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Scenario: I have a 2/2 creature and Rite of Passage on the battlefield. Then I play 2 Plague Spitters. What will happen at the beginning of my next turns upkeep?
Will both Plague Spitters damage happen at the same time, or will Rite of passages triggered ability respond to each Plagues Spitter's damage in turn and thereby save the 2/2 creature?

subset: commoncrawl


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1/2 c. dark rum
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 strip steaks (8 ounces each)
Combine all the ingredients in a baking dish. Add steaks and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, turn steaks every 2 hours. Preheat grill until coals are gray/white. Oil grill, place steaks on grill 4 to 5 minutes each side; serve immediately. Makes enough to serve 6 people.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
16 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 can pineapple rings cut into fairly large chunks (about 1 ring per person)
In a bowl combine the lime juice, oil, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. Add shrimp and pineapple, toss and let marinate abut 15 minutes. Remove from marinade. Cook in a pan over medium heat with a little of the marinade.
1/2 c. dark rum
2 Tbsp. minced green onion
4 ounces cold, unsalted butter (real butter) cut into pieces
1/4 tsp. salt (to taste)
A good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Combine rum and onions. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons in volume, 3 to 4 minutes. With the heat on low/medium, whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each piece before the previous one has been completely incorporated. Continue until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat periodically to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking. Season with salt and cayenne pepper and stir. Remove from heat and serve in a small bowl on the side (with your steak). Sprinkle sauce with cilantro. .


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Bills sign RB Jackson to extension
Pittsford, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The Buffalo Bills signed running back Fred Jackson to a contract extension Wednesday that will keep the veteran with the team through next season.
Jackson's deal had been set to expire at the end of the upcoming season. The one-year extension he signed Wednesday is worth $2.6 million, according to NFL.com.
Jackson, 33, appeared in 16 games last season for the first time since 2010, rushing for 890 yards and a career-best nine touchdowns while sharing carries with C.J. Spiller.
The previous two seasons were shortened by knee and leg injuries, with Jackson playing in only 20 games and rushing for 1,371 yards and nine scores.
He has gained 5,121 yards on 1,138 carries with 28 rushing touchdowns and six receiving TDs since the Bills signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Division III Coe College in 2006.


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Help your users record and report bugs with the Problem Steps Recorder
A few weeks back I ranted in Everything's broken and nobody's upset and it found its way around the web. Some called it a poorly organized straw man and others felt it was a decent jumping-off point for a larger discussion about software quality. It was likely both of these and more.
On the subject of bug reporting, there's a wonderful gem of a program that ships with Windows 7 and Windows 8 that you and your users can use to report and record bugs. It's the Problem Steps Recorder and it's like TiVo for bugs.
Hit the Start button and type either "Steps" or even "PSR" or to run the Problem Steps Recorder.
Click Start Record and reproduce your bug. You can even click "Add Comment" to highlight an area of the screen as a call-out.
It's kind of a poor-man's screencasting tool. Rather than a heavy full screen video, the Steps Recorder is taking a screenshot on each click or action.
The user can then save the whole thing as as ZIP or just click "Email." I plan on using this the next time my non-technical parents have an issue they want to report.
Since this little app ships with Windows, why not launch it directly from your product's interface or 'Send Feedback' link? Then you could automate the receipt of these recorded problems and directly inject the resulting files into your bug reporting system.
What do you think?
Related Posts in this Three Part series on Software Quality
- Everything's broken and nobody's upset
- A Bug Report is a Gift
- Help your users record and report bugs with the Problem Steps Recorder
About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
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TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japanese voters maintain strong support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as his "Abenomics" economic policy helps weaken the yen and boost share prices, but have little interest in his plan to revise the pacifist constitution, newspaper polls showed on Monday.
Mr Abe, who returned to the premiership after his conservative Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) election win in December, has promised to beat deflation with a combination of hyper-easy monetary policy and big fiscal spending.
Voter support for Mr Abe's government came in at 76 per cent in a poll by the Nikkei business daily, up from 69 per cent in the previous survey in March, boding well for the LDP's performance in an upper house election expected in July.
The approval rating was the highest since 2001, when charismatic leader Junichiro Koizumi was in office, the paper said.
A Kyodo news agency poll, unveiled on Sunday, had Mr Abe's support rating at 72.1 per cent, up 1 percentage point from the previous survey, while the Mainichi daily poll showed Mr Abe's support rating had slid 4 percentage points from the prior survey to 66 per cent.
Support of 66 per cent is still relatively high. In the final days of former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda's government, support ratings for the Democratic Party cabinet were in the low 20s.
The Mainichi survey also showed limited interest in revising the constitution.
The issue trailed such topics as economic recovery, social security and nuclear power generation in a list of preferences.
Mr Abe aims to revise the post-World War Two pacifist constitution to ease limits on the military. But he is proposing first to change the rules on such a revision so that support of a simple majority of lawmakers, rather than two-thirds, could get the process started.
The constitution has never been formally altered since it was drafted by US Occupation forces in 1947, but the government has for decades been stretching the limits of the constitution's pacifist Article Nine, which if strictly interpreted bans even the maintenance of a military.
Mr Abe made a ritual offering of a pine tree to a shrine seen as a symbol of Japan's former militarism on Sunday, a gesture likely to upset Asian victims of Japan's war-time aggression, including China, but which plays well among conservatives at home.
South Korea's foreign minister cancelled a trip to Japan after Mr Abe made the offering.


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The spring weather has finally arrived – and with it, thoughts of summertime. Beach days, Red Sox games, vacations. And let's not forget, summer jobs for the Massachusetts youth out there. I still remember some of my summer (and all year round) jobs as a …Continue Reading Don't Forget About Summer Job Safety
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Website and application performance improvement and load testing company Appvance has produced PerformanceCloud 2 (APC2). The product works to develop complex testing scenarios, plus repurpose functional tests to data-driven performance tests all with detailed simulated user controls.
The firm claims that test scripting with APC2 is up to 20x faster than other tools.
"This is the biggest breakthrough in performance testing in the last 20 years. No one else gives performance testers the ability to dive into the app live so you can see exactly where issues lie," said Appvance CEO, Kevin Surace.
"We are out there every day working with test teams who were frustrated with the lack of insight their other tools provided and the difficulty in developing successful scripts. Appvance was founded to deliver the best performance test and improvement platform designed to be simple, fast, secure, and rapidly scalable, and quite simply displace the old guard with technology no one else has."
The feature set includes control of simulated users to provide the most realistic test scenarios, plus maintaining compatibility with industry standard script types such as JMeter, Selenium, and Jython, which run seamlessly in APC2 and take advantage of all features. The latest release also provides support for cloud and agile development along with combining load and performance testing with the continuous integration process.
APC2 will arm serious testers with a real-time analytics dashboard that helps quickly isolate and eradicate bottlenecks and problems while tests are running.
Through APC2's Live Active Virtual Users real-time analytics dashboard, Appvance helps test teams isolate issues as they happen, down to the millisecond. With APC2, testers also get complete stack traces, along with outputs and errors for active virtual users, so they can easily investigate and intricately assess error log details of active transactions.
"The performance testing market has seen far too many over-hyped tools touting incomplete solutions that only address protocol-level issues and offer limited results that don't provide the beginning-to-end insight that professional testers need," said Srikar Achanta, applications engineering manager at Appvance. "APC2 is the first platform to offer serious testers the comprehensive breadth of features required to drive website and app performance on a day-in, day-out basis. APC2's beginning-to-end testing platform in the first technology to properly address the user experience level (UX), giving testers the most realistic test scenarios possible to mimic real-world user behaviors at scale and identifying client side code issues before launch."


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Woodstock Georgia Roofing
There are a great many things to love about the Woodstock, Georgia community. From the historical landmarks to the thriving arts and culture scene, Woodstock is among the best cities to live in the state.
However, one thing that can be difficult is locating a complete roofing service for your home or business. How can you find one company to solve your needs and save you more in the process?
Initiative Roofing offers the best in Woodstock roofing. We install more metal roofing systems than anyone else.
Whether you're looking for ways to cut your monthly power use, or you just want a new look for your building, we are here for you. Call today for the best roofing installations around!
Why Metal Roofing?
Many homes across the state use different roofing materials. Each one has their advantages, as well as reasons why to avoid them.
The average home chooses a roof based on style, as well as price. As a result, you may not have a roof that is as effective as it could be at keeping you safe, comfortable, and dry.
Regardless of what type of roof you currently have, a metal roof can offer superior protection, as well as increased savings throughout the year.
Common Woodstock Roof Types
Asphalt shingles are among the most frequently used roofing materials, not just in Georgia, but throughout the state. Asphalt shingles are inexpensive and remain installed on most family homes.
However, they don't hold up to bursts of wind, and it's only a matter of time before they become soaked through with moisture. While they're cheaper during installation, they may require a ton of maintenance costs.
Slate commonly is used in upper-end homes. That means that it's expensive per square foot, and it's also incredibly dense.
While homes are built to support the weight of their roofs, slate systems can cause problems when it's time for a new roof, or for maintenance services.
Solar roof systems are an increasingly popular choice, and many homeowners look forward to generating at least some of their power. However, the technology just isn't ready yet, and it's hard to recoup the savings of the pricier installation.
Finally, for that rustic look, wood roofs are often the go-to style. While a wooden roof may last a long time, it also needs a lot of help along the way.
Newer metal roofing systems, on the other hand, are more affordable than you may think. They can also be coated with a faux surface, allowing them to take on the appearance of asphalt, slate, and other roofing types.
While the initial cost of installation may cause you to pause, you'll quickly earn it back in reduced energy costs. Unlike solar, which would take decades to recoup the installation price, your home will become more energy efficient almost immediately!
For the best in Georgia metal roofing, call our team today and start saving. You won't believe how much more comfortable your home will be, as well as how fabulous it'll look for longer!


