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Twenty-five. A quarter of a century. It feels scary. It happens, I guess.
There are things that I struggle to fully understand, like the passing of time, or the fact that people born in the same period have very many things in common. I keep thinking that I don't believe in horoscopes, but maybe I should. It would be the easiest answer, and sometimes, too much thinking doesn't help.
What also happens is that I didn't want cake this year. What I was wishing for, was just a day off to have a cozy, lazy birthday breakfast, my favorite breakfast. Pancakes.
Someone born in the same period, with a common passion, had the same wish for her special day. To make this connection even more clear, this morning, searching for a pancake recipe in my Pinterest board, I saw the ricotta lemon one, and thought that was it, that was what I wanted. Turned out it was hers, too. Happens.
I took a while blowing my candle, indecisive on what was my very first wish for the year to come --so many hopes and desires. I finally found one, a big one, because well, I don't want to be modest, at least not today.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, ricotta, milk and lemon zest. In a small bowl, mix flours, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and whisk to combine. Heat a non-stick frying pan and melt coconut oil. When hot, add 2 spoonfuls of the batter and fry on one side until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake. Flip with a spatula and fry for 15-20 seconds on the other side. Repeat until the batter is finished. Top with blackberries and maple syrup and serve immediately.


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SBE To Stream 2010 Membership Meeting
Middleton, WI - Oct 6, 2010 - The Society of Broadcast Engineers will hold its annual meeting in Middleton, WI, Oct. 26-28, 2010, during the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic.
The SBE Membership Meeting will be held at 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 27, and will be streamed live. The one-hour meeting will include brief reports from the national secretary, treasurer, and president and updates on the Society's activities. The meeting will conclude with the induction of the newly elected directors and officers who will serve for the following 12 months.
To view the meeting, go to the SBE website and click on the "SBE Annual Membership Meeting" icon on the home page, which will be posted by Oct. 15, 2010. The meeting will also be archived on the SBE website for later viewing.
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Increased Utilization of Organically-Grown Foods
In the past fifteen years, the growth of organic food sector has increased enough to be considered mainstream. In the early 1990s you could possibly only locate organic produce in a few high end type grocery stores, but today most supermarkets have an area in their stores that is specifically designated as organic. Not simply have organic goods become more available, but with more people buying them, they have also come to be more affordable. More organic goods are being purchased by the general population, and this is creating more awareness, and this is good for the environment as well as production of even more organic products.
As more people start to see the advantages of eating organic foods, there'll be a higher demand and higher production requirements in the near future. Organic products will probably continue to become popular as they become more accessible and production increases. Revenue for organic foods in the 1990's increased 20% each year until they hit $9 billion in the early part of the 21st century. Today, approximately 70% of American consumers purchase some form of organic food.
Everything shows that organic food cultivation will continue to progress, which is great for our well-being and our environment. It had been only 15 years ago that a lot of people had little idea what organic food meant. These days, when nearly all people who see a label with organic and natural on it, know what it means, and that is that it has been grown without hormone supplements, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. Organic growing is more than simply substituting natural content for synthetics is a system of growing good food, within the boundaries of nature. It does not matter if this is done inside your backyard garden, or is done on a larger scale by the organic farmer.
The beginning of the procedure is to use healthy soil that should produce healthy plants, which are resistant to disease and pests, naturally. Organic is better due to the fact continuous soil improvements are the ways that organic gardeners are oriented towards disease prevention, rather than using chemicals the way conventional growers cure disease. Long-term soil building compared to the chemical quick-fix approach is the difference in attitudes between the two groups. The long-term strategy has immediate benefits, because the place they grow the food is never off-limits to the organic gardener. With toxic chemical pesticide sprays, people need to avoid the growing area for a required safety period. The regional water sources will never be contaminated with synthetics, by the organic gardeners.
The organic and natural system uses safety and personal health as a motivational factor, because they live where they grow the food. Organic food techniques are sustainable so they are a benefit to everyone, especially because it respects the natural environment.
perfect golf grip build your own cat tree kidney failure treatment


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Brian Bonsall, former Family Ties child star, pleads guilty, gets work release, community service, probation
The latest legal chapter in the up-and-down life of Brian Bonsall, former child star and Family Ties cast member, has been closed.Three faces of Brian Bonsall that "Family Ties" fans never could have imagined.
As the Boulder Daily Camera reports, Bonsall pleaded guilty to felony menacing and third-degree assault. In exchange, he's been sentenced to forty hours of community service, five days in work release and two years' probation. He may also participate in Boulder County's integrated treatment court as a way to deal with his substance abuse issues.
If these efforts work as everyone hopes, Bonsall won't get a chance to add to the sterling photos above, which gained him entry into our Busted Former Child Star Mug Shot Hall of Fame. We suspect it's a sacrifice he'd be willing to make. Check out photos of Shia Labeouf, Lindsay Lohan and other honorees below:
Macaulay Culkin, who can now be left "Home Alone."
David Faustino, of "Married With Children" fame.
Danielle Fishel, former cast member of "Boy Meets World."
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Photo Courtesy of The 11th Annual L.A. River Ride
The 11th Annual L.A. River Ride
The 11th Annual L.A. River Ride posterBy Amelia Waiz
The 11th Annual L.A. River Ride is happening this Sunday, June 5th. The day-long event will feature rides for every age and skill level. All cyclists are invited to participate.
"One Tree Hill" star, Austin Nichols will Grand Marshal the ride and The Los Angeles Country Bicycle Coalition will be the host. The proceeds from this fundraising event will be put toward making Los Angeles Country more bike-friendly.
There will be 100 mile, 70 mile, 50 mile, 36 mile and 15 mile rides. There will also be an All Kids Ride to introduce young children to bike safety through fun activities. All the rides will start and finish at The Autry Center.
For more information on the rides or to register visit: la-bike.org


