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All In For Napoli At 2012 Audi Melges 20 Gold Cup Championship, November 1-4
1 November 2012
Napoli, Italy - Finally, there is only one more day to go before the start of the 2012 Audi Melges 20 Gold Cup Championship, taking place on November 1-4 in Napoli, Italy. Now, considered a veteran sailor in the class, Achille Onorato on Mascalzone Latino jr. won the Coppa Challenge Sergio Capolino, honoring the team of Lorenzo Bressani and Federico Michetti and the awesome one-design sailboat produced by Melges USA.
The stature of this event, comparable to that of a world championship, has brought together thirty-one teams from five countries, and serves as the fifth and final leg of the 2012 Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series. Paired at the top of the standings, is Renato Vallivero's Turnover and Alessio Marinelli on Candida Sailing Team.
Turnover and Candida Sailing Team are among the favorites from an extremely competitive fleet with at least 12 boats in contention for top honors. The defending champion Stig looks to reclaim the trophy by sailing with the same crew including owner/driver Alessandro Rombelli, Jonathan McKee and Giorgio Tortarolo. The aforementioned Mascalzone Latino Jr. and the host of Pecceré are great protagonists of the season, and the European standards are set by Audi Ultra Out of Reach sailed by Guido Miani, and Gabriele Benussi. Other very noteworthy teams in the 2011 circuit include Luca Domenici's Notaro Team, Dario Levi's Fremito d'Arja, and Andrea Musone's Carige Assicurazioni.
Although weather conditions deem unpredictable, the forecast looks promising for the presence of the wind throughout the weekend. The only unknowns are associated with tomorrow, when the Gulf may be trodden by a western breeze, and on Saturday, when the wind is expected to light.
Organized by B-Plan Sports & Event in collaboration with Melges Europe, the International Audi Melges 20 Class and Circolo Canottieri Napoli, the Gold Cup will consist of a maximum of ten races to be held from Thursday, with a 10.30 am start time, through Sunday.
In Napoli, teams will enjoy the Audi Experience. Throughout the weekend, the drivers of the Audi Driving School Experience will entertain their biggest fans with a series of test drives lasting of about 20 minutes. The guests will demo the latest Audi automotive models including the new A3.
In addition to Audi, Eberhard & Co is a sponsor of the Audi Sailing Series and recognized as the official timekeeper of the series. Musto is also a viable sponsor for the Audi Sailing Series.
View The Full 2012 Audi Sailing Series Ranking Results
View Photo Gallery - Stefano Gattini
View Photo Gallery - Renato Tebaldi
Stay close to the Official Audi Melges 20 Facebook Page for photos and further commentary. Race reports, press releases and photos will be available online each day post racing at melges20.com.
Enthusiasts can experience the excitement of the Audi Sailing Series online at audisailingseries.com.
Everyone is invited to enjoy the new virtual home of the Audi Sailing Series and the opportunity to subscribe to the official newsletter, press releases, and news related to the events throughout the season. Information is also available on Twitter providing live updates.


