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Four regions are banding together to improve economic competitiveness, support families and enhance quality of life.
At a time when many state governments face difficult decisions about how to finance and execute public projects, four regions are banding together to improve economic competitiveness, support families and enhance quality of life.
California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia have formed the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange (WCX), funded by two Rockefeller Foundation grants totaling $750,000, to achieve cost savings via collaboration in order to make projects more feasible. As state and local governments are increasingly confronted by limits on available financing through traditional sources, the WCX is designed to tap the expertise of development and finance leaders to save money and find innovative investment methods.
"The idea for it came about because of the vast infrastructure needs," said Bill Ainsworth, press secretary for the California State Treasurer. "In California, there's about half a trillion dollars' worth of needs. The idea behind the exchange is to explore ideas together, to share best practices and technical expertise, to help identify infrastructure projects that might help benefit from some private involvement, and to work together to find out what projects might be bundled to make them more appealing to the private sector."
The WCX, which is still in its startup phase, will work toward the following:
"In the coming decades, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia will need to invest an estimated $1 trillion to improve their roads, rail, power grids and other infrastructure," said Rockefeller Foundation's President Judith Rodin, on the WCX website. "With state budgets tight and with less financing from the federal government, private finance is going to be required in order to meet these needs."
By establishing a center of expertise to provide technical assistance, set standards and provide investment information, and simultaneously advancing new mechanisms for project finance with the potential to attract private investors, she said, "we're creating the space for institutional investors to get involved in a big way."
Assessing the WCX
The West Coast Infrastructure Exchange is employing a performance-based infrastrucure, which approaches project management differently than traditional models, the ways in which are detailed in the chart below (click to enlarge).
Sarah Clark, president and CEO of Partnerships British Columbia, said that all West Coast states and the province of British Columbia must expand and upgrade energy facilities; update water and wastewater treatment plants; improve airports, dams and transportation facilities; and construct other projects. Although specific projects have not yet been identified, there are discussions taking place about how to prioritize projects and detailing services to be offered.
"British Columbia has a solid track record in planning and delivering major infrastructure projects through alternative, performance-based procurements that result in on-time, on-budget delivery to meet the growing needs of British Columbians," Clark said. "Working with our neighboring states and finding regional solutions is the next phase in the evolution of infrastructure management."
In traditional project management models, infrastructure is funded via taxes and grants by a single jurisdiction. The WCX will explore regional projects funded with user fees. As opposed to separating the designers and builders, the new model would allow a public owner to contract with one entity for the best value on infrastructure services over the life of project.
For example, in 2001, Oregon utilized the performance-based method to extend its light rail to the Portland International Airport. The result was a project that cost approximately one-third as much as a similar light rail project.
When WCX pilot projects begin, they will likely include small-scale energy and water projects. Currently,the WCX is seeking a director with experience in public infrastructure management.
"We're just getting off the ground," California's Ainsworth said. "We're really excited about the possibilities."
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
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Notes on Monday's games in the National Basketball Association ...
• The Tao Of Yao. Can life truly be in balance without Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal on their respective active rosters? Both are now back, and the forces of nature are now in harmony once again. Of course, as the great Daoist philosophers have said, it may take some time to work out the kinks. Ming returned from a two-month layoff due to a leg injury, but LeBron James and the Cavaliers were still too much in a 91-85 win over the Rockets. James had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Yao (16 points, 11 rebounds) said he felt "like a high school player," with his first shot an air ball. But he rallied quickly and had a strong fourth quarter.
• Tall Tales. And speaking of Shaquille O'Neal, his 14 points and nine rebounds helped lead Miami past Atlanta 88-81, the first time the Heat have been above .500 since early December. Eddie Jones had 21 points for Miami. Dwyane Wade, by the way, has decided to postpone surgery and try to get back into the Heat lineup by April.
• Don Nelson Reaches Out To Star Wars Fans. Attempting to expand his fan base, Warriors coach Don Nelson had this to say of his team's 111-93 win over the Pistons in Auburn Hills: "I don't know if the force was with us tonight or if we just played pretty well. We made shots and that always helps.'' Jason Richardson, who grew up in the Auburn Hills area and played for Michigan State, scored a season-high 29 points for the Warriors.
• We'll Trade You Two Leon Powes And A Stromile Swift. In Japan, schoolchildren are often admonished for exchanging their popular and whimsical Hedo Turkoglu trading cards during school, even though he's actually from Turkey. And Turkoglumania is beginning to take over America, as his season-high 25 points led Orlando past Milwaukee 99-81. Turkoglu hit 10 of 14 shots from the field, with three 3-pointers.

subset: commoncrawl


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Disc Golf team qualifies for nationals
March 3, 2012 | Lynchburg, VA
t hasn't taken long for coach Steve Bowman and the Liberty University disk golf team to make their mark on the sport. In their first year as an organized club team, the Flames men's and women's teams have already qualified for the National Tournament and Saturday, March 3, hosted a National Qualifying Tournament.
The winner got an automatic bid in the forty-team field at the April 12 National Tournament in North Augusta, SC. The forty-team field is made up of teams from all over the country, most of whom have been doing this much longer than the Flames.
Though they had already qualified last semester at a different tournament in Morgantown, W.Va., the Flames saw this as a great opportunity to promote their program.
"This was just a great avenue for us to have this brand new course and brand new team and host an event of this caliber," coach Steve Bowman said. "This has been a tremendous blessing having all the crew from club sports helping us get everything set up and running. We've had the grounds crew out working this whole week and month."
The tournament consisted of this six-team field: West Virginia, Appalachian State, East Tennessee State, Eastern Carolina, UNC-Charlotte and, of course, Liberty Flames. Coach Bowman saw this tournament as a great opportunity to get his team experience in a big event, compared to when the team qualified for nationals this past October when only four players were able to participate.
Even though his team had already qualified, and some would say the team was taking it easy, coach Bowman likes where his team is right now.
"I feel like we're in a good place. We are coming together really well as a team and playing really well," Bowman said. Team captain Joses Merat echoes his the confidence in where the team is at heading into Nationals.
"I definitely feel we're headed in the right direction," Merat said. "It's going to be tough, there are some stacked teams that have professional coaches and players that travel year round, but I would definitely say we are determined to reach our goal as a team (and go from there)."
That goal being the automatic bid into next years tournament awarded to the top sixteen finishers in the tournament.
"I would love to see us make a run for that (top sixteen), and that would be great for us for being our first year as a team," Merat said.
With all this success in the team's first year in existence, it is safe to say that coach Bowman and the Flames are going to be making their presence known on the National stage for quite some time.


