] idea, right? They moved it in to New Manhattan. I said, it's not New Manhattan, it's still New Tokyo but—this is going to sound weird—it's actually in Manhattan. What we did was, the idea is that there'd been a massive economic crash in the United States and in our desperation, we sold Manhattan Island to the Japanese, who were becoming a very powerful economic force, and they were having an overpopulation problem, because Japan is a series of islands, it can only accommodate so many people. So they just bought Manhattan Island, and it became the fifth island of Japan, and they populated it. It became New Tokyo, and it was just off the coast of the United States. So it was Japanese territory, it wasn't New Tokyo, but there were Americans who kind of lived in little Americanized quarters of it. I felt it was a way to do a kind of cool Western-Eastern fusion of the two ideas; not fully Japanese, not fully westernized. Whether or not you'll ever see that version, I don't know, but I thought that was kind of a cool solution to that problem of westernization of a Japanese concept.
Either way, expensive as hell to bring to the screen…
Whitta: How do you do it? I think rather than try to figure out how you do an R movie for a number, it was more about "Let's get it to a PG-13 and then we can spend the money we need to make." But that has its own problems. Again, I would love to see them make it; I have all the good will in the world for that movie. I understand why it's been difficult for the studio to make a movie that they feel can be true to the subject matter but also economically make sense for them.
It's so tricky because you and I understand what's going on. But the average person who doesn't really understand how movies are made is like "This is a no-brainer." But the fact is, the rating equals how much money you can spend. It's just statistics…
Whitta: And sometimes it's just not the right time. I always feel like, when you've got a piece of material, it will always find a way to get made. Movies are dead for a long time, and then they come back and they find the right time for them. One of the difficulties when I was working on Akira is that Watchmen was coming out around that time. It came out, and it wasn't a huge hit. It was successful, but I don't think it was what the studio hoped it would be. And it's a similar thing, right? Difficult, mature graphic novel that's not Superman; it's something only the fans really know about. New York gets destroyed, it's very uncompromising. And I think they looked at that and said, "Well, why would we want to do exactly that again?" I think that was part of what complicated it.
So, like I said, I had a great time working on it. I got to sit in rooms where we got to design the bike, and you have those days where you're like, "You know what? This is why this is still the coolest job in the world." Even with all the aggravation and all the frustrations that you have, you get to sit around and say, "What does Kaneda's bike look like in this version of the movie?" And we had the concepts, we built some of the models and it's like, this still a badass job to do.
I really hope one day they can figure it out. Anyway, switching back to other things, what's it like for you when you're writing a spec script? Are you looking at the marketplace in terms of, maybe there's something I can work with here. Or are you more like, "I came up with a cool idea, I'm going to write it and let's see what happens?"
Whitta: It's the latter, and I think that's the only creatively honest way to do it. And it's the only way that also makes sense if you actually want to succeed. There's a lot of people out there that chase trends. Remember when torture porn like Saw and Hostel was the biggest thing? Everybody went away and wrote those movies. Everyone in the last two years is writing the teen vampire movies. The problem is, the market moves so quickly and trends come and go so fast that by the time you get your movie out there, people have moved on to the next thing. You have to be the next thing, not try to copy the current thing. I always find that I can only write the movie that I'm writing right now. It may not have the most commercial concept in the world, but if you're trying to copy the success of other movies, you're never going to get anywhere. I would like to think that, [with Book of ] Eli, certainly there wasn't any post-apocalyptic trend in movies at the time; that was a story that I wanted to tell and I felt like it had enough originality to it that it felt like a creatively honest thing for me to write. And it was a success. The idea that somebody sees Pacific Rim and tries to go away and do something like that, I think is route one to failure. You have to be [Pacific Rim screenwriter] Travis Beacham; you have to come up with the idea for Pacific Rim, not the movie that tries to be like Pacific Rim.
After Earth opens this weekend.


text:
I recently designed an assignment to help students understand the four different art styles of abstraction, expressionism, fantasy, and realism. There are two different lessons, one for sixth grade and one for seventh grade but these ideas could be used for older students as well. I think it really helped students truly understand the differences between the styles of art. At my school we have the Davis art books by Katter and Stewart so we read about the different styles of art first and of course had some discussion about those differences. I carried that discussion into the lesson.
My sixth grade students had to draw four small drawings (6x12 inch nice white paper) of their hand in the four styles of art. To take the "edge" off of the concept of drawing their hand I had students trace one of their hands. Students always seem to think they can't "draw" a hand. I then had students carefully observe and draw all of the details of their hand. They then shaded these in with pencil or colored them with colored pencils. This was their "realistic" hand. After that I let them work on whichever hand they chose next. They had to really think about each style of art and how they were going to be innovative, inventive, creative, and original. Every day they worked on this assignment I repeated those words and explained how important it is to be creative in today's world. I gave students many different materials to choose from for this project. When they turned in this project they had to mount it on either a long poster board with the four drawing shown one after another or with two on top and two on the bottom. They also had to find ways to make their art project look like all of the drawings belonged together so that it looked unified. Students had to write a reflection statement that was thoughtful about what they had learned, which style of art they enjoyed working in the most, and how they might change things in the future to make improvements to their artwork.
My students loved this assignment and seemed very proud of what they had accomplished. Some were surprised that drawing a hand was easier than they thought it would be because of how they started the drawing. Below are some of the examples of the sixth grade student artwork. I'll explain briefly the seventh grade project after that with more examples. I also created a great rubric that I would include but I am having difficulty accessing it from my home computer. The only difference between the sixth and seventh grade rubrics are the words "developing" and "emerging" as the rubrics are created based on the state of Michigan visual art standards for sixth and seventh grade.
The seventh grade did a similar assignment but it was more challenging. I took a photo of each student. I enlarged these so students could put them on a half sheet of paper. My paper was precut and slightly larger than the 6x12, but 6x12 would work great. I gave students carbon paper to share. They traced the main lines of their photos with the carbon paper between their paper and their photo. Once they had a simple carbon tracing they took those and drew over the lines adding additional details and color. I know the carbon paper helped struggling students feel like they could accomplish this task. Students were given many different art mediums to choose from to create their projects just like the sixth graders. They were also encouraged daily to be innovative, inventive, creative, and original. Here are some examples from my students. These students had to also present them on poster board and write a thoughtful reflection statement.


