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Part 12 of the ST2009 review: the thrilling conclusion.
In Which There is Star Trek
That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs but what a ship is... what the Black Pearl really is... is freedom.
And this brings us to the end credits. We have a wonderful rendition of the adventurous TOS theme, while images of strange and wondrous places flash on the screen.
When I was watching this, something suddenly occurred to me. I was watching Star Trek. Not merely Generic Space Action Flick, but actual, honest-to-God Star Trek.
Why is that?
In order to understand that, we first must answer an important question. What is Star Trek, anyway?
Star Trek is not James T. Kirk. Nor is it Picard. Nor is it any character in the serieses. Nor is it any set of characters. Nor is it the Enterprise. Nor any of the ships of the serieses. You can have something be Star Trek without any of these characteristics. These are all part of the Star Trek canon, but canon is not what Star Trek is at its core.
So what is it? Well, let's look at it by analogy. What is Star Wars? Besides 6 movies, of course. That is, what is Star Wars about?
Just look at the key moments of each movie to tell. Star Wars is about making moral choices. The climax of A New Hope wasn't blowing up the Death Star. It was when Han Solo returned to save Luke.
This is mirrored in the nature of the Force. Indeed, the Force exists primarily to act as an external manifestation of moral choices, as well as a particular temptation for becoming evil.
However poorly written, directed, and acted the prequels were, even they kept to the basic theme. Young Anakin's often maligned line, "Mom, you said that the biggest problem in the universe is no one helps each other," still keeps true to the basic underlying theme of Star Wars. The plot has presented Anakin, the de-facto main character of the whole series, with an ethical question, and he has chosen the moral option.
Lucas may not be a good writer or director. But you have to admit, he knows what his movies are about.
Also important is that there is a difference between holding to a theme and being good. The two are completely independent of one another.
So what is Star Trek about? As a franchise that has had more than 600 individual episodes, written by an innumerable collection of writers over more than 40 years, it is a very difficult task to pinpoint what Star Trek is supposed to be about.
The basic idea goes all the way back to TOS. And that is to use exploration of the galaxy as a framing device for exploring the nature of humanity. This can be basic allegories, like the half-white/black people in one of the TOS episodes. Or it can be played much more subtly.
You can see this theme in all of what are often held as the great episodes of Star Trek. In TOS, you may have Kirk agonizing over whether or not he has to let a woman he loves die in order for the future to be saved. In Next Generation, you may have Picard struggling to change his past, only to find that the past he so laments is what made him the great man that he is. In DS9, you may have Sisko slowly abandoning his principles over the course of several weeks until he covers up a murder, all so that the Romulans can be brought into the war the Federation is steadily losing. And so on.
As stupid and hackney as even Voyager and the Trek-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named got, even they carried on the theme. One of the most memorable Voyager episodes for me is the one where Torres wants to resequence her baby's DNA to make it less obviously Klingon, all because of her deep-seated fear that her and her mother's Klingon nature drove her father to divorce her mother. She's doing it because she's deathly afraid that Tom will leave her after a time, and she's willing to hijack the holographic Doctor's programming to do it.
How alien. And at the same time, how very, very human.
Indeed, in many bad Star Trek episodes, the theme still exists to varying degrees. Utterly atrocious that Threshold certainly was, they at least played lip service to the basic theme, in Paris's self-examination of his motivations. Like the Star Wars prequels, carrying the theme doesn't mean it is an enjoyable experience.
Which brings us to the Star Trek movies. First, I have to say that movies are not really that compatible with the basic theme of Star Trek. Maybe it has something to do with the expectation that movies are supposed to be massive epics and action flicks, whereas the Star Trek theme is generally served by more introspective fare. I don't know why; it just seems to work better on a 1-hour TV show.
The first Star Trek movie unquestionably holds to the theme, with the VGER plot almost entirely consumed by the running Kirk vs. Decker problem. Of course, it was actually the heavily padded pilot episode of a potential Star Trek revival series; which is why it feels like an episode of the series, not a movie.
Wrath of Khan has theme oozing out of its every orifice. Search for Spock has some aspect of the Star Trek theme, but it is very poorly handled. The Final Frontier was utterly deplorable in quality, but it was a search for higher meaning and the ultimate nature of the universe. The Klingons were always a Russian allegory in the TOS days, so it's no surprise that The Undiscovered Country turned the dials up to maximum, playing on the then modern ending of the cold war and outbreak of peace in the world.
Generations had a consistent theme of death, with the villain trying to escape death, ending of course with Kirk willingly sacrificing his life to stop him. First Contact brought us Picard's meltdown, when the exploration of the galaxy has actively damaged a human. Insurrection played lip-service to the theme with the basic question of whether it is OK to steal a world from 250 people in order to bring life-saving cures to billions (they totally cop out on the answer, of course). And even Nemesis, poor though it was, had the theme of uniqueness, with Picard's clone as well as Data's.
You probably noticed I skipped one. The Voyage Home pretends to have this theme, but it really isn't. The "whale probe" serves only as a reason for them to go back in time and have wacky hijinks. Sure, it was a very entertaining film, but it didn't carry through with the Star Trek theme.
And that brings us to Star Trek 2009. This movie looks like Star Trek. It has actors who play roles related to Star Trek. It has music that is reminiscent of Star Trek. And with its time-travel "alternate universe" plot, it even (mostly) sticks to Star Trek canon.
But it is not Star Trek. The end credits sequence is evocative of the theme, but it is the only part of the film that does so. The Star Trek theme is nowhere to be found here. No greater revelation of the nature of man is made or hinted at.
What the filmmakers have done is not resurrect a franchise; they have zombified it. It looks kinda like a person. It walks kinda like a person. It talks kinda like a person. But it's empty inside; completely bereft of its soul. It may be a pretty zombie, it may be a useful, even functional zombie. But it's still a zombie.
Not only isn't the Star Trek theme present, there's no theme at all. None of the characters develop at all; they never learn from their mistakes. There's no through arc of meaning or purpose in the story; nothing is affirmed. Oh, they tried to shoehorn that crap about cheating in, but Kirk's line to Nimoy-Spock was flat-out contrived bullshit. In short: ST2009 is a brainless action piece.
The Not-Named-Trek was abysmal. As was Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. But they were poor in execution of their theme (and of writing, plot, acting, and storytelling). They still made an effort to have the Star Trek theme. So as utterly unentertaining as they are, they have more right to the name "Star Trek" than this movie.
Is it Any Good?
This is a profoundly stupid movie. The main character is an unlikable Mary Sue jackass from when he was a child. He's a whiny, raving douchebag who is ultimately rewarded for his unceasing asshattery. He refuses to accept responsibility for anything he does, but he takes the credit for everything his crew accomplishes. He never learns his lesson or matures in any way.
As with any proper Mary Sue, characters are shoved aside to make room for him. At the same time, Kirk is not the only unlikable character in this film. McCoy is dreadfully underused, serving only as a plot device to empower Kirk; Sulu is a danger to himself and others when he's not wielding a Katana; Chekhov is incapable of even talking to the computer; and every single word out of Scotty's mouth makes one want to take a power drill to the temple. The only two characters that come out of this movie with some measure of dignity are Spock and Uhura.
Spock because he's (comparatively) well-written and well-acted (unlike McCoy who's just well-acted). And Uhura because she hates the Mary Sue from day 1 and she actually does something during the movie. Granted, that something generally revolves around being the emotional crutch for Spock, but it's better than McCoy, who is reduced to a plot device necessary to get Kirk on the Enterprise.
Not one character has any form of development. Spock seems like he goes on a character arc, but it really isn't to any place that he wasn't already. He gets anger issues, then deals with them off screen. That's it. No one else has anything even remotely like character development.
This film loves nothing more than to fellate Wrath of Khan, while simultaneously failing to understand how those lines actually worked in the original. It copies lines and dialog such that they not only don't make sense in context, they don't make sense even knowing where they came from. The closest thing to a message this film has is not just deplorable (cheating, it's what heroes do!), it's the antithesis of WoK's message. It's like watching a Seltzer-Berg-style shallow parody of Wrath of Khan: constant references, but no idea what they all mean.
The film is saddled with an incredibly self-contradictory premise. The "let's start everyone as cadets" premise is fundamentally incompatible with "Kirk becomes captain." These two things cannot go together, not unless you are a very, very good writer. And JJ Abrams and co have proven that they most certainly are not.
The villain is stock, cliché, and utterly impotent. He is incapable of being threatening in anything but the most base "my ship is better than yours" way, and even that is undermined by the fact that he's terminally stupid. His motivations are bland and lifeless, his character is poorly directed and acted, and nothing he does has even the slightest degree of gravitas. Children's cartoon villains have more dignity and threat than this guy.
The cinematography is utterly deranged. The camera loves nothing more than drawing attention to itself, thus reminding the audience that they're watching a film, shattering the suspension of disbelief. When the camera isn't abusing dutch angles or making stupid camera moves, it starts shaking around when even the slightest bit of tension starts happening. Even in the vacuum of space.
And then there's everything I said about the theme of Star Trek. This is a film bereft of soul.
