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There's the history of pirates—and then there's the history of pirate movies. Hollywood always has been aware of the potential for celluloid action and derring-do that pirate tales afford. Thanks to DVD, the fan of cinematic buccaneering now can collect quality editions of Jolly Roger masterpieces from the silent era to the Captain Jack Sparrow era. It's a veritable treasure chest of high-seas adventure.
Here then, is a guide for the collector, a chronological overview of the essentials, optionals, and avoidables. (What's not here, for space reasons, are pirate-oriented comedies, musicals, TV series, cheap direct-to-disc knockoffs, cartoons, or any other strictly kiddie-matinee fare).
The Black Pirate (1926) You see a silent movie in color and instantly think, "those pesky colorizers, desecrating a classic with their high-tech Crayolas." But no, this seminal genre gem actually was shot in a very early Technicolor process; to a 1920s audience it must have seemed quite an extravagant visual feast. The prototype of the movie swashbuckler, Douglas Fairbanks grins, cavorts, leaps about, and sets the template here for much of what will follow in years to come; some stunts that originated in this old chestnut still get ripped off from time to time. The ship looks ridiculously fake-more like some sort of stylized playground edifice-and the swordplay comes off like just a bunch of frenzied flailing. But a genuine high-spiritedness pervades The Black Pirate.
Kino's DVD is a loving restoration, with a clean image (considering the film's antique vintage), the original music score replicated, and a host of worthwhile special features. The movie's entertainment value has grown somewhat creaky, but its historic importance is unassailable.
Three skull & crossbones. More for the serious collector than casual viewer.
Treasure Island (1934) A fine rendering of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic with a top-drawer cast of 1930s MGM stalwarts, nice location filming at Catalina Island, and a memorable performance by big, boozy Wallace Beery as Long John Silver. Beery captures the blend of rascally charm, manipulativeness, and underlying danger that defines fiction's most infamous one-legged pirate. Jackie Cooper (frequently paired on screen with Beery) is pretty darn awful as young Jim Hawkins; as he's the film's protagonist, Cooper is its weakest link. The pirates are all portrayed as a scruffy, dirty, malevolent lot. Warner's DVD of Treasure Island sports a clean black-and-white restoration.
Three skull & crossbones. Worthy addition to the collector's library, although better Treasure Island versions would follow.
Captain Blood (1935) This is where the golden age of movie piracy really begins. By casting a young, relatively unknown Tasmanian hell-raiser into the lead role in a major production, Warner Brothers gambled—and won. Errol Flynn became an overnight superstar, and it's still easy to see why. No other leading man ever made perfection seem like such an effortless, natural thing. Even here, before he's got his acting chops all the way down, Flynn owns the screen. Based on the best-selling 1922 novel by Rafael Sabatini, Captain Blood is the saga of a physician who's wrongly convicted of treason during the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 and shipped out to Jamaica in chains, only to emerge eventually as the craftiest, most daring pirate on the Spanish Main.
Erich Wolfgang Korngold's musical score is so rousing it's still performed by symphony orchestras. Here it backs up thrilling ship battles, one of movie history's best swordfights (Flynn vs. Basil Rathbone), and the first of many pairings of the star with the glowingly beautiful Olivia de Havilland. Warner's DVD of Captain Blood is the best this classic has looked in ages.
Four skull & crossbones. Essential viewing.
The Sea Hawk (1940) Five years on, with a string of box-office successes under his belt and unchallenged status as the king of the swashbucklers, Errol Flynn made this adventure masterpiece at the peak of his prowess and fame. The title derives from another Sabatini novel, but that's all the movie has in common with the source material. Flynn plays an Elizabethan sea rogue in the Francis Drake/John Hawkins/Richard Grenville mold. To the queen, he's an important captain of the crown; to his Spanish victims, he's a pirate, plain and simple.
Action and romance abound, served up with sumptuous production values and another stirring Korngold score that has entered the orchestral canon. There's also another excitingly choreographed swordfight (this one with villainous Henry Daniell). Flora Robson, one of the best movie Queen Elizabeths, delivers a stirring speech at the finale, aimed at 1940 British audiences facing the threat of Nazi Germany. Warner's DVD of The Sea Hawk offers pristine clarity. Midway through, it preserves the original tint-change as reels switch, and the image goes from silver to sepia tones for the tropics sequence.
Four skull & crossbones. A must-have for the collector's library.
The Black Swan (1942) Yet another ostensible Sabatini adaptation, and the sound-film era's first great Technicolor pirate swashbuckler, The Black Swan stars rakish Tyrone Power, 20th Century Fox's answer to Warner Brothers' Flynn, in a rollicking salty-dog tale set on the Spanish Main. Maureen O'Hara smolders and storms in trademark fiery fashion, though you miss her usual red hair (she's brunette here), especially in such a crowning early example of splashy, colorful cinema. Laird Cregar is a standout in the key supporting role of Sir Henry Morgan.
Some of Power's ill-conceived and flamboyant costumes are downright ridiculous, and villain George Sanders' blatantly phony red beard looks like a joke, but those are things you let slide in an old movie that so thoroughly entertains overall. The swordplay is furious and frequent, the overall spirit is grog-soaked and rowdy, and the rough-and-tumble courtship between Power and O'Hara overflows with innuendo. The Oscar-winning color cinematography is vivid, gaudy, and beautifully captured on Fox's DVD.
Three and a half skull & crossbones. Certainly collector-worthy.
Captain Kidd (1945) The idea of Charles "Captain Bligh" Laughton taking on the role of history's most misunderstood "pirate" sounds intriguing. Too bad the movie's a guaranteed cure for insomnia. Kidd's just another generic movie pirate here. Several DVD editions of this public-domain title are floating around, and all are of inferior quality. You can pick it up ultracheap, but the substandard picture image and boring story combine to make this a one-time watcher at any price.
One skull & crossbone. Strictly a shelf-space occupier.
Treasure Island (1950) Walt Disney's first feature-length live-action foray is an enduring pirate-movie classic and the best overall version of Robert Louis Stevenson's oft-filmed novel. Every year on International Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 September), most people you run into going "Arrrr!" and "Shiver me timbers, matey!" might not realize they're specifically referencing the voice of Robert Newton, as heard here in one of the most, if not the most, archetypal pirate portrayals ever committed to celluloid. Newton is the definitive Long John Silver, and what's interesting in revisiting this film is how nuanced his characterization is, rather than the cartoonish cliche that years of "Arrr!" imitators have led you to expect. Bobby Driscoll also is cinema's best Jim Hawkins, American though he may sound. The DVD of this Treasure Island looks excellent; the image is noticeably sharper than on earlier home-viewing incarnations, and the colors are rich.
Four skull & crossbones. A must for the collector.
The Fortunes of Captain Blood (1950), Captain Pirate (1952) The prolific Rafael Sabatini followed up his Captain Blood novel with a couple of short story collections, Captain Blood Returns (1931) and The Fortunes of Captain Blood (1936). A hit movie plus plenty of literary source material made the character's screen reappearance eventually inevitable. Louis Hayward takes on the role with breezy style and convincing action ability. Largely forgotten today, Hayward was a fine swashbuckler in some pre-World War II movie gems. During the war he served in the U.S. Marine Corps as captain of a photographic unit, shooting footage of the brutal Battle of Tarawa. The frontline horrors he witnessed had their effect on him, and like so many other movie-star veterans, Hayward had a seasoned, slightly world-weary appearance in his postwar work that seemed due to more than just the fact he'd aged a few years. Both of his early '50s Captain Blood pictures, entertaining and well made Saturday-morning B-movie fare, are available in this two-disc set from Sony. The first is in black and white, the second in color, and both feature the ravishing '50s screen queen Patricia Medina.
Two and a half skull & crossbones each. Fun old-school adventure in a reasonably priced set; recommended for the collector. Watch a Clip
The Crimson Pirate (1952) Burt Lancaster outgrins Flynn in this jokey, perennial favorite. There's plenty of jumping, flipping, and sundry extreme gymnastics from Lancaster and costar (and former acrobat partner) Nick Cravat. In one elaborate action set piece after another, they perform some seriously impressive gravity-defying bits, real proto-Jackie Chan stuff. But The Crimson Pirate is ultimately more of a loving spoof than anything; we're told it's the 18th-century Caribbean, but specific nationalities and the historical backdrop are amorphous and vague. Beneath all the Saturday matinee sense of fun there hides a sly political allegory. Set in its own quasi-historical universe, The Crimson Pirate may have been the first major pirate movie that was more about tweaking pirate-movie conventions than about pirates. (Nearly all would become this way.) The picture quality on Warner's DVD version is so crisp and brightly hued that the movie looks like new.
Three skull & crossbones. Overrated but fun nonetheless; probably worth a purchase for the serious collector. Watch a Clip
Against All Flags (1952) Years of notorious and unrepentant debauchery had begun to take their toll on Errol Flynn by the early 1950s, but here, even no longer at his best, he's still better than just about anybody else. The livin'-large lush was making movies mainly just to stay ahead of his creditors at this point, but every now and then he'd rise to the occasion and the old swashbuckling magic would return. In Against All Flags, Flynn genuinely seems to be enjoying himself, a cocky, confident alpha dog who knows how to carry a picture with aplomb (provided he's able to show up on set). Here he plays a Royal Navy captain who goes undercover to smash up the pirates' lair on Madagascar. He crosses swords with Anthony Quinn and falls in love with lady pirate Maureen O'Hara-and the chemistry between the pair is combustible.
If The Crimson Pirate has somewhat of an inflated reputation among critics, Against All Flags, the best pirate movie of the '50s, is underrated and deserving of rediscovery. It's available on DVD as part of Universal's "Pirates of the Golden Age" two-disc, four-movie set. It alone is worth the purchase price, and the picture quality is excellent.
Three and a half skull & crossbones. A collection essential.
Yankee Buccaneer (1952) At one point late in the Against All Flags shoot, Flynn broke his ankle during an action scene and production had to be suspended for several weeks. Universal made the most of the downtime by using the same sets to film Yankee Buccaneer, noteworthy to U.S. Navy buffs as the movie on this list in which the grand old U.S.N. takes center stage. Jeff Chandler and Scott Brady star as Captain David Porter and a young, impetuous Lieutenant David Farragut, respectively. Their friction-fueled pairing gets the job done with the same script-formula dynamics found in countless antagonistic cop-buddy movies.
Set in the early 19th century, Yankee Buccaneer offers a Hollywoodized take on the pirate-hunting the Navy engaged in during that period. A Navy ship is tricked out in pirate-ship disguise, and the Bluejackets masquerade as pirates in order to catch the real ones. Pure hokum, indeed, but it's enjoyable to see real-life Navy figures portrayed. Since it comes as part of the same "Pirates of the Golden Age" DVD set as the must-have Against All Flags, Yankee Buccaneer is something the collector is going to own by default.
Two and a half skull & crossbones. Worth its salt as the secondary entry in a double feature.
The Master of Ballantrae (1953) Errol Flynn's final pirate picture (he would make two more swashbucklers, but not involving pirates) is a globe-trotting escapade based on the (even more globe-trotting) novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Flynn plays the Scotsman of the title, a roguish, temperamental, self-described "ill man to cross." On the outs after the Battle of Culloden, he ends up in pirate waters, conspiring to hijack a treasure horde and return to Scotland to reclaim what he's lost. The film is fast moving and action packed, ranging from colorful Scottish locations to a bright-blue Mediterranean standing in for the Caribbean. Warner's DVD captures the image in all its vibrant glory. The pirate-minded collector will want to own it, and general-interest adventure fans will want to see it at least once.
Three and a half skull & crossbones. Highly recommended. Watch a Clip
Long John Silver (1954) Robert Newton reprises his signature role in this Australian-made unofficial sequel to Disney's 1950 version of Treasure Island. Helmed by the same director as the Disney film (the prolific journeyman Byron Haskin), Long John Silver serves up a convoluted tale of scheming, trickery, and double-cross, and even offers a love interest (Connie Gilchrist) for the reluctant Silver. Here, even more than in its predecessor film, one can see what a direct influence the Silver character is on Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean; both stumble and swagger their way through life on a constant stream of rum-tinged pirate patter, perpetually underestimated, manipulating and outfoxing government officials and rival pirates alike.
There are several DVD editions of Long John Silver, also sometimes billed as Return to Treasure Island or Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island. The only one remotely worth a purchase is VCI's, which has restored the film to its colorful, widescreen CinemaScope image. It's still a pretty rough picture.
Two and a half skull & crossbones. Not a library essential, but fun for Newton fans.
Pirates of Tortuga (1961), With the post-Pirates of the Caribbean resurgence of interest in swashbuckling cinema, studios dipped into their dusty vaults for hitherto forgotten obscurities to release in hopes of cashing in on the New Buccaneer Wave. Pirates of Tortuga—what a promising title! What evocative and exciting opening credits! What a talky drag. What a letdown. This movie looks sumptuous and sharp on DVD, but it's all dressed up with nowhere to go. For long stretches, it seems like nothing happens..
One skull & crossbone. A snore; worthy of purchase strictly for genre completists only.
The Pirates of Blood River (1962), The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964) From the 1950s to the 1970s, England's legendary Hammer studio reinvented the horror film in bright, garish hues. But Hammer dabbled in a lot more than just horror, as these two colorful outings demonstrate. Christopher Lee, Hammer's biggest star and arguably the ultimate screen Dracula, makes for a mean pirate.
In The Pirates of Blood River, he's the eyepatched captain of a crew of buccaneers besieging a Huguenot settlement. In The Devil-Ship Pirates, he leads a cutthroat band of Spanish pirates turned privateers turned pirates again. Suffering ship damage after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the buccaneers put in along the marshy English coast for repairs. They convince the nearby villagers, isolated from any news of the outside world, that the Armada actually won, and that Spain has conquered England. Can they maintain the ruse long enough to patch up and set sail? These movies come packaged with two other (non-pirate) Hammer films in Sony's "Icons of Adventure" two-disc set. The image is just a bit soft at times, but the colors jump out at you, Hammer-style.
Three skull & crossbones each. Unique stories, ample action, and the menacing presence of Lee make this pair collection-viable. Watch a Clip
A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) This offbeat antiadventure is very much a product of the turbulent 1960s Zeitgeist. Gone are ship battles and swordfights, and in their place are moral ambivalence, grittiness, and the theme of the older generation trying unsuccessfully to shield the younger generation from life's dark side, which naturally fascinates the younger generation. Victorian parents ship their children from Jamaica back to England so that they may experience a prim, proper upbringing, but they are waylaid en route and end up on a pirate vessel headed by Anthony Quinn and James Coburn. It's the tail end of the age of piracy, and these sea-thugs are the devolved last of the breed. Soon it's "The Ransom of Red Chief" on the high seas, as the precocious youngsters impart anarchy, superstition, and general disruption of routine among the big, bad pirates.
The leader of the kids is played by Deborah Watson in one of the most memorable child-actor performances ever (she only made a couple of other movies, but a career was hers if she'd wanted it). The relationship between Quinn and the girl occasionally teeters on the very brink of creepiness, and the downer ending seems forced and illogical. Fox's DVD of A High Wind in Jamaica features both cropped and widescreen versions; flip the disc to side B and watch the movie widescreen. The restoration is less than pristine, but at least you get the entire seascape this way.
Two and a half skull & crossbones. Rent before buying; not for everybody.
Swashbuckler (1976) You'd think the puffy-shirt, big-hair 1970s would have welcomed a pirate-movie revival with open arms, but Swashbuckler landed with a thud when it hit theaters in the summer of '76. It's hard to know what to make of this infamous flop. It's not as irredeemably awful as reputed but does suffer from a certain confused tone. Coming fresh off his shark-obsessed-skipper stint in the blockbuster Jaws, Robert Shaw makes for a boisterous pirate—Red Ned Lynch. He had starred in the 1950s British TV series The Buccaneers, so Swashbuckler must have felt to him like a homecoming of sorts. James Earl Jones—young, fit, and without a touch of gray—is initially unrecognizable as Lynch's brawling first mate.
Worthwhile swordfights and action sequences abound, as does a '70s-era increase in the level of explicit sensuality. Ultimately, it's as if the movie's progressive elements are at odds with its forced efforts to be just a happy-go-lucky matinee lark like its forebears. The pirate ship, a replica of Sir Francis Drake's The Golden Hinde that just happened to be available, looks anachronistic in an 18th-century setting. The DVD of Swashbuckler presents a nice anamorphic widescreen image.
Two skull & crossbones. Rent before buying.
Nate and Hayes (1983) Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the movie world like a B-12 shot in 1981. The thrill-ride escapades of Indiana Jones set a new standard; hereafter, the pace of incident in action flicks accelerated exponentially. Nate and Hayes opens with a Raiders-esque jungle-cliffhanger bang, and the elan continues throughout the picture.
Tommy Lee Jones brings just the right all-American gentleman-roughneck quality to his portrayal of real-life 19th-century South Seas rapscallion William Henry "Bully" Hayes, aka "the last of the buccaneers." Going from Caddyshack to pirate attack, Michael O'Keefe is along for the ride as a young missionary who seeks help in rescuing his kidnapped fiancee and ends up learning the fine points of roguery from Hayes. The lush tropical locales look inviting in widescreen, but the film stock has that pallid, washed-out look endemic to so many movies of the '70s and early '80s. It's no fault of Paramount's DVD, which is quite adequate.
Three skull & crossbones. A little-known pirate movie worthy of finding a wider audience.
Cutthroat Island (1995) History's pirates of the female persuasion finally got their due with this hyperactive romp. As a bold piratess, Geena Davis manages to convey both radiant natural beauty and a convincing toughness; she throws a mean punch and kicks where it counts with conviction. Matthew Modine often gets a bum rap for his performance as her sly paramour; he's perfectly so-so, and the spotlight's not on him anyway. This, the ultimate woman-pirate adventure flick, has great location photography, a rousing score, action galore, and a hot-blooded heroine-in all, quite an entertaining package.
Cutthroat Island fizzled famously in its initial theatrical release, but it has gained an ardent cult following through the ensuing years on videocassette and DVD. With its unapologetically kick-butt leading lady and pirate chic, the movie just came out about a decade too early. The DVD of Cutthroat Island sports an adequate widescreen presentation, but it's non-anamorphic, so if you've got a big flatscreen you'll have to put up with a smaller image and broad black borders for the sharpest picture.
Three skull & crossbones. Deserves a more fully loaded DVD release, but current edition recommended for the collector nonetheless.
Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006, 2007) No one, not even the filmmakers themselves, could have predicted that a movie inspired by a Disneyland theme-park ride would turn into the pop-culture phenomenon of 2003. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl took a moribund genre, added just the right level of supernatural elements, and came up with an irresistibly fun film-going experience.
Much is made of Johnny Depp's bizarre, slightly subversive performance as Captain Jack Sparrow; Depp, obviously having a blast, took the part and ran off in strange directions with it. The character as written clearly was not intended to come off as Depp played him. But the star made pirates hip again and spawned more water-cooler impersonations than any screen scalawag since Robert Newton. The rest of the cast is likable as well, and the plot is just complex enough without being complicated to keep the ghostly skullduggery rollicking along. Hans Zimmer's lusty, swaggering score is the perfect accompaniment to the onscreen action.
The film's monumental box-office bonanza made sequels a given. Here, the genius instincts of the filmmakers went awry, for both follow-up installments—Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)—took all that was magical in the first outing and crushed the life out of it. The first movie had judiciously used the supernatural to spice up a classic sea adventure (who could resist a deck battle with skeleton pirates by the light of the moon?). But in the sequels, the supernatural elements become more central, more amplified, and more numbingly over the top. The eye-popping special effects are impressive, but the humor becomes more forced, the plot becomes increasingly convoluted to the point of absurdity, and the characters' story arcs make less and less sense with each successive chapter in the saga. Disney should have opted for stand-alone adventures rather than try to craft a seagoing Star Wars trilogy.
All three Pirates of the Caribbean movies look stunning on disc (available in both standard and Blu-Ray formats) and come either as one-disc offerings, in two-disc special editions, or in boxed-set packaging.
Four skull & crossbones. The Curse of the Black Pearl Essential to the collector; a latter-day pirate classic, well worth revisiting time and again.
Two and a half skull & crossbones - Dead Man's Chest and Two skull & crossbones - At World's End Strictly optional and somewhat depressing for the missed opportunities they represent.
Blackbeard: Terror at Sea (2006) The most notorious pirate in history—Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard—has a spotty track record onscreen. Robert Newton turned him into a hammy variation of Long John Silver in Blackbeard. Roly-poly Peter Ustinov played him for laughs in the goofy Disney comedy Blackbeard's Ghost. Angus McFayden also portrayed him in a rather generic Hallmark TV production. But to date, only one screen incarnation has managed to convey the sheer dangerousness of the man. In Blackbeard: Terror at Sea, James Purefoy is a revelation as the title character. A rangy, threatening presence with a Clint Eastwood-like killer's glint in his eyes, Purefoy convinces as the cool, calculating manipulator who artfully exploits fear as a military tactic. Here is a violent, remorseless Blackbeard, simultaneously charismatic and scary.
The story authentically charts his meteoric rise and inevitable demise. Don't let the production's pedigree, a National Geographic made-for-TV offering, fool you; Blackbeard: Terror at Sea is not a documentary. It's a dramatic film, adhering to the historical record but played out with actors, well-staged action, and production values above and beyond what one would expect. It proves that a pirate movie can aspire to historical accuracy and still be exciting and entertaining.
Three and a half skull & crossbones. A collection essential. Watch a Clip