text:
PORTSMOUTH — Christopher Pamboukes believes in supporting important local causes; he's also a long-distance cyclist who has biked from Portsmouth to New York City.
PORTSMOUTH — Christopher Pamboukes believes in supporting important local causes; he's also a long-distance cyclist who has biked from Portsmouth to New York City.
In July, Pamboukes and his friend, Josh Andrews, will take their love of biking to a new level when they ride 2,000 miles from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to San Diego. The Portsmouth residents are biking down the coast of California for their Pedal For Power project in hopes of raising $50,000, enough to buy a solar-electric power system for Cross Roads House, the city's homeless shelter.
They're asking people to pledge a certain amount per mile they travel.
"We've been inspired by other people," Pamboukes said of their decision to undertake the 2,000-mile bike ride. "I had a very close friend of mine who rode a moped from San Francisco to Burlington to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We're excited to have our own experiences."
Pamboukes, a Portsmouth native, and Andrews plan to begin the ride July 14, and will try to bike 45 to 50 miles a day, staying at campsites at night.
"You have a much more intimate relationship with where you're traveling when you're looking around for campsites or places to sleep on the beach," Pamboukes said.
In addition to trying to raise $50,000 for Cross Roads House, the two are paying for the flight to the West Coast and back themselves.
"It's something we wanted to do anyway," Pamboukes said. "This way, we can make more of an impact, make this thing even bigger than it is."
Martha Stone, executive director of Cross Roads House, said Pamboukes and Andrews reached out to her when they first had the idea. "I thought it would be great because we already have solar panels to heat our hot water, but we do not have solar power for electricity," Stone said.
She believes the two will save Cross Roads House about $3,000 a year if they can raise the entire $50,000 to pay for the project. Stone credited the pair for agreeing to do such a long trip and turning it into a fund-raiser. "It's very ambitious, but based on what they've already done together, they seem to be ready," Stone said.
In addition to raising money for the solar-electric power system, she said their effort will also bring attention to the fact that, even though it's summer, the shelter is still full.
"In the wintertime people think about the homeless, but even as the temperatures rise, the need is still there," she said.
Even as the economy is starting to rebound, the demand for families trying to stay at the shelter is up, she said. "We typically operate at full capacity year round," Stone said.
For example, Sunday night at Cross Roads House there were 87 residents for its 96 beds, which included 10 families accounting for 22 children ranging in age from 2 months to 17 years, Stone said. Cross Roads House provides shelter to single men and women, and families.
"We're going to spend a good portion of the day riding, but it's not a race, it's a journey," Pamboukes said.
To visit the Pedal For Power Web site, go to www.pedalforpower.com, where you can pledge money toward the fund-raising effort. You can also visit their Facebook page and learn about special events they're having to raise money before they head out on their trip at www.facebook.com/pedalforpower.
You can also visit the Cross Roads House site to donate to Pedal for Power, or to the homeless shelter, at www.crossroadshouse.org.


text: Rolling in an import was easier than ever in the during the eighties thanks to your local Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer. A Dodge Colt would have been the more economical choice, with the D-50 pickup winning in utility. We're not quite sure if the Colt Vista mini space wagon would have swept the durability contest, but we do still see them on the road. A new Chrysler Conquest TSI listed for 18,683 in 1988. The 1000 bucks cash back would have left plenty of scratch for Slayer World Sacrifice tour tickets and t-shirts, or a few shares of Mitsubishi stock.


text:
Toad Fest, the street festival hosted by Little Toad Creek in Silver City, will not only feature live music and other fun this Saturday, but it will have 12 other New Mexico breweries serving up 20 different, unique beers.
The list, as provided to us by the NM Brewers Guild.
- Abbey: Monks' Tripel
- Blue Corn: Fuzzy Snuggler
- Bosque: Riverwalker IPA, Tu-Bock Shakur
- Canteen: Marzen
- Chama River: Class VI Golden Lager, Broken Spoke Wheat Ale
- La Cumbre: BEER, Red Ryeot
- Marble: Imperial Red, Double White
- Red Door: Roamer Red, Bad Moon Ryesing
- Santa Fe: Happy Camper, Santa Fe Gold
- Second Street: Pivotal IPA, Schwarzbier
- Sidetrack: Crossbuck Pale Ale, 3:10 to Belen Brown
- Spotted Dog: Spring Thing (Belgian-style saison)
It's a great opportunity for folks in Southern New Mexico, as well as those who wish to trek up from El Paso or from Arizona, to enjoy a lot of beers you can only get up north. Spotted Dog will represent the Las Cruces area, too. Plus, of course Little Toad Creek's own beers will be available, and their spirits.
Admission is free to the event, which starts at 2 p.m. and runs until midnight. The music will be provided by Wylie Crazyhorse Jones at 2, Compas at 4, and JB & the Jackrabbits at 8. There will be games for kids and adults, too. Food-wise, look for a special menu featuring lots of grilled meats (ribs, brisket, etc.) and the like.
Remember, this is a Guild event, so a portion of the proceeds of beer sales will go to helping the Guild help breweries across our state.
Considering the weather right now in ABQ, it might not be a bad idea to trek south to Silver City for a day. Let us hope the sun stays out down there.
— Stoutmeister


text:
Buzz and Bugz are caught doing something they should not be doing. "What are you two up to?", I ask
Buzz's eyes promptly fill up and she clings to me with a "I am sorry, Mumma. Galti ho gayi."
Bugz on the other hand puts on a *Look aren't I cute Mumma? You can't be angry at me* smile, turning this way and that.
What is Mumma supposed to do, me wonders?


