text:
These pages have closely followed the civil lawsuit of Sanford Wadler (the former General Counsel and Secretary of Bio-Rad Laboratories) against the company and certain executive officers and board members alleging various unfair employment practices including that Wadler was terminated for blowing the whistle on certain potential FCPA issues.
As highlighted in this previous post, Wadler's claims were fully litigated and in February 2017 a jury awarded Wadler $2.9 million in back pay and stock compensation and $5 million for punitive damages. The district court doubled the compensatory award pursuant to Dodd-Frank for a total award of approximately $11 million. As highlighted in this previous post, Bio-Rad filed an appeal in the Ninth Circuit challenging various aspects of the trial court decision.
Yesterday in this fragmented decision the Ninth Circuit largely ruled in favor of Wadler. Nevertheless, the court did conclude that the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was not a "rule or regulation of the SEC" as that phrase in used in Section 806 of SOX which prohibits in certain instances issuers from retaliating against an employee who reports misconduct.
In terms of relevant background, as stated in the court's opinion:
"At the close of trial, the judge gave several jury instructions concerning when an employee engages in "protected activity" for purposes of SOX, [relevant case law], and Dodd-Frank. For each of the three claims, the instructions stated that Wadler had to prove he engaged in protected activity under SOX, which in turn depended on whether he disclosed conduct that he reasonably believed violated a "rule or regulation of the" SEC. The main instruction at issue in this appeal, Instruction 21, stated that, under "the rules and regulations of the [SEC] applicable to Bio-Rad," it is unlawful to (1) bribe a foreign official; (2) fail to keep accurate and reasonably detailed books and records; (3) knowingly falsify books and records; and (4) knowingly circumvent a system of internal accounting controls."
In a footnote, the court stated:
"For simplicity, throughout this opinion we refer to the books-andrecords provisions listed in paragraphs two and three of Instruction 21, and the internal accounting controls provision in paragraph four of Instruction 21, collectively as the "books-and-records" provisions."
The court continued:
"The jury returned a verdict in favor of Wadler on all three claims. As to all three claims in general, the jury awarded Wadler $2.96 million in compensatory damages for past economic loss against both Defendants. The district court doubled that amount under Dodd-Frank's doubling provision, 15 U.S.C. § 78u-6(h)(1)(C)(ii), resulting in a total award of $5.92 million plus interest against Schwartz. Because the jury also awarded Wadler $5 million in punitive damages against the Company based on the Tameny claim, the total award against the Company was $10.92 million plus interest.
Bio-Rad subsequently filed a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law ("JMOL") and a motion for new trial. Bio-Rad argued, inter alia, that Wadler's disclosure of alleged FCPA violations was not protected activity under SOX because provisions of the FCPA, a statute, do not constitute SEC rules or regulations for purposes of SOX § 806. The district court denied Bio-Rad's motions. The court concluded that the FCPA is a "rule or regulation of the SEC" for purposes of SOX because "the FCPA is an amendment to the Securities . . . Exchange Act of 1934 and is codified within it." This appeal followed."
As stated by the court:
"Section 806 of SOX prohibits publicly traded companies from retaliating against an employee who lawfully reports
any conduct which the employee reasonably believes constitutes a violation of [18 U.S.C.] section 1341 [mail fraud], 1343 [wire fraud], 1344 [bank fraud], or 1348 [securities fraud], any rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any provision of Federal law relating to fraud against shareholders . . . . 18 U.S.C. § 1514A(a)(1).
The question before us is whether the district court erred by instructing the jury that, for purposes of § 806, rules or regulations of the SEC include the FCPA's books-and-records provisions, 15 U.S.C. § 78m(b)(5), (2)(A), and anti-bribery provision, id. § 78dd1(a). We conclude that the court erred."
The court's opinion largely consisted of old-fashioned statutory construction. As stated by the court:
"In construing the provisions of a statute, "we begin with well-settled canons of statutory interpretation." Zazzali v. United States (In re DBSI, Inc.), 869 F.3d 1004, 1010 (9th Cir. 2017). "A primary canon of statutory interpretation is that the plain language of a statute should be enforced according to its terms, in light of its context." ASARCO, LLC v. Celanese Chem. Co., 792 F.3d 1203, 1210 (9th Cir. 2015). We also presume that Congress acts intentionally when it uses particular wording in one part of a statute but omits it in another. Dep't of Homeland Sec. v. MacLean, 135 S. Ct. 913, 919 (2015). Thus, when a statute uses the phrase "law, rule, or regulation" in one section but uses only "law" in a different section, the word "law" does not encompass administrative rules or regulations. Id. at 919–20; Dep't of Treasury, IRS v. Fed. Labor Relations Auth., 494 U.S. 922, 931–32 (1990).
Applying these principles here, we hold that § 806's text is clear: an FCPA provision is not a "rule or regulation of the [SEC]." 18 U.S.C. § 1514A(a)(1). Although the words "rule" and "regulation" could perhaps encompass a statute when read in isolation, the more natural and plain reading of these words together and in context is that they refer only to administrative rules or regulations. That the phrase "rule or regulation" is used in conjunction with an administrative agency, the SEC, suggests that it encompasses only administrative rules or regulations. Most notably, Congress uses the phrase "any rule or regulation of the [SEC]" in the same list in which it uses "any provision of Federal law relating to fraud against shareholders," id., which strongly suggests that there is a difference between the meaning of "rule or regulation" and "law." See MacLean, 135 S. Ct. at 919–20; Dep't of Treasury, IRS, 494 U.S. at 931–32. The most obvious explanation is that "law" encompasses statutes, like the FCPA, whereas "rule or regulation" does not.
In sum, statutory provisions of the FCPA, including the three books-and-records provisions and anti-bribery provision listed in Instruction 21, are not "rules or regulations of the SEC" under SOX § 806. The district court erred in instructing the jury otherwise."
The Ninth's Circuit's decision in Wadler is rather narrow in its application given the specific words of Section 806. More broadly though, the statutory construction analysis of the appellate court is interesting because the FCPA contains a number of words that Congress intended to mean something and conversely does not contain certain words that Congress intended to omit from the FCPA. This statutory construction analysis is relevant to so many FCPA issues.
In case you are wondering, after passage of the FCPA the SEC did indeed adopt rules to further implement certain of the FCPA's provisions.
So-called Rule 13b2-1 provides that "no person shall directly or indirectly, falsify or cause to be falsified, any book, record or account subject to" the books and records provisions.
So-called Rule 13b2-2 provides, in pertinent part, that "no director or officer of an issuer shall, directly or indirectly"
(1) Make or cause to be made a materially false or misleading statement to an accountant in connection with; or
(2) Omit to state, or cause another person to omit to state, any material fact necessary in order to make statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading, to an accountant in connection with:
(i) Any audit, review or examination of the financial statements of the issuer required to be made pursuant to this subpart; or
(ii) The preparation or filing of any document or report required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to this subpart or otherwise.
These rules are clearly "rules or regulations of the SEC" and the Ninth Circuit concluded that there was "sufficient evidence to support a SOX verdict under a properly formulated falsification instruction."
FCPA Institute - Denver (May 4-5)
A unique two-day learning experience ideal for a diverse group of professionals seeking to elevate their FCPA knowledge and practical skills through active learning. Learn more, spend less. CLE credit is available.Learn More & Register


text:
IIHS Bangalore City Campus Library, No 197/36, 2nd Main, Sadashivanagar, Bangalore - 560080, Karnataka
+91 80-67606666 Exn. 661 | Fax +91 80-23616814 | email@example.com
Everybody loves a good drought : stories from India's poorest districts P. Sainath.
By: Sainath, P.Material type: BookSeries: Social studies. Publisher: New Delhi : Penguin Books, 1996Description: xiii, 470 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.ISBN: 9780140259841 (pbk.); 0140259848.Subject(s): Rural poor -- Fiction | India -- Social life and customs -- FictionDDC classification: 307.720954 SAI Online resources: Table of contents
|Item type
|Current location
|Call number
|Date due
|Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore
|307.720954 SAI 001516 (Browse shelf)
Includes bibliographical references (p. [459]-467) and index.
There are no comments for this item.
Log in to your account to post a comment.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
To give you an insight on what a great place we work at, we've put together a list of People you could and would expect to see if you ever decided to join the HomeServe family.
They get things done; no matter how. Walking, talking… even hopping.
Funny Guys
If laughter is the best medicine, we've got plenty of doctors!
No matter what the task, we get things done… and majestically at that.
They're always here – offices become bedrooms. The thing about working hard is… we play pretty hard too.
Fitness Buffs
They take fitness to the next level. Doing a great job and looking good; it's how we roll.
Look interesting? Of course it does! If you fancy joining the team or seeing whether you'd be a nice fit into our family, head on over to our careers hub to see if we've got something for you.


text:
BFO1064 – Olive Oyl
Standard Podcast [ 20:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
The Fat One natters about his trip to the Von's East and the P.O. Box and reads a few of Life's Instructions for your weekend. Plus there's a visit to Spotting Big Fatty! Happy Weekend.


text:
It's been a month since the last playtest and now it's time to share with you some development news. We had a number of heated discussions and decided to implement two game modes into Frozen Fame. Each mode will offer players versatile emotions and game experience.
First of all, Frozen Flame is a fascinating story about the lands of mighty dragons with a well-thought-out world. Plot there retains a high profile, though it's tough to reveal all the events of Arcana within only one game mode. This is why we decided to have two of them: "Story" and "Cataclysm".
Story mode will immerse you into the narrative of the ancient lands with a vast open world to explore: fields, mountains, caves, swamps, deserts, secret points of interest and much more… The plot unfolds with your actions so don't make rash decisions. You will encounter a lot of tricky and deadly enemies — get ready for a fight! The Frozen Flame story mode will be available for solo and co-op walkthrough.
"Cataclysm" is a hardcore multiplayer mode with survival genre elements, where PVP becomes one of the main features. The essential idea for this mode is an imminent doom. If players do not accomplish the mission given by local NPCs, the world will collapse. Freezing cold, darkness, lack of resources, harsh conditions, cursed monsters and other untrustworthy players await if you dare to survive the cataclysm.
The new Alpha 5 playtest is just around the corner and soon we will announce the dates, so stay tuned. The ancient lands of dragons are yet to be saved!