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Teens who text too much are losing speaking skills | Families
ATLANTA -- When it comes to teens and texting, how much is too much?
"I text my friends, I text my family, as I'm riding passenger in a car, I text street signs," said Austin Wierschke, a junior from Rhinelander, Wis. and winner of the 2012 U.S. National Texting Championship.
"I've walked into walls, people, a door, lockers, just like not paying attention," said Mary Richard Weiss, a junior at Walton High School in Marietta.
Mary Richard Weiss admits she texts constantly while in school.
"Probably most of the class periods, like all day basically," she said.
Her mother admits she doesn't like how much time her daughter spends texting.
"It is hard to hear (about her daughter texting in class). The e-mails and calls from her teachers. It is upsetting," said Jenny Long, Mary Richard's mother.
But, complaints from teachers hasn't stopped the texting, because Mary Richard believes she's good at multi-tasking.
"I can get what the teacher is saying and remember it, but still be on my phone at the same time," said Mary Richard.
The larger issue is teens look down so much, they're losing the skills they'd gain from looking up, such as knowing how to have a proper conversation with others, especially adults.
"So, a lot of times kids are giving you one-word answers," said Stacey Dewitt, Founder of Connect With Kids.
"You can tell when people are awkward socially and aren't really able to have a conversation except 'hey'," said Juiliana Lima, a junior at South Forsyth High School.
"There's no eye contact sometimes and that to us, feels like they're not paying attention. They walk out of that room thinking, I don't really like that kid because he's not responding to me," said Dewitt.
The Connect with Kids founder says not knowing how to communicate face-to-face becomes a serious problem in college and job interviews, but it's also just plain bad manners.
"They may not look at it as rude behavior from friend to friend, but the reality is from child to adult, that is rude behavior," said Dewitt.
Mary Richard says she understand that texting with her friends is one thing, but she needs to behave differently around adults.
"In the real world, communication with someone, with a person is more important than texting someone," said Mary Richard.
From Stacey Dewitt, founder of Connect With Kids:
1. Teach teens to put down the phone when talking with adults. That means eye contact with any adult and giving them your full attention.
2. Parents should designate time for the family to unplug, like saying "no cell phones at the table."
3. Parents should model good cell phone behavior. We all do it. When someone is talking, WE need to focus. We need to put down our cell phones more often and show our children that cell phones are not that important to you. Certainly, not more than conversation with them.