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Positive Parenting Solutions
Parenting educator and TODAY Show contributor, Amy McCready is a 'former yeller' – she's been in your shoes.
So she understands what it is like to feel disappointed and even defeated at times trying to raise positive, happy, well-behaved children. Now, she's trained more than 60,000 parents in over 21 countries, on 6 continents to transform themselves from YELLERS to calm and cool parents with the tools and strategies to solve the stress, and start to ENJOY their most important job: Raising terrific kids.
What we do & how we can HELP!
How we can make your life so much better.
From backtalk to bedtimes. Tantrums to power-struggles. Toddlers to teens. Get the help you need to feel EMPOWERED and PROUD at how you handle anything parenthood throws your way, and raise strong, respectful, considerate, and even HELPFUL children. And you can start TODAY. No cost. No stress. Just real-world solutions you can implement IMMEDIATELY to create a happier home.
Free webinar!
The only parenting program you will need in parenthood. <3


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Multi-Staged Michael Jackson Costume
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Multi-Staged Michael Jackson Costume
Taylor sent in this brilliant multi-staging of Michael Jackson.
From left to right: Taylor's wife, Natasha, in THRILLER In the middle we have their 2 boys, Furthest left is Little Michael from the Jackson 5. Then next to him, a cool Smooth Criminal in the very classy white suit. Taylor, on the right, is doing the iconic Billy Jean. Taylor lost 41 lbs to better portray, and stay true to Michael's memory. THAT was a" WOW!" from me!
Thank you Natasha and Taylor
Really really COOL!
|Costume type:
|Costumes for Families
This homemade costume for families entered our 2009 Halloween Costume Contest.
Similar costumes:


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Cardinals Pillars Ennobled AnimalsScott the Serpentine the necessary complement
Booksellers Catalogues
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Is there anyone interested in helping develop more user-databases. I have a couple of items on my wish list but not enough time to do them all. If you're interested, I can explain to you how you can make it happen.
Just for the sake of leading the discussion a couple of the authors I'd like to see in BW are Tacitus and Suetonius. Knowledge of Latin is not necessary for creating these databases, but it will take a fair amount of time.


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"Getting on with Business in the Hunter"
Mandurah Hunter Indigenous Business Chamber (Mandurah HIBC) exists to support the economic and social prosperity of the Indigenous People in the Hunter Valley. We achieve this aim by building the businesses, procurement and employment capacity of Indigenous Business Operators and Communities and by promoting Supplier Diversity and the use of Indigenous products and services. Mandurah HIBC supports Private Business Operators including "Perth Outdoor Blinds" and Social Enterprise Managers with a commitment to establishing and growing viable businesses and to creating Indigenous wealth and employment.
The Role of Indigenous Business Chambers
There is a major difference between mainstream Business Chambers and Indigenous Business Chambers. Mainstream Chambers are networking organisations, while Indigenous Chambers provide this AND they actively foster trade, educate their members on business, advocate for Indigenous business owners locally and promote wealth creation (most Indigenous business owners are first generation business owners).
Indigenous Business Chambers are the capacity building arm of the sector. Where the Indigenous Business Council of Australia (IBCA) and Supply Nation (formerly AIMSC) create a National environment for Majority Owned and Controlled Indigenous Businesses. The Business Chambers work within the regions to feed the supply chain by building capacity and transferring critical skills to Indigenous Business Owners and their employees. This often leads to an increase of Majority Owned and Controlled Indigenous Businesses which the Chamber then refers to Supply Nation for Certification.
ICC's advocate for their members at the regional level and promote their engagement to Industry and Government. They also play an important role in educating Industry and Government procurement teams about the Local Indigenous supply and in fostering new relationships between Indigenous and Non Indigenous Companies. Throughout the process the Business Chambers identify the needs and gaps within the ecosystem as well as any model and case studies which work well including government programs aimed at supporting the sector.
The findings of the regional Business Chambers inform the State Bodies, which then inform IBCA as the Peak Body. the IBCA uses this information to build a better and more prosperous Indigenous Business Sector.


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This year, trust lawyer, CFP and pension advisor W. Scott Simon won the Tamar Frankel Fiduciary of the Year Award from the Committee for the Fiduciary Standard. Judging by his monthly "Fiduciary Focus" column on Morningstar Advisor alone, it's easy to see why: month in and month out, Simon delivers the most knowledgeable, articulate and creative commentary on the fiduciary debate anywhere. His April 5 installment "The Great Compromise to the Fiduciary Debate," for instance, may offer the best solution yet to the broker/advisor regulation conundrum. But if you're like me, it will take a bit of considering to warm up to it.
Like many great ideas, Simon's is a simple one: with the brokerage and investment advisory communities squabbling over using their existing standards to "harmonize" the regulation of retail financial advice (and digressing into lame arguments of level playing fields, business model neutrality, and 'access' to advice), why not cut the baby in half by choosing a third standard from outside of either industry? Happily, just such a standard can be found in the separate but related field of regulating pension advice: the fiduciary standard of care as mandated under ERISA.
"I have long believed that the best way to resolve this fight lies in subjecting both RIAs and BDs to the 'sole interest' fiduciary standard of care found in [ERISA]," Simon writes, concluding that "In one fell swoop, ERISA's standard would level that proverbial playing field for all concerned."
What's more, Simon's Solomonic compromise'has other advantages. As an outside standard, it's got no dog in the broker vs. advisor debate, yet the ERISA standard is a far sight better than starting from scratch: It comes with a nearly 40-year plug-and-play legal history of test cases, rulings and interpretations. Best of all, it appeases the misguided crowd who want to beat RIAs over the head with the misdeeds of FINRA leader Bernie Madoff and the 'need' for tougher advisor regulation by elevating the advisor standard from a client's 'best' interest, to 'sole' interest.
It's a seemingly small change, to be sure, and yet switching those four simple letters would eliminate most of the conflicts of interest that currently plague retail clients who are desperately seeking objective financial advice today. With one simple stroke of the keyboard, it removes the confusion over whom an advisor works for, which 'hat' they happen to be wearing at any particular time and where their sole loyalty lies.
"This compromise has the merit of disturbing both sides in this fight because it would change the existing standard of care under which each operates," writes Simon. Brokers "…would be lifted from the suitability standard all the way up to ERISA's 'highest known to law' standard… [And] no longer would an RIA be allowed under the ERISA standard to, for example, 'double dip' by (1) receiving a fee on the advice it provides to its clients and also (2) earning commissions from the RIA's brokerage firm, bank, or custodial affiliate as a result of the trades it directs them to make to implement that advice."
Why would the securities industry go for such a compromise? They wouldn't. If fact, they're still fighting like badgers against the DOL extending the same 'sole interest' fiduciary standard beyond 401(s) to IRAs (go figure). The beauty of Simon's proposal is that they don't have to. He's taking a page from the current Administration's playbook: Appear like the good guy by offering a compromise to your opponents (that you know they'll never agree to), but one that looks reasonable to outside observers who will ultimately decide the issue—particularly to the majority who aren't really paying attention anyway.
Nobody's not really paying attention to the fiduciary issue more than the Congressmen who are debating the issue. To further sway them, Simon's compromise takes one of SIFMA's and the SEC's primary red-herring concerns off the table: business model neutrality. Moreover, it's the height of reasonableness. Why shouldn't today's and tomorrow's retirees have the same protections in their brokerage accounts as they do in their retirement accounts? It's the perfect out for bored politicians who simply want to get this fiduciary thing off their desks, and get back to fleecing the public. If Scott Simon hadn't already won his Tamar Frankel award, he should have gotten it for this idea, alone.