text:
A challenge that Rival Consoles' Ryan Lee West takes up with gusto and earnestness. Persona is a gloriously potent success story, and a testament to his talent that he's managed to make one of the warmest and most reflective albums of the year so far, electronic or otherwise.
Persona is uneasy listening, with heavier rhythms and more fragmented melodies than West deployed on previous works like Howl and Night Melody, yet it's equally engrossing. It leaves a deep psychic impression—a truly "arthouse" album that begs repeated revisiting, to explore its many conflicting faces.
Layers of synths gleam and emit what sounds like distant alien transmissions, gradually coaxing almost overwhelming levels of euphoria to the surface, creating the kind of urgency when you feel overwhelmed by the sudden memory of someone who has long since passed through your life.
Rival Consoles certainly holds a blueprint to the dreamworld contained within Persona.
This is West at both his most majestic and his most miscellaneous. Here, he's constantly toying at the surface, plumbing depths, propelling tracks forward with a craftsman's touch.
Persona is without doubt his best yet.
For body and mind ... this is a powerfully affecting release, one that cements Rival Consoles as one of the brightest jewels in the heavily studded Erased Tapes crown.
For his latest album Persona, West nuzzles deeper into these soft, billowy ideas while slowly, happily pulling on a stray thread in his work that is helping to unwind his aesthetic.
On Persona, this sound has once again taken a step forward in craft. Though the direction of the music hasn't changed substantially, Ryan Lee West's 4th album as Rival Consoles is subtler and more intricate than past work.
The album edges Rival Consoles a little bit closer to some of West's Erased Tapes labelmates, but he hasn't gone fully neo-classical yet. Instead, Persona is another exquisite album of immaculately produced techno which strikingly examines abstract emotions.
|Piccadilly Records


text: The Illinois Department of Insurance published an analysis of 2017 health plans Friday based on final price increases approved by state and federal regulators. Statewide, the average rate increase for the lowest cost ``silver'' plan is 45 percent. (Silver is a label of a middle-tier plan that's been a popular choice.) Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, with more than 350,000 marketplace customers, is increasing its individual plan rates by 51 percent overall. Insurers are making up for unanticipated medical and drug costs and payments from the federal government they didn't receive. Open enrollment for HealthCare.gov starts Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 31.


text:
Naples Botanical Garden - Naples, FL - December 3, 2018
Botanicals: An Intimate Portrait by Laurie Tennent, 1-3 PM
The Naples Garden Club has invited Laurie to be the Guest Speaker at their December 3rd event. The presentation is open to the public, and will take place at Kapnick Hall in Naples, Florida at 1 PM. Laurie will discuss her unique art and inspiration, developed over her 30 year career of photographing botanicals. For more information on the event or to register to attend, visit the link below.
Marshall Fredericks - Saginaw, MI - June 22 - Sept 22, 2017
Artist Garden Walk - September 21, 1-2 pm
Oakland University - Hiberna Flores - Jan 7 - Feb 19, 2017
Artists' Talk & Catalog Launch: Sunday, February 12 2PM
" 'A rose is a rose is a rose…' Gertrude Stein's semiotic-inflected phrase beautifully extrapolates on the fact that a flower is an indivisible aesthetic cul-de-sac, a fundamental adorable form. In winter, this intimates that the next best thing to a living rose is a picture of one. This exhibition embodies the idea of creating an overarching environment or an inclusive artistic synthesis through the work of artists Laurie Tennant and Lisa Waud. Using flowers as object and imitation, signified and signifier, life and art, the gallery becomes a place to contemplate the living and the dead and the interplay between the joy of existence and the grief of memorialization, which is in essence at the core of our preoccupation with the meaning of a photograph of the living, to inevitably become a remembrance of the once alive..." -Dick Goody, Curator
Chicago Botanic Garden
More than 20 works by Tennent were featured at The Chicago Botanic Garden from April 18-September 25, 2016. To prepare for the show, the Detroit-based artist went to Chicago to work with botanists to add unusual specimens to her portfolio. Curated by Exhibitions Manager Gabriel Hutchinson, this is the first of a national tour of Tennent's work, Botanicals: Intimate Portraits.
3 Year Installation on the Detroit Riverfront
Tennent's work was chosen by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to be featured in a three year installation on the Riverwalk. Oriental Poppy and Desmanthus can be found just east of the Ren Cen through 2018. Another wonderful reason to make it downtown Detroit and wander the beautiful Riverfront.
Robert Kidd Gallery: Solo Show
Tennent's work has been represented by Robert Kidd Gallery in Birmingham, MI for over a decade. Her work was featured in a solo show for the month of April. The opening also raised money for the Kelly Fund- an emergency relief fund providing scholarship money for students attending College for Creative Studies in Detroit.