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Graham was the keynote speaker for Honor America Day's "nationally televised religious service," according to a Baptist Press story at the time. Total attendance for Honor America Day celebrations near the memorial that day would approach 400,000. Amid the political and emotional chaos of the Vietnam War, Honor America Day was organized to boost the American spirit and "rededicate to the responsibilities of America for the unfinished tasks ahead," former President Lyndon B. Johnson said.
The religious service included Graham's message; benedictions by Baptists E.V. Hill and E.L. Harrison and Roman Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen; and music by Kate Smith, the United States Army Band and the CenturyMen, a choir of 100 Southern Baptist men. A parade of flags to the White House concluded the morning's festivities.
The religious service was the first in a series of national, patriotic celebrations that day including activities on the mall between Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, a spectacular fireworks show and various other events featuring such notables as Bob Hope, Glen Campbell, Jack Benny, Dinah Shore and the New Christy Minstrels.
Although reports in preparation for the event stated that police were expecting a peaceful crowd, Graham's message was met with protesters. Young "hippies" dishonored the flag, shouted anti-war obscenities, attempted to disrupt the service and tried to climb the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Their efforts were unsuccessful; the crowd applauded as the protesters were dispersed by park police.
Graham began by interpreting 1 Peter 2:17 to mean "honor the nation," establishing a tie to the Independence Day celebration. "We're not only here today to honor America," he declared, "but we're here as citizens to renew our dedication and allegiance to the principles and institutions that made her great."
Graham acknowledged the significance of the monuments surrounding him and the vision represented by Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. "We can listen to no better voices than these men who gave us the dream that has become America," the evangelist said. "These men represent thousands who worked, prayed, suffered and died to give us this nation."
The nation's institutions were "under attack," Graham said, but the goal of the celebration was to prove that Americans still believed in them.
"Let's let the world know today that the majority of us still proudly sing 'My country 'tis of thee. Sweet land of liberty.' America needs to sing again. America needs to celebrate again. America needs to wave the flag again."
Graham commented on accusations against him for "honoring any secular state" by stating, "Jesus said, 'Rend unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. The apostle Paul proudly boasted of being a Roman citizen. The Bible says honor the nation. As a Christian or as a Jew or as an atheist, we have a responsibility that has always stood for liberty, protection and opportunity."
Graham gave six reasons America was worthy of honor.
-- "We honor America because she has opened her heart and her doors to the distressed and the persecuted of the world."
-- "We honor America because she's been the most generous nation in history."
-- "We honor America because she has never hidden her problems and faults."
-- "We honor America because she is honestly recognizing and is courageously trying to solve her social problems."
-- "We honor America because she defends the rights of her citizens to dissent."
-- " because there is woven into the warp and the woof of our nation a faith in God."
Graham spoke of a picture of Betsy Ross sewing the first American flag, captioned, "Time to check our stitches."
"Let's check the stitches of racism that still persist in America. Let's check the stitches of poverty that bind some of our countrymen. Let's check the stitches of foreign policy to be sure our objectives and goals are in keeping with the American dream. Let's check the stitches of pollution, brought on by technology. Let's check the stitches of the moral permissiveness that could lead us to decadence. Let's even check the stitches of freedom to see if our freedom in America has become licensed," Graham said. "What a wonderful thing it would be if we could check these stitches before we celebrate the 200th birthday of America only six years from now. It could be done."
Graham also commented on America's standing with God, noting the younger generation's need for the Bible. He echoed Jefferson's thoughts on God's justice and expressed his own fear for the nation.
Pleading with America, Graham said, "Today, I call upon all Americans to raise your voices in prayer and dedication to God and to recommit to the ideals and dreams for which our country was founded. Let's dedicate ourselves today to a renewal of faith in God. Let's dedicate ourselves to building rather than burning."
He concluded his thoughts by reiterating Winston Churchill's words, "I say to you today, pursue the vision, reach toward the goal, fulfill the American dream -- and as you move to do it, never give in! Never give in! Never! Never! Never! Never!"
Read the original Baptist Press story or listen to "The Unfinished Dream".
Myriah Snyder, who will be a senior at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., is a summer intern with Baptist Press. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
Copyright (c) 2014 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press www.BPNews.net


