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On Dec. 1 of that year, a seamstress named Rosa Parks boarded a Montgomery bus and took a seat. As the bus continued along its route, picking up more passengers, the Negroes aboard rose on the driver's orders to give their seats to white people. When the driver told Mrs. Parks to get up, she refused. "I don't really know why I wouldn't move," she said later. "There was no plot or plan at all. I was just tired from shopping. My feet hurt." She was arrested and fined $10.
For some reason, that small incident triggered the frustrations of Montgomery's Negroes, who for years had bent subserviently beneath the prejudices of the white community. Within hours, the Negroes were embarked upon a bus boycott that was more than 99 percent effective, almost ruined Montgomery's bus line. The boycott committee soon became the Montgomery Improvement Association, with Martin Luther King Jr. as president. His leadership was more inspirational than administrative; he is, as an observer says, "more at home with a conception than he is with the details of its application." King's home was bombed, and when his enraged people seemed ready to take to the streets in a riot of protest, he controlled them with is calm preaching of nonviolence. King became world famous and in less than a year the Supreme Court upheld an earlier order forbidding Jim Crow seating in Alabama buses.
Albany. Montgomery was one of the first great battles won by the Negro in the South, and for a while after it was won everything seemed anticlimactic to King. When the sit-ins and freedom-ride movements gained momentum, King's S.C.L.C. helped organize and support them. But King somehow did not seem very efficient, and his apparent luck of imagination was to bring him to his lowest ebb in the Negro movement.
In December 1961, King joined a mass protest demonstration in Albany, Ga., was arrested, and dramatically declared that he would stay in jail until Albany consented to desegregate its public facilities. But just two days after his arrest, King came out on bail. The Albany movement collapsed, and King was bitterly criticized for helping to kill it. Today he admits mistakes in Albany.
"Looking back over it," he says, "I'm sorry I was bailed out. I didn't understand at the time what was happening. We though that the victory had been won. When we got out, we discovered it was all a hoax. We had lost a real opportunity to redo Albany, and we lost an initiative that we never regained."
But King also learned a lesson in Albany. "We attacked the political power structure instead of the economic power structure," he says. "You don't win against a political power structure where you don't have the votes. But you can win against an economic power structure when you have the economic power to make the difference between a merchant's profit and loss."
Birmingham. It was while he was in his post-Albany eclipse that King began planning for his most massive assault on the barricades of segregation. The target: Birmingham, citadel of blind, die-hard segregation. King's lieutenant, Wyatt Tee Walker, has explained the theory that governs King's planning: "We've got to have a crisis to bargain with. To take a moderate approach, hoping to get white help, doesn't work. They nail you to the cross, and it saps the enthusiasm of the followers. You've got to have a crisis."
The Negroes made their crisis, but it was no spur-of-the- moment matter. King himself went to Birmingham to conduct workshops in nonviolent techniques. he recruited 200 people who were willing to go to jail for the cause, carefully planned his strategy in ten meetings with local Negro leaders. Then, declaring that Birmingham is the "most thoroughly segregated big city in the U.S.," he announced early in 1963 that he would lead demonstrations there until "Pharaoh lets God's People go."
Awaiting King in Birmingham was Public Safety Commissioner Theophilus Eugene ("Bull") Connor, a man who was to become a symbol of police brutality yet who, in fact, merely reflected the seething hatreds in a city where acts of violence were as common as chitlins and ham hocks. As it happened, Bull Connor was running for mayor against a relative moderate, Albert Boutwell. To avoid giving campaign fuel to Connor, King waited until after the April 2 election. Between Jan. 16 and March 29, he launched himself into a whirlwind speaking tour, made 28 speeches in 16 cities across the nation.
Moving into Birmingham in the first week of April, King and his group began putting their plans to work. Bull Connor, who had lost the election but refused to relinquish power, sent his spies into the Negro community to seek information. Fearing that their phones were tapped, King and his friends worked up a code. he became "J.F.K.," Ralph Abernathy "Dean Rusk," Birmingham Preacher Fred Shuttlesworth "Bull," and Negro Businessman John Drew "Pope John." Demonstrators were called "baptismal candidates," and the whole operation was labeled "Project C" -- for "Confrontation."
The protest began. Day after day, Negro men, women and children in their Sunday best paraded cheerfully downtown to be hauled off to jail for demonstrating. The sight and sound of so many people filling his jail so triumphantly made Bull Connor nearly apoplectic. he arrested them at lunch counters and in the streets, wherever they gathered. Still they cam, rank on rank. At length, on Tuesday, May 7, 2,500 Negroes poured out of church, surged through the police lines and swarmed downtown. Connor furiously ordered the fire hoses turned on. Armed with clubs, cops beat their way into the crowds. An armored car menacingly bulldozed the milling throngs. Fire hoses swept them down the streets. In all, the Birmingham demonstrations resulted in the jailing of more than 3,300 Negroes, including King himself.
The Response. The Negroes had created their crisis -- and Connor had made it a success. "The civil rights movement," said President Kennedy in a meeting later with King, "owes Bull Connor as much as it owes Abraham Lincoln." that was a best an oversimplification; nevertheless, because of Connor, the riots seared the front pages of the world press, outraged millions of people. Everywhere, King's presence, in the pulpit or at rallies, was demanded. But while he preached nonviolence, violence spread. "Freedom Walker" William Moore was shot and killed in Alabama. Mississippi's N.A.A.C.P. Leader Medgar Evers was assassinated outside his home. There was violence in Jackson, Miss., in Cambridge, Md., in Danville, Va. In Birmingham, later in the year, a church bombing killed four Negro Sunday-school children, while two other youngsters were shot and killed the same day.
Those events awakened long-slumbering Negro resentments, from which a fresh Negro urgency drew strength. For the first time, a unanimity of purpose slammed into the Negro consciousness with the force of a fire hose. Class lines began to shatter. Middle-class Negroes, who were aspiring for acceptance by the white community, suddenly found a point of identity with Negroes at the bottom of the economic heap. Many wealthy Negroes, once reluctant to join the fight, pitched in.
Now sit-in campaigns and demonstrations erupted like machine-gun fire in every major city in the North, as well as in hundreds of new places in the South. Negroes demanded better job opportunities, an end to the de facto school segregation that ghetto life had forced upon them. The N.A.A.C.P.'s Roy Wilkins, a calm, cool civil rights leader, lost some of his calmness and coolness. Said he: "My objectivity went out the window when I saw the picture of those cops sitting on that woman and holding her down by the throat." Wilkins promptly joined a street demonstration, got himself arrested.
"Free at Last." Many whites also began to participate, particularly the white clergy, which cast off its lethargy as ministers, priests and rabbis tucked the Scriptures under their arms and marched to jails with Negroes whom they had never seen before. The Rev. Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, executive head of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., declared: "Some time or other, we are all going to have to stand and be on the receiving end of a fire hose." Blake thereupon joined two dozen other clergymen in a protest march -- and was arrested.
In the months following Birmingham, Negroes paraded, demonstrated, sat in, stormed and fought through civil rights sorties in 800 cities and towns in the land. The revolt's basic and startling new assumption -- that the black man can read and understand the Constitution, and can demand his equal rights without fear -- was not lost on Washington. President Kennedy, who had been in no great hurry to produce a civil rights bill, now moved swiftly. The Justice Department drew up a tight and tough bill, aimed particularly at voting rights, employment, and the end of segregation in public facilities.
To cap the summer's great storm of protest, the Negro leaders sponsored the now famous March on Washington. It was a remarkable spectacle, one of disorganized order, with a stateliness that no amount of planning could have produced. Some 200,000 strong, whites and blacks of all ages walked from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. There, the Negro leaders spoke -- Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, Young and SNICK's Lewis.
But it was King who most dramatically articulated the Negro's grievances, and it was he whom those present, as well as millions who watched on television, would remember longest. "When we let freedom ring," he cried, "when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we ill be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing, in the words of the old Negro spiritual,
Even the Unions. The march made irreversible all that had gone before in the year of the Negro revolution. In that year, the Negroes made more gains than they had achieved in any year since the end of the Civil War. A speedup in school integration in the South brought to 1,141 the number of desegregated school districts. In the North, city after city re-examined de facto school segregation and set up plans to redress the balance. In 300 cities in the South, public facilities -- from swimming pools to restaurants -- were integrated, and in scores of cities across the nation, leaders established biracial committees as a start toward resolving local inequities.
New job opportunities opened nearly everywhere, as the nation's businesses sent out calls for qualified Negro help -- and, finding a shortage, began training programs for unskilled Negroes. Banks, supermarkets, hotels and department stores upgraded Negro employees. In Philadelphia, Cleveland and New York, pressure on the A.F.L.-C.I.O construction unions -- the most notorious Jim Crow organizations in the North -- produced progress toward training of Negro apprentices. San Francisco's tile setters, memphis' rubber workers and St. Louis' bricklayers opened their union rolls to willing beginners. Television and Madison Avenue blossomed with Negro actors and ad models in "non- Negro" roles. In Denver, Sears, Roebuck & Co., which hitherto had had one Negro employee (dusting shelves), hired 19 more Negroes for a variety of jobs. To varying degrees it was the same way in Houston, at Grant's five and ten, and in San Francisco, where Tidewater Oil took on a Negro for executive training. Even in the South, the job situation improved. Negroes began moving into professional positions in North Carolina's state government. Three Nashville banks agreed to hire Negroes in clerical positions, and some white-collar jobs opened in South Carolina.
Still, for every tortuous inch gained, there are miles of progress left to be covered. There remain 1,888 Southern school districts where segregation is the rule -- and scores of other districts where desegregation sits uneasily in token form. Though Montgomery buses are technically integrated, the city's other public facilities still are not. Team sports are still carefully segregated in a large number of Southern institutions; the NBC television network recently canceled coverage of the annual Blue-Gray football game because Negroes are not eligible to participate. Only 22 states have enforceable fair-employment laws on the books. And not counting Mississippi, where there is a total absence of integrated public facilities, those in other Southern states are so spotty and inconsistent (a downtown lunch counter, yes; the city swimming pool, no) that it is hard for a Negro nowadays to know where he may go and where he may not.
Backlash. In general, housing is still the Negro's toughest barrier. Here and there -- for example, in Denver's Park Hill residential section, where Negro home buying at first created flurries of panic -- colored families have been able to move into white sections with little trouble. But the major metropolitan areas of Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Los Angeles continue to fill up at the heart with Negroes while whites from a suburban collar on the outside. California used to pride itself on its progressive attitude, and boasts a fair- housing law on the books to prove it. Now it has been struck with a campaign by the 40,000-member California Real Estate Association to nullify the law.
The white counterattack in California reflects one natural consequence of the Negro's militant position: a backlash reaction, derived from the notion that "the Negro is pushing too far, too fast," and that he is also threatening the unskilled white man's job security. James P. Mitchell, Eisenhower's onetime Labor Secretary, now San Francisco's human-relations coordinator and a friend of the Negro feels that "militancy could quite easily antagonize important people who are now prepared or preparing to do something. What Negroes have to remember is something they tend to forget: that they are a minority, and that they can only achieve what they want with the support of the majority." Says Los Angeles Housewife Maureen Hartman: "I don't see why the Negroes are weeping and wailing. This is not Birmingham. They can go anywhere. They can vote, hold good jobs, eat in the best restaurants. Just what do they expect from us?"
Re-examination. What the Negroes expect, and what they are getting to a degree that would have been astonishing at the start of 1963, is a change of attitude. "A lot of people," says Chicago's Negro Baptist Minister Arthur Brazier, "are re-examining their motives. Even if this means that a lot of hidden prejudices have been uncovered in Northerners, good will be gained from the fact that Americans have been forced to act on days other than Brotherhood Days and Weeks."
Often the changes in attitudes are tiny in scope but broad in meaning. No longer do the starters at Miami's municipal golf courses ask a trio of white men if they will accept a Negro fourth; they merely assign the Negro, and foursome heads onto the course. A New York adoption agency is asking white families to take Negro children. Louise Morgan, a former Chicago advertising executive, says: "I had conned myself into thinking I was a liberal. The rude awakening occurred less than a year ago, when a Negro writer and his family sought an apartment in my building and were turned down. I had met him. He was bright and a gentleman. Yet I didn't lift a finger to help him. That's all changed now." In California, Real Estate Dealer Richard S. Hallmark quit his job in protest over the commonly accepted methods of restricting Negro house buying. "I had never sold to a Negro family in my life, but it grated on my conscience," he says. "I'm tired of people telling me they don't give a goddam about the law and that they're just not going to sell or rent to 'niggers.' I'm not a martyr or a crusader, but they made me ashamed. The colored people are here to stay, so we might as well get used to it."