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|View Poll Results: Total Eclipse - Episode 1-2 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 25. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2013-02-12, 01:12
|Link #21
Again, you're trying to make the argument that Total Eclipse is some brilliantly original special snowflake that needs the first two episodes to make the plot make sense. Because nobody in the world is already familiar with this genre of science fiction and they would be hopelessly lost if they started from episode 3 with just some general worldbuilding.
And that idea is not even remotely valid.
If painstakingly illustrating Yui's entire backstory (which wasn't even an intended part of her character in the books, but whatever) is that important to you, then at least hold it off as a flashback later in the series like they do with Felicia in Sora no Woto. That way it would at least fit in the overall narrative context.
|2013-02-12, 01:27
|Link #22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
And since an introduction to numerous important aspects of the setting was necessary if the show was going to be accessible to newcomers, I think the show did a pretty good job of not only covering them, but doing so in an involving fashion.
Last edited by Darthtabby; 2013-02-12 at 01:41.
|2013-02-12, 04:31
|Link #23
What "numerous important aspects"?
A bunch of previous gen designs that are immediately retired thanks to the timeskip?
A team of dead mecha pilots that are never mentioned in the main plot even in passing? (should have Mellowlink'd that shit, btw)
Introducing the viewer to different BETA strains that could easily be written into the Russia arc and/or any of simulation scenes anyway?
Yuuhi, Yui's uncle, Kyoko the mysterious Takemi prototype pilot girl, and however many other political background-type characters who get single scene introductions in the prologue but don't exist outside the context of Japan and have nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the show?
Tell me what's so special in the first two episodes that causes the rest of the show to fall apart if you take them out.
Last edited by Hagoshod; 2013-02-12 at 04:48.
|2013-02-12, 05:28
|Link #24
Truth Martyr
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Doing Anzu's paperwork.
Age: 32
Y'know, something that's been niggling at my mind for a while, which I am genuinely curious about; if this entire show, setting and premise distresses you so much, why do you continue to torture yourself so?
And again, IMO it's rather hypocritical to refuse to accept the artistic vision of the production crew when you yourself so ardently defend your artistic vision. Just a thought. Consider that your ang pow for Chinese New Year.*
*Chinese Lunar New Year custom; giving red packets called ang pow to anyone who's unmarried. Strictly speaking, anyone who is married must give these out, and anyone who's single can receive ang pow. Typically, ang pow will contain a small sum of money, though the amounts inside will vary based on giver's financial ability and how much they like the recipient.
Last edited by Wild Goose; 2013-02-12 at 05:47.
|2013-02-12, 16:23
|Link #25
And again, the difference between the TE anime writers and me is I at least make up my mind ahead of time when I'm writing brainless shock value garbage. I don't try to analyze Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on the same level as The Dark Knight or Watchmen because Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is intentionally not trying to operate on that level. Total Eclipse started out with one of the ballsiest and legitimately suspenseful mecha series premieres I've seen in a while, but then it abruptly goes "oh nevermind we're going to stop trying, so here's some HILARIOUS catgirl maid cosplay" the moment it hits the timeskip. If you're not going to go all the way, then you're just throwing random out of place darkness into your script.
Once you get to episode 3, the only characters who are ever in any grave danger from the BETA are the cardboard background extras. Yeah, there's the one episode of Yui trapped in the bunker with the techie guy that tries to recreate the Kyoto atmosphere, but that's the exception to the rule. I actually did like that episode and thought it was nice to see how she's grown as a character, but it's effectively a tiny speck of gold in a giant pile of shit.
The whole idea that the situation is constantly hopeless and anyone can die at any moment is _obliterated_ when the show's post-timeskip batch of main characters spend most of their time goofing around in VR simulations, lounging around on beaches, and showing off their dazzling flying skillz at high altitude where they're completely free of any consequences of Laser classes roaming around. When they DO rarely participate in actual battle, they all share insane levels of plot armor and there's never any illusion that any of them could actually die. Gee, that's convenient. If they had just made that creative decision an episode earlier, Yui's first group friends wouldn't have been wiped out and I could have watched a show with a cast of characters I actually care about.
Last edited by Hagoshod; 2013-02-12 at 19:54.
|2013-02-12, 20:20
|Link #26
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
The really important point about Dezo's post however is that he was one of the newcomers whom the first two episodes were written to provide an introduction for. And apparently he appreciated the episodes, thought they generally did a good job of introducing important aspects of the setting (minus a few issues he didn't think were properly explained -I'll admit to cutting that part for brevity) and thought he'd have been lost without them. I'd say this indicates that the writers and director chose a good approach.
But yeah, I guess the series does labor under the limitation that it can't kill any main characters its ongoing source material hasn't killed off yet, same as a lot of adaptations. Given this limitation I thought the show did a decent job of creating tension. I know I certainly enjoyed watching Die Hard on Yukon base.
Last edited by Darthtabby; 2013-02-12 at 21:24.
|2013-02-12, 22:14
|Link #27
That's the argument you're making right now.
I don't give a shit about Master.
I don't give a shit about Master throwing the dagger at the map of Yokohama.
I don't give a shit about Master's fleet of automated Robo-TSFs.
I don't give a shit about Master's magical Innovade ability to brainwash Cryska and Inia.
I'm a LITTLE concerned over Master ordering the assassination hit on Yui, but that's just because the first two episodes trained me to empathize with Yui and associate her as the main heroine of the story.
There is nothing you can do to get me invested in the conflict with Master because in the back of my head I'm just sitting there constantly going "Uhhh.... so we're going back to that whole thing about aliens eating everyone in Japan at some point, right?"
And yeah, I know the VNs have the coup d'etat arc and human vs. human conflicts in Muv-Luv aren't a new thing and that's what everyone is comparing this to. Here's the thing, though: One, I hated the coup d'etat arc for many of the same reasons (on topic of slamming the plot into a brick wall for two hours and forcing some really obnoxious hamfisted anti-America xenophobia down your throat). Two, as bad as I thought it was, at least the coup d'etat came in the middle of the bigger picture and the writers remembered "Hey, oh yeah, we still have that giant looming alien threat thing we introduced earlier we need to resolve" and the Marimo stuff kicked off right after that.
And again, this is all due to the first two episodes of the anime being completely out of place as the introduction to the TE story. If the beginning of the series had simply spent its time setting up that we were watching a show about test pilots doing test things on a test base and built up its own villains from there, I wouldn't have anything else on my mind and the whole problem would have been avoided.
Last edited by Hagoshod; 2013-02-12 at 23:31.
|2013-02-12, 23:51
|Link #28
Truth Martyr
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Doing Anzu's paperwork.
Age: 32
"Hagoshod says he thinks it wad bad, therefore everyone must be wrong when they say it's good."
No need to thank me. You might wanna do something about the log in your own eye before going after specks of dust in other peoples' eyes.
But from what I've seen, this is essentially a major stumbling block for you. You obviously feel very strongly sbout it. That's fine. That's your right. Likewise, we don't feel as strongly about this as you.
In no way does that make your opinion gospel, no matter how much you insist on ramming your opinions down on others, as though your opinion were fact.
You have the right to your opinion, and we have the right to disagree with you, and your blatant misrepresentation of your own opinion as fact.
|2013-02-12, 23:56
|Link #29
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
I may have gotten a touch carried away saying that indicates that the writer and director were doing a good job, but even that's technically true.
Does this mean you need to like the first two episodes? Not in the least. But you aren't going to convince me that your disliking the episodes means that they were poorly written.
|2013-02-13, 00:50
|Link #30
|2013-02-13, 06:11
|Link #31
Idar Lead
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: World Marshall bureau
I dunno....how about the entire background of the show, the technology and background of at least one major character?
I assume, this is in no way, shape or form relevant? At all? Oh wait, it already passed over your head multiple times, sorry about that.
The BETA are always there. They are not always there, or don't take the spotlight....but I assume you had missed the entire VR simulation that's consistently used during trainings. Or you know, the whole Kamchatka arc.
Without the pilot, how would audience know that Yui gets send to Alaska? It shows that Japan is getting *epically* fucked, and it needs all the help it gets, despite being the same old xenophobic nutcase it was in 1930s, it also gives us *some* idea why Prominence was started in the first place (I'm guessing some people, you know, missed the whole map showing overrun Eurasia in the beginning).
And then, there's the Type-94 Mk.C and Type-00
At the very least, they both get introduced during the pilots, and both are relevant to the show. Because you know...Type-94 C is exactly the thing they're working on? Because Japan is loosing?
And that if they fail, well...the rest of Japan ends up like Kyoto?
Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like a fairly useful spin. "Here, we're getting eaten by bugs because our army has shitty equipment and kids as soldiers. So let's solve one of this problems by developing something better than Geki- and Zuika-shit. Oh hey, is that the prototype TSF we had seen in the pilot? And the one girl that survived and was established as being savvy about TSF mechanics? Why don't we send her to world's biggest research center and go from there?"
If there really was a problem with the pilot is that they skipped the whole Yui-briefing scene in Japan. And that they didn't kill those schoolgirls fast enough.
Is it the best pilot around? No, it's not, but it's not horrible either. It tries to merge two very diverging points; to both showcase the main points of the franchise and lead into a very tight-tangent side story. It does reasonably well at this.
Admittedly, the problem of the Total Eclipse is that it was always meant to be a side-story to main VN. Schwarzemarken would have been better, all things considered....but that isn't finished yet.
For the sake of the thread, I will refrain from discussing the argument that Haggy over there is a monumental hypocrite and is desperately hoping that we can convince him to like this show through liberal application of reverse psychology and foot-stomping while shouting at everyone that disagrees with him.
...I-I just did discuss it, didn't I?
|2013-02-13, 12:07
|Link #32
That's the argument that I think is pretentious as hell because, again, you're essentially saying Muv-Luv is the first story to ever involve a bug war and we would be utterly hopeless and lost in the storyline if they opened the show with anything other than a disproportionately drawn out 1-hour history lesson. I have some major objections to that.
Do you know what kind of setting Gundam X takes place in? A horrifying post-apocalyptic environment where a ridiculous percentage of humanity has already been wiped out by the mass extinction event that ended the previous war.
Do you know who one of Gundam X's supporting characters is? A socially distant war veteran haunted by massive survivor's guilt and his perceived failure as a child soldier during the war.
Do you know how the first episode of Gundam X opens? Narrator generally explaining there was this war and a fuckton of people died, *smash cut to opening credits introducing viewer to the proper main cast*, *transition to modern time with the relevance of the opening prologue being gradually explained through Jamil's flashbacks and character development over the course of the series.* It also helps that many of the elements of Jamil's backstory (Lancerow, the Lorelei girl, various fanatical Newtype experiments, etc.) are at least things the show's main cast are also directly exposed to.
Do you know what Gundam X DOESN'T do? Introduce the series with several full-length episodes shoving Jamil's entire war era backstory down your throat in one take with no subtlety or sense of pacing before randomly jumping 15 years into the future and suddenly turning it into Garrod's story. Yeah, that type of introduction WOULD work if the entire point of the show was to be a brutal, in-your-face account of Jamil's psychological misery, but it's not. If they DID do that, it would completely misrepresent what the main crux of the show is about and anyone invested in seeing Jamil as the teenage main character going through shit in the Seventh Space War would be left behind. And that's exactly what the Total Eclipse anime's problem is.
Yeah, the comparison isn't spot-on since Gundam X doesn't have bugs that eat you, but fuck me if Jamil and Anime Yui aren't polar opposite examples on how to write that type supporting character. For everything Jamil's character pulls off well, Yui's character does it catastrophically poorly.
Last edited by Hagoshod; 2013-02-13 at 16:27.
|2013-02-13, 23:21
|Link #33
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Even when they aren't being confronted directly, the BETA make their presence felt in TE. This series revolves around building weapons to fight BETA, and characters who were affected by fighting BETA, and people who are fighting for the sake of refugees who were mistreated after being dislocated by BETA. I find it quite easy to see how audience members could feel they were missing something if they were simply told "the BETA are scary and inhuman and relentless" as opposed to being given a glimpse of how the BETA are scary and inhuman and relentless. Showing is more effective than telling.
Ditto the stuff with Imperial Japan. I can easily see the audience feeling like they were missing something if the show just said "this is Yui, she's from the Imperial Japanese Army." Thankfully the show gave us a brief glimpse of the Imperial Japan that Yui comes from and which has greatly shaped her outlook on the world.
Speaking of Yui, there was a prologue type thing someone translated that I think comes from one of the fandisks. In it, Yui participates in a simulation where powerful new weapons are deployed during a hive assault. Before its revealed that the event is a simulation, the text basically explains that Yui can keep it together despite extreme psychological stress because of her will. The anime can't simply state things like that, and even if it could, simply saying that she has a strong will is vastly less effective than showing that she's the type of person who can find the will to keep fighting even after seeing her friends and comrades get crushed, blown up, and eaten around her.
|2013-02-14, 00:26
|Link #34
No, really. Explain to me why your logic doesn't work both ways here.
That right there.
Now you're the one practically saying outside of ONLY the first two episodes, the BETA are never actually shown as being as scary, inhuman, and relentless monsters in the course of the series and we only ever see them in passing glimpses.
So what the hell is the point of spending the entire introduction of your series establishing an idea and a particular writing tone if it's never going to be part of the actual story? I could write a movie that opens with a beautiful haunting rendition of the fall of the Roman empire, but the effort would be completely wasted if the entire rest of the movie suddenly became a modern slapstick comedy.
Last edited by Hagoshod; 2013-02-14 at 00:51.
|2013-02-14, 01:08
|Link #35
Truth Martyr
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Doing Anzu's paperwork.
Age: 32
For me, I found that the prologue's depiction of the BETA worked, because whenever the BETA showed up later in the series, such as the sim runs, it allowed me to fill in the blanks (for example, Yuuya's sim run in Ep. 4 with the Fubuki, with Argos watching his back), or during the TSFiA stills in Episode 8.
Really, Hagoshod/Abicion/Whatever you want to call yourself today, I will repeat: your argument essentially boils down to the same thing you accused Darthtabby:
You disliked this element of Total Eclipse and considered it bad, so bad that it destroyed the series; therefore everyone else who didn't mind, who found it okay, who managed to enjoy the series, is wrong.
But by all means, feel free to ignore the log in your own eye.
Please do continue to wallow in your hypocrisy; you have my gratitude, good hack of a sir, for providing me with a form of entertainment akin to the trainwreck that is Barisan Nasional's self-denial and Malaysian politics. XD
|2013-02-14, 04:22
|Link #36
Just my opinion... The first two episodes of MLATE nearly made me dropped the series..... I'm so picky in watching an all female cast anime... and these two made me felt that.... what saved this series is Yuuya.. yeah.. Yuuya.... he and Yui really clicked IMHO.
There are many situations that only a real man could do for a girl....
|2013-02-14, 04:45
|Link #37
Idar Lead
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: World Marshall bureau
Wait, that's not pretentious. It's just arrogant.
Also, Kamtchatka arc? Because, that's totally not there to bring BETA back into picture with vengeance. It's really not! I mean...that...red...blob...things...eating little Kazakh child soldiers, that's totally a background noise! Yeah! Don't pay attention to that! At all!
Or the wave of BETA tearing through Alaska either! It's not there, and it's certainly not made out of BETA!
And I'll skip the fact that all of this is pretty much consistent with the style of the VNs, where BETA are fought at all the grand 4 points in the main story.
The way I see it, the entire argument boils down to you being convinced of certain point, and throwing a temper tantrum like a little kid when people don't agree with you. If this can be interpreted in any other way, then you might want to work on your phrasing.
It's really fine to dislike something (I would know, I do it myself sometime), it's not fine to lash out at the people who think to the contrary, while falling back on hypocritical arguments.
Can't be as funny as writing an essay on Malaysian dynasties.
Last edited by Alastor Mobius Toth; 2013-02-14 at 05:01.
|2013-02-14, 05:00
|Link #38
Truth Martyr
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Doing Anzu's paperwork.
Age: 32
I'd just note that arrogance is when one is prideful and can back it up (e.g. Yuuya, Maverick, Snake, Bob Lee Swagger, Ripple Creek mercs). Conceit is when one is prideful and can't back it up (Le Mieure, Giselle, Hagoshod).
Both terms are generally used synonymously, but there's that subtle distinction.
@AMT: You have to write about Malaysian dynasties? Seriously? My heart bleeds for you, man. Though it is kinda lol. Incidentally, one of our "major literary works", the Sejarah Melayu (Malay History), was commissioned by the Johore Sultanate as a take that to the Malacca Sultanate, which spawned the Perak and Selangor royalties, which are unrelated to the Johor Royalty of that time, who're actually descended from the Bendahara (Grand Vizier/Premier) who took over after the Sultan died.
|2013-02-14, 05:06
|Link #39
Some say I'm the Reverse
Join Date: Jul 2006
Hypocrisy is endemic to the human condition. There's rules everyone else should follow but you yourself are exempt from those same rules.
|Thread Tools