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The European Development Fund (EDF) contribution to a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, January 10, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The EU is one of the leading donors in the road sector in sub- Saharan Africa. Road transport is a focal sector for EDF (European Development Fund) cooperation strategy with most sub-Saharan African countries. Financially, it is by far the most important sector, with about € 7.4 billion in EDF commitments made in this region over the period from 1995 to 2011.
European Court of Auditors (ECA) special reports are published throughout the year, presenting the results of selected audits of specific EU budgetary areas or management topics. This special report (SR 17/2012) entitled "The European Development Fund (EDF) contribution to a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa" assessed whether the EDF has contributed to sustainability of the road network in sub-Saharan Africa effectively: whether the road infrastructure supported by the EDF is sustainable and whether the Commission effectively promotes the sustainability of road infrastructure. The audit focused on the technical, financial and institutional sustainability of road transport infrastructure and looked at 48 programmes financed since 1995 under the 8th, 9th and 10th EDFs in six partner countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Tanzania and Zambia.
The main conclusions and recommendations of the report will be presented to the press by Mr Szabolcs Fazakas, Member of the Court.
DATE AND TIME Tuesday, 15 January 2013 at 10:30
VENUE The RESIDENCE PALACE - International Press Centre
155, rue de la Loi, 1040 Brussels – Belgium
A PRESS KIT, consisting of the Special Report and a press release, will be made available for the press conference. The Special Report will be published on the Court's website, www.eca.europa.eu, in 22 official languages.
INTERPRETATION will be available in French and English.


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This is an inverse product. It is different from conventional exchange traded funds as it seeks inverse investment results relative to the Index and only on a Daily basis.
This product is not intended for holding longer than one day as the performance of this product over a longer period may deviate from and be uncorrelated to the inverse performance of the Index over the period.
This product is designed to be used for short term trading or hedging purposes, and is not intended for long term investment.
This is a complex product. Investors should exercise caution in relation to the product. This product only targets sophisticated trading-oriented investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking Daily inverse results and the associated risks and constantly monitor the performance of their holdings on a Daily basis.
What is this Product?
Samsung HSI Daily (-1x) Inverse Product (the "Product") is a sub-fund of Samsung Leveraged and Inverse Investment Product Series, an umbrella unit trust established under Hong Kong law. Units of the Product ("Units") are listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "SEHK"). These Units are traded on the SEHK like listed stocks. It is a futures-based product which invests directly in futures contracts on the Index traded on the Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited (the "HKFE") ("HSI Futures Contracts") so as to give the Product the inverse (-1x) Daily performance of the Index.
Investment always involves risks. Investors should refer to the Prospectus and other offering documents for further details including the risk factors. Investors should not only base on the following information alone to make investment decisions. Please note the relevant information is prepared by Samsung Asset Management (H.K.) Ltd and has not been reviewed by the SFC. If investors are in any doubt, you should consult bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other financial adviser for independent advice. The risks are (included but not limited to):


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Greece is going from broken to fixed to broken again faster than you can say "Papandreou," creating a nearly impossible environment for investors trying to come up with a long-term strategy.
The market is on a brutally volatile tear, with nearly one in three days over the past year resulting in a Dow industrials intraday move of more than 200 points — and more of the same on Friday.
The cause? Forget about jobs, housing or virtually anything else tied to the U.S. markets or economy. Investors seem to care about one thing and one thing only, and that's whether southern Europe — Greece in particular — can get its arms around a debt crisis threatening to spiral out of controlat any moment.
Don't like the turbulence? Get used to it.
"The market roller coaster is likely to continue," John Wraith, credit strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told clients in a research note. "The Eurozone remains vulnerable to its weak links."
So what can investors do in such an environment? Market experts offer five suggestions.
1. Take a Breather
Most of the short-term trading nowadays seems controlled by high-speed computer algorithms that go with the flow of the day's news.
With the market coming off a violent October rally — one of its best months ever, in fact — this could be a time for investors to gather themselves until the market finds a clearer direction.
"The data...suggests that we're due for a slight pullback in the near term that will be followed with some nice gains going out a month or two," Paul Hickey at Bespoke Investment Management said in an analysis. "It can't hurt to at least write some covered calls here and wait for overbought levels to work themselves off before jumping back in on the long side."
Hickey points out that the October rally was fueled mainly by investors buying up stocks that had taken the worst of the summer beatdown. In fact, the 50 stocks hit hardest from July 7 through Oct. 3 are up a collective 35 percent or so since, suggesting the rally is getting a bit tired.
"If the market pulls back, you're prepared," Hickey said. "If it doesn't and continues higher, it's tough to get too upset."
2. Go 'Neutral' But Watch Consumer Stocks
Standard & Poor's a few days ago raised its 12-month price target for the Standard & Poor's 500 to 1,360 from 1,260. Still, the firm recommends a fairly vanilla, or "neutral," portfolio of 45 percent US equities, 25 percent bonds, 15 percent foreign stocks and 15 percent cash.
However, it did raise consumer discretionary stocks to overweight and cut telecomms to underweight. The firm's hesitance is based primarily on the Greece sovereign debt situation, which it calls "unsettling and ephemeral" and one that has "reignited global risk aversion."
"While there has been plenty of technical evidence to suggest to us that the worst is over, we are still worried about the action in some markets, and that some of our longer-term indicators have yet to give the all-clear sign," Sam Stovall, S&P's chief equity strategist, said in a note.
3. Emerging Markets Emerge Again
Tightening interest rate spreads between developed and emerging markets tell Jim Paulsen that the latter class is ready to run.
The chief market strategist at Wells Capital Management has traced spread history and found that wider spreads favor developing market stock performance, while the reverse is true when the difference in benchmark rates decreases.
Moreover, he sees emerging market economies cutting rates as inflation fears subside, while major developed economies —such as the U.S., with its near-zero rate policies— have little wiggle room.
Emerging market mutual funds saw $3.5 billion in inflows last week, the most since the week ended April 11, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
"Overall, a cycle has seemingly begun whereby emerging world policy interest rates will likely be lowered faster and more aggressively than will developed world interest rates," Paulsen wrote in an analysis. "If this proves correct...investors may want to consider augmenting allocations of emerging stocks relative to domestic positions."
4. Go Long — With Your Horizon
While the volatility makes for many gut-churning moments, getting out of the market now would be a mistake, says Gary Flam, portfolio manager at Bel Air Investment Advisors in Los Angeles.
True investors, he says, actually should be thinking about how they'll be positioned once Greece gets past the turmoil of its debt and political issues, which most recently have come through the waffling of President George Papandreou about whether the nation will accept bailout conditions.
"You have to be an investor and not a trader," Flam says. "When I say 'investor,' you have to be looking to invest in good companies you think can do well over the next several years and aren't depending on the next Greek vote."
Valuation is often trumpeted as a reason to buy stocks in the current environment, with the S&P 500 trading at a 14.5 price-to-earnings ratio. For Flam, the current era is reminiscent of the 1977 to 1982 market run that saw three bear market sell-offs and one near-bear — but which was followed by a massive bull move.
"On every sell-off they should be building up their equity exposure, because at some point over the next couple of years that next secular bull market is going to begin," he says. "No bell is going to go off to signal it, but you want to be exposed to equities by then."
5. 'Buy What You Know' (But Not Banks)
Those willing to take the longer view, then, might want to look away from betting on bouncebacks for the losers, but rather toward the familiar that will last through extended debt-crisis turbulence.
"When you're in a world like this, the best thing to do is get back to the basics. You get back to blocking and tackling, you buy what you know," says Nadav Baum, executive vice president at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh, Pa. "I like buying high-quality companies that you can fall asleep for 10 years and you know what they do."
For instance, he likes Kraft Foods because "people are going to eat macaroni and cheese and they're going to pay us 4 percent" dividend despite the broader market movements. He also cites Caterpillar because "you know what they do. That's the way you suppress all this volatility."
Baum, though, doesn't like the uncertainty of banks in the current regulatory environmentand their potential exposure to a global debt crisis.
"There are trap doors that nobody knows about," he says. "It's much easier to go back to the basics."