text:
View Rule
|View EO 12866 Meetings
|Printer-Friendly Version Download RIN Data in XML
|Publication ID: Spring 2011
|Title: Interest Rates on Farm Service Agency Farm Loan Programs Guaranteed Loans
|Abstract: In 7 CFR 762.124, USDA is modifying the interest rates, terms, charges, and fees: Neither the interest rate on the guaranteed portion nor the unguaranteed portion may exceed the rate the lender charges its average agricultural loan customer. At the request of the Agency, the lender must provide evidence of the rate charged the average agricultural loan customer. This evidence may consist of average yield data or documented administrative differential rate schedule formulas used by the lender. Thus, FSA is amending its guaranteed loan regulations at 7 CFR part 762.124(a)(3) to provide that the interest rates charged on FSA Guaranteed Farm Loans must be based on a published index.
|Agency: Department of Agriculture(USDA)
|Priority: Other Significant
|RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda
|Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Final Rule Stage
|Major: No
|Unfunded Mandates: No
|CFR Citation: 7 CFR 762
|Legal Authority: 7 USC 1989 et seq
Legal Deadline:
|Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No
|Government Levels Affected: None
|Small Entities Affected: No
|Federalism: No
|Included in the Regulatory Plan: No
|RIN Data Printed in the FR: No
Agency Contact:
Deirdre Holder
Director, Regulatory Review Group
Department of Agriculture
Farm Service Agency
1400 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-0572
Phone:202 205-5851
Fax:202 720-5233
Email: email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A masters is the first level of graduate coursework and can be obtained after you receive a bachelor's degree. Earning a masters usually requires two years of full-time study, which amounts to 36 to 54 semester credits.
Typically, music programs concentrate on the historical, theoretical and technical aspects of music and performance. An interdisciplinary field, music is as much for the ambitious academic as it is for the aspiring professional musician.
Earning an online degree from a school can likely lead to a promotion and/or salary raise, or prepare you for a new career. Even if classroom training may be considered more traditional, online education is advantageous in its own right. There is a mixture of degree programs, and individual classes offered through online learning organizations. It is not unheard of for tuition costs for online courses to be lower than that of a conventional school, although this is certainly not reliable of all online programs.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom and Britain, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe.The two most famous (and oldest) universities are Oxford and Cambridge (often referred to as Oxbridge by many Britons) England also has several other world-class institutions, including several in London (notably Imperial College, the London School of Economics, University College London and King's College London, all are part of London University)
Online Masters Degree in Music in the York in the United Kingdom
With hundreds of locations across the U.S., Canada, Australia and theU.K., the Recording Connection has helped thousands of students find their way in to rewarding music industry careers by placing them as working apprentices (externs) in actual recording studios. [+]


text:
Location: Roswell Cultural Arts Center: 950 Forrest St., Roswell
Event Time and Date: July 13, 2013
Event Description: Choose from seven different puppet shows for summer fun brought to you by "That Puppet Guy." The line up includes: "Wizard of Oz," "The Reluctant Dragon," "Stinky Cheese Man," "The Velveteen Rabbit, "Circus Fanta-Sea," "Three Bears" and "Beauty and the Beast." Performances at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Price: Adults, $6; ages 2-12, $5.
Ages: Ages 2-12


text:
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text:
WE NEED YOUR INPUT! Access to civic life by people with disabilities is a fundamental goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To ensure that this goal is met, Title II of the ADA requires State and local governments to make their programs and services accessible to persons with disabilities. This requirement extends not only to physical access at government facilities, programs, and events -- but also to policy changes that governmental entities must make to ensure that all people with disabilities can take part in, and benefit from, the programs and services of State and local governments. In addition, governmental entities must ensure effective communication -- including the provision of necessary auxiliary aids and services -- so that individuals with disabilities can participate in civic life.
As required by Title II of the ADA, the City of Mill Valley is conducting a self-evaluation of its facilities and updating the Transition Plan. This update is an important step in the ultimate goal of ensuring all of the Cities facilities, services, programs and activities are accessible to all individuals.
As part of this process, we are requesting public input in the form of a survey. This survey is available as a link surveymonkey.com/s/BMW2MQJ that can be completed and submitted digitally, or printed out and submitted as a hard copy.
In addition to the City of Mill Valley website this link may be available through the following organizations:
California Foundation for Independent Living Centerscfilc.orgDesigning Accessible Communitiesdesigningaccessiblecommunities.org
IHSS Public Authority of Marinpa-marin.org
Whistle-stop Wheelsthewhistlestop.orgCalifornia Council of the Blind Headquartersccbnet.orgCalifornians for Disability Rights, Inc.disabilityrights-cdr.org
Hard copies of the survey form are also available at the following locations in the City of Mill Valley:City Hall26 Corte Madera Ave.
MV Community Center 180 Camino Alto Ave
MV Public Library375 Throckmorton.Ave
Chamber of Commerce85 Throckmorton Ave.
Once completed, all hard copies should be mailed in or dropped off at:Mill Valley City HallAttn: Dan Martin26 Corte Madera Ave.Mill Valley, CA 94941Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions, please contact:
Dan MartinBuilding OfficialADA CoordinatorCity of Mill Valley26 Corte Madera AveMill Valley, CA. 94941(415) 388-4033 ext. 4816fax (415) email@example.com
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Mill Valley City Hall: 26 Corte Madera Avenue | Mill Valley, CA 94941 | City Hall Phone: (415)388-4033 | City Hall Fax: (415)381-1736
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As wonderful and special as my wedding day was (and is!) to me, I never felt any sort of sentimental attachment to my wedding dress. It isn't that I didn't love my dress, because I did, but it wasn't something I felt I needed to hold onto forever, for sentimental reasons or in hopes that my girls might wear it, or make it into baptism gowns. I did hold onto it, for several years- but sometime in the past 2 years I kind of decided that it was time to pass it along, and see if someone else could either wear it or take the fabric and make it into something they loved- and since it was a used wedding dress, save a lot of money in the process. I kind of have this romantic notion in my head of someone doing with my dress what was done for Molly Ringwald's dress in the movie Pretty in Pink. With the economy being bleak for so long, it kind of just felt like the right thing to do, so I put it in the van and brought it to a local place that accepts donations.
There was a time when I would have balked at the idea of used wedding dresses, to be honest. The young me, pre-reality, pre-adulthood, would have thought that was beneath me. I can't even believe I'm admitting that. Fast forward to my twenties…the reality of adulthood and the financial responsibilities that go with it – I might not have loved it but I'd totally have done it. Fast forward now to having owned two houses and kids later, and oh yes. I not only value reusing things because its practical, affordable and makes less waste, but it also is better for our planet.
It didn't even occur to me to look around and see if I could sell my wedding dress- I know I'd have checked out PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com for a place to sell my dress and let someone else buy it at an affordable price. I didn't have a designer gown, but you can find tons of big name designers and non designer gowns priced affordably on this site- search by dress style or designer name, and you can see thousands of gowns to choose from. This is such a great option for someone who has fallen in love with a designer gown but cannot afford the price tag to go with that gown! These sellers and gowns are screened to prevent fraud, and the site itself has accolades from various sites and great ratings from Google.
Still hanging on to your wedding dress and not sure why? Maybe it's time to rethink…and resell?
See what Living on Love and Cents, Our Kids Mom, A Mom's Take and Just Married with Coupons have to say about buying used wedding dresses!
This is a sponsored post on behalf of PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com through my affiliation with Shout! Media. Opinions are my own.


