text:
Greatest Scariest
|Movie Title/Year and Brief Scene Description
The traumatic and scary reality of death was introduced early to children in this Disney animated film. It was the memorable scene when hunter Man killed Bambi's mother (off-camera).
She had sensed a human presence -- and warned: "Bambi. Quick! The thicket!" There were gunshots as they both raced away.
She encouraged: "Faster! Faster, Bambi! Don't look back. Keep running! Keep running!"
As Bambi ran and ducked behind a snowbank - and made it to the protective thicket, there was a fateful gunshot. Bambi turned and exclaimed while panting: "We made it! We made it, Mother! We...", but his Mother was nowhere in sight.
Bambi emerged, asking and calling out: "Mother. Mother! Mother, where are you?!" He fruitlessly searched for her during a raging snowstorm, not knowing she had been killed by a human hunter.
After not finding her and hearing no response, the young fawn began to sob, and then gasped at the imposing sight of his stag father, the Great Prince of the Forest, who stated:
A tear formed in Bambi's eye as he looked up, and was told: "Come. My son."
He followed, but looked back one last time in the direction of where his mother had been.
Bambi's Mother: "Bambi. Quick! The Thicket!"
"Your mother can't be with you anymore."
Battleship Potemkin (1925, Soviet Union) (aka Броненосец Потёмкин)
Director Sergei Eisenstein's propagandistic Russian silent film dramatized the 1905 mutiny of the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin against their officers. Their uprising triggered a massive citizens' revolt in the city of Odessa against the Tsars.
The most impressive and terrifying sequence was the Odessa Staircase episode (a fictionalized account of what actually happened on June 14, 1905), in which Tsarist military soldiers (Cossacks) blatantly opened fire on citizens (rioters and innocent folk alike) at the famed steps.
During the massacre sequence, a mother pushing a baby carriage was shot and fell to the ground, leaving her young infant to careen down the steps in the buggy. It must have been a very scary scene for mid-1920s audiences.
[Note: It was later reprised in a number of films as homage to the classic scene, including director Coppola's The Godfather (1972), Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985), DePalma's The Untouchables (1987), and comically in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994).]
Baby Carriage on Steps
The Untouchables (1987)
The Beyond (1981, It.) (aka E Tu Vivrai Nel Terrore - L'Aldilà, or You Will Live in Terror or Seven Doors of Death)
Director Lucio Fulci's graphic horror film was the second in his trilogy of Gates of Hell films.
It was set beneath a dilapidated New Orleans hotel, the Seven Doors Hotel, with an underground entrance to the hellish underworld and its violent demonic forces.
The scary supernatural film featured one of the more horrific eye-damage scenes of all time.
A grotesque zombie named Joe, the Plumber (Giovanni De Nava) rose from a dark substance in a bathtub, and grabbed Martha (Veronica Lazar) by the face. He backed her up to a wall, where the back of her skull was pushed into the blunt end of a nail. This caused her eyeball to entirely pop out of its socket. With an appropriately awful squishy sound-effect, the dislodged eye spewed blood, seen in closeup.
Hitchcock's thriller/masterpiece, his first film with Universal Studios, was the apocalyptic story of a northern California coastal town filled with an onslaught of seemingly unexplained, arbitrary and chaotic attacks of ordinary birds.
There were numerous scary scenes of crazed winged creatures attacking the inhabitants:
Bird Attack at Fawcett Farm House - Dan's Bloody Death
Amassing of Birds on Town: Trapped in Telephone Booth Sequence
Attack in Brenner Attic
The Ominous Ending
This classic, enigmatically disturbing horror film from Universal Studios and expressionistic director Edgar G. Ulmer was Universal's top-grossing film of the year.
The visually intriguing, austere, landmark horror film - a tale of European post-war anguish and death, portrayed the age-old struggle between good and evil science, diabolically personified by Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff - the lead stars.
In the end scene, Hjalmar Poelzig (Boris Karloff) was overpowered and then hung or suspended by his arms stretched upward, shackled to an embalming, torture rack where he was stripped of his robes and prepared for being skinned alive! At first, Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Bela Lugosi) sadistically ranted and raved with a mad, delirious gleam in his eyes, vengeful for earlier atrocities committed against him. He described what he was planning to do to the Satanist on Poelzig's own embalming rack:
From a surgical table, Werdegast selected a scalpel for the operation. Slowly and bit by bit, the doctor sliced skin with a scalpel from Poelzig's face (the skinning was filmed as a dark shadow play in black images of manacled hands on the wall), asking sadistically:
Werdegast vs. Poelzig
Poelzig to Werdegast: "Are we not both the living dead?"
Devil Cult Worship - Poelzig Led Black Mass
Ending: Destructive Explosion of Poelzig's Home
Black Christmas (1974, Canada) (aka Silent Night, Evil Night)
Not to be confused with the 2006 remake. In this independent, low-budget Canadian horror film, an exploitative cult horror/slasher that predated the similar Halloween (1978), an ill-fated houseful of sorority sisters from Pi Kappa Sig in the college town of Bedford (at 6 Belmont Street) were just about to leave for the holiday season. Some of the characters included:
A series of threatening, strange, creepy and sometimes obscene phone calls, placed by a deranged man hiding out in the attic, quickly escalated to murder. The voice called them "Pigs" and warned: "Let me lick your pretty pink c--t." Clare Harrison (Lynne Griffin) was the first murder victim (and considered the scariest moment of the film) - suffocated or asphyxiated with a plastic garment bag in her own room's closet. The killer carried her corpse up into the attic and positioned it in a rocking chair by the window - keeping the plastic cleaning bag over her head. A baby doll was placed in her lap and the psycho called her Agnes (the name of his sister?).
House mother Mrs. "Mac" MacHenry (Marian Waldman) was the next murder victim, by a curved crane hook swung into her neck. She was dragged up the trap door ladder into the attic by the impaling hook. Barb was bloodily stabbed numerous times with an ornamental glass unicorn (and its long spike) (while carolers were singing at the front door), and then Phyllis (murdered off-screen). Calls were traced, placing the Killer inside the house who was using Mrs. MacHenry's separate phone line.
From a crack in the door, Jess saw an eye watching her, and presumed it was the killer. She was confronted and pursued by the killer (and by her upset (mentally-unstable), aspiring pianist/student boyfriend Peter) through the house and into the basement - where she bludgeoned Peter with a fireplace poker, suspecting that he was the murderer (the film's 'red herring').
With Jess sedated for a number of hours (and unable to be questioned), the police had to wait for the forensic lab group to further search the house's attic and cellar in about an hour ("Don't touch anything until the state lab guys get here"), but the bodies that had been discovered would be taken to the morgue for autopsies and identification by the coroner. It was presumed that Peter was the killer. Jess was left alone, sleeping in her sorority house room, with only one guard outside the house.
The film's final twist was that the killer was still in the attic (where the bodies of Clare and Mrs. Mac had still been undiscovered) - the camera panned over to the attic's ladder and trap door, where the killer was heard whispering: "Agnes, its me, Billy!"
As the camera slowly panned away from the outside of the house, the phone in the house began to continuously ring during the final credits - a signal that another murder was about to take place!
Clare's (Lynne Griffin)
Suffocation Death in Attic
Death of House Mother
Stabbing Death of Barb
The Spying Eye of Jess' Boyfriend Peter (Keir Dullea): "Agnes, its me, Billy! Don't tell what we did!"
The Last Image: Outside of House
Black Sunday (1960, It.) (aka La Maschera Del Demonio, or The Mask of Satan, or The Mask of the Demon)
In the prologue of this Italian gothic horror film by Mario Bava (his credited directorial debut film), 17th century condemned witch Princess Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) was first branded by her Grand Inquisition executioners with an S (The Mark of Satan) on her bare back. Then, she was condemned to be covered with the 'mask of the demon':
She responded to her accusers with a curse on her executioners (including her brother) and their progeny:
The executioner then sledge-hammered the mask down onto her face with a large wooden mallet, causing screams, blood-splattering and gushing blood through the eyeholes. The remainder of the film documented her revenge two centuries later when she returned resurrected from the dead to seek retribution on her brother's descendants.
Mask Hammered Onto Princess Asa's Face
One of this popular science-fiction film's most unnerving scenes was the long-awaited encounter between a maker and his creation. It was the meeting between android NEXUS-6 replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and creator Dr. Tyrell (Joe Turkel) - the confrontation was both pensive and violent.
Demonstrating his intelligence to the insensitive corporation head, Roy confessed that he wanted his life to be extended beyond the built-in four year span - he desired more joie de vivre. Tyrell tried to calm and soothe his manufactured human with a technical explanation of the limitations, and that the Tyrell Corporation could not accomplish Roy's wish: "To make an alteration in the evolvement of an organic life-system is fatal. The coding sequence cannot be revised once it's been established...You were made as well as we could make you."
Smugly, Tyrell thought Roy (compared to a light bulb) should be grateful for whatever life span he had been given: "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And you have burned so very very brightly, Roy. Look at you. You're the prodigal son. You're quite a prize!" Roy then asked to be absolved for his sins: "I've done questionable things." Tyrell dismissed Roy's feelings of guilt, adding: "Also extraordinary things. Revel in your time!" Roy responded: "Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you in heaven for."
Roy, the "prodigal son", reverently touched Tyrell's cheek with one hand. He also placed his strong hands on both sides of Tyrell's face and kissed his replicant God - his 'father' Tyrell, passionately on the lips. [This was a reference to the Jesus/Judas betrayal in the New Testament, with a kiss.] Then with his powerful bare hands and a look of utter contempt and pathos, Roy suddenly crushed and caved in his maker's skull with superhuman strength and gouged his eyes (!) out as Tyrell screamed - with blood oozing out of his eye sockets. Tyrell's corpse fell to the floor.
Roy Batty's Murder of Tyrell by Eye-Gouging
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Two scenes were the scarefest's highlights in this coarsely-made, low-budget fake documentary about an urban legend (the Blair Witch). It told about three young documentary filmmakers in October of 1994 who disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland:
The film's final ambiguous POV shot was accompanied by the sounds of "thwack", "thump", and "crash" as Heather's camcorder hit the ground (was she attacked and killed?).
The camera was broken, but was still running -- before the end credits appeared.
Heather's Teary-eyed Goodbye
Handprints on Wall
Mike Against Wall in Corner of Basement
Blood and Black Lace (1964, It./Fr./Monaco) (aka Sei Donne per L'Assassino, or Six Women for the Murderer)
One of the best (and earliest) of the Italian gallio films from director Mario Bava, with a stylistic dreamy feel, shadows, vivid colors, and lengthy stalking-killing sequences or set-pieces involving long buildups, brutal violence and often half-dressed females. It was a basic plot - a masked killer was stalking and killing (or slashing) beautiful models, but without the 'who-dun-it' angle emphasized.
A fashion house run by recently-widowed Countess Cristiana Cuomo (Eva Bartok) was set in a gated mansion in a woodsy area. Red leather coat-wearing model Isabella (Francesca Ungaro) was stalked and strangled on her way to the salon after a night's date by a flesh-colored masked homicidal maniac (Bravo emphasized the dark and suspenseful, atmospheric feeling of dread before the killing).
During the investigation led by Police Inspector Sylvester (Thomas Reiner), Isabella's diary became the center of focus. It allegedly contained a listing of all the various sordid crimes committed within the fashion salon, including cocaine drug-dealing, cheating, corruption, abortion, and blackmail. Subsequent murders were linked to a desperate search for the revealing diary.
The next victims included:
One of the main suspects was Cristiana's lover and greedy manager/assistant Massimo Morlacchi (Cameron Mitchell) (aka Max Marian), who admitted to killing Cristiana's former husband (in a suspicious car accident). He had murdered Isabella - she knew of the crime and was blackmailing him. Massimo also murdered Nicole and Peggy in a frenzied search for Isabella's diary that revealed all.
To further complicate things, Cristiana murdered Greta to give Massimo an alibi. She also murdered model Tao-Li (Claude Dantes) (drowned in a bathtub, although made to look like a suicide afterwards with slit wrists), but as Cristiana exited, she fell from a second story window and seriously wounded herself.
In the end, both Cristiana and Massimo confronted each other - after shooting him, she also collapsed and presumably died next to him.
Homicidal Killer Wearing Featureless Mask
Isabella Strangled
Nicole Killed with Medieval Spiked Glove
Peggy Beaten Up, Blindfolded, Tied to a Chair, and Then Burned
Christiana and Massimo Dying Together
Blood Simple (1984)
The Coen Brothers' complex neo-noir crime film featured an incredible set of excruciating-to-watch death scenes - the 15-minute cadaver disposal sequence, and the final stand-off in the film's conclusion.
Bartender Ray (John Getz) had extraordinary difficulty getting rid of the dead body of a Texas bar-roadhouse owner - his cheating lover Abby's (Frances McDormand) husband Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya). Ray had wrongly assumed that Abby had killed her husband. To protectively hide the corpse, he drove Marty's dead body to a remote rural field in the middle of the night, but suddenly realized that Marty was still alive, when he was found crawling away from the car! He resisted bashing him over the head with a shovel, but then buried the struggling-to-live Marty in a hole that he dug in a dirt field. He was slowly able to cover him up with dirt before sunrise.
During the concluding pursuit scene, disaffected wife Abby slammed a window down on loathsome, duplicitous private detective Loren Visser's (M. Emmet Walsh) wrist, crushing it on the sill in the next room. She then pinned his hand to the sill with a knife. While Visser's hand was writhing in pain, he had to crash through the wall and blindly grope for the knife handle to remove it.
She then shot Visser through a bathroom door as he continued to stalk her. She thought it was her husband Marty ("I'm not afraid of you, Marty," she said matter-of-factly). As Visser lay dying on the floor in the next room with a gunshot to the abdomen, he burst into laughter with the film's final line: "Well, ma'am, if I see him, I'll sure give him the message." He died with a view of the sink's dripping plumbing above him.
Ray's Live Burial of Abby's Husband Julian Marty
Director David Lynch's bizarre and nightmarish film of the dark-side of life contained a pair of grotesque victim/voyeur/abuse scenes.
Hiding in her apartment's closet, clean-cut, innocent, small-town college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) voyeuristically watched nightclub singer Dorothy Valens (Isabella Rossellini) as she disrobed to a black bra, black panties, and red high-heeled shoes. She stripped naked in the rear bathroom, and then reached for her blue velvet robe from the closet. He heard a drawer open in the kitchen as she reached for a large knife, and then suddenly flung open the closet door where he was caught hiding. She threatened him at knife-point into intimidation and forced him to get on his knees. She cut his face with the knife blade, turned the tables on him, made him her voyeuristic prey, and forced him to undress in front of her, all the way down to his underwear and socks.
She pulled down his underpants to his knees, then began touching, fondling, and kissing (and fellating?) him, and forced him to remain motionless. She asked: "Do you like that?" and then asked a question combining domination, pain, power, pleasure, and humiliation: "Don't touch me or I'll kill you? Do you like talk like that?" Responding with nervous ecstasy, arousal, but defenseless fear, he was led to the couch to lie down where she straddled him and kissed him.
Three loud knocks at the door frightened Dorothy. Frantically fearing the man's arrival and with the knife gleaming above Jeffrey, she told him to head back into the closet. Jeffrey watched in horror, hiding behind a wardrobe closet door, as Dorothy was terrorized by her visitor - evil, psychotic, blackmailing, perverse and depraved villainous kidnapper Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). He had cut off the ear of her tortured, kidnapped husband and was sexually blackmailing her.
The following scene was a disturbing, cruel, sadomasochistic, kinky scene. Demanding and condescending to her, Frank quickly established an abusive master/victim relationship over Dorothy as she accommodated his depraved preferences. The 'dark' scene was intercut with a frightened Jeffrey surreptitiously viewing the shadowy, broken images between the slats of the distasteful ordeal from his hiding place in the closet:
Traumatized, Jeffrey watched Dorothy being tormented as foul-mouthed Frank's sexual slave/whore. He repeatedly demanded that she look away from him - denying her the sight of his 'dark' nature. [In a symbolic sense, Dorothy was "Mommy" and Frank was "Daddy" or "Baby."] The abusive scene was heightened when the leather black-dressed Frank reached for a portable, plastic gas-inhaling mechanism and mask on his belt. While he placed the mask over his mouth and nose, he snorted and inhaled (helium or nitrous oxide?) gas to heighten his sexual excitement, exhibiting infantile-regressive, animalistic/reproductive, and compulsive-addictive behavior. He debased her as a prostitute, mother figure, and copulatory partner in the natural world:
After another gasp of gas, Frank begged and whined menacingly:
Dorothy stuffed part of her blue robe into his mouth to satisfy his obsession with textured fabrics. As he began to feel her breasts, he sucked, chewed, and bit the velvet cloth. Then he seized her and threw her down to the floor, spewing vulgar words. Frank removed a pair of scissors, menacingly snipping with them in mid-air above her face and body:
And then after forcefully touching her genitals, he mounted her and started humping her with his unbuckled pants still on. He moved frenziedly faster and faster until climaxing in a brief and brutal f--k. After getting off of her, he slugged her again in the face, hideously threatening her again: "Don't you f--kin' look at me." Standing astride her on the floor before he left, he warned: "Stay alive baby. Do it for Van Gogh." Then he marched out of the apartment, shutting the door behind him and leaving her crumpled on the floor.
Jeffrey's First Confrontation with Dorothy
Gas-Inhaling Frank Booth - During Sexual Abuse of Dorothy
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Writer/director/producer Francis Ford Coppola's eroticized, visually-opulent and lavish R-rated film was based on the novel by Bram Stoker. Dracula was at first portrayed as a pasty-faced, bouffant-coiffed, satin-robed nobleman.
In one of its early scenes in Transylvania, young law-clerk/solicitor-agent Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) was enticed and seduced by dark and brooding Dracula's (Gary Oldman) three surreal and alluring Brides of Dracula (Monica Bellucci, Michaela Bercu, and Florina Kendrick).
In Harker's bedroom as he was retiring for the night, one of the undead Brides emerged from under his bed (Bellucci) and proceeded to rise up (half-naked, bare-breasted) and stroke his inner thighs. When all the brides surfaced up through the mattress, he was surrounded by the ravenous creatures as they tore at his clothes, fed upon him (by licking him, and then biting down on his crotch with fanged teeth). They (called "devils of the pit") drained him of his blood to keep him weak.
They were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Dracula himself, who jealously and strongly cautioned:
One of the Brides asked, "Are we to have nothing tonight?" Harker saw Dracula give his brides a young baby to feast upon, and as he screamed in horror, Dracula let out a hideous laugh.
In the film's climactic ending scene, Mina was hypnotized and made a decoy to follow Dracula and finish him off. Dying, Dracula knew that his end was near: ("Where is my God? He has forsaken me. lt is finished"). Mina pledged her love and kissed him: ("Oh, my love, my love"). In voice-over, Mina spoke:
After his request: "Give me peace" (the film's final line of dialogue), she impaled Dracula in the heart with a sword, kissed him again, and then beheaded him to end his curse.
Dracula Offering His Three Brides an Infant
Mina's Sword-Impalement and Beheading of Dracula
The Brood (1979, Canada)
Writer/director David Cronenberg's Canadian horror film suffered from censorship of its climactic scene. Its tagline publicized its theme: The Ultimate Experience of Inner Terror. Cronenberg provided commentary on radical therapeutic solutions of the time period.
The repellent and repulsive film told of Somafree Institute psychotherapist Dr. Hal Raglan's (Oliver Reed) self-obsessed patient named Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar). She autogenetically gave birth to homicidal strange, sexless, dwarf-like mutated children, to physically express her own internal suppressed rage (anger personified). The "brood" of children (without speech or genitalia) were the result of her psychoplasmic sessions with the doctor, and a physical manifestation of how she felt about her own custody battle.
In an early scene, the 'brood' murdered teacher Ruth Mayer (Susan Hogan) in front of her class.
During the concluding birth scene, both visceral and nauseating, Nola ripped open her own uterus (baby or egg sac) from an external psycho-plasmically induced womb (kept sitting on her lap) and then licked the bloody afterbirth off of her own monstrous baby.
She was then strangled during a struggle with ex-husband Frank (Art Hindle), while the brood attacked Nola's pale, terrified and catatonic daughter Candice (Cindy Hinds) as she hid in a closet - they broke through the door behind her. With the death of their psychic mother, however, the brood died off and Candice was saved.
The last ominous image of the film was a close-up sight of a raised, red sore (or wheal) growing on Candice's arm as Frank drove away with her - she had undoubtedly inherited her mother's cursed abilities to manifest the pain inside of her.
Birth Scene
Nola Eating Her Own Creature-Baby's Afterbirth
Strangulation of Nola
Sores or Bumps (Wheals) on Candice's Arm
Bug (2006)
William Friedkin's intensely disturbing psychological thriller (some called it an extreme black comedy, or reminiscent of David Cronenberg's 'body horror' films) was very dark and bleak, although incredibly well-acted. It was based upon Tracy Letts's 2004 off-Broadway play, which basically starred two characters - very damaged individuals caught up in a love story. They were lost souls who became horrifically bonded, and eventually descended into utter madness in a rural motel apartment room:
Agnes had been married to swaggering, abusive ex-con husband Jerry Goss (Harry Connick Jr.) just released from prison, and was trying to keep her distance from him. Peter reassured Agnes after meeting her: "I'm not an axe murderer... You're really beautiful." He was also sexually attracted to her: "I haven't been to bed with a woman in a long time...But I think I could go to bed with you!"
During Agnes' first love-making with Peter, the artsy cinematography lingered on the saliva-thread of a kiss, and provided a large closeup of her sweaty female breast. After they made love in her bed, he believed that he was becoming infested with bugs (he claimed there were "rogue aphids" in his bloodstream, and egg sacs under his skin). To rid the problem, he bought cans of bug spray and hung bug strips in the room.
Eventually, in one of the film's more horrific, self-mutilation scenes, he extracted what he thought were infested teeth from his mouth with a pair of pliers or wrench - he claimed the bugs were hiding behind his fillings. One of his other fantasies was that a helicopter was hovering over the room, although it was just the ceiling fan. She was also crazed by the thought of her missing 6 year-old son Lloyd, who was last seen in a grocery store shopping cart a few years earlier.
Sharing their delusions, they both became violently paranoid and mad in a frenzy of delusional thinking, believing that Peter was an experimental drone, and Agnes was the mother queen bug.
In the feverishly mad conclusion, they completely wrapped the blue-lit room (festooned with hanging ultraviolet bug-zapping lanterns) in tin-foil - Peter ranted about how he was part of a government/military conspiracy that had implanted every human born after 1982 with a computer chip - a microchip that would cause some of the test subjects to become killer zombies, like Timothy McVeigh. They decided to douse the entire room, and their naked bodies, with gasoline to prevent the spread of infection.
In the erotic and violent climax, the two desperate souls reciprocally told each other: "I love you" and then struck a match to cause an engulfing inferno in the room.
Agnes White (Ashley Judd) with Peter Evans (Michael Shannon) Finding Bugs in Bed - and Everywhere
Swirling into Madness
(alphabetical by film title, illustrated)
Intro | #s-A | B | C-1 | C-2 | D-1 | D-2 | E | F | G | H


