text:
The Israeli Army's interception of a flotilla of boats heading to Gaza with 10,000 tonnes of aid has dismayed locals in the strip. One of them, a student from Gaza City, says that people are already heading out to protest against the attack.
The three cargo and three passenger ships were in international waters when Israeli soldiers stormed the vessels at 4:30am in order to stop them from reaching Gaza. Israel's army, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), says its soldiers were met with gunfire, after which they fired back, killing at least 10 people (unconfirmed) and injuring dozens.
In the Gaza Strip, the population has woken to the news that the ships will not be delivering the essential aid. The Palestinian territory has lived under an Israeli embargo ever since the Islamist group Hamas took power there four years ago.
Video footage from the live stream of one of the boats, the Mavi Mamara. Other images filmed by activists on the boat. See the full video here.
Lina is an English literature student at the Islamic University of Gaza.
The anger here is everywhere. I really hope that people turn that anger into action on the streets by protesting. Calls for protests are everywhere on the internet and it looks like people are already setting out to show their support.
The aid itself wouldn't have been much help considering the dire lack of resources we have anyway. It was more of a symbolic gesture from the activists. What we're lacking here in Gaza is more than food and medicine, it's freedom. And what the boats were really trying to show was solidarity.
The only good that can come of this is if other countries use it as a reason to reprimand Israel and put pressure on the government. There must be consequences."
The Israeli Defense Forces released these thermal images, filmed from a helicopter, on Monday afternoon.
This is not an international issue, only Israel can fix palestineans.
The so called state of Israel had stroke again in the watchfull of International community and his US sponsor.
People should and have to demonstrate in the USA to put more pressure on the government, because all this are happening with the US weapon and tax payer money.All what the UN will do now is talk with no concrete action. And everyone will forget about it as usual.But wait and see for this injustice cause God is just and patient.
withdraw their promise to annihilate Israel, break their ties with terrorists and radical nations who support terrorism, stop incitement, especially the poisoning of young children's minds, become a democracy with equal rights for all of its citizens, and I firmly believe Israel will lift its blockade. Impossible, I know!
This is an unqualified act of piracy, which is defined in international law by attacking undefended ships in international waters. Sticks and batons do NOT represent a threat to Israeli navy.
Actually, even NORTH KOREA acts better than Israel : at least, THEY attack military ships, not humanitarian convoys. Israel, this time, has gone too far by openly attacking in INTERNATIONAL waters a group of civilians. This is a major screwup, and will lead to unimaginable consequences. I just hope these consequences do not involve anyone dying, military or civillian (well, except Nethanyaou obviously).
>La vérité telle qu'elle est et non telle qu'elle devrait l'être.
I AM 14 YAERS OLD AND I LIVE IN ISRAEL, AND BECAUSE THAT I DON'T KNOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH SO GOOD I TRY TO EXPLAIN MANY THINGS ABOUT THE Rally
The main objective of the boats came together was for weapons to Israel only.
When the ship trying to pass the city threatens us and intends to harm us, so we have weapons to go into action against this goal.
Just know that we are aware of his hatred prevailing crisis the world and was until now the relationship with Turkey was not at first have no intention to kill a soul, we stopped opposite the ships for peaceful purposes because of what was in those ships!
All State of Israel expresses its great regret over the casualties but everyone must understand that when our troops reached the same boat they were attacked and one soldier was even thrown off a cliff if they did not open fire so they could be very great danger to life!
Anyone who is certain that Israel is a criminal, a murderer, and more .. Let him think for a moment to himself if such interests that the state has also conditioned to hate all the world!
Each of you can continue to think the way he wants but when he does it then take a step other try to understand the other side without messing all day just on the other unhappy alleged poor
I finished my words, hope Sahpnatm understanding if not then it's also good
Good evening everybody have a great week!
This is typical Israeli propoganda. You are NOT 14 but a male in his 30s. We get you lote posting your BS on all the UK sites. Do not believe this person. Israeli government controls the media so how on earth are we going to believe a 14 year old in Israel.
One thing is fact! You do not attack a PEACE convoy in INTERNATIONAL waters. How can anyone say that a group of comandos in full armour and high tech weapons were attacked first? Surely they are the ones prepared to attack!
Afterall if somneone invaded your ship at 4.30 AM!!! with weapons and full armour, helicopters etc then you two would attack.
I have no sympathy for the Israelis anymore. They steal arab land and lie.
Israelis can no longer be trusted.
Enough is Enough!
How do I know? Just a wild, unsubstantiated guess, like yours.
like this. There is no difference between behaviour of Palestinians, Arabs or Maroccans.
it is sad that the muslim world and the "SUPPER FIVE" are just watching with their eyes closed. if this was another country let say Zimbawe, or Jordan,it would have been different.
the cause of all the so called "terrorism" has emanated from the non action (united) agaist the agression Israel is doing and paying no heed to the UN resolutions.
Who cares now, every state has a right to defend yourself in any means, be it nuclear or whatever


text:
"Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven"- (James 5: 14-15).
You need not be on the verge of dying to receive this sacrament. This is clear from the fact that the anointing and the prayers that accompany it have as a purpose the restoration of health. If you are in no immediate danger of death, but are sick through abuses, or aged, or mentally debilitated you can and should receive the sacrament.
Anointing of the sick helps you to share more fully in the cross of Christ. By so sharing, you contribute to the spiritual good of the whole Church. By the fact that you share more fully in the cross of Christ through anointing, you are being prepared for a fuller share in Christ's Resurrection.
Preparation for The Anointing of the Sick
If you are sick at home or in the hospital, call the parish at 407-482-4282. Besides the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, we can arrange for someone to bring you communion regularly.
Why do we Anoint the Sick?
Our mission as Church is to do what Jesus did. And on nearly every page of the Gospels we read of Jesus' concern for the sick. Healing was essential to the mission of the disciples: "He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two…. They anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them" (see Mark 6:7-13).
Anointing does not hasten the act of death. In this sacrament, God invites you to connect with him in the light of your final meeting with him. Through this sacrament, the entire Church asks God to lighten your sufferings, forgive your sins, and bring you to eternal salvation.
In the course of time, the focus of the sacrament shifted from healing the sick to forgiveness of sins. The time for receiving the sacrament was delayed to the deathbed when forgiveness of sins would also be the final preparation for heaven. "Over the centuries the Anointing of the Sick was conferred more and more exclusively on those at the point of death. Because of this it received the name 'Extreme Unction'" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1512). The Sacrament of the Sick had become the Last Anointing, the unction in extremis.
The Second Vatican Council in 1963 placed the sacrament once again in the context of mutual prayer and concern described in the Epistle of James. Anointing "is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death" but is intended for all those who are seriously ill. Consequently, what we formerly called "Extreme Unction" is now more properly called "The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick".
More has changed than the sacrament's name. Our experience of the revised Sacrament of the Anointing has brought about a change in the way we think about the sacrament. For example: 1) This sacrament (like all sacraments) is a community celebration; 2) sickness involves more than bodily illness; and 3) anointing heals us through faith.
Excerpted from Anointing the Sick: A Parish Sacrament by Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M., Th.D., retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0196.asp
When should someone be anointed?
If you are sick at home or in the hospital, you can be anointed.
In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Church says, "As soon as one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the appropriate time to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived." In other words, along with appropriate medical treatment, we should give God the opportunity to help cure our serious sickness.
Persons with the disease of alcoholism or persons suffering from other addictions can be anointed. So can those who suffer from various mental disorders. The anxiety before exploratory surgery to determine if cancer is present is a situation in which Christ's power can be invoked in the sacrament.
Often the spouse or the principal caregiver of the person who is seriously ill also asks to be anointed when he or she, too, is seriously affected by the illness—the debilitating fear of an elderly husband ("How will I be able to live if she dies?"); the anguish of young parents whose child is dying ("How can a just and loving God allow this to happen?").
In these cases the person does not have to wait until the illness is so grave that he or she is in the hospital or institutionalized to celebrate the sacrament. Sacraments, after all, are community celebrations. It is preferable to celebrate them in the context of family and parish even before going to the hospital. The sick person has a better opportunity to appreciate the prayers and symbols of the rite when in her or his customary worshiping community.
There are times when old age and the fears and isolation that can sometimes accompany it need to be brought to the healing and comforting touch of Christ in this sacrament. It is a powerful sign for a parish community to see their senior members place their limitations and dependence in the hands of Christ, who accepted human limitation and freely embraced suffering and even death itself.
The Anointing of the Sick is a different kind of healing than a chemical placed into our body as medicine or a surgical intervention to cut out diseased tissue. Sacraments are acts of faith; they grace the whole person—body, soul and spirit. The blessing over the oil for anointing asks God to "send the power of your Holy Spirit, the Consoler, into this precious oil. Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction" (Pastoral Care of the Sick, #123) Excerpted from Anointing the Sick: A Parish Sacrament by Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M., Th.D., retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0196.asp
Will I be healed?, Does it work?, Will I experience healing?
These are the questions that I am most frequently asked regarding the Sacrament of Anointing. And I always answer by saying yes. In my experience with this sacrament as a priest, healing always takes place. That healing, of course, is not restricted to mere physical healing.
When our attention is directed toward physical illness, it is natural to think of the effects of the sacrament in terms of physical healing. Sacraments, however, are celebrations of faith, expressions of who we are before God. This understanding of sacrament, together with the realization that we are more than our physical body, has led us to look again at the effects of the Sacrament of Anointing.
The Second Vatican Council has reminded us: "The purpose of the sacraments is to make people holy, to build up the Body of Christ and finally to give worship to God" (Liturgy, #59). The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick accomplishes this by helping us gain insight into the religious meaning of human suffering.
A quote from the General Introduction to the ritual itself, Pastoral Care of the Sick, explains more: "Suffering and illness have always been among the greatest problems that trouble the human spirit. Christians feel and experience pain as do all other people; yet their faith helps them to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear their pain with greater courage. From Christ's words they know that sickness has meaning and value for their own salvation and the salvation of the world. They also know that Christ, who during his life often visited and healed the sick, loves them in their illness" (#1).
The celebration of the sacrament does not explain human suffering; sacraments are more than mere words of explanation. The sacraments celebrate faith. In the very celebrating we experience more and more who we are and what we believe. As the Catechism says, "Christ invites his disciples to follow him by taking up their cross in their turn. By following him they acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick" (#1506).
What does this new outlook involve? It helps us understand what St. Paul meant when he said: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church…" (Col 1:24).
It also sheds light on what St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians: " '[P]ower is made perfect in weakness.' I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me" (12:9). In the sacrament, the sick come to see that "Jesus associates them with his own life of poverty and service. He makes them share in his ministry of compassion and healing" (Catechism, #1506).
The Sacrament of Anointing does not remove the mystery of human suffering. Yet its celebration gives us a window into the mystery of a loving God. Our loving God raises up the crucified Son to display his victorious wounds, sitting triumphant at the Father's right hand.
Excerpted from Anointing the Sick: A Parish Sacrament by Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M., Th.D., retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0196.asp
What does the Priest do?
Despite its potential for drama, the Anointing of the Sick may be the most low-key of all the sacraments. "After it was all over, I thought, 'This is it? Now I'm supposed to be healed?" says Bridget. "I felt kind of empty after the process, like I was waiting for a flashing light or something."
Her reaction is common. The first time I saw an anointing, I was surprised at how short and unexciting the ceremony was. All the priest did was say a few prayers and read a Scripture passage. Then he placed his hands on the person's head and prayed silently. Finally, he took out some holy oil and rubbed a little on the person's forehead and palms. The whole event took less than 10 minutes.
Those two elements—prayer and anointing with oil—are the essence of the sacrament, the parts that must be performed for it to be valid. What else happens depends on how much time is available, the condition of the patient and individual desire. The priest may distribute Communion to the person being anointed and anyone else who wants to receive. Finally, he may merely end the service with a simple prayer and blessing.
Since the sacrament requires little in the way of space or materials, it can be administered almost anywhere people need the healing touch of Christ from bedrooms to battlefields, from living rooms to ambulances. Some parishes now offer a communal Anointing once or twice a year, inviting all parishioners who are ill to participate.
"I'm glad I received it," Bridget says. "Kids worry about their image and don't like to be known as being religious, but I don't feel embarrassed to have had the sacrament. I feel really thankful. If priests had the anointing for youth at a youth Mass, maybe more would come. You feel really out of place when everyone who goes up to the altar is 60 years old."
Excerpted from For Our Healing: The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick by Woodene Koenig-Bricker, retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/YU/ay1292.asp
How often can I be anointed?
The Sacrament of Anointing can be received more than once. Each time a person has a serious illness or is undergoing surgery, he or she should be anointed.
That doesn't mean when you have a common cold or get a tooth filled!
But it would include such things as diabetes. If you have a chronic illness like that, it is quite acceptable that you celebrate the sacrament when a communal anointing happens at your parish.
If you are anointed in the hospital, get discharged, and return to the hospital, you can be anointed again.
Excerpted from Anointing the Sick: A Parish Sacrament by Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M., Th.D., retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0196.asp