text:
Ed Morrissey has blogged at Captain's Quarters since 2003, and has a daily radio show at BlogTalkRadio, where he serves as Political Director. Called "Captain Ed" by his readers, Ed is a father and grandfather living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, a native Californian who moved to the North Star State because of the weather.
Bye, Bye, Roy
Roy Scheider passed away yesterday after a lengthy bout with multiple myeloma. At seventy-five, Scheider had proven his mettle on both stage and screen, and as both leading man and character actor. He was 75 years old:
Roy Scheider, a stage actor with a background in the classics who became one of the leading figures in the American film renaissance of the 1970s, died on Sunday afternoon in Little Rock, Ark. He was 75 and lived in Sag Harbor, N.Y.
Mr. Scheider had suffered from multiple myeloma for several years, and died of complications from a staph infection, his wife, Brenda Seimer, said.
Mr. Scheider's rangy figure, gaunt face and emotional openness made him particularly appealing in everyman roles, most famously as the agonized police chief of "Jaws," Steven Spielberg's 1975 breakthrough hit, about a New England resort town haunted by the knowledge that a killer shark is preying on the local beaches.
Apologies to Spielberg, but Scheider's brilliance didn't exactly get a lot of notice in Scheider's most famous film of the time, playing against a mechanical shark. (Neither did Richard Dreyfus or Robert Shaw, for that matter; what a cast that film had!). He had already established himself as a powerful presence in Klute and The French Connection before Jaws.
The film that put all of Scheider's talents and energy on display came not long afterward was Bob Fosse's megalomaniacal tour de force, All That Jazz. Scheider essentially played Fosse, whose attempt to stage the musical Chicago -- and his excessive life -- nearly killed him. Scheider had to rely on his stage instincts, singing and dancing, while providing an absolutely gripping and sympathetic performance as a man who was difficult to like. The film culminated in a 20-minute death scene extravaganza with Ben Vereen, a dance number based on the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love", transformed into a Vegas-style number called "Bye Bye Life".
It's one of my favorite films, despite its excesses, or perhaps because of them. Scheider somehow made the excesses seem real. He could do that; he provided grit as an antidote to glitz. In later films, like 52 Pick-up and 2010, and as a supporting actor in RKO 281, Scheider's realistic and impassioned portrayals made the films compelling. IMDB lists two films in the can for release this year, Iron Cross and Dark Honeymoon. I'm looking forward to seeing both.
Bye, bye, Roy. You gave us everything you had, and we thank you.
Expelled: The Movie
The bloggers at CPAC received an invitation to screen a new documentary on academic intolerance called Expelled: The Movie this evening. The documentary features Ben Stein on a quest to understand the near-hysteria caused by scientists who so much as broach the idea of intelligent design in papers or in research. It follows Stein as he interviews professors denied tenure, editors fired, and journalists shunned for touching the subject even at its most innocuous levels.
Before discussing my feelings about the film, which is still in post-production and will not go into release until April, I should explain my approach to the ID/evolution debate. I believe evolution is demonstrably proven in enough examples to say that its effect on variation in species cannot be denied. The example I used tonight in discussing this with another viewer (certainly not the only example) is antibiotic effects on bacteria. Antibiotics that kill 99% of bacteria eventually promote the survival and the expansion of the 1% that resist them, created superbacteria that require another set of antibiotics to cure, and so on.
That said, evolution does not interfere with my faith in God. God certainly could have created the universe with a design that included life. The rational laws of nature would include evolution, as well as the myriad of other rational and mathematically provable mechanisms that undergird nature. In fact, the impulse of man to discover the rational laws of nature began with the belief in a rational God, as scientists understood nature's rationality to reveal an intelligent Creator.
I'd go deeper than that, but Dinesh D'Souza covers it nicely enough already in his book What's So Great About Christianity, and it's getting late enough as it is. Suffice it to say that evolution doesn't present a threat to my worldview.
Rationally, we have to admit that some use ID as an excuse to teach the more literal form of Creationism that has been used to argue against evolution entirely, especially against teaching evolution in primary-school classrooms. That admission does not appear in Expelled, which is a glaring omission. It tends to take out of context the frustration some scientists have about ID, and its place in polarizing the debate over its use. Properly framed, ID accepts all of the science without accepting its transformation into its own belief system.
What do I mean by that? In this, the film does an excellent job of demonstrating atheism as a belief system. Atheism as represented by Richard Dawkings and others in this film gets exposed as exactly the kind of belief system they claim to despise. They can't prove God exists -- and they can't prove God doesn't exist. They make the common fallacy of arguing that absence of evidence amounts to evidence of absence.
But in a way, this is all secondary to the real issue of the film: academic intolerance. The debate over ID vs Darwinism sets the table for a truly disturbing look at academia. Science should be about the free debate and research of ideas and hypotheses for duplicable results and provable theorems. However, as the examples Stein and the film provide amply show, the Darwinist academic establishment will brook no dissent from the orthodoxy -- and scientists have to be shown with hidden faces to speak to the issue for the film.
Amusingly, Stein asks people how the first cell came to be. None of the scientists could give him a straight answer. Dawkins himself admits he doesn't know and that no one else does, either -- but postulates that aliens could have brought life to this planet, and then postulates that another alien civilization could have brought life to that planet, and so on. He then concedes that one entity could have been the original source ... but insists that entity could not possibly have been God. For this he gives absolutely no evidence at all, relegating it as a belief system somewhat akin to Scientology.
All of this is extremely effective, as are the many allusions made to the Berlin Wall during the film. The theme runs throughout, and it explicitly refers to the defensive academic establishment as having built a wall that tramples on freedom of thought and discourse. Less effective is the heavy references to the Nazis in the movie. Although emotionally affecting for some obvious reasons, the fact is that while the Nazis were mostly Darwinists (along with a lot of other things), the vast majority of Darwinists aren't Nazis. Certainly the eugenicists in Nazi Germany were mightily influenced by Darwinism, but America had its own eugenicists, which the film points out.
I should point out that the film has not finished production, and that changes will be made between now and its release in April. The filmmakers just completed an interview with Christopher Hitchens and will include it in the final cut. I believe other changes may be made which could address some of the criticisms I've written here.
Overall, though, the film presents a powerful argument not for intelligent design as much as for the freedom of scientific inquiry. If scientists get punished for challenging orthodoxy, we will not expand our learning but ossify it in concrete. Expelled: The Movie is entertaining, maddening, funny, and provocative. Keep an eye out for it in theaters in two months.
Gunny Scarlett
In the credit-where-credit's-due department, give a cheer for Scarlett Johansson, the Hollywood film actress and Bush-administration critic. She shelved her political positions in order to brighten the day for a lucky group of Marines, and got a set of stripes for her visit:
If anyone has wondered what can make a battle hardened Marine act like a love-struck high-schooler, the answer is simple—a meet and greet with Scarlett Johansson.
The 23-year-old bombshell met with nearly 600 service members at Camp Buehring, Kuwait Jan. 20 during her five-day United Service Organizations (USO) tour to the Gulf region.
Hundreds of Marines and sailors from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit put on their best smiles as they waited anxiously to get a glimpse of the Hollywood actress.
"I'm a huge Scarlett fan," said Lance Cpl. Nathan Long, a calibration technician with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 166 (REIN), 11th MEU. "When I found out she was coming, I couldn't believe it. All I thought about was that I needed to meet her."
Plenty of celebrities put aside partisan politics to support the troops through the USO. It's good to see Johansson join in keeping morale high among our volunteers. Some of the others may not generate the same kind of morale boost but should also be noted:
Recent USO tours have featured Robin Williams, Drew Carey, Toby Keith, David Letterman, Charles Barkley, Kid Rock, Jessica Simpson, Leeann Tweeden, John Elway, Rascal Flatts, Gary Sinise, Ludacris, James Avery, Tito Puente Jr., Wayne Newton, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, James Gandolfini and Morgan Freeman.
Thanks to all of them. And the Marine with a lipstick imprint on his cheek in the Corps' picture gallery may have some explaining to do when he rotates homeward .... (via Michelle Malkin)
Tired of the political season already? Need a break from the seriousness and the foolishness? If you're looking for a few laughs and you don't care whether they're lowbrow, try renting Idiocracy or catching it on cable. From the creator of "Beavis & Butthead" and "King of the Hill", Idiocracy tells the story about a very average man who gets inadvertently thrust forward five hundred years, when the entire planet has become ... well, pretty damned stupid.
How did that happen? Here's the beginning of the film, which explains it:
This is no Citizen Kane or even There's Something About Mary, but its depiction of politics in 2505 will leave you in tears from laughter, and perhaps with some sense of familiarity. It may not take 500 years for that particular part of the dystopian view to become reality.
Maybe It Would Just Last An Hour
The writers' strike grinds on in Hollywood, with no end in sight for the work stoppage in the entertainment industry. As the days pass, some wonder whether the strike will affect the Oscars -- and if so, what the effect will be. What would an Academy Awards show do without writers?
No official cancellation announcements have been made, but with three prominent award shows just around the corner -- the Golden Globes airs in January, the Grammy's in early February and the Academy Awards just a few weeks later -- industry insiders have been speculating about how the shows will air without a team of writers in place to craft the monologues and introductions.
Former head writer for the Oscars Bruce Vilanch told Variety that an Academy Awards ceremony sans writers would certainly make for interesting -- if not dull -- television.
"There might be an Oscar show, but I fear that it will look more like your high school graduation than it ever has before," Vilanch told the trade publication.
But those close to the awards are carrying on business as usual, despite the dark cloud that continues to linger over Los Angeles.
Emily Friedman must have just moved to LA to have written that last statement. Emily, kid, that dark cloud doesn't come from the writer's strike. It's called smog, and it's been lingering for decades. You'll be fine as long as you don't breathe.
As for Vilanch, he obviously hasn't watched the Oscars since Johnny Carson stopped hosting them. Although I have watched the Oscars since I was a youngster, no one really thinks that the show is anything but dull television. From the sappy and predictable introductions to the unfunny "ad libs" of the sacrificial lamb, er, host,the Academy Awards honors its notables with a show that looks and sounds like a middle-school graduation. Vilanch's analysis promises an upgrade.
And maybe without all of the self-congratulatory speeches and introductions provided by the writers in this case, the show might take less time than a Super Bowl for the first time in long memory. It certainly is worth a try. Hopefully the writers and the studios can reach an accommodation on the issues, for which the writers have a good case. If they're expecting us to believe that their absence could make the Oscars worse, though, they're not going to find much sympathy there.
Hollywood's Messaging Meltdown
Hollywood studios have offered Americans a steady diet of antiwar messaging, but Americans aren't biting. Major releases have tallied less than independent documentaries in US theaters, while family fare and more mainstream films profit from their collapse. Investors Business Daily wonders whether Hollywood has gotten the message on messaging:
Why doesn't Hollywood cut to the chase the next time it wants to insult the public with a new war-on-terror film and just call it "Bombs Away"? As movies depicting U.S. troops as bad guys and terrorists as sensitive, misunderstood souls continue to crank out, the industry needs to take its puny box office returns as a wake-up call from the public.
Despite top star billings, big-foot directors, the best publicity money can buy and critical acclaim, the public just isn't biting. The problem is the content.
"Redacted," gave us the Christmasy theme of Iraqi rape starring U.S. troops as rapists. It drew just $10,039 over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to BoxOfficeMojo, and $34,000 at its open.
Meanwhile "Rendition," which showed terrorists as pensive souls, bombed too. "A Mighty Heart," depicting terrorists' war on the West as "understandable," was a dud. "Syriana," portraying U.S. intelligence officers as crooks in bed with Big Oil, also fared poorly. "Lions For Lambs," a long anti-war monologue, bored people out of the Cineplex.
Critics say the lousy returns show the public is fatigued with the war. But name one film supportive of the U.S. war in Iraq, making heroes of the war's real heroes, such as our troops or even Iraq's democrats. Name one that portrays al-Qaida terrorists as the cold-blooded Islamofascist killers they really are.
The public isn't sated on good Iraq films; in reality, it's famished.
Part of the problem lies with quality as well as the messaging. Brian DePalma made Redacted, and DePalma is one of the most overrated, self-conscious directors in Hollywood. Almost everything he makes sits on the sharp edge of camp, and his latest effort apparently goes way over the edge. Lions for Lambs got panned more for its droning dialogue and dreary pace. A Mighty Heart should have gripped audiences, but the movie drifted away from its central purpose -- recounting the bravery of Daniel Pearl and the death he suffered because of it -- to musing on the moral relativism Hollywood sees in terrorism, a theme explicitly covered in last year's Munich.
IBD says that the success of films like Enchanted shows the market supports films without an anti-US note in it. I'd argue that IBD compares apples and oranges. The film market is broad enough to support a wide range of themes, as long as the filmmakers produce well-made movies in those themes. Enchanted has its messages, too; it pushes back against the hip, cynical attitude of Americans in a more subversive way than some might think. American Gangster explores the underside of American society, and it has proven very popular with filmgoers.
What people find objectionable is the obvious effort put into political messaging this year by Hollywood. It's not that they don't recognize an audience exists for stories about heroes like Paul Smith and Michael Murphy; it's that they appear so contemptuous of that audience. Instead of producing films that address those parts of the War on Terror, they pander to the antiwar political factions -- and as happens with most pandering art, produce mediocrities or worse.
Movie Review: Enchanted
What would happen if a Disney princess got unceremoniously dropped into real life? As the grandfather of a five-year-old girl who practically lives in Disney Princess motif, I have to admit the thought crossed my mind more than once. It also crossed minds at Disney, and the new film Enchanted and its cast fulfills most of the promise of the premise.
*** A few mild spoilers exist in this review. ***
Minnesota-based Amy Adams plays Giselle, a very limited young lady from an enchanted-forest cottage who only dreams of True Love's Kiss. James Marsden plays her equally benighted young prince, Prince Edward. When Edward's wicked stepmother Narissa (voiced and played deliciously by Susan Sarandon) reckons that the marriage of the two will strip her of her crown, she pushes Giselle down a wishing well that sends her out of a New York City manhole -- and into the path of Robert and his young daughter Morgan. As Edward, his footman (and Narissa's secret henchman) Nathaniel, and talking chipmunk Pip attempt to find Giselle, all Andalasia breaks loose in the Big Apple.
The movie moves in predictable but entertaining directions. Giselle transforms the people around her, rescuing people from their cynicism with her fetching naivete and earnestness, especially single father Robert, played by Patrick Dempsey. Dempsey rarely finds himself in Prince Charming roles, and even here he fights against it for most of the movie until forced into the position. Everyone will know that a Happily Ever After lies at the end of this movie -- and maybe more than just one -- but the journey is, well, rather enchanting.
The excellent cast keeps the film from drowning in its conflict between treating fairy-tale conventions as both ironic and as straightforward plot points. The audience might miss the symbolism of Giselle biting into a Big (Poisoned) Apple, but it's there. Giselle can charm New Yorkers into a show stopper of a song-and-dance number, while Edward seems less adept at figuring out New York City and its denizens -- attempting to liberate dozens of people from a metal "beast", and getting stampeded when he attempts his own musical number. Giselle and Edward remain true to themselves as characters, but find some wisdom and love in unexpected places, and Adams and Marsden make it feel honest, especially the underappreciated Adams (Junebug, Catch Me If You Can, Psycho Beach Party).
The climax may be a little too intense for young viewers; Sarandon's transformation would have had the Little Admiral hiding behind a chair if she had been there last night. Otherwise, the film has plenty of enchantment for viewers of all ages. If you're looking for a family film with a little bit of magic and a good deal of heart, Enchanted would make an excellent choice.
Writers Guild Strike: Another Perspective
Shawna Benson wrote a lengthy comment on my previous post -- and in many ways a better argument than Douglas McGrath made in Newsweek or Harold Meyerson in the Washington Post. I'm going to highlight it as its own post.
I'm dismayed that so many people lack understanding of the issues involved. I am a conservative living in Hollywood, an aspiring TV writer, and believe me, I'm no union lover. But, consider the following:
* Not every writer sells work every year. Yes, there is the MBA (Minimum Basic Agreement) for works sold to studios, and many writers make more than the MBA on a screenplay sale, but often that screenplay is the result of a year or more in writing. The contracted minimum for a screenplay today is between $53,000 and $99,000. TV writers, who often only write one or two scripts in a season, can make up to $30,000 for an hour long episode (story and teleplay). Because staff writers are on salary, this is often counted against their salary. Meaning, that in order to make more than $50,000 a year, you'd have to write at least 2 TV scripts in full. Usually the only people making more than the minimums are the head writer (showrunner) who is also a producer and a handful of the exec-producer or co-producers.
* If a songwriter sells a song or a novelist publishes a book, should they not be compensated based on the sales of those works? TV and Film residuals are no different than the royalties other writers receive for their published works.
* Many TV shows today do not get re-run. 'LOST' episodes don't re-run well, and so the network has decided to run the episodes consecutively with no repeats. Without a repeated episode TV writers are not compensated as they used to be.
* Recording a program on a VCR is NOT like downloading or streaming on the internet. The networks sell the broadcast programs for advertising. Those advertising dollars are then used to pay the writers, actors, directors. The studios are selling advertising on streaming video and are selling shows directly to consumers on platforms such as iTunes. The writers receive NO COMPENSATION from these methods of sale. In short, the studios are keeping all of the profits from these distribution methods and are not paying writers at all. Nick Counter, the lead negotiator for the studios stated at the end of the contract talks that shows streamed online or available through paid download services were considered "promotional" and therefore not subject to the residual formulas for DVD, and they do not know how profitable the internet will be for them. By the studios own talking points to their shareholders, however, they sing a different tune.
* The $200,000 average is a misleading indicator of most writers. There are 12,000 Writers Guild members (and I'm not one of them), The MEAN income of a guild member is $4,000 a year. Yes, that means there is a very large distribution. There are the A-list writers who make a lot of money, there are writers making the minimum, and there are writers who aren't getting paid at all because they sold nothing in that calendar year.
* You may not watch a lot of scripted television today, but consider that the DVD formula applies to older shows you may watch and enjoy. 4 cents for every DVD sold. And that's for films. TV is an even more convoluted formula. Ken Levine, a writer on MASH and other shows, stated the following on his blog: "The producers say we already receive royalties from DVD sales. There are no less than fifteen box sets of TV series with my scripts in them. I haven't received a dime. I have gotten $0.19 from American Airlines for showing eight of my episodes on maybe 10,000 flights."
Sorry for the long post, but this isn't a Dem vs. Republican issue. And it isn't a 'big evil corporations' issue, as some would frame it. The business model is changing, and what you are seeing is an industry that is grasping desperately at the remains of the old way of business. As far as the new way go, they fear making a deal with talent to share the wealth, because of uncertainty as to how much wealth they will have. The writers are looking at this form a standpoint of "Won't Be Fooled Again." In 1985 the studios pleaded with the unions that they didn't know how much money was to be made from home VIDEO. They promised that if the guilds agreed to a lower residual rate on video, they would 'make good' on it at some point in the future. 20 years later, the writers, actors and directors are still waiting.
