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Sgt. Bilko
I truly believe this film is a danger to the future of the human race. First of all, if Dan Aykroyd gets any bigger he's going to need an entire other personality to control the extra mass. He's so big he's spawning jokes: How many Dan Aykroyds can you get in a Volkswagen? Answer: none. How many Dan Aykroyds does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: only one, but it takes several mules to spin him around. However, the truly dangerous aspect of the film is that it demonstrates a complete lack of creativity. Local hospitals are providing the movie's commercial tie-in: The new "Sgt. Bilko" do-it-yourself lobotomy kit.
Nobody is human in "Sgt. Bilko." All the characters are two-dimensional cut-outs. All the comedy is physical and there's not one instance where anyone watching the movie will have to think about what they are seeing. Inevitably, someone will defend this by yelling "Three Stooges!" This would have been a good defense fifty years ago, but by now we've seen the set-ups in "Sgt. Bilko" ten thousand times. Will Bilko outsmart his nemesis, Major Thorn (Phil Hartman), and save himself from being transferred? Any bets? Will Bilko's girlfriend (Glenne Headly) actually leave him? Will the dim-witted commanding officer (Dan Aykroyd) ever show a hint of true intelligence? I could barely stand the suspense.
"Sgt. Bilko" may even have a devious side. Bilko worships money (he drives a Corvette), but his platoon loves him because he allows them to slack off. When an African-American PFC arrives at the beginning of the film, he is resistant to Bilko's ways and the attitude of his platoon. By the end of the film, he's been acculturated. The moral? Obey your orders. Do what you're told. Make the great white man lots of money.
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While so much of the investing talk today in the banking sector is about some of the big banks, such as Bank of America's (NYSE: BAC ) incredible run in 2012 and whether it's still a buy today, in this video, Motley Fool financial analysts David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer tell investors about one smaller bank that could be far more interesting right now.
KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY ) , a regional U.S. bank with a semi-national presence, doesn't have the same level of global exposure to various other world markets, and is therefore less intimidating to understand as an investor than some of the huge sprawling "black box" banks. David also tells us that KeyCorp is trading at a discount to its tangible book value, much in the way that Bank of America was before it saw such a big run-up in 2012.
Bank of America's stock doubled in 2012. Is there more yet to come? With significant challenges still ahead, it's critical to have a solid understanding of this megabank before adding it to your portfolio. In The Motley Fool's premium research report on B of A, analysts Anand Chokkavelu, CFA, and Matt Koppenheffer, Financials bureau chief, lift the veil on the bank's operations, including detailing three reasons to buy and three reasons to sell. Click here now to claim your copy.

subset: commoncrawl


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While the NFL investigates reports of hazing and intimidation that may have prompted a member of the Miami Dolphins to leave the team, former Chiefs player Shawn Barber said some rookie rituals help bring teams together.
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26 September – 01 October 2016
Concentrating on the wealth of beautiful gardens around Lake Maggiore, this tour offers a balance between interesting botanic gardens and those of classic Renaissance and later Italian style. We also visit the gardens of Isole di Brissago in Switzerland with its interesting collection of plants. The shelter of high Alps to the north, the sharply varied seasonal temperatures and the humidity of the lakes provide excellent growing conditions. In late September the scent of Osmathus fragans is delightful.
Our base is the very comfortable Hotel Cannero, with its lovely garden on the quiet Maggiore lakeside, run by Signora Gallinotto and her family. The restaurant overlooks the lake and mountains beyond and specialises in north Italian cuisine. Cannero, a delightful, typically Italian village, is a perfect base. We use the lake ferries when possible to arrive at the gardens.
The group will consist of 16 participants.
Activity Level:
On/off lake ferries, mostly level garden paths and flights of steps.
Additional Information:
Why not add a few additional days in Cannero. See tour costs.