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"I started listening to Catholic Answers Live when I was struck down by an illness that basically left me bedridden. This left me questioning my faith and mortality, and my son introduced the Catholic Answers Live podcast to me. Listening to all the guests explain and defend the Catholic Faith has been instrumental. Has Catholic Answers made a difference in my life? It has become part of my life!"
~ Robyn, Australia
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"For the Scripture says 'Holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts; full is every creature of his glory'. And we, led by conscience, gathered together in one place in concord, cry to Him continuously as from one mouth, that we may become sharers in His great and glorious promises."
~ The Sanctus, here described by Pope Clement I (from his I Cor., 34:6-7) circa A.D. 95, is one of the most ancient parts of the sacred liturgy, tracing back to the time of the apostles.


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School security
A few weeks ago, a Waterford Elementary kindergartener looked to her teacher after seeing a Washington County Sheriff's deputy walk down a hallway at the school.
The girl said she was scared by the deputy's presence, but teacher Chrissy McCurdy assured her the deputy was there to evoke the opposite reaction.
"They come in to just check on our building, to make us feel safe," she said.
That's why sheriff's deputies have been stopping by schools more frequently in the months after the shooting that took the lives of 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. It's also the reason area school districts have been upgrading their security and expanding training.
Marietta High School students had already been introduced to the A.L.I.C.E. – alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate – program by city police to show them alternatives to the traditional procedures of locking doors and waiting for police to arrive in the event of a shooting incident at the school. Plans were always to extend it to the elementary and middle schools in the district, but the Sandy Hook shootings provided increased emphasis.
Last week, Marietta Middle School students were introduced to the program and watched a demonstration as their classmates hurled balls at a teacher portraying a gunman and wrestled him to the ground in a dramatic illustration of the last-resort "counter" portion of the program.
"This is the only legal time to create total chaos in your classroom," Marietta Police Officer Pat Gragan, the city school district's resource officer, told students.
The program also emphasizes clear communication over building loudspeakers so students and staff will know where a gunman is and when it is safe to evacuate. Police Sgt. Rod Hupp said the idea is to give students options but emphasized there is no guaranteed way to prevent casualties in such a situation; the goal is to minimize them as much as possible.
"We're no longer going to tell you that you have to sit and die," he said, referring to the traditional lockdown method. "If someone's there to take your life, you have options."
A.L.I.C.E. training has also been offered for Marietta's elementary schools but it focuses on staff and faculty rather than students, given their age.
The sheriff's office has also been working with schools in the county, providing training similar to the A.L.I.C.E. program and conducting live-shooter drills at schools including Warren and Waterford high schools, Sheriff Larry Mincks said.
"It went super well in terms of student cooperation, staff cooperation, community cooperation," Waterford High School Principal Randy Shrider said.
Parents were notified in advance that the drill was coming up, and students were allowed to contact their families right before it began. Shrider said he received no calls or complaints about the process.
"My interpretation of that is that the community and parents and students welcomed it," he said.
There was also an evacuation drill at Belpre High School, and A.L.I.C.E. training was provided to staff members during a professional development day in February by a former sheriff's deputy and a Belpre Police officer. Belpre City Schools Superintendent Tony Dunn said in an email this week that safety plans for the elementary and high school have been updated and a camera system is being tested at the high school.
"It is important to keep in mind that such systems are very expensive and are much more difficult to retrofit to older buildings than install in new construction," Dunn said. "It is also important to remember that such systems are simply a deterrent to violent offenders and not a cure for the bigger problem of mental illness that is plaguing our society."
Other districts are also implementing security changes.
Wolf Creek has contracted with Southeastern Security to install door buzzer and camera systems at Waterford Elementary and the high school at a cost of $9,025, with the company donating some materials.
In the Warren Local district, a $60,000 project to install cameras, card readers and remote entry mechanisms at all three elementary schools and buildings 1 and 6 at the high school was recently completed. The board of education also approved providing office space for sheriff's deputies at the high school.
Fort Frye Local is adding key-card readers at its elementary schools and high school for $22,471.
Marietta City Schools already had electronic buzzers and cameras installed at its schools, but the locks are not engaged at the high school, where students move between the main building, the auditorium and gymnasium and the district administration building throughout the day. A plan to add classroom space and build an enclosed walkway to the auditorium and gym is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2013-14 school year. The timetable was accelerated somewhat in the wake of Sandy Hook.
Frontier Local Superintendent Bruce Kidder did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday about the district's security measures. Frontier was working recently to provide sheriff's deputies online access to the schools' security camera systems.


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- From US 441 South, turn left at the traffic signal in Pearson, GA, onto US 82 E toward Waycross.
- Follow US 82 E 7 miles to Axson.
- Just after you enter Axson, you'll see a flashing amber light on the right side of the highway, which warns you to reduce speed for an upcoming intersection. The intersection is just a short distance ahead. Enter the turn lane and turn left onto Minchew Road.
- Follow Minchew Road 2 miles, and turn left onto Loren Road, which is a dirt road.
- Follow Loren Road 1 mile and turn right onto Sutton Way. From there, follow the pavement to the Inn, and park in the circular drive. If you are arriving for an event, please follow the signs to park in the correct area.