text:
Use 'juice diet' as a search term on Google and you will get over 43 million results with many of them promising rapid weight loss.
Similarly, I often get messages sent to me asking questions like "how much weight will I lose if I start juicing?"
So here's my big question…
Do you want to lose weight or do you want to keep it off?
I have to be honest and say I'm not keen on the words 'lose', 'loss' and 'lost' when it comes to weight as they all imply the weight is missing and hence it is likely to return.
I prefer to talk about divorcing the weight because let's face, following a divorce most people are never going back to their old life.
Despite the fact that 'juice diet' has so many search results and those words appear on the cover of many juicing related books (publishers know it helps sell books), you will rarely here people who are 'juicing' talk about being on a diet.
Instead, people will refer to doing a juice detox, a juice cleanse, a reboot, juice fasting or even simply saying "I'm juicing at the moment".
I've not written this post to be critical about drinking freshly extracted vegetable and fruit juices. Drinking nature's finest produce has transformed my life and by sharing my experience and knowledge I've helped many thousands of people around the world benefit from it too.
I've even created several juice cleanse plans and personally do a juice cleanse / juice reboot about 4 times a year.
So what is the difference between a juice detox and a juice diet?
Firstly, let's get one thing clear… juicing itself does NOT detoxify your body.
Similarly, the numerous detox and cleanse products, such as supplements, teas, soaps and skin creams to not detoxify your body either.
Your body has numerous organs, such as the skin, gut, liver and kidney, that continually 'detoxify' it from head to toe. What juicing can do is support your body with its natural detoxification processes.
Think about it. If you stop putting processed foods and drinks, laden with pharmaceutical sugars, chemical sweeteners, salt and fat into your body, surely that is going to help your body to cleanse itself? Also, if you simultaneously give your body nature's finest plant based nutrition in an easy to assimilate form would this not be beneficial too?
I strongly believe that helping your body to detoxify itself on a periodic basis is highly beneficial to health.
The key focus being on health, not weight.
Dieting is almost exclusively focussed on shedding pounds. It is typically used as a 'quick fix' too.
How many people do you know who've been on a diet only to regain all the weight and often end up even heavier than when they started?
Dieting is short term and as soon as people revert back to old behaviours their weight will inevitably return. This is true for all diets, including juicing.
Juice diets can create rapid results, but so often these results are not sustainable.
I am often contacted by people who have tried a juice diet, shed pounds and felt better than they have in years, only to reverse this when they start eating again. I've also been contacted by people who have tried juicing for extended periods without following an appropriately structured plan and experienced negative side effects such as hair loss.
Following a well structured juice plan to kick start some changes in your life is great, but please…
DON'T use juicing as the latest yo-yo diet.
As I mentioned above, you will NEVER here those who are 'juicing' calling it a 'diet' but if you look at the pattern they follow that is EXACTLY what they are doing. 28 days or 60 days on juice only, lose weight get well. Return to old behaviours, gain weight feel rough. Repeat.
There is a thin line between detoxing and dieting and I believe the fundamental difference is the focus. Instead of focusing on weight, focus on health instead.
My experience has shown me that there are 3 things we each need to master to have long-term sustainable health: Attitude, Intake and Movement.
When you address your mindset, the things you put in (and on) your body and you are physically active, then you get your body back to its natural healthy state. In this state your body will find its ideal weight.
I've said it many times before and will know doubt say it many more times too: if you want to be as nature intended you need to eat and live as nature intended.
Subscribe To Natural Juice Junkie
Want the latest information and exclusive offers and recipes?


text:
Your shopping cart is currently empty.
Fire In The Sky by Rod Frederick
Fire In The Sky by Rod Frederick. "This scene is not from one particular place, but rather many places along the Yucatan peninsula, where Mayan culture was once prevalent. The ruins still stand but nature has begun to retake them. There's quite a large array of critters that make their home there, but at first I didn't see any because of the mist and shade. Suddenly out of the jungle there came a raucous cacophony of scarlet macaws as they flew into the sky. It was almost like flames flying out of the darkness."
Price: $235.00


text:
Oasis, Inc. is the area's premier design and construction firm for custom pools and spas and all other indoor and outdoor enhancements that transform your home into your personal oasis. Whatever you envision for your home, the Oasis team has knowledge, resources and experience to help you turn your vision into reality. The Oasis team has more than 20 years experience in designing and building custom pools, spas and masonry projects. All projects begin with a free consultation with Oasis, Inc.'s president and company founder. Oasis listens to your ideas and works closely with you to help create a custom design that meets your desires and budget. Once a project is underway, the owner supervises all aspects of your project and remains in close contact with you. When you're dealing with Oasis, you're not dealing with salespeople, you're dealing with dedicated, hands-on professionals who will see your project through from initial design to completion.
Serving southeastern PA, southern NJ and surrounding areas


text:
Aug 17(Reuters) - Futures for Canada's main stock index were little changed on Friday, with investors awaiting inflation data due later in the day. The annual inflation rate is forecast unchanged at 2.5 percent in July.
September futures on the S&P/TSX index were down 0.03 percent at 7:15 a.m. ET.
Canada's main stock index rose on Thursday from over two-month low in the previous session as trade worries eased after China said it would hold talks with Washington.
Dow Jones Industrial Average e-mini futures were down 0.1 percent at 7:15 a.m. ET, while S&P 500 e-mini futures were down 0.11 percent and Nasdaq 100 e-mini futures were down 0.17 percent.
Canada's energy regulator on Thursday said it had given the go-ahead for the construction of a large portion of the Trans Mountain expansion project, which will nearly triple capacity on the oil pipeline from Alberta to a Vancouver area port.
Pieridae Energy, considering whether to build Canada's first major liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, is in talks with Axpo, a Swiss utility and energy trader, for a 10-year supply deal, the companies said on Thursday.
Mullen Group: Canaccord Genuity raises target price to C$17.50 from C$16.25
COMMODITIES AT 7:15 a.m. ET
Gold futures: $1,184.7; +0.06 pct
US crude: $65.84; +0.58 pct
Brent crude: $72.17; +1.04 pct
LME 3-month copper: $5,900; -0.64 pct
1000 Leading index change mm for July: Expected 0.4 pct; Prior 0.5 pct
1000 U Mich Sentiment Preliminary for Aug: Expected 98; Prior 97.9
1000 U Mich Conditions Preliminary for Aug: Prior 114.4
1000 U Mich Expectations Preliminary for Aug: Prior 87.3
1000 U Mich 1 year inflation preliminary for Aug: Prior 2.9 pct
1000 U Mich 5-year inflation preliminary for Aug: Prior 2.4 pct
TSX market report
Canadian dollar and bonds report
Reuters global stocks poll for Canada
Canadian markets directory ($1= C$1.32) (Reporting by Priyanka Das in Bengaluru)


text:
Veal Parmesan is already a pretty easy dish, but you can make it as easy or as complicated as you want – it is VERY forgiving! So have fun with it!
- Canola Oil
- 2 Veal steaks
- 1/4-1/2 C bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned)
- Rosemary
- Roasted garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Sea salt (or any kind of salt)
- Cracked pepper (or regular ground black pepper)
- Mozzarella (shredded or slices)
- Marinara (I love to make mine from scratch, but you can easily get a jar of yummy spaghetti sauce)
- Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Drizzle oil in skillet and heat pan to medium
- Coat veal steaks in bread crumbs then place in pan
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes on one side, season with rosemary and roasted garlic
- Flip steaks and cook for another 3 minutes (or until steaks are no longer pink), season with Italian seasoning and salt
- Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese (or lay a slice on each steak), drizzle with marinara and then turn off the heat
- Decorate with Parmesan cheese, cracked pepper and olive oil and serve 🙂
Keep this dinner simple by steaming broccoli or other vegetables (in the microwave, on the stove, or in the steamer), so it does all the work for you while you concentrate on your veal steaks.