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If you're having trouble viewing this, click here. |
Is "You Are What You Eat" True For Pets? Although the United States Food and Drug Administration responsible for pet food regulations has taken some measures toward improving tracking and response methods during the past pet food safety crisis, legislation to enforce stricter standards for ingredient testing and food quality is still in the works. All ingredient listings are regulated and defined by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). AAFCO is an independent corporation that aids industry and government representatives in setting the standards for the animal feed industry. Although pet foods are not required by law to follow AAFCO standards, most do and will state this on their label. What You should Look For in a High Quality Food Protein should be listed by name, such as chicken, beef, salmon, lamb, etc., and a generic term "meat" or "meat by-products." The same standard should be used when looking at the source of fat. Avoid generic listings such as vegetable oil, animal fat, or poultry fat. Avoid foods with artificial preservatives such as BHA/BHT or ethoxyquin. High-quality foods use natural preservatives such as mixed tocopherols, vitamin C sources such as ascorbic acid, rosemary extract, and other herbs or antioxidants.
A sure way to evaluate your pet's overall health is by observing his coat. A lackluster coat should be considered a warning sign that nutritional needs aren't being met. Another way is to take note of energy levels. A fatigued pet is hardly healthy and one of the causes could be insufficient nutrients in his food. Natural remedies are a safe alternative to help support your pet's health. Spirulina, for example, can be used in pets to support energy, immune system and liver functioning, as well as overall systemic health. Dandelion is known to contain bitter principles, which have a beneficial effect on the liver and digestive system. Dandelion is also a source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, D, C, various B vitamins, iron, lecithin, silicon, potassium, magnesium, zinc and manganese. Keeping these key factors in mind will be of great help when looking at different pet foods for your companion. And although paying a little extra for natural supplements and high-quality organic foods might seem like a lot, it will save most likely save you money in veterinary bills in the long-term—and most importantly, provide your pet with the priceless gifts of health and vitality.
Ask Our Experts
As always, we hope you have enjoyed our newsletter. If you have any feedback or suggestions, you can submit them using our Feedback form. You can also contact us via email at email@example.com, via phone at 1-877-289-1235 (Toll Free in the USA) or at +1.253.620.4542, or via fax at +1.928.832.4552. Feel free to contact us if you have a question, to place an order, or to become a Native Remedies Affiliate or Distributor. Note: We do not share our mailing list or customer information with anyone - your information is totally secure with us! Copyright © 1997-2009 Native Remedies, LLC. All rights reserved. The material in this newsletter and on our site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Native Remedies LLC. Native Remedies is a trademark belonging to Native Remedies LLC. The statements regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You are receiving this newsletter as a PetAlive customer and/or newsletter subscriber. |


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Major Explosion in Oslo - Pm's office destroyed
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August 25th, 2012, 17:30
That post didnt make much sense at all in the context of Breivik and Europe. Do not try to apply US labels and issues to events on this side of the pond.
Read his ramblings or a summary of those. He claims that Europe is about to be taken over by the muslim hordes, that this takeover is facilitated by conspiracy and/or omission by cultural marxists, certain types of liberals (a word with a different meaning in the US, your "liberals" correspond to social democrats), and feminists. He self identifies himself as a "national conservative".
He is not against welfare but against "islamisation" of Europe, which is a widespread theme among anti-immigration political parties who as far as they can be cathegorised are lumped together under a "far right" label (they tend to have their roots either in extreme libertarianism, reactionary catholicism, or neo-nazism depending on the country). These parties do tend to attract working class voters and thus take voters from the left, but that doesnt make the parties leftist (their policies tend to mix various "tough on-" stances with lower taxes AND welfare statism).
Of course Breivik takes this much further by wanting to wipe out the future leaders of the social democrats, but his underlying world view is sadly not THAT uncommon and mostly shared by PARTIES that usually are labelled far right.
EDIT: I am a rightwinger myself in some sense (maybe a "moderate libertarian" in US terms), but I dont have a problem with using the far right label to describe nutters like Breivik. One can argue that the left-right axis is inadequate for actually representing multi-dimensional political matters, but it's what we have and it is a Quixotic endeavour to challenge established terminology.
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Public Health News Roundup: May 30
Federal Agencies Issue Final Rules on Workplace Wellness Programs Under the Affordable Care Act
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury have issued final rules on employment-based wellness programs under the Affordable Care Act. Starting in 2014, the rules will allow companies to reward employees who participate in the programs by reducing their health insurance premiums up to 30 percent—up ten percent from current rules. Incentives for smoking cessation can be even higher. And employers can increase premiums for employees who don't participate in workplace programs or don't meet certain benchmarks. However, the rules require companies to provide "reasonable alternatives" to employees who can't meet health benchmarks but still want the discounts. They also allow workers to involve their physicians to help tailor programs with their employers. "These rules will help ensure that wellness programs are designed to actually promote wellness, and that they are not just used as a back-door way to shift health-care costs to those struggling with health problems," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a health advocacy group. Read more on prevention.
CDC: 20 Percent of U.S. Adults Visited ERs in a Year
Approximately one in five U.S. adults took at least one trip to an emergency department over the past year, according to a new comprehensive government report based on a survey conducted in 2011. Health, United States, 2012 compiled health data from federal health agencies, state health agencies and the private sector and includes a wide array of U.S. health data. Among the other findings are the fact that 7 percent of people reported at least two emergency department visits, cold symptoms were the most common reason for emergency visits by children and people up to age 64 with Medicaid coverage were the most likely to visit emergency department. The full U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report is available here. Read more on access to health care.
Study: ADHD Drugs Don't Increase the Risk of Adulthood Addiction
Taking medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during youth does not increase the risk of adulthood addiction to substances such as alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and nicotine, according to a new study in JAMA Psychiatry. There has been debate over the issue for years in the medical community, with studies reaching different conclusions. "Our study provides an important update to clinicians," said study author Kathryn Humphreys, a doctoral student in psychology at University of California, Los Angeles. "Particularly for those who are concerned that stimulant medication is a 'gateway' drug or increases the risk for later substance use, there is no evidence at the group level for this hypothesis." Stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall are commonly used to treat ADHD. Read more on prescription drugs.


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Contents tagged with MVC
Testing WebAPI with Fiddler
I was wanting to test some WebAPI Methods via Fiddler so that I could all be working on one machine, debug, and make sure that everything is working. Here is what my fiddler setup looks like:
ASP.NET Podcast Show #121 - Phil Haack with an ASP.NET MVC Demo - Video
ASP.NET Podcast Show #106 - Phil Haack on ASP.NET MVC
Subscribe <-- Everybody's doing it
ASP.NET Podcast Show #104 - ASP.NET MVC with Jeff Palermo - Audio
Show Notes:
- Visual Studio 2008 RTM.
- Jeff Palermo's article on MVC.
- Scott Guthrie on MVC at ALT.NET Conference.
- ALT.NET list.


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The 25 Best-Selling Air Jordans
Cozy Cocktails to Warm Your Fall
Nine Workout Apps for a Variety of Fitness Goals
Beverly Hills Mansion Built on Spec, Sale Price: $85 Million
Office Art: Nine Websites for Affordable Prints
U.S. Motorcycle Maker Takes an Indian Detour
Just like the separation between church and state, there is an implied separation between the corporate work environment and e-mails containing salacious personal information or off-color jokes. There's even an acronym for it: NSFW (Not Safe for Work). Paradoxically, the most scandalous NSFW e-mails always seem to end up making the rounds at work anyway. And some of them are so spectacularly awful, so staggeringly unprofessional and inappropriate, that they transcend office gossip and become international phenomena. Here are just a few of our favorite NSFW train wrecks from the last decade.
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Since the release of their triumphant sophomore album, 2007's Cryptograms, Atlanta's Deerhunter have produced a pretty vast catalog that's been both unpredictable and consistently great to an almost…   Read Story »
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In his beautiful eulogy for My Chemical Romance, Grantland's Andy Greenwald made much of that band's outsize ambition, and lamented the general dissolution of such ambition among other rock bands of…   Read Story »
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On "Raging Lung," a little more than halfway through the Knife's gargantuan new album Shaking The Habitual, a few familiar words show up: "What a difference, what a difference a little difference…   Read Story »
Apr 3rd, 2013 25 Comments
The first time the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played Baltimore, they played first on a four-band Ottobar bill, one headlined by skronk-punk out-of-towners Milemarker and Arab On Radar. The only locals on the…   Read Story »
Mar 28th, 2013 50 Comments
Is Tyler, The Creator really all that famous? I'm not sure that he is. He's internet-famous, certainly, and underground-popular, but he's not Jennifer Aniston. To hear Tyler himself tell it on Wolf,…   Read Story »
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At SXSW, they give you all these bracelets everywhere you go -- indicating you've got clearance to enter different venues or VIP sections or whatever -- and you can't really take any of them off…   Read Story »
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Four and a half years ago, I was working at a startup music website that never ended up launching; the parent company decided that it wasn't worth the investment and laid all of us off. But for…   Read Story »
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Jan 21st, 2013 10 Comments
Perhaps the most ambitious amateur music-archiving project on the internet is Jeff Glenn's Lost Jukebox series. Glenn, a musician and collector who died in 2009, put together 240 CD-Rs containing…   Read Story »