subset: commoncrawl


text:
No questions asked yet
Ask Your Own QuestionBack to the product page
Platypus - Bite Valve and Drink Tube Insulator
Quick OverviewInsulation for your hydration system
- Description
Add to any existing Platypus® hydration system to fend-off freeze-up in cold weather or to keep drinks cool in summer.
International Restrictions Apply
- Specifications
Manufacturer Platypus Color Black Size One Size Made in USA Mfg Sku/Part Number 07042 Other Features Made in China
All Platypus hydration products are 100% BPA-free, made with durable urethane and food-grade, taste-free polyethylene interiors.
- Product Reviews
- Product Reviews
- Questions and Answers


text:
Welcome! The Trek BBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans. Please login to see our full range of forums as well as the ability to send and receive private messages, track your favourite topics and of course join in the discussions.
If you are a new visitor, join us for free. If you are an existing member please login below. Note: for members who joined under our old messageboard system, please login with your display name not your login name.
|Fan Fiction Other forums talk about Trek. We make it.
|Thread Tools
|October 4 2010, 02:24 AM
Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Like in TMP it starts around the idea of a massive refit of the USS Enterprise. However, it would have a different plot than TMP, and much of the crew would change. I know it sounds like heresy, but how long can the same people be assigned to the same ship? I'm not saying that all the characters have to change, and none of the characters from the series can't appear in the story, I'm just saying not all on the same ship. Think "Law and Order", the story goes on even when characters change, move on, die, et-cetera.
The characters I'd prefer to keep would be Chekov, Uhura, and Decker. Chekov was a young guy and he appeared first on the Enterprise around 2267, two years into the vessel's five year deployment. Decker seemed to be a good person, a good leader, especially in the TMP novel, and was hand-picked by Kirk. Uhura, largely because I think there should be at least three characters that are the same (I know, not a good reason).
The characters that would move on would be Kirk, who ends up as a Rear Admiral working in Fleet Operations; Spock who would end up teaching at the Vulcan Science academy or something; Scott who ends up overseeing the refit of the Enterprise, and what else after that, I have no idea; Sulu who becomes a Lieutenant Commander and either becomes an executive officer on a Miranda-sized vessel; McCoy who ends up in private practice.
The USS Enterprise would be similar in exterior design to the TMP design with the exception of the nacelles, which would look like a mix between Phase II, and TMP. A smooth front-cap which would glow at warp. Since it made more sense in TOS for the ship to have as little exposed surface, the vessel would have no outboard grilles.
So what do you think?
|October 4 2010, 03:14 AM
Location: The void between my ears
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
I'd say go for it - Decker never got a fair shake in the movie - let's see how he handles the center seat. Will this be a five-year mission or some other assignment?
"You are beginning to damage my calm." - Jayne Cobb
|October 4 2010, 05:46 PM
Rear Admiral
Location: US Pacific Northwest
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
You've piqued my curiosity.
ST: Gibraltar - The complete series at Ad Astra: ST: Gibraltar
Proud member of United Trek
|October 4 2010, 06:11 PM
Fleet Captain
Location: U.S.A.
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
|October 4 2010, 06:23 PM
Location: Tactical withdrawl along the Klingon border
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
In a fanfic I wrote, Decker, Ilia and Sonak were taken from an alternate universe where they were still onboard the Enterprise, and brought to our universe.
I can't wait to meet the new crew of the Enterprise. Also TMP-refit Connie, so much better than the 09 version!
Avatar: Captain Naya, U.S.S. Renown NCC-1415 [Star Trek: Four Years War]
Manip by: JM1776 (STPMA.net)
|October 5 2010, 05:13 PM
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
But the devil is in the details. What would set this crew apart from the earlier incarnations? Will Decker always felt like Kirk-Lite, what is going to set him apart from Jim Kirk? What type of stories are you going to tell? Are they going to be stories like the original Star Trek, where the universe is this weird, wild place where anything can happen? Or are they going to be more conservative like The Next Generation?
Side question: How the hell did the free spirited Roddenberry end up making a more conservative Star Trek twenty years after the original with no network interference?
What is the universe going to look like in your remake? I think it will be a big predictor of the types of stories we'll see.
Re-booting Star Trek and making it relevant to the current socio-political world has always been a huge interest of mine. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Self-appointed Knight of the Abrams Table! - Thanks Marsden!
|October 6 2010, 03:30 AM
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Bry Sinclair,
Considering that Persis Khambatta was 30 during much of the filming, and was 31 at the time of the movie release, I think it would be more practical to make her character a Lieutenant Commander, maybe even a Commander instead of a Lieutenant (Modern day, it is not uncommon to see an officer in their early 30's to be a Major or a Lieutenant Commander. In Star Trek, there are some officers like Kirk who made Captain at the age of 32, so a 31 year old Commander wouldn't be that odd).
Commanding Officer: Captain Willard Decker
Executive Officer: - EMPTY -
Helmsman: Lieutenant Dylan Carter
Navigator: Lieutenant-Commander/Commander Ilia
Chief Science-Officer: Lieutenant-Commander George Kapsalis
Chief Communications Officer: Lieutenant-Commander Nyota Uhura
Security Officer: Ensign/Lieutenant Junior-Grade Evan Colson
Tactical Officer: Lieutenant Pavel Chekov
Engineering Officer: Name unknown, rank of Commander, to be a vulcan (the same thing that would make a good science officer would also make a good engineer)
That's all I got
|October 6 2010, 05:48 AM
Location: Tactical withdrawl along the Klingon border
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Just a thought,
Avatar: Captain Naya, U.S.S. Renown NCC-1415 [Star Trek: Four Years War]
Manip by: JM1776 (STPMA.net)
|October 6 2010, 05:53 AM
Vice Admiral
Location: Looking for somewhere to put my urine sample down
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Or the ship just sat in orbit for one year.
|October 6 2010, 09:45 AM
Location: Lyon, France
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Will you be following the initial idea of TMP or just taking the characters and going in a completely different direction?
Ravenous Reader Reviews at aravenousreader.blogspot.fr
|October 7 2010, 12:59 AM
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Truthfully, I think the name Ilia sounds more like a middle-eastern name (I'd guess Iranian, or Iraqi), than Indian. Though truthfully, Sulu isn't really a Japanese name, yet the character is clearly Japanese.
Captain Sarine,
|October 7 2010, 04:57 AM
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Self-appointed Knight of the Abrams Table! - Thanks Marsden!
|October 8 2010, 06:34 PM
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
|October 11 2010, 01:38 AM
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
Last edited by CuttingEdge100; October 11 2010 at 09:38 PM.
|October 12 2010, 02:33 AM
Re: Star Trek Post-TOS Remake
I'm thinking of the following modifications.
1.) I think every single station on the bridge should have a chair. This was done in TOS, but it wasn't done in TMP, and I thought it was very stupid when you consider how frequently people get thrown all over the place. Like TMP, I like the fact that all the chairs have a full seat-back on them, and arm-rests, but I don't like the leg-restraints. They don't seem to work as well as a good seat-belt configuration. Now, I know seat-belts sound so old-fashioned, primitive, and low-tech for Star-Trek, but they are quite simple in design, and most importantly, they work. I think the chairs could accommodate the same seat-belt and harnesses used in aircraft-cockpits. Seat-color I think would be good in a white-color similar to TWOK with a leather-like texture, but the same shape as those used in TMP. As for the Captain's chair, it would have a dark gray streak down the central section of the chair (the part that looks like a vertebral shape)
2.) While I don't have a major objection to the computer display configuration for the most part, I think the information displayed on them, and the graphics should look a bit more advanced for a re-make, however. It would would also be preferable for each display screen to be flat. I also think certain consoles could use MFD's rather than fixed-function displays as it permits more versatility, especially when you have a limited number of displays.
3.) Being that the U.S.S. Enterprise (pre-refit) did not have a weapons/defense console with the navigator handling weapons/defense as well as navigation; for the refit, I think it would be best to have both the helmsman and navigator to both effectively be "pilots", both qualified to do each other's job, and both able to fly the ship. The helmsman would fly the vessel normally, with the helmsman doing the long-distance navigation work, but in the event of the helmsman's incapacitation, the navigator could fly the ship while they get the relief for the helmsman up to the bridge, producing to some degree, a pilot/co-pilot relationship. I assume the helm-console would contain certain specific displays or buttons, and the helm console might possess the same resources. I assume at least one of the two would have some ability to fire the weapons of the ship.
4.) I think it would be a good idea for there to be some tactile method of controlling the ship. I think either a joystick or a big tracking-ball like device to allow the helmsman to control pitch and roll. Maybe some pedals where the helmsman/navigators feet sit would produce yaw control, and a foot-rest in the middle. The TMP Enterprise already had a throttle, but I think it would be best for there to be either two sets of throttles for both the helmsman and navigator to operate when necessary. I also think there should be throttles for the impulse and warp-drive (normally the warp drive would be used to some degree during impulse maneuvers, but not always)
5.) I think the helmsman and navigator should not, on a vessel expected to do combat, have to be constantly looking down at their consoles. Either some kind of Head-up display (Which would be a transparent flat-screen raised up in front of the helmsman and navigator consoles), or vital data displayed on the view-screen such as heading, pitch, roll-orientation relative to the galactic center or other object, and forward/rearward/lateral/vertical velocity-display.
The second part of the ship I'd want to alter is the Engineering Room. I don't like the TMP engine-room, and honestly favor the engine-room used in TOS over TMP as it looks like a power-generation facility, and it's flat floors allow a makeshift repair space.
There would be a variety of design changes. The basic differences would be the colors would be more like that in TMP-TSFS, there would be chairs in the engineering room similar to those on the bridge, (after all when the ship rocks and pitches, everybody gets flung around), and the computer displays would be updated. The area behind the grate, I'm thinking of a reactor set-up possibly based on the Elite-Force Virtual Dreadnought Mod, and maybe a little bit of Star Trek Enterprise.
The third area of the ship I'd want to modify would include the Main-Recreation Deck. I think the idea of putting it on the ship's centerline would be the best idea. It was proposed early on, and I think it was smarter. It allowed two decks, both turbo-lifts could run through it, and seemed the best spot.
The fourth area of the ship I'd want to modify would be the corridors. I'd prefer to use 9'6" corridors similar to those used in TOS, and the two foot-thick walls to store all sorts of equipment. I still think the angled walls of the TMP Enterprise look nice, though I don't know if the angles would be exactly the same, but I think it makes a good compromise. The ceiling beams, and the walls around them could project force-fields for security purposes. The front and back of the beams which people would see as they walk down the corridors could have screens on them which would provide data (they could be de-activated obviously in the event of an intruder).
Certain sections of the corridors I'd want to fit fold out jump-seats, they'd fold out of the corridor walls and would be similar to the jump-seats flight-attendants use on airliners. The idea would be to avoid people in the corridors getting flung around.
What's everybody's thoughts?
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
|Thread Tools
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:09 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2015, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
FireFox 2+ or Internet Explorer 7+ highly recommended.
Copyright ©2000 - 2015, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
FireFox 2+ or Internet Explorer 7+ highly recommended.