text:
STINSON BEACH (CBS SF) — The U.S. Park Police are investigating the discovery of a decomposed body found Sunday at Stinson Beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Marin County, according to a park spokeswoman.
Some visitors from Switzerland found the body on the beach, which is within the jurisdiction of the federal recreation area, park spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet said.
The Marin County Fire Department received a call at 11:23 a.m. today about a report of a body located at Stinson Beach, a fire dispatcher said.
According to Picavet, the sheriff's office notified park officials about the body at about 12:10 p.m. and the county coroner was called to the scene.
The body was in such a state of decomposition that the sex of the deceased will not be known until an autopsy is performed, Picavet said.
"This is a body that probably has been out there a while," Picavet said.
The federal park police are conducting an investigation, Picavet said.
Stinson Beach and a parking lot next to it are parts of the national recreation area, according to Picavet.
© Copyright 2014 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
You must log in to post a comment.


text:
The classic work by Neil Cole on discipleship, Cultivating A Life For God, has just been released in an E-Book form on Kindle and coming soon on Nook and other e-book formats.
The new version is sporting a new cover designed by Neil Cole himself.
This book has sold thousands copies and still has a potent message to leaders and churches about making and multiplying disciples. Life Transformation Groups are being used fruitfully to make and multiply disciples all over the world!
We are pleased that CMA Resources could bring this important book into the electronic medium.
"In my years of ministry, I have not found any method that produces such powerful results in fulfilling the Great Commission. I personally plan on using this system for the rest of my life to make as many disciples of the kingdom as I can before Christ calls me home!" – Neil Cole (page 89)
Added May 12, 2012
Now available on the Barnes & Noble's NOOK also.


text:
The Visitation of the Virgin Mary
War reminds us to be people who work for peace.
Today, as we gather to honor our dead, we are reminded of the gift of eternal life that our God has promised to us, His people. He gives to us the promise in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God's intent for all of us is to live with Him forever in heaven. That is His divine will and we are free to choose and to embrace His will, to say "yes" to it or to say "no" to it. We especially honor today those who have died in war, those who have fought for our freedoms as Americans. We know, too, that war is never pleasant, that in the midst of war, even when it is a just war, evil is present.
One day I can remember speaking with one of my uncles. All four of my mother's brothers fought in World War II. All four of them came back home alive. One of them, though, was a prisoner of war for three-and-a-half years in Japan. He was in the Baton March, and he was one of the few who survived that march. He rarely spoke of the war. I asked him one time, when I was in college, what it was like. At that time the Vietnam War was going on. There were all sorts of questions around that war, so I wanted to know what it was like in World War II.
The gist of what he said was, "There is no glory in war. No matter how just the cause may be, war is always horrific, even when you are trying to battle evil and you are on the side of good. To kill another human being is never easy. To hold a fallen comrade in your arms is never easy. There is always a darkness to war."
War should always remind us of the call the Lord gives to us in the Gospel, to be people who work for peace, to be people who work for the right ordering of society, for the ordering of society according to the plan of God, not according to the plan of man. The only way that there will ever be peace within our world is if all peoples are converted to the message of Jesus Christ, if our hearts and minds are transformed to live our lives according to God's plan and not our plans. We must constantly propose the truth of the Gospel to the world, inviting them to come to know Jesus Christ. When we honor the dead and those who have gone before us, we, too, remember the tremendous sacrifices they have made. We remember how many of them have been scarred for life whether physically or emotionally.
In any war, the Evil One always has a field day. You can see that even in the war in Iraq. The Evil One is the winner in any war, even when good succeeds. We, as a people, are called to conversion. We are called to recognize the presence of Jesus Christ in our midst even in the dark times of war. We are called to reconciliation after war so that the grace of Jesus Christ may bring true healing and peace.
In today's Gospel reading for the Feast of the Visitation, Elizabeth recognized the presence of Christ in her midst even though He was in His mother's womb. "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 'Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?'"
My sisters and brothers, we as a people of faith are called, like Elizabeth, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Our God promises that gift to us in Baptism and Confirmation. We are called to recognize the presence of Christ in our midst and to proclaim His presence. We are called to call others to know Jesus Christ so that they may be set free from sin and evil.
In the culture wars of today we must remember the greatest evil that exists in our society. The greatest war that goes on every day is the war against unborn children. On this Feast of the Visitation, we would be remiss as Catholics if we did not remember the unborn child and the 4,000 lives that are lost every day. Because we do not see their death visibly, many of us are silent about it. It is the most serious, the most grave, the most violent of wars, for it takes the lives of innocent human beings and destroys them before they are born.
My sisters and brothers, we must ponder in our hearts, "What would Jesus Christ do in the midst of the world in which we live today?" Jesus Christ would stand for a culture of life. He would call us to conversion and repentance. He would call us to be faithful to the Gospel. He speaks to us still, "I came that you might have life and life abundantly. I am the way, the truth and the life." Life is Jesus' gift to us.
As we continue with the Eucharist this morning, let us ask the Lord to fill our hearts and minds with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let us ask Him to stir into flames the gifts He has given to us in Baptism and in Confirmation. Let us pray that we as a people may continually grow in obedience, as Mary was obedient to the will of the Father. Let us pray that we may always have the courage to speak the truth, to work for peace, and to work for true justice. Justice is always the ordering of society according to God's plan.
As we remember our dead and hold them up to the Lord, let us ask the Lord to give us a deeper faith in the truth that has been proclaimed in His Son, Jesus Christ. May we, like Elizabeth, recognize the presence of our Lord in our midst and may our lives be conformed to His truth.
Printed with permission from the Diocese of Fargo.


text:
This was the late Sue Menger's favorite picture of herself, smoking up a storm at her desk. She smoked other stuff, too.
With all the hype around DBT, alot of people wonder….what is dialectical? It's hard to explain. It sorta means two opposite things can both be true, and to learn to walk the middle path while accepting the opposites or dichotomy.
A recent Vanity Fair Hollywood Edition there were quite a few examples of 'Dialectical' Types…but let's start with Sue. It's said she was the first person who could have all the talent packaged in a film and work a deal to give the actors a part of the back in…the box office receipts in percentage points.
Sue Mengers was all women. Like the boys in the boys club, she was from the East Coast, came up from the William Morris Mail Room but later went out on her own. She was tough like a Man.
She had to deal with male directors of the old school, however. She knew just how to work them.
This was during the 70's. When Otto Preminger, who directed "Gone with the Wind" objected to an actor on the basis that he 'was a fairy,' she looked the old man straight in the eye and said, "No he isn't. I slept with him myself."
Mengers had fabulous parties. Everyone who was anyone was there. She launched the career of Richard Gere. Candice Bergen. Gene Hackman and tons of other examples. She saw something in talent others didn't see and fought tooth and nail to get them work.
That's what an agent is for. I've begun my agent search for my books. I have at least two I want to write. I gather names, find out all about them and then send out a stealth attack …hoping what I offer is what they're looking for. But sometimes, agents don't know what they're looking for until they've been hit over the head with a two by four.
Anyone else looking for a literary agent?