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Witness the evolution of the armored elite...
For a great selection of film, comic and TV action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, Urban-Collector.com, BriansToys.com, DollsAmerica.com, ClarkToys.com, ToyWiz.com, VNCToys.com, PastGenerationToys.com, MonkeyDepot.com, RPMDiecast.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, YesAnimation.com, and SuperheroToys.com.
For a great selection of film, TV and pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
Since 1977 and the opening scene of Star Wars, armored troopers have been a staple of the galaxy far, far away. Stormtroopers were cool, and in time were joined onscreen by Sandtroopers, Snow Troopers, and Scout Troopers. Then came the Prequel Trilogy with its clone armies and too many variations to list! Hasbro has been very helpful in providing us fans with all of the troopers we could possibly want to buy, in every version seen or imagined. The newest way to grab a trio of armored warriors is in the sub-line of Evolutions packs, one of the greatest things to happen in Star Wars toys in a long time. Collected together for the first time are Alpha the ARC Trooper, Fi Skirata of Omega Squad, and the Storm Commando in the Clone Commandos Evolutions set, exclusive to Wal*Mart!
Evolutions sets first appeared alongside Revenge of the Sith figures in 2005. Multipacks are everyones best friend, especially when they include high-quality versions often with extreme articulation and great accessories. Add to that variations, excellent character choices, and best of all MORE CLONES, and fans were very happy. Recent Evolutions sets have included forays into the Expanded Universe as well, bringing to plastic new characters and variations of existing ones that may have only existed in comic, novel, or video game form.
The Clone Commandos set incorporates the current clean lines and look of the Star Wars Legacy Collection, while retaining the flat rectangle shape Evolutions have had since the beginning. Primarily white with accents in red, the box includes a window on the right side shows off the three figures, and there are helpful identifying notations above them. To the left is a pretty badass piece of artwork of the trio, with another small note letting you know that additional accessories are behind it. The back of the box repeats that same image, along with a photoshopped shot of the figures and a brief description of their characters (very handy if youve never heard of them before). Finally, theres a Collect Them All section advertising the other two sets in the Wal*Mart wave: Rebel Pilot Legacy and Imperial Pilot Legacy.
To sum up the description on the back of the box, clone commandos kick ***. This long history of violence stretches back to the one and only Alpha, designation Alpha-17 and first of the Alpha-class Advanced Recon Commando unit. His story is mainly told in comic book form. Trained by Mandalorians, the ARCs were independent and free-thinking, excelling far beyond the standard clone trooper programming. Alpha would go on to serve in many engagements alongside the Jedi, and Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in particular. Alpha wears the standard ARC Trooper outfit consisting of clone armor plus pauldron (collar piece), kama (skirt), gauntlet, and helmet periscope/rangefinder. Hes armed with the heavy duty WESTAR-M5 blaster rifle.
As the war against the Separatists dragged on, the Grand Army of the Republic expanded its ranks to include much more specialized soldiers. Among the most well-trained and effective were the clone commandos. Serving in small squads, the commandos wore heavier armor and carried a wider array of deadly weapons and tools to get the job done no matter what. Fi Skirata was one such commando, serving as medic in the illustrious Omega Squad. The garrulous and humorous clone appeared in the Republic Commando series of novels. Here he comes outfitted in his Katarn commando armor with backpack, leg cuff, medical scanner, and DC-17m Blaster.
As the noble Republic gave way to Palpatines decadent Empire, clones would continue to serve in the armed forces alongside regular recruits. Already veterans of countless battles, the clone troops were natural choices for elite units including the Storm Commando. He wears a variation of the Scout Trooper armor with a stealth paint scheme and carries a variety of small arms for sneaking up on and eliminating high value Rebel targets. The Storm Commando appeared mainly in the Rogue Squadron novel series, providing deadly enemies for the heroic pilots of the Rebellion.
All three characters in this set are based heavily on previous figures, with new paint jobs and some new parts. The Alpha figure has a long evolution of his own, starting with a great clone trooper in 2005s Clone Trooper to Stormtrooper Evolutions set. That figure got a major upgrade with lots of new parts to represent Alpha (with blue Lieutenants markings) in 2007s Obi-Wan Kenobi and ARC Trooper Comic Pack. This Alpha is a repaint of that one with red markings and a brand new (and much better sculpted) head. Fi Skirata utilizes the standard clone commando body first used for 2006s Scorch figure and later his allies in the Republic Commando Delta Squad set. Skirata has a new paint scheme along with new better articulated legs. Finally, the Storm Commando is based on 2006s Biker Scout with a whole new look and new head and other bits.
With such proud lineage, it should come as no surprise that all three of these figures have excellent sculpts. The various clone armors are intricately detailed with plates, segments, underlying body sleeves, and much more. Each has his own special parts of course. Alphas got great detailing on his pauldron and kama, and his head is really well done. Fi Skirata, with his bulkier armor, has larger smooth plates but additional elements around the joints and neck. His big old helmet has a lot of character too, which helps it look not so much like a bucket. The Storm Commando probably has the most sculpted detail, mostly because of the intricacies of his outfit. The Scout Trooper hes based on wears a cloth undersuit which shows through on much of the middle body, arms, and legs. These areas have realistic creases and folds, with a distinctively patterned cummerbund. His newly designed helmet has a very aggressive face plate.
Paint quality on these figures is likewise very strong, if varied in amount of detail. Alpha, like the vast majority of clone troopers, is almost all white with black joints. Red shows up in bands on his calves, the kama, stripes on his arms, pauldron, and helmet. There are also various details in gray and black, but thats about it. His head, while a little waxy looking, has a very good paint job. Fi Skirata also has a bit of a plain color scheme, but it works. His armor is white and dark blue in a (random?) pattern of large sections, with more black at the joints. Other than that, theres light blue on his visor, leg cuff, and backpack. Thankfully, the paint lines are very clean and crisp, and the solid colors work well with the heavy armor.
Of the three figures here, I must say that I was least excited about the Storm Commando. While Im a big fan of troopers, Im not usually into the stealth versions. The fun for thing for me in the endless variety of clones is the variation in bright colors and patterns, not a drab black and gray guy besides, there was only one guy who did that well, and Ive got plenty of Vader figures. But, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised once I got the Storm Commando out of the box. Hes not just black and gray. Instead, hes a metallic blue/green (over black) with details in silver and grays. Its a much more dynamic paint scheme than past stealth or shadow figures, in my opinion anyway. Its also not the easiest thing to photograph, so make sure you check him out in person.
All three clones have excellent articulation, befitting their status as Evolutions figures. All three have the now standard 14 points of articulation, with slight differences. Alpha has a waist joint, while the other two trade that for a ball-jointed torso. The Storm Commando has articulated forearms, while the other two have jointed wrists instead. In all cases, the figures can be posed in a variety of ways and are very stable.
The other staple of Evolutions sets is accessorizing, and in that capacity the clones are a bit short-changed. Its not that accessories are lacking; theyre just not amazing. Alphas got his ARC kit, much of which is technically removable but I wouldnt mess with it. Hes got the removable helmet and gauntlet, and the single blaster rifle kind of odd since other ARC and clone figures have come loaded down with guns. Fi Skirata is outfitted much like Sev from the Republic Commando set with the backpack (plus over-the-shoulder attachment), leg cuff, and rifle, with the addition of the relatively tiny medical scanner device. The Storm Commando is really shortchanged. While he does have built in holsters, he only comes with two small blasters (regular and sniper), and frankly, theyre crappy. The plastic used on these is very soft, and they dont look all that good. But, if youre a trooper collector like me, youve probably got stores of armaments so you can arm this guy properly.
With the Clone Commandos Evolutions set, what you see is pretty much what you get. Alpha is a repaint in his alternate red colors, and hes got a great head sculpt, so thats cool. Skirata is pretty unique, with a deco weve never seen before on a figure thats improved over the existing version. Storm Commando is a familiar face with a (literally) shiny new look, and is much more impressive out of the box. If youre in need of clones, you could do far worse than picking up this set. Go find yours at Wal*Mart while I play with my clone army!
For more photos of this set, CLICK HERE!
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin


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Get Your Free Audiobook
Non-member price: $29.22
Publisher's Summary
Welcome to a world where big cities are dying, dead - or transformed into technological megastructures. Where once-thriving suburbs are now treacherous Wilds. Where those who live for technology battle those who would die rather than embrace it. It is a world of zero-footprint cities, virtual nations, and armed camps of eco-survivalists.
Welcome to the dawn of uncivilization.
METAtropolis is an intelligent and stunning creation of five of today's cutting-edge science-fiction writers: 2008 Hugo Award winners John Scalzi and Elizabeth Bear; Campbell Award winner Jay Lake; plus fan favorites Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder. Together they set the ground rules and developed the parameters of this "shared universe", then wrote five original novellas - all linked, but each a separate tale.
Bringing this audiobook to life is a dream team of performers: Battlestar Galactica's Michael Hogan ("Saul Tigh"); Alessandro Juliani ("Felix Gaeta"); and Kandyse McClure ("Anastasia 'Dee' Dualla"); plus legendary audiobook narrators Scott Brick (Dune) and Stefan Rudnicki (Ender's Game).
John Scalzi, who served as Project Editor, introduces each story, offering insight into how the METAtropolis team created this unique project exclusively for digital audio.
Critic Reviews
- 2009 Hugo Award nominee, Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
- 2009 Audie Award nominee, Original Work
"Each story shines on its own; as a group they reinforce one another, building a multifaceted view of a realistic and hopeful urban future." (Publishers Weekly)
"Scalzi and his contributors/collaborators have created a fascinating shared urban future that each of them evokes with his or her particular strengths.... This stellar collection is a fascinating example of shared world-building." (Booklist)
"This impressive group of writers imagines what happens when the world moves beyond cities as a locus of human civilization. The range of narrators...brings a unique narrative style to the production. Of the five narrators, all well chosen for the stories, Allessandro Juliani proves to be the best with his rendering of Scalzi's piece." (AudioFile)
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What listeners say about METAtropolis
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
- Chris Burgess
- 08-10-2016
Absolutely loved it
I can imagine the near future being just like this. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series
- HamFam
- 17-12-2010
5 Stories for the price of 1, not good enough
I got this primarily because of the narrators, having just watched the Battlefield Galactica series on DVD. Then I read the premise and fell in love with the idea of a shared world! The only problem is the stories are not really sharing very much. IMO there's 1 stinky story, 3 average stories, and the best one is kind of a comedic story and doesn't fit in with the rest at all. The narration was not all that great either. The coolness factor of hearing familiar voices disappates after about 10 minutes.
34 people found this helpful
- Shelby
- 07-04-2009
Pretty good
I really enjoyed the worlds created by the authors. I would have enjoyed it more if the author doing the narrating hadn't yakked about himself and the process so much in between the stories. That could have come at the end of the "book", after the stories, as a "how this book was made" commentary. Otherwise cool stories with some memorable characters and concepts.
59 people found this helpful
- Nkore
- 10-01-2009
Somewhat Disappointed
I really wanted to like this, but ultimately it just didn't seem to hit the mark, coming off as a collection of mediocre adverts for the authors rather than a real attempt at a connected collection of short stories. The quality of the voice acting was variable also.
It's not all bad; a couple of stories are worthy in their own right, but as a collection, there's just not enough to hold it together.
44 people found this helpful
- 08-11-2013
Fascinating stories
I was hesitant to get this Audible Frontiers audiobook because I generally don't enjoy anthologies. However, I found the Metatropolis stories fascinating -- several stories include references to ecology-related technology changes and the narrators are top-notch. Highly recommended for sci-fi/cli-fi fans.
34 people found this helpful
- David Ewing
- 21-11-2008
Not as original as I hoped
When I read about this project and listened to the editors preface I thought I was in for a very imaginative and creative work. While this isn't a terrible book, it's not that creative.
I prefer Science Fiction that is a metaphor for a insight into the human condition. Here I felt was science fiction as a metaphor for the collective authors' current day political view points. It got a bit tiresome and was repetitive. Because this book makes statements on so many current day events, it will probably not be as interesting in say, two or three years.
The brightest point of the book are the readers. All your favorites are here and they do not disappoint. As for the stories themselves, they are of varying quality, but on the whole B- in average.
If your choice of books is between this one and one that you're very excited about, choose the other. If you are just looking for something that might be a solid base hit, this book will meet your expectations.
49 people found this helpful
- james
- 27-10-2008
Not a wasted credit
(rewritten to exclude apostrophes or quotation marks, which Audible processes incorrectly.)
I like the concept of a shared world and overall this is an entertaining audiobook, but like any anthology some stories are better than others.
In the Forests of the Night by Jake Lake was an extended pseudospiritual/political rant that never answers the most obvious question, i.e. who is Tygre?
I liked Stochasti-city by Tobias Buckell at least in part because it is read by Scott Brick but also because it is entertaining and interesting although the ideas of ex-military street mercs and repurposing abandoned urban real estate were done (better) decades ago by William Gibson.
The Elizabeth Bear story elicited an enthusiastic meh. The characters just were not that compelling and there was not much of a plot to resolve.
John Scalzi is a good writer with a good sense of humor and a lighter tone was needed by this point. His story was funny, but at times it comes across like a 1980s comedy film: slacker hero saves the world through pranking. Not a spoiler, because you see it coming a mile away.
They saved the best for last. To Hie from Far Cilenia by Karl Schroeder is the most thought-provoking of the set. It was a quirky combination of The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson and Spook Country by William Gibson with a heavy dose of Stephensonian fascination with currency. Being a huge fan of both Stephenson and Gibson, it worked for me. The fact that Stefan Ruknicki is a brilliant reader helps too.
The whole collection owes a lot to Gibson, even the various green movements (anybody remember the Sandbenders?), but Gibson was less heavy-handed than these stories. It does put a nice big flashing date stamp on the era at least. Half the science fiction books in the 80s were about nuclear Armageddon, half today are about environmental Armageddon.
Anyway, it serves as a good screenshot of contemporary writing and is worth a listen.
84 people found this helpful
- Julie W. Capell
- 10-03-2014
Incredible world building, narration combined
I can't believe I just discovered this in 2014. Produced by Audible in 2008, it's an anthology based on a future world built by five of today's best scifi authors. When I realized one of the world-builders was Karl Schroeder I knew I had to get this immediately. This anthology did not disappoint, and the audio version features several well-known scifi television actors whose voices, if not their names, will be immediately recognizable to any scifi fans.
The audio begins with John Scalzi giving a general overview of the project, and Scalzi also introduces each story. The first story is by Jay Lake and read by Michael Hogan. I must admit that I didn't recognize the name, but as soon as the voice started coming out of my phone, I knew it was Colonel Tigh from the Battlestar Galactica reboot. He has a really recognizable, earthy cadence that suited this story perfectly. I would love to hear him read more audio books. Oh, and the story was fantastic, too. It did a great job of setting the scene for all the stories that follow (particularly all the stories in the follow-up volume, METAtropolis: Cascadia). Both the setting—the rainforests of the American/Canadian Northwest—and the characters—a group of ecology fanatics living in secrecy—were completely different from anything I have ever read before. I definitely want more of this!!
The second story is by Tobias Buckell and narrated by the always fabulous Scott Brick. This story is set in a future Detroit that is a model for the reclamation of all the other cities in North America, all of which have been decimated by a "slow apocalypse." This is another term I have never heard before, but as the concept is rolled out in each story, it becomes clearer. The basic idea is that capitalism went into a slow decline, and now in the latter half of the 21st century, civilization has broken down into autonomous city-states, each one with a different mechanism for survival. Detroit is being reclaimed through re-use, such as urban farming inside skyscrapers, that allows the residents to produce more food than they need. The story also introduced me to the concept of "turking," which was like crowdsourcing combined with Craig's List and extrapolated. Many functions that were formerly taken care of by government, including mail delivery, are randomly distributed to regular citizens, who pick up small jobs to earn small change, and thus the city continues to function. Detroit is a shining beacon of hope for humanity, a sentiment which I found refreshingly positive.
The third story is by Elizabeth Bear and is read by Kandyse McClure is also set in Detroit. Like the previous story, most people get around on bicycles, and people share resources, equipment and living space. Collective living, including child rearing and food production, is now the norm, enabling local communities to produce what they need now that the global marketplace and distribution system has failed.
The fourth story, by John Scalzi, was funny and inventive, describing in more detail how localized food production works in this brave new world. Alessandro Juliani, who played Lt. Gaeta on the new Battlestar Galactica, gave it a great reading. Wil Wheaton, who has performed most if not all of Scalzi's audiobooks, may have lost his gig.
The last story, by Karl Schroeder, was the best of all. The reader, Stefan Rudnicki, sounds just like Michael Ansara, his deep bass perfectly portraying the Russian protagonist's phlegmatic reaction to the James Bond-like situations in which he finds himself in this thriller of a tale. In between the harrowing escapes and dangerous dilemnas, Schroeder introduces more new future city concepts than all the previous authors combined. Much of the action takes place in a virtual world, where people use avatars to produce real wealth. This was somewhat reminiscent of the plot of Reamde, but with much more detail about the virtual world and how it works. The concepts put forth by Schroeder are so new and interesting, I think I have to listen to this story again to fully grasp what he is describing.
This collection was so great that I immediately downloaded the next two books in the series: METAtropolis: Cacadia and METAtropolis: Green Space.
27 people found this helpful
- Dale
- 24-06-2011
Not for me
I admit it I was pulled in by the narrators, I am a huge battlestar fan so a book narrated by an XO and senior officer I though what could possible go wrong. I did not enjoy this book at all and cannot actually bring myself to listen to any more of it. I found the descriptive nature of places etc annoying it seemed almost every other sentence described things such as "The book was like wading through treacle with concrete shoes on" situations were compared to other situations in overly verbose fashion and for me the book did not really have any sort of rhythm to it.
Sorry but I didn't like it!
22 people found this helpful
- Norman Cook
- 04-04-2009
Average at best
The stories were ok, but nothing special. The shared world gimmick really did not play a major role--these stories would have had the same impact as stand-alone stories (George R. R. Martin's Wild Cards shared world series is an example of how the shared world concept can be used to wonderful effect). John Scalzi's lighthearted tale of a pig farmer was the best of the bunch, probably because it was the least preachy and easiest to follow the plot. All of the stories seemed to follow the same basic format, i.e., outsiders trying to usurp the technological progress of the city-states. The biggest problem with this audio book is the varying quality of the readers. Michael Hogan snarls his way through Jay Lake's opening novella and Stefan Rudnicki growls through the final story by Karl Schroeder. Kandyse McClure and Scott Brick do good jobs, with Alessandro Juliani doing the best (or perhaps he was blessed with reading Scalzi's fun story). This audio book is nominated for the Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo Award for some inexplicable reason. It's ratings on Audible.com and LibraryThing.com are so-so at best, and it did not appear on any Best of the Year lists that I saw. My guess is that people voted for it based on name recognition without actually listening to it.
31 people found this helpful
- Kenneth B. Strumpf
- 13-01-2009
Tedious and preachy
I was extremely disappointed in this collection. The first story made no sense at all. The next two were dull and implausible. And then I gave up. Maybe the final two are modern masterpieces but I just don't have the patience to find out. The first three stories lacked compelling characters or believable situations and I grew tired of dialogue that sounded more like people lecturing each other about sustainability and carbon footprints. There's plenty of great science fiction on Audible, don't waste your credit on this bore.
55 people found this helpful
- Mathew
- 25-03-2010
Thoughts written down before i thought them
Metatropolis is set in a kind of post apocalyptic future, however it doesnt follow a bang but the world as we know it seems to have disappeared in a whimper. As such the future isnt a dramatic and depressing realisation of mans weakness. Many of the characters regard there world with a kind of mild disinterest (much like we do today). I was surprised just how often one of the stories in this collection described to me the fully formed idea that had only started to occur in my own head.
The stories are well written and have a concise and efficient feeling as good short stories should. Each narration is as good as the last, I can still hear the phrase "arrived on the wings of a storm" in my head when I think about it.
I thoroughly recommend this book.
4 people found this helpful
- Des
- 07-07-2010
Almost perfect
This is a brilliant piece of work with several authors in different ways writing about a shared earth of the future.
As each story is about 2 hours and independently set in the same world as the other stories, I have listened to all but one twice. It means a journey in the car can be a whole story and not leave you wanting more commuting ;-)
I love this take on our future and how given this ground rules it can be seen in such different ways - from technology altering lives for the better to harsh realities of post oil survival.
Great book.
3 people found this helpful
- Alex
- 07-07-2010
An amazing audio
I, like so many, am new to sci fi audio books, I like to get reading books that are relevant to me. Also the same is true with audio books. I need something to fill the gaps of my imagination that have been untouched by tv or movies, or need rekindling. The audio book METAtropolis is a great read for the reason that its several smaller stories well spoken and tied together in a very good use of an audible credit.
I personally, specfically chose this audio book, because I was going to London to meet Kandyse McClure ('Dee' in Battlestar Galacticas reimagined series). She ended up being a very nice woman and this is evident in her reading of the character in METAtropolis.
I very much enjoyed the audio book.
2 people found this helpful
- TKD-Tiger
- 20-04-2020
a bit of a brain -bender but so well done!
I keep coming back to this time and again. the concept is great and the way the individual stories explore different aspects and mesh together is brilliant. shades of "the city and the city" here and there. the performances are really good too, no exceptions. a collection to stimulate the brain!
- Tinder
- 15-01-2020
Mix of stories
I loved a couple of the stories. Not all. But as a group they mostly worked well. I loved the collaboration. Didn't like all the readers but mostly good. What I really liked was the combined feel of the whole thing. A possible future.
- Colin Brown
- 02-05-2019
Sci-fi? Eco-fi?
This collection of short stories contains some really imaginative and interesting ideas, especially Karl Schroeder's Matrix meets bit coin augmented reality. The only thing i felt let these tales down was the mainly overwhelmingly wholesome characters. Apart from one side-lined and doomed female assassin, everyone seemed to want to save the World. One decent villain or anti-hero wouod have been a nice balance.
- Andy Sealey
- 18-12-2018
Really hard to listen to and follow
Couldn't get into the joint universe, to me it didnt feel all that joined to be honest. Not a fan, which is a shame because I thought I would be
- C. Smith
- 12-12-2017
Hard work
It was quite hard for me to concentrate on, and particularly the first 2 stories I didn't follow the characters or what was happening to them. The 3rd and 4th stories were good. I did however really like the voice of the first story.