text: This silky powder blush, imparts skin with a natural glow with true color payoff that wears all day long! This formula has micronized powders (also known as "HD" or "High Definition") which blend over skin evenly and easily! These 4 beautiful shades are housed in an incredibly luxe gunmetal casing with an iconic Tarina design detailing!


text:
Hargreaves Lansdown lowers fees to comply with RDR
Financial services group Hargreaves Lansdown has written to thousands of clients advising them that it is reducing fund fees from March 1, as it changes its pricing structure to comply with the government's retail distribution review.
Become a financial news subscriber
Contact our Licensing team to discuss corporate subscription options on:
+44 (0) 20 7572 3499
Breaking news
Get exclusive access to breakng news, analysis and comment on the wholesale financial industry.
Join 37,000 subscriber including your clients, competitors and business partners
On the go
Available online, in print, and on mobile for access wherever and whenever you need it.
Provides in-depth analysis and context so that you benefit from an unique view of the entire wholesale financial industry.


text:
Saturday, 09 August 2014
INTERESTING STUFF – 9 August 2014
Cop Car, who blogs at Cop Car's Beat sent this short documentary about the Aquadettes, a group of elder women who practice synchronized swimming together. It's a don't miss.
Marian Van Eyk McCain, who blogs at elderwomanblog, liked this cartoon and she was pretty sure I would. I'm pretty sure you will too.
Here's some completely unexpected interspecies cooperation.
I would have thought that crow was a goner.
Last Sunday, John Oliver did a fine educational rant on the separation – or, rather, the lack thereof – of church and state (news and advertising) in modern-day journalism in print and online.
You need to know this because they're working hard to fool you into believing corporate "news" stories are produced by neutral reporters. Too often, now, that's not true.
On Thursday evening, as reporters were waiting at the White House for breaking news on Iraq strikes, a toddler squeezed through the south lawn fence.Reuters, the breach caused a brief security lockdown on Pennsylvania Avenue:
"'We were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him, but in lieu of that he got a timeout and was sent on [his] way with [his] parents,' Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said in a statement provided to White House reporters.
"Secret Service agents regularly close off the area due to suspicious packages near the White House, but pint-sized intruders are far less common."
Who else would do this first but the French.
"The Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital in central France will soon open a wine bar - yes, a wine bar - for its terminally ill patients, who will be allowed to partake in medically supervised tastings with family and friends.
"For Dr. Virginie Guastella, who came up with the idea, the program is about improving her patients' quality of life in their final days.
"'Why should we deprive people reaching the end of their lives of the traditional flavors of our land?' Guastella said..."
Hat tip to Tom Delmore. You can read more here and here.
On Thursday 14 August, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will present its Internet Cat Video Festival and Awards for the third year in a row. Here's a video from the first Festival:
The producers of the winning videos walk away with a Golden Kitty Award. Although it's too late to vote, you can see the videos nominated for the 2014 People's Choice Award here.
The show begins at 8:00PM central daylight time on Thursday when you can watch a live stream of the proceedings courtesy of the AnimalPlanet channel. Until then, there are videos at that link from the 2012 and 2013 festivals.
We have TGB reader Alan Goldsmith to thank for this astonishing, even magical video of tens of thousands of mobular rays swimming together off the coast of Baja.
Early this week, a snailmail greeting card arrived (how often does that happen these days?) from Tony Sarmiento, a friend who is executive director of Senior Service America. It made me laugh and I'm pretty sure you'll laugh too.
The season just ended but while it lasted, I spent a lot of money, as I do every year, on Rainier cherries. Yum – I never get enough of them.
They are expensive but nothing, apparently, compared to Japan where, a friend tells me, they are so dear they are packaged as singles – each in its own little box that sells for the yen equivalent of a U.S. dollar.
Now, I have discovered online, that China is selling fresh peaches, each dressed in its own little pair of cute panties. They are
"...being sold to capitalize on the the upcoming romantic Qixi Festival. They're a novelty present! And should be taken as such. But, they aren't cheap: A box of nine panty fruit is 498 yuan or US$80.
"China News reports that these unusual peaches are called 'Ripe Fruit' (蜜桃成熟時), a name evoking obvious sexual connotations. The panty peaches were first developed by a fruit vender in Nanjing, with each pair of underwear slipped on each sexy butt by hand."
You can read more and see additional photos here.
Last time I posted one of these videos, the elders were reacting to a modern phenomenon, Google Glass, that they weren't entirely familiar with yet.
This time, they're reacting to a older phenomenon, one at whose creation they were present and partly responsible for – Elvis. Watch.
Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.
You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click "Contact" in the upper left corner of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I probably won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog IF you include the name of the blog and its URL.
Posted by Ronni Bennett at 05:30 AM | Permalink | Email this post
I loved the peaches and the bangs and....well, just about everything you EVER post in the Saturday columns. Thanks for starting my weekends off on such a fun note.
Thank you for the John Oliver video, Ronni. So true.
As to the peaches: We used to talk about conspicuous consumption. All I can think is that it is so wasteful!!!! (I'm such a Puritan, eh?)
Loved John Oliver's take on the mixing of news and advertising. I began noticing increasing "journalism by press release" as more journalists were fired. Newsrooms are decimated while advertising agencies grow. Less reporting, more copywriting. It is disheartening that many Americans can't tell the difference.
Just delightful...as usual. Thanks.
Great stuff Ronni. Got friends my age with MS, the piece on the Aquadettes was so good. I love peaches but panties...or butt, good to live where they are cheap in season. Hope the know some kids with dolls who need panties, ;-).
Loved the Elvis video. Funny, I never thought about whether men liked him. All I remember is shrieking girls (I was a fan, but never a shrieker). Loved his music, bought all his records, saw all his movies (although I didn't think much of his acting).
As for the peaches, I don't think they look very appetizing when presented this way.
I've never found it so easy to make a French connection. Bless 'em.
My grandkids just got two kittens so I am sending them the YouTube about the Cat festival. Always love your Saturday's posts! Thanks for all you do Ronni!
Wow! Peaches in panties for $80. I've got a box of walnuts in boxer shorts for half that price.
I think you're on to something, Bruce. If peaches can be sexy, so can nuts. You might try eBay.
That's some visual, Beuce.
Edit. That's some visual, Bruce.
Darn those fast fingers on tablets.
Liked the MS lady. Very heat felt. Elvis was funny, peaches were funny too.
Doesn't the Aquadette story hit a special chord? I would love to know the lady personally.
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.