text:
Coral von Zumwalt
There's pure asparagus flavor in each bite of this elegant tart.
- Yield
- Makes 6 to 8 appetizer or 4 main-course servings
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
- 1 egg, beaten to blend
- 1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed
- 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 ounces thinly sliced soppressata or other salami, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2/3 cup grated Comté cheese (about 3 ounces), divided
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out pastry on floured surface to 13x10-inch rectangle. Cut off 1/2-inch-wide strip from all 4 sides. Brush strips on 1 side with some of beaten egg, then press strips, egg side down, onto edges of pastry to adhere, forming raised border. Brush border with egg; reserve remaining beaten egg. Transfer to baking sheet. Chill while preparing filling.
- Steam asparagus just until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain. Cut off top 2 to 3 inches of asparagus tops; set aside. Coarsely puree remaining asparagus stalks in processor. Add remaining beaten egg, ricotta, 3 teaspoons oil, and salt;process until thick puree forms. Transfer to bowl; stir in salami and 1/3 cup Comté cheese; season with pepper. Spread mixture evenly over pastry. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup Comté cheese. Toss asparagus tips with remaining 1 teaspoon oil; arrange tips over filling.
- Bake tart until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Market Tip:
Comté cheese is a semifirm, Gruyère-style cow's-milk cheese. It is available at some supermarkets, cheese shops, and specialty foods stores.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Commuting in cities is hard. Delayed trains. Sick passengers. Police activities. Human beings packed together like sardines, smell included.
And with "Infrastructure Week" becoming an internet joke for the crumbling and ineffectiveness of our highways, bridges and tunnels, and our current administration, tech companies are seeing an opportunity. Enter: the electric skateboard.
On a pleasantly warm October afternoon, Adweek hopped on a Boosted Board to see what an electric skateboard has to offer. None of us is a skateboarder—though I used to play Tony Hawk's video game a ton back in the day—so it was a bit of serendipity that we stumbled upon a few passersby who ride religiously.
While technologies like electric scooters have dominated the discussion of the last mile of commuting, electric skateboards are trying to enter the fray. The gist: Instead of taking a subway or a bus, which can each take, depending on the day's maladies, large chunks of time, electric skateboards offer an easy, breezy, if not daring commute.
"I think an eskateboard is definitely good for commuting, depending on how far you're going," said Jakeem, one of three skaters we ran into.
Put on your helmet, grab your board, and put your straphanging days behind you.
Check out our video on what electric skateboards are all about and how they're looking to fill that last-mile commute.