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S-Class Coupé
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The top-of-the-range model of Mercedes-Benz takes another big step towards autonomous driving and elevates Intelligent Drive to the next level. With a whole series of new features and functions the S-Class remains the technological pioneer.


text:
Displaying all 3 Publications
Current search: 'Victoria E. Jackson' and '2019'
Genetic landscape of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease identifies heterogeneous cell-type and phenotype associations
Phuwanat Sakornsakolpat, Dmitry Prokopenko, Maxime Lamontagne, et al.
New genetic signals for lung function highlight pathways and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associations across multiple ancestries
Nick Shrine, Anna L. Guyatt, A. Mesut Erzurumluoglu, et al.
Meta-analysis of up to 622,409 individuals identifies 40 novel smoking behaviour associated genetic loci
A. Mesut Erzurumluoglu, MengZhen Liu, Victoria E. Jackson, et al.


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Nearly 10 Years Later, Monument to Favoritism in Kelo Ruling Still Stands
A link to a story in the New London (CT) Day (story will be available for only a few days) arrived in my e-mail yesterday thanks to a Google alert:
Deed Gives NL Building A New Address
Italian Dramatic Club outlived street it used to be on in fort area
The story stands as a bitter reminder of the blatant favoritism that took place during the sad saga of Susette Kelo and her neighbors in the Ft. Trumbull area of that Connecticut town.
Ms. Kelo and her neighbors had their homes condemned, and ultimately lost in appeals that went all the way to the Supreme Court, where in June 2005 that court's majority ruled that when our Founders wrote "public use" in the Constitution's 5th Amendment (i.e., building a bridge, or a road, or a school), they really meant "public purpose" (doing anything the government deems to be a worthy cause, including taking someone's property and conveying it to another for a worthy "development" cause).
As you can see from the following Google Earth map image that is probably about two years old, the Italian Dramatic Club (IDC) sits virtually alone at 79 Chelsea Street:
The remaining houses seen near the bottom on Wabash Street were vacant, and have probably been demolished. If I recall correctly, Susette Kelo's pink house was at the corner of East Street and Wabash. The home of other final holdouts, the Cristofaros, was next door to the IDC.
The IDC is a private social club for well-connected political elites in the surrounding area. Key paragraphs from the Day's story explain why it's still there:
It's been nearly 10 years since the New London Development Corp. decided to spare a private social club in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood while razing nearly all other houses, stores, churches and office buildings.
….. When the Fort Trumbull Municipal Development plan was approved in 1999, the club, which was built in 1922 by Italians from the region of Fano, Italy, was supposed to be torn down along with the rest of the neighborhood. But the club, which offers monthly dinners to its members and guests, was spared demolition. Aldo Valentini, the late trustee of the club, said in 2000 that the 108 members were ready to fight to keep the wrecking ball away but were soon told by the NLDC that they could stay.
Jay Levin, a New London attorney who is a friend of several members of the club, worked with the NLDC to spare the club.
"We were hearing the place was going to be torn down. But I never believed that would be the case," he said at the time. "I think the NLDC recognized that as the city changes, aspects of the city's heritage have to remain sacrosanct."
….. years later, after litigation that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, property owners lost their fight. Today, every building on the 90-acre site is gone, except for a relatively new office building at 1 Chelsea St. and the IDC.
Notice how careful the Day is to avoid mentioning what seems to have become its own version of a four-letter word: Kelo.
The national media almost never mentioned the IDC's free pass, which I consider an epic fail given the gravity of the case. A Google News Archive search on ["Italian Dramatic Club" New London] for 1998 through 2006 (typed as indicated within brackets) has only 14 results. Only two true news items are from 2001, when the IDC received its exemption, and they are local. There are excellent Jewish World Review columns by John Fund in 2001 and and Doug Bandow in 2002. There is an odious February 2005 Washington Post editorial that, while noting the blatant double standard, nonetheless says that "federal courts shouldn't be second-guessing the city's determination of how best to accomplish that very public goal (of development)." Otherwise, the coverage of this important element of the Kelo situation is almost as barren as the Ft. Trumbull area involved is today.
Oh, did I forget to note that a New York Times search on "Italian Dramatic Club" indicates that the paper never mentioned its exemption during the entire term of the case?
If the IDC's exemption from the wrecking ball had been known to the public during the Kelo saga, I daresay that the attitudes of many who followed the case might have been more sympathetic to the litigants.
Meanwhile in the affected area, 2008 ended as 2007 and 2006 did, with nothing substantive done. But we're still supposed to believe that government knows best, while it hands out perks to the favored and literally bulldozes over those who get in its way.
Also, don't miss a couple of the choice comments left at the Day's story.
Cross-posted at NewsBusters.org.