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You Are Most Like Carrie!
You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date.
But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal?
It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky.
Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a
great closet of clothes, no matter what!
Romantic prediction: You'll fall for someone this year...
Totally different from any guy you've dated.
Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Posted by Kaje at 20:14
0 comments:
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Few things come close to matching the experience of Pulled Apart By Horses roaring through a 30-minute live set, but their records aren't far off it. The Leeds-lot's 2010 debut album was, and still is, a great opening shot from the band, as well as a perfect introduction to what they're all about. They'll be following that up with another full-length next year, you should be pleased to know. It's as-yet untitled, but it's not too far off.
What does have a title and release date is the album's first single, 'V.E.N.O.M'. That's released on January 16 through Transgressive Records an you can also have a wee little listen to it below.
Oh, and here are some tour dates for February.
13 - Glasgow, King Tuts
14 - Aberdeen, Tunnels
15 - Newcastle, Digital Other Rooms
16 - Sheffield, Leadmill
17 - Manchester, Club Academy
18 - Bristol, Fleece
20 - Birmingham, Library
21 - Norwich, Waterfront
22 - Southampton, Talking Heads
23 - London, Electric Ballroom
Main photo by Burak Cingi


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Well not so good if you were long at yesterday's close, here's the overnight action, you can see some cliff diving this morning as economic reports came in worse than expected. Bonds are shooting higher, the dollar is about flat, gold is down, and the /ES fell all the way from the 912 pivot area that stopped the advance last night to about the 889 level:
So, we learn that the ECB is going to up the ante on their quantitative easing! That's NOT good, that's the circle I've described in a couple of articles where once you start you get into an ever escalating circle. The U.S. is also heading in that direction, very bad and very sad.
But what got the futures moving down was the retail sales report:
U.S. Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fall for Second Month
May 13 (Bloomberg) -- Retail sales in the U.S. unexpectedly dropped in April for a second month, indicating that the rising unemployment rate is prompting consumers to boost their savings.
The 0.4 percent decrease followed a revised 1.3 percent drop in March that was larger than previously estimated, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. Excluding auto dealers, sales fell 0.5 percent.
Fewer jobs, falling home values and the biggest loss of household wealth on record may limit consumers' ability to spend for years, analysts said. As long as the biggest part of the economy is constrained, any recovery from the worst recession in at least half a century is likely to be subdued.
"The consumer remains in a difficult situation," Maxwell Clarke, chief U.S. economist at IDEAglobal in New York, said in a note to clients before the report. "It remains unclear how they will proceed forward as credit access fades alongside further home price deterioration and an increasingly difficult financial environment."
Stock-index futures slid and Treasuries climbed after the report. Contracts on the Standard & Poor's 500 Stock Index dropped 1.8 percent to 890.50 at 8:37 a.m. in New York. Benchmark 10-year note yields fell to 3.13 percent from 3.18 percent late yesterday.
Not improving and worse than "expected." But only by the people who cannot see that the consumer is SATURATED with debt and that all the government's reaction to give the consumer's money away to the banks (robbery & theft) cannot help the situation we're in, it can only worsen it. So keep buying those greenshoots, because they need to steal your money, they don't have it all… YET.
And speaking of consumers that are on the verge, we have also known that a second wave of foreclosures is coming and that this wave will be much worse than the subprime wave because they are on the higher end homes as all those option arms reset. We are right at the beginning of that wave now.
Foreclosures: 'April was a shocker'
A record number of foreclosure filings took place during April, but the number of repossessions fell 11%.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Foreclosures in April exceeded even March's blistering pace with a record 342,000 homes receiving notices of default, auction notices or undergoing bank repossessions, according to a regular industry report.
One of every 374 U.S. homes received a filing during the month, the highest monthly rate that RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosed properties, has recorded in four-plus years of record keeping.
"April was a shocker," said Rick Sharga, a spokesman for RealtyTrac. "I would have bet on a dip because March foreclosures were so high.
Instead, filings inched up 1% from March and rose 32% compared with April 2008.
There were 63,900 bank repossessions, the last stop in the foreclosure process. More than 1.3 million homes have now been lost to foreclosure since the market meltdown began in August 2007.
The increasing foreclosures will force RealtyTrac to rethink its forecasts, according to Sharga. "We had been predicting 3.4 million filings for the year," he said, "but we'll blow those numbers out of the water."
The lion's share of April's filings were ones in the early stages of the process, such as notices of default, according to James Saccacio, RealtyTrac's CEO.
And guess what? Ben isn't doing as good a job at keeping rates low as the public seems to think:
Real Rate Shock Hits CEOs as Borrowing Costs Impede Recovery
By Bryan Keogh
May 13 (Bloomberg) -- The highest inflation-adjusted borrowing costs since the 1980s are hindering U.S. companies' ability to build their businesses.
Customers of Airgas Inc. are reducing purchases of industrial gases such as nitrogen and acetylene because of rising real interest rates, said Chief Executive Officer Peter McCausland. Real rates account for inflation or deflation.
"There is no question" high real rates have aggravated Airgas's sales decline, he said in an interview.
The climb in rates "really reflects a risk aversion," said David Rickard, chief financial officer of Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS Caremark Corp. "People are afraid to lend."
Annualized consumer prices fell by 0.4 percent in March, the first decline in 54 years, and Treasury yields jumped to a five-month high. That pushed real investment-grade corporate borrowing costs to 8.34 percent, the highest level since 1985, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Merrill Lynch & Co. Price declines accelerated in April to 0.6 percent, according to 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Rising real yields may deter companies from borrowing to invest in new products or factories because deflation will erode cash flow and make it harder to service debt, said John Lonski, chief economist at Moody's Capital Markets Group in New York.
Deflation Hurts
"That's almost guaranteed to delay an economic recovery and perhaps very much risks intensifying the current economic slump," Lonski said in a telephone interview.
Deflation hurts businesses in two ways. First, it suppresses sales. When prices are falling, buyers have reason to delay purchases and wait for a better deal.
The second way deflation hurts is by increasing real interest rates, making borrowing more expensive. A $100,000 loan at a 5 percent rate with 2 percent deflation translates into a real yield of 7 percent. When prices are going up, the opposite happens. If inflation is 2 percent, the real rate on that loan is 3 percent.
"Deflation hurts borrowers and rewards savers," said Drew Matus, senior economist at Banc of America Securities-Merrill Lynch in New York, in a telephone interview. "If you do borrow right now, and we go through a period of deflation, your cost of borrowing just went through the roof."
Ahhhh, I don't hear talk of inflation in there, I hear talk of deflation. We're going to get the PPI and then CPI later this week, those will be important.
So, we now have a broken rising wedge on both the SPX and DOW. Gee, I hope you're not long, because that's the queue I've been waiting for and we're below 900 again (I would not stay short above 903). The 30 minute fast stochastic finished yesterday overbought and so it has room to fall. The 60 minute is midpoint and the daily is just issuing a sell and coming out of overbought, except for the NDX which is over half way to oversold.
The next lower pivot is at 848, the 23.6% is at 869, the 38.2% is at 830 and the 50% is at 799. Rising wedges typically retrace to their BASE. With all the monkey business, this may not be typical, however, so again be careful. McHugh believes that a descent now means higher later. Maybe… but I wouldn't count on that – at all.
So, now we have expectations that are set much too high and what appeared as greenshoots really were just the usual spring optimism over hyped by a criminal financial industry and fanned by a complicit media and government – all designed to separate you from your life's labors/ dollars.
The debt has America and the World in a stranglehold, and we're not going to get out of it until we force the central bankers out of the country and separate corporations and their money from state:
Ted Nugent – Stranglehold:


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WORLD / Africa
Global warming to hit Africa hardest-UK scientists
Updated: 2007-09-06 03:49
PRETORIA - Africa will suffer the most if the world fails to reduce global warming, with parts of the impoverished continent becoming uncultivable or uninhabitable, top British government scientists said on Wednesday.
In a presentation in Pretoria, David King, the British government's chief scientific adviser, warned climate change, if unchecked, would lead to worsening drought in Africa as well as flooding along much of its coastline.
He said an additional 70 million Africans could be at risk of hunger by the 2080s as a result of continued global warming -- temperatures in Africa have risen by about 0.7 degrees Celsius during the last century.
"This is the continent that will come under the most severe pressure from climate change," King told academics and media.
Gordon Conway, the chief scientific adviser for Britain's department for international development, said the current trend in Africa's climate was characterised by polarised change. "It's going to get wetter and drier," Conway told the group.
They urged Africa to make climate change a top priority and the international community to do a better job of sharing technology and skills with what they described as a key battleground in the global warming debate.
Britain has taken a leading role in pushing for a global agreement by 2009 to cut carbon dioxide emissions, the so-called greenhouse gases that are the biggest contributor to the warming of the planet.
Although consensus is building on the need for action, the United States, the top emitter, is among those that have expressed reservations about how a global agreement would be implemented.
U.S. President George W. Bush agreed at the Group of Eight summit in June that substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions were warranted but stopped short of defining what the United States considered an appropriate reduction.
The European Union, Japan and Canada have all talked about a need to halve world emissions by 2050 to slow warming.
"We have managed to push the point along, but without American leadership it is going to be a struggle," King said.
There is growing support for the "Bali road map," a two-year plan agreed in Indonesia that aims to follow up on the United Nations' Kyoto Protocol, which obliges 35 industrial nations to cut emissions by 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012.
Among the proposals likely to spark intense debate is one by developing nations with large areas of forest to have wealthy nations that have contributed the most to climate change compensate them for keeping their forests intact.


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Even the 1% likes WTF!December 18th, 2012
Bangkok's Creative Watering Holes:
Make your way to WTF Café & Gallery, tucked away in a small side alley off bustling Sukhumvit Road. Since opening in 2010, the former shophouse has become a hub for the city's creative types. Not only is it known for its music, welcoming staff and unconventional drinks—take the Orchard, a mix of gin, lime, lemongrass syrup and lychee.


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Middle Eastern potentates have been acknowledging their nervousness over the hydrocarbon revolution that has seen American domestic oil production increase by 2 million barrels a day over the last two years, with much more to come as cutting edge American technology spreads around the world. OPEC's days as the drivers of the global oil market may be in eclipse, especially if global demand for oil peaks, as has been forecast recently.
So if you're a Middle Eastern country and you want to do something to slow this up, one thing you might do is try to funnel money to environmental organizations that want to stop fracking and keep land closed to new hydrocarbon production. We already saw Chesapeake Energy give over $25 million to the Sierra Club to fight against coal so as to increase demand for its natural gas.
Is there any evidence that Middle Eastern nations are funneling money to enviros? Not that I know of. But then there's this story from the Free Beacon:
Liberal Foundation Distributed Money from Bermuda to Liberal Nonprofits
A major left-wing foundation has received tens of millions of dollars from a shadowy Bermudan company with ties to wealthy American hedge fund managers and distributed those funds to prominent liberal nonprofit groups.
A sizable portion of the Sea Change Foundation's revenue since 2011 has come from a single company, incorporated in Bermuda, called Klein Ltd. The company's only officers are employees of a Bermuda law firm, and neither provided information on what Klein actually does.
Documents filed with the Bermudan government suggest that the company exists only on paper.
The money Klein has donated to Sea Change has been passed on to some of the largest liberal and environmentalist groups in the United States, including the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Center for American Progress (CAP).
CAP, which attacked the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2010 for supposedly using foreign money for political purposes, has also received funds from the Bermuda-based Atlantic Philanthropies, as has its 501(c)(4) arm, the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Few things agitate the professional left these days more than anonymous contributions to conservative advocacy groups. That's why the push for "disclosure" of donors to 501 (c) 4 groups, though we know from past experience (like Target in Minnesota) that the left will use the disclosed information to harass and intimidate donors. Well two can play at that game. How about disclosing who's behind this activity? Is it foreign interests? Expect crickets.