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>>> We've Moved - Blippitt Is Now Viral Video Box <<<
While we wait for the start of another NBA season, the league's official YouTube channel has been churning out some great videos.
Case in point – below are the top 10 basketball bloopers from the past year.
Botched dunks, whiffed high-fives, and much much more await you below.
>>> Love viral videos? Check out our new site...Viral Video Box <<<


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(email@example.com) on Sat, Sep 15, 01 at 18:40
I would like to know of a low fat cook book that uses no red meat, thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by Alex(email@example.com) onMon, Sep 17, 01 at 16:24
Go out and find Dr. Dean Ornish's "Eat More Weigh Less." The recipe section if fabulous. No red meat and very low fat. The health information is outstanding too. |
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text: "The hallmark of the Firm is its dedication to the higher calling, that is, the lawyer's obligation to assume an active role in the pursuit of a just and ordered society, in helping to solve the emerging problems of social, economic and political importance and to serve the public as his or her client, as she or he would serve a full-paying client."Bernard G. Segal, a founding partner of the Firm."I firmly believe that all lawyers have a duty to see to it that all professional colleagues pursue the goals of truth, fairness, civility and professionalism, and to engage meaningfully in public service as you define it from your own moral, religious or cultural code."Ralph G. Wellington, who served as Chairman of the Firm from 1998 to 2010, in a speech he gave to University of Michigan law students.From the time Schnader Harrison was founded in 1935 to today, one of the most distinguishing features of the Firm has been our commitment to pro bono and public service. Pro bono service is an integral part of our Firm heritage, and is reflected today in landmark litigation cases, in our leadership roles throughout the Firm's resident communities, in the media, in the experiences that our associates have had, and in the awards and recognition that our lawyers have received, on both a local and national level.Our commitment to pro bono is integral to the fabric of the Firm, and is institutionalized in a variety of ways, including:10% of Time Credit. We allow any lawyer in the Firm to receive full credit toward his or her work expectations for matters devoted to pro bono, up to 10 percent of fee hours billed each year. For example, an associate billing 1,800 hours to fee matters in a given year may include up to 180 hours of pro bono time in meeting the billable hour goal. Pro bono service is regarded as a favorable factor in partnership evaluations. 3% ABA Commitment. As a Firm, we are a Signatory of the Pro Bono Institute Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge. As a Signatory of the Challenge, we pledge to devote at least 3 percent of our time on an annual basis to pro bono matters. This is the actual provision of legal services to the indigent, the disadvantaged, the needy, and the incarcerated, without compensation. This does not include serving on nonprofit boards, participating in bar associations, and being involved in our communities - all of which we also do. Caton Village. Several years ago, we took on supporting a halfway house for women recovering from substance abuse and their children. This home, called Caton Village, has become part of our Firm family. Adoption of Caton Village was driven by both lawyers, who operate a monthly legal clinic, and staff, who conduct educational and social activities with the mothers and children. Our continued involvement with Caton Village is motivated by the public service ethic we have established in the Firm.Earl G. Harrison Pro Bono Award. Yet another way of institutionalizing our pro bono commitment is that we annually honor someone with the Earl G. Harrison Pro Bono Award. This award is presented at a major Firm event each year. We are very proud of our pro bono record, and we encourage you to read on!


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...if a visitor is allowed to bring a dog into a NO-PET building in NYC?
My nextdoor neighbor's friend has been bringing a very large pitbull into the building. Our front doors are 6 inches from each other. I'm not pleased. He's also been keeping the pit a few nights a week, I just found out from the Super (who has okayed it -- meaning, the 3 months are going to pass that allow a waiver). Does anyone know what the rules are for visitors/guests and dogs in a NO-PET building? Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
From what I understand, the no-pet clause is something in your lease, not a law created by the city or state. Which means that the landlord can change things if he/she so desires. The rules are going to be whatever the landlord decides. I'd say that if you want the entire building to remain pet-free, you need to complain long and loud to the super and the landlord and anyone else you can find who has any influence in the matter. If you were allergic to dogs and could prove that was why you rented in a no pet building, that would help your case. If you just don't like dogs, or this dog in particular, well, it seems that if the landlord okays the dog, you have to choice to either accept it or move. Sorry that that's the case. The one thing I could find says that if the landlord does not do anything to remove the pet from the building for three months, the pet is allowed to stay. So there's a limited window of opportunity for the landlord to act. In fact, there seem to be laws protecting pets in apartments, but none to prevent them from being there. |
- Posted by moonshadow (My Page) on Fri, Sep 3, 10 at 9:42
I have not googled NYC landlord tenant laws (believe they have some separate laws from NY state). But I have a no-pets policy and that means no pets, period. Not even visitors or pet-sitting for someone. (Had a tenant pet sit once, and it caused problems, older dog, strange environment = accidents.) I feel bad as a pet owner, but at a LL, there are problems on so many levels it's just not worth it anymore. Allergic reaction/asthma in subsequent occupant (that's happened, had to yank & replace flooring), pet damage (that's happened), liability if a dog bites (that has not happened but I would so not want to get dragged into something like that). Have you contacted the LL in writing? I'm not familiar with how much power supers have over buildings, but unless he's been given authority or power of attorney, this is a situation the LL might appreciate being made aware of and want to have final say so on the matter. There's a reason it's a No Pets building. |
- Posted by galleycook (My Page) on Mon, Sep 6, 10 at 7:11
Just posting to confirm the above - this doesn't fall within the jurisdiction of NYC. Did you express your discomfort with the neighbor (first) and the super (second)? If you have spoken to both parties and they aren't respecting your request, then I'd follow moonshadow's advice and escalate it to the LL. I'd speak to the LL first and then, if that doesn't work, I'd write a letter to the LL and send it registered. As long as your lease says no-pets in the building and doesn't qualify that statement (i.e. that the LL or super can make exceptions on a case-by-case basis), your neighbor's arrangement is a violation of the lease so the LL will have to get rid of the dog. |
- Posted by talley_sue_nyc (My Page) on Thu, Sep 9, 10 at 10:44
The NYC Pet Laws affect or restrict *landlords*--they mean that if a landlord allows someone to have a pet in violation of the lease, then the landlord can't enforce that lease. In your situation, the landlord's "no pets" clause is endangered, especially because his agent (the super) is very aware of the pet. So I'd say, contact your landlord directly and say, "Did you know this guy is bringing his friend's pet in? And letting him stay overnight? And the super is allowing it? And did you realize that if you don't do anything about it, that this means every other tenant in the building is going to be able, legally, to have a pet, and you won't be able to do anything about it? |
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text: At the crux of reproductive justice is the right of women to decide if and when to have children. As such, reproductive justice encompasses issues, practices, and policies related to reproduction, contraception, sterilization, sexual identity and family creation, as well as meanings and experiences of motherhood. In the 1870s the Comstock Laws ushered in a new era in which the state sought to control women's access to birth control methods. In response, women struggled legally, socially, and culturally to control their own reproductive bodies. Over time, these struggles have been deeply stratified depending on a woman's position and identity in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality, socio-economic status, and disability.