I have a few points to make in response. Writers earn their living in a free market, and so of course compensation will have a large distribution curve. Show me an industry where that does not apply for those who work in free-lance markets. If the compensation for the work truly does not match the labor, people wouldn't take compensation risks to enter the market.
We still have not heard what the residual rates are for other participants, and how they relate to the writers. One commenter says that the cast gets 12 cents per unit to split among them, which makes the four cents for the writers' split seem rather reasonable, since the performers are also selling their likenesses -- and with most casts, the individuals will likely get less revenue than the individual writers on a show.
That being said, I agree that writers for TV and film should have some participation in secondary publication of their work. I also believe that they have the right to organize to secure better working conditions (including compensation), and that they have the right to strike when they feel that they need to do so. However, I'm having a great deal of trouble sympathizing with either side of this dispute, considering the volume of revenue this industry generates now and will in the future. It seems that neither side has reasonable people working on a rational method of compensation, and the strike is a failure by both sides to split an avalanche of cash.
How Many People Care About The Writers Guild Strike?
The Writers Guild went on strike earlier this month, suspending television and film production in Hollywood while they tussle with the studios over residual payments. So far, this has received significant coverage in the media, and today, Newsweek offers one writer the opportunity to explain the reason the writers walked off the job. What Douglas McGrath fails to provide is a reason to care about the issue:
When video came into being, a new accommodation was made, allowing a small residual for tapes and then DVDs. I am not being hyperbolic when I say "small." For a DVD sold for $19.99, we are paid 4 cents. To put that in perspective, that means that to pay for one tank of gas, a writer needs to sell 1,500 DVDs. To put it another way, it's a penny less than if we returned an empty can of Coke.
We negotiated this formula for DVDs back in 1988, and I think most members of the guild agree that in terms of desired do-overs, it ranks with President Bush's decision to award L. Paul Bremer the Presidential Medal of Freedom. We had been asked by the studios to take a smaller share than we wanted because the video market was new and uncertain and our doing so would help grow the industry. (It sure did. That sector of the industry has boomed, helping many studios coast through bad years on the strength of their video libraries.) To redress what most writers feel was a bad deal, we have asked in this negotiation for 4 more cents per DVD—requiring only the sale of 750 DVDs to fill our gas tanks.
But there is a much bigger issue at stake, because it concerns where the future—and a good deal of the present—is: the Internet. The studios can now sell you a movie, or an episode of a TV series, or a whole series of series, right over your computer. Not only is it convenient for you, it has dramatically reduced the studios' costs: they need not make a videotape, with its plastics and tape and spools and boxes. They need not print and package a DVD, with their team of overzealous shrink-wrappers that make your average DVD harder to get into than Princeton. They have no shipping costs, no storage costs, only the movie or TV show that already exists.
With their costs substantially reduced, this would be the right time to correct the old imbalance of the DVD rate and give writers a share more fairly in line with the level of our contribution. But the studios are not looking to find a more equitable residual rate—it seems they are hoping that the new media will allow them to do away with the idea of residuals altogether.
First, it helps to put those numbers into a little more perspective. Home video sales accounted for more than $24 billion in 2006, according to the industry trade group EMS. That works out to $960 million in residuals for the writers in that same period -- a single year. That fills an awful lot of gas tanks. [See Update II below.]
McGrath also leaves out of the calculation the residual rates for the other participants in the industry. On one DVD, how much do the actors get? How much do the directors get? How far out of line is four cents per unit? Is it half of the director's residual, or a tenth? What should the formula be? The context of the residual structure matters more than the unit fee. All we hear is that the writers want it doubled, and the only explanation forthcoming is that they want to fill their gas tanks twice as often.
That doesn't make for a very compelling argument, unless one wants the sympathy of the oil companies. It causes one to suspect that they don't have a very compelling argument, considering that McGrath writes for a living and he had a golden opportunity to make the case in a national news magazine. The writers may have a great case to make, but so far they haven't made it here or anywhere else.
McGrath doesn't give entertainment consumers much reason to care about this strike. It's not about working conditions or the quality of the product. So far as any of us can tell, it's a typical entertainment-industry strike, where both sides work against their own interests in failing to come to a reasonable formula to divvy up an avalanche of money. We see it in professional sports and in TV and movies, and quite frankly, we find it even more boring and formulaic than 80% of what all of them produce. Call us when everyone's lost enough money to find their motivation to go back to work. (via Memeorandum)
UPDATE: Harold Meyerson makes a better case in the Washington Post:
The problem for the people who write the shows is that, at present, the studios aren't bound to pay them anything for material that goes out on the Internet, and the studios are pretty much trying to keep it that way.
"Our current bargaining agreement doesn't give us jurisdiction over content written for new media," says Tony Segall, general counsel of the Writers Guild of America West. A side letter appended in 2001 to the guild's contract with the studios exempted the studios from having to bargain with the union over the paychecks of writers turning out material for the Web, which the insufficiently futurist leadership of the guild (since replaced) apparently viewed as a distant prospect.
Last year, however, NBC-Universal asked the writers of "The Office" to create two-to-three-minute "webisodes" of the series for the Internet. Though the webisodes drove up the show's ratings, the studio paid the writers nothing for their work. The writers, not surprisingly, ceased their webisode writing; the guild sought to negotiate for them with NBC-Universal and got nowhere fast; and the issue of the writers' right to bargain collectively for Internet work became the crux of the writers' conflict with the studios.
That is more of an issue. The Guild wants a percentage of revenue, and the producers and studios want a flat rate for Internet-distributed entertainment. If you want to access entertainment through the Internet, the dispute will have some interest.
UPDATE II: I made a pretty large error here; the writers get four cents per unit, not four cents per dollar. Given the heavy discounting on DVDs, the average price is certainly lower than $20 per unit, but even using $15 per unit, that would make the writer's residuals in 2006 around $72 million, not $960 million. At 12,000 members, as Stephen J notes in the comments, that's around $6,000 per year each in residuals. That's still not insignificant, and McGrath still doesn't explain where the writers fall in the overall residual schedule, which would give this the context it needs. It's also important to remember that writers get their primary earnings from writing, not residuals.
In The Valley Of Ennui
Hollywood came under criticism since 9/11 for ignoring the war on terror, going out of its way to avoid making films that tell stories of American fortitude. With a few exceptions like United 93 and World Trade Center, the cinema remained devoid of any meaningful representation of the war. That changed this year, but not for the better, as Hollywood instead began churning out politically-motivated anti-war films. Given the supposed anti-war mood of the nation, it sounded like a sure bet for financial success and a critical slap at the military and Bush administration.
Fortunately, Hollywood appears to have lost its bet (via Instapundit):
It doesn't matter how many Oscar winners are in front of or behind the camera — audiences are proving to be conscientious objectors when it comes to this fall's surge of antiwar and anti-Bush films.
Both "In the Valley of Elah" and, more recently, "Rendition" drew minuscule crowds upon their release, which doesn't bode well for the ongoing stream of films critical of the Iraq war and the Bush administration's wider war on terror.
"Rendition," which features three Oscar winners in key roles, grossed $4.1 million over the weekend in 2,250 screens for a ninth-place finish. A re-release of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" beat it, and it's 14 years old.
We're not through the Valley of Ennui yet. For an industry that studiously avoided the war for five years, if you'll pardon the pun, Hollywood has given us a glut in 2007. Coming up will be Lions for Lambs, a film that trailers suggest features Tom Cruise and Robert Redford making speeches at each other. Redacted comes out in December, although its Cannes screening has already created controversy over Brian DePalma's heavy-handed treatment. John Cusack will indulge his well-known political views in Grace is Gone next month.
With all of these agenda films, one might think Hollywood could produce some balance. Why not make a movie about Sgt. Paul Smith, who gave his life for his comrades in Baghdad? A film about the heroism of Lt. Michael Murphy might make for a stirring motion picture. Americans might want to see the stories of Medal of Honor recipients. They obviously don't have much interest in sitting through lectures by Hollywood celebrities.
Eventually, even Hollywood has to acknowledge the market forces that drive ticket sales. If moviegoers refuse to watch ham-handed political screeds, investors won't put any more money into them. They will have to either start providing more balance to their offerings or go back to ignoring present-day reality again. I can't wait for another movie where Tom Cruise doesn't battle aliens.
UPDATE: Ace suggests an over-the-horizon redeployment for Hollywood. And the reference to Cruise in the last paragraph is for the movie War of the Worlds, in which we see two hours of Cruise running away from aliens while the American military fights them despite desperate odds. I'm beginning to see that as an analogy for Hollywood in general.
What The Hollywood Writers Strike Will Mean
The Writers Guild has authorized a strike against Hollywood studios if they cannot get an acceptable contract by the end of this month. Over 90% of the voting members of the union supported a walkout over the structure of residual payments from DVD and other ancillary markets. The studios will need to rush their current productions:
The strike vote is the latest development in a month that has been filled with increasingly heated rhetoric from both the WGA and the AMPTP. On Tuesday, the AMPTP offered the first olive branch in the ongoing negotiations by withdrawing a contentious proposal to revamp the way studios make residual payments to writers. Residuals are continuous payments that are issued when movies or television shows are sold in ancillary markets like DVD.
Should the WGA call a strike on Nov. 1, the frantic race to make as many movies and television shows before a potentially wider strike next summer could be dealt a serious setback. Looking ahead, the labor contracts between the studios and the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild of America both expire on June 30.
What will a writers strike do to the American entertainment industry? It would mean that Hollywood would have to use old scripts that have already been used. They would have to recycle old plot lines and archetype characters. Instead of coming up with new ideas, they would have to rely on rehashes with Roman numerals coming after familiar titles.
In other words, the American consumer shouldn't notice any difference, at least until the actors and directors join them. After that, we'll just get honest reruns.
Who Killed Steven Seagal's Career?
Steven Seagal has had a strange odyssey through Hollywood. He exploded on the scene in 1988, in his self-produced Above the Law after six years of serving as a martial-arts consultant in films. Seagal made a string of largely similar films over the next fifteen years, usually with names that fit "Steven Seagal Is --" above the title, such as "Steven Seagal Is -- Out For Justice!" Most of these films were self-produced, and most of them featured a martial-arts master delivering justice in his own very special way.
Eventually, audiences found other action films and stars, leaving Seagal behind. However, Seagal contends that the real murderer of his career isn't changing tastes or even the butler, but the FBI:
According to Seagal, it's the FBI's fault that he now stars in low-budget movies that go straight to video. And he wants an apology from the bureau.
The 56-year-old pony-tailed martial-arts expert broke a long silence today to complain that his career was devastated by an FBI affidavit in 2002 that described allegations that he was involved in a plot to intimidate two journalists out of writing stories about him.
"False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I terrorize journalists and associate with the mafia," Seagal told the Los Angeles Times. "These kinds of inflammatory allegations scare studio heads and independent producers -- and kill careers."
According to allegations detailed in the affidavit and a subsequent affidavit, Seagal hired infamous private eye Anthony Pellicano to frighten Times reporter Anita Busch and Vanity Fair writer Ned Zeman. In 2002, someone shot a bullet through the windshield of Busch's car and left a dead fish with a rose in its mouth and a sign reading "Stop" on top of the vehicle.
By that time, however, Seagal had become a rather tiresome character, and not just in films. Seagal had a way of spinning yarns about his past that makes him a less-than-credible accuser now. He attempted to pass himself off as a former intelligence operative in the service of some murky US agency. His proclamation to be the reincarnation of a Buddhist Lama in 1997 sounded a lot more like a marketing gimmick than a legitimate religious revelation.
Worse yet, his films started getting preachy while viewers noted that Seagal himself was remarkably consistent from one film to another. His penchant for playing himself over and over again did not mesh well with his lecturing takes on the oil industry (On Deadly Ground), toxic waste ((Fire Down Below), and bioterror (The Patriot, not to be confused with the laughably unhistoric Mel Gibson historical drama of the same name). By the time 2002 arrived, Seagal had milked his particular ouevre for all it was worth.
The FBI never did follow up its release of the information with any action against Seagal, and probably should apologize for its lack of discretion in this instance. They have never filed charges against Seagal, and according to his attorneys, even rejected his cooperation to clear his name. But if the FBI was aiming to kill his career, by 2002 it could have been considered euthanasia.
A Cinematic Fourth
I hope that all of the CQ community has had or is having a wonderful Fourth with their families. This year, the First Mate and I decided to celebrate a little differently. Last year, when both of us had major health problems, we went to the town's parade and a family brunch, but this year, we went to the movies to beat the humidity and heat.
We did an a la carte double feature today. The first movie we saw was Evan Almighty, the sequel to Bruce Almighty, starring Steve Carell as a newsman-turned-Congressman. In this movie, Morgan Freeman returns as God to instruct Carell to build an ark. Carell turns into Noah,and his family has to decide whether to stand by him -- and the multitude of animals that follow Carell.
It's an entertaining movie, not terribly challenging but with some heart. The politics of it are tiresomely predictable; it revolves around a plot by John Goodman as a Congressional leader to exploit public lands for his private profit. Carell provides much of the fun, and Lauren Graham as his wife much of the heart. It's worth a family trip to the cinema.
The second movie was better. License to Wed stars Robin Williams as Reverend Frank, a minister with a big interest in premarital counseling. Mandy Moore and John Krasinsky are his latest project, and he gleefully makes their lives miserable. His antics, which include bugging their apartment and egging the groom-to-be to insult the bride's family, creates so much tension between the two that they begin to question their commitment.
Earlier in his career, Williams would have ad-libbed this role to death. While he clearly has fun with the material, Williams sticks to character for the most part. This movie has more heart, in its way, than Evan Almighty. Although excellent actors such as Christine Taylor and Peter Strauss find themselves underutilized, the overall effort makes the movie worthwhile. The opening-day audience laughed fairly constantly throughout the film, and I overheard many murmurs of agreement and recognition of the foibles exposed in the movie. It's also worth a trip to the cinema, maybe more so than Evan Almighty. Neither will be on anyone's Top 10 list, but both are entertaining.
Now we're back home, watching the Ken Burns documentary, The Civil War. Tonight's episode covers Gettysburg. It seems a fitting end to a cinematic Fourth.
A Cinematic Fourth
I hope that all of the CQ community has had or is having a wonderful Fourth with their families. This year, the First Mate and I decided to celebrate a little differently. Last year, when both of us had major health problems, we went to the town's parade and a family brunch, but this year, we went to the movies to beat the humidity and heat.
We did an a la carte double feature today. The first movie we saw was Evan Almighty, the sequel to Bruce Almighty, starring Steve Carell as a newsman-turned-Congressman. In this movie, Morgan Freeman returns as God to instruct Carell to build an ark. Carell turns into Noah,and his family has to decide whether to stand by him -- and the multitude of animals that follow Carell.
It's an entertaining movie, not terribly challenging but with some heart. The politics of it are tiresomely predictable; it revolves around a plot by John Goodman as a Congressional leader to exploit public lands for his private profit. Carell provides much of the fun, and Lauren Graham as his wife much of the heart. It's worth a family trip to the cinema.
The second movie was better. License to Wed stars Robin Williams as Reverend Frank, a minister with a big interest in premarital counseling. Mandy Moore and John Krasinsky are his latest project, and he gleefully makes their lives miserable. His antics, which include bugging their apartment and egging the groom-to-be to insult the bride's family, creates so much tension between the two that they begin to question their commitment.
Earlier in his career, Williams would have ad-libbed this role to death. While he clearly has fun with the material, Williams sticks to character for the most part. This movie has more heart, in its way, than Evan Almighty. Although excellent actors such as Christine Taylor and Peter Strauss find themselves underutilized, the overall effort makes the movie worthwhile. The opening-day audience laughed fairly constantly throughout the film, and I overheard many murmurs of agreement and recognition of the foibles exposed in the movie. It's also worth a trip to the cinema, maybe more so than Evan Almighty. Neither will be on anyone's Top 10 list, but both are entertaining.
Now we're back home, watching the Ken Burns documentary, The Civil War. Tonight's episode covers Gettysburg. It seems a fitting end to a cinematic Fourth.
Do As I Say, Hollywood Style
Angelina Jolie has begun promoting her new film, A Mighty Heart, which tells the story of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Last night's premiere benefitted the anti-censorship organization Reporters Without Borders, but Jolie's approach to interviews on behalf of the film seems more reminiscent of the tinpot dictators that the organization fights (via Memeorandum):
Reporters from most major media outlets balked Wednesday when they were presented with an agreement drawn up by Jolie's Hollywood lawyer Robert Offer. The contract closely dictated the terms of all interviews.
Reporters were asked to agree to "not ask Ms. Jolie any questions regarding her personal relationships. In the event Interviewer does ask Ms. Jolie any questions regarding her personal relationships, Ms. Jolie will have the right to immediately terminate the interview and leave."
The agreement also required that "the interview may only be used to promote the Picture. In no event may Interviewer or Media Outlet be entitled to run all or any portion of the interview in connection with any other story. ... The interview will not be used in a manner that is disparaging, demeaning, or derogatory to Ms. Jolie."
If that wasn't enough, Jolie also requires that if any of these things happen, "the tape of the interview will not be released to Interviewer." Such a violation, the signatory thus agrees, would "cause Jolie irreparable harm" and make it possible for her to sue the interviewer and seek a restraining order.
I actually have some sympathy for celebrities and their issues with the media. Jolie and others put up with a lot of hounding and stalking from the tabloids, and exercising some controls over the boundaries of the interview doesn't seem unreasonable. Jolie doesn't have to answer any questions she deems out of bounds, and her criteria is entirely her business.
However, demanding that her answers never get used in any other context, and threatening reporters with restraining orders is not just unreasonable, but outright intimidation. It goes against the entire mission of Reporters Without Borders, and indeed against the notion of freedom of the press. I wonder if Jolie or her Hollywood friends would be as sanguine about these demands had they come from George Bush or Rudy Giuliani. Somehow, I think they'd be the first to demand a rush to the barricades.
In the event, the reporters refused to sign away their dignity, and Jolie refused to grant any interviews at all. It's not an auspicious start to a film that attempts to honor the great sacrifice that Pearl gave for independent journalism, and his fate -- having his head cut off by radical Islamist terrorists -- seems just a tad more dire than the potential risk that Jolie would have taken by conducting a few interviews for the film. Kudos to the reporters that told Jolie where to stick the agreement, and raspberries to Jolie's self-important snit.
Captain's Quarters features an authoritative blogroll, listing many websites that feature the top political thinking on the Internet. In order to make the list easier to navigate, it has been divided into a number of sections.
Click on the section title to expand the list.