text:
How do you go Deep? - Part 1 -
On June 16th 2015 I wrote "What is Going Deep?"
At the end I promised to write about how to go deep.
Well finally here it is.
I'm not reading what I wrote that day, simply not to influence what came to me now that made me decide to write now.
There are probably as many ways to go deep as there have been souls on this earth.
So take this as an inspiration to find your own particular way. And Relax: there is no good or bad way. There is simply your way. Remember this.
When you say going deep: it means you are not, you are at the surface or you just dove a little.
In a lifetime, I do believe in multiple reincarnations for a soul, it all begins not by going deep: when being conceived and while spending around 9 months in your mother's womb, YOU ARE DEEP! As deep as it gets!
You are connected on many levels: physically, emotionally, energetically, on soul level,… you name it.
During this period everything is related to your mother.
You feel what and how she feels; this is how for example you may get born full of stressed or fear.
The total opposite is also very possible, but that we consider it to be normal.
After birth you try to stay connected and you often are through nursing and breastfeeding.
The connection with your father has to grow, even to be buildup from scratch.
Then we start to meet more people, at the day care, school,… with all those people we generally have to build up a connection. And the way we do this is very much influenced by our parents, the people who raise us. But also by the people we are surrounded with as we observe them and want to be liked by them, so we copy their behavior.
And there you go….
We want to be accepted and appreciated, therefore we act like others or as we believe they would like us to. But is this who we are? You may say today that you behave naturally, that you are who you are, that people like you and like how you act. And that it's perfect this way.
I have a question for you: Do you feel, eyes closed, how the people around you feel, what they want, what they despise, how they truly feel about you?
It's safe to say that most of us do not.
And notice that I use the word "act".
No worries, the fact that you are still reading means that there is still hope for you too.
You are, or you have been for a while, more or less, conscious about this.
In fact, I myself, I'm still in the process of discovering who I truly am. And that does also influence how people perceive me.
But…. I've come a long way! And I will share with you what I've learned, how to develop yourself in this perspective and what good it will bring you.
For now, let this sink in for a day or two and relax.
I will publish the second part of this blog very soon.
If you want to receive the newest Blog Posts by e-mail: simply Click Here.
carla szabo
19/9/2015 09:27:02
A very good article! Simple and clear, like life is from our hearts perspective! ❤
Leave a Reply.
To comment:
Click the word "comment" below each post
February 2017