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The JavaSound API adds audio capabilities to the Java platform. It's been part of J2SE since version 1.3 and it supports the WAV, AU, and AIFF audio formats, and provides MIDI support. It doesn't support some other audio formats, such as MP3, but it provides a flexible plugin architecture allowing any third-party vendor to add custom audio format support through the JavaSound Service Provider Interfaces (SPIs). This article deals with this plugin architecture and API, how to write and use a custom SPI implementation, how metadata such as title, artist, and copyright are exposed, and how multiple SPI implementations could be integrated in an application such as player or a game.
The JavaSound API provides a plugin architecture, allowing third parties to support new formats such as MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Monkey's Audio, and more. This architecture allows the JVM to discover and load plugins at runtime. Each plugin must implement the service provider interfaces. One implementation is needed for each new audio format supported. That's the reason why you can find one SPI implementation for MP3, one for Monkey's Audio, and so on.
To be loaded, the SPI implementation must be available in the JVM runtime
classpath. To play audio, the JVM will look for
javax.sound.sampled.spi.FormatConversionProvider, text files stored in
META-INF/services folder. These files contain the concrete classnames of the
SPI implementation
that will be instantiated. They are needed for loading and decoding audio data. Then, when an
application needs to play an audio file, JavaSound will try each SPI implementation until
UnsupportedAudioFileException if none matches. Thus, for a
JavaSound-based application (such as an audio player, game, educational program, etc.),
developers don't have to
pay attention to audio-format support. Instead, the application just needs to use the
JavaSound API. SPI classes are needed at runtime only and not at build time, so, in
addition to technical advantages, their use could have business advantages for
GNU-GPL-based solutions integration.
Related Reading
Java Cookbook
The JavaZOOM team provides an open source MP3 SPI implementation. It focuses on MP3 playing only. It relies on JLayer, an open source Java library that decodes and converts MP3 (MPEG 1, 2, and 2.5, Layers 1, 2, and 3) frames to PCM, the standard for uncompressed audio data. JavaSound service provider interfaces allows caller to read, convert, and write audio data, but to play MP3, we only need the read and convert features. JavaZOOM's MP3 SPI does not allow MP3 encoding.
Thus, the JavaSound API requires us to implement the
AudioFileReader and
FormatConversionProvider abstract classes. First, let's focus on our
that extends
AudioFileReader. Six methods must be implemented; three return an
AudioFileFormat instance from an
input (
URL, or
InputStream) and three return an
AudioInputStream instance.
public abstract AudioFileFormat getAudioFileFormat(File file) throws UnsupportedAudioFileException, IOException
public abstract AudioFileFormat getAudioFileFormat(URL url) throws UnsupportedAudioFileException, IOException
public abstract AudioFileFormat getAudioFileFormat(InputStream stream) throws UnsupportedAudioFileException, IOException
public abstract AudioInputStream getAudioInputStream(File file) throws UnsupportedAudioFileException, IOException
public abstract AudioInputStream getAudioInputStream(URL url) throws UnsupportedAudioFileException, IOException
public abstract AudioInputStream getAudioInputStream(InputStream stream) throws UnsupportedAudioFileException, IOException
To avoid code duplication, we developed one more
generic method for
public AudioFileFormat getAudioFileFormat(InputStream inputStream, long mediaLength) throws UnsupportedAudioFileException, IOException
File and
URL could be seen as
with a known length. We also did the same for
getAudioInputStream. The work of
is to read and parse the first MP3 frame to:
InputStream is a valid MP3 stream (if not, then it throws an
MpegAudioFileFormat instance with all of these audio properties.
MpegAudioFileFormat extends
AudioFileFormat by adding
MP3-specific, high-level audio properties such as metadata (ID3 tags).
Its constructor needs a
Type and an
MpegAudioFileFormat(AudioFileFormat.Type type, int byteLength, AudioFormat format, int frameLength)
We also extended
AudioFormat to
MpegAudioFormat to add MP3-specific
properties (VBR, CRC flag, padding, etc.). Unlike
AudioFormat includes
low-level audio properties such as sampling rate, channels, framesize and
We defined multiple
AudioFormat.Encoding constants, one for each combination of MPEG version
and layer:
public class MpegEncoding extends AudioFormat.Encoding
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG1L1 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG1L1");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG1L2 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG1L2");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG1L3 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG1L3");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG2L1 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG2L1");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG2L2 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG2L2");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG2L3 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG2L3");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG2DOT5L1 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG2DOT5L1");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG2DOT5L2 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG2DOT5L2");
public static final AudioFormat.Encoding MPEG2DOT5L3 =
new MpegEncoding("MPEG2DOT5L3");
public MpegEncoding(String strName)
Now, let's focus on our
MpegFormatConversionProvider, which extends
FormatConversionProvider :
public abstract AudioInputStream getAudioInputStream (AudioFormat.Encoding targetEncoding, AudioInputStream sourceStream)
public abstract AudioInputStream getAudioInputStream (AudioFormat targetFormat, AudioInputStream sourceStream)
public abstract AudioFormat.Encoding[] getSourceEncodings()
public abstract AudioFormat.Encoding[] getTargetEncodings()
public abstract AudioFormat.Encoding[] getTargetEncodings (AudioFormat sourceFormat)
public abstract AudioFormat[] getTargetFormats (AudioFormat.Encoding targetEncoding, AudioFormat sourceFormat)
getSourceEncodings and
getTargetEncodings methods return the list
of sources and target encodings supported by the conversion provider. For MP3, it's important
that the returned
AudioFormat.Encodings indicate only the combinations of
sampling rate, bitrate, and channels that are allowed by the
MP3 header specification.
getAudioInputStream methods return an
AudioInputStream with the specified format
(or encoding) from the given source
AudioInputStream. For instance, MP3 SPI could
return a decoded 44.1 kHz/16bits/stereo PCM stream given a 44.1 kHz/128 kbps/joint
stereo input MP3 stream. To save time, we used the low-level classes of Tritonus. They provide nice methods for the matrix format conversion and circular buffer
implementation (to store decoded PCM data) needed for most SPI implementations. This way, the
main job of our
MpegFormatConversionProvider is to call the JLayer API to synchronize and get
decoded frames.
Thanks to JavaSound plugin architecture, using the MP3 SPI in your application is as easy as using the JavaSound API.
To get MP3 information (such as channels, sampling rate, and other metadata), you need to call the
AudioSystem.getAudioFileFormat(file) static method from
It will return an instance of
MpegAudioFileFormat, from which you can get audio
properties. Note that the
AudioSystem class acts as the entry point to the
sampled-audio system resources.
File file = new File("filename.mp3");
AudioFileFormat baseFileFormat = null;
AudioFormat baseFormat = null;
baseFileFormat = AudioSystem.getAudioFileFormat(file);
baseFormat = baseFileFormat.getFormat();
// Audio type such as MPEG1 Layer3, or Layer 2, or ...
AudioFileFormat.Type type = baseFileFormat.getType();
// Sample rate in Hz (e.g. 44100).
float frequency = baseFormat.getSampleRate();
To play MP3, you need first to call
AudioSystem.getAudioInputStream(file) to get
AudioInputStream from an MP3 file, select the target format (i.e., PCM) according to
input MP3 channels and sampling rate, and finally get an
AudioInputStream with the
target format. If JavaSound doesn't find a matching SPI implementation supporting the MP3-to-PCM conversion, then it will throw an exception.
File file = new File("filename.mp3");
AudioInputStream in= AudioSystem.getAudioInputStream(file);
AudioInputStream din = null;
AudioFormat baseFormat = in.getFormat();
AudioFormat decodedFormat =
new AudioFormat(AudioFormat.Encoding.PCM_SIGNED,
baseFormat.getChannels() * 2,
din = AudioSystem.getAudioInputStream(decodedFormat, in);
// Play now.
rawplay(decodedFormat, din);
Second, you have to send the decoded PCM data to a
SourceDataLine. This means
you have to
load PCM data from the decoded
AudioInputStream into the
buffer until the end of file is reached.
JavaSound will send this data to the sound card. Once the file is exhausted, the
line resources must be closed.
private void rawplay(AudioFormat targetFormat,
AudioInputStream din)
throws IOException, LineUnavailableException
byte[] data = new byte[4096];
SourceDataLine line = getLine(targetFormat);
if (line != null)
// Start
int nBytesRead = 0, nBytesWritten = 0;
while (nBytesRead != -1)
nBytesRead = din.read(data, 0, data.length);
if (nBytesRead != -1)
nBytesWritten = line.write(data, 0, nBytesRead);
// Stop
private SourceDataLine getLine(AudioFormat audioFormat)
throws LineUnavailableException
SourceDataLine res = null;
DataLine.Info info =
new DataLine.Info(SourceDataLine.class, audioFormat);
res = (SourceDataLine) AudioSystem.getLine(info);
return res;
If you're familiar with JavaSound API, you will notice that source code for playing MP3 is similar to the what you'd use to play a WAV file. The source code sample above has no dependencies upon the MP3 SPI implementation. It's transparent for the developer.
Notice that if the file to play was stored on a web server, we would have used:
URL url = new URL("http://www.myserver.com/filename.mp3");
AudioInputStream in= AudioSystem.getAudioInputStream(url);
instead of:
File file = new File("filename.mp3");
AudioInputStream in= AudioSystem.getAudioInputStream(file);
Most audio formats include metadata such as title, album, comments, compression quality,
encoding, and copyright. ID3 tags, used for MP3,
are the best-known metadata format.
Depending on ID3 version (v1 or v2), they can be found either at the end or at the beginning of
an MP3 file. They include information such as duration, title, album, artist, track number, date,
genre, copyright, etc. They can even include lyrics and pictures.
The famous (and free) SHOUTcast
streaming MP3 server, from Nullsoft, uses a different scheme in order to provide
additional metadata such as title streaming, which
allows a player to display the current song being played from the online radio stream. All of
these metadata items need to be parsed and exposed through the SPI implementation. As of J2SE 1.5,
the JavaSound API standardizes the passing of metadata parameters through an immutable
File file = new File("filename.mp3");
AudioFileFormat baseFileFormat =
Map properties = baseFileFormat.properties();
String key_author = "author";
String author = (String) properties.get(key_author);
String key_duration = "duration";
Long duration = (Long) properties.get(key_duration);
All metadata keys and types should be provided in the SPI documentation. However, common properties include:
"duration" (
Long): Playback duration of file, in microseconds
"author" (
String): Name of the author of the file
"title" (
String): Title of the file
"copyright" (
String): Copyright message
"comment" (
String): Arbitrary text
Adding MP3 audio capabilities to the Java platform means adding JAR files containing the
MP3 SPI implementation to the runtime
Adding Ogg Vorbis,
Speex, Flac, or
Monkey's Audio support would be similar, but could generate conflicts that
make other SPI implementations fail. The following situation could occur:
CLASSPATH includes both MP3 and Ogg Vorbis SPIs.
AudioSystem tries Ogg Vorbis SPI first.
NullPointerException, ArrayIndexOutOfBoundException),
and in the worst case, you will hear weird noises or just deadlock.
In the example above, it's true that the problem comes from the Ogg Vorbis SPI implementation, but it's not easy for the SPI provider to have reliable controls (just think about streaming). Thus, each SPI provider has to pay attention to the others. That's the main practical drawback of the JavaSound plugin architecture. So don't be surprised if you have problems making multiple SPIs work together in your application.
JMF stands for Java Media Framework. It's an optional J2SE packages that adds multimedia support to the Java platform. It includes audio (GSM, QuickTime, etc.), video (AVI, QuickTime, H.263, etc.) and RTP streaming features. JMF provides a plugin architecture, but it is not compliant with that of JavaSound. In fact, MP3 support was previously included in JMF, but it was removed in 2002 because of licensing issues.
JavaSound rocks. It provides a plugin architecture allowing any third-party provider to add custom audio format support, such as for MP3 files. API is flexible enough to plug most heterogeneous (lossy, lossless) audio formats, whatever their parameters and metadata, to the Java platform -- "Write once, play anywhere."
The JavaZOOM Team are the authors of the open source projects JLayer and jlGui.
Return to ONJava.com
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text:
Keeping the dream alive
Local groups help complete Martin Luther King's vision
By André Coleman 01/16/2014
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Pasadena at least three times during the Civil Rights Movement.
In 1958, King accepted an invitation to speak at Caltech by the Leaders of America program, which brought distinguished speakers to the campus.
In 1960, King preached a sermon at Friendship Baptist Church on Dayton Street and South DeLacey Avenue after meeting then-head Pastor Marvin T. Robinson.
King returned to Friendship Baptist in 1965, one year after winning a Nobel Peace Prize and two years after delivering his powerful "I Have a Dream" speech during the march on Washington.
In honor of King's 84th birthday Monday — Martin Luther King Day — local groups will revisit King's message this week with several events.
First, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Coalition will present "A Day On – Not Off" from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Franklin Elementary School, 527 W. Ventura St., Altadena. The event will include a reading of King's famed "I Have a Dream" speech. Volunteers will also plant flowers at the school. Senior Pastor Billie Keller of New Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church will be the keynote speaker.
"They are going to repeat the speech from memory," MLK Community Coalition Project Coordinator Al Bailey told the Pasadena Weekly. "We are going to sing some old Negro spirituals also. A lot of these kids have forgotten King's message and some of them don't even know it. This is why we are going to reemphasize it."
From 8:30 to 12:30 on Monday, the coalition will team with the Tournament of Roses Association, the Pasadena Unified School District, the city of Pasadena and Phi Delta Kappa to present "Dreams Become a Reality" at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena.
The event will include a Freedom March breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. followed by a celebration. The event will also include speakers, food and the winners of the local essay and poster contest.
"We have been doing this for 20 years," said Jacqueline Jacobs, former president of the Pasadena Board of Education and president of the Martin Luther King Community Coalition. "It is important we keep reminding ourselves and helping our young people remember this legacy. What he was concerned about is so important today. His dream was that we could all live together in peace and harmony. Until that happens, we will continue to push the goals of the dream."
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text:
Stock Futures Pare Gains After Downbeat Retail Data
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- U.S. stock futures were paring gains Wednesday after some downbeat domestic retail sales data.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were advancing 30 points, or 37.82 points above fair value, at 12,747. Futures for the S&P 500 were up 5.10 points, or 4.97 points above fair value, at 1376. Futures for the Nasdaq were rising 12.25 points, or 12.74 points above fair value, at 2572.
"With the majority of earnings reports in (approximately 70% better than expected) and the elections complete the equity markets are searching hard for direction and the fiscal cliff is clearly the major concern of the moment and the main driver," said Mike Boyle, senior vice president, Asset Management of Advisors Asset Management . "Given this we would look for the S&P 500 to tack between 1350 and 1430 through year-end as the fiscal cliff negotiations heat up, but we fully expect the cliff to be averted and the S&P 500 to post a double digit return for 2012 and again in 2013."
President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at the White House Wednesday and meet with dozens of corporate executives as he works towards striking a deal on the fiscal cliff with Congress.
The Census Bureau reported Wednesday that retail sales fell 0.3% in October, more than the 0.2% decline expected by economists, after increasing by an upwardly revised 1.3% in September.
Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales were unchanged; economists had forecast an increase of 0.2%.
"October's U.S. retail sales figures suggest that consumption has lost a bit of momentum ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season," said Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics. "Even after excluding sales of gasoline, autos and building materials, underlying sales fell by 0.1%
"It is hard to know how much of this is due to Hurricane Sandy (the Census Bureau said it doesn't know either) and how much may be due to a more general easing in spending growth linked to concerns over the fiscal cliff," Dales continued. "November's sales will be crucial. A bounce-back would point to a temporary Sandy-induced softening, while another soft month would suggest that the threat of a sharp fall in after-tax incomes in the new year is worrying households."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the producer price index fell 0.2% in October after advancing by 1.1% in September. Economists were expecting levels to increase 0.2%.
Excluding food and energy, the index fell 0.2% after being flat in September. Economists predicted an increase of 0.1%.
At 10 a.m., the Census Bureau is forecast to say that business inventories increased 0.5% in September after rising 0.6% in August.