subset: commoncrawl


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Automotive News reports Japanese automaker Nissan is planning to introduce a new Infiniti model in 2014. The entry-level Infiniti will be assembled by Austrian manufacturer Magna Steyr and will further serve to expand the luxury brand's presence in Europe and other key markets.
Nissan has made no secret of expanding its market presence across the globe. The Japanese automaker has been busy undertaking various strategies to help achieve that goal. Last week, the Renault-Nissan alliance announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Avtovaz, a move which, among other things, would further establish Nissan's presence within Russia's automotive industry. Prior to that announced, Nissan also announced it was resurrecting its Datsun nameplate as a budget brand for emerging economies.
Nissan's wheeling and dealing didn't begin there, though. Back in 2010, Renault-Nissan and Mercedes parent Daimler announced a strategic cooperation between the two companies. With that agreement in place it now looks like the company will cash in on that partnership, with sources telling Automotive News Europe that Nissan wants to toll out an entry-level car worldwide to help win a 10-percent share of luxury market.
While Nissan has refrained from providing any specifics, this new Infiniti is said to be based on the Mercedes' MFA compact platform that is currently used in the new A- and B-class cars. In addition to shared underpinnings, the new Infiniti is also said to feature Daimler components including Mercedes-Benz four and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. Conservative estimates suggest as many as 50,000 to 60,000 units of the new Infiniti could be built a year at Magna Steyr's plant in Graz, Austria.
Of course we still have no idea what this new entry-level Infiniti will look like once all is said and done. Our best bit of sage-work would have it looking like the Etherea concept (pictured) Nissan previewed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show sans electric powertrain, and rear-hinged suicide doors.
Nissan's plans with its Infiniti brand are nothing short of ambitious. The company started selling its luxury nameplate in Europe in 2008 but failed to penetrate a market that is already being dominated by German rivals such as BMW, Audi, Lexus, and even Toyota's Lexus luxury division. Still, Nissan shows no signs of letting of the gas, and through its strategic partnership with Daimler will help reduce overall development costs while Mercedes will receive licensing fees for each car manufactured in addition to benefitting from economies of scale.
Either way, we've certainly enjoyed many of the designs coming out of the Infiniti camp as of late, and we hope that trend will continue with the luxury marquee's latest.


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By way of example, the Mishha and in turn the Gemera record various practices when a person is an אבל (mourner). One such practice is עטיפת הראש winding or wrapping of the head. Tosefot, however, note that although this practice is recorded without controversy – in their time, as it was uncommon to wrap one's head there is no longer an obligation to do so.
At the time Tosefot offered this decision – a decision which took into account then modern sensibilities – it was fairly unremarkable. This would change significantly when a movement sprung up which took conforming Judaism to modernity to the extreme. The Reform movement which altered numerous, significant practices precipitated a greater hesitancy to effect change – even legitimate change within Orthodoxy.
One example of the battle over changing long established practices relates to Hol haMo'ad. The Mishna in Mo'ad Koton [1] enumerates but a small class of people who are permitted to shave on Hol haMoad. This class is comprised of people, who for reasons out of their control were unable to shave before the holiday. One who is released from prison on the Holiday is one example. But, anyone other than this small class of persons according to the Mishna, are prohibited from shaving on Hol haMo'ad. The Gemera explains the restriction in light of human nature. One, in theory, has more free time on Hol HaMo'ad (assuming one is not working) thus one may procrastinate to shave and get a haircut until Hol HaMo'ad. This would mean that they would begin the holiday unkempt, unshaven. Thus, to avoid this sort of procrastination, one is prohibited from shaving on Hol haMo'ad thus removing any temptation to delay until Hol HaMo'ad.
The question which we will now turn out focus to – is whether this reason is dispositive. That is, assuming one did in fact shave before the holiday can he then shave on Hol HaMo'ad as he did comply with the law.
For hundreds of years the answer to this question was no. Rabbenu Tam (1100-1171) did allow for someone who shaved before the holiday to do so on hol haMoad. This position, however, was uniformly rejected by everyone who voiced an opinion on this matter until the 18th century. The 18th century, however, saw an increase in emancipation and closer contact between Jews and non-Jews. This was on an unprecedented level, Jews did not want to appear strange and thus many Jews began, what is common today, dressing in contemporary style and the like. Jews also, although there were also examples earlier, began to appear clean shaven. Now, during the rest of the year, maintaining a clean shaven look did not pose too significant of a problem. But, there was one time where, based upon precedent, it would be difficult to remain clean shaven – during Hol HaMo'ad.
The first to readdress this issue was R. Yehezikel Landau, the author of the Noda B'Yehuda and one of the greatest Rabbis of his time. In approximately, 1775, R. Landua was asked (O.C. Tinyaha, no. 101) if there was any way for those who shave year round, and did so prior to the holiday, to do so on Hol HaMo'ad. R. Landau ruled in the affirmative, with one important condition – that it be done with a poor barber. This condition was an attempt to conform with the various prior opinions. Namely, R. Landau understood the rejection of Rabbenu Tam's opinion limited to instances which the person would shave themselves. But, a poor person who needed this to survive and thus was able to do work on Hol HaMo'ad anyways, everyone would agree shaving would be permitted. As R. Landau was highly respected his opinion did not go unnoticed. With the publication of this responsa in his work Noda B'Yehuda, the reaction was almost immediate and negative. From all over Europe various people either directly addressed R. Landau or wrote their own private responses expressing their opinion to maintain the status quo. In the end, R. Landau included four responsa on this topic. The reaction was summed up by R. Hayim Yosef Azulai, the Hida (Yosef Ometz, no. 7),
ואולם בו בפרק ראיתי אשר תיכף אזרו חיל הגאונים רב של ברלין ורב של אמשטרדם וחלקו עליו, ונדפס בספר בינן אריאל. גם ידעתי נאמנה שרבני גאוני פולין ואשכנז היטב חרה להם היתר זה וכמעט נגעו בכבוד הרב. ואין ספק כי רבני ארץ ישראל . . וכל טורקיאה ומצרים . . . וערי המערב . . . כולם יסמכו עם רבני אשכנז ופולין"During that time I heard immediately they quickly girded themselves, the great ones, the Rabbi of Berlin, the Rabbi of Amsterdam and they disagreed [with R. Landau] and this was printed in Binyan Areiel. I also heard from trustworthy sources that the Rabbis of Poland and Germany were extremely disturbed by this leniency and they went so far as to disparage R. Landau. And I have no doubt that the Rabbis in Israel, Turkey, Egypt, and all the Eastern lands agree with the Rabbis of Poland and Germany."
There were those, who could not reconcile their high esteem of R. Landau with his permissive stance on shaving, and thus made the claim (which has no support) that R. Landau retracted his statement. [Such a claim - that the author retracted or an errant student was the author of a controversial respona - is rather common. See Speigel, cited below, pp. 271-75 for other examples.]
One particularly fantastic (and well-known) explanation attempting to reconcile the R. Landau's position was offered by R. Moshe Sofer, the author of Hatam Sofer. R. Sofer (Shu"t Hatam Sofer O.C. no. 154) wants to understand R. Landau's position in light of another shaving question. One is prohibited from using a straight edge razor on their face. But, as this was before electric shavers many of the other options for shaving were not appealing to some and they used a straightedge anyways. R. Landau was offered a possible justification for this practice, which R. Landau in turn rejected. The justification was one is prohibited from removing "hair" with a straight edge. Hair is only hair, for many other laws, if it is long enough to turn back on itself. Thus, if one shaved every day or so, even with a straightedge they would not be removing hair as it was too short. Now, as I mentioned R. Landau rejected this, however, R. Sofer claims as this position was perhaps the only available understanding of what many did to not consider them sinners, R. Landau in fact accepted this. But, R. Landau also knew that if he came out that shaving was prohibited on Hol HaMo'ad many people even those who use a straightedge will follow that opinion. Thus, at the end of the holiday they would have long enough facial hair to be shaving "hair." While ascribing such motivation to R. Landau is somewhat far-fetched, it does demonstrate how far people would go to reconcile their views of R. Landau with this position.
This, as would be expected was not the end of this issue. Soon after the Noda B'Yehuda was published, another book – which was controversial in its entirety – was published. This book, Besamim Rosh, (previous discussions here) was published in 1793 but attributed to R. Asher b. Yehiel who lived at the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth centuries. Almost immediately after its publication there were those who questioned this attribution and instead said it was not the RoSH who wrote this but instead it was the publisher, R. Saul Berlin. Although there were many controversial statements in this book, R. Saul Berlin retracted only one – his statement regarding shaving on Hol HaMo'ad (no. 40). This was the only pronouncement R. Saul agreed was not from the RoSH.
Thus far, this discussion was limited to single or a few responsa, however, in the 19th century we have the battle of the books. Isaac Samuel Reggio (1784-1855) (mentioned previously here), an Italian Rabbi and admitted maskil, devoted an entire work, Ma'amar HiTeglachat (Vienna, 1835), to the issue of shaving on Hol HaMoad. Reggio was one of the most accomplished Rabbis of his day, he was fluent in numerous languages, founded the Rabbinic Seminary in Padua and was an amazingly prolific writer (and he also went clean-shaven as is evidenced by the portrait accompanying the article on him in the Jewish Encyclopedia here). Perhaps his most accessible book is a translation in Italian and commentary in Hebrew (titled Torat HaElokim, Vienna, 1818)of the bible based upon the simple meaning (pehsat)was recently reprinted. [It appears the sponsor of this reprint was unaware of Reggio's maskilik leanings and - as the story was related to me - was horrified to find this out and thus this edition is now difficult to obtain.]
Reggio takes the position of R. Landau one step further. You will recall that R. Landau allowed for a poor Jew to cut one's beard but not the person himself. Reggio, however, offers that even the person themselves can shave. This is so, as he understands that in the time of the original enactment, it was highly uncommon to shave weekly and certainly daily. From this assumption Reggio notes that (1) those who shave more often the hair returns quicker and thus before it was no big deal not to shave over 8 days but today, even in such a short time the hair returns too quickly and (2) since everyone now shaves often this is not the set of circumstances the original enactment was aimed at. That is, only for those for whom shaving was infrequent was there a true fear of forgetting or pushing off shaving but today that is not nearly as much of a consideration. Of course, Reggio notes that if one did not shave prior to the holiday he can not shave on Hol HaMa'od.
This being the most sweeping ruling on this issue and the most comprehensive, an immediate reaction was not short in coming. In fact, there were two books written for the sole purpose of refuting Reggio's position. The first, a play on Reggio's title was Tegalachat haMa'amar (Livorno, 1839), was published anonymously. However, we now know that in fact the author was R. Avrohom Reggio, R. Yitzhak's father!
To this day, shaving on Hol HaMoad remains a contentious issue. R. Moshe Feinstein one of the greatest American Rabbis post-Holocaust allowed for similar reasons to Reggio, one to shave on Hol HaMo'ad. R. Feinstein explains (O.C. vol. 1 no. 163) that "today for those who shave daily, they can shave on Hol HaMo'ad." Although there is again a permissive opinion, one from a highly respected person it still did not end this issue. In the Shmerat Shabbat K'Helchata (vol. 1 p. 274), on the top portion of the text he records that it is prohibited to shave on Hol HaMo'ad. Then in a footnote he is willing to only cite to R. Feinstein's responsa without explaining what it contains.
Additionally, in an English book devoted to the laws of Hol HaMo'ad [2] they have taken it one step further by judiciously quoting R. Feinstein to give a different impression than the actual respona. As is provided in this book, R. Feinstein concludes his responsa with "I only offer this permissive opinion to those who have a great need or are in pain from not shaving." (p. 26 n. 7). This is where the quote ends in the English book [of course, this does not actually appear in the English section, rather this is all relegated to a Hebrew footnote - in the English portion, the authors only allow that if refraining from shaving would result in a loss - davar ha'avod - only then is it permitted]. But R. Feinstein actually continues with "if one wishes to rely upon my permissive stance for appearances sake only [i.e. not only for 'great need' or 'pain'] there is no need to stop him as in reality this is permitted."
אבל מ"מ איני נוהג להתיר אלא למי שיש לו צורך ביותר או מצטער ביותר, ואם אחד ירצה לסמוך ע"ז גם בשביל היפוי לבד אין למחות בידו כי מעצם הדין הוא מותר לע"ד
Sources: The vast majority of the above comes from M. Samet article on the topic of shaving on Hol HaMo'ad. This article appears in M. Benayhu, Tegalachat B'Holo shel HaMo'ad, Jerusalem, 1995. Benayhu's book also reprints both Reggio's books as well as a significant amount of material from manuscript and he provides a history as well. Interestingly, Benayahu attempted to convince R. Shlomo Zalman Aurebach that today it would be permissable to shave on Hol HaMo'ad. Benayahu, however, notes that right when he finished this book, he was planning on showing it to R. Aurebach for his thoughts and comments but R. Aurebach passed away.
[Of course, the primary material contains additional important information]. This book is the most comprehensive discussion on the topic. Samet's article has now been reprinted in his Hadash Assur min HaTorah, Jerusalem, 2005. Samet, among other things, discusses R. Feinstein and the controversy over his opinion. There are others who discuss this topic, however, as they mainly use the two above sources (with and without attribution), and they do not add much of anything I have not provided additional citations.
I want to thank M. Solomson for providing both editorial corrections and material for this post.
[1] On the name of this Mescheta and whether it is Mashkim or Mo'ad Koton, see Y. S. Speigel, Amudim b'Toldot Sefer HaIvri, Kitvah v'HaTakah, pp. 326-27; 348-56 (discussing which rishonim referred to it as Mashkim and which referred to it as Mo'ad Koton and whether any conclusions can be drawn from that data).
[2] D. Zucker & M. Francis, Chol HaMoed, Brooklyn, NY, 1981. The book even contains an approbation from R. Feinstein, although R. Feinstein says he did not look in great detail at the book and instead his approbation is based upon the reputation of the authors.