text:
Bed rest and strong pain medicine are no longer the only treatments for back pain caused by compression fractures of the spine. Now there is a breakthrough minimally invasive medical procedure called percutaneous vertebroplasty that uses bone cement to fill in the spaces of a broken or crushed vertebra.
Vertebroplasty is a pain treatment for vertebral compression fractures that fail to respond to conventional medical therapy, such as minimal or no pain relief with analgesics or narcotic doses that are intolerable. Vertebroplasty stabilizes the collapsed vertebra with the injection of medical-grade bone cement into the spine. This reduces pain, and can prevent further collapse of the vertebra, thereby preventing the height loss and spine curvature commonly seen as a result of osteoporosis. Vertebroplasty dramatically improves back pain within hours of the procedure, provides long-term pain relief and has a low complication rate, as demonstrated in multiple studies.
Percutaneous vertebroplasty strengthens the treated vertebra and gives pain relief in most patients. The term "percutaneous" means injecting a fluid through a needle. "Plasty" means to mold or form. Thus, vertebroplasty helps mold the vertebrae by injecting a fluid into the bone. In this case, the doctor injects a bone cement mixture of polymethylmethacrylate (the same cement used in joint replacement surgery), barium or tantalum powder (makes the cement visible on X-ray), an antibiotic, and a solvent into the vertebral body. The cement hardens within 15 minutes and stabilizes the fracture, like an internal cast.
Vertebrae are bones that form a flexible column to protect the spinal cord. A compression fracture occurs when a vertebra breaks or is crushed. When this happens, a person can feel extreme pain that may last a lifetime. Often the pain keeps the person from performing normal activities.
Certain cancers, benign tumors, or osteoporosis of the spine can cause compression fractures.
Osteoporosis, the most common form of compression fractures, is the loss of bone mass. Osteoporosis is the most common cause of vertebral compression fractures in the United States. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) estimates that over 50 million Americans over the age of 50 currently have osteoporosis or low bone mass with serious risk of osteoporosis. A large portion of this population will suffer debilitating pain caused by vertebral compression fractures. It is most often found in women after menopause, and can also be caused by certain medications or diseases. Osteoporosis is the most common form of compression fractures. Nearly all vertebral fractures in otherwise healthy people are due to osteoporosis, and can occur from a minor impact, such as a bump or a fall, in those who suffer from this bone-weakening disease. People who have a spinal fracture often don't realize that they may have osteoporosis, because the disease is asymptomatic until a fracture occurs. Many patients with compression fractures caused by Osteoporosis can be helped with this procedure.
Factors that increase the likelihood of developing osteoporosis include:
- Being female
- Being thin or having a small frame
- Advanced age
- A family history of osteoporosis
- Being past menopause
- Abnormal absence of menstrual periods
- Anorexia or bulimia
- A diet low in calcium
- Long-term use of medications such as corticosteroids or anticonvulsants
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Excessive use of alcohol
Bone tumors and metastatic bone disease also lead to vertebral compression fractures. Diseases such as multiple myeloma and hemangioma (types of tumors) place patients at great risk for these painful fractures. High doses of steroids for the control of auto-immune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as asthma or chronic pulmonary disease can also increase the risk of reduced bone mass and resulting fractures.
Percutaneous vertebroplasty may be done either as an inpatient or outpatient procedure, depending upon the severity of the fracture and the health of the patient. After suitable sedation is given, a needle is placed into the affected vertebra and fills the damaged area with bone cement.
In many patients, the pain is lessened or even gone within 24 hours. There are few side effects or problems. In some cases, increased pain and fever may occur for a short time. This is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
Other risks to the patient include infection and allergic reactions to x-ray dye or other medications. There is a very small risk that the cement could leak into areas outside of the vertebra at the time of the procedure, causing spinal cord or nerve damage. If leakage occurs, surgery could be required and the patient could have permanent nerve and organ injury.
Pre-Operative Preparation
For proper and thorough treatment, review your current medical history with your physician. Your physician may ask you to modify your current medication schedule. Be sure to tell your physician if you are taking blood thinners or have a history of a bleeding disorder, or if you are allergic to any medications, or if you have an infection in any part of your body
Rest well the night before the procedure. It is routine for patients undergoing outpatient surgery to be asked not to eat the night before the procedure. Due to the sedative medications given during the procedure, you will probably be asked to arrange to have someone drive you to and from the medical facility.
If you are on Coumadin, Heparin, Plavix or any other blood thinners (including Aspirin), or the diabetic medication Glucophage you must notify this office so the timing of these medications can be explained. You will either be at clinic facility or hospital for approximately 2-3 hours for your procedure. You will need to bring a driver with you.
During the Procedure
It is standard procedure to have an IV needle placed in your arm, and to be given a light sedative. After you are in position on the operating table, your back will be numbed with a local anesthetic. Under x-ray guidance, your physician will place an access needle into your vertebral body. You may experience mild discomfort during this part of the procedure. When the cement is injected you will have recreation of your regular back pain.
After the procedure
You must lay flat after the procedure. You will need to follow-up in the clinic after five to ten days.
Keep the area clean and dry to help prevent skin infection. Do not do any heavy lifting for 3 months (i.e. nothing heavier than a carton of milk). After that, you can gradually increase your lifting to normal. Walking is encouraged and you can bend within the restrictions of your brace.
You may experience some muscle discomfort where the needles were placed. This may be treated with a mild pain reliever such as Tylenol. Do not drive for the remainder of the day. Please have an adult drive you home or accompany you in a taxi or other public transportation. Depending on how you feel, you may resume normal activities and return to work the next day.
Benefits: Immediate Relief from Pain, Improved Quality of Life
Following vertebroplasty, most patients (>90%) find a marked improvement in their pain, improved mobility and other quality of life improvements. Within a few days, many patients are able to reduce their pain medications significantly and return to the normal daily activities that had been inhibited by their painful vertebral compression fractures. Most patients report sustained pain relief, even years later.
What are the risks of Vertebroplasty?
The risks are minimal and in fact, few complications have been reported involving less than five percent of cases. As with any procedure, there is a risk of significant complications. The most common side effects from the nerve root block can include (but are not limited to):
- Allergic reactions to medications
- Infection (occurs in less than 1 per 15,000 injections)
- Post-injection flare (nerve root irritation with pain several hours after treatment, which may last days or weeks)
- Depigmentation (a whitening of the skin)
- Local fat atrophy (thinning of the skin)
- Destruction of a motor or sensory nerve in the path of the needle
- Bleeding, nerve injury, organ injury and death are rare but possible
- Cement leakage is possible. The cement used in vertebroplasty is in a liquid form and is squeezed into the fractured vertebra under high pressure. Some of the cement commonly leaks out of the vertebra, but this usually doesn't cause any problems. Only rarely does a cement leak cause pressure on the spinal cord or nearby nerves. In these cases, surgery may be required to remove the pressure.
- Ongoing pain may occur. Many patients get nearly complete relief of symptoms from vertebroplasty. As with any procedure, however, you should expect some pain afterward. If the pain continues or becomes unbearable, talk to your doctor about treatments that can help control your pain.


text:
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Wonderful quote! But, sadly, people, especially Christians do not believe or live this truth. Our world is very different now a days.
I know, but that is why those of us who know the truth must stand firm and continue to care for others. The temptation to give in to "that's just the way the world is" can be very strong, but we must continue to resist. I know how hard that can be, but it is our "calling."


text:
Want to comment on the Wednesday Comment?
Email The Wednesday Comment with your views.
Lance Armstrong returns to the Tour de France this weekend for the first time since he stood on the podium in Paris in 2005, seventh title in hand and said: "to the people who don't believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics, I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles."
Of Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, who shared the podium with him, Armstrong said: "You should believe in these athletes and you should believe in these people. There are no secrets – this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it."
With less than a week to go until the start of the Tour de France, the promotional videos have hit the internet.
One, for Nike, I find particularly offensive. It appears to be suggesting that to question Armstrong's legacy, to investigate his conduct, to speculate on his motivations and assess his performances is in some way an affront to cancer sufferers.
The Nike video can be seen here: http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nike/en_US/
Over pictures of people who are clearly cancer sufferers, black and white shots of hospitals, and images of Armstrong in his Livestrong kit, he says: "The critics say I'm arrogant. A doper. I'm washed up. A fraud. That I couldn't let it go. They can say whatever they want. I'm not back on my bike for them."
It's not exactly a subtle message and it seems to be saying: If you're against Armstrong you must be pro-cancer.
Well, I'm not pro-cancer at all. But I am also not in favour of a sporting event – or an entire sport come to that – becoming a single issue campaign for a man with a mounting stack of grudges.
Cycling seems to have become all about cancer. Well, cycling is not about cancer. Yellow, the colour of the Tour de France's maillot jaune, has been hijacked by Livestrong.
I'd like Armstrong to explain how the words that voice over the Nike ad do anything to draw attention to the plight of cancer sufferers. If Armstrong truly didn't care about the critics, he wouldn't have mentioned them in his video.
If he really didn't care about the critics, he'd have made a positive, upbeat video all about how he was coming back to the Tour de France to encourage and inspire, rather than score points and convince his already convinced army of acolytes.
But no. It's about divide and conquer, fool some of the people all of the time and paint the rest as freaks and oddballs with imagined agendas and made-up conspiracies.
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that. There are still some enormous questions to be answered.
I'd respect Armstrong if he kept his charity – Livestrong – and his for-profit work a lot more separate. Or perhaps you can tell when you're on his charity website and when you're not.
I'd respect him if he in turn respected the race and its competitors instead of branding the 2008 edition a joke.
If Armstrong thinks that a good 2009 Tour de France will answer all the questions about the 1999-2005 era he's mistaken. It'll take a lot more than a slick video and pithy script.
For all his dislike of cynics, I've not seen a more cynical promotional video than the one served up this week.
Shane Sutton appeared to let slip to the BBC last week that a handful of British riders have already pledged their allegiance to Team Sky, which will take to the roads next season.
The British Cycling coach claims there was a misunderstanding, but regular readers of Cycling Weekly and this website will not have been surprised by many of the names Sutton named.
Look at the evidence. The Barloworld riders Steve Cummings and Geraint Thomas are near certainties for Sky because their team looks set to fold at the end of the year. You can include Chris Froome as another Barloworld rider who's likely to be Sky-bound too.
But the cases of David Millar and Bradley Wiggins are less clear-cut. Wiggins joined Garmin from Columbia last year because Garmin offered a two-year contract to Columbia's one. Jonathan Vaughters has already said Wiggins is going nowhere. Millar's contract as a rider does expire at the end of this season but he is a part-owner of the Garmin team, although that perhaps owes something to the fact that until recently he was paying off a sizeable tax bill in France. His sister, Frances, is part of the logistics team at Sky and has been working on setting up the team's headquarters, which is set to be in Mechelen near Brussels.
Every British rider able to turn a pedal will be linked with the team, but CW understands that in the first year, eight or nine of the riders will be British. The likes of first year pros Ben Swift (Katusha) and Ian Stannard (ISD) will be in the frame too. There is a UCI rule stating that new professionals have to be offered two-year contracts at the very start of their career (to avoid teams chewing up and spitting out large numbers of young riders if they fail to make an impact in year one) although there is bound to be a get-out clause.
Swift has done superbly at Katusha, but after two positive dope tests in the team this season (Christian Pfannberger and Antonio Colom) he'd be far better off elsewhere.
You'd expect Peter Kennaugh – who looks more and more like The Real Deal with every passing month – to turn professional with Team Sky this winter. True, the 20-year-old could continue with the British Cycling Academy for another year, but the two organisations will share staff, infrastructure and ethos, and he knows Rod Ellingworth well, so it'd make more sense for him to step up a level.
And then there are the foreign riders. Scott Sunderland told CW recently that if every rider who'd been linked to Team Sky actually signed a contract, they'd have a hundred riders.
What we do know is that some contracts have already been signed, and that the contract runs to a whopping 26 pages, including all manner of details regarding expected conduct. The more you hear, you get the sense that anti-doping is not a PR buzz phrase with Team Sky, it's at the bedrock. Brailsford and co are being thorough with a capital T. Of course, they can never be certain, but they are looking deeply into a rider's past and present. We understanding that so far, a number of riders have heard the words 'thanks but no thanks' after Team Sky has made its investigations.
The Tour de France is where deals get done for the following year, so the speculation is about to reach fever pitch. Team Sky will have people at the Tour and they must know that if any of them are spotted talking, the rumour mill will crank into over-drive.
Team Sky – As It Happens Follow the news and rumours as Team Sky takes place here>>
Catching up on the excitement of the National Championships, it was a shame to see Nicole Cooke's 10th title overshadowed by a ham-fisted adherence to a bizarre rule which almost saw Lizzie Armitstead denied the silver medal.
Armitstead is 20 and so was eligible for the under-23 title, which was also up for grabs.
As an under-23, the chief commissaire Colin Clews studied the rules and took the decision that Armitstead was eligible for that race, not the senior race.
The thing is, the UCI doesn't actually have an under-23 category for women at the World Championships, so the under-23 title is something of a British Cycling created invention.
Recognising the best three young riders in the race is definitely a good thing, but not if it means that a rider is denied the prize in the senior event.
So, Emma Pooley (who was third) was 'promoted' to second and Catherine Williamson was presented with the senior bronze medal on the podium before a British Cycling board, led by Brian Cookson, over-ruled Clews and said that Armitstead would get her silver medal. That was the correct decision, but it raises the issue of how the confusion arose.
A few years back William Walker won the Australian road race championships but as he was under-23 the senior title and jersey went to third-placed Russell Van Hout. (The second placed rider Wesley Sulzberger was also an under-23). Older readers may remember when Robert Millar won the British title on the Isle of Man in 1995, the National Championships and the Manx International doubled up as one race. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest/346686/robert-millar-s-1995-national-champs-win.html
A French team was invited to take part and Pierre Painaud of France was third behind Millar and Chris Walker. Obviously the National Championship bronze medal did not go to a foreign rider, fourth placed Chris Lillywhite got it instead. These days, the field for the British Championships is so huge there's no space for foreign teams, of course.
Fortunately there was no such confusion on Sunday and under-23 champion Peter Kennaugh got the bronze medal for finishing third in the race. I imagine the rules will have been clarified by now but put simply it should say: if the top three riders are British they get the gold, silver and bronze medals. End of story.
Quick Step look set to take Tom Boonen all the way to the start line in Monaco, fully kitted up and ready to go, before someone steps in to stop him.
A French court was asked to rule on the dispute between ASO, organisers of the Tour de France, and the Belgian rider.
If you recall, Boonen, who has won the green jersey in the past, missed last year's Tour after testing positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition test. While that was not grounds to suspend him, the Tour's organisers requested that Quick Step did not select Boonen in order to spare the race any embarrassment.
History repeated itself when Boonen again tested positive – again out-of-competition – for cocaine this spring. Although it was subsequently declared the traces were minute, ASO has decided the Belgian is not welcome.
Quick Step, who stand to profit if Boonen rides, wins a stage and challenges for the green jersey, is less willing to see its star asset sitting at home for a second successive July, hence the dispute.
Yesterday a judge at a civil court in the Parisian suburb Nanterre, listened to both sides of the case and declared the matter outside the court's jurisdiction. No verdict was made.
So, Quick Step has named eight of its nine riders for the Tour, with either Boonen or Australian sprinter Allan Davis to take the ninth place.
It seems that ASO will stand firm and bar Boonen and wait for the backlash. Unless the Court of Arbitration for Sport can intervene in three days, there could be some angry exchanges in Monte Carlo on Saturday.
At least Caisse d'Epargne did the decent thing and left Alejandro Valverde out of their final nine.
Many people who seek to find ever-elaborate ways to apologise for dopers often resort to the letter of the law.
Innocent until proven guilty is absolutely right, but it seems at times that the burden of proof required in a simple case of determining whether a sports person is guilty of cheating is greater than that required in a criminal case.
Beyond reasonable doubt, says the law.
Well, as far as the Italian Olympic Committee is concerned, there is no doubt whatsoever that Valverde's blood was in bag number 18 seized in the Operacion Puerto investigation. They took a sample of Valverde's blood, matched it and banned him for two years.
The UCI has been spared the tedious task of actually making a decision on Valverde by Caisse d'Epargne's team management. Still there has been no word on whether the two-year ban should be extended worldwide.
Valverde has appealed to the Court of Arbitration of Sport. We wait to see on what grounds Valverde is appealing but surely in this case the only issue at stake is whether it is his blood. That shows the rules have been broken and a ban is warranted.
It seems astonishing that Silence-Lotto have selected Thomas Dekker, but left out Charly Wegelius.
Before anyone levels the accusation that this is pro-British bias, take a look at Dekker's results. A rider once touted as the next big Dutch hope was fourth in the Tour of Belgium and 16th in the Tour of Switzerland. Good results, but not great.
Can he be there in the mountains for Cadel Evans? You wouldn't think so.
Mind you, his Tour place may yet be up for grabs because he was struck down with food poisoning at the Dutch national championships at the weekend.
And Cervélo raised a few eyebrows by leaving Simon Gerrans on the sidelines. The Australian has had a great spring and won a stage of the Giro d'Italia. Last year he won a Tour stage at Prato Nevoso in the Alps.
You can't help wondering if popping to the United States to train with Lance Armstrong might not have gone down too well with defending champion and Cervélo team-mate Carlos Sastre.