Despite all of this, there is one unassailable fact: I can't say that watching this movie is horrible.
When I first saw the movie, there were things I hated, but I couldn't in all fairness say that it was a terrible movie. I started writing this review knowing some of the things I was going to be talking about. But others I discovered during the process of making the review and examining the scenes.
After writing the meat of this review, I watched the movie from beginning to end again. And I kept thinking, "Why am I finding this tolerable?" Outside of a few truly unacceptable scenes, I think it all comes down to one thing: pacing.
Much of the material I used in this review was discovered in the act of making the review. I was watching each scene, following each line of dialog. What that meant was that I was taking each scene on its own. I knew what came before it, and I knew what came after it. But I was not experiencing it all in sequence, at the film's normal speed.
This is a very fast paced movie. Dialog is generally rapid fire, to the point where people are talking over each other. The camera, when it's not going batshit crazy, loves nothing more than to abruptly pan or cut between different angles. Almost no shot lasts for more than one second.
Because it is fast paced, it is much harder to notice things. Take the dialog between Kirk and Pike in the bar. It starts off with a lot of stupid. But because the dialog comes quickly, likely much more quickly than the way it was shot, it's harder to notice the problems with it and still listen to the movie. And because the scene ends on a strong note, the audience by and large can easily ignore the scene's problems.
Scenes stumble around, but the pacing of the scenes never give you time to really notice. And in many cases, there are hints of competence; scenes that end well or are actually good can counteract the hints of problems that might have gotten past the pacing. Another example being the scene where Spock surrenders to the scripts unflinching devotion to all things Kirk and gives him command. Patently stupid and horrible in so many ways. But it is immediately followed by the (mostly) well done scene between Spock and Sarek. This takes the edge off of the stupid.
The whole movie is like this. Kirk spends 3/4ths of the movie being a raving jackass and whiny fucker, but because the last quarter is spent with him in action-mode, it's forgotten. Kirk is primarily a douchebag to people who outrank him, but because he's now in command, there's nobody to bitch at, so it seems like character growth.
It's sort of like the inverse Law of Airplane. The normal version reads like this, "If one joke falls flat, don't worry; another one will be right along in a second." They do kind of the reverse. Knowing that there are stupid bits, they dot in competence and reasonability to cover up things that they know fall flat.
Now granted, there are some scenes that even the editing and pacing can't save. Like the Kobayashi Maru scene. But then again, I hated that scene from the moment I first saw it, so I didn't reveal anything that wasn't there before.
This movie is not good, for all of the previously stated reasons. It isn't So Bad It's Good, because its faults do not make it enjoyable. It isn't So Bad It's Horrible, because it's just competent enough to be somewhat enjoyable to watch. It isn't even So Okay It's Average, because it has deep and very memorable stupidity all over the place. And it certainly isn't good. The movie actively defies classification.
Basically, what you have is a method for creating Fridge Logic. Your story and script don't really have to make sense; the audience just has to buy it for 2 hours. Once that time has passed, it doesn't matter to the filmmakers that their story has more holes than swiss cheese; they've already gotten your money.
I think I've stumbled across Michael Bay's formula for success.
Why the Reboot?
Let's wind the clocks back a year. These cops and lawyers wouldn't dare cross any of you. I mean, what happened? Did, did your balls drop off?
Before going into predictions of what the future holds for the Star Trek franchise, there's one issue that needs to be discussed. The Reboot. Specifically, why it was done to begin with.
Ask people why ST2009 needed to be a reboot, and they'll basically answer with some complaint about the series. They will also often cite this flaw as the reason the Star Trek franchise died. Thus effectively arguing that the only way to do another Star Trek movie was to reboot it, thus getting rid of the flaw.
Therefore, we can say that most reasons boil down to an answer to this question: "What killed the Star Trek franchise?" The other argument as to why it needed to be a reboot was that they wanted to do a Star Trek with the TOS cast.
We'll start with the first one: what exactly happened to the Star Trek franchise?
Let's wind the clocks back. 1987. Star Trek: The Next Generation comes out, after 4 successful Star Trek films. And the fandom rejoiced. For a few episodes. Episode quality was a problem in the early days, but the fandom kept the series on the air until the writers and actors figured the show out. It went on to become the Star Trek series with the highest ratings ever.
Now let's skip ahead a few years to 1995. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is off doing its own thing. TNG is still wildly popular, but they decided to quit while they were ahead. They do launch another spin-off. Star Trek: Voyager. They went with a different premise. The titular ship would be lost in uncharted space, and thus would be able to interact with new and utterly unknown alien species.
It should be noted that the reason for the change in setting to uncharted space was the general perception that there were no more stories to tell in the regular setting. They wanted to get back to the frontier feeling of the original series. They didn't want to be bound by continuity, so they could invent all kinds of different races and such.
Jump to 2005. The Not-Named Star Trek is going off the air, with no sequel series planned for it. The movie franchise is dead as well, with two back-to-back stinkers killing all audience interest. For the first time in almost 20 years, the franchise would not have a series on the air. It got so bad that Activision, the videogame rightsholders for Star Trek at the time, actually sued Paramount for running the franchise into the ground. They effectively alleged that, no matter how good quality Star Trek games they made, nobody would buy them because Star Trek had such a terrible name.
10 years. In 10 short years, Star Trek went from being very popular and a staple of Sci-Fi television to a laughing stock. What the hell happened?
Here's news for you. It wasn't the technobabble. It wasn't the continuity stifling writer creativity. It wasn't most of the stuff that people claim to have found annoying.
Next Generation and DS9 had their share of technobabble after all. Of course they did; they're set in the future; people will use words for things that don't exist today. Even TOS had its share.
See the problem with technobabble isn't the technobabble itself. It's when technobabble becomes the plot. The plot should be solved by characters who find solutions to problems that come from the story itself. When someone technobabbles the solution to a problem, it sounds a lot like Deus Ex Machina: some bullshit that comes right out of nowhere that magically solves the plot without any consequences for anything. And while it was common for this kind of thing to happen in Voyager, the previous 3 serieses all did reasonably well at keeping this to a minimum.
Here's an example. A classic TOS episode is where this not-water starts making everyone permanently drunk. Including Spock. The tension of the episode really begins when the ship is starting to fall into destruction and the people who could solve it are, well, drunk. McCoy's trying to get a cure, but there's no time for that. Instead, Kirk must find a way to get through to Spock, so that he can focus long enough to get them out of danger.
Yes, the ultimate resolution of the plot is that Spock whips up some magical technobabble solution. However, the focus of the episode isn't so much on Spock finding that solution, but on getting Spock to overcome the not-water long enough to be able to find the solution. The focus is on the characters, not how the solution comes about. Even the awful TNG reprise of this episode is focused on the characters and not on the particular solution to the problem.
As for continuity, consider this.
Sometime in late 4th or early 5th season of Next Gen, something magical happened. All of a sudden, the show started talking about the Cardassians, a completely new race. They'd never been mentioned before in 7+ years of Trek. And it's not even just a new race; they're a new old race. The very first Cardassian episode introduces not just them, but their history with the Federation.
Apparently, some time before Next Gen started, the Federation had a horrible war with the Cardassians. It's recent enough to be living memory for many on both sides. This fact is driven home in their introductory episode; indeed, this fact is what drives the introductory episode.
And yet, there was a whole 4-5 years of Next Gen before they're even mentioned. All of that continuity, and the writers were still able to plausibly inject an entirely new force in the galaxy, complete with their own backstory and history with our main characters.
So, what did they get out of this? The introduction of the Cardassians colors everything that happened from then on in all of Star Trek. The titular station of Deep Space 9 was built by the Cardassians Bajoran slave-labor, and the Cardassians play a very important role over the course of that series. The rest of Next Gen after their introduction uses them effectively as well. That's a lot to get out of a simple retcon.
In short, continuity is not an impediment to creativity or entertainment.
Also, if continuity was such an impediment, why did Voyager fail? After all, it was set in a region of space with no connection to established continuity. The writers were free to invent pretty much anything they wanted. These are many of the same reasons cited for Star Trek 2009's reboot, yet Voyager still failed.
No, the reason why Star Trek died comes down to one simple thing: shitty writing. All other problems people cite derive either directly or indirectly from consistent, prolonged bad writing lasting a decade.
Take the Cardassian stuff I just mentioned. Star Trek fans could easily have cried bloody murder over this obvious retroactive continuity, inserting an entire race with backstory into the series. But they didn't. Why? Because they were too busy enjoying the show.
The Cardassian introduction was well written. It may have come right out of nowhere, but that doesn't matter; it was a very good episode, with good performances by all sides, and with strong writing backing it all up. The audience will forgive you if you give them something suitably awesome.
And that's the problem. If you need your audience to buy into something that they may not want to, something that perhaps raises some uncomfortable questions that you'd rather they not ask, you need to make sure that everything else is of the highest possible quality. That way, the audience will be enjoying themselves too much to question it. And even when they do, they'll still accept it because it was enjoyable overall.