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English Teacher
My students are non-native. Teaching some words is difficult like kindness. How can I adapt the student with the untouchable words?
In addition, please ensure the rest of your member profile is correct. You have given your location as the USA but your IP address shows that you are in Iran.
Remember - if you don't use correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing, anything you write will be incorrect.


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Alzheimer's Association
Welcome to Alzheimer's Association's Blondes vs. Brunettes®, where two teams of women - divided to reflect the age-old rivalry between blondes and brunettes - compete in a flag football game to help raise awareness and funds in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.
Our passion and hard work will take us from practice to the playing field, but our success will rely upon the support of our friends and families and upon all of those willing to donate to this important cause. Together, we can tackle Alzheimer's!
Looking to get involved? We need dedicated players, but we also need coaches and volunteers. Want to see the game for yourself? Donate to one of our players today and you can receive admission to the game! Click here to learn more!


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|International orders may be delayed up to 15 days or more due to carrier labor challenges.
This luxurious black velvet dice bag with ultra smooth red satin lining is perfect for transporting (or storing) your favorite dice. It can comfortably accommodate your dice and doubling cube. It has strong drawstrings to keep your backgammon pieces safe from dust and scratches.
It's the perfect storage bag for your backgammon accessories, and will add value to any luxury backgammon set. High quality, great price!
USA & CANADA - shipping via UPS
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For all other items, and for Express Shipping options, we use an integrated online UPS shipping calculator. The shipping charges are calculated in real time by UPS. 1
Once you have finished shopping, you will be able to select Express Shipping options (Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, 3-Day Select) on check-out. Only after you know the total charge, will you be asked to enter your payment information. 2
For same day shipping, where indicated, orders must be received before 2pm Eastern Time (New York) in order to ship same day. Orders received after 2pm will be sent out the following business day. Orders received on weekends and on holidays will be processed the next business day.
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If you have any questions, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com, or call us toll free in USA & Canada at 1- 866-260-2058.
1 Shipping charges at all times are based on weight and not on ticket price. There is a minimum 1-pound shipping charge on any item, including small items such as dice or checkers. In these cases, shipping charges can exceed the cost of the item.
2 We offer Express Shipping options on all items except Hillsdale game tables. All Hillsdale game tables ship ground freight.