text:
To live sustainably is to think about the choices we make now and to act responsibly, with the earth and future generations in mind.
Everyone can take steps to make sure that Christchurch remains an enjoyable place to live for generations to come.
Take Charge Christchurch is a battery electric, zero exhaust emission, vehicle outreach programme.
The Canterbury Waste Joint Committee is responsible for advancing regional solid waste and hazardous waste minimisation in Canterbury.


text:
Divorce is, without question, stressful and emotional. It may be difficult for individuals to think clearly and make sound decisions in regard to their financial futures. However, it's important to be aware of all options when it comes to property division in Massachusetts so that the right choices can be made for the short and long term.
Some individuals simply choose to proceed with the divorce while retaining joint ownership of this house. While this temporary situation may postpone a difficult decision until a less stressful time, there are risks, such as if the real estate market takes a downturn in the meantime. It also leaves ex-spouses tied to each other financially, with shared responsibilities, which may make it harder to move forward. For this reason, many divorcing couples choose to sell their home and divide the proceeds.
Another option is for one spouse to buy out the other. One remains living in the home while the other relocates to new surroundings. The spouse who decides to stay usually evaluates his or her financial circumstances first, determining whether any necessary mortgage payments can be met on a single salary, and whether it makes good financial sense to buy out the other spouse. Spouses who decide to relocate to a new home will want to ensure that the other spouse refinances the mortgage on the marital home in his or her own name; otherwise, the relocating spouse may find it difficult to qualify for a new mortgage since liability on the old mortgage remains.
With emotions often running high during divorce proceedings, it can be understandably difficult to make rational financial decisions. A Massachusetts family law attorney will know the ins and outs of property division during divorce. No matter what an individual's situation entails, a lawyer will be able to offer sound legal advice and insight to help the divorce proceedings move forward as smoothly as possible.
Source: royalgazette.com, "Your real estate options after divorce", Heather Chilvers, Jan. 31, 2017


text:
The battles on the Virginia Peninsula were followed by several Federal command changes. In the North, Republicans in Congress took advantage of the lack of southern opposition by enacting much of their agenda. In the South, Confederate officials continued seeking foreign recognition and aid. With Federal forces stalled in Virginia and the West, President Abraham Lincoln suggested a bold new strategy.
The Seven Days Battles: Malvern Hill
1 Jul – The last of a week-long series of battles on the Virginia Peninsula took place at Malvern Hill.
1 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill into law authorizing the construction of a transcontinental railroad.
1 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill into law imposing taxes on almost everything to help finance the war. This became the first enforceable national income tax.
Lincoln Calls for More Volunteers
2 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 more volunteers "so as to bring this unnecessary and injurious war to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion." He used political guile to downplay the Federal defeats on the Virginia Peninsula, which were the main reason for the call.
The Morrill Land Grant College Act
2 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill into law granting 30,000 acres of Federal land to states for the establishment of agricultural and mechanical schools.
The Seven Days Battles: Aftermath
3 Jul – Both Federals and Confederates regrouped as General Robert E. Lee probed the Federal defenses and Major General George B. McClellan issued yet another plea for more men.
4 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln worked to funnel more reinforcements to Major General George B. McClellan on the Virginia Peninsula, and General Robert E. Lee decided that the Federal positions were too strong to attack.
John Hunt Morgan's Kentucky Raid
4 Jul – Confederate Colonel John Hunt Morgan led 867 cavalry partisans on a raid into Kentucky to harass the supply line for the Federal Army of the Ohio.
McClellan Writes the Harrison's Bar Letter
7 Jul – As the Army of the Potomac settled into its defenses on the Virginia Peninsula, Major General George B. McClellan took the time to write a letter to President Abraham Lincoln on how the war should be waged.
Lincoln Visits the Virginia Peninsula
8 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln visited the Army of the Potomac on the Virginia Peninsula and contemplated a major military change.
Edmund Kirby Smith Eyes Kentucky
10 Jul – As Federal forces closed in on Chattanooga, Confederate Major General Edmund Kirby Smith revealed a daring plan to take the offensive.
Halleck Becomes General-in-Chief
11 Jul – Less than 48 hours after leaving the Virginia Peninsula, President Abraham Lincoln named Major General Henry W. Halleck to become general-in-chief of all Federal armies.
Moving Toward Emancipation: The Border State Conference
12 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln held a conference with U.S. senators and representatives from the loyal slaveholding states to persuade them to accept a policy of compensating slaveholders for voluntarily freeing their slaves.
Nathan Bedford Forrest Raids Middle Tennessee
13 Jul – Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest's Confederate horsemen captured the key city of Murfreesboro as part of a raid to disrupt Federal communication and supply lines in Middle Tennessee.
The Army of Virginia: Pope's Suppression
14 Jul – Major General John Pope issued a pretentious address to his new Federal Army of Virginia before embarking on a new campaign.
Reorganizing the Department of the Mississippi
15 Jul – As Major General Henry W. Halleck prepared to go to Washington to become general-in-chief, he reorganized the armies within his Department of the Mississippi.
The C.S.S. Arkansas on the Mississippi
15 Jul – A new Confederate ironclad blasted through Federal ships and threatened to turn the tide of the war on the Mississippi River.
Legislation of the Thirty-Seventh U.S. Congress
16 Jul – The lack of southern opposition made the Thirty-seventh U.S. Congress one of the most productive in history, as the Republican majority worked to enact nearly every plank of their party platform.
John Hunt Morgan's Kentucky Raid Ends
17 Jul – Colonel John Hunt Morgan's Confederate horsemen attacked a Federal garrison at the key railroad town of Cynthiana before successfully ending their Kentucky incursion.
17 Jul – This evening, Confederate Captain Adam R. Johnson led 35 partisans out of Henderson, Kentucky, to raid the Federal arsenal across the Ohio River at Newburgh, Indiana.
John Pope's Suppression Continues
18 Jul – Major General John Pope, commanding the Federal Army of Virginia, issued orders that sparked fury throughout the South and threatened to change the character of the war.
The Northern Virginia Campaign Begins
19 Jul – Federal cavalry discovered that Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Confederates had reached the important railroad town of Gordonsville ahead of them.
22 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln surprised his cabinet by reading a draft of an executive order freeing all slaves in Confederate states.
22 Jul – With the number of prisoners of war quickly growing, Federals and Confederates agreed to a tentative system of prisoner exchange.
Confederates on the Move in the West
23 Jul – General Braxton Bragg mobilized his Confederate Army of Mississippi to move from Tupelo to Chattanooga and ultimately join forces with Major General Edmund Kirby Smith.
25 Jul – President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation warning southerners to "cease participating in, aiding, countenancing, or abetting the existing rebellion, or any rebellion, against the Government of the United States, and to return to their proper allegiance to the United States, on pain of the forfeitures and seizures" of their property under a controversial law enacted the week before.
26 Jul – Major General Earl Van Dorn, commanding Confederates in the area of Vicksburg, Mississippi, detached a portion of his force to try regaining the Louisiana capital of Baton Rouge.
Cotton Exportation and the Federal Blockade
28 Jul – Confederates tried currying favor with France, and Great Britain suffered a severe economic downturn due to the lack of southern cotton.
Last Updated: 10/14/2018