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Toy R Us 1/2 Price Sale
Posted by fuelbreak,Toys R Us, Canada, is having a 1/2 price sale starting Friday November 25 through Thursday December 1st on the Snow Trooper Battle Pack (8083) and the Rebel Trooper Battle Pack (8084). At $7.47 each, it's an easy buy for anyone building a hoth MOC.
My flyer says the sale can be store specific, so please check your own local flyer.
Don't forget that TRU (Can) is also listing Portal of Atlantis for HALF PRICE:
I knew about these sales ahead of time since I have inside help... though I'm sworn to secrecy! I popped in my local TRU branch and picked up 3 Rebel Trooper BPs (which there were dozens of!!!) and the last 5 Snow Troop BPs. Of course, having eyed the set for a while, I couldn't stop myself from purchasing the the big Atlantis set.
Getting 50% off plus an emloyee discount means one "heck" of a saving... although my folks still weren't too happy about it!
My biggest surprise was finding TRU had the Star Wars Advent calander for $29.99 at the black Friday sale (here in the states)
In Canada: both the City and Starwars advent calendars had been moved to clearance; which amounts to a $10 savings respectively. I noticed this early shift a day or two BEFORE the current flyer "black Friday" deals.
Given all the other deals there were only a few parents who happened to pick an advent calendar off the shelf... so even a few days after the price adjustment, I'd imgine someone's local TRU would still have some of each.
I'm actually quite happy with TRU's recent deals. It was only last week that they'd thrown 8899 Gator Swamp on for half price too! Pfffft, todays spendings (sets listed in my first post) only came to around $107 after taxes!!!
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Your search "museums" resulted in 11 Articles
The Calouste Gulbenkian Garden in Black And White
The Calouste Gulbenkian Garden in Lisbon is not only a great place to spend those sunny afternoons, it is also the perfect place to take that camera you have just loaded with a B&W film. Read on to know more about this beautiful place. -
The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art in New York is arguably the most famous modern art museum in the world. -
Metropolitan Museum of Art
One of New York's greatest resources is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. -
The MoMA Sculpture Garden
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden is one of MoMA's best features. -
Local Flavor: the City of Constanta
Constanta is one of the most important cities in Romania. It has a population of approximately 310,000 inhabitants, it hosts the biggest port of the Black Sea and the largest seaside resort in Romania. Constanta is my hometown and is the most impressive during the summer! Its the time when the colors of the city really shine and Constanta immediately comes to life. -
The Pompidou
The Pompidou Center in Paris' 4th arrondissement is one of the best museums in one of the craziest buildings ever built. -
Flea Market at the Museumsufer in Frankfurt
The flea market in Frankfurt, along the Main river is particularly worth a visit in the summer. -
A Tourist's Guide to Oslo
A brilliant sculpture on every street and mind-blowing museums make Oslo a beautiful and historic city to visit. However, how do you afford to see everything that Oslo has to offer, in the most expensive city in the world? Put together by an impoverished student, this guide proves that you can experience the wonders of Oslo without stretching your wallet. Behold the wonders of the Norwegian capital. -
Parc du Cinquentenaire
Beautiful park in the heart of Brussels, where you can go for read a book, take a walk or why not drink a few beers. -
Fort San Pedro (Cebu City)
Fuerza De San Pedro is a military defense structure, built by Spanish Miguel López de Legazpi and the Spanish Government in Cebu. -
Greenwich London
This is a really nice spot in London. There are lovely buildings and great views of the whole of London if you walk to the observatory. There are also museums to keep you entertained to! Because of this there are lots of tourists which is good for candid shots and there are pretty good shops and facilities. It is really easy to get to either by train, bus or even the river!


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3. Secret Spots in Pt. Reyes
West Marin has it all: stunning beaches, incredible restaurants, and hiking trails for the perfect fall getaway. Here are a few hidden places you might want to check out the next time you head north on Highway One.
Click here for the full article.


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Lucas Cheadle is a first-class sabi a.d.
he came aboard white knuckles early in our casting process, and though he's a natural born musician (bass) he is also an a.d. that creates the perfect vibrations on set – as he certainly did with White Knuckles.
it's important in dramatic improvisation for the actors to have the support they need while working with the director, and vice-versa. Lucas was the glue that held the relationship together. Lucas ran the set in a manner that was conducive to creative dialogue both on camera between the actors, and off camera between the filmmakers.
He's always 'cool' approach to everything reminds me of many of the qualities of the best A.D. in the business (in my opinion) David Webb. Lucas filled many more roles that simply A.D. and if you look closely, he also makes a brief appearance in the film.
Would love to hear others thoughts and memories about Lucas Cheadle A.D. extraordinaire.


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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Writing creatively can have a therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers, according to memory studies. These studies suggest that trying new forms of mental activity in general, and the telling – or writing – of stories in particular, can help both the patients and those who care for them.
Director of News firstname.lastname@example.com (cell)