text:
Graphene Testing
Λ-Sat's Hellenic Satellite is the first space-based experiment to study how the harsh radiation and vacuum of space affects graphene, a single-layer sheet of carbon atoms important in nanotechnology applications.
Customer: Hellenic Space Initiative
Research: Graphene Testing
NanoRacks Facility: Satellite Deployment
Mission Duration: 03/2014 – 03/2015
Mission Status: Complete
More Info: From NASA website
Research Overview
The satellite, the first to be designed and built by Greek scientists, also demonstrates a communications platform that monitors Greek merchant ships and their crews in real-time, aiming to improve maritime security and thwart piracy.and transmits data to Earth stations, transferring telemetry and other information:
- Mitigate risk to Hellenic ships and their crews from piracies at sea by demonstrating a communications platform that monitors, with real-time positioning, Hellenic merchant ships for maritime security.
- Space qualification of innovative advanced three-fault tolerant spacecraft hardware is also a goal of NanoRacks-Λ-Sat.
- Addresses Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) educational objectives.
During deployment all of the NanoRacks-Λ-Sat Hellenic Satellite (NanoRacks-Λ-Sat) electronics are turned off. Forty minutes past deployment into its in-space flight, an imbedded timer, activates satellite operations. Following deployment from the International Space Station (ISS), has an initial altitude varying between an estimated 413 km apogee and 381 km perigee with inclination of 51.6 degrees.
As a safety precaution, the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer containing the CubeSat is pointed behind the ISS and angled down 45 degrees, and ejected with a velocity of about 1 meter/second placing the CubeSat into a nearly circular orbit.
The NanoRacks-Λ-Sat communications platform consists of an Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) modem that establishes in-space links with the Iridium constellation. In addition, it uses a UHF receiver and transmitter for up-linking commands and downlinking flight data.
Future semiconductors, the heart of computers and smartphones, could be made from graphene rather than silicon, which is approaching the limit in transistor miniaturization. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms, and its structure produces unique two-dimensional transistor effects. It is also an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. NanoRacks-Λ-Sat measures how graphene responds to solar radiation and the extreme temperature fluctuations of space.
Merchant ships carry 90 percent of the world's cargo, but piracy is a major threat to the industry, representing an annual cost of $12 billion. NanoRacks-Λ-Sat contains an automatic identification system capable of tracking hijacked ships, enabling authorities to respond faster. The monitoring system also identifies typical traffic patterns and ship activities in areas at high risk of piracy.
Read more about the Hellenic Satellite.


text:
Billing itself as a wine café, this quirky riverside venue is run by French and Irish friends Emmanuelle Legrand and Beverley Mathews. Part tapas bar, part wine bar it has a distinctly continental flair.
Once the celebrated live music venue, The Lobby, this new incarnation is an altogether more sophisticated operation with rustic charm.They do still offer live music in the upstairs room, however, including Sunday afternoon jazz, and there has been more focus on music again of late.
Downstairs the original bar dominates the room, where chalky pastels, a bare wood floor, exposed brickwork, an oversized blackboard and mismatched tables create a cosy and chilled out vibe.
Upstairs – accessed via a staircase plastered with vintage Lobby music posters – is more open plan with large windows and walls hanging with local art that changes every few months. The daytime views are great and, later in the day, wine workshops and tastings, including meet the winemaker evenings and tutored whiskey tastings are held here.
Innovative events at L'Atitude 51 have included an unusual tasting on the internet, where wines were tasted in Cork with insight coming from the Irish winemakers in Sussex, South Africa and New Zealand on Skype (big screen).
Open for quality coffee (Fermoy-roasted Badger & Dodo) and pastries in the morning, a short weekday lunch menu comprises imaginative soup, sandwiches on Arbutus bread and a daily hot dish.
But the evening tapas menu is the real draw, with a selection of European and artisan ingredients served up as delicious taster plates. The dishes are French, Italian and Irish in influence and include tasty treats like Sicilian hummus, spicy olives, farmhouse cheese and charcuterie platters through to classic Italian desserts.
Emmanuelle and Beverley have a serious passion for wine which they love to share with customers. Alongside the well-sourced ingredients, you'll find a creative wine list on an oversized blackboard with over 50 bottles, half of which can be sampled as taster glasses (75ml), or ordered by the glass or carafe.
Daily specials come with a suggested wine pairing, and a 'wine flight' (tasting to compare several wines) can be arranged in whatever combination interests you. Or you can take part in their 'mystery wine challenge', where they select 3 wines for you to taste 'blind' - if you get them right, they refund you the price of the three wines...Win or lose, it's a fun way to learn more about wine.
L'Atitude 51 also offer other interesting drinks including Irish craft beers (8 Degrees on draught, Dungarvan by the bottle) and Longueville House cider, as well as an international list and cocktails too, making this a bar with benefits - and it's an inviting spot to while away an afternoon or evening sampling the tempting wares.