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bernardo needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 148 designs submitted by 24 freelance designers.
We are a group of web agencies searching for a group of logo designs based on our current logo. We need a logo for the web development agency, the web marketing agency and the web advertisement agency as well as a group logo for them alltogether.
The designs should only have very subtle differences, so basically it's one design with minor differences. That's why the prize for this contest is not much higher.
Please take your time to read the description if you want to participate.
And now have some fun :-)
2beFOUND, 2beSEEN, 2bePUBLISHED and 2beGROUP (case sensitive!)
We are a group of three web agencies who are searching for a common
logo design with subtle differences, so that visually all logos belong
together but still fit to their respective agency.
Base Logo
The logos should be based on our current logo which can be found here: http://www.2befound.at/design/logo.jpg
The vector graphic of the magnifier can be found here: http://www.2befound.at/design/magnifier.eps
(Permission to use and modify this graphic is given for the duration of
the design contest and only for designs in this contest). You can create a new magnifier if you keep the proportions and general colorization.
The fonts used in the logo are "American Typewriter" (logo text) and "Arial" (small text above). You can use different fonts, if they look similar enough.
The colors are #B1111D (red tone), #343F6F (blue tone) and #161818 (black tone).
Design Requirements
2beFOUND is a search engine marketing and search engine optimisation
agency. People come here to be found, thus the magnifier in the logo.
The subtitle of the logo is "Performance Marketing GmbH". The logo
should use a very similar layout, colors and fonts as the old logo,
also the magnifier as design element should stay in (you can create a
new magnifier though or modify the old one). You don't necessarily need
to change this logo (create a vector version though). It should fit
together with the following two logos though, so you are allowed to
change the look of it.
2bePUBLISHED is a web development agency that also operates
websites and portals. People come here to publish their content, there
isn't any metapher yet though. The subtitle of the logo is "Internet
Services GmbH". It should optically stay very similar to the 2beFOUND
2beSEEN is a web advertisement agency who places
people's advertisement on a network of websites. People com here to be
seen, no metapher exists yet. The subtitle of the logo is "Eine Marke
der 2bePUBLISHED". It should optically stay very similar to the
2beFOUND logo.
2beGROUP is the group of the three agencies. This logo may be
different to the other three logos.
The logos will be used on websites and on print media. For that we need three versions in the end:
- glossy edition
- plain edition (multi-color)
- plain edition (one-color)
Target Audience
The target audience of the logos are private people who want to have their website produced as well as enterprises of all sizes.
The logos should look very professional and very clear. They should
portray a rock-solid image of our agencies and attract even managers of
very large enterprises.
Required File Format
The files are required in either .ai, .eps or .svg.
$400 guaranteed!
- close distance to our current logo
- very professional look
- simplicity
- complex shapes
- large differences to our current logo
- heavy use of gradients
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
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The Buccaneers were powered by an all-around team effort, however senior Natalia Giraldo (
"I'm really proud of the fight our girls showed today," said ETSU head coach Stefanie Reynolds. "We were facing 20 mph winds that were swirling all day, and even with the tough conditions we didn't post a score outside of the 70s. Natalia and Sinead (O'Sullivan) are up there leading us again, but the whole team is really battling."
Along with Giraldo, sophomore Sinead O'Sullivan (Galway, Ireland) fired a 2-over 74 to finish tied for fourth and just one stroke off the lead, while fellow sophomore Laura Jansone (Jurmala, Latvia) is also in contention after posting a first round score of 3-over 75. Along with that trio, sophomore Kennie Leigh Eisenhower (
While weather is expected to threaten the second and final round of play Tuesday, Reynolds said the team is ready to go either way.
"We're playing well right now so it would be good to get back out there," Reynolds said. "But even if the weather turns worse, we can bring home a tournament. It's a win, win. That's the way we're looking at it."
For results and a recap of Tuesday's play, visit ETSUBucs.com Tuesday evening. For more on ETSU women's golf throughout the spring, including up-to-date statistics and tournament information, click on the women's golf link at ETSUBucs.com.


text:
The usual whining from the extreme right about media bias is evident in a recent letter from Stephen Sewell ("Sun lavishes attention on 'Occupy,' ignores tea party," Sept. 24). The writer is long on allegations and short on facts.
Mr. Sewell suggests that tea party members are "perceived as backward, ignorant, uneducated … bigoted, homophobic, sexist, religious zealots, etc." Those are pretty strong charges, yet unsupported by any examples.
On the other hand, the letter writer portrays "Occupy" members as slovenly lawbreakers that get "above the fold" coverage in The Sun — coverage Mr. Sewell claims is "usually glowing and lauds the goals and principles of these people." Again, these are powerful charges that Mr. Sewell doesn't support with a single example.
If the writer wanted to do a quick unbiased analysis of coverage of the two groups, I suspect he would find that news articles about them tend to show up in the newspaper on those occasions when either group did something considered newsworthy, (for example, a protest, a rally, a confrontation, an anniversary, etc.) Lately, both groups have been relatively dormant in that regard.
But still, it remains traditionally easier for neo-cons to complain about a lack of love from such population segments as women, blacks, Hispanics, the poor, and the "Hollywood crowd" — all orchestrated by the media.
This tired and vastly exaggerated narrative portraying the right as poor victims of the news media is often minus any real objective supporting data. I suspect that after more than a decade of such a carefully constructed and trumpeted depiction, the self-righteous message is finally being ignored by all but those who conceived it.
Art Lapenotiere