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Like many Canadians we travel to the United States. This gives me ample opportunity to compare similar products for similarities and differences. Kraft Dinner topped with ketchup is reputed to be Canada's national food. So I thought it would be interesting to compare the packaging from a box of Canadian Kraft Dinner and it's American counterpart Macaroni & Cheese.
Details - Kraft Dinner (Canadian) is manufactured by Kraft Canada Inc., Don Mills, Ontario. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (American) is manufactured by Kraft Foods Global, Inc., Northfield, Illinois.
Kraft Dinner - Notice that the product in Canada is actually called Kraft Dinner or KD for short and that is indicated on the packaging. That is because most Canadians can recognize a picture of macaroni with the trademark neon orange colouring without being told that it is macaroni and cheese. In very fine print near the bottom the product is identified as macaroni and cheese but that's likely a legal thing just in case some inexperienced Canadian can't identify the product by its picture and just happened to bring a magnifying glass with them while they were shopping. In this case Canadians already know that Kraft Dinner is made by Kraft so we don't need a huge logo of Kraft to grace the box. In fine print also needing a magnifying glass are short instructions for getting into the box likely because Canada's national drink (beer) may be involved when opening the box or again for those who aren't sure how to open boxes. More likely is another legal thing due to our southern influence of suing if a mosquito lands on them. Notice we don't need any fancy font or extra labeling claiming to be the cheesiest although on the top there is a Kraft logo on the top of the box that says made with real Kraft cheddar. The box inculdes cooking instructions for both microwave and stove-top. That's a good thing because the quicker you can cook KD the faster you can eat it. As with all packaging in Canada labeling is bilingual. Now here is where Canadians actually get a better deal for their dollar. A box of Kraft Dinner is 225 g compared to the American Macaroni & Cheese that is only 206 g.
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - The product in the US is labeled as macaroni & cheese with no mention of Kraft Dinner on the packaging. This must be a legal thing to prevent someone from suing expecting a dinner in a box and all they got was dried pasta and a package of neon organge powder stuff. The box has a considerably larger picture of macaroni and cheese. This is likely for those consumers with poor eyesight or seeing eye dogs helping their owners find the culinary delight easily. It also helps those who don't speak English to identify the product because the only language on the label is English. The American package contains instructions on opening the box on top and on the side. I'm not sure why other than maybe American's need to be told twice how to do some things. The box only includes stove-top cooking instructions. That's a pity since most Americans tend to be a bit more rushed than Canadians. There is the notation on the box that it is the cheesiest but no mention as to what cheese it is so one can only wonder about exactly what that neon orange powder is..As already mention a box of the American version is only 206 g so Canadians are getting the better deal here.
My Recommendations for Americans - Buy Canadian. You get more product that is clearly labeled as using cheddar and you can cook it in the microwave. Be sure to cover your culinary delight with ketchup to make it truly Canadian!


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Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People: Episode 2 - Strong Badia the Free
Strong Badia the Free is the second of five monthly episodes starring Strong Bad–the self-proclaimed "coolest person ever"–and the rest of the cast from the popular Homestar Runner web cartoons. When Strong Bad fails to obey the King of Town's totally unfair e-mail tax, he's placed under house arrest. Once freed from his wrongful imprisonment, Strong Bad goes on a mission to unite the local warring factions under the Strong Badian flag. Is Free Country USA ready for such an awesome ruler? Strong Bad Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free also has the Videlectrix arcade classic "Math Kickers Featuring the Algebros," plus all-new achievements, collectibles, costumes, and Teen Girl Squad comics. You can even use Strong Bad's Lappy to send e-mails and pictures to your Wii Friends! So what are you waiting for? Fire up Strong Badia the Free and get ready to kick some doughy King of Town butt!
Check out the rest of the series!


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Results for Scientific Name =
Hemizonia increscens
7 records returned
Click on an accepted name below to view its PLANTS Profile
with all synonyms, distribution map, more information, and
Web links if available. Please use the State
Search to generate fully synonymized plant lists. Synonyms
are indented beneath accepted counterparts.


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Umm Kulthum
The Star of the East
"During the 1950s and 1960s Umm Kulthum expanded her role in Egyptian public life. She granted more interviews during which she spoke about her life, repeatedly identifying herself as a villager, a fallahah or peasant, who shared a cultural background and essential values with the majority of the Egyptian populace. Her interviews were full of stories of her family, her neighbors, and the familial qualities of village life.
She cultivated the position of spokeswoman for various causes. She advocated governmental support of Arabic music and musicians, she endowed a charitable foundation and, most importantly, after the Egyptian defeat in the 1967 war, she began a series of domestic and international concerts for Egypt. She travelled throughout Egypt and the Arab world, collecting contributions and donating the proceeds of her performances to the government of Egypt. These concerts were much publicized and took on the character of state visits. Umm Kulthum was entertained by heads of state, she toured cultural monuments, and, in interviews, repeated her views concerning the importance of support for indigenous Arab culture. More than a musician, she became 'the voice and face of Egypt'."
(Excerpt from Virginia Louise Danielson's Shaping tradition in Arabic song: The career and repertory of Umm Kulthum.)


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Death list
Called Aunt Olive two days ago, and I later found out that in response to her rough night of heart problems last week, she has compliled a "death list" of five people she would like to see before she dies. However, she sounds no worse for wear on the phone, so this action might be premature. Or, maybe we should all do it right now.
I am on my way across the country. Last evening in a small freeway town I had the single most bizarre restaurant experience in my life. I was drawn into the restaurant by the sign which said it was Basque food. I have had very good Basque food before, so I went in.
The restaurant was dated and drab, yet at the top of the specials list was steak and lobster for $64.95. The listings underneath were just as expensive. I finally worked my way down to baked lamb for $14,95.
First came half a loaf of bread with a big bowl of soup, complete with a full-sized ladel. The soup didn't have much flavor. It was chicken and rice. I ate too much of it. Then came a huge lettuce salad. Just lettuce. Nothing else. The lettuce was covered in sour cream. It was not very good. Then came the main meal, served family style.
A large platter containing four huge chunks of lamb, baked to black. A dish of potatoe au gratin, which was a whole baked potato covered in cheese sauce. Then, for good measure, a dish of rice, a dish of boiled green beans and, bizarrely, a dish of spaghetti with sauce! This was food enough for a family of four and I was alone. I ate one out of the four chunks of lamb and was full. And it was awful. Awful. So I, for some reason, asked the waitress for a box, but the stuff in it, paid and left.
I dumped the box in the first waste basket I saw.
If that was Basque food, it isn't the Basque food I remember. It was more like a medly of dishes from a school cafeteria in the early 1970s.
I don't know if I will ever eat again.


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Even John "D Student" Kerry was guilt-tripped into releasing his transcripts.
Curiously, since I relayed a report of Obama's "teaching career" at Chicago (he was apparently never a law professor, as some have claimed), the Illinois Bar has decided to partially redact what little public information it had available on its website related to the President's legal status.
On March 1st, I captured the public records available at the Illinois Bar's website for the President (click to zoom):
Today, thanks to an eagle-eyed commenter, what little is available in the record has been partially redacted:
For some odd reason, the date that Obama was last registered to practice law in Illinois was erased within the last few days.
Perhaps it's just some clerical issue or a database cleanup problem.
But when even the tiniest breadcrumbs of background information on this, the most mysterious President ever, begin disappearing, I think it's worth asking some questions.
And perhaps The New York Times or Glutes Sullivan could reassign a cub reporter from the Sarah Palin detail in Wasilla to find out just what the President's grades were -- and how he actually paid for school.
Related: "To be (a lawyer) or not to be."
Also Related: Q&A with a former Editor of Law Review at one of the top schools in the country.
Question: Have you ever heard of someone who became editor of law review without publishing a paper (like our beloved 44th president)?
Answer: The answer to your last question is no. Most, if not all law reviews, publish notes or articles from second-year law students who are members of the Law Review. The editors are third years. It's hard to imagine that a third year would be elected editor in chief without having previously published an article. If a third year isn't a good enough writer to have an article published in the law review, he or she probably isn't good enough to edit someone else's article.


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gcc compiler
CodeSourcery ARM GNU/Linux tool chain is the version with the support for the latest ARM architecture. Mainline gcc also has stable ARM support. Enhancements are made in the Codesourcery version first, and are then pushed back to mainline.
2007q3 version is recommended. An ARM-native version of CS2007q3 has been built as well. You can also install a native tool-chain from Angstrom.
Note: A user reports that he found the use of CodeSourcery tool chain version 2007q1-21 and 2008q1-126 as strange. He has been using 2007q3-51 for a couple of months now.
Note: Some users report problems using Linux installer version. If installer doesn't work for you, download tar version (section Advanced Packages), copy extracted arm-2007q3 directory to /opt/codesourcery/arm-none-linux-gnueabi/ and add /opt/codesourcery/arm-none-linux-gnueabi/arm-2007q3/bin to your path.
- Note: CodeSourcery 2008q1 has the following issues:
- Vectorization + NEON is broken
- building static binaries with cortex-a8 flag (or any ARMv7a core) is broken
- some armv6 compilations end in ICE.
- Note: CodeSourcery 2008q3 (now replaced by 2008q3-72) has the following issues:
- Broken NEON support using -fmpu=neon -mfloat-abi=softfp -mcpu=cortex-a8 -O3
- Miscompiles U-Boot
- Note: CodeSourcery 2008q3-72 has the following issues:
Note: If you will use only OpenEmbedded (OE) to build code for your Beagle, you don't need to download the CodeSourcery compiler. OE builds a cross-compiler from source as part of the bitbake process.
ARM RVDS compiler
ARM has the Realview Developer Suite, with arguably better code generation than gcc. An DVD evaluation version is available (or download via internet by registering followed by download).
ARM RVDS tools can be used to generate Linux applications and shared-libraries, by following the Apps Note 212 Building Linux applications using RVCT v4.0 and the GNU Tools and Libraries
ARM RVDS can also work in Scratchbox, by following Apps Note 221 RealView Development Suite 4.0 ARM Compiler for Scratchbox
ARM Cortex Floating Point
There are two types of instructions in the ARM v7 ISA that handle floating point:
1) VFPv3 Floating point instruction set (used for single/double precision scalar operations). These is used by gcc for C floating point operations on 'float' and 'double'
2) NEON NEON vectorized single precision operations (2 values in a D-register, or 4 values in a Q-register) These can be use by gcc when -ftree-vectorize is enabled and -mfpu=neon is specified, and the code can be vectorized. In other cases the VFPv3 scalar ops will be used.
ARM Cortex-A processors have separate floating point pipelines that handle these different instructions.
On Cortex-A8, the designers' focus was on the NEON unit performance which can sustain 1 cycle/instr throughput (processing 2 single-precision values at once). The scalar VFPv3 FPU cannot achieve this level of performance (cycle timings are in the Cortex-A8 TRM download), but it is still a lot better than doing floating point using integer instructions.
If you need the highest performance floating point on Cortex-A8, you need to use single precision and ensure the code uses the NEON vectorized instructions:
- use gcc with -ftree-vectorize (possibly modify source code to make it vector friendly)
- use NEON instrinsics (#include <arm_neon.h>, float32x2_t datatype and vmul_f32() etc)
- use NEON asm directly
On Cortex-A9, there is a much higher performance floating point unit which can sustain 1 cycle/instr throughput, with low result latencies.