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more screenshots
Current version 1.2 beta1 (Beta software, Finalizing)
What needs testing: Pretty much everything ;p lots of code changes since last version, though it may not physically look much different. Also the included build of mencoder is Athlon optimized, can someone confirm does this run on P3 and P4 systems? I am also thinking of releasing multiple optimized versions for all cpu types with the next update.
New in 1.2 Beta 1:
- added mencoder filter system and expanded Avisynth filter system to video tab for
easily applying various cleanup, resize, deinterlace, etc type filters to input for all
processed files in the batch
* mencoder builtin filters are usually very fast, as they are designed to be used during normal playback. Avisynth filters are
usually better quality with a tradeoff for speed.
- added additional profiles, and completed ones that were not
yet complete (such as ps3 profile)
- added more changeable audio settings to most profiles
- added more changeable video settings to most profiles
- rearanged some tabs and options to easier navigation
- more options save position on exit
- faster loading times
- some interface tweaks (like autocomplete) to make things easier
- fixed low audio bitrate problem when using neroaac with some profiles
- added auto bitrate adjustment option to fit video within 2gb file,
usefull for hardware players and some file systems. Will only work
when using bitrate settings, not constant quality/quantizer.
- many small bug fixes and incomplete options fixed.
- Ogg/theora added for experimental HTML5 video encoding (firefox 3.5+)
- Upgraded to beta status with this version.
The Program: wrote: http://www.shinrasoft.com/amvbe/AMVbe_1.2 beta1.zip
- Download this file, extract to a location on your harddrive (with enough space for temporary processing, at least couple hundred megs) and run program from AMVbe.exe
Windows XP and earlier users: Requires .Net 2.0 Runtime or later
Windows Vista/7 users need not install anything extra.
Note: If you think you already have .net installed, just try to run it, it will give an error if you need to install it.
Sourcecode (VB.net):
http://www.shinrasoft.com/amvbe/AMVbe_1 ... source.zip
About the Program:
This was a little program that started out as a way for me to mass-convert all AuN's amvs for streaming from the website, but has grown to the point that I decided I should share it with the rest of the community that may find it useful ;p This is just a GUI to other programs that do the actual work. (Mainly mencoder) Its is designed in way to make converting Many amvs, anime episodes, or DVDs to different formats easy and quick. (with subtitle support) The program is desinged to make it easy for people that don't know much about compressing to get high quality encodes, since it has preset profiles that you choose based on your type media.
I consider this Open source software, so source is also available, and you can modify this for your own needs. (if you add features that is usefull and want me to add it to my program, let me know via PM or email and i'll probably add it. ^^)
See "Known issues.txt" and "changelog.txt" in the package zip file for older changelog info and any known issues you should be aware of before using the program.


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It was seventy years ago today . . .
Nation pauses to remember Pearl Harbor
Survivors of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor gathered Wednesday to remember the 2,400 people who lost their lives exactly 70 years ago.
"Just as every day and unlike any other day, we stop and stand fast in memory of our heroes of Pearl Harbor and the Second World War," Rear Adm. Frank Ponds, commander for Navy region Hawaii, told the gathering.
U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus took note of the devastating legacy of the two-hour attack on Pearl Harbor 70 years ago.
"The history of December 7, 1941, is indelibly imprinted on the memory of every American who was alive that day. But it bears repeating on every anniversary, so that every subsequent generation will know what happened here today and never forget," Mabus said.
See also:
Nation marks 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor Day: Survivors remember attack, pay respects on 70th anniversary
Nation marks 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor
Survivors, veterans mark somber Pearl Harbor remembrance
Pearl Harbor survivor remembers day of infamy
Senator Inouye Recalls Pearl Harbor Attack's 'Black Puffs of Explosion'
Pearl Harbor survivors group says it will disband
Veteran Of Pearl Harbor Dies On Anniversary Of Attack
Pearl Harbor survivors return to ships after death
Pearl Harbor survivors who lived until their 90s have their ashes interred in their ships
Overview of The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941
Attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Never forget.
/and more importantly, never let it happen again
Filed under: Blog Entry | Tagged: 1941, 70 Years Ago, Ago, Alive, American, Anniversary, Attack, Bears, Bears Repeating, Commander, Day, December 7, Devastating, Devastating Legacy, Fast, Forget, Frank Ponds, Gathered, Gathering, Generation, Happened, Hawaii, Heroes, History, Imprinted, Indelibly, Indelibly Imprinted, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Attack, Know, Legacy, Lives, Lost, Memory, Nation, Navy, Navy Region Hawaii, Never, Never Forget, Note, Operation AI, Pauses, Pearl Harbor, People, Ray Mabus, Rear Admiral, Region, Remember, Repeating, Second World War, Sneak, Sneak Attack, Stand, Stand Fast, Stop, Subsequent, Subsequent Generation, Surprise, Surprise Japanese Attack, Survivors, Today, Told, Took, Took Note, U.S. Navy, U.S. Secretary Of The Navy, United States, Unlike, War, WWII, Years | Leave a comment »


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USA's Elana Meyers, Lauryn Williams lead halfway through bobsled
- USA-1 sled sets track record in first run
- Meyers/Williams lead Canada-1 by .23 seconds
- USA-2%2C piloted by Jamie Greubel%2C is .33 behind Canada
KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — They were 1-2-3 in the women's bobsled World Cup points standings this season.
They are the top three sleds headed into in the final two heats in what has developed into a three-team race where the question is: who wins gold, silver and bronze?
USA-1 pilot Elana Meyers and brakeman Lauryn Williams, who set a track record Tuesday, are in first place with a two-heat time of 1:54.89, .23 seconds ahead of a Canada-1 pilot Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse and .56 ahead of USA-2 pilot Jamie Greubel and Aja Evans.
"We always push each other," Greubel said. "I know it's going to be a fight for the top three."
Greubel leads Belgium 1 by .49, putting the top three sleds in strong medal position headed into the final two heats on Wednesday.
USA-3 pilot Jazmine Fenlator and track star Lolo Jones are in 11th place.
The top three teams offer compelling story lines, intrigue and one amazing shot at history from bobsled's most unlikely gold-medal contender.
Jones isn't the only track star here. Williams is a two-time Olympic medalist in track, including gold at the 2012 London Olympics in the 4x100 relay, and history is within reach.
She hopped in a bobsled for the first time in July, and after her first trip down the hill, Williams said bobsledder Bree Schaaf kept checking "to see if my suitcase was still there because she thought I was going to go home. I definitely thought about it."
Six months later, she is two strong runs down the mountain from becoming the first woman — and second person — to win a gold medal in the Summer and Winter Olympics in different sports.
The friendly, easygoing and humble Williams said Olympic history is not on her mind.
"I didn't come here for fame, for glory, to get rich or anything like that," she said. "I've thoroughly just been enjoying the ride. I showed up, and I said I wanted to help these girls."
Williams might just help Meyers to a gold medal, too. On their first run, they set a start record in 5.13 seconds and a track record in 57.26 seconds.
"Lauryn came out and gave me a huge start," Meyers said. "I just tried to be as smooth as possible on the track, and that's really what I did. There definitely were some mistakes and definitely some areas to clean up."
It was expected Meyers and Humphries would battle for gold. Humphries won the World Cup points title, winning three of eight races, and Meyers was second in the standings, winning two races and placing second in five others.
Looking ahead to the final heat, Meyers and Humphries as the last two sleds going for gold would be a fitting ending to the season.
Humphries, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics gold medalist in this event, and Meyers, who won bronze as a brakeman four years ago, worked out in Calgary together this summer — bobsled's version of LeBron James and Kevin Durant working out together in the offseason.
"It's hard to continue to stay motivated and to stay on top, and I knew I needed someone to push me," Humphries said. "She had agreed that in order for her to be pushed, she needed to be with somebody who can push in the gym and on the track. … We call it a Battle Royale."
For a time during training in the last week, Meyers wondered if a medal would even be possible. It was a bad week on the track.
She crashed in her first official training run on the course at the Sanki Sliding Center and after crossing the finish line in her first training run the following day, Meyers' sled smashed into a wall, damaging the sled and preventing Meyers and Williams from taking the second run.
On Facebook, she posted a lengthy message sayiing, "This Olympics has been the most difficult athletic experience of my life. I've been beaten up physically, mentally, and emotionally."
Turns out, the track mishaps were a bonding agent for Meyers and Williams, who raced together just once on the World Cup circuit this season.
"Lauryn has been there for me, and she's the most positive person I have ever met," Meyers said. "It's been incredible. I thought when our sled broke it was over. She's held me together."
Bobsled coaches took a risk pairing Williams with Meyers instead of Evans, who finished in the top three five times in six races with Meyers.
Evans said she questioned the move at first, too. But now she's on the verge of a medal with Greubel, who overcame a torn ACL in 2011 and paid her own way in Europe to get more driving experience.
Gruebel wasn't on the World Cup team in 2011-12, but she had to sharpen her driving skills and decided to compete on the Europa Cup tour — bobsled's minor leagues.
It wasn't easy. Out of her pocket, she rented rooms, a bobsled and a truck — stick shift, no less — driving from one European mountain to another and racing, never knowing what would come of it.
"We were thinking of ways to be frugal and shipped about 70 pound of dry food — ramen noodles, packets of tuna, protein bars. We didn't have any money," Greubel said.
"That was a hard time to get through but made me realize how bad I wanted it and what I was willing to do to get through it. I needed to do it and I got through it and here I am today."
Today, she is two heats from an Olympic medal.
"That was definitely the goal going into the Olympics. Aja and I had (a medal) on our minds," Greubel said. "It's right where we want to be, and in a good position to fight back and try to move up."