text:
about us
privacy policy
send email
site map
view cart
Naturally Made. Pure and Simple.
All Categories
Featured Products
Intensive Night Repair with Organic Royal Jelly, Pollen and Propolis 2oz
Regular price: $29.99
Sale price: $24.99
Night Cream w/ Organic Royal Jelly and Pollen 2 oz
Regular price: $14.99
Sale price: $10.49
Honey Almond Skin Cream 2oz
Honey Soap with Lavender 4oz
Raw & Unfiltered Orange Blossom Honey 2lb
Raw & Unfiltered Tupelo Honey 1 lb
Raw & Unfiltered Wildflower Honey 6 lb (1/2 gal)
Raw & Unfiltered Creamed Honey with Organic Cinnamon 8oz
Honey is an organic, natural sugar alternative with no additives that is easy on the stomach, adapts to all cooking processes, and has an indefinite shelf-life.
Honey is as old as written history, dating back to 2100 B.C. where it was mentioned in Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform writings, the Hittite code, and the sacred writings of India and Egypt. It is presumably even older than that.
Its name comes from the English hunig, and it was the first and most widespread sweetener used by man. Legend has it that Cupid dipped his love arrows in honey before aiming at unsuspecting lovers.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, Israel was often referred to as "the land of milk and honey." Mead, an alcoholic drink made from honey was called "nectar of the gods," high praise indeed.
Honey was valued highly and often used as a form of currency, tribute, or offering. In the 11th century A.D., German peasants paid their feudal lords in honey and beeswax.
Although experts argue whether the honeybee is native to the Americas, conquering Spaniards in 1600 A.D. found native Mexicans and Central Americans had already developed beekeeping methods to produce honey.
In days of old, honey has been used not only in food and beverages, but also to make cement, in furniture polishes and varnishes, and for medicinal purposes.
And, of course, bees perform the vital service of pollinating fruits, legumes, vegetables and other types of food-producing plants in the course of their business of honey production.
Here's a recipe I found that uses honey AND is gluten and dairy free! Yay for us!
No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Jars
* 1 cup gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, plus a little for garnish
* 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (or for at least 4 hours)
* 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
* ˝ cup zucchini, peeled and diced
* Ľ cup coconut oil, melted
* 2 Tbsp canned coconut milk, full fat (at room temp is best)
* 2 Tbsp maple syrup
* 2 Tbsp. raw honey
* 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
* ˝ Tbsp vanilla extract
* 1/8 tsp sea salt
* juice of 1-1/2 lemons, separated
1.Divide and spread the cup of graham cracker crumbs onto the bottom of 4, 8-ounce jars. Set aside.
2.In a blender, process cashews until fully blended.
3.Add zucchini, coconut oil, coconut milk, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, salt and the juice of one lemon. Add the lemon juice little by little, being careful not to overpower the mixture.
4.Pour the mixture into the jars, layering on top of the crumbs. Be sure to leave room for the strawberry sauce. Place jars in the freezer and allow the "cheesecake" mixture to set for at least an hour.
5.Meanwhile, make your sauce..In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot over medium-high heat, add juice of half a lemon, strawberries and honey.
7.Mash the strawberries until fully incorporated.
8.Bring the strawberry mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and stir frequently for about 10-12 minutes.
9.Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, remove from heat and set aside.
10.When the cheesecake has set, remove the jars from the freezer and let them thaw for about 15 minutes.
11.Top with strawberry sauce, garnish with fresh strawberry slices and sprinkle with extra graham cracker crumbs just before serving.
☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺ ☼ ☺
All Natural & Organic Botanical Skin Care
Raw Florida Orange Blossom Honey
Raw Florida Saw Palmetto Honey
Raw Florida Wildflower Honey
Raw Florida Tupelo Honey
Raw Blueberry Honey
Raw Creamed Honey
Bee Pollen
Organic Propolis Chunks
Medihoney Wound Gel
Supplements & Extracts
All Natural Remedies
More Fun Stuff
Honey Recipes for Eatin', Drinkin', and Lookin' Good
Honeybee Quotes
Shipping Info
Wholesale Customers
about us
privacy policy
send email
site map
view cart
Copyright © 2007 Peace River Bees All Rights Reserved.


text: Julie Harkness began her entertainment career as a teen dancing for Walt Disney World. After graduating from Point Park University, her career took off as she became a member of the prestigious New York RADIO CITY ROCKETTES. During her nine years as a ROCKETTE she served as their No. 1 spokesperson. When Julie wasn't gracing the stage at Radio City she could be seen performing in Broadway musicals. Julie also toured all over the world for Margaritaville Productions as a singer/dancer with JIMMY BUFFETT. Julie also works as a television actress ("The King of Queens", "General Hospital"), in motion pictures ("That Thing You Do"), and is a writer for the national magazine "Dance Spirit". Currently, Julie is an on-camera Segment Reporter for MADE IN HOLLYWOOD.


text:
Trinity holds back Hazen for region win
December 20, 2014 in Uncategorized
Both the Dickinson Trinity and Hazen girls basketball teams were looking to start region play off with a win.
Each scratched and clawed for the ball and the coveted win, but it was Trinity, which came out on top.
The No. 9-ranked Titans beat the Bi…continue reading on thedickinsonpress.com


text:
Hawk 8
View Single Post
I Am Murphy
Vagabond Sportster
Joined: Jan 2012
Location: Taneytown, MD
Oddometer: 111
I had taken so many pictures in between updates that I just wanted to slam them up, and didn't take any time to write descriptive captions. But I thought it was worth mention in case any one is interested; the creamy stuff I rubbed into the leather after the seat was done is bacon grease. I used to spend a lot on leather care products until one day as I was cleaning up after cooking breakfast, it dawned on me that this stuff would be perfect. There may be adverse effects down the road I suppose, but I've been doing this for a couple years now and haven't found any. Usually the bacon smell goes away within a day or so too, so I no longer worry about wild animals attacking my seat while I sleep.
I Am Murphy
View Public Profile
Visit I Am Murphy's homepage!
Find More Posts by I Am Murphy


text:
Twice Baked Sweet Potato
February 4th 2014By Joy of Kosher
Sweet potatoes are filled with Vitamin A and make really amazing twice baked potatoes. This version using Tofutti sour cream and cream cheese, is creamy, but still non dairy. It is a great side dish to any meal.
Tofutti Fettuccine Alfredo
February 4th 2014By Joy of Kosher
You can have your cake and eat too with this vegan, lower fat fettuccine Alfredo. Can't get much easier than this recipe either, just mix a bunch of ingredients in a pot and add the pasta. Instant comfort food without the guilt.
Kosher Chicken Parmesan
February 4th 2014By Joy of Kosher
Using tofutti products you can make a chicken Parmesan that meets all the kosher laws. It is so fun to eat foods like these and it is so easy to make too. Give it a try.
Comfort Food With No Compromises
February 6th 2014By Joy of Kosher
Alaskan Salmon Salad
February 4th 2014By Joy of Kosher
This no cook salmon salad uses Tofutti sour cream instead of mayo, it is creamy and perfect for anyone who can't have eggs. Enjoy on bread toasts or even on a lettuce salad.


text:
For the second time in two weeks, Macromedia has had to patch bugs in its Flash product line, the company acknowledged Tuesday.
The new vulnerability lies in the Flash Communication Server, which apparently doesn't validate some incoming data, and so can be crashed by sending malicious data from a Flash player.
Danish vulnerability tracker Secunia rated the bug as "Moderately critical" because an exploit would only result in a denial-of-service (DoS) attack; an attacker couldn't inject his own code into a vulnerable computer.
Two other Macromedia server packages, Breeze Communication Server and Breeze Live Server, labor under the same cloud, while yet another, Contribute Publishing Server, has an unexpectedly weak password mechanism that could be exploited by local users -- those within the network -- to gain unauthorized access.
All three vulnerabilities have been patched, with updated editions available from Macromedia's support site. The update to Flash Communication Server, for instance, can be found here.
The week before last, Macromedia released fixes for its popular Flash media player to stymie attackers who might grab control of a computer by tricking the user into running a specially-crafted file.