text:
The Karnes County Farm Bureau and Atascosa County Farm Bureau have submitted a resolution to the Texas Railroad Commission opposing the application of US Liquids of LA, LP, for a commercial land treatment plant in Karnes and Atascosa County.
According to Karnes County Farm Bureau Vice President Murray Rudolph, US Liquids of LA, LP, has applied for a permit from the Railroad Commission to treat and dispose of oil and water-based liquid and solid waste in a proposed facility located in an agricultural area of FM 99 on the county line between Karnes and Atascosa Counties.
"… surrounding landowners, farmers and ranchers, elected county officials, the Evergreen Groundwater Conservation District and El Oso Water Supply Corporation have all protested this application due to their concern that the proposed facility will not adequately protect groundwater, surface waters, soil and air from contamination," the petition says.
The petition states the location of the treatment and disposal site will interfere with continued agricultural uses of farm and ranch land immediately adjacent to the site and will contribute to the loss of agriculture land, and states that the health of local residents, livestock and crops intended for human consumption will be endangered by the location of this treatment and disposal unit.
"Therefore be it resolved that the Karnes County Farm Bureau and the Atascosa County Farm Bureau oppose the application of US Liquids of LA, LP to the Texas Railroad Commission for a permit to treat and dispose of liquid and solid oilfield waste in Karnes and Atascosa counties."


text:
Farmers' Market Spaghetti
Time Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings Total: 6 servings, about 1 cup each
What You Need:
4 cups cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
½ cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil
¾ lb. spaghetti, uncooked
¼ cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Freshly ground black pepper
Make It:
HEAT oven to 400ºF.
TOSS tomatoes with garlic, rosemary, 2 Tbsp. cheese and oil; spoon into 13x9-inch pan. Bake 15 to 20 min. or until tomatoes start to burst.
MEANWHILE, cook spaghetti as directed on package, omitting salt.
DISCARD rosemary from tomato mixture. Drain spaghetti, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Add to tomato mixture with dressing; mix lightly. Top with pepper and remaining cheese.
Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Rosemary
KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Check Pantry


text:
September 14, 2011 —
Some 300 people turned out to see the unveiling of the World Trade Center monument in Eldred on September 10. In remarks prepared for the occasion, Town of Highland Supervisor Andy Boyar pointed to several connections between residents of the town, and the events of September 11, 2001, when hijackers reigned down terror from four jumbo jets on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
Perhaps most interesting was a "neighbor" that Boyar discussed who lived on Airport Road and was working on a project with Todd Beamer. Boyar said, "He received an email at 7:25 p.m. from Beamer saying that he would read over a proposal while on his flight to California the next day. His plane was Flight 93. And yes, he was the same Todd Beamer who uttered the now iconic call to action, "Are you guys ready, let's roll."
Beamer and his fellow passengers prevented Flight 93 from reaching the intended target, and perished along with the hijackers in a field in Shanksville, PA.
The monument, said Boyar, was created to keep the memories of the heroes and victims of 9/11 alive, but also to give family members of the 1,100 people, who vanished without a trace of their bodies being recovered, a place to reflect. Boyar said the monument is "a place to leave a flower or to say a prayer and perhaps gain some measure of closure."
The monument itself consists of two towers made of steel, which support an artifact of the World Trade Center, a portion of a metal I-beam that was recovered from the wreckage.
The monument was designed and fabricated by the husband and wife design team of Walter Kenul and Janet Rutkowski, who have a home and studio in Barryville.
Rutkowski said after Boyar asked them to give input to the project, they met with the committee working on the memorial. She said, "They had a concept of Stonehenge, and the minute they said Stonehenge I drew something on a napkin and everyone loved it."
At the end of Saturday's ceremony, Father Thomas Jones, OFM, offered a prayer. It was one written by Chaplain Mychal Judd who attended the St. Joseph's Seminary, now the Delaware Valley Job Corps, in Callicoon, with Jones many years ago. Judd was the chaplain of a firehouse in New York City and died at the WTC on September 11, 2011.
As part of his last homily at the dedication for a new firehouse the day before, Judd said, "Let us enjoy each others' company. Thank you, God, for life."


text:
Rally the fans with these prime-time recipes and drinks. All they'll need is a strong appetite.
These puff pastry treats pack a powerful munch.
Brought to you by Byron's®
Bacon makes this dish a win!
Brought to you by Casa di Bertacchi®
Be your tailgate's MVP with this chili recipe.
Brought to you by Crock-Pot®
Try this tasty cherry twist on a tailgating classic.
If you use a very lean beef (95%+ lean) you can skip the browning step and place all ingredients in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker at once. Just use a large spoon to break up the meat. Cover; cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours. Stir well and ensure the meat is fully cooked before serving.
Brought to you by CrockPotGirl
Orange and mango blend perfectly in this winning drink. Garnish with basil for added flavor and color.
Brought to you by SPARKLING ICE®
The Cherry Limeade-flavored drink is best served with mint garnish and mashed cherries. (Or mashed opponents.)


text:
Police: Fake state workers try to enter homesBy Patrick McArdle
STAFF REPORT | December 06,2012Police warned Vermonters on Wednesday that people have come into homes pretending to be employees of the Vermont Department for Children and Families.
The most recent incident occurred Monday, according to Stephanie Dasaro, public information officer with the Vermont State Police.
A woman on Phyller Dee Lane in Sunderland reported that three people two men and a woman came to the home. She said her grandchild was in the home and the people said the childs parents were under investigation by child protection services.
They asked to search the home and actually picked up the child for inspection, Dasaro said. When the woman resisted their actions, they insinuated that they might be back to take the child into custody and that the child could go into foster care, the woman told police.
According to the woman, the three people appeared to become nervous and left, driving off in two different sedans, one gray and one maroon. The woman did not get information on the license plates.
State police received another report from the St. Johnsbury area on Oct. 29. The report said that a woman, who identified herself as a DCF employee investigating a report of child abuse, came to a home at the Mountain View Apartments.
The woman was allowed inside and she inspected the child but then left without further incident. The woman was seen driving a silver sedan but no information was given to police about the license plate.
A third incident, reported on Dec. 1 to the Lyndonville Police Department.
A man said three women, one black and two white, came to the home on Valley Lane in Lyndonville and said they were from human services or home health. The man told police the three claimed they were following up on a report that was made up the road.
According to the man, the women asked about a woman who lived at the home and when they were told she wasnt there, they left. They didnt show any identification and never exited their dark blue Ford Escape with New York plates, according to the man.
Dasaro said in all of these instances, there is no known active investigation by DCF involving the targeted families.
The incidents were reported across a wide area of the state. St. Johnsbury and Lyndonville are both in Caledonia County and only about 10 miles apart but Sunderland is about 145 miles south in Bennington County.
The incidents are under investigation by detectives with the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Police investigators, who met with DCF staff, said Vermonters should be aware that all DCF employees have identification badges that they carry with them during official business. DCF workers cannot take emergency custody of a child without a court order.
Residents who find themselves approached by anyone claiming to be from DCF should ask to see identification or to see the court order if someone claims they are empowered to take custody of a child. Anyone who suspects they are dealing with a person impersonating a DCF employee, should call 911 immediately.
Anyone who has information related to these incidents or suspects should call the Vermont State Police at either the St. Johnsbury barracks at 748-3111 or the Shaftsbury barracks at 442-5421.MORE IN This Just InMONTPELIER A new report from a commission that studied the cost, availability and quality of... Full StoryVermont fish hatchery changes focus, looks inland
BETHEL, Vt. Full StoryHONOLULU (AP) A group of Hawaii musicians and a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant provided... Full Story
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text:
TV and Good Behavior
By Health Day
Earlier studies have indicated that little ones imitate what they see on the screen and therefore the more aggressive the TV shows, the more aggressive the children.
So 8-hundred-20 families with young kids were enrolled to see if "healthier" content could impact behavior.
Half of the families were asked to replace "aggressive" programming with so-called "pro-social", educational content. The others were placed in a control group and made no changes in their viewing habits. No attempt was made to reduce the time spent in front of the tube for any of the participants...
The families were followed for a year. At both 6 months and 12 months...the children in the intervention group were spending less time on violent programming...and demonstrated significantly less aggression than those in the control group. The effects lingered until the end of the study.
Bottom line, according to researchers...positive media made a difference.
I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV with the news doctors are reading health news that matters to you.
Most Popular
Monday, December 5, 2016, Watertown, NY