If you consistently fail to write well, to provide something entertaining, then the audience is free to nitpick. Something minor that they could have written off now suddenly appears to be a much bigger problem. A seemingly innocuous line of technobabble becomes a major faux pas, because they remember the last 10 episodes where technobabble was used to solve problems in place of characters.
Star Trek Voyager was not a good show. It had a fine premise, but the writers didn't know what to do with it. This can be seen most easily in the character of Janeway, who will almost never be written the same in two consecutive episodes. It's hard to get a read on her character because she was so inconsistent. One writer would make her as much of a Mary Sue as Kirk is in ST2009. Another will write her as Captain Hardass. Another will write her as Captain Mom. And so on.
Part of its initial premise is that half the crew is not Starfleet. This ought to have promoted tension among the crew, with the possibility of mutiny. That lasted for... about two episodes. After that, except for the occasional episode where the writers remembered this fact, the crew acted entirely as a single, harmonious whole. As though they had all been Starfleet officers, just like every other series.
Voyager eventually settled into a steady stream of mediocrity. You could count on the series being good for a waste of an hour of time. The TV equivalent of a bag of popcorn; tastes OK, but not filling at all.
Like Voyager, the Not-Named Trek also tried to change the setting. Instead of spatially, they went temporally. They went to pre-TOS times, and detailed the rise of the Federation. This had plenty of opportunity to tell stories about building empires, uniting worlds, etc.
It also failed. It failed because the same people who wrote it were writing Voyager. That series was written even worse than Voyager, with even more radical inconsistency. This was compounded by what can only be construed as flat-out idiocy. Every character always seemed to make the choice that made the least sense at the time. Bodily rape was considered suitable subject matter for Komedy!, and genocide-through-apathy was promoted as being perfectly justified thanks to epic-level misunderstanding of what evolution is.
And the last two Star Trek movies were also problematic. But here, writing wasn't the #1 culprit (it came a close second); I lay the problems of the Next Gen Star Trek movies on two people: Patrick Stewart and Brent Spinner.
Both of them wanted to move away from Trek. But, since they were the two most popular characters in Next Gen, their presence was vital to making movies. So they got to make arbitrary demands. Like, "make these movies all about us." So they did. Look at the way the four TNG-era movies work in terms of plot. Every one of them is primarily about Picard and Data, with everyone else essentially reduced to bit characters. They also put Patrick Stewart in a lot of fight scenes, which doesn't fit with Picard's character at all.
Put all of this together, and you can see why the franchise died: bad writing, and bad writing alone. Consistently, over the course of years.
So tell me this: what the hell does rebooting do to solve this? After all, the problems came from the writers; if they wanted new writers, just fire the old ones and hire new ones.
Let's pretend for a moment that JJ Abrams and his writing staff were actually good. Let's say they didn't write Kirk as an awful Mary Sue of the level found in the average TOS fanfiction. Let's say they could write a decent villain with reasonable motivation and dialog. Let's pretend that they can write comedy that's actually funny without annihilating characters.
If all of this is true, why would they be unable to walk into the actual Star Trek continuity and make something good? We've established that continuity is hardly a limiting factor on quality writing. The only reason they wouldn't be able to work with existing continuity is if they explicitly choose not to. That is, if they don't want to work with the continuity.
And that's the problem. Because it's true.
They don't want to write a Star Trek movie at all, either in theme or in continuity. What they want is the Star Trek name. Because with the name comes money. It allows them to get away with their hackwork, because many Star Trek fans will swallow any shit with the Star Trek name on it. The name gives them Sci-Fi credibility, when their writing is completely unable to merit that credibility on its own.
This is also why they choose to reboot TOS. They wanted pre-made characters, because expending effort to come up with their own would require, you know, effort. TOS is not the best of the Star Trek serieses, but it is the one that is most well known. It is the one most ingrained into the public's consciousness. It is therefore the one most likely to make money, so they choose to leech off of its popularity. That's also why there was so much Wrath of Khan fanservice, because WoK is the most well known of the movies.
The writers do not care that they have zombified the franchise. They aren't interested in the soul of Star Trek; they're only interested in how much money they can make off of it. And if the zombified remains of the franchise is the easiest way to make money off of Star Trek, then that's what they'll do.
What the Future Holds
So bow down to her if you want, bow to her. Bow to the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, the Queen of Putrescence. Boo. Boo. Rubbish. Filth. Slime. Muck. Boo. Boo. Boo.
So what will the next film be? I'll tell you what I would do later, but here's my guess as to what's going to happen.
Khan. I'll give you 4:1 odds that it's about Khan. They're going to do Space Seed meets Wrath of Khan all in one movie. The kind of person to put so much horrifically lame WoK fanservice in ST2009 is the kind of person sufficiently shameless as to believe that remaking WoK is a great idea.
The movie will open with a Reliant knock-off finding the Botany Bay. This ship will quickly be hijacked by Khan, successfully unlike his attempt on the Enterprise. The new Enterprise commanded by Kirk will be sent to investigate. From there, things will play out predictably, and stupidly.
It'll be what this movie was. Badly choreographed action scenes, lots of shooting, etc. A thin plot riddled with holes, no character development, no theme. On the plus side, Kirk probably won't be as whiny (if for no other reason than that he's captain and everyone will do what he says without question), but he also won't be any better of a captain. Unlike WoK, if someone contradicts Kirk, that person will be shown to be wrong, no matter how much sense it makes. Someone will say that the needs of the many outweight the needs of the few, but because these writers are cowards, nobody (important) will die because of it. Overall, it'll be mildly entertaining. But that's about it.
Now, what should they do?
Well, this movie ends with two major problems. One, Kirk is a whiny, piss-ant Mary Sue. And two, the theme of Star Trek is still buried even though the body is walking around. Both stones can be killed very easily.
Use the Organians.
For those not in the know, the Organians were a race from Organon. At the height of tension between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, when both sides are sure war is imminent, the Federation sends Kirk to Organon, held by the Klingons at this point, to liberate the world. The locals are pretty blase about all of this, though. Even after a hundred people are executed by the Klingons, the Organian leaders don't much care. At the end, when war is about to break out, the Organians intervene.
Apparently, Organon is the homeworld of a neigh-omnipotent species. The Organians look human, but they aren't. They decide that the Federation and the Klingons are now at peace; failure to comply with this directive will mean that the Organians will blow up all of that side's ships. All of them.
Kirk and the Klingon commander Kor are naturally quite upset about this. Because the Organians just prevented a war. So the two of them start alternately yelling at the Organian leader, while Spock looks on with growing concern.
This plot would fix both of these problems. Kirk would lose, by default. Everything he tried to do would be shown in the end to be wrong. And his bitchfest at the end would be a real moment of growth for him, as he finds himself arguing for a war. And this kind of story, that has a different resolution from what you would expect, is exactly the kind of story that Star Trek exists to tell.
The Big Three, down on Organon, would be able to engage in meaningful action scenes with Klingons, thus helping to fill the action needs of a film. This would also give McCoy something to do besides spout catchphrases.
Also, because the Big Three are off the ship for most of the movie, it gives the other guys on the ship stuff to do. We could have Sulu in command, having to deal with avoiding Klingon attacks and such. We can see how he wears command.
And best of all, outside of actual Trekkies, it's not a well-known episode. It would be perfect for a Star Trek movie.
Why don't I think they'll do this? Well, it really comes down to a lack of faith. If these writers were the kind of people who could recognize the mistakes they made in ST2009 and want to fix them, they would be the kind of writers who wouldn't have made them in the first place. They don't care about carrying the theme of Star Trek, and this movie would require a lot more effort than they want to put forth to make work. The ending wouldn't be a proper Hollywood movie ending, so they wouldn't bother trying to make it work.
Instead, they will do exactly what they did with ST2009: make something safe and marketable. The kind of Hollywood production that gives the word "Hollywood" a bad name.
But there is another reason why they won't do this. Because of people who defend and like this film.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a financial success but a critical failure. While Trekkies did help the movie make money, there was enough criticism about the film to force important changes. The production team was changed, with Roddenbery kicked upstairs and out of the way. Wrath of Khan exists as it does because of the entirely warranted critical complaints against TMP. WoK was an attempt to fix things that people complained about.
Star Trek 2009 by contrast is commonly seen as a pretty good movie. It consistently reviews well, on both IMDb (favors popular opinion) and Rotton Tomatoes (favoring people who should actually know better). It is widely held as a strong relaunch of a decayed franchise, rather than the poorly-written necromancy that it actually is.
Because there is no critical backlash to guide them, the writers have no incentive to change. Kirk was a whiny, immature Mary Sue from beginning to end, so he'll continue to be that in the next film. And so on. Why fix something that isn't broken, after all?
So with no incentive to fix any of the many, many problems this film introduced, how could you possibly expect the next film to be anything more than what we got here?