text:
Readers Comments: The Best Movies of 2003 List
Despite eschewing human interaction for the magical flicker and glow of screens, cinephiles have feelings too. (Don't worry, we only publish the interesting ones)
The Year in Film
"It seems like every year for the past few people have been talking about what a weak year for films it has been. I feel more like there are great films being made but the current environment (especially in the States) is not allowing these films to be seen. Half of my top 10 films from 2003 are from festivals and I honestly could have had all 10 from films that didn't get a proper release in the US. Obviously, commercialism has always been an issue in film distribution and exhibition, but people are taking fewer and fewer chances both in the industry and in the audience. I honestly don't know what to do about that, but someone or something is going to have to light a fire under the collective ass of the movie-going public or we'll be dead in the water in a decade." - Ned Hinkle, Cambridge MA
"What happened? We finally get our own Vietnam and our own Nixon (or the closest thing we may get for awhile) and instead of channeling this escalating madness into urgent, ground-breaking cinema (i.e. the early Seventies), we tuned in and dropped out to whatever dope they had at the party-there were numbing empty highs, like Kill Bill or Return of the King, for some, and for others, murky lude hazes, like Mystic River or Lost In Translation, (the latter two drunk enough on their own atmosphere to distract us from how graceless, maundering and scrappy they were as films). But still, if this era is truly Vietnam on Benzedrine, and if we consider that The Sound of Music was a big winner back then, how far removed from that is Peter Jackson's shrill, shallow spectacle? Are we too cynical for another phase of Easy Riders and Raging Bulls?" -Andrew Miller, New York NY
"2003 was a year in which the French showed great insight (Iraq) as well as great taste (#s 1, 3 and 4 on my list). Anyone for "freedom" films? Meanwhile, the two movies with the hippest street cred (Lost In Translation, Elephant ) were disappointing exercises in style, vacantly hollow at the core and incapable of stimulating conversation beyond the proverbial water cooler." - Redbeard Simmons, Burbank, CA
"2003 was a year in which we finally discovered what the cinematic reaction would be to 9/11. Through disparate images of unrelenting despair (House of Sand and Fog, 21 Grams ) and optimism-disguised-as-cynicism (American Splendor ), the world cinema reflected the uneasy uncertainty of an age where cultural paranoia and American self-righteousness dominate the pop culture landscape." - Jason Struss
"Where in recent years, I have had a difficult time delineating my favorites, this year my list easily exceeded ten, and could have exceeded even twenty. The most exciting aspect of 2003 filmmaking was its diversity of subject matter, genres and scope. From major studios to independents, from big budget to small, the quality of films this year was excellent and the entertainment, artistic and substantive value high. As an avid filmgoer, I had so many more choices that mirrored my moods and desires at any given time. The panoply of films added to rather than limited the marketplace of ideas, which is, after all, the best use of the freedom of expression that we enjoy in this country." - Annette Ferstenberg, New York NY
"It was a terrific year in films. Many of them never come to my neck of the woods in Montana (only the awful Blockbusters) so I have to travel to Seattle to see good films (10 hr drive) I miss so many of the good ones. To fill in the gaps I rent the DVDs and subscribe to Netflix. I subscribe to 4 film mags, too." - Sandra Carpenter, Whitefish, MT
"The consensus seems to be that this was a weak year for cinema. I would contend that the first three on my list [La Commune, Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary, Ten] are among the most formally dazzling films I have ever seen. How's that for inverse hyperbole! Also, a great year for comic performances (Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Jack Black, Robert McNamara...um, sorry). As someone in the Village Voice pointed out recently, for one strange week in October the top 3 box office films were by Tarantino, Linklater, and the Coen Bros. 2003. Respect." - Jim May, New York, NY
"This has been one of the weakest years for films in quite sometime. Most critics are beginning to jump on the proverbial bandwagon by acclaiming films that are special effects and gimmick ridden, rather than plot, or character driven. This is unfortunate as it weakens the potential for sharp, stronger movies with a thought in their head." - Alexis Neapolitan, Jr.
"This year was just like any other year in movies; filled with good and bad. It was nice to see the return of Tarantino. Cronenberg and S. Coppola put out spellbinding films this year. It was also a great year for comedies; with Guest and Linklater's films leading the pack, and American Splendor being the biggest suprise of them all. I loved seeing Soderbergh moving into new territory (television) and I'm glad that FILM COMMENT was the only place to write intelligently on the series (as I was hooked every week). Listing all these things I loved about the year more than makes up for any of the bad, which I would prefer to just say nothing about." - Matthew Nader, Tulsa OK
"Whether it be Harvey Pekar escaping geekdom by allowing two women into his life or Kiarostami's examination of a society forcing women into mobile imprisonment, 2003 was a prominent year for women, if anyone bothered to observe closely. The sanity of Eastwood's Boston thugs were dependant upon their wives, while Little Women held a family together in Sheridan's America, and destoyed a family in Scott's Matchstick house. Then leave it all to Tarantino to fashion a cinematic feminist statement about sexuality using a bloodbath inter-cultural orgy in Japan. And I'm not even mentioning demonlover's corporate ice-queens." - Chiranjit Goswami, Winnipeg, Canada
"Despite the surplus of summer sequels, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality family fare released in 2004. Films like Finding Nemo, Freaky Friday, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Bend it Like Beckham left me hoping and praying that their box office success could put an end to the Daddy Day Cares of the world." - Erin Miskey, New York NY
"I continue to be grateful and impressed for/by the ever-increasing accessibility of undistributed and neglected films on DVD. With a region-free player, people who live in cities without major festivals can catch up with major films a lot faster than they were able to before. Rightly or wrongly, DVD is changing cinephilia in a major way." - John Powers, Grand Rapids, MI
"The U.S. is continuing to lower its standard (except for those masterpieces that are Mystic River , the best Eastwood film to date, Elephant, a cold, Bresson-like film by Gus Van Sant and The Fog of War by Errol Morris) but films around the world continue to perpetuate, despite American domination and cultural control, cinematic art. Films from Belgium (Dardenne Bros.), Austria (Haneke), Iran (Kiarostami), France (Dumont, Rivette), Mexico (Reygadas), Finland (Kaurismaki) appear on my list, proof that you have to take a worldwide approach when searching for great movies. For 2004, I wish that more people will take interest in those "foreign" films rather than spend their time (and money!) on American corporative-fuelled garbage. One can always dream. Thank you." - Eric Lacombe, Quebec, Canada
"The year of water movies! Finding Nemo ... Big Fish... Mystic River... Pirates of the Caribbean... Swimming Pool... Master and Commander... The Sea..."—Dan Smith, Nashville TN
"It is a miracle that films even exist, so why would anyone complain at something as arbitrary and meaningless as how many great films accidentally did or did not debut in the same year? It's not as though 1939 was planned well ahead of time to be one of the landmark years in cinema history. Enjoy the wonderful movies, shrug off the bad ones, and look forward to the next films by P.T. and Wes." - Gabriel Bowles, Columbia, SC
"There were great movies. There were awful movies. It's like that every year." - Michael Kwolek, Cedar Grove, NJ
Going to the Movies
"Not even Lost In Translation was as offensive to moviegoers in '03 as were those officious anti-piracy commercials featuring Hollywood artisans. With predictable Tinseltown pomposity, these "technicians"—including a wild-eyed set painter who to all appearances accidentally dunked his chin-whiskers in purple paint while genuflecting to some showbiz pasha—rattled off lists of the pabulum they helped to create, strongly implying that internet parasites must be stopped before their antics prevent the creation of another masterpiece such as Enemy of the State or Dick Tracy. If online pirates really possess such power, all the more reason to download, say, Along Came Polly or The Punisher rather than suffer through them in the multiplex at painfully inflated cost. To the purveyors of commercial tripe (which includes so-called "indie" travesties like Lost In Translation and The Secret Lives of Dentists), the American moviegoing audience's ignorance and gullibilty are bottomless, so H'wood perpetrates, with each new fatuous release, a bottomless insult. Most moviegoers, while desirous of distraction, prefer to be insulted in the privacy of their own homes, and so more and more of them download movies and burn illegal DVDs. Let the Tupperware parties continue, I say, until that set painter's neck is drenched with dye-tinged sweat. To address that tagline, yes, movies are "worth it," but their worth can't be measured solely in money. Whatever threat pirates pose to Hollywood coffers pales in comparison to the offenses to basic human values that the film industry perpetrates on an almost weekly basis." - Benjamin Kessler, Brooklyn NY
Memorable Moments from the New York Film Festival
- Hearing a packed audience of Americans cheer the bloody massacre at the end of Dogville.
- Seeing a security guard push aside Naomi Watts to make way for Susan Sarandon at the screening of Mystic River.
- Tsai Ming Liang's awkward post-screening exhortation for people to buy shares or sell tickets for Goodbye Dragon Inn. With his shaved head and characteristically charismatic, tranquil demeanor, was he parodying a Buddhist sage stumping for temple donations? I sure hope it was just that...
- Kevin Lee, Astoria, NY
"I am appalled at the current trend to show commercials at theatres. It's bad enough to see trailers that reveal practically the entire film, but 10 minutes of loud commercials at theatres charging $9 is obscene. Anyway, it has been a great year in film, and thanks again." - Ross Nickow, Highland Park, IL
The "Year of the Documentary"
"2003 was remarkable for the prominence of documentary films among the best work of the year. Five of the titles in my top twenty list are non-fiction films, and my favorite film of the year used documentary methods to explore an urgent contemporary reality in fictional form. I can only hope that this signals a trend towards relevancy—to more movies, fictional or not, that deal with the actual issues and events of our lives. There will always be a place for escapist entertainment in film, but a complete dominance of sensation over sense, market research over personal vision, and formula over thought, impoverishes the cinematic art, and leads to a spiritual dead end." - Chris Dashiell
"It was the year of the documentary. Even Battle of Algiers, not a documentary, but rereleased, restored, reevaluated and documenting our current horror, underscored this. So did Elephant . Documentary filmmakers captured the complexity of the human condition: how can we still hate Robert McNamara? a father who may have been a pedophile? an architect who wasn't there enough for his son but who profoundly influenced him? - Margaret Bates, New York NY
"For the first time that I can remember I saw more than 1 documentary that was in the running for my year-end top ten list, and not because there weren't 10 other films that were not worthy of being on my top 10, but because i saw 3 documentaries that were not only well made, but were a source of not only entertainment, but also challenged me as a viewer. Hopefully I will be seeing more documentaries of such high quality in the future." - Daniel J. Pilger, Philadelphia PA
"Even if there weren't any films that I outright loved in quite the same way that I loved Spirited Away or Far From Heaven last year, 2003 at least offered quite a few films that really merit discussions of where the medium is headed. The spate of high-profile documentaries, to choose just one example, is nearly impossible to separate, in a broad social context, from the successes of "reality TV" programming. And was it really a weak year for foreign titles, or is that perception just a function of America's continuing self-involvement and xenophobia after Gulf War Part Deux?" - Jonathan Keefe, Lexington KY
"Documentaries (and mockumentaries) were a lot more attractive than any major studio effort that didn't have a hobbit. But excellent work by Coppola, Frears and Eastwood offer hope for a bright future long after we've left the shire." - Frank Diller, Chapel Hill NC
Lost In Translation (#1)
"Every once in a while there comes a filmmaker whose sensuality as expressed on screen matches his or her intelligence. Sofia Coppola emerged as such a filmmaker when Virgin Suicides first came out. Lost In Translation proves it." - Michael Niemcewicz, Jersey City, NJ
"Lost In Translation made the list simply for the way it made me feel. It had a near-perfect blend of melancholy and humor that I tried not to analyze too closely for fear that the feeling would go away." - Jeff Jewell, Ann Arbor MI
"Lost In Translation makes a strong case for cinematic talent being genetic. An impossible romance that is equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious. A smart, funny, and romantic crowd-pleaser and the best movie of 2003." - Rob Morton, New York, NY
"Lost In Translation is essentially just Wong Kar-wai lite; the Coldplay to Wong's Radiohead, if you will. It's easily the year's most wildly overpraised film, yet I can't say it's popularity and acclaim surprise me in the least: It's an ooey-gooey love-letter to priviliged hipsters and jaded boomers; the hyperbole it inspired is the squishy sound of its target market making out with itself." - Josh Timmerman
"Sublime, light as Air filmmaking with a catharsis that just kills. The best film by a Coppola in 25 years." - Daniel Wible, Glen Mills PA
Has there been a sweeter, sexier movie moment this year than Bill Murray tentatively reaching over to touch Scarlett Johansson's bare foot? Sofia Coppola's exquisite second feature is filled with these kinds of small, beautifully acted scenes that, when taken together, paint a rich portrait of two like-minded souls who take solace in each other when the rest of their lives seem to be spinning out of control. I still don't understand the people who accuse the film of being demeaning or racist in its depiction of Japan. For one thing, Coppola isn't depicting the entire country—her focus is solely on Tokyo, which is a very different environment than the rest of Japan." - Ethan Alter, Brooklyn NY
"When critics began falling over themselves to praise the mediocre mood piece Lost In Translation this fall, I momentarily wondered if somehow the rest of the world forgot about Claire Denis's doubly impressive Friday Night. Twice as insular yet twice as warm as Coppola's feature-length posturing session, Denis's film mines genuine suspense from its serendipitous intimate encounter. Like Translation, Friday Night creates an astringent atmosphere where the creation of its characters' bond becomes an attempt to reclaim human connection for themselves. Denis doesn't need to douse her protagonists in apathy to do that, however, and as a result, she creates an intensely subjective experience that is capable of appealing to more than the most cynical of moviegoers." - Jeremy Heilman
"The Far From Heaven award for most overrated film of the year goes to Lost In Translation. If this were a satire on ignorant, narcissistic Americans abroad who are too wrapped up in themselves to appreciate a foreign culture it might have worked, but it's far too obvious that Coppola is no more clued in than her characters. If ex-hubby Spike Jonze taught her one thing, it's how to rip off the ending to a Wong Kar Wai film to, unfortunately, much lesser effect." - Rob Ruzic, Toronto, ON
"Bill Murray had the greaest role of the best screen comedian of the last 40 years." - Jesse Trussell, Austin TX
"Is it just me or was Lost In Translation not a comedy? Between the way it has been advertised, the Golden Globes, and the amount of people laughing in the theater I am beginning to believe that I don't have a sense of humor." - Travis Jay Hill, Bellingham WA
"I find it interesting that both Sofia and Roman Coppola are now making the films that Francis Coppola and George Lucas once said they would be making many years ago." - Robert Merk, Fair Oaks, CA
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (#2)
"My choice for number one has to be Return of the King, the mightiest, meatiest epic ever filmed. Despite an overabundance of CG images, it represents everything I started loving movies for in the first place. A film this exciting and moving and that doesn't treat the audience like they're idiots cannot be ignored." - Jeff Jewell, Ann Arbor MI
"An Overrated 'epic' and the most insipid, mind-numbingly pompous movie I've seen in years." - Mitch Metcalf, Stamford CT
"Who knew "hobbit" meant "gay"? Sauron's angry, red vagina can't stop the soft-focus nuzzlings of J.R.R. Tolkien's horny hobbits. The world can't wait for the extended cut DVD with its X-rated reunion scene in Frodo's boudoir at Elrond's House. All those hobbits bouncing on the bed with Viggo Mortensen! Gimli licking his lips and quipping, 'Dwarves excel at exploring dark tunnels!'" - Grady Hendrix
"I don't know what agressive love scene made me more uneasy, beautiful doe eyed Audrey Tautou in Dirty Pretty Things or sweaty Sam and Flushed Frodo climbing the mountain to the big one eye, but never saying what they really mean." - Jason Quinton
Mystic River (#3)
"Praise JC that Blood Work has been quietly swept under a rug somewhere and Mr. Eastwood has made a film that reminds us why a good script, good cast, and good director can make a damn fine dramatic movie without trying to be a show off, or emotionally manipulative. This is classic filmmaking, and should be noticed." - Bossi Baker, Fayetteville AR
"The one film that critics desperately wanted to be a classic (Mystic River) was one of the most overrated films of the past decade. It's a shame that Sean Penn will probably win an Oscar this year for a performance that he practically dialed-in (Penn, an Irish gangster...I'd of never thunk it!) instead of winning for any of his fine performances in his previous films (Dead Man Walking, Hurlyburly, etc.). The slight of the year: Ralph Fiennes getting just a murmur of praise for his monumental turn as a schitzophrenic in Spider." - Chris Quay, Arlington, VA
Lost In America
"Once again, it's difficult being a flim buff when you don't live in a major metropolitan area. It's hard to believe that the sixth-week revenues from Dumb and Dumber or Haunted Mansion couldn't be bested by one or two weeks of not-too-out-there movies like Thirteen or Secret Lives of Dentists. When you don't live in a big city, timing is everything—we just couldn't get to Philly when Elephant was playing. demonlover and Guy Maddin's Dracula had just left when we vacationed in Chicago. It's hard to make up lost viewings on DVD when you're trying to build The Catalog -Yi Yi or Band of Outsiders? The Wind Will Carry Us or Singin' in the Rain? So here in the boondocks it was a piss-poor year even by megaplex standards. But, in the end of course, years don't mean anything. If you look at 1953 alone, it might look like the early 50s were pretty medicore-subpar Hitchcock, Kurosawa, and Ford [ok, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but . . .]--but look at 1954, a great "year." It may not have been the best year (although Ten was truly great), but I think it's part of a larger, gradual upswing in international movies—why last year I saw a Godard movie without having to drive to NYC and I saw it in a commercial theater! Now, it only played two weeks and didn't do too well critically or financially (although I'm sure it will seem better in retrospect)—but then again it didn't have nude inserts of Bardot either. Last year we also saw Kandahar in Harrisburg PA, again at a (packed) commercial theater!" - John Svatek, Lancaster, PA