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Home | Book Excerpts | Software | Research Papers | Store | Contact | Discussion Corner |
AgreeStat 2013.2 for Excel | AgreeStat for SAS | R functions for R users |
AgreeStat for Excel (Windows & Mac)
A Software for Analyzing the Extent of Agreement Among Raters with MS Excel
AgreeStat is a self-automated workbook that contains a VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) program, and therefore requires no installation. It is a point-and-click program that is easy to use, and that computes many well-known inter-rater reliability coefficients along with their standard errors. To use AgreeStat, choose one of the following 2 options:
Download a trial version of AgreeStat 2013.3-Windows, with User's Guide and Sample Datasets for Testing (The sample datasets also contain instructions for analysis) |
Download the full version of AgreeStat 2013.3-Windows now for $45.00 |
Note: AgreeStat-Windows has been successfully tested with both Excel 2007 and 2010. It may not work well with Excel 2003 and earlier versions of Excel. |
Download a trial version of AgreeStat 2013.3-Mac, with User's Guide, and Sample Datasets for Testing (The sample datasets also contain instructions for analysis) |
Download the full version of AgreeStat 2013.3-Mac now for $45.00 |
Note: |
- AgreeStat
This is your ideal solution if your data contains missing values, or you want to compute weighted chance-corrected agreement coefficients with your own custom weights (as opposed to using standard linear or quadratic weights), or you want to compute intraclass correlation coefficients. With AgreeStat,
- You may compute Cohen's Kappa, Krippendorff's Alpha, Gwet's AC1, Fleiss' Kappa, and more ...
- You may compute Weighted agreement coefficients using a wide variety of weights, including Linear weights, Quadratic weights, Ordinal weights, Circular weights, and many more. Or specify your own Custom Weights as well. This feature is essential for researchers who want to implement their specific view of the nature of disagreements.
- You may compute Intraclass Correlation Coefficients with missing values.
- You will obtain inter-rater reliability coefficients along with their standard errrors, confidence intervals, and p-values.
Only a Few Steps from Data Entry to Finished Report
- From the screen shown below, choose the "2 Raters" or the "3 Raters or More" tab, depending on the number of observers involved in your study. Then specify the format in which you want to enter your data.
- Choose Your Method of Analysis and Select Your Data
- Specify the options you want for your analysis (Chance-corrected Agreement Coefficients):
- Enter a 2x2 Contingency Table
- Define the Intraclass Correlation Model
- Click on the Execute button, and get the results on the output worksheet
- When dealing with missing ratings (i.e. some observers do not score all subjects) then you must select the option "2 Columns of Raw Data" if dealing with 2 raters.
- If you want to capture your own custoim weights, you will use the following screen:
- Your can enter your ratings for 3 raters or more using the screen shown below. You will have the opportunity to select the workbook containing your data, as well as a specific worksheet.


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- Forum: How Do I?
I don't know the real way to do it. I made fondant last night, and my rolling pin is packed up, so I wrapped cling wrap around a tall can and used it to roll. The wrap came loose, and I was annoyed that it wasn't rolling smoothly, but it did look like leather. I may have had a "happy accident".


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money market
money market
nounDefinition of MONEY MARKET
First Known Use of MONEY MARKET
Rhymes with MONEY MARKET
money market
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Set of institutions, conventions, and practices whose aim is to facilitate the lending and borrowing of money on a short-term basis. The money market is, therefore, different from the capital market, which is concerned with medium- and long-term credit. The transactions that occur on the money market involve not only banknotes but assets that can be turned into cash at short notice, such as short-term government securities and bills of exchange. Though the details and mechanism of the money market vary greatly from country to country, in all cases its basic function is to enable those with surplus short-term funds to lend and those with the need for short-term credit to borrow. This function is accomplished through middlemen who provide their services for a profit. In most countries the government plays a major role in the money market, acting both as a lender and borrower and often using its position to influence the money supply and interest rates according to its monetary policy. The U.S. money market covers financial instruments ranging from bills of exchange and government securities to funds from clearinghouses and certificates of deposit. In addition, the Federal Reserve System provides considerable short-term credit directly to the banking system. The international money market facilitates the borrowing, lending, and exchange of currencies between countries.
Learn More About MONEY MARKET
Previous Word in the Dictionary: moneyman
All Words Near: money market
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What made you want to look up money market? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


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Group Buy
Want To Start A Group Buy?
If you are planning your own group buy please email us at email@example.com to find out more about discount pricing levels. If you want to make a custom kit, design it, and start a group buy. And we can do your body kit for free as a prototype. For more info, visit our Custom Kits section. Thank You.