text:
The View Disputes Nicole Arbour's Claims That She Overheard Co-Host Michelle Collins Call Nurses 'Wannabe Doctors'
An ABC rep has disputed this story, and said Arbour and Collins were never backstage together
Controversies may have collided recently on The View: Comedian Nicole Arbour, on the show Wednesday to discuss the firestorm around her viral "Dear Fat People" video, claims she overheard new co-host Michelle Collins bad-mouthing nurses backstage.
The View panel had come under fire for mocking comments on Monday's episode about a Miss America contestant who performed a monologue about her nursing career.
Collins said previously, "She came out in a nurse's uniform and basically read her emails out loud and shockingly did not win." And co-host Joy Behar later asked, "Why does she have a doctor's stethoscope on?"
Arbour, appearing on SiriusXM's Opie and Jim Norton Thursday, said she saw the hosts discussing the nurse comments afterwards backstage.
"Backstage, I heard the girls being like, 'Oh yeah, our nurse jokes didn't go over well so we have to apologize because they're Tweeting us too much.'
"And I'm like, 'Y'all are p——.' See, I can sit in my jokes and be like, yeah, I made them, I think it's funny. Whatever. But they go on there and make a fake apology.
"When when the cameras weren't rolling, Michelle [Collins] was like, 'Yeah, that's not a real profession. They're wannabe doctors.' "
Related Video: Kelly Osbourne Apologizes for Racist Comment about Latino Community During Donald Trump Discussion on The View
A rep for The View disputed this story, telling PEOPLE that Arbour's story is "completely false."
"Nicole and Michelle were never backstage at the same time," the rep said in a statement. "Michelle was on the stage from the moment the show started until after the show ended. Nicole was brought down to the backstage area after the show started."
Arbor, in her View segment, defended her "Dear Fat People" video, which drew wide condemnation and response and, conversely, support.
"That video was made to offend people, just the way I do with all my other videos," she said on the show. "It's just satire, it's just being silly. I'm just having a bit of fun, and that's what we did."
Collins has not publicly commented on Arbour's claim.
• Reporting by JANINE RAYFORD RUBENSTEIN