Put simply, I don't know what I'd do without FILM COMMENT. As both a cineaste and a filmmaker, I anxiously await the coming of FCin the mail, and I'm never disappointed. Moreover, I know I'm in for a treat with whatever's in store—even if this includes some hearty content I know I'm going to have to wait a long time to experience for myself. (Elephant still hasn't come to town). It might sound silly, but i'm guessing that there's more out there like me, who get off on everything in the mag, even though we're hard pressed to catch a great deal of the films mentioned until some time later, if at all. On a specific note, all praise to Vidi Vidi Vidi; if there's one thing I look forward to most, it's getting a glimpse at what films I can see, and what to put on this year's Xmas list." - Ward Howarth, Richmond, VA Kill Bill Vol. 1 (#4)
"As for my top choice, I picked Kill Bill, Vol. 1 because it's the one film to which I've had the most prolonged emotional response. A lot of people will question that statement; I realize that it's the kind of film that will be most thoroughly enjoyed by those who have a long-standing joy of genre films. I also know that it has some harsh violence and situations that will put off many who haven't already been exposed to director Quentin Tarantino's style and substance. I'm not sure what gives me the greater chills: the blistering, should-but-probably-won't-win-an-Oscar performance by Uma Thurman, the camerawork and color schemes, or the soundtrack, filled with unique and inspiring musical choices that help to distill and lovingly accent the images on screen. To say I'm excited about Volume 2 is like saying I had something brief to say about Volume 1." - Steve Norwood, Lewisville TX
"Everything old is new again in Quentin Tarantino's blood-soaked pastiche to blaxploitation, kung fu, and revenge B movies. Uma Thurman's badass heroine is both delirious and invigorating while mixed with a good measure of Peckinpah-esque morality. Bring on Volume 2!" - Mitch Metcalf, Stamford CT
"Yes! Tarantino was released from the carbonite! Then he waited like three more years, ate a bunch of frozen pizza's, had one more box of ding dongs, and then made one of the best Friday Night movies of all time! Tarantino's ode to Chinese Kung Fu flicks and California grind house theaters was better than I ever expected it could possibly be. Uma was not to be fucked with, and neither was the soundtrack. Once again, Quentin has stolen a hundred different ideas from other great filmmakers and somehow ended up owning them." - Bossi Baker, Fayetteville, AR
"Kill Bill will only grow in estimation—with each film, Tarantino expands his references vastly to include elements of world cinema/culture so diverse that he may need to release an 'annotated' version of his films." - Scot West, Iowa City, IA
"It's fascinating to compare the mindless violence of Kill Bill, which didn't leave a scratch on this viewer, to the horrors in Elephant , City of God , and Mystic River . The characters in those films become real for me; they hurt, they bleed. Van Sant, Eastwood, Katia Lund & Fernando Meirelles—they understand violence. Tarantino doesn't. Not yet." - Greg Machlin, New York NY
"2003 saw two films that: (1) featured female lead(s), (2) valued action, atmosphere, and attitude over plot, (3) replaced character depth with exhaustive references to pop culture and/or cult films. That Kill Bill is so critically valued where Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is reviled speaks only to the fact that the critical establishment places more importance on the reference points of Tarantino's film then they do on McG's. Suffice to say that neither bothers to critique or examine their forebears; both settle for simulation and homage. Charlie's Angels at least has the presence of mind to spoof its excesses and those of the summer tentpole genre, such excesses proving dead weight in the latter Matrixes and Kill Bill." - John Strelow, Los Angeles, CA
"Perhaps the worst thing you could say about Kill Bill is that it isn't even lousy enough to be interesting; nor are his "ideas" in rearranging narrative time structures for effect. (It's film—that's what it's always been useful for). Kill Bill is merely average; remarkable only in the way you might take a moment to stop and watch a pie-eating contest. I guess that in our relativistic and gluttonous culture, the fact that someone out there would be so willing to gorge himself on junk (for Tarantino, it's junky movies) way more than anyone else would is what we are now calling "talent," "pure cinema," "the director as DJ" and other such empty, schlocky terms. Perhaps, but it definitely does not produce art." - Tariq Tapa, Houston TX
American Splendor (#5)
"American Splendor was such a thrill because of its seamless mixing of elements which simply aimed to describe Harvey Pekar the way he would on film. The filmmakers succeed in transmitting Pekar's weird, cranky yet somehow comforting persona."
- Betty Teng, Brooklyn NY
"That American Splendor took Best Picture honors with both the National Society of Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics Assocation leaves me somewhat suspicious that maybe critics are a little over-eager to heap kudos on any American indie that doesn't totally suck." - Josh Timmerman
Elephant (#6)
"Where the hell did the new Gus Van Sant come from? I can't wait to see what he does next." - Jonathan Hoagland, Mountaintop PA
"Van Sant may be stealing pages from lesser known masters, but he manages to bring them into his own in America. Why aren't more filmmakers on these shores going this route, and to such tremendous effect? I guess we all know the answer to that one." - Ivan Zeile, Denver CO
City of God (#7)
"This astonishingly powerful debut feature from Fernando Meirelles really deserved a wider audience. City of God is vibrant, raw and explosive. The slums of Rio De Janeiro circa 1960-1980 are vividly recreated as boyhood friends Benny and Lil Ze rise from petty vandals to become powerful ganglords. Right from the start, City of God pounds with a furious visual energy and a killer soundtrack." - Rob Morton, New York, NY
"While I thought nothing would top the movie event of the year, Kill Bill: Volume 1, for me City of God came out of nowhere. This Scorsesean gangster operatic epic not only hits you on the gut level with its intense display of violent realism, but it's one that also displays its true story through artistic storytelling techniques that seem influenced by Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas." - Judd Taylor, New York NY
"An explosive dose of MTV-inspired hysteria that transcends its visual gloss to achieve great beauty and truth. Director Meirelles's raw and devastating vision of urban hell is, by far, the year's most impressive debut." - Daniel Wible, Glen Mills, PA
"Oh, how I loathed the City of God's hypocrisy, its reliance on whizzbang visuals to thrill all the while insisting—quite obviously, mind you—that guns and gangsta-life are bad, that violence begets violence. Now, were the film to glamorize the violence et al. in such a way as to woo us spectators into this life, were it to show us this life's allure rather than simply blitzing our senses with flashy, impersonal imagery, perhaps then I wouldn't find the film's pretty well-intentioned ethics so dishonest and offensive. What too many filmmakers keep refusing to acknowledge nowadays is that the individualization and Humanization of all things morally abhorrent makes for a much more recognizable and truthful and SCARY reality than presenting some tautological reality in which hoods are just hoods because they're hoods." - Ryan Tracy, Owings Mills, MD
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (#11)
"In this day and age when the planet seems so small, it's difficult to remember an era when there were still lands that hadn't yet been explored. In its best moments, Master and Commander makes you feel as if you are seeing the world for the first time." - Ethan Alter, Brooklyn NY
Spider (#12)
"One of David Cronenberg's best films. Could it be because he didn't write the book or screenplay? The art direction and cinematography help to convey the sense of harrowing sadness and hopelessness. This is so much better than A Beautiful Mind." - Mario DiMaio
"Reality? No clearer case for the cognitive dissonance implicit in searching for it in film has been made. Obsession helps." - Steve Jones
The Fog of War (#13)
"Errol Morris's brilliant documentary will be relevant whenever there is a war being waged in the world. Therefore, it will (sadly) always be relevant. I actually found myself admiring Robert McNamara's candor and remorse, while at the same time asking myself 'why the hell didn't your conscience surface during Vietnam?'" - Mitch Metcalf, Stamford CT
All the Real Girls (#15)
"David Gordon Green is my favorite contemporary film director. He has consistently found new ways to tell stories so far, and made it far more interesting than anything else out there. Yes, he owes a lot to Terrence Malick, but at least he doesn't look like he's going to take a 25 year break in between each film. I don't feel like this film has got the attention that it deserved, and will hopefully be looked at more as time goes on. The best movie of the year." - Bossi Baker, Fayetteville, AR
28 Days Later (#18)
"This is hands down the best straightforward horror movie of the last ten years. It served to remind audiences that horror can and should be played straight. This little gem from Britain managed to get under my skin and stay there throughout the entire 90 minute run time. And best of all, there was none of that winking-at-the-camera bullshit that's plagued nearly every American horror movie released in the wake of Scream." - Chris Olson
Pirates of the Carribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (#19)
"Pirates of the Carribbean was first and foremost a triumph of screenwriting. Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio are truly the unsung heroes of this film, as they were for Mask of Zorro." - Greg Machlin, New York NY
"Had you told me a year ago that I would love a movie based on a Disney theme park ride, much less one produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, I wouldn't have just laughed in your face, I would probably have spit in it as well." - Chris Olson
"No, not a work of art, perhaps, but this gloriously kitsch family film was wittier, sexier, better acted and more entertaining than any of the year's other commercial epics. And yes, that includes Lord of the Rings..." - Guy Lodge, South Africa
School of Rock (#20)
"The absolute funniest movie I saw in 2003 School of Rock's plot is by-the-numbers but the execution is where it's at. Director Richard Linklater strikes just the right balance between indie sensibility and mainstream appeal, never letting things get too cutesie or cloying. You haven't met a group of kids as talented and funny as these since...well, since Spellbound. (What a great double feature that would make!)" - Rob Morton, New York NY
Irreversible (#22)
"By far the most misunderstood film of the year, by critics and audiences alike. A thoroughly unique creation that expertly deals out craft, experimentation, and a complete symbolic thread to relationships that its hard to imagine not liking it. That is, if one can manage to get through the first five minutes, the next fifteen, that nine minute scene, etc.....Memorable? How can one possibly forget this masterpiece?" - Ivan Zeile, Denver CO
"Pretentious, manipulative, and excessive. I loved it, if love is the right word. The camera work is all thrashing savagery, the music apocalyptic dread, the setting the bowels of hell, and the sanity long excreted." - Daniel Wible, Glen Mills, PA
In America (#25)
"Jim Sheridan's In America extended Kaige's Together revelation. He applies, across a canvas of immediate post-9/11, AIDS-era concerns, the truths exposed in Steven Spielberg's films, referencing Saving Private Ryan, E.T., A.I, Amistad, and Minority Report. It represents a new vision of myth and country, faith and democracy." - John Demetry, Erie PA
A Mighty Wind (#27)
"The only time I cried at the movies this year, and it was a Christopher Guest movie starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara... which has a fart joke IN THE TITLE!" - Eric Johnson
The Son (#31)
"When I first saw the Dardenne Brothers' technique of putting a camera behind their main character's head and showing us only what their world and perspectives contain (in Rosetta), I thought it seemed limited and artificial. But I changed my mind (by the end of Rosetta) and consequently, I was overwhelmed by the net-like discipline and spareness of The Son. Stripped of everything not essential to his story, the essence (a version of the Buddhist idea that the path to enlightenment involves showing friendliness to one's enemies) comes through like a clarion call." - Jim Faller, E. Elmhurst, NY
"My favorite film of 2003, The Son, is another reason why I feel the Dardenne brothers are the greatest brother filmmaking team ever. No other film (besides Godard's In Praise of Love) moved me to the point that I watched it twice in a row). The immeasurable amount of satisfaction that film gave to me more than makes up for what I believe was a lackluster year in American cinema." - Vince Henriquez
Lilya 4-Ever (#35)
"Practically hidden from the public, but exceptional to most of those who saw it, Lilya 4-Ever creates a buoyant and hopeful feeling from the most dismal and depressing story. Wringing Christian redemption from a sad true story, Moodysson convinces us that innocence is protected by God, evil becoming the meaningless decoration of the gnostic demiurge." - Jim Faller, E. Elmhurst, NY
The Secret Lives of Dentists (#47)
"Never before have I seen a film so knowingly capture the dégringolade of a marriage as The Secret Lives of Dentists. Every action and reaction, every look and every feeling is so firsthandedly lived-through, and so exact is its presentment of how the shit goes down when one from a couple strays that even the source material's heavy-handed, over-stretched Teeth is to Marriage analogy (thankfully only present in the pro-/epi-logues) is excusable." - Ryan Tracy, Owings Mills, MD
Fits of Passion
"Claude Chabrol's criminally underrated The Flower of Evil was easily the best film of the year. It showed a classical rigor and control worthy of Fritz Lang, and was as underrated as Lang's late films were when they were released. The ending was enormously moving and it proves once again that by stripping away all but the most essential elements of his visual style, Chabrol's "classicism" has proved itself far more modern than the strenuous attempts at "modernism" or "postmodernism" we have seen from other filmmakers." - Richard Menello, Matawan, NJ
"If future generations want a snapshot of the bubbling, boiling psyche of the American people as they invaded Iraq please refer them to Dreamcatcher. Aliens sodomize hard-drinking super-powered folksy folks and get their butts kicked by a retard whose name sounds a lot like "Dubya". Morgan Freeman grows his eyebrows like Lo Lieh and intones Department of Homeland Security palaver before he chases Tom Sizemore with a helicopter. So much noise, so much anal fear, so much paranoia. What the hell: Lawrence Kasdan had to make a good movie eventually." - Grady Hendrix
"Stone Reader has become one of my favorite films. For many I know that would rather read a book than do anything else, this film was their Woodstock. It also did what no other film did this year, brought back into print a long lost novel. While said novel, The Stones of Summer may not be quite the masterpiece the documentary would have one believe, the fact that it came back in print at all is a testimony to the power of film. Stone Reader is also the most enjoyment I had watching a film the last few years. After four viewings, it still speaks to me. I have showed it to several friends and will continue until everyone I know has seen it." - John Dodd, New York NY
"Altman's The Company should not be overlooked. It acheived the 'voyeuristic' look and feel that (while still amazing) Van Sant's Elephant failed. There was no spiking (even extras) of the camera or anything that would allow the audience to think 'hey these people are acting.' It was pure natural reality, something I wish we as artists would strive for. Altman has reinvented himself again and the film is beautiful." - Stephen Gillis, Vancouver BC
"Masked and Anonymous was highly underrated, and while it had its flaws, it provided an unabashed look at an imperial, facist pseudo-America and had some of the best music of the year, thanks to the ever-fresh Bob Dylan." - Sam Heaton, Gibsons, British Columbia
"The knee jerk negative response to Masked and Anonymous was as if Dylan went electric all over again. The reaction to this flawed little film was the most ridiculous critical pile on of the year." - Jay Herzog, Arcata CA
"The Shape of Things is this year's Storytelling. Both are audaciously provocative and unapologetically vitriolic; both were transparently savaged by, well, just about everyone. Personally, I'd take Solondz or LaBute's genuine bite anyday over Lost In Translation's designer brooding or American Splendor's Woody Allen wanna-be crankiness." - Josh Timmerman
"After the undue hype heaped on Sam Raimi's Spider-Man two years ago, it was not surprising to see a whole new market to finally open up for adaptations of some of the most respected comic book creations. The two best evocations of the comic book aesthetic were created out of this, though they both were despised by those who turned a blind eye to the narrative and visual compromises of Bryan Singer's X2. Daredevil, a dark yet sexy Hell's Kitchen kung-fu incarnation of the blind justice seeker Matt Murdock, and Ang Lee's Jekyll-and-Hyde Hulk, were the most faithful and exciting "comic-book" films created since Tim Burton left the Batman series (though something could be said for Wesley Snipes's hammy yet fun Blade films). Both exemplified the ideal mainstream marriage of digitally-glistened effects and raw, pulp melodrama." - Patrick Kennelly, Northridge CA
"Assembling a Top 10 was a tough call. But I'll always remember this as the year that gave us In The Cut, which in turn gave us an actual great performance from Meg Ryan and a flawless performance from Mark Ruffalo." - Matthew Bridges, Australia
"My favorite film of the year—Peter Pan—wasn't perfect, but it had truer emotional depth than some of the adult dramas I was supposed to go mad about: Mystic River and House of Sand and Fog—two films which, by God, were going to be bleak as hell no matter what plot contrivances were necessary to make it happen." - David Dwyer
"Down with Love was fun, colorful, and consistently surprising. And Renee Zellweger is only a little annoying. Seriously, does she have to make that face?" - Eric Johnson
"The Missing is the one anomaly in my top five, but I can't understand why no one liked this movie. I love Westerns, and this is easily the best since Unforgiven. The locations were suitably rugged and mean, the tone was dark, especially for Ron Howard, and the movie pulled no punches, at least until the end. And Cate Blanchett has got to be among the top three living, working actresses. So why was it not received better?" - Jeff Jewell, Ann Arbor, MI
"Divine Intervention was the only film I managed to see twice, during a year in which my film viewing was severally limited. A unique voice, and a unique vantage upon which to view a world situation that couldn't possibly make sense to a country hell-bent on "Homeland Security" - Ivan Zeile, Denver CO
"Peter Watkins emerged this year with La Commune (Paris 1871), one of the most important films I have seen in my life. It's a terrible shame how few will ever see it again." -Valeria Mogilevich, New York NY
"I picked Crimson Gold as the best film of the year (following its appearance at the New York Film Festival) because it was precisely the type of film that Hollywood would never make—a film that charts the slow humiliation and decline of its protagonist and delineates the economic strata of a divided nation without hyperbole or sentimentality. The film portrays this world with a removed, dispassionate gaze—as seemingly dispassionate and unmotivated as the protagonist himself—that merely observes the progress of the action." - Leo Goldsmith, New York NY