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The Proteas women got their five-match ODI series off to a positive start when they beat the West Indies by a comprehensive 80 runs in St. Kitts on Monday.
South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first posting 206/8 thanks to a half century from Trisha Chetty (57) and a valuable 48-run contribution by captain, Mignon du Preez.
In reply, the hosts could not contend with a ruthless South African attack lead by Dané van Niekerk whose brilliant seven over spell of 5/28 included a hat-trick. Marizanne Kapp and Susan Benade claimed two wickets each to round off a superb all round effort by the visitors.
The Windies will look to avenge themselves when they take on the visitors in the second ODI tomorrow at Warner Park Stadium.

subset: commoncrawl


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Storytelling with Big Data: Thoughts on VISUALIZED
November 14th, 2012 | 1
As an attendee at the inaugural VISUALIZED conference last week in New York City, I was ready to experience, as the website described, "an inspiring two-day gathering with the brightest minds and social innovators from around the world who are changing how we understand and interact with data; and gain insight into designing data-driven narratives [...]Keep reading »
Profiling Serial Creators
April 22nd, 2013 | 3
Every single day, all across the globe, extraordinarily creative and talented students sit in our classrooms bored out of their minds. These budding innovators may differ drastically in what particular domain captivates their attention, whether it's science and engineering, architecture and design, arts, music and entertainment, business and finance, law, or health care. Nevertheless, as Richard Florida [...]Keep reading »
Creationism Feels Right, but That Doesn't Make it So
Psychological researchers suggest that evolutionary thinking is unnaturalKeep reading »
Mobile Apps Offer 3-D Printing Via the Cloud [Video]
April 29th, 2012 | 2
As 3-D printing has matured over the past decade, the process has proved an effective way for artists, entrepreneurs and academics to produce custom-designed parts and prototype models. Now 3-D printing is becoming even more accessible through Web sites and apps that let iPhone and iPad users upload designs or create new ones and have [...]Keep reading »
Poor Design Can Be Bad—for Your Health
December 12th, 2011 | 8
I have always been impressed by the design of the coffee grinder. Here you've got a supersharp metal blade spinning around in a buzzing blur and chopping the living bejesus out of those coffee beans. But you never—never!—have to worry about the same thing happening to your fingers. The only time a coffee grinder works [...]Keep reading »
Silicon Valley Innovators Share Their Vision of the Future
November 11th, 2011 | 5
SAN FRANCISCO—How will ubiquitous connectivity and social media change everything? That, in short, was what a number of luminaries in the tech world addressed yesterday at the GigaOM roadmap conference. Rather than bore you with an extended recap, I thought I'd share some of the most salient nuggets of wisdom. I've made every effort to [...]Keep reading »
Design Evolution
October 25th, 2012 | 9
Using the words evolution and design in the same paragraph, let alone together in the title of a blog post, can make biologists very uncomfortable. Design is something that humans do on purpose, and natural selection doesn't "do" anything on purpose. Anthropomorphizing and giving intention to evolution is a big time no-no. Synthetic biologists, however, [...]Keep reading »
Editing the City
August 23rd, 2011 | 2
Amazing new technologies are helping people with severe mobility issues get around more independently, from wheelchairs that climb stairs to wheelchairs controlled by breathing, magnetic tongue piercings, or even thoughts. But for the majority of people with mobility issues, which will include almost everyone at one point or other in their lifetime, much simpler technologies [...]Keep reading »
A socialist iPhone?
September 17th, 2013 | 3
Yes, yes, yes, new iPhone, new IOS, new stuff, cheap, expensive, blah blah blah. Nobody needs to tell you that your phone is obsolete about an hour and a half after you buy it, and nobody needs to tell you that your old phones either build up in our house (I can put my hands [...]Keep reading »
Designing Our Own Neighborhoods
After a half-century of brutal urban renewal, sidewalkless cul de sacs, and unwalkable sprawl, planners all over the world have turned towards what was left out of planning for decades: community. Whether it's planning approaches like Complete Streets or assessment methods like walkability scores, communities have learned that people want to interact with their surroundings [...]Keep reading »
Art and Science of the Moiré
September 15th, 2014 | 1
I'm a bit obsessed with Scientific American covers, but my knowledge of the archive during the years before my time on staff is broad rather than deep. Artist Philippe Decrauzat, on the other hand, has developed an intense connection with a very specific cover image: May 1963. It was the inspiration point for his series [...]Keep reading »
Evolution of the Scientific American Logo
March 6th, 2014 | 5
Scientific American's logotype has undergone subtle shifts, large leaps and occasional bouts of nostalgia. The image series below outlines the history of the publication's identity, starting with its debut in August 1845 as weekly devoted primarily to inventions. For more on the history of the magazine, check out this graphic to see how cover topics [...]Keep reading »
Storytelling with Big Data: Thoughts on VISUALIZED
November 14th, 2012 | 1
As an attendee at the inaugural VISUALIZED conference last week in New York City, I was ready to experience, as the website described, "an inspiring two-day gathering with the brightest minds and social innovators from around the world who are changing how we understand and interact with data; and gain insight into designing data-driven narratives [...]Keep reading »
Skeletal Drawing Has Never Looked So Good
Dinosaur fossil mounts can be breathtaking in their grandeur. It's rare that illustrations of the fossils can have that affect. Scott Hartman has been illustrating dinosaur fossil skeletons for years, and is one of the clearest, most detail-oriented illustrators we are lucky to have describe our favourite, dynamic, prehistoric beasties. And now with his revamped [...]Keep reading »
Balloons, Books and Beer: The Emergent Art of Willy Chyr
Back in February, we showcased some of science-artist Willy Chyr's stunning Neuroplastic Dreams. When I met Chyr here in Toronto those few months back, I wasn't expecting the forthright clarity and modesty in his character that I encountered. Chyr is intelligent and fun. I'm pleased to share this interview with this vibrant talent. – - [...]Keep reading »


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Blessings on the Menorah
Before kindling the Chanukah lights on the first night of Chanukah, Tuesday December 16, 2014, (or if you're kindling the Chanukah lights for the first time this year) recite all three blessings. On every subsequent night only the first two are recited.
Recited only on the first night (or the first time lighting this Chanukah):
1. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner Cha-nu-kah.
2. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam she-a-sa ni-sim la-avo-te-nu ba-ya-mim ha-hem bi-zman ha-zeh.
3. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu liz-man ha-zeh.
1. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.
2. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.
3. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Pearland, TX/USA
Yes! Yes! Yes! THANK YOU!!
That sounds like it. I hope they still have it posted on their website.
I'll go there as soon as I finish this. If not, could you please post it here for us.
You've made my Chanukah this year-- 2013. Bless you and have a happy one!
Seattle, WA
- Menorah Lighting Guide (4:34)
- Do-It-Yourself Chanukah (4:47)
- Menorahs Around the Globe (2:29)
- Eight Candles Burning (1:57)
- The Menorah (6:21)
- Reflections on "Hayom Yom" Kislev 25 (1:23)
Blessings on the Menorah (1:57)
- Blessings for Menorah (1:41)
- Chanukah
- Miracle of the Maccabees (27:14)
- The Greeks, Jews & Macabees (1:41:08)
- The Miracle of Oil (3:03)
- In the Courtyards of Light (27:45)
- Chanukah (899)
- Menorah (108)
- Menorah Blessing (4)
- Blessing (141)