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READ about Piers Morgan's long career in journalism here.
It's now been two full weeks since Flight 370 disappeared and questions and theories far outweigh clues and concrete information.
But could the key to solving this mystery be found among satellite-tracked buoys?
Joining "Piers Morgan Live" on Friday evening, Oceanography researcher Luca Centurioni demonstrated how such instruments may aid in the search for debris in the Indian Ocean.
"We have an element which is underwater. We call it a drug. And that will make sure the drifter follows the ocean currents," explained Centurioni, detailing the first element in a three tier process. "Then we have another sensor which is a temperature sensor. It measures the temperature of the water. And then very importantly we have another sensor which is atmospheric pressure sensor ... and what we do, we feed all the data in real time to anyone who can make use of it."
With a pair of images being spotted via satellite early Thursday morning, a collection of international ships and aircrafts converged in the ocean. Adding buoys to the search offers a simple and intimate element to the investigation.
"It's very easy. They can be either deployed from an airplane or just one person can deploy it from the ship. Basically you just throw it overboard and the drifter starts the mission automatically. Here it goes."
And with that, Centurioni and his handlers heaved the objects over the side of their ship and into the waters of San Diego, in the process demonstrating a piece of technology which many hope will help provide some answers regarding the mystery surrounding missing Flight 370.
Watch the above video to see Centurioni demonstrate his expertise, and stay with CNN on television, and visit cnn.com for the latest developments on missing Flight 370.
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sound like "a hollywood film", but i hope it will work
Malaysian plane: 20 passengers ...
By: Ted Jeory, OZ
Date: Friday, 21 March 2014, 11:05 pm
Malaysian plane: 20 passengers worked for ELECTRONIC WARFARE and MILITARY RADAR firm
A US technology company which had 20 senior staff on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 had just launched a new electronic warfare gadget for military radar systems in the days before the Boeing 777 went missing.
By: Ted Jeory
Published: Wed, March 19, 2014
DEVELOPMENT Freescale Semiconductor which had 20 workers on MH370 had just launched new radar chips DEVELOPMENT: Freescale Semiconductor which had 20 workers on MH370 had just launched new radar chips [EXPRESS]
Freescale Semiconductor, which makes powerful microchips for industries including defence, released the powerful new products to the American market on March 3.
Five days later, Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board including 20 working for Freescale.
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Chinese holding Moochelle hostage feeding her one bowl of rice a day.
how come the planes aren't equipped with epirbs?the same ones used on ships and boats that mark your exact location by lat. and long>
Why haven't I heard anyone say "to check the Islands or on land" rather than the ocean? I have a gut feeling the plane could have landed safely on land near the ocean in a very densed area. Since it was flying at 12,000 feet, wouldn't that prove he was trying to land the plan? The plane have lost power and no communications. I just feel in my heart these 239 people are alive. Why is the focus on the "water" is basically my concern. No one has spoken about those possibilities. Could that question be asked to all of those in charge with this search? Thanks
MH 370. Assuming factual true repeated official reports one can draw the following scenario:
1. A cordial good night was given (was this actually what it appeared or was it a coded attempt to convey trouble or, even more, was it directed from whoever was planning the trouble with the intention to have air controllers relaxed?);
2. TRANSPONDER and ACARS were off;
3. Evasive maneuvers were taken;
4. The flight diverged drastically from its expected course;
5. No Mayday was sent;
6. If course change would have been motivated by a mechanical or whatever problem it would be difficult to believe an experienced captain would seek a place to land in opposite direction in the ocean at night;
7. Too many unorthodox actions to swallow;
8. Al this put together points to intentional action.
If there communications and radar and everything had failed at night 12000 ft and know radar above clouds they probally didnt know where they were heading
Just one question we have all this great technology but still know one is smart enough to put a floatation device on the black boxes and make them salt water activated
Just heard you where leaving. Ha. How sweet it is.
Now in Brazil a small Two-engined airplane disappear with five people on board in the Amazon Jungle like the Malaysia they still looking for the plane after "9 DAYS" ??? (Using the same Orion P8) That's not the time to install something to protect us a little better???