text:
A series of government leaks and statements over the past three weeks has signalled that the Prime Minister, John Major, intends a radical shake-up in the one area of education untouched by his predecessor - post-16 education. The changes will have a profound impact on the teaching of science, which has already been used as the proving ground for many of the ideas being considered.
In a speech last week, Tim Eggar, minister of state at the Department of Education and Science (DES), said that wheels were in motion to 'clarify the route through vocational qualifications, and provide young people with an attractive alternative to A levels.' And press reports say government is to introduce a new tier of vocational qualifications which students will sit for at the same time as for A levels.
Before resigning, Margaret Thatcher presided over sweeping changes to degree-level education and schooling up to 16, ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.


text:
So here is what we came up with.
The Rules ___
1961 to 1979 cars....no trucks
$50 MAX price... including paint and add ons (2 kits little paint...1 kit lots of addons...how will you make the best?)
list of items will be needed (Do not need Receipt)
No shipping or brushes will count as well
Paint will be $1.50 brush bottle and $3.00 spray
Parts Cars Do not count toward the $50 max (if its on a tree count the car it came from in your price)
Build will start May 1st ....ending May 31st
Voting will be June 6th to 11th ____
(Wontonkiller...Tom Ried...Thedocktor40) The friends that started the challenge.
Please Follow these guidelines when posting.
Have fun and can't wait to see what you come up with !!!
Edited by wontonkiller, 02 May 2011 - 11:03 AM.