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The AfterEllen.com Huddle: Coming Out Unexpectedly
Coming out to your family and friends is par for the course, and we've shared our stories on the site at one point or another. So for this Coming Out Day, I challenged everyone to think of a time they came out to someone they didn't plan for. A client, a coworker, a group full of people in a bar—coming out doesn't end with calling your best friend or writing your mom a letter. We have to come out constantly as gay people, and sometimes these stories end up being hilarious.
OK, group: Tell us about a time you came out unexpectedly.
Lucy Hallowell: At the doctor's office. Once a nurse mistook me for my daughter's nanny, because who else would I be when my white-coat clad wife came bombing in late to the ped's appointment? I'm sure she was used to residents scurrying in at the last minute to be at their kids' appointments but clearly this was the first time she had seen a "nanny" who looked so much like the kid she was caring for (that's because I birthed her, lady).
Ali Davis: Working on a cruise ship is interesting because you get to meet crew members from so many different cultures—each of my ships had crew members from more than 100 different countries. It also makes being out weird. There are a lot of people who live and work on ships because they want a safe environment to be out and proud in, but there are plenty who are just there for a job and have a real problem with The Gay. I stayed out, but I didn't dye my hair into a rainbow flag or anything like that.On my second ship, I was getting to be friends with one of the hostesses, a beautiful and mildly self-absorbed Romanian who liked to come by my cabin, order room service, and lament about her romantic life. On this particular evening, she'd spent maybe an hour talking about her main problem, which was that too many men were in love with her, and then remembered as an afterthought to ask me if there were any men I was interested in, just was we were leaving my cabin.
I said, "I'm interested in a woman." And, because there was a slight language barrier and that wasn't the answer she'd expected, she said "What?" and I repeated, as we walked along my hall, "I'm interested in a woman." And she said "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you" as we turned into the busy I-95 corridor that runs the length of the ship.
So I obligingly spoke loudly and clearly and said "I'M INTERESTED IN A WOMAN" to approximately one million crew members who were changing shifts right then. Elena blinked at me for a moment and then said calmly "We can discuss this later."
"Would you like an hors d'œuvre? Some personal information about my sexuality?"
I didn't catch any flack for that, but a tiny Filipina top who absolutely ruled the waitresses always glared at me after that to make sure I stayed off of her turf.
Kim Hoffman: When I was going through a breakup last winter, I was mildly devastated (mildly in retrospect because I can't imagine staying with that person—and see it now as a huge blessing in disguise.) She left me for someone else, (lots of someones, really) and I holed up in my parents' mountain cabin for a week and a half and then when I returned home, I called upon this astrologist whose daily horoscopes I've been checking for years. Call me crazy, but I really needed some guidance from a stranger—it felt strangely better than the humdrum of all the friends and in my life who had an opinion about my relationship from knowing the two of us.
Dara Nai: I came out to someone I went to school with and ended up in a relationship with her. I came out to someone I worked with and ended up in a relationship with her, too. I came out to one more girl at another job and ended up sleeping with her for months. I stopped coming out when I started dating lesbians.
Dana Piccoli: I came out in high school, so by the time I made it to college, I was pretty comfortable with it. My college friends used to joke that I introduced myself thusly "Hi, I'm Dana and I'm a lesbian." Not entirely inaccurate. My junior year, I was in a show that all the incoming freshpeople saw during their orientation week. The final show was soley for the theatre department and we wildly changed the script per tradition. My lesbianism became a running gag with cast members.
"And now my monologue from 'Xena: Warrior Princess' episode 64, entitled 'Fins, Femmes and Gems.'"
My name was dropped numerous times as a big ol' lesbian. So by the end of the show, everyone in the 400 seat auditorium knew I was a Xena loving lez.
Emily Hartl: As a femme it can be surprising for people to learn that I'm a wild homo and I am a hairdresser so I honestly am having a hard time pinpointing a really great story that wasn't just brushed over by my professionalism as quickly and seamlessly as I could muster in the moment. So instead I will tell a story about my wife.
Shortly after we got married she was in Colorado on business and one of her Rocky Mountain colleagues was very enthusiastic about our recent nuptials and asking lots of questions ending with, "So, what does your husband do?" I often joke my wife is out by being alive, her appearance alone is (usually) enough. I think it might have been the first time Rachel had to come out in a very long time. I guess you never know! Maybe the colleague was trying to use the same tactic I do when trying to feel out if someone is pregnant or not.
"Wait, does this mean my hair is going to look dykey?"
Trish Bendix: I think one of my proudest moments was not long after I'd been with my first girlfriend and we went to a Ben Lee show. She was off getting a drink when I ran into one of my college professors, who identifies as queer herself. She was not the nicest person and acted above her students, like we needed to think and write just like her or else we were wasting our own time as well as hers.
Anyway, I saw her at the show and said hello when my girlfriend came up and I introduced her. My prof looked at me and asked, "Your girlfriend?" like she was surprised or amused that I was gay. "Yup," I said happily, so glad to have blown her mind or at least challenge her idea of who I was for a moment.
"Have you met my lesbian girlfriend? We're gay together."
Anna Pulley: I've only ever had one crush on a teacher and he taught high school Biology, Mr. Burns. He kind of looked like a bearded Scott Wolf during his Party of Five era and because of my crush, I basically never spoke at all in his class.
Still thinking I could shock him, I then revealed my high school crush on him. "Oh honey, I knew that too," he said. It was then that I learned his name was Scott, and so was his boyfriend! The cycle was complete. Then we all got ripped together. The end.
"Everyone here is a homosexual!"


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Same Recipe, Different Flavors
Asian Influence on European Educational Design Practices
Simon Bolton, MDes (RCA), FRSA, Course Director Product Design | Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, London, UK, Managing Director, Bolton Associates
The paper explores and discusses the opportunities and challenges faced by product design education and the potential influence Asian manufacturing clients will have on the effectiveness of our educational provision from a European perspective.
As Asia establishes itself as one of the key global manufacturing hubs fulfilling both local and international demand, the use and demand for high quality design from major Asian manufactures' brands is increasing. Competition is furious within the region for design supremacy. Most key Asian brands actively seek to use European and North American design expertise perceived to be driven by contextual-based research and reflective design practice.
As Asian manufacturers fight for design supremacy, what impact will this have on regions where their manufacturing bases are constantly diminishing and subsequently, what will it mean for design education in those areas? This paper discusses the impact of reducing product design timescales and how this pressure will influence our long-term approaches to product design education in Europe. The paper also explores potential future design scenarios and the possible roles our graduates will undertake within these scenarios based on the potential impact of China as a global dominant manufacturing hub.
The paper will discuss the perceived strengths and weaknesses of both European and Asian design practices and share insights gained through first hand experience of working within an academic, industry and professional design context in Asia, in particular Korea, Singapore, and Japan. The paper will discuss the implications of issues through cases study examples that will highlight opportunities as well the challenges facing design education.
The paper will conclude by highlighting how our local approaches to design can be positively influenced by the exchange of ideas and cultural approaches to the same practice and how design educational practices will need to evolve in order to remain relevant to students, industry and professional practice within a global design context.


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November 28, 2014
Races could be tight in elections south of Omaha.
Legislative District 2 office will return to the regular four year cycle in the 2014 election year. Bill Kintner was elected to a two year term in the 2012 elections. That was after Paul Lambert served a one year term as a governor's appointee in 2012. Dave Pankonin had been elected in 2010 to a four year term but then resigned after the 2011 session to oversee family business interests.
The Cassgram reports there will be two mayoral elections in the county in 2014, in Plattsmouth and in Weeping Water.
There will be a seat open in each of four wards on the Plattsmouth City Council and two city council members elected at large in both Louisville and Weeping Water. There will be three trustee seats up for election in the villages of Alvo, Avoca, Cedar Creek, Elmwood, Murray, Nehawka and South Bend and two seats in Eagle, Manley, Murdock, and Union.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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About Nick
Join the Conversation
Email Nick
Request a Meeting
Nick's Calendar
1221 S.W. 4th, Room 240
Portland OR 97204
(503) 823-3589
Utility Oversight Blue Ribbon Commission
Portland Water Bureau
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Presentation
Bureau of Environmental Services
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Presentation
A History of the
Bull Run Watershed
Citizens' Utility Board
of Oregon
Governor's Regional Solutions Team
Nick's Highlights
Zenger Farm
Bud Clark Commons
Photo courtesy Sally Schoolmaster
Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation
Gray's Landing
As spring approaches, we'd like to share this magnificent view of the cherry blossoms at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
Photo courtesy Port of Portland


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Listen Online
Give Now
Our Staff
Community Calendar
Program Schedule
Events and special information
Again this year, we're excited to bring you Founder's Week on WLUJ! This spiritually enriching week provides an opportunity to learn from today's foremost Christian teachers.
Founder's week will be broadcasted Tuesday, February 4th through Saturday, February 8th with the following speakers:
Tuesday at 8pm: Paul Nyquist-President, Moody Bible Institute
Wednesday at 8pm: Leith Anderson -President, National Association of Evangelicals
Thursday at 8pm: Erwin Lutzer-Pastor of Moody Church
Friday at 8pm: Crawford Loritts-Host of Living a Legacy
Saturday at 5pm: Jim Cymbala-Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle Church