text:
Feb. 9, 2006
A win is a win in the highly competitive Atlantic Sun Conference, but that doesn't mean that Lipscomb coach Scott Sanderson had to enjoy it.
"There are teams you are supposed to beat on paper, but that doesn't mean you are going to win," said Sanderson. "You have to focus in against those teams."
His Bisons beat A-Sun newcomer North Florida 75-65 Thursday night at Allen Arena, but Sanderson found little to be happy about except the outcome. He spent several minutes after the game letting his team know just how displeased he was with the performance.
"We have lost our pride in defending people," said Sanderson. "That is what we have hung our hat on for 70-something practices is getting down and defending people.
"If we don't get that pride back, we are not going to get the results that we want. That is why we sat in there and tried to explain to them that winning is one thing, but winning the way we are supposed to win is totally different."
The Bisons spotted North Florida a 4-0 lead, but after taking a 9-6 lead at 14:27 on a 3-point shot by Jason Guyette they never trailed again.
The Bisons biggest first half lead was 11 points when center Shaun Durant scored on a lay-up to end a fast break to make it 28-17 with 5:44 left in the half.
But North Florida refused to go away easily, chipping away at the Bisons lead. With 25 seconds left before intermission North Florida pulled to within four points on a lay-up and free throw by Rashad Williams.
Lipscomb's Eddie Ard answered with a field goal with four seconds left to give the Bisons a 35-29 advantage at the half despite hitting only 3-of-19 tries from 3-point range.
"I asked our team at halftime to give me the answers," said Sanderson. "One of the guys said that if we had made our shots in the first half we would have been fine. That's true, but that is what our focus is.
"If we are defending like we were earlier in the year we are still up 10 or 12 points at the half instead of six points. Our players have their focus on the wrong end of the floor."
Early in the second half a 3-pointer by North Florida's Alain Laroche would cut the Bisons lead to five at 37-32, but that would be the closest they would get.
The Bisons steadily built their lead, taking a 19-point lead (56-37) at 12:32 on a 3-pointer from James Poindexter.
North Florida remained a pesky foe, slowly cutting the Bisons lead to nine points (70-61) with 2:22 remaining in the game.
But the Bisons would score the next five points to take a 14-point lead with 48 seconds left to seal the outcome.
The Bisons shot 43.2 percent from the field. Ard led the Bisons with 21 points. Brian Fisk added 18 and Poindexter chipped in with 17. Cameron Robinson finished with 10, and also led in rebounding with nine.
North Florida shot 38.9 percent with Williams scoring a game-high 24 points. Ryan Daugherty finished with 16. Laroche scored 15 points and led the team in rebounding with nine.
"We played worse tonight than we did against Stetson," said Sanderson. "And I'm not taking anything away from North Florida.
"It is more about our team and what we are doing. If we don't get that mindset changed the next 2 ½ weeks we are not going to get the results we want."
North Florida fell to 6-17 overall, 3-13 in the A-Sun.
The win keeps the Bisons, 11-4 in the A-Sun, in a tie for second with Belmont. Both teams are one-half game behind East Tennessee State.
"When we get in the conference tournament and start playing very, very good teams our focus will have to be on the right end of the court or we won't be playing very long," said Sanderson. "It is hard for a team to keep its focus for six months.
"But I think, as a coach, that we have a couple of more levels we can go to, but the question is, are we going to get to those levels when we need to get there. Right now our goal is to win the league championship. I think it is available there for us."
The Bisons, 15-8 overall, are back home Saturday at 1 p.m. to face Jacksonville as part of Homecoming activities on campus.


text:
The year was 1987 and a 14 year old Caked Crusader had saved her pocket money and entered the local, independent record store to buy an LP. Imagine her joy to find that the album was at a special sale price, even back then her tastes being somewhat out of step with her peers.
Basia falls into the category of "Why on earth wasn't this artist more popular in the UK?" Her easy listening mix of jazz pop with Latin rhythms sounds as lovely today as it did back then and, try as I might, I can never resist singing along and mimicking her Polish lilt. Am I the only one who sings along and puts on the singer's accent? The other one I can never resist is Cerys Matthews' (Catatonia) strong Welsh accent!
We're enjoying a mini heat wave in the UK at the moment and there is something forever Summer about Basia's songs – mostly light hearted, fun and smooth or in other words: perfect Summer listening!
Sunday, 27 July 2008
What the Caked Crusader chose to bake to this week (26 July 2008)
Posted by The Caked Crusader at 17:41
Labels: Music to Cook By
1 comment:
- Blog Princess G said...
I"d forgotten all about Basia! Shall check youtube for old videos.
- 28 July 2008 at 05:49
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text:
Weather conditions for the 2007 crop year were hot and dry, according to the USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office. The spring was drier than normal over most of the state, and this trend continued through most of the summer, as the state endured drought conditions.
Overall, temperatures for the spring and summer were well above normal, with several July days reaching over 100 degrees.
Showers became more frequent during late August and early September. These showers proved most beneficial to crops. The dry fall provided for excellent harvesting conditions.
Considering the weather conditions during the growing season, yields for some crops were much better than earlier anticipated.
The cotton crop was much better than earlier thought for the 2007 crop year. Yield per harvested acre averaged 796 pounds per acre, 12 pounds more than the previous estimate, but 22 pounds less than last year's yield.
Planted acreage was set at 1.03 million acres. Harvested acres, at 995,000 acres, were 15,000 acres less than the previous estimate, and 375,000 acres less than last year. Georgia's production in 2007 is expected to total 1.65 million bales (480 pounds), down 29 percent from the 2.33 million produced in 2006.
Georgia's corn crop for 2007 was better than originally thought. The yield was 130 bushels per harvested acre, tied with 2004 as the second highest yield on record. This yield was 12 bushels more than the previous estimate and 18 bushels more than last year's 112 bushels per acre.
Corn planted for all purposes was 510,000 acres, 230,000 acres more than in 2006. Acreage harvested for grain was at 450,000 acres, 225,000 acres more than last year. Grain production was 58.5 million bushels, up 132 percent from 2006.
Corn harvested for silage numbered 40,000 acres, the same as last year. Silage yield was 18 tons per acre. Corn that was abandoned or for 'other uses' was 20,000 acres.
Peanut production for Georgia was 1.64 billion pounds, 2 percent more than in 2006. The increase in production was a result of an increase in yields. Planted acres, at 530,000, were down 9 percent from last year and harvested acres, at 520,000, were down 10 percent from 2006. Yields averaged 3,150 pounds per acre, 370 pounds more than last year.
Timely rains during the latter part of August and early September, plus lots of irrigation made for a much better crop than earlier thought. Digging was slowed due to a later maturing crop and dry soils.
Soybean production is set at 8.25 million bushels. This production is 136 percent more than last year. The increase in production can be attributed to a large increase in acreage, and better yields than the previous year. Planted acres at 285,000, was up 84 percent from last year. Harvested acres at 275,000, was up 96 percent from 2006. Yield averaged 30 bushels per acre, five bushel per acre more than last year.
Tobacco production in 2007 was 39.8 million pounds compared with 30.1 million pounds in 2006. This production represents a 32 percent increase from last year. Yields averaged 2,150 pounds in 2007, compared with 1,770 pounds per acre in 2006.
Acreage was 18,500 compared with 17,000 in 2006. Yields were better than expected due to less disease problems than in past years, timely rains and irrigation.
Sorghum acres planted for all purposes were 65,000 acres, compared to 40,000 acres last year. Harvested acres for grain were 45,000, up 19,000 acres from last year. Yield averaged 46 bushels per acre, 1 bushel per acre more than last year.
Grain production totaled 2,070,000 bushels, up 77 percent from a year earlier. Sorghum harvested as silage was 17,000 acres, 6,000 acres more than last year. Silage yields averaged 13 tons per acre, up 2 tons from 2006.
Hay production in 2007 totaled 1.21 million tons, 3 percent more than in 2006. Yields averaged 1.80 tons per acre from all cuttings, the same as in 2006. The yield of 1.80 tons per acre is the lowest since 1986. Acreage harvested was 670,000 acres, up 20,000 acres from last year.


text:
|2003-12-04, 19:53
|Link #82
Terabyte needs anime!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Columbus, Ohio
the ANBU guy is Kabuto *if you read manga you know that?*
the "secrets" are apparently considered like a "H-bomb" the way people behave regarding it.
i would think a family member (they are all there for the exam any ways) would of been caring for Hinata especially after her injuries. I want to give her a hug, she needs more hugs!
|2003-12-04, 20:04
|Link #83
Join Date: Nov 2003
Also rvmb is easier to encode and faster from what I understand is the reason he did it cause hes not good at encoding. Like someone said in another post, hes about speed not quality.
|2003-12-04, 21:50
|Link #84
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
when things like that happen, i usually save the link (ex. ...avi.torrent) as torrent, then go right click and open with bit torrent. but you know.. i dont' know waht the problem is for you (all.. somewhat), lol
as for the rm thing, you can use real player for it, I do
|2003-12-04, 23:50
|Link #85
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: I LOVE NEW YORK cough* my ass cough*
Age: 32
The only thing i liked in this episode was the Hakke. The kaiten was disappointing.....if u read the manga ull kno why. And also...if anyone else noticed...the action scenes that are kind of in a 3rd person view far away seems awefully stick figurish. Its not like the smooth movements from the Garaa v. Lee fight. But i gotta commend the writers for doing so much things in 1 epsiode.
Oh and one more thing, i noticed that they changed the sign of the seal on Neji. I guess they did for social reasons since the swastica-like (spelling?) sign will probably offend many people.
EDIT: one more thing, did anyone notice how the first 4 clones did a lot more than the APPARENTLY hundreds of clones. (Note: not more than 2 appeared at once and all the rest were just back ground wall paper.)
|2003-12-05, 02:18
|Link #87
Aria Company
Join Date: Nov 2003
Damn, doesn't anyone care about storyline. That episode was great. Though I was hoping for the Kaiten to look more impressive. Also when Naruto was doing Kagebushin, they all attacked in the manga. I guess it was just to make it easier on the animators, but it didn't make any sense for just 2 to attack Neji at once. Hopefully 62 will finish the fight,
|2003-12-05, 03:21
|Link #89
^im with stupid
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: NYC
Age: 37
|2003-12-05, 03:59
|Link #90
Join Date: Nov 2003
Offended by that comment
But anyways I wanted to know,if anyone knew what the new symbol meant ?
And besides that the ep was good Neji in good action can't ask for anymore
luved how he started off the first Heavenly Spin when he blocked Narutos punch.
|2003-12-05, 06:53
|Link #92
Bubbly and super fun
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Doesn't look like Kansas
The new symbol means nothing at all, it's just a simple cross
I don't think that the Kaiten look more impressive in the manga, the more the attack is powerful, the more the Kaiten is badass.
And the first time Neji uses it against Naruto in the manga, the effect is the same as in the anime.
|2003-12-05, 10:23
|Link #94
Terabyte needs anime!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Columbus, Ohio
loll mistragrinch - it's a addition sign (cross - or what ever)
well because I'm not a manga reader I thought the Kaiten was impressive, but what Hunter shows us - has me on the edge of my seat for 62 (gosh it's going to be in that one right????? I wonder if Naruto fans are more impatient than other series fans? Perhaps it's just me)
I thought the story line was awesome. I also like how Naruto actually listens and responds to what others have to say and takes it all in. I mean he could just interrupt and say something like "too bothersome" and blow off what his opponent says. I for one love to hear the history on all these twisted kick ass ninjas! Wonder if they will ever spill the complete story on Kakashi? - one can only hope.
|2003-12-05, 10:28
|Link #95
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Hull, East Yorkshire, England
Age: 35
Yes id love to know a little more about him. But is it better if he keeps his mysteriousness?
Anyhow, looking forward to watching it when i come in from work... any comments on the darkanime sub?
|2003-12-05, 11:19
|Link #96
pls..crac...anime need
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Canada
darkanimes sub aint bad, actually i find it pretty good, better quality for sound and video then saiyamans raw release.
i havent seen a anbu/aone release in a long time to compare it with.
darkanime also put the opening karoke<sp> in this episode.
|2003-12-05, 12:18
|Link #97
Terabyte needs anime!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Just finished enjoying the fast, high quality sub (DarkAnime) and after this sinks in a bit..... well Neji's dad (granted it was his choice) saved his clan and thus acted like a true leader of the clan....thus in a way he was truly the strongest and even it took Hinata's dad 10 years or so to realize that, it is obvious now. I am unclear on why no one has shared this information with Neji.
|2003-12-05, 14:35
|Link #99
Terabyte needs anime!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Columbus, Ohio
if it is just a week ... guess I could wait, seeing as I'll read any spoiler in a thread. But I would like to hope that Hinata's dad perhaps would clear up things with Neji. Heck having the kid run around with a distorted *unknowing* view of how things really went down, well... I can't see that being all that profitable. I would think this could possibly end up with Neji pulling a Itachi move!!! ohhhh bother ....... I'd appreciate any spoiler! Thanx!!!!!
|2003-12-05, 14:46
|Link #100
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The dog gossips too much.
Don't worry, everything will be sorted out next week if you can only be bothered to wait. And I'll take a gander at that little plus sign if only I can be bothered to dl the anime. Wait, I can't. -____-
EDIT: In the end I got it anyway because Neji = teh sexy. I notice they changed the scene in the beginning with Iruka. They should have kept his old desk in the manga with the computer and the feeding bottle (I kid you not). Tenten looked quite hot, btw, what's Neji waiting for?
Ehhh, then I just skipped about a bit, saw the gay green cross thingy (disappointment), decent amount of action, then talk talk talk, everybody stare stare stare, meh, meh, meh. Yah, whatever. It makes good watching for the Neji fan anyway.
Anyone notice that Neji was pretty damn big for a 4-year old kid? I mean he reaches up to his dad's waist already. And what big heads Hinata and Neji had! Scary! And that woman next to Hizashi, is that Neji's mom? Ooh, not bad at all.
Minor complaint: It seems like the anime made it look like Hizashi specifically had designs on Hinata's life, whereas in the manga it was more ambiguous, we aren't sure WHAT he was trying to do - if anything at all - besides giving both of them a very nasty look. Don't decide everything for us if it doesn't need to be decided, thank you very much, if you don't mind!
Last edited by AnimeFangirl; 2003-12-05 at 18:48.
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The small town of Streaky Bay proclaimed in 1872 is 727 kilometres north-west of Adelaide on the western coastline of Eyre Peninsula. The town is on a stretch of fascinating coastline changing between long pristine sandy beaches and rugged cliffs.
Eyre Peninsula is bordered by Spencer Gulf and Great Australian Bight with over 2,000 kilometres of coastline for fishing, whale watching, watersports, swimming with sea lions or diving with sharks.