text:
Maggie Stevenson was born and raised in Scotland and has been living in the US since 2002. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of St Andrews (Scotland) and a Certificate in Professional Genealogy from Boston University. She is passionate about exploring family histories and bringing family stories to life through research.
She is also an experienced genetic genealogist and uses DNA results from commercial DNA tests such as Ancestry DNA, 23andMe. MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA to confirm ancestral lines or solve unknown parentage cases. She has found "lost" relatives through DNA and has helped analyse the DNA data for many adoptees. In many cases, she has been able to find one or both biological parents in adoption cases.
Past projects using traditional research techniques have included a search for a Scottish immigrant in California during the Gold Rush; an investigation into an ancestor's connection to Andrew Carnegie; the history of a San Francisco house and its direct connection to the Summer of Love.


text:
Microsoft introduced IN-MEMORY OLTP, widely referred to as "Hekaton" in SQL Server 2014. Hekaton allows for the creation of fully transactionally consistent memory-resident tables designed for high concurrency and no blocking. With SQL 2016, many of the original restrictions and limitations of this feature have been reduced. IDERA's Vicky Harp will give an overview of this feature, including how to compile T-SQL code into machine code for an even greater performance boost.
There's also been a lot of buzz about Oracle 12c's new IN-MEMORY COLUMN STORE. Oracle ACE Bert Scalzo will cover this new feature, how it works, it's benefits, scripts to measure/monitor it and more. He will also touch on performance observations from benchmarking this new feature against more traditional SGA memory allocations plus Oracle 11g R2's Database Smart Flash Cache. All findings, scripts and conclusions from this exercise will be shared. In addition, two very popular database benchmarking tools will be highlighted.
With 14 years of professional software development experience, Vicky is always interested in learning new ways to improve performance and maintainability of database code. Vicky is a product manager with Idera, where she has worked for the past 10 years creating software to make DBAs' lives easier. She speaks frequently at PASS events and is active on Twitter.
Bert Scalzo is an Oracle® ACE, author, speaker, consultant, and is the Senior Product Manager at IDERA. He has three decades of Oracle® database experience and previously worked for both Oracle Education and Oracle Consulting. Bert's areas of interest include data modeling, database benchmarking, database tuning and optimization, "star schema" data warehouses, Linux® and VMware®.


text:
Southern Cross University [SCU] Postgraduate Business Courses in Sydney / NSW
This page shows the programs available to study Business courses at Southern Cross University in Sydney / NSW. If you do not find a program that matches your requirements then broaden your search from the Business Southern Cross University programs in Sydney / NSW to related areas of study.
|Course Name
|Course Type
|Master Of International Sport Management
|Master's by coursework
|Graduate Diploma In International Sport Management
|Graduate Diploma - new area
|Graduate Certificate In International Sport Management
|Graduate Certificate
Share This Page:


text: Thursday 11 October 2018 A group of students from across the Media Technology programme visited NEP UK today for their annual Student Open Day. The day is a technological extravaganza best summed up by the audible gasp from the students as they entered NEP's warehouse. NEP had certainly put their tech on show with a substantial PA system, lighting, large LED panels and systems cameras covering two large stages. The stages held talks and panels led by senior engineers from prominent broadcasters such as the BBC, Sky and AELTC. We heard case studies on large events such as the Winter Olympics and Love Island as well as panel discussions on tech trends and diversity within the industry. NEP's focus was on showcasing the exciting and rewarding opportunities that the sector has to offer to budding engineers – they ran workshops with practical advice on training and applying for jobs as well as sessions to help students understand the roles available. They had one of their extending articulated Outside Broadcast vehicles setup with the live feeds from around the venue so that students were able to get hands on with all aspects of production including racking, vision mixing, graphics, EVS and sound. During the breaks there was also a live band as a subject for the students to put their productions skills to the test. Sky had setup a studio with a virtual studio generated from within one of their production vans. It was interesting to understand how the cameras tracked and aggregated their movement and zoom settings to feed back to a real-time graphics engine. As well as the main programme there were stands from equipment manufacturers and systems integrators such as EVS, Creative Technologies, Ross and Grass Valley to name but a few. We were able to see some of their latest technologies and speak to engineers about how their products work and are implemented. As always, it was nice to bump into several Media Technology graduates and catch up with other contacts from across the industry. Several of the companies have employed graduates from the programme so it's nice to hear what they've been up to. The key message from the day was that the broadcast sector is a dynamic and exciting place in which to apply engineering talent within a wide range of roles. Marketing Manager Kayte Burns asserted that there are roles for you whether you are "a Sheldon Cooper or a Steven Spielberg" and the BBC's Peter Taylor added that whilst engineering can initially seem quite dry, the problem solving aspect is very creative and there's a real buzz to be had from delivering exciting content in new ways. There was a great vibe to the whole day with incredible enthusiasm from all those present including over 450 students. Many thanks to NEP for hosting their biggest open day yet - we look forward to next year and seeing some of companies for guest lectures and industry visits. Share this article Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email Print


text:
50% OFF Sun Masks
The Waves UPF 50+ Sun Mask is the most versatile product we have created to date. Not only does it block 98% of harmful UV rays from hitting your skin, you can wear it multiple ways for countless activities.
Enter Code: sept50sm
Sold Out
"One minute I'm wearing it as a scarf the next I've got it turned into a beanie."
— Shawn