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Trash & Luxury
Trash & Luxury Bazaar Moon Tee
Sold OutTOP-36GAM1-0001
Please use these size charts to help determine your size. Because sizing and cut
will vary between brands, please use the charts as a general guide to compare the various size scales. If you have a specific sizing question or would like more information, please contact Customer Care.
Sizes listed are US, unless otherwise noted.
Measurements - Clothes
For bust-size, measure around your chest at the fullest point of your bra cup. Make sure to go under your arms, not around them!
Measure around the smallest part of your waistline with one finger between your body and the measuring tape.
Stand with your heels together, keeping the tape straight and parallel to the floor. Measure around the fullest part of your hips.
Stand with your heels together, keeping tape straight and perpendicular to the floor. Measure from the high point of your shoulders down the length of your back.
Find a pair of pants that fit you well and measure from the crotch seam to the opening at the bottom of the pant leg. Round the number to the nearest 1/2" to get your inseam length.
Measurements - Shoes
Measure the back of the shoe from the bottom of the heel to the top of the shoe.
Measure the back of the heel, from where it connects to the shoe at the top to the heel cap at the bottom.
Measure from the bottom of the sole to where it connects to the shoe at the top of the platform.
- "Harper's Bazaar" Across Top
- "Fashion & Beauty New as the News From The Moon" on Lower Front Right Cornver
- Pink, Yellow, Purple, and Black Stripes Throughout
- Graphics Across Front
- Pink & Gray Triangle Graphics Throughout Back
- 50% Cotton, 50% Modal


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Do grandparents let their grandkids get away with stuff their parents won't let them do? Sure. But most grandparents are still pretty good baby sitters, from a safety standpoint (mine were anyway).
Not these ones.
Paul and Belinda Berloni, 49 and 47 respectively, included their 7-year-old granddaughter in their Sunday happy hour plans, which involved driving drunk in their SUV while dragging the tyke behind them in her plastic Power Wheels car.
If you're seven and oblivious to the fact that you may end up like the Griswolds' dog, being towed by a couple of dog leashes in a little plastic car behind an SUV is probably pretty fun (it was for me when I was 23, being dragged through the snow behind a truck on a boogie board). But let's face it: it isn't safe.
Even thought the Berlonis were going between 5 and 10 mph, they were drunk, and apparently ignoring the physics of what could happen if their 7-year-old darling ended up sliding beneath the high bumper of their Ford Expedition. Even when you're being careful (unlike these boozy grandparents), weird things happen when you can't see what's behind or under your car. Just ask my friend whose niece's head was run over while she was being towed behind a pickup truck in the snow.
Not only was he drunk, but Paul Berloni — who already has three DUI convictions under his belt — was driving on a suspended license. Luckily no one was hurt. The two intoxicated grandparents — Belinda Berloni was in the back of the SUV, cheering at her granddaughter through its open rear hatch — and the helmet-less, swimsuit clad little girl were having a grand time until a Sarasota County Sheriff's deputy spotted them from a parallel stretch of road. They must have been a sight; a girl not old enough to know better and a pair of adults too sauced to care.
The girl's father, Belinda Berloni's son, was not happy, and treated his mother to a tongue lashing in front of police. Paul Berloni was, again, charged with DUI, although this time with child endangerment and driving on a suspended license tacked on. His wife was charged with child endangerment. (Hat tip to a321hoss123!)
Photo Credit: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office


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A year or two ago, BenQ was renowned as a manufacturer of blandlooking but worthy kit. These days, it rivals Sony as a purveyor of desirable products. So, it's no surprise the FP91V has much in common with Sony's SDM-HS95P.
It's a 19-inch display with DVI and VGA video inputs and, like the Sony, has a glossy finish. This effect has been put to good use by Sony and is applied here in equally desirable fashion.
BenQ has ensured this screen is suitable for playing games and DVDs by including a technology called Advanced Motion Accelerator (AMA). It has been designed to reduce ghosting for high quality, constantly moving content such as games.
Because of the glossy coating we wouldn't recommend this monitor if you're prone to migraines or want to use it in a brightly lit office; glossy-effect screens just aren't meant for constant use. But for home multimedia use, the clarity, sharpness and all-round visual clout is almost heroic. It boasts bags of contrast with deep and inky blacks, plus decent viewing angles and pixel response performance that does full justice to its 6ms rating - tremendous at this price point.
Games and high-definition video look spectacular. Colour reproduction is a bit washedout, though, and it lacks the richness and vibrancy achieved by the Sony and Dell units.
Yes, there are cheaper 19-inch LCDs on the market, but none that match this one's multimedia credentials. Well, except for perhaps the AG Neovo. Our only significant reservation is one that applies to every 19-inch monitor: this is a relatively large display and we'd prefer a higher native resolution than the 1,280x1,024 offered here. Still, BenQ has come up with a display that you'd be proud to splash your cash upon.


text: Iron Mother #1 Posted August 9, 2017 What is happening with these two dynamic characters and their plots and schemes? They are being pushed to the side, so what are we to expect for these guys? This is not really a predictions thing as much as, these two have been lurking in the background of all major events since the beginning. Like when Arya was hiding in the dragon skull listening to Varys and Illyrio..... and when LF was sowing the discord which began the war of the 5 kings. These really are major characters. Will they just fade away like Dorne? Will they have one last move on the chess board to shock everyone? I hope so the latter. I must include (again) if LF is removed by some Sansa revenge plot, you will hear me screaming at Pacific Standard Time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Victorine OriginalsAdd this item to your wishlist.
Happy Easter
Sale price $8.99 Regular price
Last chance to get this stamp! We are closing the red rubber side of the business and we have a few of these made. Once they are gone, they will no longer be available. This is just the red rubber die (unmounted).
The "Molds and Negative" option is for buying the mold we use to make the stamp and the metal negative used to make new molds. That option is NOT a stamp.
For this design, we have one mold and one metal negative. All are included in the price.
This is a red rubber stamp approximately 2.3" (w) x 0.8" (h).


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Ripton, Vermont
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Ripton is a town in Addison county, Vermont. It was formed in 1781 in Vt. from Rutland county. It has used the following other name(s): Riptown. The probate and court district for Ripton is Addison. For more information, contact the town at P.O. Box 10, Ripton 05766. On the attached map, Ripton is shown as 12 in Addison county.
For information about the state of Vermont see Vermont Family History Research.