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Every time we say that a certain year is the craziest season ever, the coming season proves to be more insane than the previous one. And that fact holds true for this year, as momentum shifted all throughout the season. Between #OscarsSoWhite, #OscarsSoStraight, the Spotlight/The Big Short/Mad Max/The Revenant momentum shift, the existence of Jacob Tremblay, and Diane Ladd being "upset and chagrined", we've finally come to the near end of the awards season a.k.a the pitstop which is the Oscars!
And as you figure out if you're Team Ryan vs. Rachel, bear vs. Brie, spies vs. space, and Saoirse vs. Furiosa, let me present my predictions in all Oscar categories.
The screenplay categories are usually reserved for Best Picture contenders unless there's something so groundbreaking that comes along (such is the case for Charlie Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004 or Pedro Almodovar's Talk to Her in 2002). This year's nominees however had a small crossover with the Picture category as it's only Bridge of Spies and Spotlight that got in here (for the record, the other six nominees are all ineligible here). That said, this one is the token award for Spotlight for many reasons: it's a really good screenplay, it tackles an important topic, and it's a consolation for being the frontrunner back in October – November. Ideally, Bridge of Spies is the runner-up, but it just feels like a filler nomination here. I'd probably go with Inside Out because the complexities of it is just something the writers would probably acknowledge.
PREDICTION: Spotlight (Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer)
ALTERNATE: Inside Out (Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Ronnie del Carmen)
Using the same logic above, all but Carol here were nominated for the Best Picture category, which is a shame basically. But enough about my personal feelings. The strongest contender here is The Big Short with its WGA and BAFTA win under its belt. Just like Spotlight, the director is also one half of the film's writers, it's also tackling an important and very American issue, and it's a consolation for being the frontrunner back in early January. The closest to an alternate is probably Emma Donoghue as she translated her own work from a literary piece to the big screen, and Room is that little film that could ignite real passion.
PREDICTION: The Big Short (Adam McKay, Charles Randolph)
ALTERNATE: Room (Emma Donoghue)
What was supposed to be a really messy category ended up a really safe one as we enter the Oscar nomination stage. Remember when the Globes, SAG, BFCA, and BAFTA have different lineups in this category? And while it's a bit unusual that Sylvester Stallone missed both SAG and BAFTA (and by miss, we mean he wasn;t even nominated), he still remains as the frontrunner here. The thing here is after his Globe win (okay his BFCA but really lol), his next stop is directly at the Oscars, and for things to work his way, both the SAG and the BAFTA must have different winners so that no one can gain momentum. The only two people nominated for both were Christian Bale and Mark Rylance. Luckily for him, the un-nominated Idris Elba won SAG (and while Elba was excellent in it, it's basically an answer tot he diversity issue) while Mark Rylance won BAFTA. It also didn't help that Rylance basically uncampaigned for himself the whole season — only attending the Globes when he lost that one. Watch out for Mark Ruffalo though especially is Spotlight comes strong at the Oscars. But alas, come Sunday night, we'll be living in a world where we have acting Oscar winner Rocky Balboa.
PREDICTION: Sylvester Stallone, Creed
ALTERNATE: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
In a year when we can finally call both Jennifer Jason-Leigh and Rachel McAdams as Oscar nominees, it's rather unfortunate that the win isn't between the two of them. Like Ruffalo, McAdams has a small chance as I think she's the dark horse in this category. Then there's Rooney Mara (or as Diane Ladd calls her, Rooney Moore) who won the Cannes (again, as Diane Ladd calls it – the Carn) Best Actress award for Carol. By now, Carol just feels like an afterthought at the Oscars, and I don't see it winning anywhere here. The race here is basically between GG + BAFTA winner Kate Winslet vs. BFCA + SAG winner Alicia Vikander. In previous instances, the former is the stronger case than the latter (see wins by Marion Cotillard, Christoph Waltz in Django, Nicole Kidman, and Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady). However, it has to be mentioned that in the two instances that Kate won, Alicia Vikander was nominated for her turn in the low budgeted sci-fi Ex Machina. The two wins of Vikander where she beat Kate Winslet was for The Danish Girl, the same performance that's nominated here. I think that's a very important detail in this discussion, and add the fact that Vikander is an ingenue playing a suffering wife role (in short, this category's two hard-ons), and voila, you have your Oscar winner!
PREDICTION: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
ALTERNATE: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Leonardo di Caprio. End of discussion.
Welp I'm joking. With the end of the discussion part I mean. But yes, it's time to say goodbye to the memes. Leonardo di Caprio is finally winning an Oscar. And I can already imagine the standing ovation. It's gonna be long, and there's gonna be tears, and a camera will be panned to Kate Winslet crying as if it wasn't Rose's fault why Jack died in that obscure little movie they starred together 19 years ago called Titanic (do you remember that one?). And I'm happy for Leo, as we know that's one off his bucket list. He knows this is the closest chance he had at winning, and he milked every moment of it surpassing all his co-nominees. As for starters, he went all the way to the Pope. I mean he has God on his side already (sorry Matt Damon but God is farther than the space you're stuck with in The Martian). Second, di Caprio is so intense as an actor that you have no idea he almost died
getting that Oscar shooting The Revenant (did you experience that too Bryan Cranston? No? Oh better luck next time). Third, he knows how to choose the roles that will finally net him the win (There's a reason why he passed on that Jobs role, Fassbender). And lastly, he even sent a prepared Skype video of his speech at the BFCA when he can't attend (Not even Eddie Redmayne thought of doing that last year). Basically what I'm saying is that it's time.
PREDICTION: Leonardo di Caprio, The Revenant
ALTERNATE: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
There's one performance that swept all the precursors in this category this year, and obviously it's the same performance winning on Sunday night. Brie Larson will walk away with an Oscar for her riveting performance in Room. There really is a strong support for the movie (as proven by director Lenny Abrahamson's surprise Directing nod), and Brie is this award season's darling with trades calling her as the next big thing already. It also doesn't hurt that she's friends with some of the it girls in Hollywood (co-nominee Jennifer Lawrence as for starters, Amy Schumer too, and then Rooney Mara as well). It's basically a coronation of another Hollywood it girl, and we can't be happier enough as she deserves it.
PREDICTION: Brie Larson, Room
ALTERNATE: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
History is about to be rewritten as Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu will win his consecutive Best Directing Oscar for The Revenant. With the narrative of how much it was difficult to make The Revenant, he's about to be rewarded with a second Oscar in here especially since he also won the Directors Guild which is the most accurate precursor in this category. Both McKay and McCarthy will be getting their dues in the Screenplay category, and Abrahamson is the unique passion vote that has no chance of winning. Miller could have had the momentum on his side had he won the DGA which unfortunately he didn't. At this stage, no matter what happens in the Best Picture race is different, as this one's a lock already.
PREDICTION: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant
ALTERNATE: Adam McKay, The Big Short
This is a really strong category, and I applaud the Academy for going with films like When Marnie was There and Boy and the World here. That said, this is Inside Out's award, as it probably won 99% of all the Animated Feature awards given throughout this season (and deservedly so). It's a bit sad when you think how the film didn't fare stronger outside of this category (except for that weak Original Screenplay one.)
PREDICTION: Inside Out
ALTERNATE: Anomalisa
Ever since the Academy changed the voting winner of the pattern here (they're up for grabs for the whole membership instead of a small panel of voters who will sign they've watched all five movies nominated), the winner has always been the most buzzed film of the group. Son of Saul is that movie this year. Coming off from a Jury Prize winner at Cannes, winning countless Foreign Language Film mentions one after the other, Hollywood can't resist this Holocaust story. That said, there were rumors that this didn't make it the shortlist in a popular vote. In that case, watch out for crowd-pleasing Mustang as France aims another win in this category. That said, I'd still give Son of Saul the advantage.
PREDICTION: Son of Saul
ALTERNATE: Mustang
The documentary about the late Amy Winehouse seems like the frontrunner here as it won majority of the precursors in this category. That said, it's really not the type that wins here if we're basing it at history. Interestingly enough, the closest contender is about another musician – Nina Simone, as Netflix campaigned the hell out of What Happened, Miss Simone? Netflix has been very eager to duplicate their TV domination at the Oscars, and the all around snubbing of Beasts of No Nation will just pump themselves up further in this category. That said, I wonder how the great Joshua Oppenheimer feels, that every time his documentary is nominated here, it loses to a musically-themed film (flashback to The Act of Killing losing to 20 Feet from Stardom two years ago).
PREDICTION: Amy
ALTERNATE: What Happened, Miss Simone?
Now here are the rest of the technical categories (which is difficult because Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant are competing in eight of this (save for Score and Song) and we really don't know how the Academy will vote here:
Remember when we used to be upset before when we feel like the Academy doesn't recognize the greatness of Chivo Lubezki? I guess the Oscars make up for it so much that he's now a shoo-in to win his third consecutive Academy Award in this category for The Revenant.
PREDICTION: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
ALTERNATE: John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
While Sandy Powell is competing against herself in this category, I think it's Jenny Beavan is the one to win the Oscar as part of the semi-sweep by Mad Max in here. That said, we really can't dismiss the really showy costume work done in Cinderella.
PREDICTION: Jenny Beavan, Mad Max: Fury Road
ALTERNATE: Sandy Powell, Cinderella
While a nomination here is crucial for a movie aiming for a Best Picture win, only one of the last five winners of this category has won Best Picture (that would be 2012's Argo). Lately, they're into really showy and flashy editing which makes me think it's between The Big Short and Mad Max: Fury Road. I'll be giving the edge to the former.
PREDICTION: Hank Corwin, The Big Short
ALTERNATE: Margaret Sixel, Mad Max: Fury Road
And here's another Mad Max/Revenant showdown. People have really been amazed by the makeup in The Revenant especially that of the close ups of di Caprio's face, but I think the overall work in Mad Max: Fury Road will prevail.
PREDICTION: Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega, Damian Martin, Mad Max: Fury Road
ALTERNATE: Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Robert Pandini, The Revenant
It's time to give the legendary Ennio Morricone a competitive Oscar. Sure he won an Honorary one nine years ago, but this is one of the times AMPAS is playing catch up. The great thing is that he actually deserves it. That said, don't underestimate the nostalgia that Star Wars brought to the voters as it's done by the most nominated person in the history of this category.
PREDICTION: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
ALTERNATE: John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
To quote the mighty Diane Ladd, "I am upset and chagrined" with what happened to this category this year. While this has given us the delight of calling 50 Shades of Grey an Oscar nominated film, this year seems to be the most problematic. You know shit just happened when you're rooting for Wiz Khalifa song, but See You Again was snubbed here. For what it's worth, both Simple Song #3 and Manta Ray are great songs, and the producers have fucked up not giving the performers the right to perform their song in whole just because they are not mainstream artists. Sadly, the race is between two drecks: Sam Smith's abomination of coming up with a Bond song, then there's the pairing of Diane Warren and Lady Gaga who's campaigning desperation combined made Leonardo di Caprio look like Joaquin fucking Phoenix. In a fair world, none of these two messes should have been nominated in the first place, but I guess an overdue win for Diane Warren will happen just so the Academy can finally be over and done with her.
PREDICTION: Til It Happens to You (The Hunting Ground)
ALTERNATE: Writings on the Wall (Spectre)
Just for completely setting up a whole world in the entirety of the film, I guess Mad Max will win this one over The Revenant which is mostly criticized for it being an "outside shoot." Don't underestimate Bridge of Spies as this type of traditional production design has its passionate supporters, as proven by Lincoln's upset in 2012, incidentally another Spielberg film.
PREDICTION: Colin Gibson, Lisa Thompson, Mad Max: Fury Road
ALTERNATE: Jack Fisk, Hamish Purdy, The Revenant
What I've noticed here is that when different films end up winning Editing and Mixing, it's because the winner in Mixing (which tends to go to musicals) aren't nominated in Editing instead of the other way around. But when the Mixing winner is eligible for both, it wins both (the only time in the last 15 years it didn't happen is when Slumdog Millionaire and The Dark Knight won one apiece). This same scenario can happen to both The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road, but I doubt the majority of the voting body cares more than us, so let's just say The Revenant will be winning both Sound categories.
PREDICTION: The Revenant
ALTERNATE: Mad Max: Fury Road
PREDICTION: The Revenant
ALTERNATE: Mad Max: Fury Road
The golden rule here is that when there's a Best Picture contender here, count on it to make it a part of the sweep. That is unless you're competing against another contender (see: District 9 losing to Avatar in 2009 or Master and Commander losing to Return of the King in 2003). As a matter of fact, you have to go all the way back to 1970 to see a Best Picture contender lose here with Patton. So what happens when you have three of the five nominees here are Best Picture contenders too? Then there's the other fact, one where in all three Star Wars films won this category too. And among the prequels, two of those are nominated as well. This category could really go to many directions; thus, I'll just be going with another Star Wars win. The Revenant can upset this as part of the sweep and because the much-talked about bear rape scene is the stuff that wins you Oscars here.
PREDICTION: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
ALTERNATE: The Revenant
There you ha..oh wait. We have Best Picture left.
What a crazy year for this category. As for starters, it seemed like Spotlight had the momentum all throughout the season being the uniter of critical choices as well as the populist one. It was a movie that has a strong message, it had a great ensemble, and it conveys a sense of "importance." That is until, we've seen its televised awards performance dwindle. Remember when Michael Keaton was supposed to be nominated too? And then there's the ACE Editing snub which made it seem like Spotlight was a weak frontrunner all along. Then came The Big Short getting in all the momentum as it got nominated among all guilds where it was predicted to receive. After all, it's about an important time in America, it's timely, it's political, and it's about white dudes. Then there was the Mad Max: Fury Road contingent as well; basically revived by the critics and hitting in precursors left and right.
Come Golden Globes, The Revenant ends up sweeping, and we're all probably like "hey it's just a makeup win because they snubbed Birdman last year." Which was half true. But the other truth is that it's from the current Best Director winner starring the likely Best Actor champion who is also the biggest star in the world. And while we're at that, they snubbed both Spotlight and The Big Short whose total wins is zilch. The BFCA stayed safe and went with Spotlight again. At the Oscar nomination announcement, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, Spotlight, and The Big Short all performed well, some more than others. But come Producers Guild Awards, which uses the same voting practice as the Oscars, The Big Short ended up with the win; thus making it the frontrunner again. After all, it's about an important time in America, it's timely, it's political, and it's about white dudes.
At the SAG Awards, current frontrunner The Big Short was expected to win the Ensemble award, which is mostly the equivalent of Best Picture then. So when Demi Moore (are we in the 90s?) announced "the cast of Spotlight", oh wait we have a new frontrunner again, and it's Spotlight. It was a movie that has a strong message, it had a great ensemble, and it conveys a sense of "importance."
When the DGA awarded it to The Revenant, it's getting clearer that Mad Max is a clear fourth in this race. Maybe The Revenant was the frontrunner all along. It topped the nomination tally, it has the Best Actor winner (which has a good crossover with Best Picture), and they really seem to buy its narrative of "we almost died for this film!" The BAFTAs follow suit but unlike the Globes, we can't say "hey it's just a makeup win because they snubbed Birdman last year." Which was still half true.Again, it's from the current Best Director winner starring the likely Best Actor champion who is also the biggest star in the world.
Now think about it. If The Revenant is winning this, then why it didn't win PGA? How come The Big Short won there? Remember that it's the one that used the same voting patterns as the Oscar. A movie with few #1s can still benefit if it has more #2s and #3s than a film with #1s yet has #9s as well. So which among between Spotlight (It was a movie that has a strong message, it had a great ensemble, and it conveys a sense of "importance."), The Big Short (It's about an important time in America, it's timely, it's political, and it's about white dudes.), and The Revenant (It's from the current Best Director winner starring the likely Best Actor champion who is also the biggest star in the world) will prevail?
PREDICTION: The Revenant
ALTERNATE: Spotlight
The Oscars happen on Monday here in Manila at 9AM! Happy Oscars day! Tweet to talk to me about the Oscars: @nikowl