text:
In an interview with "The Today Show," Senator Lindsey Graham advocated for a first strike against North Korea in the absence of Chinese action, saying that the United States is "on a collision course" with North Korea.
"I talked to the president when I had lunch with him about this very topic. I said, 'Do you want on your resume that, during your presidency, the North Koreans developed a missile that could hit the American homeland with a nuclear weapon on top of it?,' and he said, 'Absolutely not,'" says Graham.
RELATED: Russia tests American airspace for the second time in two days, coming even closer
Graham, one of the most hawkish members of the Senate, says it's time to demand action from China, backing up that demand with a promise that the United States will act in their absence. China is North Korea's single largest trading partner, comprising 90 percent of the nation's trade. China recently announced that trade between the nations had increased by almost 40 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared to 2016.
"If China can't stop the regime from building a missile that could one day hit the American homeland," Graham threatened, "We would do everything including diplomatic sanctions and military strikes to stop their missile program." He told "Today" hosts that "every Republican and every Democrat has screwed up North Korea […] Now is the time to stop."
A first strike against North Korea, he says, is the only option even if it almost inevitably provokes war across Asia. Graham acknowledges that "It'd be terrible" to drag most of a continent into war, but "the war would be over there," and such a war "wouldn't be here [America]."
"It'd be bad for the Korean Peninsula, it'd be bad for China, it'd be bad for Japan, it'd be bad for South Korea […] It'd be the end of North Korea […] What it would not do is hit America."


text:
How To Bring Out The Best In Your Partner
You're at that point in your life where you've found the person that you plan to be with for a long time. The two of you are as close as can be, you love spending time together, and your love and care for each other continues to grow to the point that you find joy in simply watching your partner succeed. No one should be involved with anyone who doesn't bring out the best in them, but if you're uncertain about what that looks like exactly, here are a few tips.


text: Big Horn Basin Cancer Treatment Center and West Park Hospital Cancer is not an easy journey. Sheldon Troness shares his story on how goals and the West Park Hospital staff at the Big Horn Basin Cancer Treatment Center continue to help him keep moving forward. Related Videos West Park Hospital Jim Williams Testimonial Jim Williams, we thank you at West Park for sharing your personal story and experience ... Go To Video West Park Hospital Neurosurgery Testimonial Surgery should always be the last option, but sometimes it's our only option. For Cody ... Go To Video Lymphedema Treatment Cody Wyoming (30 sec) Viola Tryon was born with lymphedma. With the help of West Park Hospital lymphedma ... Go To Video