text:
If you have cell phones in your home, which you undoubtedly do, then please take a moment to read about this easy way you can help our troops.
With cellular plans changing and upgrades coming, thousands are getting new cell phones every day. In fact, statistics show that over 130 million cell phones are decommissioned each year. When we come home with our shiny new phones, we tend to put our old phones in a drawer and simply forget about them. Instead, why not donate your phone to a member of our armed forces?
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides free communication tools to deployed and returning military members. Since starting the organization was founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then just 12 and 13 years old, Cell Phones for Soldiers has provided more than 150 million minutes of free talk time to members of our military. In 2011, Cell Phones for Soldiers shared 690,000 communication tools with military families and provided more than 41 million minutes of talk time.
Not only is this initiative helpful for the soldiers themselves but for the families at home hoping to hear from their deployed loved one. Think about the wives who can hear that their husbands are safe, mothers who can speak to their daughters overseas and children who can hear from their parents. You can help make that happen simply by not putting your old cell phone in that drawer.
There are approximately 15,000 collection points across the nation. For more information or to find a collection point near you, go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com or www.facebook.com/JoinCellPhonesforSoldiers. If you would like to help but do not have a cell phone to donate, consider that a $5 donation equates to 2.5 hours of talk time for a military family.
Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to keep families connected by helping them communicate with their loved ones during deployment. Studies show that one in five returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan have signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the extreme work conditions and feeling a lack of emotional support.
Amazingly, Robbie and Brittany Bergquist are not stopping their work at cell phones. The inspiring brother-sister duo recently introduced a program called Helping Heroes Home, an initiative of Cell Phones for Soldiers. The program's mission is to provide emergency funds for returning veterans to help with communication challenges as well as those involved with assimilating into life after deployment. Sadly, 30% of veterans ages 18-24 were unemployed (according to unpublished 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics data) and over 968,000 veterans ages 18-64 had been in poverty in the past year. For more information, please visit www.helpingheroeshome.org or www.facebook.com/JoinCellPhonesforSoldiers.
Do you have a cell phone in a drawer somewhere that could help our soldiers and veterans stay in touch with loved ones?


text:
To continue in another language, please click one of the links below.
We value your feedback, it will help us improve our service to you in the future.
This is not a sales effort of any kind, your responses to our questions will be kept confidential.
By completing this short survey, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win free gas for a year. You will be prompted at the end of the survey to validate that you want to be part of the Sweepstakes drawing.
Click here for details on our privacy policy.
Click here for more details on the Sweepstakes rules.
Click here to view previous winners.


text:
I kept thinking about creating this new post series – Tried It Loved It. The reason is there are so many recipes online that are awesome and I really would like to share them with you.
I also know that we do not always have time to search the web and try the recipes. This way, I do the footwork for you and you enjoy the feedback. You still have to make it but at least I tried and tested it for you and you can just go ahead cooking your little heart away, confident the recipe is great.
So today's' Tried It Loved It Series feature is Homemade Hoisin Sauce from Omnivores Cookbook blog. Give it a try. It came out really great and my hubbies' new favorite sauce for his lunches.
Click here to get your recipe.
Sharing is caring!!! Please like us and subscribe – helps me a lot so I can bring you free content. Share with your family and friends through our user friendly social media sharing buttons.
Svetlana "Free2BFit360"


text:
After surprising us on Friday with its first-place debut, Think Like A Man has surprised again with its estimated $33 million haul from 2,015 locations. That is the best per-screen average of the week (wide releases) and it nearly doubles expectations for the comedy. In second place, The Lucky One earned a solid $22.8 million and then there's The Hunger Games… not sick of hearing about that one yet, are you?
|Walk Like a Man
|The Lucky One
|The Hunger Games
|The Three Stooges
|Cabin in the Woods
|American Reunion
|Titanic 3D
|21 Jump Street
|Mirror, Mirror
Just for old-time's sake, let's start out by acknowledging The Hunger Games and its remarkable success. You probably know that it is the first movie since Avatar to claim four weekends at number one; but it has an advantage over the highest-grossing movie of all time: it also spent 28 consecutive days at number one. Avatar's run from December 2009 through February 2010 was interrupted a few times – by Sherlock Holmes, The Book of Eli and, finally, Dear John. As of Saturday, The Hunger Games' domestic total of $356.9 million puts it in the All-Time top twenty, and its worldwide total of $550 million is nothing to sneer at either. So, that's done. Now we won't have to talk about Katniss again until the sequel.
As I mentioned, the movie that ended the Hunger Games' reign is the comedy Talk Like A Man. If you didn't see it coming, don't worry. Almost no one did. Ever since Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself caught me off-guard in 2009, I have tried not to underestimate African-American cinema. But then, this February, Perry's Good Deeds came and went with almost no fanfare so, I lose no matter what I write. Just for reference, in three days, Think Like A Man made nearly as much as Good Deeds did over its entire run. In fact, the comedy beat the openings of all Tyler Perry features except Madea Goes To Jail ($41 million in 2009).
So, how did Think Like A Man do it? First, the film is based on Steve Harvey's best-selling book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man. You may have seen the comedian promoting it during one of his, oh, 57 talk-show appearances this year. Second, it had excellent audience approval ratings and solid marketing. And third, it had a likable ensemble cast including Gabrielle Union and comedian Kevin Hart. Box office watchers may recall Hart from another surprise last September: when his independent concert film Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain made almost $2 million in its first weekend in just 98 theatres.
I mentioned yesterday that the smart money was on Warner Bros.' The Lucky One to take top honors this weekend. That's because it is another in novelist Nicholas Sparks' seemingly unending string of popular romantic dramas. Let's see, there's The Notebook, of course, and Dear John and… at least four others. The studio kept expectations modest ($15 million), so The Lucky One is now looking like an 'overperformer' with its estimated $22.8 million from 3,155 locations.
Friday was Earth Day, which means another documentary release from DisneyNature. The studio's fourth G-rated feature, Chimpanzees, opened to an estimated $10.2 million from 1,536 locations. That tops the $8.8 million of DisneyNature's Earth, from 2009, and represents the highest debut in the specialty-label's history.
In international news, Universal's much-maligned Battleship looks like its thriving overseas. In ten days the film has earned a reported $125 million from its 50 territories. The film will not open in the US until May 18th so the hope is that solid international numbers will keep this behemoth from sinking.
Next week brings a mixed bag of new releases as the Judd Apatow-produced The Five-Year Engagement, the animated Pirates! Band of Misfits and the Edgar Allan Poe drama The Raven all crowd into theatres. No blockbusters are expected so, unlike last year when summer started in April with Fast Five, 2012's glory days will have to wait until May… as God intended.


text:
Yes, meteor showers are associated with comets. It is basically the Earth moving across the orbital path of a comet and encountering the dust and particles that were left behind by the comet.comingfrom wrote:Meteorite showers like the Leonids aren't from comets, are they?
Or maybe they are from one that disintegrated.