text:
Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., reports seeing an increase in patients being treated, and even hospitalized, for tick-borne illnesses. The clear message from Mother Nature -- tick season is in full swing. In fact, 40 percent of tick bites in the upper Midwest occur in July. However, even avid fans of the great outdoors can fully enjoy all their favorite activities without fear if they take the proper steps to protect themselves.
Tick Tips:
- Use a suitable insect repellent.
- Check yourself, your children and your pets after spending time outdoors.
- To reduce risk on hikes, stay on trails. If you leave the path, wear long pants tucked into your socks.
- If you find ticks, remove them right away. Use force and pinch the tick near its mouth parts, pulling the tick out slowly in a continuous motion. Don't twist it, which may leave mouth parts embedded in the skin.
- Keep grass short in yards and avoid ungroomed areas.
Mayo Clinic infectious disease expert Abinash Virk, M.D., says among the top tick-borne diseases of concern right now are Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis.
Different species of ticks are known to be prime carriers of particular diseases. Ticks collected from patients who've been bitten are routinely identified and studied in Mayo Clinic labs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the tiny black-legged tick, often called the deer tick, is present across much of the eastern United States, as well as all West Coast states. Dr. Virk says it's a frequent carrier of Lyme disease which, if left untreated, can cause a host of medical complications affecting the heart, joints and nervous system.
"Particularly the small nymph of the tick, which is the small earlier stage of the tick. That is the one more likely to transmit these diseases."
Dr. Virk says, in general, ticks need to be attached for 24 to 36 hours to transmit disease, which is why checking your body for them after an outing is so important. If you do find an attached tick, she says remove all of it, including the head, then be alert for symptoms one to three weeks after being bitten.
"These are most often fevers, body aches, headaches and they're not very specific, except for Lyme disease which, in the early stage, can give you the Lyme rash."
Dr. Virk recommends applying insect repellent containing 30 percent DEET to exposed skin. She also says the repellent permethrin (per METH rin) sprayed on or washed into clothing can be very effective.
"If you have this treated clothing on you and you have insect repellent on your skin, the likelihood you're gonna get bitten is pretty much gone. And we're not only talking ticks, we're talking about mosquitoes and a whole bunch of other creepy-crawly, biting creatures."
Repellents that ward off ticks also help reduce mosquito bites, which can spread diseases like West Nile Virus and encephalitis.
Source: http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tick-tips-from-mayo-clinic-2becc1


text:
Severe storms wreak destruction across Oklahoma
Published On: May 19 2013 09:16:10 PM CDT Updated On: May 19 2013 09:22:50 PM CDT
See tornado and aftermath photos from around Oklahoma Sunday.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.