text:
Pane: From Wheat Field to Baker to Table
On my walks in the countryside I keep passing wheat fields so green I want to roll around in them. Eventually those grains will ripen, be harvested and milled, and metamorphosize into the piece of saltless local bread on the table next to my plate. The lack of taste discourages mindless nibbles while we wait for the antipasto, but it's terrific for a scarpetta ("little shoe" of bread) to soak up the not-to-be-abandoned olive oil or juices from my dish or for bruschetta with new olive oil. Read more


text:
RealtyeVest Lowers Minimum Investment Requirement for All Real Estate Offerings
June 7, 2017 – RealtyeVest lowered their required minimum investment amount today to just $5,000 for all offerings on their real estate crowdfunding platform for accredited investors. Previous minimum investment amounts ranged from $15,000 to $50,000, depending on the real estate project. The new $5,000 threshold is intended to draw first-time investors to experience RealtyeVest's high-caliber performance with a nominal financial commitment.
"We are seeing significant activity on our platform, however we feel there is a corner of the market we are not appealing to," said Daniel Summers, RealtyeVest CEO. "So we are offering investors a taste of our service with a new lowered investment amount for all projects. Once they see the quick return on their investments, they will no doubt want to increase their contribution amounts."
RealtyeVest connects commercial and residential real estate owner-operators with investors. Their one-stop platform, realtyevest.com, provides a simple, secure, and transparent digital dashboard for accredited investors to partake in exclusive high-yield investment opportunities. New investors can complete the simple accreditation process right on the RealtyeVest website and become accredited within approximately 24 hours.
"Our offerings generate returns ranging from 10 to 30 percent for our clients," said Summers. "Lowering the minimum investment amount will allow many more investors to experience the benefit of working with us."
CEO Daniel Summers
Mr. Summers has over 30 years of real estate finance experience. He is rapidly building RealtyeVest to the same magnitude he did with his former real estate investment firm Hastings Realty and Madison Realty Group, which he grew into a $1 Billion collection of office buildings and shopping centers.
Mr. Summers is a frequent participant on investment panels, speaks regularly at real estate and investment events, and hosts webinars about real estate investing.
Opportunities and Market Trends
RealtyeVest specializes in affordable housing and low-income community properties, as well as single family residential investments and commercial real estate rehabilitation projects. New projects are added to their platform weekly. They publish current real estate market trends and financial forecasts on their blog.
Learn more about RealtyeVest at realtyevest.com. Connect with them on social media @RealtyeVest, on Facebook or Linkedin.


text:
- Thread starter
- #1
I just set up my 55 gal. today. I put in 50 lb. of gravel and then two big holey rocks. also two peices of drift wood with plants growing on them. and two amazon swords. I found some weird centipeed,catapillar looking think on one of my leaves of the amazon sword, any ideas on what that is? Also it is going to be a cichlid tank so if anyone has any advice on cichlids or what cichlids I should put in my tank, just type away. ;D


text:
Words nearby saucepan
Example sentences from the Web for saucepan
When the vegetables are cooked and bright green, remove the saucepan from the heat.Three Quinoa Recipes for Your Weekend Parties|Jane Coxwell|May 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A stir-fry pan is a better compromise--like the illegitimate but much-loved child of a saucepan and a wok.The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In a saucepan, combine the Worcestershire sauce, lemons, and bay leaves.5 Iconic Recipes From an Iconic Chef|Emeril Lagasse|May 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.The Wonderful World of Ramps|Jeff Gimmel|April 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
For sauce: Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan or large Dutch oven over medium heat.Super-fy Your Super Bowl Snacks|Michael Symon|February 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Let it boil a little, then take it out, drain it over the saucepan, and dry it before the fire.
Strain, melt butter in a saucepan, stir into it the flour, add strained water from the pan.My Pet Recipes, Tried and True|Various
Pour into a buttered mold, which place in a saucepan, which you have filled with water the height of your mold.French Dishes for American Tables|Pierre Caron
Wash two-thirds cup of tapioca in four or five waters and then place in a saucepan and add one and one-half cups of water.Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book|Mary A. Wilson
The next morning Adelaide removed the cover from the saucepan containing the fruit and put the saucepan on the stove.A Little Preserving Book for a Little Girl|Amy Waterman


text: Chloé was founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion, an Egyptian-born Parisienne. Rejecting the stiff formality of '50s fashion. The Chloé Eyewear Collection captures the fluid femininity of the brand, taking inspiration from their seasonal RTW collection, accessories and iconic pieces which showcase the Chloé brand's superior use of foundational colours and textures.


text:
I selected Sicilian Defence d6 chess games for you below from recent times, but just wins and losses to make it interesting. Study the various lines and chess ideas.
This line must not necessarily lead to the Najdorf variation but White can deviate before.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6
Sicilian Defence d6 - Solid Chess Defense for Black if White plays 1.e4.
|Press F-Key (or click e7 or d2 on top) = Flip Board
Learning Openings? Get Help from a Grandmaster!


text:
Log In or Registerfor full accessto the site content.
Each year on April 22, more than one billion people worldwide celebrate Earth Day by adding their voice and actions to the largest environmental event in the world.
Sustainability Consultants Marianne and Sonja answer your questions on zero waste initiatives at health authority–owned hospital and residential care sites.
Upcycle Alert! Call for Used Vinyl Banners
Do you have vinyl banners that are outdated, damaged, or simply not needed?
Each day in February, an umbrella will be awarded to VCH staff posting a #UmbrellaCommute 'selfie' on social media.
The Winter 2019 Orientation and Training dates have now been finalized. Spaces are limited, so don't delay, register today!
Ten eco-friendly holiday tips to help you reduce your environmental footprint this holiday season
Due to the rupture of an Enbridge-owned natural gas transmission pipeline, BC is facing a shortfall of natural gas this winter.
The Electronic Pay Statement project is close to launching, and the team is seeking Green+ leaders' and the wider Greencare community's assistance to help promote the initiative and embrace the change.
Meet Harpal Sall, a Medical Laboratory Technologist from the Virology Department at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), who successfully diverted a proportion of dry ice packaging from landfill by developing a system, in partnership with colleagues and the supplier, to repurpose the bags for future use!
On November 1st, VCH launched the region's first carpool matching website and smartphone app at GoOrca.ca


text:
Sunday night is sandwich night. I try to mix it up and do a different melt/grilled/awesomeness between two slices every week. My sandwich recipes are on a 6 week rotation with the rest of our dinners cause I'm anal like that.
The French dip, Patty melt and Philly cheese are extremely popular with the Hub so when I came across the Pioneer Woman recipe for the Marlboro Man sandwich I was excited to see the combined all three of them into one glorious bun.
Tag Archives: meals
The Man-sandwich
Sunday night is sandwich night. I try to mix it up and do a different melt/grilled/awesomeness between two slices every week. My sandwich recipes are on a 6 week rotation with the rest of our dinners cause I'm anal like that.
Filed under My Kid Actually Eats That, New Recipes
An Extremely Easy Recipe
Every family has their own recipe for Beef Stroganoff. This is mine.
We have this about every other week. I usually try to space things out a bit more than that but the first time I made this The Hub put his foot down and demanded that we have this weekly. We compromised with every other. This is the one of the few recipes that Special K cleans her plate and asks for seconds on.
Beef Stroganoff
1lb of Ground Beef- I use 93/7% but you can use what you want. You can also sub Turkey or Stew Beef.
1 Medium Onion, sliced and diced
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 Medium Size Daisy Sour Cream
1 Tbs Flour
1 Tbs Lawrys Season Salt
1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Milk
Start by browning your meat in a large skillet. Once it's done, drain it.
While your meat is draining, throw the onion in the Skillet. Stir them around with the Garlic Powder and let them caramelize*
While the onions are cooking and your beef is draining, mix the Soup Mix and Flour with 1 cup of water
Mix all the goodness together and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. The liquid will cook down a bit during this process.
Add your sour cream and give it a good stir. Add some salt to taste.
All Done!
I serve my Stroganoff over Egg Noodles and garnish with Parmesan Cheese.
Of course, you have to have your veggies with every meal and I am a firm believer that the only veg that should ever be served with Stroganoff is Green Beans.
"Beans, Beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot, the more you toot, the better you feel so let's have beans for every meal! " K can't resist singing the song.
That's it. Enjoy!
Sadly, that is not my pic up there. We ate all of it before I had the presence of mind to take a pic. It was so good.
Filed under My Kid Actually Eats That


text:
Saasu is an Australian developer of web and mobile productivity apps. Our main product, Saasu online accounting, plays host to millions of transactions each year worth billions of dollars. We craft minimalist but powerful ways to manage small business.
Media queries to firstname.lastname@example.com
Press Releases via our Saasu News feed
CEO Bio: Marc Lehmann Twitter: @saasu. Youtube: SaasuAccounting
Online accounting – web and mobile app for Aussie small businesses. Features including sales, purchases, inventory, pays, online payments and recurring billing. Many best of breed e-commerce, payment and customer apps integrate using our API.
Project 8 – Goals and task tracking in your pocket.


text:
Every year I cut my plant back in the fall, this year there are only brown buds, green leafs are growing from the bottom and I don't know what to do, should I cut it back again now? Usually I have green buds. Thanks
Erie County New York
1 Response
If you have green growth coming from the bottom and last year's sticks are completely brown with no green growth on any of them, break one of the sticks to see if they are brown and dead. If all are brown with no active leave bud growth, cut them down. The warm winter and extreme fluctuations in temperatures could have frozen and killed the above ground buds on the stems. The early warmth pushed the buds out of dormancy and then they hit with well below freezing temperatures killing many buds.
Carol Quish


text:
This is a pleasant hotel but would be better if they kept the carpets in the bedroom clean. For a 5-year old hotel, the upkeep must not be very good as the carpet looked more like 15 years old.
Whoever designed the rooms were not thinking about the business traveller. When you set your laptop on the working table where the broadband line is, you'd have to remove the power plug for the standing lamp (like my colleague did) or in my case, the TV so that you can plug in your laptop to the power socket. In a twin-beeded room like mine, you'd think they would install light switches beside both beds instead of just one. The water pressure in the bathroom basin was either too low or too strong. Caution, wash your hands in a raincoat if you want to avoid getting your business suit all wet. I think the water supply in these taps are from the tall fountain in the city.
A handful of staff were courteous, friendly and helpful. The rest better be left unmentioned. An example would be the service staff at breakfast egg station in the morning, who goes about his work like it's community service. Just when you need to go to the airport to catch a flight after breakfast, the service staff decides to vacate his post for 20 minutes and no amount of asking would get him to come back to prepare the two sunny side eggs you'd want.
This is the true truth and I say it as it is.