text:
Blogging has been a true blessing for me. Not only have I been able to share my knowledge about all things vegetarian, but I have also been fortunate to get to know countless of my readers and other bloggers. It has also been great to grow and develop into a professional blogger, which is something I hadn't really intended to do. I must have created something new and fresh, because within a short space of time, I had thousands of subscribers, received hundreds of emails every day and was also soon approached by companies who wanted to advertise their products and services on my blog. Without realizing it, I had learned the craft of effective blogging and found out how a blog can make you quite a decent income.
Because I had always wanted to use my blog as a meeting place for vegetarians and wannabe vegetarians, I took the decision early on to ask people to contribute content to my site. The first few were people I knew from my local store, a well-known nutritionist, a chef from a local vegetarian eatery and the owner of the store. These very first few guest posts proved to be hugely inspiring to me and all of my readers and highlighted the immense benefits of collaboration and sharing. After all, I wanted to build a vibrant vegetarian community online and what better way to do it than by asking people to submit guest posts. Some of them were reluctant at first, thinking that what they had to say would not be sufficiently relevant, but my power of persuasion hasn't let me down yet and in the end they were all glad that they did indeed submit interesting posts.
Other contributors have included high profile food bloggers and I found myself learning lots about the art of blogging, how to write an inspiring post, how to structure it and make it thought-provoking and how to use a blog post to educate as well as entertain. I also experienced the campaigning-power of blogging first hand, particularly when I undertook to examine and highlight the abuses of the meat industry. Bloggers can be quite powerful, especially when posts are further shared through the various social media platforms. Monetizing my blog is another thing guest bloggers helped me achieve and I am eternally grateful to them all.
Because I have been so privileged as a blogger and know just precisely what makes a successful blog, I like reaching out to newbies and enlighten them with my knowledge and experience. Going from a blog with zero readers to a well-read, high-profile blog that allows for a nice advertising income is not rocket-science, but it does require a considerable amount of skill and know how.
I would be delighted to have you submit a guest post and I most certainly never turn any seasoned bloggers away. I find it's always a win-win for all involved, myself, the guest blogger and my many readers.
To give you an idea of the type of topics I like to cover on my blog, please take a look at the following list. Needless to say, I am always open to suggestions and urge anyone with a punchy title to get in touch.
You can do so by emailing me at firstname.lastname@example.com or with the contact form below.
The list of topics is as follows:
- Being a Parent
- Educations
- Kids and Teenagers
- Newborns
- Pregnancy
- Blogging Tips
- Family Budget
- Fitness and Exercise
- Health and Medicine
- Hobbies
- Lifestyle Tips
- Living Space
- Pets
- Product Reviews
- Vegetarian Food and Recipes
As you can gather from this list, the content of my blog reaches far beyond pure vegetarianism and is intended to cover just about any health, family and blogging issue.
If you are unsure of what a blog post title may look like, I am listing a couple of possible titles:
- Tofu Made Tasty
- Are Vegetarian Dog and Cat Foods Just a Silly Fad?
- How Being a Vegetarian Can Save You Lots of Cash and Still Make You Super Healthy
These are merely suggestions, I am confident you have a perfectly good title in mind already.
Submitting a Guest Post is Childsplay – The Benefits Incredible
As a blogger, I always make sure that the process is kept simple and straightforward and these are the short few steps you need to go through to submit your post for publication:
- Get in touch by using the contact form on my site or by emailing me at firstname.lastname@example.com. Include as much information as you can about yourself and your post.
- Wait and see how quickly we respond! I will read your submission, idea or concept and reply with some feedback and information on the next steps.
- Perfect your post with us through discussions and editing.
- Wait for the publication of your brilliant post.
The process is super simple, the benefits, however, far-reaching:
- Access to thousands of readers
- Your profile will shoot through the roof
- You gain valuable blogging insight and experience
- We give you full credit and highlight a link to your own blog or website
- You may be asked to write for other websites
You see, submitting a guest post to my website is a must, so go ahead and get your post ready!


text:
Coca-Cola is pursuing a new PR strategy with the company's first advertising foray into the national obesity debate. The ads, launched on Monday, come as the soda industry faces increasing scrutiny over the role that soft drinks play in the obesity epidemic, while it faces a declining share of the U.S. beverage market.
The Associated Press describes the new ads:
The Atlanta-based company on Monday will begin airing a two-minute spot during the highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC in hopes of becoming a more influential voice in the intensifying debate over sodas and their impact on public health. The ad lays out Coca-Cola's record of providing drinks with fewer calories over the years and notes that weight gain is the result of consuming too many calories of any kind — not just soda.
In the ad, a narrator notes that obesity is an issue that "concerns all of us" but that people can make a difference when they "come together."
A second ad "features a montage of activities that add up to burning off the '140 happy calories' in a can of Coke."
But soda's impact on health is a little more complicated than that. One-third of the sugar in Americans' diets come from soda and sweetened beverages, and ample research links soft drinks to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. One study found children's odds of becoming obese increased 60 percent for each additional 12-ounce soda. American children consume an estimated 7 trillion calories each year from soda.
In fact, research suggests that even when Coca-Cola touts diet soda as a healthy option, the company is still advertising a product that is linked to weight gain, heart attack, and stroke risks.
While Coca-Cola runs these ads, it will likely continue to wage well-funded battles against efforts to implement a soda tax, through the trade group American Beverage Association.


text:
Four car guys with a free day and two Porsche Cayennes at our disposal - what do YOU think we're gonna do?
Of course - get on the Internet and look for a go-kart track.
If you're in Leipzig Germany, that Google search will fetch up "Sax Racing Gmbh".
Closer examination reveals this to be an indoor track. It's too nice a day for that.
So "Motordrom Belleben" it is.
It's about 85 km from Leipzig, about a 25 minute drive in Germany. If Julian Fantino were the Top Cop here, the entire country would be in jail.
When we arrived, there were only two other drivers at the venue, both local racers getting the winter bugs out of their machines - and themselves - in preparation for the coming season.
Where were the rest of the locals? On such a beautiful Saturday morning?
Oh well - their loss; our gain.
Two euros each for a 'head condom', a cotton balaclava to prevent cootie migration from the 'you-wouldn't-let-your-kid-ride-her-bike-in-one-of-these' plastic helmets, and 12 euros each for ten minutes of track time. Thus began the first (we can't call it 'annual' until next year) Cayenne Cup Kart Championship.
The business model for a public kart track means low speeds (less danger = lower insurance premiums). Our resident karting expert estimated these single-cylinder rockets had maybe three and a half horsepower.
At least that was 'each', not 'in total'.
Profitability also means tires that last forever, which means hard as hockey pucks, which means - no grip!
Hey; spins are part of the fun.
Success in karting, as in all car racing, depends largely on the car. As near as we could tell, these rental units were about as evenly matched as it gets.
Talent, driver weight, experience - and the treachery of your fellow competitors - also play major roles.
Russ Bond, ("I'm James!" sez I. "I'm Bond!" sez he. "Together," we chorus, "we're James Bond!"); Derek McNaughton from Ottawa; former Wheels contributor and now Porsche Canada PR guy Laurance Yap; and Your Obedient Servant comprised said competitors.
Surprisingly, I wasn't looking too bad on the weight criterion, despite all the schnitzel I'd eaten over the previous couple of days. We were all within about 10 kilos of each other, but I was second-lightest.
And what I gave up in talent and experience - I had karted once in the past fifteen years - I figured I could make up with a variation on that old adage: "Age and treachery will defeat youth and enthusiasm every time."
I forgot that other old adage: "Never under-estimate your competitors."
The details of who won and who lost don't really matter.
Unless you won.
Enough said.
Actually, McNaughton won both heats - yes, we went twice - but only because Bond, a former pro racer and owner of a new 'karting for kids' business, slowed down now and then to let the rest of us catch up.
He also shunted each of us off the track at least once.
Old adage time again: "If you ain't rubbin', you ain't racin'!"
We also had to be wary of the racing karts which whizzed by us like we were painted on the pavement, on what seemed like every third lap.
After the 'competition', when the real racers were taking their lunch break, we set up the photo you see here.
BTW, I currently hold the Motodrom Belleben lap record for a Porsche Cayenne, by virtue of having been the only person to ever drive a Cayenne around this tight, twisty little circuit. Derek backed the other Cayenne into position.
Our thanks to Maic Wolter (that's him in the yellow Number 32) and his racing buddies for the 'foreground'. Good luck this season, guys.