text:
20 of the worst Oscar winners in history
We sort the least deserving Academy Award winners
It's Oscar season once again – and while Academy members scratch their heads trying to decide which of this year's crop of worthy titles deserves to take home the big prize, we trawl the archives to uncover the worst Oscar offences of all time. From Julie Andrews warbling on a mountaintop to the time 'Harry and the Hendersons' walked away with a handful of gold, here are all the Academy's biggest blunders in one handy list.
This is by no means a definitive rundown of all of Oscar's shoddy decisions – we didn't even have room to mention Celine Dion or 'Chicago' – so if you really, really hate 'Titanic' or really, really love 'Forrest Gump', tell us about it in the comments box below.
RECOMMENDED: Read our full guide to the Oscars 2016
Victor Fleming for 'Gone with the Wind'
Best Director, 1939
It may be a popular classic that still holds the record for most tickets sold, but slavery-era epic 'Gone With a Wind' feels a mite creaky in this age of #OscarsSoWhite and '12 Years a Slave'. But that's not the only reason we question Victor Fleming's Oscar win. In truth he was only one of three directors to work on the film, so the award really should've been split between them.
It could've been...
John Ford for 'Stagecoach', Frank Capra for 'Mr Smith Goes to Washington', William Wyler for 'Wuthering Heights'.
'The Greatest Show on Earth'
Best Picture, 1953
Legendary producer-director Cecil B DeMille may be one of the key figures in the history of American cinema, but that doesn't mean his films were all great. Gaudy circus story 'The Greatest Show on Earth' may have packed them in at the box office, but you'd be hard-pressed to mount a strong artistic defence of this trashy, overlong epic.
It could've been...
'The Bad and the Beautiful' (not nominated),'High Noon
'Around the World in 80 Days'
Best Picture, 1957
Sometimes the Academy don't just get the winners wrong, but the whole damn ceremony: in 1957, while the likes of 'The Searchers', 'Written on the Wind' and 'Forbidden Planet' were wowing audiences at home, with 'The Ladykillers', 'La Strada' and 'Seven Samurai' on release worldwide, the Academy saw fit to reward this turgid family romp, while the nominees were rounded out with epically tedious crud like 'Giant', 'The King and I' and 'The Ten Commandments'.
It could've been...
A year to remember.
Leon Shamroy for 'Cleopatra'
For Best Cinematography, 1963
That this bloated, tedious and wildly overpriced historical epic took any awards at all is disgraceful, but the one which really sticks in the craw is Cinematography. Not only does the film look like it's been shot through a veneer of blancmange, but it triumphed over arguably the most visually sumptuous film ever made, 'The Leopard', which wasn't even nominated.
It could've been...
The above, '8 ½' (not nominated) or 'Irma La Douce'.
'The Sound of Music'
Best Picture, 1965
The mid-'60s were a grim time for Hollywood both artistically and economically, as reflected by a truly lacklustre brace of Best Picture nominees at the 1966 awards: alongside Robert Wise's excruciatingly cheerful nuns 'n' Nazis romp were ranged the likes of 'Doctor Zhivago', 'Darling' and something called 'A Thousand Clowns'.
It could've been...
Um… 'Von Ryan's Express'?
'Une Homme et une Femme'
Best Foreign Language Film, 1966
It may have looked slick, exciting and frightfully modern at the time, but Claude Lelouch's paper-thin romantic romp now seems trite, dated and disgustingly self-satisfied – as relentlessly annoying as its twittering oh-so-French theme song.
It could've been...
'The Battle of Algiers', 'Loves of a Blonde'.
'I Just Called to Say I Love You' by Stevie Wonder, from 'The Woman in Red'
Best Original Song, 1985
Everyone loves Stevie Wonder, and with good reason, but even before the song was verbally lambasted by John Cusack in 'High Fidelity', it was widely accepted that this drippy, cloying romantic ballad is one of the soul pioneer's low points.
It could've been...
'Footloose', 'Ghostbusters', 'Against All Odds', 'Purple Rain'.
'Out of Africa'
Best Picture, 1986
In the mid-'80s, the Academy suddenly became obsessed with dishing out heaps of awards to grandiose, sweeping tales of life in foreign lands: see 'Gandhi', 'Platoon', and 'The Last Emperor'. While each of those films is defensible, the same can't really be said of this tiresome, glacially-paced colonial romance.
It could've been...
'Witness', 'Ran' (not nominated), 'Prizzi's Honor'.
Rick Baker for 'Harry and the Hendersons'
Best Makeup, 60th Academy Awards, 1988
'Academy Award winner "Harry and the Hendersons"' must be one of the oddest accolades ever devised, but it's nonetheless true. The make-up fraternity may simply have been rewarding FX legend Rick Baker for past achievements, but whatever their reasoning, this dire family monster-com had no right to be within sniffing distance of awards glory.
It could've been...
Absolutely anything else.
'Driving Miss Daisy'
Best Picture, 1990
Sometimes the Academy seem to enjoy making things difficult for themselves. To nominate this good-natured but worryingly old-fashioned race-relations weepie rather than Spike Lee's dynamic, challenging 'Do the Right Thing' was insult enough. To then give crotchety old 'Miss Daisy' four awards including the big prize was an unforgiveable injury.
It could've been...
The above, or 'My Left Foot', 'Dead Poets Society', 'Born on the 4th of July'.
Anthony Hopkins for 'The Silence of the Lambs', Al Pacino for 'Scent of a Woman'
Best Actor, 1992, 1993
No actor ever won an Oscar for their subtle behaviour, but these two foot-thick slices of ham really stand out. Hopkins's turn in 'The Silence of the Lambs' is admittedly terrific fun: sucking the marrow out of every villainous line, he comes on like William Shatner auditioning for 'Dracula'. Pacino, meanwhile, is just a ball of mad, bellowing energy. Is this really the same man who played it so quiet and malevolent as Michael Corleone?
It could've been...
1991: Robert De Niro ('Cape Fear'), Robin Williams ('The Fisher King'). 1992: Clint Eastwood ('Unforgiven') Denzel Washington ('Malcolm X').
Three drippy ballads from Disney
Best Song, 1993, 1995, 1996
In the mid-1990s, the Walt Disney Company exerted a stranglehold over the Best Song category, resulting in wins for three unlistenably schmaltzy ballads – A Whole New World from 'Aladdin', Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from 'The Lion King' and Colors of the Wind from 'Pocahontas' – each of which combine lowest-common-denominator lovelorn lyrics, hideously catchy melodies and slushy string-based instrumentation.
It could've been...
Anything by Randy Newman.
'Forrest Gump'
Best Picture, 1994
America loves to pat itself on the back, but this slick, saccharine, deeply reactionary nostalgia-fest is one giant leap too far. Tom Hanks gives a dead-eyed, inexplicably Best Actor-winning performance as the dullard man-child whose simple, old-timey wisdom inevitably gets the better of revolutionaries, counterculturists and those pesky Vietnamese.
It could've been: 'Pulp Fiction', 'The Shawshank Redemption', 'Quiz Show'.Read more
'A Beautiful Mind'
Best Picture, 2002
By the late '90s, it seemed the Academy had decided to avert any chance of controversy by doling out awards to the blandest, most inoffensive movie they could find (see also: 'Shakespeare in Love', 'Titanic', 'Chicago'). The worst offender in this category has to be Ron Howard's entirely forgettable maths 'n' madness biopic, a disease-of-the-week TV movie which somehow escaped into the multiplex.
It could've been...
'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'Gosford Park', 'Mulholland Dr' (not nominated).
Renee Zellweger for 'Cold Mountain'
Best Supporting Actress, 2003
Proof that it's possible for a single supporting performance to sink an entire film, Renee Zellweger's slack-jawed, fish-faced female-Forrest-Gump ruined this otherwise decent landscape drama from Anthony Minghella – but the Academy saw fit to reward her nonetheless.
It could've been...
Patricia Clarkson in 'Pieces of April', Shohreh Agdashloo in 'House of Sand and Fog'.
Best Picture, 2006
2005 was the year politics returned to Hollywood, with the Middle East ('Munich'), gay rights ('Brokeback Mountain') and America's troubled political history ('Good Night and Good Luck') all on the agenda. 'Crash' was a political film too, but in the lily-livered, hand-wringing, don't-say-anything-unless-you-say-something-offensive-by-mistake vein – so of course it snatched the big prize.
It could've been...
Any of the above.
Mauro Fiore for 'Avatar'
Best Cinematography, 2010
Leaving aside the issue of quality – time has not been kind to James Cameron's derivative sci-fi adventure – the real question is how a film created almost entirely within a computer can be nominated for Best Cinematography? Photographing a film is a tactile art, demanding in-depth knowledge of focal lengths, lenses and the way light moves. If all that work is done by a thousand nerds sweating over a thousand desktop computers, who's really doing the 'filming'? And does this mean Pixar movies are eligible?
It could've been...
Michael Haneke's stunning 'The White Ribbon'. End of story.
Tom Hooper for 'The King's Speech'
Best Director, 2011
Patriotic and positively pro-royal 'The King's Speech' is a perfectly diverting slice of British cosiness. Still, it's hardly Best Picture material – and the fact that helmsman Tom Hooper also took the Best Director prize is simply bizarre. His work is TV-standard: solid but unimpressive. And it looks even weaker next to David Fincher's icy-cool 'The Social Network', which was also in the running.
It could've been...
The above, Darren Aronofsky for 'Black Swan', The Coen brothers for 'True Grit'.
'The Artist'
Best Picture, 2012
In the four years since this moderately entertaining silent movie about backstage Hollywood life won Best Picture, has anyone ever said the words 'you know what I feel like watching? "The Artist"'? To go from winning film's biggest honour to being completely forgotten in 48 months is pretty impressive, but given the film's cutesy tone, drama-free setup and general air of self-satisfied middle-of-the-road-ness it's perhaps not surprising.
It could've been...
'The Tree of Life' or 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', which, criminally, was nominated
'Birdman: or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance'
Best Picture, 2015
Alejandro González Iñárritu's 'Birdman' divides critics – our reviewer gave it a five-star rave, while for others it's a shallow, unfunny rant directed at the easiest of targets: actors and the media. But all that is irrelevant, because 'Birdman' had the misfortune to be released in the same year as a film that brought something genuinely new and refreshing to cinema. Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood', filmed over 13 years, was a heartfelt, daring coming-of-age drama that stunned audiences worldwide. So of course it couldn't win.
It could have been...
'Boyhood', plain and simple.
Discover more-deserving Oscar winners
The 15 best Oscar-winning movies on Netflix
The Oscars are Hollywood's annual chance to dress up to the nines, roll out the red carpet and remind the world how brilliant it is. To be fair, the Academy do get it right occasionally – so here's our handy list of the best winners available to stream on Netflix UK.Read more
I completley agree with some of these choices-"Birdman"; Anthony Hopkins; "The King's Speech"-but I must defend "Forrest Gump"-totally unique; laugh-out-loud funny; also incredibly moving, absorbing and very , very entertaining. My only gripe with it is that Gary Sinise didn't win Best Supporting Actor-his performance as Lieutenant Dan was breath-taking-just faultless-and the best thing about the film for me. At least it brought Gary to the attention of many people who hadn't seen him before, he is an amazing actor, and deserves proper recognition for his talent. And, having met him twice, I can also say he is a lovely guy as well.
#20... Wow. You'd give it to the cliche, predictable, and above all BORING "Boyhood" instead of "Birdman"? I DO NOT get the love for "Boyhood" AT ALL. I went to see this based on the hype, and I sat there for almost three hours being bored out of my mind at the complete inanity of it all. I seriously do not understand why people praise that overrated slogfest.
Let me be perfectly clear: I DO NOT CARE how long it took to make the film. Do not use that with me. Simply put, what was put on screen was not worth it, and how it was filmed is it's only notable aspect. The acting is bad to passable. The cinematography is very vanilla. The dialog is at times atrocious. It's as predictable as most TV melodramas (are you SERIOUSLY going to tell me you didn't see her marrying a series of assholes?). It's main character is entirely unlikable -- yeah, I AGREED with the girlfriend who dumped him and I don't think I was supposed to.
I was RELIEVED when it didn't win best picture. "Birdman" all the way!
You guys are hack frauds, every last one of you.
It was Jack Black who had the argument with the guy in the store about "I Just Called to Say I Love You", not John Cusack
Bird man was by far a pretty good movie, I also thought the director, screenplay writers did an amazing job. But then again that's your opinion and this is my opinion. People have different perspectives, but I agree, boyhood should have revived more recognition than bird man did considering how long it took to film.
What -- no "Titanic" on this list? That was a stupidly overblown, over-romanticized, over-budgeted retelling of a truly compelling "real-life story" -- One of the dumbest movies I've had to sit through. "A Night to Remember" was much better.
I saw "A Thousand Clowns" on TV many years ago. It's a damned fine film, if I remember correctly, with a great performance by Jason Robards and a glimpse into pre-gentrified NYC of the mid-60s.
I suspect that the main reason Boyhood lost was because nobody ever talked about it being a good film, al the publicity and expectations about it winning were based upon the way it had been filmed and the time it took as if the actual quality of the movie was irrelevant. Birdman may have just been more interesting.
Oh dear, who wrote this. It is pretty obvious that the Oscars don't often don't reflect what are the best films and performances, however there are some strong contenders on this list. The 'Sounds of Music' is a beautiful directed film and 'Forest Gump' is an incredibly witty and powerful film.
@Suzanne C You are my man Suzanne!
If this wasn't a Timeout post, I would have considered this a great piece of trolling or something written by an igorant 13 year old with access to wikipedia.
Colours of the Wind is not about love...like...at all.
I Just Called To Say I Love You won best song over Purple Rain? Inconceivable!
I'm probably the odd one out but if Forrest Gump was to be overthrown, of the choice between Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption and Quiz Show, I would go with Quiz Show!
And Forest Gump is an amazing film? I'm not a huge fan of Avatar but it's the highest grossing film of all time! This writer doesn't have a clue.
@Jonathan F FORREST GUMP IS BEATUFUL MOVIE YOU DUMBASS!
To say Anthony Hopkins didn't deserve his Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs is complete bullshit!
@Jonathan F Hannibal Lecter is one my favorite villains OF ALL TIME, both for Anthony Hopkins' acting and the writing.
Tom Huddleston, did you actually watch Silence of the Lambs? It's a masterpiece.
Hopkins says in interviews that one of his main inspirations was HAL from 2001 A Space Odyssey.
You were going so well until you mentioned Dead Poets Society as an alternative winner - a film which, had it won, should have topped the list as the worst to ever win any award. Maudlin, sentimental, badly imagined and realised drivel.
Also. gone with the wind is the only film from that era that almost anyone could name - which means it has stood the test of time and deserved the Oscar.
Oh, and so did Rocky - the definitive film of its era.
@John B Rocky's director did not deserve the award over Network's Sidney Lumet or Taxi Driver's Martin Scorsese. Those are two of the greatest directors of all time, at their best, and my parents know their names. I have no idea who directed Rocky.
Forrest Gump is not brain dead patriotism, it is a masterpiece work about existentialism. Pulp Fiction is amazing, but what makes it better, because its edgy? If your mad that Forrest Gump plays tribute to American History, why are you not mad pulp fiction plays tribute to the Exploitation genre? Forrest Gump should be every bodys role model, he is un judging and full of love and life.
@John D forrest gump had no clear story, lots of weird & worthless incidents(i.e running for months without any reason). unnecessary lengthy, overall a good dark comedy film for teens but not good enough to win oscar. shawshank redemption was 100 times better than that
For 2002, I'd argue that "Ghost World" was also deserving of a Best Picture nomination.
Forrest Gump and Out of Africa were travesties and emblematic of the pablum the academy loves. The English Patient could have also been included. And you should have made the list 21 to give room to Chicago, the terrible on all levels movie/musical.
Dr. Doolittle won best score and best song ("Talk to the Animals"). Paul Simon was not even nominated for the score for The Graduate and "Mrs. Robinson".
I thought the Sound of Music was phenomenal.
Carol Reed for Oliver! and not for The Third Man or The Fallen Idol. Specially when the winning was above Stanley´s Kubrick 2001: A Space Odyssey and Gillo Pontecorvo for The Battle of Algiers
Best director- Bob Fosse for Cabaret over Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather Best Actor- Art Carney over Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson Ordinary People and Robert Redford over Martin Scorsese and Raging Bull Dances with Wolves and Kevin Costner over Martin Scorsese and Goodfellas Scorsese again for Aviator losing to Clint Eastwood
I agree with most but not Forrest Gump. I love Pulp Fiction, Shawshank and Quiz Show but Gump was groundbreaking for special effects and editing. Not to mention the directing, score, acting, and camera work were unbelievable. Whereas the other 3 had some of those elements, Gump had all those and easily deserved Best Picture
@Burn hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah..............hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. *wipes tear* hahahaha!!!
@Burn are you 10 years old?
They are scared to put Denzel Washinton (one of the greatest actors by the way) for that awful movie/performance, "training day".
I don't understand how Un Prophet was so much better than it. It was just The Godfather in prison, but instead of Italians, there was an Arab dude. Though The White Ribbon definitely deserved to win.
The Secret in Their Eyes was a much better movie than The White Ribbon, a totally pretentious oscar-begging movie with no heart in it at all. Crash was also the best movie in its category that year. It was an outsider but truly the best one. I am utterly surprised that you left outside of your list Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love) winning instead of Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) in 1999. In my opinion, that was the most undeserved Oscar even given.
@Chara I don't want to disagree with the first couple of things you said (even though I do) because your last sentence is completely on the money!
Chariots of Fire was terrible
"doesn't really stand up to modern scrutiny" ---- what can? two things: 1) in about 2 years, your use of modern will be outdated, and 2) i don't think Victor Fleming knew or could even consider what could hold up in 75 years...he just set out to make the best movie he could..
This is one of the most tedious, unconstructive lists I've ever read. Some of your choices are good and some of them are bad, but what makes the entire article so much worse is the childish, flippant, and altogether condescending tone. Grow up.
Just saw Terms of Endearment ... should be on this list.
are you sick..titanic is a piece of ART..it was ike a painting whole movie..rest nearly ok..there is reason why u aint in d jury..i understnd ..WHY??
"...the fact remains that 'Avatar' may be slick and action-packed but it's not a particularly lovely film to look at, unless you're a big fan of puce green and baby blue." Really, though? It's a movie that uses the stunning visual effects/landscapes/characters as the main selling point. I can totally understand how a person would possibly dislike the movie, as a whole... but, how can you seriously say that the visual aspect of the film wasn't extraordinarily beautiful?
@Matt Yes and James Cameron was the first director to make the 3D work, by keeping the focal distance at the same distance as the screen so it doesn't make our eyes work harder.
@Claire E It's still Highly derivative of many other Sci-Fi Books/Artwork etc and VERY predictable !
A Beautiful Mind forgettable? What is wrong with you? Although I do agree The Fellowship of the Ring is a far better choice, you can't possibly call A Beautiful Mind forgettable and made-for-TV-escaped-to-cinema piece. Also, Tom Hanks in Forest? Say what you want about the movie, but his performance is brilliant. To each his own, I guess...
Tom Huddleston, you are amazing. I wonder, do you stay up nights trying to come up with clever put-downs and then quickly write them down when you get a "Eureka?" If not, you just have a natural knack for nasty insults, which would only be a compliment to drunken white trash. To say that Anthony Hopkins didn't deserve the Oscar for Silence of the Lambs is like saying The Beatles didn't deserve the Grammy for Revolver. While the Academy almost never represents the year's best movies and nearly always nominates the same handful of safe, big budget dramas (and one indie) for everything, you actually managed to denigrate some of their best choices. Congratulations.
I agree with most of your choices, although the list could've gone on another eighty slides. The Academy gets it wrong more often than not, and the Oscars have become a giant popularity contest. If the award for best picture actually went to the best film of the year, there would be many more foreign films nominated. How is it that the Blind Side is nominated for best picture but not Pan's Labyrinth? (Different years, I know).
I think you missed Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls. The award is for acting, right? Nobody who votes at the Academy noticed that she gave a one note, amateur performance? In the original stage musical Effie White is the lead character who goes from wide eyed young girl, to disillusioned young woman until finally a proud woman who triumphs. Jennifer Hudson gave us bitter, angry girl from beginning to end.
The Titanic was a self-serving and tedious movie, allowing its two characters, representatives of both lower and richer classes to come together -- big deal. No mention was ever that more rich white guys survived than poor women and their children. And the centurian proclaims that her romance liberated her from...well, everything. Forest Gumb is a sordid story about how one not-too-bright character's unintentional behavior continued to change history of its time. It goes down with all the tripe that leaves audiences feeling better about themselves. The Shashank Redemption might as well won best picture so certain hope would triumph against adversity.
I don't really understand why you've decided to put The Sound of Music in as a 'worst Oscar winner'. It's clearly a succesful film, and by your own description the most promising out of the other nominees? In fact, this entire list bar a couple is ridiculously innacurate.
You are very right and VERY wrong in this list. The right: Crash is terrible. The wrong: The Secret in their Eyes is beautiful. You also seem to have a big misunderstanding of context. Even dated performances deserved awards recognition at their given time, because they tapped into something manifest in the moment. Anthony Hopkins, for example, represented something aesthetically and culturally terrifying at a time when Bundy, Gein, and Heidnik were haunting our headlines.