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Busy Autumn Ahead: 10 Meals to Make and Freeze Now
In the midst of an August heat wave, it's easy to forget that September is right around the corner with its back-to-work, busy schedule. Why not spend a couple leisurely late summer weekends making and freezing some nourishing, healthy meals to sustain you through early autumn? Once the vacation is over, you'll be glad you did.
10 Meals to Make and Freeze Now
• Ham Bone, Greens and Bean Soup: A nutritious, stick-to-your ribs soup full of vegetables and porky goodness.
• Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragù: A gorgeous sauce to top freshly-made pasta or polenta.
• Easy Turkey Chili with Kale: A hearty one-pot meal that tastes even better reheated.
• Chicken Pot Pie: Individual pot pies bring me back to my childhood, when frozen Marie Callender pot pies were one of my favorite treats.
• Calzones: Not only the perfect vehicles for using up leftover odds and ends in the fridge, calzones also freeze well for future dinners.
• Lasagna: Assembled and frozen in individual containers, lasagna makes an excellent meal for one or two people.
• Burritos: Fill burritos with all your favorite ingredients — I'm partial to black beans and roasted vegetables — and freeze for later.
• Chana Masala: This vegetarian Indian chickpea stew is light yet satisfying.
• Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew: A double-whammy of convenience, this recipe can be made in the slow cooker and frozen in portions for later.
• Muhjadarrah: This Middle Eastern combination of lentils and rice is both tasty and economical.
Are there any meals you like to make and freeze for busy nights?
Related: 25 Time-Saving Freezer Tips
(Images: See linked posts for image credits)