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As a lifelong Anglophile, it is with the deepest reluctance that I confess, at this critical moment for the Anglo-American alliance, that I did not find the much-heralded "The Play What I Wrote" very funny. The toast of London for more than a year, "Play" was written by Sean Foley and Hamish McColl as a tribute to Morecambe and Wise, a British comedy team who had a weekly TV viewership of 25 million, or nearly half the British population, during the '70s. The first question that arises is, given how much British comedy does come to America, why did we never get Morecambe and Wise? My hunch is that there are some British tastes, like blancmange or steak and kidney pie, that don't survive the trans-Atlantic voyage. Sensible people must have realized that Morecambe and Wise might be one of them. If "Play" is an accurate approximation of their humor, they make Benny Hill look like Noel Coward. And while we did take to Hill, "Play" may disprove H.L. Mencken's remark that no one loses money underestimating the taste of the American public. If we actually had many years of enjoying Morecambe and Wise as a reference point, the play might have more resonance. As it is, it is hard to see what made their brand of low humor distinctive. The premise of "Play" is that McColl wants to be a playwright. He has written a drama about the French Revolution called "The Scarlet Pimple."
Foley wants him to abandon this folly and return to their act. Foley and McColl perform the material at such hysterical levels that you sense their own desperation. I did not see the show in London but I assume some jokes have been added for our benefit, like a line where McColl says of his play, "This is my 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' - I'm going to be the next Shaquille O'Neal."Every night a Mystery Guest shows up for the second act. During previews they included Nathan Lane, Roger Moore, Zoe Caldwell and Liam Neeson. Saturday night it was Kevin Kline. Since Mike Nichols (constantly referred to in the script as Mike Tickles - yock, yock) is one of the producers, the guests might well be more interesting than the show itself. Kline had a restraint that made him the most enjoyable part of the evening, except for Toby Jones, who plays a variety of parts (including, during the Kline sequence, Patsy Cline) with great skill and charm. Heaven knows we all need laughter these days, but "Play" seemed far too strained to provide it, even for someone who thought the "Carry On" movies were funny.
There is more than the Atlantic separating British and American stage humor. For one thing our allies tend to be physical in their theater jokes, while we tend to be more verbal.
If you like, our humor is more Jewish. Some Brit master clowns - a Charlie Chaplin or Stan Laurel - can effortlessly bridge the gap. But it's not easy.
"The Play What I Wrote," a hit London comedy almost as much concocted as written, by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben, opened at the Lyceum on Saturday night, full of belly-laughs, guts (we would call it chutzpah) and wild, wild hope.
It is crazy, sweet, dangerously funny, and so English you could serve it up with crumpets and strawberry jam for afternoon tea.
It stars two superb, exquisite, deft and daft comedians, McColl and Foley themselves, together with a third little guy Toby Jones, who, in his quiet weird way, is just as funny as the other two, and - here's a gimmick - every night a "mystery celebrity guest star."
The show is a homage to two enormously popular but dead British vaudeville and TV comedians, Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, both enormously unknown this side of the Atlantic.
As what I had seen in Britain of Morecambe and Wise had left me cordially indifferent, when I first saw "The Play What I Wrote" in London, I approached it with all the wariness of a stooge gazing at a custard pie.
I had quite forgotten about the sheer manic genius of Foley and McColl - in my book markedly superior comics to Morecambe and Wise themselves - last seen off-Broadway four years ago in the nuttily amazing "Do You Come Here Often?"
This new venture, staged by classicist Kenneth Branagh with perfect aplomb and clearly a lovely feel for the material, is a mini-masterpiece of comic invention, an apotheosis of that strange theatrical monster, the double act.
The premise of the premise (if you don't see what I mean, wait) is that Hamish wants to break up his act with Sean and become a serious playwright, and see his play "A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple," in the West End and on Broadway.
But the real premise is to rework some of the old Morecambe and Wise routines (such as their in-England-famous getting up in the morning bit), to which end they have the collaboration of Braben, M & W's former scriptwriter, and then to give the whole show, including the spoof play, F & M's own antic slant.
The lead American producer, Mike Nichols, who himself knows a thing or two about comedy, has presumably helped tweak the show a bit for its trans-Atlantic transfer - although for the life of me I'm not quite sure where - and it now emerges as quite the silliest and funniest show on Broadway.
Foley is the outrageous one with the rubbery legs who does funny-walks so silly that they make Monty Python seem positively rheumatic, McColl is the straight guy with the pained, rubbery grimaces, and as a light-as-air pair they are priceless. And little protean Jones is damned good as well.
As for the "mystery guest" you have to pay your money and take your chance. In previews, audiences have been treated to Roger Moore, Liam Neeson, Zoe Caldwell and Nathan Lane.
On Saturday night we had a perfectly wonderful, properly pompous, handsomely aggrieved and stiffly deadpanned Kevin Kline, but I am sure that whoever risks taking on the role will be worth seeing.
Personally, I would be happy to see guest star after guest star, night after night, just as long as Foley, McColl and Jones (for here's a double act threatening to go triple) are there to make me giggle like a gurgling drain.
The whole thing is -- let's face it -- too silly for words. So readers should be advised that any descriptions that follow will be to some degree inadequate in capturing the full ecstatic idiocy of ''The Play What I Wrote,'' the very British import of a comedy revue, which opened last night at the Lyceum Theater.
Still, it seems safe to say that there isn't a show on Broadway at the moment that's dopier, more obvious or more inane than this evening of song, dance, willfully bad jokes and rudimentary sight gags from the English comedy team of Sean Foley and Hamish McColl. Which may be, if you think about it, exactly what you're hungering for at a moment when the world is seeming like a lower tier of Dante's inferno.
I first saw ''The Play What I Wrote'' last year in London, where it had developed a dementedly worshipful cult, and the wisdom of bringing it to New York seemed suspect. The show, after all, is inspired by the comic stylings (to use an inappropriately grand phrase) of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, who ruled British television with their music-hall flavored variety shows in the 1960's and 70's, but whose names have less recognition value in the United States than those of Queen Elizabeth's corgis.
Granted, I kept hearing from Americans who said they had seen and liked the show in London. But I took that as the usual tourist's pursuit of things authentically British, like eating spotted dick or attending a cricket match. And it didn't seem very auspicious that advance ads for the New York production blurbed, of all people, Prince Charles, saying how funny it was, which is a bit like having Hulk Hogan endorsing a hairdresser. Still, stand in the lobby of the Lyceum some night, shortly after the curtain rises on ''The Play What I Wrote,'' which has been only slightly retailored for New York audiences, and you'll hear a kind of group choking sound, which segues into something more helplessly full-throated. That's the noise of people resisting and then giving in to a spectacle that they can't quite believe they are finding so funny.
Like much gut-level comedy, ''The Play What I Wrote'' -- which is directed by Kenneth Branagh (yep, the Shakespearean actor) -- is rooted in the unlikely poetry of ineptitude. The appeal of the production, which was written by Mr. McColl and Mr. Foley with Eddie Braben, is based on the assumed lack of talent of its participants. When at one point a giant, circus-style poster unfurls over the stage, advertising the act of Foley and McColl, the best it can offer by way of critical endorsement are phrases like ''usually competent'' and ''I didn't mind it.''
And those are descriptions of Foley and McColl doing what they do best. Consider, then, that the excuse of a plot for ''The Play What I Wrote'' has Mr. McColl earnestly longing to produce his new historical drama entitled (groan) ''The Scarlet Pimple.'' Mr. Foley, on the other hand, wants to bring the team's traditional comedy act to Broadway.
So he recruits a friend, an electrician named Arthur (Toby Jones), to trick Mr. McColl into sticking with the old act. This involves Arthur's impersonating show business eminences like Daryl Hannah and Mike Nichols (who is indeed one of the show's producers), here renamed Mike Tickles, which inevitably leads to much giggly frisking.
And that, in terms of plot, is all there is to this enterprise, except that Mr. McColl's really terrible play does wind up being performed, with the help of a famous mystery guest star. At the critic's preview I attended, that was Kevin Kline (or Sir Kevin, as Mr. McColl and Mr. Foley insist on calling him), who was so good at acting badly that I forgot entirely that I was looking over the head of another (very tall) Oscar-winning star, Nicole Kidman, who was seated two rows in front of me.
The show's celebrity climax is preceded by a fast and furious succession of vaudevillian patter routines, artfully spastic soft-shoe numbers, songs punctuated by pratfalls and repeated bits of comic business so frantic they give new credence to the term ''running gags.'' I'll cite one representative joke with the understanding that, as they say, you really had to be there.
Mr. Foley to Mr. McColl: ''You want to be the next Eugene O'Flynn.'' Mr. McColl, correcting Mr. Foley: ''Neill.'' So Mr. Foley obligingly kneels and repeats, ''You want to be the next Eugene O'Flynn.''
The setting for such, er, sophisticated exchanges is as lavish as anything a British lad with Broadway dreams could hope for. The set and costume designer Alice Power has come up with, among other things, an illuminated staircase fit for Astaire and Rogers. (The impeccably out-of-sync choreography is by Irving Davies and Heather Cornell.)
There's also a sylvan garden out of a Jessie Matthews musical for romantic trysting (for Mr. Jones, dressed up as Ms. Hannah, and Mr. McColl) and potted plants that grow instantly into skyscraping rubber palms for when the boys don Carmen Miranda headdresses. And you can't help loving that gargantuan Thurberesque dog puppet.
But all this is merely an ornate frame for the surgically realized doltishness of Mr. Foley and Mr. McColl, not to mention Mr. Jones, whose assets as a harmonica-playing human spark plug should not be underestimated. Mr. McColl, who has bulging Bette Davis eyes and an expression of high-strung hopefulness, is the official straight man. This means, as Mr. Foley tactfully tells him, that ''you're pompous, you're affected, you're slightly effeminate.''
Mr. McColl, in turn, describes Mr. Foley as ''funny funny,'' which translates as, ''You're bald, you're rubber-legged, you're potentially violent and you shout all the time.'' That's about as dead-on a description of this brand of comic as you're going to get, although ''rubber-legged'' doesn't begin to do justice to the balletic train wreck of a walk that Mr. Foley uses as a means of locomotion.
If such descriptions make you squirm, flinch or yawn, you might want to avoid ''The Play What I Wrote.'' But there is a strangely lyrical magic in the production's full-frontal gag-driven humor. In the show's opening number, Mr. Foley and Mr. McColl are found lying (well, standing, actually) in bed. They are crooning a little nonsense song about dreaming that they're awake, singing ''a ridiculous song about a song about a dream,'' which is in turn about a joke.
This ditty recalls Puck's final speech in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream,'' in which he explains that all the bizarre goings-on that have happened before have indeed been ''no more yielding but a dream.'' At a time when the world seems lost in a collective nightmare, there's much to be said for sinking into a dream in which people behave badly, even violently, but still get up grinning after they fall down.