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Greetings from the resistance. Instead of going shopping at lunchtime, I'm out protesting with everyone. Here in secular, liberal NYC, we are losing our damn minds. From freedom of the press to women's rights to the environment to education, it seems we're losing. It's scary.
Props to the Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (WITCH). While dressing up in costume is a good way to not be taken seriously, I do think this is more effective than other protesting groups. It's menacing-looking, not just because the people are anonymous like anarchists, but because it's a great way to troll the conservative Christians. Normally I'd say no one would actually be scared of witches, but they believe the world is a few thousand years old, so maybe they're scared of witch magic too.
Last I spoke to my occultist friends, a few people were gauging interest for a ritual protest. They scratched their heads trying to find a way to do this magic ethically. As the atheist in the room, I say if magic is real, now would be a good time to use it. One person was going to do their ritual the day of the women's protests, to tap in to the worldwide energy behind the resistance. I hope it went well.
As an atheist, my biggest fear is the Christian theocracy we are currently heading toward, especially once Trump gets rid of the separation of church and state, as he promised to do. With all the fundamentalist oppression in women's health, we are already going there. Unfortunately, atheism isn't a religion, so we don't have the same protections that other religions have...so while Catholic hospitals have the "right" not to provide medical help to a women who is miscarrying, an atheist doesn't have the right to be free of religious tyranny.
So hail Satan, the Church of Satan fights the atheist fight using the first amendment language lawmakers understand. The only reason we were being oppressed is because we didn't have any way to fight back. So while we oppose a Christian statue outside a courthouse, no one is going to listen until we say "by law, you have to have our Satanic statue, because freedom of religion." The statue was awesome. And they won the fight.
Too early to tell, but I do wonder how the turmoil is going to affect our "subculture." Current events do affect our "scene"--whether we all go DIY because we're all unemployed, we lose our trench coats because of Columbine. Before 9/11, a bunch of us wore bullet belts...lol wouldn't wear that now. To the young people "coming of age" now, I really wonder what direction they'll evolve our scene in.
Haha we'll return to trends and pretty pictures of clothing next time, assuming I won't be in political prison lol.