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The next gold rush, or gold bust?
Montana debates benefits, costs of coalbed methane
Published January 1, 2003 | January 2003 issue
Mark Fix is worried about what some see as Montana's newest pot of gold: coalbed methane.
As owner of a 9,700-acre ranch in the Miles City area of southeastern Montana, Fix believes the coming coalbed methane rush in the state's Powder River Basin could potentially destroy cropland he uses to feed his cattle and dramatically alter the region's landscape by adding thousands of miles of new roads and power lines.
Despite those reservations, Fix is not opposed to coalbed methane, or cbm. Methane, more commonly referred to as natural gas, supplies about one-third of the U.S. energy market. (Small amounts of nonmethane gases also fit into the natural gas category.)
Rather, Fix wants the state and the industry to create safeguards so if and when CBM drilling becomes a major industry over the next decade, farmers and ranchers will not suffer from potentially adverse environmental consequences of CBM's main byproduct, slightly salty water. Too much salt in the ecological watershed of Montana could harm water bodies as well as the state's number one business, agriculture.
"We need to protect what we have," said Fix, who also serves on a CBM task force of the Northern Plains Resource Council, an environmental group based in Billings. "[The CBM industry] will be here for 10 to 20 years, but agriculture has been here forever. If drilling ruins the soil, we won't be able to bring it back."
To many in this area, CBM is the gold rush of the 21st century. Its development promises to bring good jobs and new tax revenue to the state. But it has already managed to bring together a rare alliance of environmentalists, farmers and ranchers, who seek environmental safeguards as CBM exploration creeps north into the state from Wyoming, which has bigger deposits and a more mature industry. Todd O'Hair, the state's natural resource policy adviser, calls CBM "the biggest energy issue we've got in the state and one of the top 10 issues, of all issues, in the state."
CBM potential, controversy
CBM figures big in President Bush's energy policy plan in part because it is plentiful and because technology has become available to make extraction easier. It represents about 5 percent of the natural gas market today, a number sure to rise, said Rhone Resch, vice president of energy markets for the Washington, D.C.-based Natural Gas Supply Association. The government also wants it mined, ironically, for environmental reasons since its escape from coalbeds contributes to atmospheric degradation.
The biggest deposits of CBM are found in the Powder River Basin, a rugged and dry swath of land shared by Montana and Wyoming and crossed by three rivers: the Tongue, Rosebud and Powder. The federal Bureau of Land Management estimates 50,000 to 70,000 wells could be drilled in this region of both states in the next two decades to extract methane. (See map of Coalbed Methane Basins.)
Only a portion of the basin is in Montana, but this land and a handful of other areas in the state could see as many as 10,000 wells. At the end of 2002, however, the state's only CBM producerFidelity Exploration & Production Co. out of Denverhad been allowed to tap just 250 wells in Big Horn County due to court-imposed limitations.
Those restrictions will likely be lifted, and the number of wells will swell, once the state and federal governments have completed an environmental impact statement covering future exploration procedures on state, private and federal lands. More than 8,000 people commented on the first EIS draft, most of them critical, according to news reports. The BLM will release a second EIS this month.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also asked for more details on the impact to rivers and creeks and suggested the creation of a watershed management plan. The ultimate decision whether to move forward lies with the BLM's regional manager, and given the Bush administration's support for CBM, that action appears likely.
What's not clear is which side comes closest to the truth regarding the economic promise or environmental catastrophe that will accompany CBM development in Montana. Because CBM is still an immature industry by energy standards, neither side has much research or other hard evidence to confidently back up its claims. Difficult environmental questions remain, and the cash and development windfall that appeared so enticing just a year ago has hit the rough road of market realities.
Source: Natural Gas Daily
Empty pot o' gold?
In the Ninth District, the only other state where companies have tested for CBM is North Dakota. Over the past two years, experimental wells have been tested in two west-central counties of the stateSlope and McKenziebut two independent oil companies chose not to pursue further development, said Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division. The state's coal bounty, largely lignite, lacks the depth and maturity necessary to produce worthwhile quantities of CBM.
The real debate and activity in the district is in Montana, where the CBM issue and its surrounding controversy have seeped up from Wyoming, which has had great successin a development sense, at leastin exploiting CBM over the past decade. Thanks to taxes from CBM, other natural gas sources, coal and oil, Wyoming is the only state in the nation with a budget surplus$137 million. Montana's CBM potential is smaller but still sizable, and four companies have bought mineral rights leases to begin exploration when the dust settles on the environmental debate.
A report by the Montana accounting firm Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. looked at potential CBM production from an estimated 9,550 wells over a 22-year life span. It predicted that the state could reap a $4 billion bonanza in tax receipts based on an average price of $4 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) at the wellhead over that time span.
There's one major problem with the study, cited by state and local officials as the best and only numbers that showcase CBM's potential. The market has rarely, if ever, seen $4 Mcf prices for methane from the Rockies. (It has from other natural gas centers, such as the Henry Hub in Louisiana.) Three years ago prices hit $3.60 Mcf, but they have since tumbled to as low as half that amount in 2002.
"The reality is we really don't know what the price is going to be," said Resch. "That [$4Mcf] number is bullish, optimistic. Four dollars (Mcf) is making some assumptions and [whether] they're accurate is anyone's guess."
Part of the basin's problem, Resch added, is the lack of pipelines in the region capable of carrying gas to other markets, which means much of the current CBM production can't get out of a region already blessed with too much natural gas. Prices for natural gas in the Rockies have sunk as CBM production has skyrocketed, Resch said.
As the capacity grows to move CBM from the basin, producers will receive
better prices because they will be able to send CBM to locationslike
the East Coastwhere supplies are tighter and prices are higher.
Four pipelines have been proposed for the region. Increased natural gas
exports from the Rockies may dampen prices in California and on the East
Coast, but the end price will still be higher than what producers would
get in, say, the Powder River Basin or Denver.
"Moving to these areas with high growth and demand for natural gas will get [CBM producers] prices that are substantially higher than in the Rockies," Resch said.
In the meantime, however, the drop in natural gas prices over the past year has precipitated a related drop in the number of wells operating in Wyoming, according to newspaper accounts. What will happen to drilling activity when Montana opens more land for CBM remains a question the markets will largely decide, said Resch.
Still, many in Montana have high hopes for CBM's ability to generate development and tax revenue for the state, mostly because they see projections from their southern neighbor. The BLM has estimated the 20-year economic impact in Wyoming's portion of the Powder River Basin at $1.6 billion in direct wages, with many billions more being paid to local, state and federal governments from a variety of taxes and royalties.
"We want to get this resource producing because we have a $250 million shortfall in the state," said Gail Abercrombie, executive director of the Montana Petroleum Association, a group that helped pay for the Anderson study. "We can't solve the budget crisis in six months, but it can certainly contribute to future budgets without being a drain on the resources of the state. There's not a lot of infrastructure the state has to pay for in CBM development."
Indeed, it might not take much CBM development to have a positive economic impact because much of the Powder River Basin lies in and near several slow-growing counties. Two Native American reservations are planning CBM development in hopes of capturing some of the economic benefits.
In McCone County, which lies north of the basin, "if one family moved in it would be an impact. We have counties where just 400 to 600 people live in them. If four families moved in there, it would be talked about big time," said Tod Casten, regional development officer in Miles City for the Montana Department of Commerce. "I'm for coalbed methane production as long as it's reasonably done because we need all the help we can get."
The environment, CBM
CBM raises a number of conundrums for Montana residents. Preservationists, for example, filed a lawsuit over the fear CBM producers might trample some of the more than 600 designated historical sites in the Powder River Basin. Montana is also the land of split estates, where landowners who do not own the mineral rights to their parcel have no right to stop CBM drillers.
But the biggest obstacle facing CBM supporters is environmental in nature. Methane gas sits in underground coal deposits called "seams." CBM producers use two drills attached to a compressor. One drill pulls water to the surface from coalbeds, and the other captures trapped methane. Mickey Steward, coordinator of the Montana Association of Oil, Gas and Coal Counties, said an 80-acre parcel typically contains two to four wells collecting water and gas at seams located at different depths. After methane from a well is collected, it is piped to a compressor station or "pod house" for further compression and transit to intrastate pipelines, said Steward.
Source: Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
While it might seem innocuous, that water byproducttypically 16,000 gallons per well per day in Montanais CBM's biggest environmental threat because it has elevated levels of sodium. Some of it is redirected to lined and unlined holding ponds or is reinfiltrated into the coal seams. A small amount is treated and used by ranchers and farmers or discharged into rivers and streams, Steward said.
By all accounts, humans and animals can drink the water drawn from the coal seams. The water has a slight carbonation to it, a touch higher than average drinking water. While that might not seem like enough to kill anything, a tiny increase in salt content added to any ecological system can create havoc for plant and animal life. The NPRC reports that the sodium absorption rate of methane water is three to four times higher than the level tolerable to Montana plants.
Jill Morrison, an organizer with the Powder River Basin Resources Council, said CBM depletes aquifers and dries wells used by farmers and ranchers and, if discharged into streams and rivers, results in destruction of vegetation and wetlands. A member of Morrison's organization, Ed Swartz, described in an article for the PRBRC how a CBM producer pumped water in 1999 into a nearby creek in Campbell County, Wyo., and how the winter grasses died a few months later. In a paper on CBM published in 2001, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality reported increases in salinity on the Powder and Tongue rivers, although not enough to violate water quality standards.
From a vantage point in Wyoming, where there were 4,500 active CBM wells in 2001, Morrison added a litany of other concerns. Under the BLM's plan for the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, more than 400 miles of power lines were laid last year and the same amount will be reached in each of the next six years, she said. Around 17,000 miles of dirt roads will be cut. Compressor stations use jet engines that raise a huge ruckus, and drainage from the water discharge creates erosion problems.
The traffic alone will have an impact on the region's air quality, she believes. Nor does the federal government have a good track record in her state of forcing producers to clean up after themselves once they have made their money. "What we know from past history is we'll never recover the cost of reclamation," said Morrison. "Why should we trust industry to do it responsibly when it hasn't cleaned up the mess it left from the last oil and gas booms of 20 and 30 years ago?"
Montana is watching Wyoming very closely because despite a more mature CBM industry, the state is still playing regulatory catch-up. The state and BLM in Wyoming are both currently working on an EIS to assess CBM exploration on federal lands there. According to a BLM source, Wyoming may use off-channel ponds and other infrastructure to avoid polluting the Tongue and other rivers, as well as treating the water before discharge.
Many CBM supporters in Montana see a golden opportunity. Sen. Norris (Mack) Cole, who represents eastern Montana and serves on the state's Energy Committee, strongly supports CBM and has toured Wyoming's CBM fields. He sees his neighbor as a good model for exploration. On trips to the PRB in Wyoming, he saw how water from CBM wells was used to feed livestock, irrigate land and to fill holding ponds where wildlife gathered.
He sees the environmentalists as obstructionists whose safeguards may cost companies too much and kill a budding source of jobs and revenue. And Cole sees his neighbor's huge mineral trust, now $635 million, as an indicator of just how much money his state could stand to make in a time of budget shortfalls. "I talked to ranchers down there, and I think if we're cautious it can be beneficial to the state of Montana," he said.
Learning curve
To ameliorate the potentially deleterious impact of CBM wells on air quality and groundwater runoff into Montana rivers, the EPA has worked closely with Montana's state environmental department and the BLM, said Max Dodson, assistant regional administrator in the EPA's Region 8 office in Denver.
"We've had more consultation in this case than in any other I can recollect in the last 10 years," he said. "We're hoping these issues are resolved in the final EIS document."
The EPA shares the same concerns as environmentalists, he said, noting air quality could diminish from the use of compressors and the dust that will rise from using dirt roads in a dry area of the state. The agency also raised red flags over the discharge of sodium-rich water in the Tongue, Rosebud and Powder rivers and has assisted in bringing forth technical data showing that CBM does not have a uniform effect on all water bodies. Depending on the river, it could have a less harmful or more harmful effect than environmentalists fear, and long-term effects remain largely unknown.
Nonetheless, Dodson believes that the EPA's work demonstrated government's commitment to finding answers in this controversy. "We want to make sure the public understands there is a regulatory safety net," he said.
Still to be determined is what kind of technical guidelines Montana's EIS will require in terms of water discharge and important distinctions in verbiage, which CBM proponents say could kill production if they do not go industry's way. The EPA's criticisms have been addressed in the new EIS, which contains a great deal of new information on mitigating the impact of groundwater discharge, said Chuck Laakso, a petroleum engineer in the BLM's Miles City office.
Local officials have expressed commitment to environmental protection, especially since they're not interested in getting blamed for destroying farms and ranches. "Water's always a big issue in CBM and we have concerns about landowners," said Chad Fenner, a Bighorn County commissioner who noted that the southern part of his county has the largest concentration of wells in the state. "There are folks who have ranched all their lives, and we don't want them hurt by this. We don't want to disrupt agriculture, but we would like to see more development down there."
Even CBM fans aren't interested in pushing forward without safeguards. "People in Montana are going to go more cautiously forward," Steward conceded. "Montana has a state environmental protection act that forces it to look at the environmental consequences of CBM on state land, in this case. Generally speaking, Wyoming is more pro-development than Montana."
Mining interests believe they can meet environmental demands on most issues as long as the state offers a smooth permitting process in return. "We've made a substantial investment in Montana. We understand the learning curve involved in doing CBM, but we know we can do responsible CBM processing while protecting the environment," said Joseph Icenogle, regulatory and public affairs coordinator of Fidelity, a fully owned subsidiary of MDU Resources Group in Denver. Fidelity owns all of the CBM wells still operating in Montana.
Industry groups are studying the best way to handle water and wildlife challenges and the placement of roads and power lines, according to Icenogle. His company understands it will have to abide by the state's historic preservation act and conduct continuing studies to determine the impact on wildlife as CBM moves forward. "It's been a litigious environment so far but we believe, all in all, these issues will get addressed. And we're committed to business in Montana, and we feel Montanans want us there," he said.
Fix, the Miles City rancher, just hopes government and industry officials are speaking the truth. "We keep spending a lot of time talking to the people in control of this to get the point across that we must keep the quality of our water good," he said. "They'll tell you it's too costly to treat the water and put it back into the same aquifers. But we need to protect what we have. If my soil is ruined by this water, I can't get it back."


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(NewsUSA) – With the country deep in the throes of winter weather, and hurricane season fast approaching, experts are reminding homeowners that having a plan in place can be the difference between survival and awaiting help from others.
Coming on the heels of some of the worst string of natural disasters this nation has ever known (think winter storms Nemo, Dion, Gemini or Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, and of course Katrina), these forces of Mother Nature highlight the importance of being prepared.
"Ice and severe winter storms can knock out power in an instant," says Jason Kawell, owner of Storm Survival Systems, a family-owned company that helps businesses and homeowners brace for the worst. "After Hurricane Sandy, millions waited for weeks just to get critical fuel supplies. What options will you have to protect yourself?"
Below are some storm-readiness tips to safeguard your home or business:
* Have a disaster plan. Find escape routes from the home or business, and establish a place to meet. If you're a homeowner, know where shelters are located (should you have to evacuate), and ask an out-of-state relative or friend to act as the point of contact.
* Put together a disaster-survival kit. This should include one or more flashlights and extra batteries, a portable, battery-operated radio (also with extra batteries), a first-aid kit, packaged and canned food, a week's worth of water, a manual can opener, sturdy shoes, basic tools, waterproof plastic bags and cash. Also, ensure that your car is fueled up and ready to go.
* Prepare before it matters. Companies like Storm Survival Systems offer American-made, custom-built storm shelters and portable fuel systems that will be invaluable in emergencies. "During a storm, the last thing you want to worry about is power," says Kawell. To this end, the company's products are designed to adhere to strict FEMA guidelines and are made to order and designed to fit generators already in use, thus keeping costs low. In addition, the fuel created is clean and helps efficiently power the existing generator.
Even as you ready for your state's natural disaster season (be it hurricane, tornado or blizzard), a good mantra is to hope for the best, but expect the worse — and be prepared for it.
For more information, visit StormSurvivalSystems.com.
This article is copyright free. You are free to use it on a blog, website, in a newspaper, or newsletter.
To re-post this, copy the content above, or HTML on the right, and paste onto your site.