One of the ads for "The Play What I Wrote" alleges that "His Royal Highness, Prince Charles," exclaimed after seeing the British music-hall homage and spoof, "What a joy it was to be able to laugh until one ached!"
Somewhat down the endorsement food chain is the blurb - "I didn't mind it!" - printed on a cartoon curtain at the Lyceum Theatre, where Sean Foley and Hamish McColl opened their broad, manic, persistently good-natured English hit last night.
This is where I quote my Samuel Beckett: I can't go on. I'll go on. In other words, I am so sorry. But this tradition of broad English physical comedy is a language I simply do not speak.
I realize that this expert tribute to old vaudeville won the Olivier Award for best comedy in a production directed by no less an unlikely luminary than Kenneth Branagh and has been co-produced for Broadway by no less a prince of humor than Mike Nichols.
I understand that the project's gimmick, a Mystery Guest Star at every performance, attracted such bold-face celebs as Ralph Fiennes, Jerry Hall and Sting on the West End. Liam Neeson, Nathan Lane, Roger Moore and Zoe Caldwell have already played the fools during Broadway previews. Kevin Kline was the Mystery Guest Star at last night's opening and at the preview what I saw.
Humor is a funny thing. Or not. Suffice it to say that, all around me, people seemed to be having a swell time. Wish I were there.
These are extremely adept fellows, closer in spirit to Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello than to the Marx Brothers - whose head trips I do get. Early in the evening, hopes were raised that this would be inspired silliness in the spirit of the brilliant Monty Python. But soon, it became clear the intentions leaned more toward the silly than the inspired.
For more than 15 years, Foley and McColl have been their own double act. With "The Play What I Wrote," they have created a tribute to a famous British double act, Morecambe and Wise, who had a huge TV series in the '70s. Eddie Braben, one of that show's writers, is listed here as a co-author. Nichols helped translate some of the English references.
The plot, such as it is, is a sketch-within-a-sketch. McColl, the one with eyes like bull's-eye targets, has tired of being the straight man for Foley. McColl wants to write tragic plays - that is, as Foley explains, he "wants to be the next Shaquille O'Neill." The play what he wwrote is a drama of the French Revolution, "A Tight Squeeze for tlie Scarlet Pimple." The Mystery Guest Star gets to play both the Conte de Toblerone, (unpronounceable in a family newspaper) and, a Kline speciality, the hambone thespian.
But Foley - a tall fellow with strange things happening to the limbs below his elbows and knees - wants McColl to keep doing their act. He lies and tells his partner that the big American producer, Mike Tickles (laugh, please, when he's tickled), wants to do the play in a theater owned by a fellow very much like a certain Broadway theater owner. These and all other characters are played with a Humpty-Dumpty aplomb and lack of shame by the amusing Toby Jones, whose main role is Arthur, who wants to play his harmonica on Broadway, a dream of his strange, sick old mother (repetitive flashback, please).
Thus, we have breathless and beautifully timed foolishness from the play, from the double-act's repertory, and from scenes of the men struggling about which scenes to do. There is also sweet singing and very strange, virtuosic if wearying dancing - choreographed by Irving Davies and Heather Cornell. The sets, by Alice Power, are fanciful and lovely, especially a flashback in which the men swim backward into theatrical ether to a crucial meeting in their career.
There is much tricky and geeky hopping, squirming and scampering, some endearing use of stuffed body parts and plenty of bad puns. One nice joke involves humor that's" brave beyond words." Maybe this is it. Maybe not.
Any regular theatergoer has to love a play that opens with the owner of a loudly ringing cell phone getting shot through the back with an arrow.
Not all the lewd and wacky gags in The Play What I Wrote, which opened Sunday at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, are as instantly appealing. Luckily, there are so many of them that the law of averages guarantees a good time.
Previously an Olivier Award-winning hit in London, Play is the naughty brainchild of Hamish McColl and Sean Foley, a comedy duo inspired by U.K. TV comics Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.
For Yanks, the broad and distinctly British slapstick humor that McColl and Foley have crafted with collaborating writer Eddie Braben may at times bring to mind the more iconic import Benny Hill. But Play also operates on the principle that has driven popular American films such as Airplane! and the Austin Powers series: Throw enough jokes at the wall, and the ones that stick will redeem the ones that don't.
Directed with breezy wit by Kenneth Branagh, Play develops from the premise that Foley and McColl's partnership is threatened by the latter's ambition to mount his original French Revolution-based drama, A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple, on Broadway. Accordingly, the script for Play has been adapted slightly to include references familiar to Americans, and particularly to New Yorkers and theater fans.
For example, as Foley's hapless friend Arthur, droll supporting actor Toby Jones attempts to fool McColl with guises ranging from the fictional theater impresario Mike Tickles to actress Darryl Hannah and Shubert Organization head Gerald Schoenfeld, who is parodied as a whining, hysterical rube.
Play also features a nightly surprise celebrity guest, whom the creators work into the plot in a way that strives to ensure maximum embarrassment. At the preview I attended, the willing victim was Kevin Kline, whose flair for both outrageous and deadpan humor was perfectly suited to material that required him to play the effete thespian one moment, then romp around in a hoop skirt and wig the next.
Not that the show's stars are easily upstaged. The sharp, lanky Foley is an ideal foil and antagonist to the breathless, mock-affected McColl, and their rivalrous yet co-dependent relationship spawns endless physical, sexual and scatological pranks. Suffice to say that if you blanch at the thought of men referring to or falling on body parts that lie below the waist, this probably isn't your cup of tea.
But there also is something poignant about McColl and Foley's reluctant rapport and the bliss they find in entertaining. In Bring Me Sunshine, one of several cheeky musical numbers, they sing, "Bring me laughter/All the while/In this world where we live/There should be more happiness."
It's a sentiment that makes the giddy goofiness in Play seem more profound, especially in these times.
Judging from the barrage of nerve-rattling guffaws, uncontrollable titters and hysterical snorts emanating from the man sitting directly behind this viewer, the producers and creators of London's "The Play What I Wrote" need not worry that the show's brand of humor is the kind of thing what Americans won't get. Surely there are plenty of Yanks ready to embrace the gleefully lowbrow antics of the show's daffy, energetic stars, Sean Foley and Hamish McColl.
Right-oh, but don't call me Shirley.
Yes, folks, it's that kind of a show -- the kind what some will find to be inspired silliness, others tedious juvenility. To this viewer, who was driven to relocate after intermission in a state of theatrical shellshock, it was a disconcerting mixture of both, practically at the same time.
Originally devised by Foley and McColl, a British comic double-act, as a tribute to Morecambe and Wise, a more famous British comic double-act that made it big on the telly in the '70s, the show presents these loving partners at supposed cross purposes. (The overt Morecambe and Wise references have been weeded out for U.S. consumption.)
The impish Hamish thinks he's come to Broadway to star in his great dramatic masterpiece, "A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple" (tee hee). But Sean, a deceptively regular-looking bloke with rubber limbs, has secretly made a deal with bigshot producer Mike Tickles (yock) to substitute the team's music-hall schtick for Hamish's swashbuckling epic. (Mike Nichols is, in fact, one of the show's producers.)
The tug of war between the two finds Hamish frantically trying to proceed with his masterpiece, set in 18th century Paris ("I am France," he dramatically intones, wrapped in a flag, a tiny Eiffel Tower atop his head, "and parts of me are revolting"), despite the fact that the announced star, Sir Ian McKellen, is nowhere to be found. Foley keeps luring him back to their more jovially puerile antics. He has coerced their cohort Arthur (Toby Jones) into joining in the ruse, promising him a chance to fulfill his great dream (actually his mum's, described in a series of elaborate asides) to play the harmonica on Broadway.
But such a sober description doesn't come close to evoking the evening's ingratiating, self-consciously idiotic spirit. There are more bad puns than you'll find in, uh, a Mel Brooks musical, and endless sexual double entendres. Lest we forget the show's British origins, there are the inevitable fart jokes and gay jokes, and egregiously bad drag (the squat, splendidly talented but not exactly androgynous Jones masquerading as Daryl Hannah). Most of it is so neatly stitched together by the performers (and co-author Eddie Braben, an actual vet of Morecambe and Wise shows), and dependent on their exuberant, buffoonish delivery, that it's impossible to give coherent examples. But here's a representative bit of shtick, from a restaurant scene: "What are you doing?" "Waiting." "Why are you waiting?" "I'm a waiter." "Why don't you serve us?" "I'm a dumb waiter."
The physical humor is equally low-down, and similarly derived from routines that might be called either classic or moldy (someone gets a pie in the face). Foley does a lot of silly walks, frugging his way off and onstage for no apparent reason. McColl, possessed of a naturally funny mug, with bug eyes and buggier ears, wears an endearing look of beatific stupefaction for half of the evening, a piteously mournful one at other times, when he succumbs to fits of despair at the thought that it's only Sean who's the funny one. (Arthur tells him his specialty is "the most sophisticated laugh of all. The inaudible laugh.") They all sing and dance, badly of course, and close act one with an indescribable extravaganza featuring massive Carmen Miranda headdresses. Ask not why.
Act two brings the show's crowning bit of japery. Each show features a "mystery guest," a celebrity of some renown. Performers in the London production have run the gamut from Ralph Fiennes to Jerry Hall to Sting to Ewan McGregor to -- whoops! -- Sir Ian himself. Nathan Lane and Liam Neeson have already capered across the Lyceum stage in French Revolutionary drag.
At the reviewed performance, Kevin Kline did the honors, or had them done unto him. "I've been wearing your underwear for years," Sean effuses. Whipping out a pair, he adds, "In fact, it's time you had them back." (Meanwhile, Arthur, who thinks he's supposed to play Kevin Kline, comes on as Patsy Cline.) Kline's game mock-seriousness is pretty endearing, even if, overall, the gimmick might actually work better with a less assured stage performer. But Kline's resume does occasion some good gags. When asked how he's doing, career-wise, Kline pompously says, "I've had an Oscar and two Tonys." "Your private life is your own affair," Sean retorts.
The mystery guest takes the lead role, the Conte de Toblerone, in Hamish's play, which is set in the dungeon of the Bastille. The text bears a suspicious resemblance to the rest of the evening's shtick ("Do you pine for her?" "No, I'm a deciduous man myself"), and also includes a woolly dance number that finds the skeletons of Alice Power's aptly cheesy set joining in the can-can. It evaporates after a ghastly mishap with the guillotine, and the show concludes on a pseudo-poignant note, with Sean finally convincing his partner that it's the team what's really funny, not just one of its members.
I almost forgot the best joke. Listed as director in the program is noted Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh. The juxtaposition is hard to fathom, although it confirms one's vague perceptions that highbrow Brits can have surprisingly lowbrow comic tastes. The idea is somehow absurdly appealing: One imagines Branagh wearing a fake Groucho nose throughout the rehearsal period. Let's just hope he doesn't get his genres crossed, and start playing Richard III with a hump that moves from left to right.