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Just like British GQ ran out of clothes for Lana Del Rey's cover photo, there wasn't a lot provided for Rihanna, in terms of wardrobe, for the "Men Of The Year" issue of American GQ.
Since Rihanna is not a man, she's not technically a Man of the Year, but instead called "Obsession Of The Year". Fine. But why isn't she allowed to wear clothes? There are three different covers for this issue, and spoiler alert: Ben Affleck and Channing Tatum were provided with shirts. Rihanna, most likely, has no problem with this. Fine. She seems to love being naked, on Instagram and whatnot. It's not really about her, anyway.
Look. We all know how men's magazines work, we've all heard "sex sells," there's no use pretending that this is surprising. Rihanna's cover makes headlines for her and for GQ. That doesn't mean it's not sad. Doesn't meant it's not frustrating.
Let's not forget, as Scientific American puts it:
Numerous studies have found that feeling objectified is bad for women. Being ogled can make women do worse on math tests, and self-sexualization, or scrutiny of one's own shape, is linked to body shame, eating disorders and poor mood.
Just imagine a little girl who looking at the three covers and wondering why the lady is the only one with no clothes on. What message is she getting about her body? What has she learned about a woman's worth?
Additional shots:


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After playing a depressed bride facing the literal destruction of the planet, Kirsten Dunst's not letting anything get her down. Even turning 30 next year isn't the end of the world.
"It's true: as you get older you just feel better about yourself and not as worried about what other people think of you in general, and you just get more comfortable in your skin. I welcome 30," says Dunst. "And I look young!" she adds with a chuckle.
Dunst have received raves for her performance in Lars von Trier's latest film "Melancholia," a one-of-a-kind story in which her character, on the night of her wedding, falls deep into the deep, crushing depression that's long haunted her, just as she and her family must also cope with the notion that there is no hope for the future when a cosmic calamity guarantees the end of the earth.
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"I don't think that [my character Justine knows the end of the world is coming when she's at her wedding," explains Dunst. "I think that there's something she senses, but I don't think that's what makes her depressed. I think that she's gone through this a few times in her life, and I think that the wedding and the pressure of getting married and realizing that this man isn't who she wants to be with is making her depressed, and there's something else she's longing for that's not in her realm."
The film's story is constructed out of von Trier's own long experience with clinical depression, and Dunst, too, has dealt with her own personal emotional struggles with the condition. While she prefers to keep the details private, she admits that "Melancholia" offered her a chance to continue to work out some of her feelings.
"You don't have an opportunity to do roles like this very often, and at the end, it definitely feels cathartic," she tells PopcornBiz. "It should – all movies that I do, I feel like you've got to release some sides of yourself. The last movie I did was a comedy, and I got to play a real mean girl. I get so uncomfortable…it was difficult for me to think about where that comes from. But then you bring those things outside of yourself, and it's fun to express those things. That's part of why I like what I do."
She was, however, concerned about the staging of a unlikely sex scene, in which her character aggressively seduces a wedding guest on a golf course while still in her wedding dress. "Having sex on the golf course was so awkward, because Lars doesn't tell you at all how we're going to do the scene," she says. "I was so nervous in the trailer: me and Brady [Corbet], who's now my friend, who was in the movie with me, were like, 'Oh my God, how's he going to shoot this, really close up, like, am I going to take my wedding dress off, how's it going to be seen?' And then we get to set, the camera's so far away, and everything's being shot from this really long distance. I was like, 'Thank God – Hallelujah!' That was the most nerve-wracking for me, just because it's so awkward, I don't know how I'm going to phase into sex scenes as an adult, because I also had one to do not that long ago, and it's so awkward, it's the worst. I hate them!"
The actress says that despite all of the high angst on display on screen, she tried to create a lighter mood when she wasn't shooting. "I was playing Angry Birds in my trailer," she reveals. "You've got a light zone; you have to self-preserve, that's part of it too: you don't have to sit there and BE depressed to PLAY depressed. You actually should be in a good place to play depressed. We were making a very heavy thing, and there were definitely days where there were the scenes I would have to prepare for, but making a movie doesn't have to be drudgery just because of the subject matter. There was a lot of lightness, too."
"Melancholia" opens in limited release today