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Gene Mayer, Ph.D
Let us know what you think
Logo image © Jeffrey Nelson, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois and The MicrobeLibrary
Recognize the significance of the immune system in combating infection and disease
Distinguish between non-specific (innate) and specific (adaptive) immune systems
Understand the mechanisms combating infection/disease (killing pathogens)
Know the humoral and cellular components of the non-specific immunity
Comprehend the mechanism of action of the humoral and cellular components of non-specific immunity
Figure 1
Figure 2
The elements of the innate (non-specific) immune system (Table 2) include anatomical barriers, secretory molecules and cellular components. Among the mechanical anatomical barriers are the skin and internal epithelial layers, the movement of the intestines and the oscillation of broncho-pulmonary cilia. Associated with these protective surfaces are chemical and biological agents.
A. Anatomical barriers to infections
B. Humoral barriers to infection
Figure 4A
Two neutrophils in blood film © Bristol Biomedical Image Archive
Used with permission
Figure 4B Histopathology of lymphadenopathy due to infection by HIV-1. Subcapsular sinus. The sinus contains increased numbers of neutrophils. CDC/Dr. Edwin P. Ewing, Jr. firstname.lastname@example.com
Figure 4C
Figure 5
Macrophage Attacking E.coli (SEM x8,800) © Dr Dennis Kunkel (used with permission)
Figure 6
Figure 6A Eosinophil in blood film © Bristol Biomedical Image Archive Used with permission
Figure 6B
Figure 7
Figure 8 Monocyte with ingested malaria parasite. CDC/Dr. Melvin
C. Cellular barriers to infection
Part of the inflammatory response is the recruitment of polymorphonuclear eosinophiles and macrophages to sites of infection. These cells are the main line of defense in the non-specific immune system.
B. Response of phagocytes to infection
|Figure 10 Adherence of bacteria via receptors
C. Initiation of Phagocytosis (Figure 10)
Phagocytic cells have a variety of receptors on their cell membranes through which infectious agents bind to the cells. These include:
D. Phagocytosis
B. Respiratory burst: Oxygen-dependent, myeloperoxidase-dependent reactions
Figure 13 NK cells and their activation
Several different cells including NK and LAK cells, K cells, activated macrophages and eosinophils are capable of killing foreign and altered self target cells in a non-specific manner. These cells play an important role in the innate immune system.
A. NK and LAK cells
Natural killer (NK) cells are also known as large granular lymphocytes (LGL) because they resemble lymphocytes in their morphology, except that they are slightly larger and have numerous granules. NK cells can be identified by the presence of CD56 and CD16 and a lack of CD3 cell surface markers. NK cells are capable of killing virus-infected and malignant target cells but they are relatively inefficient in doing so. However, upon exposure to IL-2 and IFN-gamma, NK cells become lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, which are capable of killing malignant cells. Continued exposure to IL-2 and IFN-gamma enables the LAK cells to kill transformed as well as malignant cells. LAK cell therapy is one approach for the treatment of malignancies.
How do NK and LAK cells distinguish a normal cell from a virus-infected or malignant cell? NK and LAK cells have two kinds of receptors on their surface – a killer activating receptor (KAR) and a killer inhibiting receptor (KIR). When the KAR encounters its ligand, a killer activating ligand (KAL) on the target cell the NK or LAK cells are capable of killing the target. However, if the KIR also binds to its ligand then killing is inhibited even if KAR binds to KAL. The ligands for KIR are MHC-class I molecules. Thus, if a target cell expresses class I MHC molecules it will not be killed by NK or LAK cells even if the target also has a KAL which could bind to KAR. Normal cells constitutively express MHC class I molecules on their surface, however, virus infected and malignant cells down regulate expression of class I MHC. Thus, NK and LAK cells selectively kill virus-infected and malignant cells while sparing normal cells.
B. K cells (Figure 14)
Killer (K) cells are not a morphologically distinct type of cell. Rather a K cell is any cell that mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). In ADCC antibody acts as a link to bring the K cell and the target cell together to allow killing to occur. K cells have on their surface an Fc receptor for antibody and thus they can recognize, bind and kill target cells coated with antibody. Killer cells which have Fc receptors include NK, LAK, and macrophages which have an Fc receptor for IgG antibodies and eosinophils which have an Fc receptor for IgE antibodies.
|All components of the non-specific immune system are modulated by products of the specific immune system, such as interleukins, interferon-gamma, antibody, etc.
At this time you should know the following:
1. Differences between the non-specific and specific immune functions
2. Humoral components of the non-specific immune system and their action
3. Cellular components of the non-specific immune function and their action
4. Pathways of intracellular killing of bacteria by phagocytes and their characteristic features
5. Effect of humoral components such as interferon, TNF, IL-2, complement etc. on cellular components of the non-specific immune system
Return to the Immunology Section of Microbiology and Immunology On-line
This page copyright
2011, The
Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina


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Save to My Recipes
Yukon Gold and Fennel Purée with Rosemary Butter
Servings: 8 to 10
- 3 large fresh fennel bulbs (about 2 1/4 pounds total), trimmed, quartered through core, center core trimmed and discarded, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche
PREPARATIONView Step-by-Step Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine fennel, onion, oil, and 1 teaspoon sea salt in large bowl; toss. Spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with pepper. Roast until fennel and onion are very tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer fennel mixture to processor and puree until almost smooth.
Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Cool slightly. Place in large bowl and mash with potato masher until smooth. Mix in fennel purée.
Melt butter with rosemary and 1 teaspoon sea salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir butter mixture into fennel-potato puree. Mix in crème fraîche. Season to taste with more pepper and salt, if desired. DO AHEAD Can be made 6 hours ahead. Transfer puree to large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill. Before serving, microwave on high until heated through, about 4 minutes.
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Camping and picnic food don't need to consist of dried-out potatoes and store-bought macaroni salad. Make dining al fresco fresh again
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Lemon-Herb Turkey with Lemon-Garlic Gravy
Salt-Baked Salmon with Citrus and HerbsIt can be hard to gauge what's happening under all that salt, but these times are accurate. If your fish is on the smaller side, take it out on the lower end of the range. Learn how to make salt-baked salmon in this video.
Norwegian WafflesThese waffles will be much thicker if you're using a standard waffle maker, and will only yield six squares (1 1/2 whole waffles). In either case, cook them well-done so you get crisp edges.
Spinach Gunge
Glazed Chocolate–Crème Fraîche CookiesOtherwise known as the triple-threat chocolate cookie: melted, chopped, and drizzled. You're welcome.
Crème Fraîche Cheesecake with Brown Butter StreuselTextures matter: Baking the cheesecake in a water bath insulates it, so it stays creamy and moist; the crunchy streusel topping adds contrast.


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Isolated errors and mental blunders will happen, but when mistakes occur at the rate the Phillies are committing them this series, and all season long, there's something bigger at play.
The Phillies picked the wrong series to play their sloppiest ball of the season, but the truth of the matter is stupid mistakes have cost them a handful of games this season. Even the wins are never crisp.
Before yesterday's game, GM Pat Gillick acknowledged that fact: "We haven't played smart baseball. We've made some stupid mistakes," he told the Daily News.
The Phils committed three official errors Tuesday and three again yesterday. Officially, there should have been more.
These aren't isolated mistakes from only a few players we're talking about. Over half the starting lineup is guilty of fielding errors, baserunning mistakes, poor pitch selection, and poor situational hitting. We're talking game-destroying, season-crushing mistakes across the board.
If the Phillies are truly the Mets' closest competitor in the NL East, New York should pop the cork right now. They're in a different class.
So what happened to the Phillies? How does a team become stupid? Is it a reflection of the coaching staff? Should Charlie Manuel and crew share the blame for poor preparation, and failing to develop a sense of craft and urgency?
How long will the Phillies sit around and watch man-child Brett Myers make a spectacle of himself? Yesterday, his big mission was to show up an inexperienced catcher and umpire who wasn't calling the game his way. He turned the most critical game of the season into personal playtime, mucking around against the best lineup in the National League. A thinking pitcher, with just a gram of focus, wouldn't throw down the middle to David Wright ahead 0-2 in the count.
It doesn't stop there. Here's a small sampling from the rest of this series. Two missed balls in the outfield yesterday by Bobby Abreu. Both should have been converted to outs. How do you pitch to Endy Chavez, the same, weak fastball hitter who embarrassed himself last year in a Phillies uniform? When is the right time to steal a base? How do you field a chopper at third? How do you respond when calls don't go the way you think they should? Do you throw two high fastballs in a row to Carlos Beltran, a high fastball hitter?
Not enough discipline. Not enough focus. When it gets this bad, one can't help but see it as a reflection of the manager.
This series demanded a focused approach, and the Phillies came unprepared for the fight.


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Chained For Life
81 minutes
Drama / Exploitation
Directed by Harry Fraser
Violet Hilton as Vivian Hamilton
Daisy Hilton as Dorothy Hamilton
Mario Laval as Andre Pariseau
Allen Jenkins as Hinkley
Patricia Wright as Renee
Robert Keys as Defense Attorney
Norval Mitchell as Judge Mitchell
Edna Holland as Mabel
Herbert Lytton as District Attorney
Jack Mulhall as Dr. Thompson
Tony Iavello as a Singer
Campy classic starring real Siamese Twin sisters who sing in a vaudeville show. One of the sisters marries a sharpshooter in the show, and when he deserts her ON their wedding night, the other twin shoots him dead. The twins go on trial and the judge asks the viewers to hand down the verdict.