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Streaming Audio Ad Insertion
Add revenue to the online stream
If you look at the future of broadcasting as a contest between us (broadcasters) and them (streaming-media-only providers) then it would seem the game is ours to lose. After all, we have a built-in audience; a familiar way to promote the additional service to our established audience; and of course we already have the technical infrastructure in place to generate the program source for the stream.
If you already work with streaming media you know the online audience, while not as large as the over-the-air audience, is growing rapidly. Unlike our over-the-air audience (which costs the same to service whether one person listens or 1 million people listen) the online audience costs more and more as its size grows. (It may cost less on a per-stream basis, but it does cost more, nonetheless.) Naturally, then, we need to seek a means by which we can not only cover the extra costs associated with streaming, but perhaps (in time) even make a profit.
At least one way to do that is to use the familiar model we've been using: Sell spots on the stream that are different than what goes over the air. There are several different ways to accomplish this. First, I'll detail how we do it here at Clear Channel NYC where everything is done in-house. Then I'll discuss a hybrid approach -- selling the ads in-house but using Ando Media software to integrate the ad-blocks smoothly. Finally, I'll look at how Liquid Compass and Ando Media work in conjunction to provide streaming audio ad insertion.
Doing it all yourself
One way of handling ad insertion over streaming media is to do it all yourself -- and this is the way it is done inside the Clear Channel system.
We have five FM stations here in New York, and each has about a half-dozen streams associated with it. Some of those streams are for desktop users and some are for mobile platforms (see "Streaming to Mobile Devices" in the April 2010 edition of Radio magazine). One computer is used for multiple purposes; it runs a log (using Nexgen from RCS) made solely of spot blocks to play over the streams. That same computer also houses an important sound card -- the Orban Optimod-PC 1100 (or PC1101). This sound card is really the heart of the system, because it allows for the playback of the streaming-media spot blocks, and it processes the audio as well (ahead of all the various encoders). Figure 1 shows how this is done.
The streaming server CPU (that houses the Orban sound card) operates as a slave to the Nexgen server used for playback over the associated radio station. When a spot block starts, that slave machine is signaled (via our LAN) to play the spot block sent as streaming media, as opposed to over-the-air. A small routine called SB_Play is used on the slave machine to tell the Orban card to switch its direct mixer output from the source coming in on digital input 1 (which comes from our router, and is basically a copy of the on-air program) to the WAV out input, which is the actual source of the spot audio for stream use only.
The output of the direct mixer is then routed (internally on the Orban card) to the digital out, and thereafter an AES version of the direct mixer is available for use. From there, the signal is routed to a PPM encoder, and then back to digital input 2 of the Orban card. The digital 2 input goes through the process mixer and then to the audio processing section of the Orban card. The output of the processing section is routed back to the WAV in input, and back to the PCI bus where it becomes available for use on all the streaming encoders operating in that same machine. All the various streaming encoders make use of the same program feed.
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