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Sunday, October 05, 2008
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About Me
- Name: cyb3r ph4ntom
- Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb
www.know-the-number.comOur Climate is Changing!
Please download Flash Player.
I'm currently reading:
- Einstein by Walter Isaacson.
Next in line:
- god is not Great by Christopher Hitchens.
- Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero.
- Slow Death by Rubber Duck by Rick Smith.
- The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris
- Blue Covenant by Maude Barlow.
- Deep Economy by Bill McKibben.
- Collapse by Jared Diamond
- Liberty in the Age of Terror by A.C. Grayling.
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
- Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick.
- On the Shoulders of Giants by Stephen Hawking.
- Relativity by Albert Einstein.
- The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard P, Feynman.
- Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard P. Feynman.
Books I'd recommend:
- The End of Nature by Bill McKibben.
- eaarth by Bill Mckibben
- Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
- Climate Cover-up by James Hoggan.
- The Legacy by David Suzuki.
- Our Choice, a plan to solve the climate crisis by Al Gore.
- The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins.
- The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.
- Why Darwin Matters by Michael Shermer.
- Warriors of the Rainbow by Robert Hunter.
- 2030 by Robert Hunter.
- The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki.
- The weather Makers by Tim Flannery.
- The Greenpeace to Amchitka by Robert Hunter.
- An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore.
- Plug-in Hybrids by Sherry Boschert.
- Stupid to the Last Drop by William Marsden.
- Tar Sands by Andrew Nikiforuk.
- Heat by George Monbiot.
- Keeping our Cool by Andrew Weaver.
Wish list books:
- Nothing at the moment. Too many books on the next in line list.
- The David Suzuki foundation.
- Desmogblog. Ecosocialism Canada.
- Greenpeace Canada.
- Treehugger.
- George Monbiot's blog.
- Climate Ark.
- Science Daily Global Warming news.
- The Sierra club of Canada.
- Skeptical Science.
- Richard Dawkins net.
- Pharyngula.
- The Freethought Association of Canada.
- The Panda's Thumb.
Previous Posts
- Smoke and CO2: How to spin Global Warming.
- Keeping our cool - a response to comments.
- Dan Gilbert on the psychology of global warming.
- Evolution debate: Shermer vs. Wells.
- The Large Hadron Collider is now active.
- Religious madness.
- Baird on the hot seat.
- Looking for life in all the right places.
- Arctic Ice Shelves continue to disappear.
- Lightning Phenomena.
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Share Your Carnival Photos On u local
Share Your Carnival Photos On u local
From costumes to food to parades, share your photos from Mardi Gras! Whether it's photos from this year's festivities, or from Carnival years past, we want to see everything!
And if you're on Instagram, don't forget to tag your photos #WDSUmardigras to see them on u local also.
Share your photos in the NOLA Events Category, then select the Mardi Gras Subcategory so your photo appears in the slideshow below. Be sure to include a good description and location. Photos with the most information have the best chance of being used on-air!


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Hello! I present to you my next track. This is a universal logo for everything! He is dancing, bright, clean and cheerful. and modern logo for any of your projects. Perfectly suitable for television projects, commercials….
I'll be happy if VideoHive authors will use my work in their projects
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Let me know when you upload projects using my tracks and I will promote to my AJ and FaceBook profiles as well. Take this opportunity to establish mutually beneficial cooperation with professional sound designers!
If you need a special track – do not hesitate to write to me about your wishes! I'll be glad to collaborate with you!
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It's Shyla Stylez!
This photo of Shyla was taken at the 28th annual Adult Video News Awards Show in January, 2011. We're thoroughly impressed with many things concerning the lovely Ms. Stylez, but her dress' ability to hold those puppies in is what we're focusing on today.
Aside from her miracle wardrobe tricks, Shyla has been nominated for 9 AVN awards since 2003, and in 2011 she was inducted into the Urban X Awards Hall of Fame.
Like any good celebrity story, Stylez has had her share of controversy, including a 2005 sex scandal with former Orange County assistant-sheriff Darcy Kraljev. Oh whatever, like you wouldn't?


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I've often joked that I don't care about doping because you could put as much EPO in me as you want and I still won't be able to ride the Tour for three weeks. It's not just the warrior mentality of a Tour rider (I've skipped a bike ride because there's a rerun of Space 1999 on, but these guys keep riding when they fall into barbed wire fences) but it's about capacity.
In an email chat with the folks at Bicycling magazine about an upcoming Tour viewing event they've invited us to (more info to come) they suggested I take a look at a piece called You Versus The Peloton. I'd actually just read it in the print issue, but it compares the "average cycling enthusiasts" with HTC-High Road generated numbers. While there are some I could probably match (I can burn 4000-5000 calories during a century, but these guys do it on a 3 hour ride) there are some things that are just ridiculously powerful.
25-28 MPH average (which means a hell-of-a-lot-faster than that to make that the average speed) and power outputs in the neighborhood of 400-450 watts. The only way I'm kicking out that level of power would be to accidentally stick my finger in the outlet when plugging my iPhone.
One that really stood out to me is the amount of sleep these guys get—about 70 hours a week. Perhaps it's my history following the mountain biking scene (where 70 hours a month was more the norm for those party animals) but I've dreamt of a life where I can sleep 70 hours a week and ride my bike the rest of the time.
I guess I'll have to be content with spending the same amount of money on my bikes as the pro team bikes cost.


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Remembering Roddy McDowall
By: Legacy Staff
6 years ago
Roddy McDowall was one of those rarest of actors: a child star who went on to a long and successful career as an adult.
His acting career began when he was just 10, and he achieved stardom at the tender age of 12. As the young son of a coal mining family in Wales, McDowall tugged many a heartstring in How Green Was My Valley.
He continued his trajectory to fame with Lassie Come Home, in which he starred with a girl who would become a lifelong friend – a young Elizabeth Taylor.
As an adult, McDowall appeared in dozens upon dozens of films, though more often as a character actor than a star. Sometimes, not even as a human – as in his notable turn as chimpanzee Cornelius in Planet of the Apes.
But it wasn't all quite so serious… McDowall also camped it up as villain the Bookworm on TV's delightfully goofy Batman.
It's been 14 years since McDowall died Oct. 3, 1998, but from Wales to Gotham City, he'll always be a star.
Written by Linnea Crowther


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Spring is here, and with warmer temperatures, outdoor fitness classes are becoming more common.
But trainers and club operators hoping to take advantage of nice weather might soon need to think twice before offering an outdoor class in weather-friendly Santa Monica, CA, where the city council is considering new rules for fitness classes in parks.
After regulations were proposed banning classes in several parks, including Palisades Park, one of the city's most popular spots for outdoor classes, small business owners formed the Santa Monica Outdoor Fitness Coalition (SMOFC) to work with the city council and develop a solution that would work for trainers, clients and the city.
The SMOFC agreed that regulation was needed to ensure trainers using the park were certified and insured but were concerned that parts of the original regulations, such as limiting class sizes and requiring trainers to pay 15 percent of their revenue to hold classes in parks, could hurt small businesses and increase the cost of classes for clients, says Angela Parker, owner of Body Inspired Fitness, Santa Monica, CA, and a member of the SMOFC.
Last week, the city council decided to re-evaluate the proposed regulations after speaking to the coalition and hearing stories from people who have benefited from outdoor classes.
"These groups are way more than fitness programs," Parker tells Club Industry. "Being able to exercise outdoors has completely changed how so many people look at exercise and how they look at themselves and their community."
The revised regulations will likely require fitness trainers to get a specific business license, ban the attachment of equipment to park property and establish guidelines for how heavy weights used in parks can be, Parker says.
Santa Monica is not the first city to crack down on outdoor classes. City officials in Washington, DC, and Austin, TX, proposed similar regulations last year, and many cities already require trainers to obtain permits to teach classes on public property. Other cities have banned trainers from conducting classes in public parks.
Parker says that as more trainers and businesses take to the great outdoors, cities have an opportunity to regulate outdoor fitness in a way that can be profitable to both trainers and communities, and fitness professionals have a chance to change how they are viewed by people outside of the industry.
"We unfortunately have to work very hard to get away from the meathead, gym rat stereotype that's been there for so, so long," Parker says. "There's a bad stigma out there with fitness trainers. Anyone who is dealing with this across the country has a unique opportunity to show that we are educated, we are certified, and we run great businesses."


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Disclaimer: Certification by the American Board of Sleep Medicine does not in itself
confer authority to practice medicine beyond the authority granted by a state that
issues a license to practice medicine.
The American Board of Sleep Medicine throughout its history offered non-physicians,
specifically PhDs, the opportunity to sit for its examination. Many PhD candidates
over the years successfully passed the examination and received the designation
"diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine." This designation must not be
interpreted to mean that the American Board of Sleep Medicine designation supersedes
any state or federal law with regard to medical license requirements for the treatment
of patients. Those who have successfully passed the exam MUST be careful not to
practice medicine outside of their legal limits.


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Angelina Jolie: G8 Foreign Ministers' Conference!
Angelina Jolie waves to photographers as she enters the Lancaster House before attending the G8 Foreign Ministers' Conference on Thursday (April 11) in London, England.
The 37-year-old actress was accompanied by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who will be highlighting five key policy priorities during the conference.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Angelina Jolie
Foreign Ministers are holding a two day meeting where they will discuss the situation in the Middle East; including Syria and Iran, security and stability across North and West Africa, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and climate change.
10+ pictures inside of Angelina Jolie at the Lancaster House…