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Click here to see how easy it was to put together.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Folding Ruler Trees
Click here to see how easy it was to put together.
40 comments:
- The Vintage Farmhouse said...
What a great idea! Cute!
- December 3, 2012 at 7:33 AM
- Maureen said...
Wow, Betsy, those are awesome! I have three folding rulers, but I have as yet not summoned the courage to cut them apart! I shall have to buy one in really terrible condition to use for parts...
I love the way you repurposed the broken mirror!
- December 3, 2012 at 7:34 AM
- Anne said...
Betsy I missed this last year.So glad you are sharing this again! What a cool idea! Whom ever is getting these they are very lucky! So cleaver,cute and cool!
- December 3, 2012 at 7:39 AM
- Peggy said...
What a beautiful way to repurpose that pretty broken mirror. Love how the trees turned out, the background color choices were just right. Now get out and get that tree!
- December 3, 2012 at 7:57 AM
- Carol, The Answer Is Chocolate said...
These are fabulous Betsy.
- December 3, 2012 at 8:42 AM
- Michelle L. said...
Truly ingenious, in that way that makes you think it has always existed. You always manage to make me feel like that!
- December 3, 2012 at 9:42 AM
- marie said...
Love these...the colors are awesome! You think of the best things!!
- December 3, 2012 at 10:05 AM
- Okio B Designs said...
I just love that look!
- December 3, 2012 at 10:06 AM
- Vintage Gypsy said...
Your Christmas trees are really cute! It's too bad that you couldn't replace the mirror on that gorgeous piece but I do like what you did with it, good thinking!
- December 3, 2012 at 10:56 AM
- Marsha @ Tattered Chick said...
I just LOVE them, Betsy!!!!
You are Queen of repurposing!!!
- December 3, 2012 at 11:44 AM
- cebelica said...
Girl, how on earth do you come up with ideas like this? These look amazing!!! Hugs! xx
- December 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM
- Glenda/MidSouth said...
A cute reuse of the mirror tray!!
So on the news all the heavy rains/flooding in Northern CA - Really bad!
- December 3, 2012 at 12:01 PM
- Kathy said...
The lucky recipents are going to be thrilled when they unwrap these treasures. Love the rhinestone bling at the top, of course!
- December 3, 2012 at 12:11 PM
- Olive said...
Betsy, they could not be more charming. xo, olive
- December 3, 2012 at 1:47 PM
- craftyles said...
These are so cute and creative. I could kick myself for not bringing back my Dads yardsticks. Darn!
- December 3, 2012 at 2:03 PM
- Linda @ A La Carte said...
These are just so cute! Love the oval mirror as a frame! Hugs, Linda
- December 3, 2012 at 3:24 PM
- Rosemary@villabarnes said...
Your creations always make me smile, Betsy. These guys are so cute and whimsical. Love them.
- December 3, 2012 at 3:49 PM
- Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...
Fabulous, Betsy! I love each of these adorable trees.
- December 3, 2012 at 3:57 PM
- Kelly @ thelilypadcottage said...
What a sweet idea, so creative!
- December 3, 2012 at 4:12 PM
- Donna Wilkes said...
What a great gift idea if only I could make myself cut up my folding rulers. It is a good way to use up scraps and they do turn out beautiful. I may have to fake it and leave my rulers alone :>)
- December 3, 2012 at 4:15 PM
- Susan said...
That is such a cute idea and I love how it looks in your mirror frame!
- December 3, 2012 at 4:18 PM
- Charm Bracelet Diva said...
Love this idea! And what a gret repurpose of the (broken) mirror frame! Wish I found these locally at our flea markets. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places? Good luck with the tree hunt.
- December 3, 2012 at 7:12 PM
- Into Vintage said...
These are such perfect little tabletop (or wall) Christmas tree and I like that you left the folding hardware on the pieces of ruler. You have such a variety of colors and styles -- I only seem to find white or wood folding rulers.
The little blingy tree topper gives just the right amount of *sparkle.*
- December 3, 2012 at 7:18 PM
- Connie@shabbyforsure said...
Wow, these are so pretty. That mirror is fabulous...Connie
- December 4, 2012 at 3:25 AM
- Susan Hemann said...
Just so creative. You have a lot of creative ideas. Merry Christmas.
- December 4, 2012 at 4:21 AM
- Jean @ www.thebackyardbungalow.com said...
Those are great! What a creative idea. I've seen the large ones made of old moulding, but never though of reducing them. Genius!
- December 4, 2012 at 5:41 AM
- Sherry@Back2Vintage said...
This is a great repurpose of the mirror tray and the folding rulers. Love. It.
- December 4, 2012 at 9:47 AM
- Laurel@chippingwithcharm said...
Love them all...I still remember the one from last year! Probably because I see it all over Pinterest :) Sooo fun!
- December 4, 2012 at 1:37 PM
- ~ Liz ~ said...
I haven't the inner strength to allow myself to cut my folding rulers, but I do so love your trees, especially the one on the cabinet door. They are all so sweet!
- December 4, 2012 at 2:56 PM
- The Polka Dot Closet said...
I love it, you are soooo creative! I never find rulers when I am out! You must be a treasure magnet!
- December 4, 2012 at 6:07 PM
- kitty said...
Betsy, that is such a cute idea! I love it and you did such a wonderful job.
- December 4, 2012 at 6:49 PM
- Faire Notions said...
Love this idea and I got myself a few sticks. Just afraid of making that first cut. And the vanity frame makes for a prefect frame.
Have a fantastic week. Lisa
- December 4, 2012 at 8:55 PM
- το χειρότεχνο said...
great ideas
- December 5, 2012 at 3:22 AM
- Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...
Very cute!!
- December 6, 2012 at 10:09 AM
- Bohemian said...
What a great way to Upcycle anything that has a Visually Appealing surround but has Condition Issues. I often see those Mirrored Trays that Time hasn't been so kind with the fragile sections of, but the Metalwork is always so Lovely that now I will be Inspired to pick them up and make something new out of them! Thanks for the Inspiration. Dawn... The Bohemian
- December 7, 2012 at 5:53 PM
- Sweet Cottage Dreams said...
You are brilliant! Too cute!
- December 9, 2012 at 12:27 PM
- Carlene @ Organized Clutter said...
Just awesome. Love the ruler trees.
- December 10, 2012 at 3:25 PM
- must love junk said...
These are some of the cutest things I've seen!! I love them all! :)
- December 10, 2012 at 7:11 PM
- Jessica W said...
These are amazing! Thanks for sharing your talent with us.
- December 10, 2012 at 7:51 PM
- ~Lavender Dreamer~ said...
I love what you did with the mirror! I saw that it was featured, too...I recognized it!
- December 11, 2012 at 5:44 PM