text:
Please enter your current email address to receive instructions on resetting your password.
Your password has been reset. Please check your email for further instructions.
You are sending a link to the page. Please completely fill out the form
Add an additional message below.
The URL for the page will automatically be added to your message.
Take a walking tour of Capitol Square and tour the interior of the Capitol afterwards. Learn about the Capitol building designed by Jefferson, the Executive Mansion and the many monuments and memorials on the grounds, and hear about the filming of Spielberg's "Lincoln", for which the Square was the biggest backdrop. Includes a tour of the State Capitol. Meet at Capitol Square's 9th and Grace Street gate.
$15 per person $5 for Valentine Members and children under 12Cash or checkOn-street parking
This tour is presented as part of the Richmond History Tours program, a service of the Valentine. We offer a full schedule of walking and bus tours of city neighborhoods, waterways, parks, retail districts, historic sites and battlefields. Led by a trained master guide, a Richmond History Tour is the best way to experience the city's rich past, present and future.
This facility meets ADA Accessibility Guidelines for wheelchair accessibility, including an accessible entrance,
access to goods and services, usability of rest rooms and accessible parking and drop-off areas. For additional
details, please see the ADA website.
Order your Free Virginia Travel Guide.
What's going on around Virginia? Subscribe to the Virginia eNews.
Thank You! For subscribing to the Virginia eNewsletter. You will begin receiving 2 email newsletters each month.
View Our Newsletter Archive
Online Travel Guide
Virginia Green
Weather Forecasts
Virginia iPhone Apps


text: EMM, or 2-ethoxy-4,5-dimethoxyamphetamine, is a lesser-known psychedelic drug. It is a dimethoxy-ethoxy analog of TMA-2. EMM was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin. In his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines i Have Known And Loved), both the dosage and duration are unknown. EMM produces few to no effects. Very little data exists about the pharmacological properties, metabolism, and toxicity of EMM.


text:
Health & wellness
A new face for Carmen
A Vermont woman talked last year about her efforts to get a face transplant, and the attack that disfigured her. (Warning: the video contains graphic images.)
Subscriber Log In
You have reached the limit of 5 free articles in a month
Continue reading by subscribing to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢.
Continue reading by subscribing to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢.
Stay informed with unlimited access to Boston's trusted news source.
- High-quality journalism from the region's largest newsroom
- Convenient access across all of your devices
- Today's Headlines daily newsletter
- Subscriber-only access to exclusive offers, events, contests, eBooks, and more
- Less than 25¢ a week