text:
23 October, 2006
Things are going to start happening to me now.
Er, anyway, you might notice a cute little graphic over to the right. That would be the book I've been working to finish over the past several months. It's heading to the printers in a few days, and will be available for purchase very soon!
Anyway, I'm an Amazon.com associate, so if you want to support your favorite starving artist you can purchase Business & Legal Primer for Game Development from Amazon.com and I'll get a small kickback, even before the advance is paid by royalties. :)
Read on for more details and some personal comments about the book.
The first thing to say is that I couldn't have done it without other people. Greg Boyd is a wonderful friend and co-editor. He did a great amount of the work, and the legal issues covered in the book show his intelligence and smart judgment in what to include. Of course, Greg doesn't deserve too much praise; after all, his name is comes first and is the only one showing on the Amazon image over there. ;) The chapter authors are also individual stars that really preformed superbly. They share their experiences and knowledge in this book.
People aren't joking when they say writing a book is a lot of work! Even though I was "only" an editor (meaning I've read the whole book about a dozen times by now), it still took an astounding amount of planning, reviewing, begging, and organization to get it done. I had to manage a sizable group of people to finish the book. Thankfully, we had some pretty great people writing, so we had few problems compared to the other horror stories I've heard. I think we got off easy. :) Working with the publisher was good for the most part, until the end when the editor decided to edit one of the chapters one day before the book went to the printers. As any developer knows, making that "one last change" before gold master always leads to problems. Needless to say, I'm not happy about this turn of events; I doubt I'll write another book for this publisher.
I think the book is excellent, but I have my own biases. This is a book the industry desperately needs, IMHO, since business is one of the big issues facing game developers. If you fail at running a business, you will also fail at making a commercial game. Sadly, most people have to fail once before they get this lesson, wasting valuable time they could be spending making innovative games!
A quick breakdown of the chapters:
- Chapter 1: Introduction
Your typical introduction trying to convince the person reading the book to buy it. ;)
- Chapter 2: So You Want to Start a Game Company? by Spencer Zuzolo
A humorous look at what it takes to start and run a game company. A good overview of what you'll be getting into once you decide to start your own company, peppered with anecdotes from Spencer's experiences. Spencer is the director of GameCamp!, and used to work at Ninjaneering. Unfortunately, due to last minute changes by the editor, a version of this chapter that neither Spencer nor I were able to review is being included in the book.
- Chapter 3: Business Operations by Matthew B. Doyle
A deeper look at what it takes to run a business day-to-day. This chapter focuses quite a bit on employees: how to manage them, how to organize them, how to hire and fire them. It also includes information about managing money and networking. Matthew founded Plutonium Games, which was developing the ambitious project Cleric. He also worked at Mythic and now works as a designer at Midway.
- Chapter 4: Contracts – An Introduction by Matthew Hector
A wonderful chapter about the basics of contracts. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to start any kind of business; if you don't understand contracts, you don't understand business. Matthew Hector is better known as CmdrSlack on various community sites, but he's still a real lawyer. :)
- Chapter 5: Marketing Is a Game, Too by Roxanne Christ
An amazing chapter on the basics of marketing. Even though Roxanne is a partner at Latham & Watkins and is usually consulted about legal issues in the game industry, she has a background in marketing and wrote a superb chapter. This chapter contains information that most game developers don't properly understand.
- Chapter 6: PR Plans and Programs for the Game Developer by Ted Brockwood
And here's the other half of the information most game developers don't understand. PR is the second missing piece, and this chapter contains an example of a full PR plan. An great resource for people that haven't thought about this side of development before. Ted runs his own PR firm for games: Calico Media Communications. That's a link to his informative blog.
- Chapter 7: Intellectual Property by Greg Boyd
The first of the chapters written by my co-editor, Greg. This covers the basics of intellectual property with the detail you would expect from an IP lawyer. This chapter contains great information, and is useful since there is often a lot of misinformation about IP out there. As Greg points out, game development is all about intellectual property, so knowing how to protect your IP means knowing how to protect your game and company. He's an associate at Kenyon & Kenyon.
- Chapter 8: Licensing Intellectual Property by Gary S. Morris and Richard A. Beyman
A nuts-and-bolts chapter about licensing IP. This primarily covers licensing IP from other companies, but it also contains a bit about licensing your IP to other companies. Keep in mind that traditional publishing contracts are essentially IP agreements, so understanding the details can make a lot of difference. This chapter gives great information about licensing music, movies, and other non-game entertainment for your game. Gary is a partner at Kenyon & Kenyon, and Richard is with Franklin, Weinrib,Rudell & Vassallo, P.C.
- Chapter 9: Intellectual Property Litigation (Avoiding It, But Winning If You Have to Fight) by John Flock
This is likely the most expensive book chapter ever written if you consider the billable hours put into it by the author and his assistants. This chapter alone contains tens of thousands of dollars of legal advice. As the chapter title indicates, you'll find out how to avoid litigation and how to win if you have to go to court. This chapter also includes information on alternate dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation and arbitration. John is a Partner at Kenyon & Kenyon and has a wealth of trial experience.
- Chapter 10: Selling Internationally by Kellee McKeever
This is the chapter where I learned the most, personally. Games are quickly becoming a global phenomenon, and it is important to know the details of what it takes to sell your game in other territories. Even if your publisher is handling the international distribution, this chapter can show you the details so that you can be smarter about negotiating your cut of international sales. Kellee is Director of International Sales at NCSoft, so she has plenty of experience to back up her writing.
- Chapter 11: Taxation by Peter H. Friedman
If you are running a business, this chapter is the one chapter you need to know throughly. This chapter covers the basics of taxation in the U.S. on the federal level. The one thing that can hurt your business faster than anything else is running afoul of tax laws. Peter is a CPA and has been dealing with e-commerce and game issues for a while. He's a fairly regular speaker at Dragon*Con talking about tax issues as well.
- Chapter 12: Exit strategies by Greg Costikyan
This chapter covers an issue not usually considered by people getting into business: what happens at the end? This includes upside exits ("Hooray! Someone is giving me a lot of money for my company!") and downside exits ("Can't make payroll… again. Time to file for bankruptcy.") Greg took some time out from working on Manifesto Games to finish up this chapter. Hopefully Manifesto has one of those upside exits. :)
- Chapter 13: Virtual World Law by James Grimmelmann
This chapter was included because both Greg and I work extensively with online games. We thought it would be great to include a chapter about the current state of law in virtual worlds. This is primarily concerned with the EULA and related documents, since most legal issues revolve around these documents. Of course, this is the chapter most likely to be invalid in a year, since the law is changing so fast. So, buy the book now and you can be up-to-date on your legal knowledge! James is a cool guy that has a varied background, including programming, a law degree, and a stint as a law clerk to a federal judge. He's been interested in the legal aspects of virtual worlds for a while, and was glad to write this chapter. You can find more info about him on his homepage.
- Chapter 14: I Wish I Knew
An interesting chapter with advice from a variety of people about games. Most of it is business-related, but some people ventured into the realm of game development. Also, some of the advice seems a bit out there, but it's at least interesting to see what people have to say. Contributors include:
Dave Ahl, Ralph Baer, Richard Bartle, John Erskine, Matt Esber, F. Randall "Randy" Farmer, Scott Foe, Steve Goldstein, Brian Green, William Leverett, Alexander Macris, Jessica Mulligan, Jeff Vogel, Gordon Walton, Andrew S. Zaffron.
The links were whatever I could find on the person in a few minutes, so don't be too harsh if the link isn't terribly informative.
- Chapter 15: HUSTLE & FLOW: The Intangibles of Running a Game Company by Peter Lee and Eric Zimmerman
This is probably my favorite chapter in the whole book. The co-founders of GameLab write about the secret behind their success. This is a bit of practical application of the theory in the other chapters, particularly the second chapter. This chapter shows you you can make great games, treat your employees well, and still be a raging success.
- Chapter 16: Game Development Agreement Analysis by Greg Boyd and Erik Smith
This is another of those chapters that you should have to pay extra for. Greg took various developer agreements, changed the names to protect the guilty, and made a sample development contract which he reviews on an almost clause-by-clause basis. He includes intelligent commentary and a bit of insight into why certain clauses are included. Keep in mind that Greg usually represents the publishers, so this chapter gives away some of his dirty secrets! Seriously, before you sign any agreement with a publisher, you absolutely must read this chapter. I don't think this information has been presented in a similar form anywhere else.
- Chapter 17: Wrapping It All Up
I considered naming this chapter, "Don't Commit Suicide Just Yet!" It's mostly a review of the book, and I tried to include some words of hope for people feeling overwhelmed by the end of the book. Hopefully inspirational words to encourage people to take the plunge.
- For Further Reading, Glossary, Index
The usual stuff you expect to find in a book. The glossary is pretty complete, so if any term is confusing you can probably find information about it in the glossary. (And, yes, even the cute pun made it into the glossary!) To be brutally honest, though, the For Further Reading is a bit thin. I wish we had been able to spend a bit more time on it, although James Grimmelmann did a wonderful job on his section.
Well, there's a good overview of the book. If anyone has any particular questions, post them in the comments and I'll answer what I can.
18 Comments »
Congrats on finishing the book, Psychochild. I look forward to reading it in the future. :)
Comment by Isolocis — 23 October, 2006 @ 11:39 PM
You are like Prometheus bringing fire down from the gods to ease the lives of mortal men!
Comment by Lextalionis — 24 October, 2006 @ 5:51 AM
Well done! I'll definitely be picking this one up.
Preordered, Brian.
Enjoy your well-earned revenue.
Ooh, this reminds me. I need to give you my new snail mail address. I'm of course operating on the assumption that I get a free copy, but my copy of the contract is boxed up pending our imminent move. I guess I should have added that to the chapter. "If you're moving offices, but will need to refer to a contract for ANYTHING, box that last."
Comment by Matt Hector — 24 October, 2006 @ 10:51 AM
Congratulations Brian. I've been eagerly awaiting the final product, and look forward to picking this up in the near future. Link forthcoming from my own site.
Looks like this will have some usefull information for any small business owner, not just game development.
Big congrats on this. I hope your hard pays off.
Comment by BugHunter — 25 October, 2006 @ 9:08 AM
Business and Legal Primer
[...] and Legal Primer Business and Legal Primer: "A new chance to add to your game-related tome collection: TN friends Greg Boyd and BrianGreen are the editors of the Business and Legal Primer for Game Development.' The book is primarily advice for those working in the game industry(not working on MMORPGs specifically) but it features a chapter from James Grimmelmann that gives advice on the construction of EULAs for virtual worlds.' More detail on Brian's blog.' There's also a chapter with some 'I wish I knew then' remarks by Richard Bartle, Jessica Mulligan, and other recognizable names. [...]
Pingback by MMODump.com — 28 October, 2006 @ 5:15 PM
My copy arrived this morning.
Want a review?
The book is selling well!…
I recently got some great news: Business & Legal Primer for Game Development (http://www.psychochild.org/?p=223) has sold its initial print run of 2000 copies and there is a second print run in the works. This means the book has broken even (hoor…
Trackback by Psychochild's Blog — 7 February, 2007 @ 3:25 AM
A message for PC game developers and publishers
[...] The first major issues harming the industry is bad business relationships in the industry. Publishers think nothing of screwing over a developer. Developers often ignore business issues, then lament that their studio has to close down despite having a string of successful games. Business is bad in the industry, and not just because people are buying less games. There's a reason I spent a lot of time editing a whole book dedicated to business and legal issues. [...]
Pingback by Psychochild's Blog — 27 September, 2007 @ 1:20 PM
Greg Costikyan is no idiot
[...] Another summary of the book [...]
Pingback by Casually Hardcore devlog — 3 January, 2008 @ 7:24 PM
The Long Tail and Indie Game Devs
[...] other major problem is business. I edited a book on business not because I like writing about business, but because I see so many game developers do a terrible [...]
Pingback by Psychochild's Blog — 22 April, 2008 @ 10:33 PM
Weekend Design Challenge: The negative side of business
[...] also a perfect example of why I wanted to write and edit my book about business and legal issues. Here's a competent developer who obviously was able to create a successful game as he did [...]
Pingback by Psychochild's Blog — 23 August, 2008 @ 5:01 AM
[...] I'm an MMO developer as well as a blogger. I've spent most of my career on the "indie" side of things, including buying and relaunching the classic online game Meridian 59. I also co-edited the book Business & Legal Primer for Game Development. [...]
Pingback by Grinding to Valhalla — 23 April, 2009 @ 11:41 AM
Double Fine stuck in the publisher mindset
[...] you may know, I helped write a book on business and legal issues in the game industry. As I've said before, i didn't do this because I had a strong passion for business or legal issues, [...]
Pingback by Psychochild's Blog — 3 July, 2013 @ 4:12 PM
I'm late to the party by 8 years… At this point I think I should not expect a reprint… Right? :(
Comment by Aldo — 4 June, 2014 @ 10:36 PM
Sadly, no. The publisher has not shown any interest in a reprint, and they are not letting go of the rights so that we can print the book independently.
Your best bet is to try to find a used copy.
Comment by Psychochild — 12 June, 2014 @ 8:35 PM


text:
Endogenous Political Institutions
, ,
NBER Working Paper No. 9006
Political institutions influence economic policy, but they are themselves endogenous since they are chosen, in some way, by members of the polity. An important aspect of institutional design is how much society chooses to delegate unchecked power to its leaders. If, once elected, a leader cannot be restrained, society runs the risk of a tyranny of the majority, if not the tyranny of a dictator. If a leader faces too many ex post checks and balances, legislative action is too often blocked. As our critical constitutional choice we focus upon the size of the minority needed to block legislation, or conversely the size of the (super) majority needed to govern. We analyze both 'optimal' constitutional design and 'positive' aspects of this process. We derive several empirical implications which we then discuss.
Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w9006
Published: Philippe Aghion & Alberto Alesina & Francesco Trebbi, 2004. "Endogenous Political Institutions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 119(2), pages 565-611, May. citation courtesy of
Users who downloaded this paper also downloaded* these:
Contact Us


text:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 ounces slab bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces (optional)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 5 sprigs thyme, plus leaves for serving
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 cups black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, drained
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Recipe Preparation
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add bacon, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the fat begins to collect in the pan and bacon starts to look shiny, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add thyme sprigs, garlic, black-eyed peas, and 8 cups cold water and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, skimming any foam from surface, until beans are tender, 35–45 minutes. Discard thyme; season with salt.
To serve, drizzle beans with oil and top with thyme leaves and some pepper.
Do Ahead: Beans can be cooked 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.


text:
The Republicans' biggest complaint about the stimulus bill is that it gives the Democrats an excuse to make government bigger. CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports that the examples are not hard to find.
If you are one of those taxpayers that doesn't want to spend $25 million on trails for ATVs, or $150 million for agricultural repairs (like beehives after a storm), then you'll understand why no Republicans supported the stimulus in the House -- and why most Republicans are trashing it in the Senate.
"This is about spending money we don't have for things we don't need," said Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
Despite the President's lobbying for bipartisan support, Republicans complain their ideas are being ignored. They say the bill is too much "goodie bag" and not enough "stimulus."
It includes $650 million to help people switch their old TV signals to digital and $335 million to prevent sexually transmitted disease - a program House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., defends because disease education creates jobs, too.
As Pelosi said on The Early Show: "And we have jobs across the board, not just for construction workers."
But Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., says almost one-fourth of the one-time stimulus will never, ever get cut. Fifteen billion dollars for Pell grants to help young students with college, and $26 billion for special education. Maybe that's all worthwhile, Cantor says. It's just not temporary.
"How much of this gets rolled back in two years?" Andrews asked.
"That's the problem. Every time a new program starts in Washington, it's very, very difficult to stop it," Cantor said.
And remember this an emergency bill the economy needs right now. President Obama said: "What we can't do is drag our feet or delay much longer."
But emergency bills aren't paid for with higher taxes or budget cuts - the stimulus is all borrowed money. And so anything Congress couldn't afford before -- $50 million to support the arts, $70 million to help people stop smoking -- has found its way into the stimulus now.
"When you say to the members of Congress 'this has to get done and it has to get done quickly,' it's unfortunately an opportunity for a lot of things to get slipped in," said Maya MacGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Next week in the Senate, the size of the stimulus becomes the issue, with some Democrats wanting even more added to the package. And most Republican saying 'No, that if the President wants true bipartisan support, all that add-on spending has to go.'