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Excerpts from a lecture by Yogi Bhajan on June 28, 1994
Technically speaking, you are not what you look at in the mirror. We are talking about you. You look at yourself in the mirror; what you see is what you sell. You have never looked into your soul. That's what you are and that's what you are not projecting. Look at your dresses. You want to be sexy. What is that? Is your sex on sale? And the feeling is, why doesn't somebody buy it? If somebody buys it, what objection would you have? Your whole mentality, sentimentality, and projection is, "How many men appreciate me?" And man's whole projection is, "How fast can I exploit her?"
Be Alert - Don't Flirt
You gave birth to Guru Nanak, you gave birth to Gautama Buddha, you gave birth to Mohammad, you gave birth to Jesus, you gave birth to Rama, you gave birth to Krishna. You gave birth to everybody. You are the mother. And you suffer at the hands of a man because you sell yourself openly in an open market. You sell your body and that's what you are. You are a flirt, therefore you are not alert. A woman who is a flirt is the worst enemy of herself. You flirt with your youth, you flirt with your adult age, you flirt with your old age.
I once met a woman in New York who was eighty-nine years old. And she brought a man to meet me and she said, "Yogiji, this is the man I'm going to marry."
I said, "What's wrong with you?"
She said, "Just look at his aura and please let me know whether he can be right."
I said, "Why are you marrying him?"
She said, "I am lonely."
I said, "Why would you want to marry this man?"
She said, "Don't you think I am lonely?"
I said, "Do you have your God with you, do you have your soul with you, do you have your self with you?"
She said, "I never thought of it."
I said, "It is a matter of principle that at this age of grace, having everything as a gift of God, you couldn't grace yourself. That's why. That is the point."
And you do not know what grace is! And if you grace yourself at every moment and do not be cheap, there's no question that God will honor you. And that is what a woman is. Whenever a woman is cheap she loses her grace. Once you lose your grace you're just a nothing.
You have excuses, "Oh, I have my past, I have my future, I have my yesterday, I have my tomorrow." Forget it, those are all excuses. Excuses are abuses, abuse is personal. Excuses are personal abuses. You abuse yourself. You suffer at the hands of man, being the giver of the man himself. Jananee is the birth giver; the Mother of humanity; the source of incarnation of divinity, integrity, responsibility, and personality. Jananee.
It is very funny when Manu[1]starts writing about a woman. He goes hundreds and hundreds of pages praising a woman: "You are the goddess. You are the self. You are the divine. You are the source of the Universe. You are the way of God. You are the tomorrow." He goes on and on and on and on, and in the end he says only one line, "But, oh woman, when your head falls in your heels, you are your worst enemy." And he stops. He never says one more line.
If every woman makes every man so born to respect, respect, respect, then there should be no cruelty, no disorder, no mental cruelty, no crime on this whole planet, the world would be just heaven.
You are the teacher, you are the first introduction. Can you deny it? What a mother teaches a child in the womb cannot be learned on the Earth. That's why I asked you, after 120 days, just to meditate. Soul has entered. Walk and meditate, Charan Japa Kriya.[2]
Woman is the Ultimate Incarnation
You are the ultimate incarnation! You can redeem yourself four ways. Man has to become a man of God. You can become a woman of God, you can give birth to a man of God, you can serve a man of God, and you can bless as a jananee to make somebody Divine.
You are the nucleus of this Universe. Man marries you, man divorces you, man leaves you, man comes to you. But look at the man! All in all, a woman is why man is running around. And still you can't control your world? What can you control in yourself? Your grace. Without grace, every woman loses the race of life and lives in strife. You can provoke, you can nag, you can be emotional. But where does all of it lead you?
Strength and weakness follow each other. The question is, which side are you on? The question is not what the calamities are that you are going to face. Everybody has got to face that. The question is not whether misfortune is coming or not. The question is, how are you going to face it? If you face anything head on, it will go away.
Once you play games, once you flirt, the stupid half-brain male, totally insecure, neurotic, born of a woman, trained under the influence of a woman, will never trust you. He may say so, he may promise you. The chance with you is, ever be or never be. There may be a fifty year old man—if his mother has the guts to stand as a mother, that fifty year old man, no matter who he is, shall never cross her. You are a way to God because you are a way from God. You are the first teacher. The whole world goes around you. Whenever you are you, you have always won, but you are never you. You have always been defeated. The day you know you are a woman in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, God cannot defeat you.
Adi shakti, adi shakti, adi shakti, namo, namo. This God said to you. This is your mantra.
Adi shakti, adi shakti, adi shakti, namo, namo. Sarab shakti, sarab shakti, sarab shakti, namo, namo. Pritam bagvati, pritam bagvati, pritam bagvati, namo, namo. Kundalini, mata shakti, mata shakti, namo, namo.
I bow to the primal power.
I bow to the all pervading power.
I bow to the creative power at the beginning.
I bow to the mother of all power.
The Creator bowed to you. Without you there's no Creator. Because without you there's no Creation.
You are on sale on every billboard, in every magazine, on every talk show. Your existence has become sell, sell, sell. Has anybody put on a billboard, "I salute my mother who gave me birth?" Have you ever thought that you have nothing about you to sell except to cause a personal insult? Have you ever thought your values are your values? They are always your values. Do you understand that all relationships go around you and you are the hub of every relationship? And still you want a relationship. Have you ever thought that you are the giver, you are the destiny, and you are the moksha, you are the redeemer?
The Grace of God
When I started the Grace of God Movement of the Women of America I thought this was something every woman would adopt. Ha! You want rights now! National Organization of Women! You want rights from those to whom you gave birth? The king is begging from the people, "Fifty cents please, I'm your king." Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, God. Woman is asking for rights from the men. If all the women in the United States went on strike, not speaking to men for fourteen days you could get any bill passed, including that men will massage your feet in the morning before you get up! Your caliber, your consciousness and your self is sixteen times stronger than all the men.
Man has only one hemisphere of the brain. You have both working at the same time. Your intuition is given potentially because you are going to be a mother, so all dangers in and out are known to you. You have everything plus, plus, plus.
Woman has only one chance to be one step ahead of the man, and that is only because she is naturally intuitive and therefore there is no reason for her to give an inch. But when she flirts, she is no more alert, she is a sitting duck. And that's why you suffer. And you'll continue suffering generation after generation after generation. If this generation doesn't teach other generations how not to suffer, the suffering will continue.
No man who has no gratitude for the jananee shall ever reach God spirit because that's the jananee too. Prana is jananee. It is the source of life. As woman gives the life, so does the prana. What is the value of Purkha, the God, without Parkirti? And who created the Parkirti? Woman.
Have you ever thought that a man of God or a saint is a channel of God? True? Things flow from him? And the whole Universe flows from you. Have you ever seen that there is nothing more Divine than you? You have become what a mirror tells you and you do not know where your soul is! You do not know where your grace is! You do not know where you are. You have to find it.
Look Beyond the Mirror
Don't lose your grace for temporary benefits. Think long-term. You can be, because you are the source of the beginning. You always shall be, because you created time. You are always affected because you are the master of the space. And you are always into that height of self because you are the lofty self. On this planet, you are the hub, you are the purity, you are the force, you are the mother, no other.
You must look beyond the mirror! You are the spirit, you are the soul, you are the self. You are the honor, you are the source of all sources. You are the redeemer of all redeemers. From you, this creation is born.
May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you, guide your way on.
Give us peace, peace of mind, strength of our soul, grace of our self. Give us the awareness, understanding. Give us the dignity, divinity and make us know the Infinity now, tomorrow and forever. Sat Nam.
©The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan
From The Creative Aspect of a Woman, Women in Training 1994
[1]A Hindu sage
[2] Charan Japa Kriya: meditation recommended for expectant parents. Walk 3 miles together daily, chanting 'Wha Hay Guru,' one step per syllable.


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World Bulletin / News Desk
A parliamentary candidate from the party of Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci was shot dead on Sunday, police said, one week after an inconclusive general election in the tiny Balkan nation.
It was not clear whether there was any political motive for the shooting of Elvis Pista, who was killed as he left a restaurant in the southern town of Rahovec with his wife and some friends, the police said.
"He was shot from behind with a fire arm, at a distance of five meters," said a police statement emailed to Reuters.
Kosovo authorities have not yet certified the results of last Sunday's election, so it is not known whether Pista had won a seat in parliament with Thaci's ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). However, an election commission official said he won most votes in his area for the PDK.
Thaci said the authorities were doing everything they could to track down those responsible for the shooting.
The PDK won most votes in Kosovo's election but three opposition parties have vowed to unite to form a government and thwart Thaci's bid for a third term in office.
Kosovo remains mired in poverty and corruption six years after winning its independence from Serbia with Western backing.Last Mod: 15 Haziran 2014, 15:33


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Not even close. For the second weekend in a row, DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is America's number one attraction; down just 41% with an estimate of $35.5 million. Though down a much more substantial 60%, Fox's Prometheus managed to hold on to second place thanks to two widely underperforming debuts. Those would be Rock of Ages and That's My Boy which, even when combined, couldn't come close to challenging for first place.
|Madagascar 3
|Rock of Ages
|Snow White & the Huntsman
|That's My Boy
|Men in Black 3
|The Avengers
|Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
|Moonrise Kingdom
|What to Expect When You're Expecting
Before we start picking apart the bones of Rock of Ages and That's My Boy, I feel obliged to give credit to Madagascar 3. The three-quel is not only number one in America but is also the most popular movie worldwide, earning a reported $157 million internationally through Sunday. That puts the global total for the family film at $277.4 million after ten days, which is on par with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa at the same point in its run. The last entry in the Madagascar franchise ended up earning a giant $603.9 million globally (70% of that from international sales) without the 3D ticket price advantage of the latest film. With Pixar's Brave launching next weekend, Madagascar 3 will lose the limelight so how nice for them that, this weekend at least, audiences found all alternate viewing options so absolutely repellent!
This brings me to the business of dissecting this week's disasters, starting with Rock of Ages. Now, I'm sure there was a point in time when adapting Broadway's jukebox musical seemed like a really good idea: say, around the time that Fox's Glee was the biggest thing on television? Of course, that was a long time ago and what works on TV does not always translate to the big screen. Witness last summer's Glee the 3D Concert Movie, which grossed a total of $18.6 million… worldwide. Of course, the box office has seen some big musical success stories, most notably Mamma Mia!, which took in an astounding $609.8 million globally in 2008. Unfortunately, Rock of Ages is hewing a lot closer to the Glee model at this point.
From 3,470 locations, Rock of Ages took in just $15 million. To illustrate how dismal that number is, just a month or so back, long term tracking had the film earning $30 million or more on its first weekend. This past week, as marketing for the film ramped up and reviews started trickling in, projections got progressively lower, culminating in New Line/Warner Brothers' announcement that $18 million might be the limit. The fact that even the studio's hedge bet did not pan out is proof that something went very, very wrong with this high-profile project.
It should be fun to debate what that "something" was: reviled director Adam Shankman is always a likely target; and, of course, Tom Cruise makes an attractive whipping boy as well (though, coming off his career high in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol there is less material to work with there than after, say, Knight and Day dropped). The studio was holding out hope that Rock of Ages would find its 'legs' in the weeks to come, but I'm not sure any film could walk away a winner after getting kneecapped this badly its first time out.
And yet, as bad as it was for Rock of Ages, it was even worse for That's My Boy. From 3,030 locations the R-rated comedy took in an estimated $13 million: a new low for an Adam Sandler film. But let's be clear, Sandler has had worse openings. In 2004 the dramedy Spanglish opened to just $8.8 million from 2,438 locations and in 2002 Punch-Drunk Love saw a total domestic gross of just $17.8 million. These films were both outside of Sandler's traditional comedy wheelhouse, however. When the star is in form he routinely sees his comedies open above $25 million, which is why That's My Boy looks like such a stumble.
To be fair, no one expected huge things from Sandler's latest; not only is the film rated R (almost all of the comedian's biggest hits have been in the PG-13 oeuvre) but it had the bad fortune to follow Jack & Jill, the 2011 film that managed to alienate even some of Sandler's most devoted fans. The reviews have been almost as bad for That's My Boy as they were for Jack & Jill, so I wouldn't expect much box office longevity from this one.
It didn't seem like such a hard feat to accomplish: in order to put the box office in the black for a second week in a row all Hollywood had to do was deliver up a couple of films that audiences liked more than last year's Green Lantern. How hard could that be? Madagascar 3 clearly did its part and yet here we are, down again thanks two star-powered misses. Here's hoping Brave will be strong enough to blot out all memory of this week's shame.


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Finding the Perfect Biker Jacket: THIS.
A biker jacket is a must-have piece for fall. But which styles are best for the office or weekend wear? Wall Street Journal reporter Elizabeth Holmes stops by Saks Fifth Avenue to get the lowdown on how to wear the hot look.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
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