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Don't just pin it on Twain, Shaw or Churchill.By Fred R. ShapiroOne of the fundamental tools of the public speaker is the quotation. When we quote a famous writer, we borrow the eloquence, insight and wit of a brilliant wordsmith and enhance the credibility of our own points by associating them with the luster of the writer's name. If we get the quotation right, that is, credit it to the correct author, those people in our audience who already know the quote nod their heads in appreciation. Ernest Hemingway (here I'm using the technique of literary quotation myself) wrote: The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. Similarly, if we use a quotation without proper attribution to the author who originated it, our speech has a hollowness that some listeners will sense consciously or unconsciously. But giving the right source for your quotes will fill your speech with additional strength and resonance. How do you find the right source of a quotation? Many will say the Internet is the place to turn, but this is far from the truth. The Internet is teeming with millions of quotations, but few are attributed correctly, or even attributed at all. Authoritative quotation books are the only sure guide to tracing quotations to their creators. The three best quotation books are: the recently published Yale Book of Quotations, the older Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. If you rely on the Internet or the popular, word-of-mouth knowledge you vaguely remember, then you will end up attributing almost all quotations to a few people: Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, George Bernard Shaw, Abraham Lincoln, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill or Albert Einstein. These individuals are "quote magnets" – any quotation with a questionable origin gets attached to their names. Attributing a saying to Mark Twain without confirming it makes a "hollow place" in your speech, because what you are really doing is confessing that you have no idea where this came from and you are tacking on "Mark Twain" for lack of a real source that would enhance your credibility. An authoritative quotation book supplies the real sources and thus the credibility enhancement for your speech. Here are some concrete examples of how the Yale Book of Quotations corrects the popular "pin it on Twain" kind of attribution: It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubts. – Benedict J. Goltra This is commonly credited to Abraham Lincoln, but it does not appear in Lincoln's writings, speeches or contemporary accounts. ∞∞∞ He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men, and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory is a benediction. – Bessie A. Stanley This is often said to be by Ralph Waldo Emerson and titled "Success." In fact, it was written in 1905 by Stanley and was the first-prize winner in a contest sponsored by the magazine Modern Women. ∞∞∞ The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. – John F. Kennedy, Speech, Tulsa, Okla., Sept. 16, 1959 Kennedy attributed these words to Dante, but no passage in Dante matches them, so the quotation belongs to Kennedy rather than the poet. ∞∞∞ We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. – Richard Penn This remark is usually ascribed to Benjamin Franklin upon the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but Franklin biographer Carl Van Doren regards it as not an authentic Franklinism. ∞∞∞ An eye for an eye ends in making everybody blind. – Louis Fischer, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" is frequently attributed to M. K. Gandhi, but no example of its use by the Indian leader has ever been discovered. ∞∞∞ I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. – S. G. Tallentyre, The Friends of Voltaire Many reference works treat this as a quotation by Voltaire, but that is erroneous; it was a paraphrase by Tallentyre of Voltaire's attitude, and does not appear anywhere in Voltaire's writings. ∞∞∞ I can't tell a lie, Pa, you know I can't tell a lie, I did cut it with my hatchet. – Parson Weems, The Life of George Washington This remark is apocryphal, invented by Weems and put into Washington's mouth in the former's biography. ∞∞∞ War is hell. – Napoleon The attribution to Napoleon predates William Tecumseh Sherman's usage of these words by more than twenty years; even then, Sherman did not use this exact wording. ∞∞∞ Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it! – William Hutchinson Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition. Although widely attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, these lines appear to be at best a paraphrase of Goethe's Faust. ∞∞∞ 1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. 2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. 3. You cannot help small men up by tearing down big men. 4. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. 5. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. 6. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. 7. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. 8. You cannot establish sound social security on borrowed money. 9. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence. 10. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. – William J. H. Boetcker, The Industrial Decalogue These "ten cannots" are frequently, but falsely, attributed to Abraham Lincoln. ∞∞∞ The young people no longer obey the old. The laws that ruled their fathers are trampled underfoot. They seek only their own pleasure and have no respect for religion. They dress indecently and their talk is full of impudence. – Guy Endore, The Werewolf of Paris This is "the Socrates quote," which in various wordings attributes to Socrates a denunciation of the corrupt youth of his day. No one has found an authentic classical source for this, and it is undoubtedly a modern invention by Endore. ∞∞∞Comic television newsman Stephen Colbert has coined the word "truthiness" to describe the contemporary tendency to base our statements on gut instincts rather than actual evidence or facts. Quoting Mark Twain without verifying the reference in an authoritative quotation dictionary is "truthiness," not truth. Your listeners may swallow the spurious attribution, or they may sense your lack of credibility, resulting in your losing their trust. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time." Or was that Denis Diderot? Check out page 204 of the Yale Book of Quotations to find out for sure. Fred R. Shapiro is a librarian and lecturer in legal research at Yale Law School and editor of the recently published Yale Book of Quotations.
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Pittman Appointed Acting Inspections and Permits Director
Pittman Appointed Acting Inspections and Permits Director
Served in position before
Annapolis (February 4, 2013) - Acting County Executive John R. Hammond today named Jim Pittman as Acting Director of Inspections and Permits.
"Jim Pittman is an outstanding manager and brings experience to the Department of Inspections and Permits," Acting County Executive Hammond said. "Our focus now becomes finding a permanent director to lead the department."
Pittman comes from the Department of Public Works, where he served as Deputy Director for Waste Management Services. He previously served in an acting role as Director of Inspections and Permits in 2001.
Dan Kane, Director of the Permit Application Center, served the lead role in the department for the last six months, the maximum allowable time under the County Charter.
"I want to thank Dan Kane for serving as Acting Director of Inspections and Permits for the past six months," Hammond said. "He has performed admirably and I greatly appreciate his willingness to do the job."
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Indian star's pro-Pakistan views may start riots
Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan refuses to retract remarks despite threatened violence
Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, one of the biggest movie stars in the world and a Muslim, is refusing to back down on comments he made which have angered hard-line Hindus across India – despite the possibility of violence and rioting when his new film premieres in hundreds of cinemas next week.
Khan, dubbed one of the 50 most influential people in the world by the US Newsweek magazine, said last week how sad he was that none of the cricket teams in the Indian Premier League (the IPL) had bought Pakistani players for the new season. The multi-millionaire actor and TV presenter also co-owns an IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders.
But Khan's mild suggestion that (Muslim) Pakistanis should be welcome to play cricket in (Hindu) India was enough to enrage the Shiv Sena party, a right-wing group with a reputation for demonstrations which end in violence and rioting. Now Shiv Sena say they will attack cinemas showing Khan's latest film, My Name is Khan, when it opens on February 12 to a first-night audience of hundreds of thousands, if the star doesn't back down.
Khan's hugely popluar films – 2007's Om Shanti Om was the highest-grossing Bollywood movie ever made on its initial release – are watched by Muslims around the world, in addition to their more usual massive Hindu audience. Khan has a reputation for making secular films in which love triumphs over bigotry, and is himself married to a Hindu woman - he has said that his children are being brought up to respect both religions.
Now the actor, whose parents were born in what is now Pakistan but moved to modern-day India before partition, has come out fighting, using micro-blogging site Twitter to defend his views. He wrote: "Should I retract the fact that I am an Indian? Should I retract what my freedom fighter father taught me?
"What did I say that was wrong? All I said was that I wanted people to come to my country."
Indian media pundits have been surprised by how little public support Khan has received from his fellow Bollywood stars, with only his rival heart-throb Aamir Khan standing by him. The pair were quickly dubbed '2 Idiots' by Shiv Shena, a reference to Aamir Khan's 2009 comedy 3 Idiots.
Shiv Sena members, objecting to what they see as assaults on traditional culture, have in the past attacked shops selling gifts for Valentnie's Day. Twelve years ago they attacked cinemas showing a film with a lesbian theme, and yesterday they threatened to repeat that action. ·


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by The Tennessean
view bio »
view bio »
James Biery, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, looks over the 1938 BMW 320 vintage car that he was able to "rent" and will be driving during the Third Annual Rally for the Lane along scenic roads to Columbia, TN and back to the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Saturday Spet. 29, 2012. The fundraiser was established to help raise money to help maintain, own and restore the cars in the over 300 collection of vintage and classic cars at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville.
Photo by The Tennessean /Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Vintage car fanatics got a chance to drive their dream car down scenic roads, like the Natchez Trace, on Saturday during the Third annual Rally for the Lane fundraiser event for the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville.
Classic car enthusiasts were allowed to "rent" a vehicle from the collection of vintage cars at the Lane Motor Museum and drive that car to Columbia, TN and back, helping raise money for the museum.
The drivers will stop for lunch at at the Mt. Pleasant Grille before heading back to the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville for a behind the scenes look at their rarely-seen collection of cars in the basement of the museum.


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Written by D.F. Karppi Friday, 27 January 2012 00:00
Raynham Hall and the Oyster Bay chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution are hosting the 20th annual Great Presidents Contest, being held at the historic museum at 20 West Main Street. Entries are due by Wednesday, Feb. 1 by 5 p.m. Only one entry per person. The reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. All contestants and their parents and teachers are invited to attend a reception including an awards ceremony at Raynham Hall Museum, 20 West Main Street, Oyster Bay.
Winning entries will be on display at the museum from Feb. 17 through March 1, and will be available to be picked up beginning March 5.
All entries not picked up by March 12 will be disposed of unless prior arrangements have been made with the museum.
The writing contest is open to all students in grades 2 through 6, writing an original essay about their favorite U.S. President and why they chose him. The contest originally centered around Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln – as the two presidents most closely connected to Raynham Hall Museum, which features a Colonial and Victorian section. Additionally, RHM owns an original George Washington letter and a set of his wooden false teeth.
It was then suggested that in Oyster Bay, there is another worthy President, local resident Theodore Roosevelt. As a result, the contest has opened up to the student's favorite president.
Harriet Gerard Clark, RHM director, said "I just think it is good for people to have more choices and it gives us more of a variety to read. Having a choice also gives the kids the opportunity to go more in-depth for their learning. The contest is different every year to get more people involved."
Contest winners will be notified on or around Feb. 10.
Each grade will have one winner and one runner-up who will both receive prizes courtesy of the contest's sponsors. The contest is sponsored by Raynham Hall Museum and the Oyster Bay Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The DAR group meets monthly at Raynham Hall Museum, a fitting location for the women whose ancestors fought on the side of the revolution.
Work will be judged on content, creativity, adherence to guidelines, historical accuracy and correct grammatical usage. The panel of judges includes Ms. Clark, Phil Blocklyn, director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society, and Franklin Hill Perrell, director of the Roslyn Landmark Society.
She said, "We get about 200 to 250 entries and we narrow the number down to the top 50 and then the judges pick the winners and runners-up in each grade. In all, a total of 10 prizes will be given out." Locust Valley Central School District and Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District students take the contest seriously as part of their history work and annually take part in the contest.