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WASHINGTON - For nearly 20 months, the cavernous International Space Station has floated 240 miles above Earth empty and virtually useless. That is about to change.
After delays that have cost the United States billions of dollars, Russia will launch the space station's service module at 12:56 a.m. Philadelphia time tomorrow from remote Kazakstan. The 43-foot-long Zvezda - Russian for star - is the heart of the station.
It will provide its crew a place to live, a docking port for resupply ships, life support systems and propulsion systems, enabling the space station to stay in the proper orbit.
This launch is "probably the single most crucial launch in the space station," said John Pike, space policy director for the Federation of American Scientists, a Washington think tank. "It's a small piece that's had an awful lot of attention. It's had an awful lot of problems."
For years, NASA and the Russians have been dickering over the service module, its preparations and readiness. It was supposed to launch in April 1998. But a cash-poor Russian space program delayed paying its contractors, thus slowing construction.
To get the module finished, NASA had to waive some safety regulations, including standards for cabin noise, risk from punctures by orbital trash, and problems from potential pressure drops, according to a March report by the U.S. General Accounting Office.
A series of problems with the Russian Proton rocket needed to heft the service module into orbit also delayed the launch.
An internal NASA study, cited by the GAO, said in January 1999 that Russian delays had cost the U.S. space agency $3 billion. NASA, which once promised to pay no more than $17.1 billion on the station, now puts its cost at $24 billion to $26 billion - excluding 39 space shuttle flights at $435 million apiece according to the GAO. They bring U.S. costs up to $43 billion.
The shuttles' main mission over the next seven years is to build the station.
In November and December 1998, NASA and Russia sent up the first two parts of the space station, expecting the service module shortly afterward. The first two parts orbited for so long they started sinking back to Earth and needed the shuttle to push them back into proper orbit.
Wednesday's launch of the service module "should get the space station back on track," said Marcia Smith, Congressional Research Service analyst. "It should affect the pace, because the pace has been pretty much zero."
After two weeks of checkout in orbit, the module will dock with the rest of the station, using a Russian automatic system. In the next year, "the U.S. and the Russians need to accomplish 16 launches" to the station, said NASA deputy associate administrator Mike Hawes, who oversees the project.
The first crew, headed by American astronaut William Shepherd, is expected to launch from Russia this fall and stay about four months, marking the beginning of a continuous human presence in space.
By the time the station is complete, slated for 2005, it will be 262 feet long and 365 feet wide, weigh 1 million pounds, have six labs and support a crew of seven.


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About a month ago I decided to run for the Drupal Association elections. I've been told that I'm nuts for wanting to serve in this capacity. The fact is, in many respects I've lived a life of service. This started as a boy when I sang in a Men's and Boy's choir. This choir practiced Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons after school for several hours. It then had two services on Sunday - one in the morning and one in the Evening. That started a life of volunteering that has included everything from helping families in need get shoes and meals to working with the Foster care system to serving on Boards for public schools. I believe in giving to causes that matter to me. Drupal is definitely one of those causes. So on September 6th, I popped onto the Association site and filled out a nomination form. I wasn't sure how many people would choose to run for the two spots and was highly gratified when the nominations closed and there were 19 of us. You might think, "That's NUTS, that many people makes getting elected WAY harder!" While that might be true - it meant there were 19 people who are willing to make the effort to SERVE the Drupal community. What an amazing pool of energy to tap into win or lose.
The last month I sent out over 50 tweets, 50 Facebook Messages, and 50 G+ announcements. I wrote 10 blog posts, including this one. I participated in one "Meet the Candidates" talk, listened live to a second, and read the transcripts on the other two. I answered all the questions posed through all the sessions. I ended up having a scuffle with a good friend - it had a happy ending because we are both devoted to the community and we both like each other. We were ready and willing to talk and work things out. I talked with people on Skype, through email, on Facebook, in IRC, and through Direct Messages in Twitter. The long and short is, I put a lot of energy into letting people know who I am, why I care, and why it might be good to vote for me.
So the results are in - Congratulations to Morten and Pedro! I know both of you will do a great job with the Association.
Thanks everybody for your support and I will see some of you in a few weeks at BADCamp.
Thank you
Thank you for running for the DA Board. Drupal has flourished because people of your caliber step up for difficult jobs like this.
You're welcome
It was my pleasure and thank you for your kind words.
Please run again
The Drupal Association would clearly benefit from your participation. Please keep tuned to the next steps the DA will take and help the communication flow back to the community.
And by the way, please attend DrupalPicchu (and join forces for what might be the first community-run DrupalCon).
Thanks Capi
I appreciate the support. We will see what the next year brings, but I am committed to assisting the DA one way or another.
I will seriously consider helping out with DrupalPicchu - who is the lead?
Here is a link to the organization news: http://groups.drupal.org/node/257563 AFAIK, DevelCuy and NickVidal are spearheading this initiative, but I might be wrong ;)


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UNEP Announces Expansion of African Carbon Asset Development Facility
1 June 2012: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that the African Carbon Asset Development (ACAD) Facility will be scaled-up in an effort to boost Africa's carbon market, through the contribution of additional funds from the French Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The ACAD Facility, which was formed by UNEP in cooperation with Standard Bank, acts as an incubator for developing carbon projects steered by UNEP. According to UNEP, the decision to launch the second phase of the Facility was driven by the success of the first phase, which was funded by the German Government's International Climate Initiative. The second phase intends to support at least 20 additional projects in Africa by the end of 2013, increasing local financial capacity to invest in green projects.
As a result of the expansion plans, ACAD has launched a new call for both new projects and financial partners. UNEP indicated that Standard Bank will continue its public-private partnership with ACAD, channelling seed capital into replicable projects and business models. [UNEP Press Release] [ACAD Facility Website]