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easy baby shower cake
Baby shower cakes for girls : Easy Baby Shower Cake
You need careful approach to the choice of baby shower cakes for girls on the feast of the baby, especially if it is made to order and not by you. Of course, a homemade cake would be ideal, because you will be able to oversee the shelf life of products, to choose the right ones, to decorate a cake perfectly safe for your little baby girl. Recipes can be found on diverse sites on the Internet. But if you have no time to cook, try to determine the firm to order – it must be the tested company, with good reviews from friends and acquaintances, producing sweets from natural products. It would be very nice if you have been asked to order a cake for a few days before buying, so you would be convinced that it would be prepared not for a week before the celebration, but maximum for a day.
Of course, the most essential thing for the child is beautiful outer look of baby shower cakes for girls. There is no problem with it today. You can choose dolls, animals, characters from cartoons and movies, everything your heart desires for your little baby girl. But as for the quality of cakes, creams and products for decoration – they always can not be guessed .
First, check that the cake is not got the products which may provoke allergies in your child. Too sweet butter creams can cause allergic reactions and rashes. Custard on the natural base without vegetable oils is the best option. Sour cream with homemade products and natural fresh fruit is also rather good for the little one.
Second. Sponge cakes suite better – they are softer, any impregnation can be applied to them, the cream of any kind will suit. For example, baby shower cakes for girls can be impregnated with homemade or purchased, high quality condensed milk or plain milk, sweet baby cocoa. Shortcake is not so soft, but not less safe and incredibly delicious. Ask to prepared them without cheap margarine, it is better to pay extra for the butter. You should say that you book a cake for kids. Impregnation or composition of the cake should not include alcohol (for example, brandy, liqueur and vodka, which are used in the preparation making cakes more crispy).
Third. Decorations of baby shower cakes for girls can be as diverse as the form of the product. Specify what and how to decorate sweets. For example, it can be chocolate glaze, hand-made by pastry chef and not purchased with vegetable oils. A variety souffle are suitable for cake decorations, as well, if the kid likes, you can make a beautiful pattern of white chocolate, meringue or jelly. Paste made from sugar and natural flavours – fruit syrup, natural fruit juice, as well will be suited.
Here is required recommendation on Easy Baby Shower Cake. We have the world class method for Easy Baby Shower Cake. Check it out for yourself! You can acquire Easy Baby Shower Cake guide and look the latest Baby shower cakes for girls in here.
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Elf Magic Releases Year Round Fashion for Elf Magic Dolls
Elf Magic is releasing year round fashion for the Elf Magic Boy and Girl dolls. The new Elfits line has a stylish wardrobe of beachwear, denim, daywear, and formalwear to clothe the elves no matter the month or occasion. The Elfits are available at www.Elf-Magic.com. Typically, the Elf Magic tradition begins around Thanksgiving, but with the dolls, kids' eyes light up when their December pal pops in to spread cheer—or a little silly mischief—during the "other" 11 months of the year. The secret to a successful mid-year elf visit is to make sure the dolls are dressed in a non-holiday Elfit to match the mood of the moment. A Sweet Dreams Flannel Nightgown or Fun & Play Khaki Elfits are ideal for surprise visits on a spring break or camp sleepover. Elf Magic has created choices for boy and girl elves to lounge, linger, and leap with joy when visiting their favorite girl or boy. Other outfits in the Elfits line include the Surf's Up Boy Beach, Sea Breeze Beach Girl, Fun & Play Denim, Girl's Snowflake Princess, Peppermint Pajamas, Jolly Holiday Robe and Slippers, and the Jingle Bell...Read More


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Eclectic Method - Bill Murray
Celebrate Bill Murray's heroic decision turn down the inevitable clusterfuck that will be Ghostbusters 3 with this supercut of his most beloved performances.[Buzzfeed]
Rio Drug Dealers Say No to Crack
Crack cocaine is more trouble than its worth—for the user, for the larger society, and in Brazil at least, for the dealers themselves. In the six years that the highly-addictive crystalline form of cocaine hit the streets, "Crack has been nothing but a disgrace for Rio. It's time to stop," an unnamed drug boss told the AP. Check out the rest of this fascinating about face by the cartels, despite the huge profits and steady customer supply crack provides, here. [Fox News Latino via 420Times - Image: The AP]
Lil' Boy Bunyan - Kyle Couture
Searching for you childhood hero is all fun and games until someone throws you into a pile of used syringes. [Cartoon Brew]
Confessions of a Beginner Marijuana Grower
Big Buds takes a brief look at just some of the things that can go wrong when growing outdoors. The moral of story: suck it up and buy a hydro kit. [Big Buds - Image: The AP]
5 Tricks The Pros Use For Getting Better Yields Using Supplemental CO2
And if you do decide to grow indoors, you might as well spring for a CO2 system while you're at it. Plants pull in atmospheric CO2 as part of the carbon cycle and savvy growers know that supplemental carbon dioxide can help boost plant productivity. The folks over at Big Buds have assembled five handy tips for maximizing yields with a bit of hot air. [Big Buds - Image: Reader Ian R]


text:
What does the app do?
The GeoReader app allows your Android phone or iPhone to say aloud any written text anywhere in the world.
- Pick a point, write a description. When visited, users hear the description.
- Share your points with other users and see how often they get read.
- Assign tags to points, so you can only see what you are interested in.