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Change of scenery has Ely excited
Prior to joining Astros, right-hander was prepared to play overseas
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- When right-hander John Ely decided he needed a change of scenery for the 2013 season, he took his desire to the extreme and was prepared to sign a contract to play for a team in South Korea this year.
A phone call from Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti on Dec. 19 of last year -- informing him he had been traded to the Astros -- was enough to inject some life into Ely's career and keep him stateside. A new team meant a terrific opportunity for the 26-year-old on a young team.
"To be honest with you, I was very excited about it," Ely said. "I think what I needed more than anything was a change of scenery, and coming over to a clubhouse that's energetic and the coaching staff is positive, it's a whole lot of opportunity. I couldn't be happier about it."
Ely is part of the pool of pitchers the Astros acquired this offseason to add some much-needed organizational starting pitching depth, joining Brad Peacock, Alex White, Philip Humber and Erik Bedard. In essence, they're among a group competing for two spots at the Major League level, but the idea was to have quality arms ready and available at Triple-A.
"There's a lot of good arms, but if you start looking around and looking at other people and what they're doing, it just takes away from what you're doing and what this team is trying to do as a whole, which is win ballgames," Ely said. "We've been playing really good baseball so far this spring. That's all I focused on and all this team is focused on."
There's nothing about Ely that's flashy. Ely has a straightforward arsenal of a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup, and he doesn't throw as hard as some of his competition, such as Jarred Cosart. What Ely does bring to the table is a strong Minor League track record.
Selected in the third round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft by the White Sox, he was traded to the Dodgers in '09 in the Juan Pierre deal. Ely made 18 starts for the Dodgers in '10, going 4-10, and spent most of the next two seasons in Triple-A Albuquerque. Last year, he was 14-7 with a 3.20 ERA in 27 starts.
With the Dodgers having a stacked Major League rotation that features veterans Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley, Ely saw the writing on the wall.
"When you look at the clubhouse over there, you have eight guys making $10 million to do the same thing you do," Ely said. "[Playing in Korea] was a decision me and my family and agent came to. It was the right thing to do at the time, and now obviously being over here, we're focused on helping out this team and hopefully being able to make this roster."
It's early in camp, but Ely has been impressive. Manager Bo Porter likes the way Ely's kept the ball down the zone and the late life on his fastball.
"He has great confidence in his off-speed stuff and he can throw it any count," Porter said. "He's been impressive early."
Making a good impression on the manager in February is one thing, but becoming a mainstay in the rotation takes so much more.
"Honestly, I need to take advantage of every opportunity," Ely said. "Every time I get the ball, I have to stay consistent. I think that's definitely something that could be in my future, but right now, first things first. I'm focusing every single time I pick up the ball in camp."


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Build your package, creating a directory format package, if you have not already done so.
For more information, see How to Build a Package.
Install your package to verify that it installs correctly.
See How to Install a Package on a Standalone or Server, if needed.
Verify your package's integrity.
See How to Verify the Integrity of Your Package, How to Obtain Information With the pkginfo Command, and How to Obtain Information With the pkgparam Command, if needed.
Remove the installed package from the system.
See How to Remove a Package, if needed.
Transfer the package (in package format) to a distribution medium.
To perform a basic translation, execute the following command:
$ pkgtrans device1 device2 [pkg-abbrev...]
Is the name of the device where the package currently resides.
Is the name of the device onto which the translated package will be written.
Is one or more package abbreviations.
If no package names are given, all packages residing in device1 are translated and written to device2.
If more than one instance of a package resides on device1, you must use an instance identifier for the package. For a description of a package identifier, see Defining a Package Instance. When an instance of the package being translated already exists on device2, the pkgtrans command does not perform the translation. You can use the -o option to tell the pkgtrans command to overwrite any existing instances on the destination device and the -n option to tell it to create a new instance if one already exists. Note that this check does not apply when device2 supports a datastream format.
At this point you have completed the steps necessary to design, build, verify, and transfer your package. If you are interested in looking at some case studies, see Chapter 5, Package Creation Case Studies. If you are interested in advanced package design ideas, see Chapter 6, Advanced Package Creation Techniques.


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Quick to deploy data center solution, you can be up and running in weeks instead of months or years.
Match business demand by enabling quick scaling of IT technologies, creating a back-up/disaster recovery site, locating your data center closer to end users, reducing real estate and OPEX.
Integrated subsystems and modular designs can deliver efficiency gains in power and cooling, reducing operating costs.
Modular designs can enable you to adjust your data center infrastructure as IT needs change, helping to align IT and data center strategies.


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Linda Randall author the power of the platorm speakers on life march 29, 2013 aka the idea girl says
the idea girl says:
It's June 28, 2012 and Linny's decided it's time to reduce her LONG winded bio to a shorter version for Literary Agents, Publishers and fans to read. I tried, honestly I tried. This one's half the size. HAH!
People know me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube , WordPress and Blogger as:
the idea girl says
idea girl consulting
IGC Entertainment Canada
and Linda Michelle Randall
It all started on a manual Smithsonian typewriter that was given to me for Christmas when I was in Grade 4. I was a glorified bookworm and writer at the tender age of 8 years old.
My English Teacher's each year enjoyed a good chuckle or two over my humorous, true stories mixed with fiction tales.
Thirty-eight years later I expand my writing skills from real life stories to comical, paranormal,alien fact and fiction tales. I've written several different genre's of manuscripts as a hobby.
Posted a few of the "rough" unedited drafts online on my wordpress blogs – Linda Randall, The Idea Girl Says, The Calamity Girl and for authonomy readers to enjoy. Thanks to their positive comments they inspired me to keep writing and pursuing my goal – to have several of my novels published.
In 2009 I blogged about Author Robin Jay's "The Art of the Business Lunch." Along with Two Birds Publishing and twenty or so other authors I wrote a chapter about the importance of having a "Mentor for the Heart, Mind and Soul." It was published in July 2010 as the "introduction" in the 3r trilogy book – "The Power of the Platform Speakers on Life." Words from my fans is that it is an inspiring read and it changed their lives. Just as Robin Jay's book – The Art of the Business Lunch changed mine. Robin was there to encourage me to press on. She told me I was a good writer and that I had to keep working on it. I was at that time, ready to give up blogging.
I'll be seeking a literary agent once I finish the manuscript for my science fiction young adult series of books. Only two of the manuscripts have been written for it, there's four more outlines to be written.
The Calamity Girl Series has three books, The Munroe Series has ten books written and The Lilywind and Daisy the Magical Dog series has one book while The Magic Grammy series has two or three. I've written four screen plays so far (some will be converted into novels at a later date)
I've written Paranormal Historical Romance stories, Mysteries, Chick Lit, Children's Fantasy books and now I'm doing a Fantasy type Science Fiction Alien Series based on a true story with a mixture of fiction to make it interesting to those who follow UFO – Alien type stories.
The Aliens of Lamat Series will probably end up being around six to ten novels. Its an action packed, nail biting, whats-going-to-happen-next-page-turner-set of stories. If it doesn't get published. I will post it online for my fans to enjoy a good read.
I read Chris Baty's book – "No Plot No Problem!" in 2008 and was introduced to the world of NaNoWriMo. I have twenty novels written and several more outlines of stories I plan to write in the future. In 2009 I was invited to participate in "Script Frenzy" and proceeded to write my first screenplay. I have four written so far. I love April's each year because once the screenplay writing is done, I switch gears and write some novels or outlines ideas.
Then of course there's my addiction to blogging. Music, movies, ghost stories, Paranormal Psychic Investigations, UFO sightings, Alien radio signals called "WOW" and my weather predictions.
I've made it my goal in 2012 to become a published author – this time with one of my manuscripts.
Be it a magazine article, a short story or one of my whole novels. I've picked the stories based on truth and fiction because it was the most fun to write. My novels are science fiction, chick lit, children's books, young adult fiction and historical paranormal romances. I guess it's taken me a long time to "edit" any of the manuscripts. I'm taking my time, learning the ropes and wanting to do it right.
I think I'm finally ready to get my toes wet. I've done my best to set up a half decent author's platform as a blogger and video blogger (three channels – travel, entertainment news, my life stories, writing tips, novels I've written, alien radio signals, weather predictions and psychic missing person investigations – that about sums up what you will find on IGC Enertainment CA – Idea Girl Consulting – The Idea Girl Says on my You Tube Channels.)
I have a hubby known as Harold the Ghost Hunter (YouTube paranormal stories), a toy poodle (that is famous on YouTube for being cute and funny) Daisy, and two adult sons Tim and Jeff who I love very much.
Harold and I live in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. We both love shooting videos, travelling around to different restaurants and tourist spots and entertaining thousands of people on YouTube. I enjoy writing and producing videos so that my millions of blog visitors can get a smile on their face everyday or find out what the latest news story is….
People know me on the internet as:
linda randall – the idea girl says – idea girl consulting – igc entertainment canada – the calamity girl
update bio june 24 2013
i am video blogging my research on the idea girl says youtube channel and blogging the videos along with research links, photos, graphs and cross referencing keywords on alien space science news wordpress blog.