text:
31/07/2020 Buffers Alley raise €8000 for Charity
31/07/2020 Notes week ending 31st July
17/07/2020 Notes week ending 19th July 2020
16/07/2020 Ticket Information - Buffers Alley v Monageer-Boolavogue
Social Networking
Weekly Notes - week ending 29th March 2019
Upcoming Fixtures
Our underage games are back in full swing. The minor hurlers have two games scheduled for the coming days - tonight Tuesday 2nd April they play Askamore in Monamolin at 6.30 with an away game in Bellefield on Sun. 7th at 11am. Games are also coming up shortly for our U13 boys with their first football game pencilled in for Tuesday 9th april at 6.30pm. in Blackwater.
Underage Coaching
U5 and U7 Hurling and Football coaching has re-commenced and takes place on Saturdays at. 10am in Buffers Alley. Looking forward to welcoming everyone back and a special welcome to new families. For any additional information,.contact Len Hall. Now that the dark, wet and cold days are disappearing, our Nursery coaches are also busy preparing to get the ball rolling again. Saturday 27th April is a date to mark on the calendar when our Nursery for boys and girls (4-6 years) swings into action - more details in the coming weeks.
Club Monthly Draw
Congratulations to our March monthly winners:
€400: Len Hall, Bolacreen; €100: John Graham, Ballyoughter; €50 to the following: Róisín O'Meara, Court; Mary Bolton-Lee, Ballinastraw and Patrick Laffan, Knockadilly. A special draw took place for our promoters with Joe Hughes and Mick Butler the two lucky names to come out of the drum - Joe winning €50 with Mick winning spirits and chocolates.
Easter GAA Fun Camp
The Easter holidays are just around the corner with two weeks off school! There is no need to get bored as Buffers Alley has something special to offer to our young boys and girls. Our team of coaches are busy preparing for an action packed 3-day EASTER GAA CAMP at our club premises in Buffers Alley. The camp will run from Tuesday 23rd to Thursday 25th April (inclusive) from 10.30 to 2.30 daily. Don't worry if the sun doesn't shine, as we have a fantastic indoor arena to cater for large groups.
This is a great opportunity to come along to have fun, make friends and enjoy the many activities that these coaches have lined up for our young folk. The Chairman of Coiste na nÓg has informed us that he will bring along a couple of surprise well-known Wexford hurlers on the Wednesday to sign autographs, present goodies, etc. Participants must have celebrated their 7th birthday before the camp commences and be under 13. It is important that all boys and girls partaking are current members of the club.
To sign up for the camp, all are welcome to come along on Wednesday 10th April to Buffers Alley from 7pm to 8pm. This camp, our first Easter one, promises to be one of the best!
Model Co. Tickets
Buffers Alley/Wexford GAA Model Co tickets are now in circulation - this is a great opportunity for all families to win very attractive prizes including cars, vouchers, cash prizes, to name but a few - in total there are 50 prizes for each of the three monthly draws. Over the past number of years Buffers Alley members have been extremely lucky and were in the winners' enclosure on many occasions! Tickets cost €50 for the three draws which will take place on 1st May; 29th May and 26th June. Tickets are available from club members or from the Co-Ordinator, Michael Sinnott (Kilmuckridge). This club is beneficial to our area as a high percentage of sales are retained by our club.


text:
Bridging Bahrain
Bahrain's Ministry of Commerce is working with 3Com to bring people closer to the government with an e-commerce one-stop shop.
Bahrain's Ministry of Commerce is working with 3Com to bring people closer to the government with an e-commerce one-stop shop.
The Bahrain Internet Exchange, situated in the country's Seef Mall shopping centre, will provide citizens with access to an online government portal. Citizens will now be able interact with Bahrain's ministries to make enquiries, pay bills and complete other government transactions such as licence applications, without having to travel to separate offices.
"The Ministry of Commerce's e-government initiative is designed to bring the workings of government closer to the citizens of Bahrain," says Ali Ahmed Radhi, Assistant Under Secretary for Domestic Trade Affairs and vice chairman of the Bahrain Internet Exchange.
"If this glimpse of the future relationship between state and citizen is to be successful, it is vital that we have a network infrastructure capable of addressing our requirements of availability, flexibility, accessibility and security," he adds.
The solution comprises 3Com® XRN™ technology, which allows businesses to better manage the costs of building corporate networks, along with the first Middle Eastern deployment of 3Com's Security Switch 6200, which delivers security services across multiple network segments and layers from a single, centrally managed platform.
"The new network had to provide uninterrupted, robust services and be highly secure. Its potential impact on the whole e-government project is significant," says Tarek Ghoul, Gulf and the Levant manager at 3Com. "The infrastructure has to support the future growth of the ministry and its e-initiatives and ensure the privacy, confidentiality and security of the different organisations and their customers," adds Ghoul.


text:
If your degree allows you to, you may be able to take part in a work placement overseas for credit as part of your degree. To find out more, contact your college's academic exchange coordinator.
To find out more about work placement opportunities and how to apply contact the Student Mobility Team. Please also notify the Student Mobility Team if you have secured your own international placement.
Erasmus+ grants and work placements
If you embark on a work placement as part of your degree and go to study in a country that is part of the Erasmus+ programme, you could be eligible for a grant to help support you during your placement.
For details of the Erasmus+ programme and grant, visit our Erasmus+ page.
The Erasmus Student Network hosts an Erasmus Intern website where students can search for internships in Europe. Students can also search for Teaching Assistant Placements in Schools.
More about work placements
For information on internships abroad, as well as a wealth of other related resources visit the Going Global website.
Here you can find:
- advice on how to structure your CV (by country)
- information on visas and work permits
- advice on interview culture and practice (by country)
- financial considerations
- employment trends
- cultural advice
- business organisation and networking groups
You'll also find information on other work placement opportunities, as well as general careers advice, on our Careers and Employability Service pages.


text:
These Shallow Graves
Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she'll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter.
Wild aspirations aside, Jo's life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. The story is that Charles Montfort shot himself while cleaning his revolver, but the more Jo hears about her father's death, the more something feels wrong. And then she meets Eddie—a young, smart, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father's newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. But now it might be too late to stop.
The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and this time the truth is the dirtiest part of all.
"The glittering ball, Jo realized, was a symbol of her life. Everything war lovely and perfect as long as each person knew the steps and executed them. The women must only ever watch and wait. The men were the ones who would decide. They would choose. Thez would lead. And the women would follow. Tonight and forevermore".
Me joindre sur :
Aussi dispo sur :
En Cours


text: On Saturday, Feb. 8th, California Companions will gather with Fr. Jerry Stack for a Day of Reflection on St. Gaspar's relationship with the laity. This will conclude the retreat and reflection series for 2013-2014. We ask for your prayers as members and companions gather to celebrate our founder and our community life.


text:
HOUSTON - Deepwater Executive Summit (DES) is the only focused event dedicated to deepwater oil & gas and the strategic insights of global oil and gas operators in the sector. The Summit's focused agenda provides a superior quality delegate experience. Following the highly successful inaugural event in 2018, we are pleased to announce the 2nd annual DES 2019 on November 19, 2019 at The Westin Houston, Memorial City.
Speakers at the Deepwater Executive Summit include:
Touted by delegates as exceptionally well organized and delivering enlightening panel discussions, each of our distinguished Operator speakers will offer prepared insightful remarks, as well as participate in a Panel Session. DES provides timely information to better understand the represented companies' corporate strategies in deepwater, as well as insight into the Global Deepwater market.
Key topics for 2019 include:
Connect with World Oil
Sign-up for World Oil Daily News
© 2020 World Oil, © 2020 Gulf Publishing Company LLC.
All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws Please read our Terms & Conditions, Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy before using the site.


text:
By erpirao
Paragon (1063)
19-03-2019, 19:57
hello I was thinking if there are the IDE, NOVAXIS and MEGASCSI interfaces in the network, I bought them at the time, but for circumstances I had to sell them, so if someone dares to manufacture them I would love to buy them.
Don't you have an account yet? Become an MSX-friend and register an account!
Register now


text:
Autofile's December issue is out now
Here's a look at some of the industry movements and trends we've been following over the past month.
The Productivity Commission believes electric vehicles offer a great way of slashing harmful transport emissions and is coming up with ideas on achieving this. We get the views of industry associations on the way forward.
This issue's profile is on John Moyes. He lifts the lid on the Moyes Motor Group and reveals who came up with the "opposite the big McDonald's and beside the big Mount Wellington" campaign. He also takes stock of the industry's future.
Executives from some of New Zealand's top automotive brands and insurance companies have come together for the Financial Services Future-Proofing conference organised by the Financial Services Federation. Find out what issues were flagged up.
The Ministry of Transport has published its briefing document, for new minister Phil Twyford and his associates, and the government transport sector. Chief executive Peter Mersi says new technologies are transforming our world.
Organisations and businesses are backing the Motor Industry Association and VIA working closer in the future. Read their views in light of the memorandum of understanding being signed.
The Optimus Group answer's Autofile's questions on its initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, VIA's end of year function provides a chance for its chief executive to talk about the changes that lie ahead, we cover a couple of industry golf events, motorsport and in-depth coverage of industry statistics.


text:
It's that time of the year again where I create another thread about the upcoming Ludum Dare compo.
Ludum Dare 21 will be on August 19th to August 21th. Theme voting starts next week. If you are participating or planning on participating please respond to this thread. It would be great if there are at least as many participants for Ludum Dare as there were for the PGD mini compo.
I'm planning to participate because Ludum Dare or any other short compos are usually the only time I get something done without overthinking the concept or losing interest because of some road blocks I hit during development.
Unfortunately I didn't finish the last three times I tried to participate and on August 19th I get back from gamescom and I imagine I would be pretty exhausted.