text:
- Loading stock data...
With iOS 11 just one month away from release the features are getting tested all over the world by developers and public beta testers like myself.
One feature I decided to test over the past few days is the new Long Exposure mode in photos which you'll be able to get with any device that is capable of taking Live Photo's. What it does it very clever – It takes the Live Photo, performs some analysis on it and applies a Long Exposure effect that you'd usually only be able to do on a DSLR
Take the following photos:
These were NOT shot on a DSLR camera, they were in fact #ShotOniPhone.
It's the way it gets the really small details too that I love about this feature. Check out this before photo, you've got the Ferris wheel in the distance and Princes Street to the right of the photo.
If I apply the Long Exposure effect to this photo what you get is insane. All from the click of one button.
That's all it takes – Scroll down from the photo and click 'Long Exposure'. I'm really looking forward to seeing the results that professional photographers will get with this new feature. I just have one wish – Can we make the Live Photo time longer to really get some cool Long Exposure shots?


text:
PCR #31 - Batman Goes to the Movies, Part 2: The Dark Knight of the Nolanverse!
In this episode, we conclude our in-depth discussion of the cinematic history of Batman. This time we pick up with Christopher Nolan's take on the franchise, bringing the Dark Knight to a newer "realistic" grounded world. We give our thoughts on how Batman Begins changed up the mythos of the characters and how being in a grounded universe isn't necessarily a good thing. Then we get into the fan favorite of the trilogy, The Dark Knight. We get into some obvious flaws that may upset some people, but also talk about how & why it was so successful. We then rip into Dark Knight Rises and pull no punches with what we think about that, with the horrible script and a reckless director. We wrap up with a quick talk about Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman, and the solo Batman flick. Oh and be sure to stay til the end for some hilarious outtakes!


text:
N.C. Department of Correction--Correction News--November 1998
Death Sentence, a new book by Jerry Bledsoe
Death Sentence, the new book from best-selling true crime novelist and former Greensboro News and Record reporter Jerry Bledsoe, recounts the life of Velma Barfield who was executed in North Carolina in 1984.
|Death Sentence begins by
introducing District Attorney Joe Freeman Britt, already
famous for his death penalty prosecutions, and Ronnie
Burke, Barfields son who receives two phone calls.
In the first, Burke learns his mother has been arrested
in the death of her fiancé, Stuart Taylor. Hours later
he receives the news that she has confessed to the
murders of Taylor, her own mother and two elderly people
she nursed.
After this introduction, Bledsoe retraces Barfield's life, turning to her childhood in Robeson County where she suffered at the hands of an abusive father and resented her mother who did not stop the beatings. She escaped the brutality by marrying Thomas Burke. Their marriage produced two children and much happiness until Barfield had a hysterectomy and developed back pain events that resulted in behavior changes and drug addiction.
The marriage soured as her husband began to drink and Barfield began to complain. Complaining turned into bitter arguments. Then in April 1965, Barfield and the children left the house where Thomas had passed out drunk and later returned to find Thomas dead and their home burned. From this initial suspicious death, Bledsoe traces the series of deaths that followed Barfield, the pain suffered by the families of the victims and the suffering of her own children.
The story then turns from Barfield to District Attorney Britt. The trial unfolds with Britt piecing together the case against Barfield for the murder of Taylor and presenting evidence that she killed her mother, her second husband Jennings Barfield, John Henry Lee and Dollie Edwards. The trial concludes with a dramatic cross-examination by Britt of Barfield that helps seal her fate.
While the first half of the book paints a picture of Barfield the killer, the second half tells a story of Barfield the victim. Barfield enters the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in chapter 17 and spends the next 16 months becoming drug free and undergoing an alleged religious conversion.
As the book traces the defense attorneys efforts to halt the execution, it describes the suffering of Ronnie Burke. It also recounts the suffering of the victims families as they read news accounts arguing against Barfields execution.
In the closing chapters, Bledsoe helps people see the complexity of concerns correction staff confront in carrying out an execution. The book mentions a number of correction employees including Nathan Rice (now retired), Jenny Lancaster, Skip Pike, Carol Oliver and Patty McQuillan.
The book presents two very different views of Barfield, with the first half of the book portraying the prosecution of the case and the second half describing the appeals by her attorneys. It also documents the complexities of the execution process and the impact it can have on those who are a part of it.
NC DOC Homepage
NC DOC News
NC DOC WEB Index
E-mail NC DOC


text:
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Grrr! (01/28/10)
TITLE: Fickle Friends | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marlene Bonney
All I got in response was a non-communicative, blank stare.
I drummed my fingers hard, clicking my long manicured nails on the surface in front of me impatiently (a long-time habit that annoyed anyone whom I lived with) as I waited for my friend to surrender the document.
"Ooooh! You make me so mad, I could spit! Last time you lost the finest thing I have ever written without even an 'I'm sorry.' I don't mind you reading my essays, but when you take them and don't give them back, that's another story, if you'll pardon my pun."
Patty-cake, my nickname for Patricia Catherine, with whom I have shared an apartment for the past ten years, did not show any remorse and continued to be unresponsive, her face frozen.
I continued on my rampage, "And this time, you're telling me you must have thrown away my submission in our recycle trash by mistake? I don't THINK so! You outright stole it because you're jealous that I write better than you, and now you conveniently can't remember where you hid it! Now give it back—IMMEDIATELY!"
Patty-cake just winked back at me, humming a soft tune under her breath as my eyes darted back and forth and all around, trying desperately to find the missing article. Hands on hips, I tried to return glare for glare, hoping to stare her down into acquiescence. Much as I hated to resort to cajoling her, I realized my present tact was not working.
"Please, Patty, please? I'm begging you. I COMMAND you not to put me through this again. Think! Think! Where did you last see it? Maybe it will jog your memory if I give you a more detailed description?"
Another wink, which I accepted as an assent. So I closed my eyes, trying to conjure up an image of the missing object. . .
"Here, I'll draw it for you; maybe that will help," my hands and fingers rapidly skimming across my desk top, "there! See, Patty, it looked like this. Do you remember it now? I wrote it last week when we had to stay in because it was raining."
I watched her face closely for any sign of recollection, hoping against hope that the bright light now flashing across her countenance was a positive sign. But, only silence. Just no answer accompanied by another blank stare.
"All right, Miss Persnickety, I've had it with your non-compliance and stubbornness; maybe THIS will refresh your memory," as I booted her over the head, "how do you like that, huh?"
My mouth gaped in disbelief as I watched Patty-cake shudder, topple over and crash to the floor.
"Brrringg!" my cell-phone vibrated across the desktop in response to my emergency 9-1-1 call for help.
"Hello? Oh, thank goodness it's you, Dr. Tech. Patty's been acting up again—hiding my stuff, pretending to faint so she won't have to suffer consequences for her actions—and I haven't been able to get any responses from her at all today. Can you help us?"
"Does she have any other symptoms? Maybe I can diagnose the problem over the phone; otherwise you'll have to bring her in to my office."
I got in Patty's face, peering thoughtfully.
"Well, she's kind of pale. And she has been awfully sluggish lately. Oh, yes, and this morning, she acted like she was coming down with a virus or bug or something. She wasn't coughing or complaining of a sore throat, though."
"Now this is extremely important. Does she have a fever?"
I quickly swiped a hand across Patty's forehead, "Yes! She's extremely hot!
"My advice is to put her to sleep and see if she feels better in the morning. If that doesn't revive her (you've already tried refreshing her, correct?), I recommend that you buy a new computer. And, refrain from giving it a nickname this time, will you? The guys think I'm nuts servicing a PC called 'Patty-cake'!"
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.


text:
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo: Pacesetters
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, four-year, comprehensive public university located in San Luis Obispo, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on California's Central Coast. It is a distinctive learning community offering academically focused students a hands-on educational experience that prepares them for today's scientific and technical world. For the 19 years in a row, Cal Poly has been rated the best public-master's university in the West by U.S. News & World Report, in its 2011 America 's Best Colleges guidebook. Cal Poly's College of Engineering program ranked second among public engineering programs for schools whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's. A number of College of The university's industrial and manufacturing, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering programs were each ranked as the top program at a public university in their respective specialty categories.


text: 1. Navigating recovery: health care financing and delivery systems in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands Author(s): Rudowitz, Robin, authorFoutz, Julia, author Publication: Menlo Park, CA : Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, December 2017 Subject(s): Cyclonic StormsDelivery of Health Care -- organization & administrationDisaster Planning -- economicsHealth StatusMedicaid -- economicsHealth Services Needs and DemandMedicare -- economicsHumansPuerto RicoUnited StatesUnited States Virgin IslandsUnited States. Department of Health and Human Services.United States. Federal Emergency Management AgencyUnited States.


text:
Today only, Mar 5, 2018, Meh has the Chefman Sous Vide Precision Cooker in black for $49 ($88.22 on Amazon, regularly $99) for a limited time. Shipping adds $5.
The Chefman Sous Vide cooker features a 360 directional pump and touchscreen LCD display. Built with smart sensors to monitor water level and an adjustable clamp to be used with any size container.


text:
For this spring/summer season earthy, dirtier tones are the way to go, with absolutely no knee to short contact acceptable. If you've found yourself with a longer pair that you can't part with, get it hemmed and donate the excess to the hood rats.
The below specimens are perfect with a variety of light cotton open button downs and looser singlets or tees. Just please, please do not disgrace your footwear heritage with boat shoes, they are for the college guys drinking Busch light and $12 Vodka handles.
Find all these pairs at needsupply