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Nicole Kidman, Beyoncé and Katy Perry Dance at the Grammys
Watch the stars groove to the music in the audience on music's biggest night
On music's biggest night, the performers at the 2013 Grammy Awards – Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Bruno Mars and more – had celebrities grooving in the audience on Sunday.
You've seen Ellen DeGeneres dance at the opening of her talk show but she and wife Portia de Rossi had their own little dance party to the sounds of Bob Marley tunes during the night's tribute to the late reggae artist.
Other couples busting a move: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (with Adele right beside them), Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, Katy Perry and John Mayer and Neil Patrick Harris and his partner David Burkta were also spotted bouncing to the beat.
But no one seemed to be having as much fun as Taylor Swift, who seemed to rock out and sing along to almost every number of the night.


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U.S. AIDS Patients Face Treatment Cutbacks
Although the world's attention is focused on the growing AIDS epidemic in Africa and Asia, patients in the U.S. often lack medication and treatment. AIDS activists in the United States are concerned with cutbacks at a time when there are indications of a resurgence of domestic cases. NPR's Brenda Wilson reports.


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If you require an electric solution, this software will assist you to choose a suitable actuator or gripper.
The selector will not only lead you to the right SMC electric solution but also will let you calculate its performance in different working conditions.
You will be able to confirm optimal operation at given speed, work load weight, orientation and position, cycle time, and acceleration/deceleration rates.
Results are presented in a comprehensive yet easy-to-read report, where any non-compliant performance requests will also be highlighted.
Extract the downloaded file into the temporary folder of your choice and run "setup.exe". You may delete the temporary folder after the installation is completed.


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Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. is managed by a Board of Directors, assisted by a shareholder-appointed Board of Auditors and advised by board-appointed international committees such as the Council of Partners for general and development policy, the Scientific Advisory Council for scientific programs and the Machine Advisory Committee for accelerator development.
Board of Directors
Alfonso Franciosi (President)
Board of Auditors
Antonio Di Donato (President)


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Reading Town Sudbury celebrating Munsch and Purdy
Reading Town Sudbury/Ville Lecture 2019 continues with two major events planned for this weekend.
First up is a screening of Al Purdy was Here and poetry readings at the Sudbury Indie Cinema, 162 Mackenzie St., on Friday.
Al Purdy Was Here is the portrait of an artist driven to become a great Canadian poet at a time when the category barely existed.
"Al Purdy is a charismatic tower of contradictions: a 'sensitive man' who whips out a poem in a bar fight; a factory worker who finds grace in an Arctic flower; a mentor to young writers who remained a stranger to his sons," Reading Town Sudbury said in a release.
Purdy has been called the last, best and most Canadian poet. "Voice of the Land" is engraved on his tombstone. But before finding fame as the country's unofficial poet
laureate, he endured years of poverty and failure.
Born in Wooler, Ont., in 1918, Purdy was a high-school dropout who hopped freight trains during the
Great Depression. He lived all over the country, working in mattress factories.
"After two decades of writing what he admits was bad poetry, in 1957 he and his wife build an A-frame cabin on Roblin Lake in Ontario's Prince Edward County," the release notes. "There he finds his voice, and surprising success. The A-frame soon becomes a mecca for the early pioneers of Canadian literature, writers like Margaret Laurence, Dennis Lee, Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje.
"And in this rustic salon, irrigated by Al's wild grape wine, a cultural community takes root. Now, 15 years after Purdy's death, artists and patrons have rallied to restore his shambling cabin as a writers' retreat.
"It's a quixotic enterprise. But as the A-frame comes back to life, it generates a Purdy revival, and an album of original songs inspired by his life and work. The film features performances by artists including Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, Gord Downie, Gordon Pinsent, Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Sarah Harmer, Tanya Tagaq and Joseph Boyden."
The narrative of the film, meanwhile, moves between Purdy's story and the compelling characters bound up in his legacy. They range from his 90-year-old widow, Eurithe — who reflects on their turbulent marriage while overseeing the cabin's restoration with a vigilant eye — to the A-frame's first resident poet, a spirited young feminist who finds herself conversing with the ghost of an old-school male.
Tickets are on sale now at www.nationalreadingcampaign.ca and eventbrite for $15. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on Friday in advance of the screening.
The film begins at 8:30 p.m.
On Saturday and Sunday, meanwhile, Reading Town Sudbury celebrates children's author Robert Munsch.
"This year we are particularly excited to be launching our first tri-cultural trail with Blackflies/Vilains maringouins! by Robert Munsch, which has English and French text with Indigenous illustrations, (which are) relevant to our Greater Sudbury community," said Derek Young, Sudbury coordinator of Reading Town Sudbury.
"We will also be expanding across Greater Sudbury to launch three new trails in Lively, Blezard Valley and New Sudbury from our collection of stories," Young said.
Munsch Day goes Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the New Sudbury Centre in partnership with Scholastic and the Greater Sudbury Public Library.
Local celebrities, including Markus Schwabe of the CBC, will host special readings of some of Munsch's most beloved children's stories.
People can also relive their Robert Munsch's favourites with a number of free, fun and interactive activities for children and families alike in advance of the launch of Blackflies/Vilains maringouins! at the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area on Sunday, May 12 at 12 p.m.
For more information and event details, visit www.nationalreadingcampaign.ca.


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Forecasters consider long-term predictions
EAGLE COUNTY — Winter could smack us early and late, and in between it could be dry-ish, say long-range weather forecasters.
Then again …
"It can always change," said Joe Ramey, meteorologist and climatologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. "There's always hope for a wet winter, and I bought a ski pass. I'm putting my money on a strong winter."
Warm weather that kicked off autumn could be followed quickly by cold and snow, said Paul Pastelok, long-rang forecaster for accuweather.com.
"The northern Plains and the Rockies, however, will be bitterly cold at times and buried in snow," Pastelok said.
Water temperatures are warmer in the northeastern Pacific, Pastelok said. That could allow the jet stream to bring moisture in multiple-week periods.
Wild February
"February can be a wild month, temperature-wise. There is a chance for a strong, arctic surge of cold air, especially for the northern Rockies," Pastelok said.
Reservoirs could catch up, some drought relief could be on the horizon and some early snow could help ski resorts, especially after slow starts to the past two ski seasons, Pastelok said.
Joel Gratz crunches data for Open Snow, a website that tracks ski industry trends, including weather patterns. He says he sees the same patterns.
He has been constantly asked if there's a correlation between September precipitation in Boulder and the Front Range, and winter snow in the mountains.
It turns out there is.
In the five wettest Septembers in Boulder history, the snowfall during the ensuing winter was above average for central and northern Colorado, Gratz said.
"In the winters following a wet September in the Front Range, snowfall in the Colorado mountains is well above average before Dec. 1, then stays about average through the remaining months of winter. There is no guarantee that this winter will follow the trend, but the data points in this direction," Gratz said.
Ramey said seasonal outlooks are fraught with danger.
"When you're talking about a forecast further out than a few hours, what you're calculating is a shift in probabilities," Ramey said.
They look into the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean where El Nino or La Nina put grooves in the atmosphere that the jet stream tends to follow, bringing us a dry winter, a wet winter or a neutral winter.
That's called El Nino Seasonal Oscillation, or ENSO, and so far this year we're in an ENSO-neutral pattern, Ramey said. There's no groove in the weather highway and that makes it even tougher to predict, Ramey said.
So Ramey crunched the data and found that since 1950, we've had 19 ENSO-neutral years. Most came in below normal snowfalls. Two were extremely wet, 1992-93 and 1996-97, Ramey said.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Eagle County bear sightings have doubled from 2019
Are we seeing more bears because there are more bears on the valley floor, or because we're all spending more time at home? It could be a bit of both.


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Did you know, from 1501 to 1830, four Africans crossed the Atlantic for every one European? This week we celebrate emancipation and remember slavery.
The annual observance of 25 March as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade serves as an opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system, and to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today.
This year's theme, "Forever Free: Celebrating Emancipation," pays tribute to all those who worked tirelessly to overturn the acceptance of the slave trade and institution of slavery as legitimate and moral.
This year is particularly important with many key anniversaries, including 220 years since France's General Emancipation decree liberated all slaves in present-day Haiti; 180 years since the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 ended slavery in Canada, the British West Indies and the Cape of Good Hope; and 170 years ago, the Indian Slavery Act of 1843 was signed. Slavery was also abolished 165 years ago in France; 160 years ago in Argentina; 150 years ago in the Dutch colonies; and 125 years ago in Brazil.
Webcasts (all live at http://webtv.un.org):
Additional links:
The above pages are also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485


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Agatha Christie's Poirot: Fan Favorites Collection
Agatha Christie's beloved Belgian detective is at his very best in this collection of favorite cases chosen by her fans. Resplendent with Art Deco detail, these six episodes from the Masterpiece Mystery! series star David Suchet as Poirot, Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings, Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon, with guest stars including Eileen Atkins, Toby Jones, David Rintoul, Hugh Bonneville, Anthony Calf, Barbara Hershey, Donald Sumpter, and Jessica Chastain.
DVD, 503 minutes on 3 Discs