text:
We would love to hear some feedback from the assistants! Do you have any topics you would like to discuss??
Discussion4 Comments
We are changing our policy on how we handle orthotic coverage with patients. Previously we checked with all insurance companies (except the standards we knew never covered) prior to orthotic casting with patients. It has been a discussion topic that many physician offices do not even check, they automatically tell patients they are non covered and collect for the services. I was interested in knowing if you then submitted all orthotics to insurance companies to see if they were covered and how you handled the ones who actually required a pre authorization number in order to receive coverage (in our state this is required for certain insurance companies). Thank you in advance for your feed back.
Leave A Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
Sir James Dyson is on a mission to reignite British design and engineering after opening the Royal College of Art Dyson building. The central feature of this space will be a set of 40 incubators for young designers and engineers to cultivate British invention, where the chosen start-ups will be given working space, industry mentors and access to angel investors to help commercialise their ideas. Once each start-up has made their business viable they will fly the nest making room for new designers and engineers to replace them.
Dyson told Humans Invent, "I think it is important that we help bright young engineers and designers bridge the gap from having a great idea to making it a commercial success. Developing a product is a slow, frustrating process, so they need all the support they can get. There are some ingenious new inventions in the building and the idea is that they become self-sufficient, ultimately exporting across the world."
At the moment postgraduate research scientists can earn as little as £7,000 a year -- not surprisingly many would-be scientists change tack and go into the city or law where they can earn a decent wage. Dyson is currently trying to persuade David Cameron to get the government to pay research scientists at least £30,000 a year.
He has donated £5m to the building which also houses new fine art and print-making facilities, in the hope of encouraging young innovators to follow through with their ideas. It may also serve to show schoolchildren who are considering a career in design and engineering but are put off by the tough economic realities of following such a career.
He says, "Sustainable wealth is created from the creation of tangible patentable goods – real technology that can be made and exported, but the bright designers and engineers capable of developing such technology are simply not around."
Dyson continues, "Britain only creates around 12,000 engineering graduates a year. India graduates 1.2 million engineers a year. China's engineering graduates will grow from 2.6 million in 2010 to 3.6 million in 2015. Iran and the Philippines both produce more engineers than the UK. The problem is serious. Britain will simply be left behind."
Dyson believes the hubs will help incubate young talent, making it easier for young innovators to succeed as entrepreneurs. He says, "By clustering new design and engineering led ventures in the building, ideas, resources and thinking can be quickly shared. It spurs ideas and gives them access to expertise. Hubs are about bridging the gap between academia, business and inventors."
We spoke to two of the start-ups currently developing their businesses at the hub. The first, called Loowat, is creating toilets that can produce biogas for use in generating heat and electricity as well as creating fertilizer which can be sold by the owner of the loo. Virginia Gardiner of Loowat says, "The toilet seals waste in biopolymer film, using a patented sealing mechanism that creates an odourless, continuous seal and separates liquids from solids in the process. The waste is then transferred into an anaerobic digester which produces natural gas and digestate, a nutrient-rich liquid that can be further treated to make fertilizer."
Gardiner believes they have gained a lot from the collaborative atmosphere at RCA Dyson. She says, "The hub has been a rich resource of feedback, tips, experiences and ideas. Most of all, it's fun to be working in a place where you can watch others progressing their projects and encourage one another."
The second start-up, Kwikscreen, has created portable, retractable room dividers. The product was used at the 2012 Olympics for the athletes' clinics and has been bought by over 60 NHS trusts. Michael Korn of KwikScreen says, "It allows space to be re-conceptualised, shifting according to need and creating privacy where previously there was none. Printed screens can transform the look and feel of a space too. As such, they are perfect for hospitals where space is at a premium. RolaTube technology allows it to be stretched and manipulated to form flexible walls."
Korn believes Kwikscreen has benefited from the entrepreneurial environment at RCA Dyson, which he says, 'has given us a real advantage with recruitment – people feel excited and want to help us grow. The RCA Dyson Building encourages expansion and is creating the conditions for KwickScreen to become even more of a commercial success."
Hopefully this model for promoting British innovation will be taken up by other institutions in an effort to halt the decline in British industry and encourage entrepreneurialism in the minds of our emerging bright young things. After all, we don't want to be a nation that gets left behind.
Humans Invent is an online space dedicated to celebrating innovation, craftsmanship and design fueled by our most natural instinct – the pursuit of invention to help solve a human need. You can read their original article here.


text:
New York appeals court strikes down large soda ban
The court wrote that the city's Board of Health can ban "inherently harmful" foodstuffs, but soda does not fall under that category.
New York's Supreme Court Appellate Division ruled against a proposed limit on the size of sugary beverages served in city restaurants on Tuesday, writing that the city Board of Health acted unconstitutionally to enact the rule. The four-judge panel's unanimous opinion says the Board of Health may ban "inherently dangerous" foodstuffs from being served, but soda and sugary beverages do not fall under that category. The court also says the board cannot craft rules based on economic or political concerns.
The city's legal team said it would appeal soon. "Today's decision is a temporary setback, and we plan to appeal this decision as we continue the fight against the obesity epidemic," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
I want to hear from you. Tell me how we can improve.