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Is this a Zombie?
Mm-hmm, Teacher is the Greatest!
Episode 20 | TV-MA
Having absorbed Eu's magic power, Haruna now suffers from the same side-effects that prevented Eu from speaking. The culture festival enters its second day. Tomonori has her control ring taken from her by the teacher, leading to an unforeseen outcome.
Dub Expires: 04-11-2014
Official Site: www.funimation.com/shows/is-this-a-zombieHide Details


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Looking for love in all the wrong places? This is the year for the perfect Valentine's Day romantic getaway.
Whether it's time for the big commitment or the perfect occasion to celebrate that bond, consider these top picks from BedandBreakfast.com.
Listed below -- alphabetically by state -- are a dozen wonderful and affordable B&Bs -- many less than $100 nightly -- owned by soft-hearted innkeepers who will help make your romantic dream a reality. For those looking for the ideal gift this Valentine's Day, give the gift of getaway to a romantic B&B.
Baby-Making Getaways Oh baby, baby! Try the Harborlight Guest House in Cape Carteret, N.C., or Inn at Abbington in Valparaiso, Ind. A romantic getaway may be just what the doctor ordered for lucky couples hoping to conceive. When romance leads to lovemaking, many B&B guests are thrilled to leave with more than just a warm glow. Guests who had long been trying to conceive a baby finally succeeded when their friends advised them to escape to the Harborlight. Contact: 800-624-8439 or http://www.harborlightnc.com. Guests of the Inn at Aberdeen who were first engaged, then married at the inn went so far as to name their child Abbie after the memorable place where she was conceived. Contact: 219-465-3753 or http://www.innataberdeen.com.
Turtle Beach Resort, Siesta Key, Fla. It's never too late for love at Turtle Beach Resort in Siesta Key. Innkeeper Gail Rubinfield explains that Turtle Beach Resort specializes in romance, with private hot tubs for each cottage. One of her favorite stories is about a couple who had been fixed up on a blind date 50 years earlier. It didn't work out then, but they decided to see if the spark could be rekindled at her inn. Not only did they fall in love, they were later married at Turtle Beach. Renew the spark here yourselves. Contact: 941-349-4554 or http://www.turtlebeachresort.com.
Orchid Tree B&B, Hilo, Hawaii Volcanic explosions set the scene at Orchid Tree B&B. After putting considerable thought into advising a very nervous gentleman guest about the ideal place to "pop the question," the Orchid Tree's innkeeper and his guest decided upon the ideal scene: sunset followed by moonrise in the midst of spewing volcano Pu'uO'o. Against an inspiring backdrop of a sherbet-palate sunset, the intrepid lovers witnessed a rare and inspiring scene -- a night rainbow created by an arc of primary colors shot from the moon to the ebony cliff where the flowing lava sparkled. This phenomenon spoke the truth of their love, and they returned to the Orchid Tree to find 100 candles twinkling around the whirlpool tub, and a chilled bottle of champagne. Contact: 808-961-9678 or http://www.orchidtree.net.
Holding Hands Oaks at Butler House on Grand, Des Moines, Iowa Behind the Butler House on Grand are two stately oak trees that are "holding hands" -- they share a branch in common, symbolizing a timeless, unwavering connection. Guests come to kiss under the trees and confirm their commitment to one another. Nervous beaus, honeymooners and anniversary couples have all celebrated their love for one another with a kiss under the oaks. Elegant, designed-decorated guest rooms ensure that the romantic spell is not broken. Contact: 866-455-4096 or http://www.butlerhouseongrand.com.
The "Marry Me" Room at Casa Escondida B&B, Chimayo, N.M. Those too nervous to ask the question themselves need only book the Kiva Room at Casa Escondida B&B, a lovely Southwestern B&B. Every time the mirror gets steamed up from showers or bubble baths in the oversized tub, the mirror mysteriously reads "marry me." Every type of cleaning solvent has been used to try to eliminate the message, but the mirror still magically continues to "pop the question." The wonderful kiva fireplace adds to the romance, so let the mirror do the talking for you. Contact: 800-643-7201 or http://www.casaescondida.com/.
Sunset Hill House, Sugar Hill, N.H. If you're looking to pop the question, want to make it memorable and are nervous about the outcome, choose Sunset Hill House. With a little luck, yours will be added to the list of 30 successful proposals in two years, to uphold the record for a 100 percent proposal success rate. Maybe it's the engagement ring formally served with dessert or the moonlit sleigh ride offering the perfect romantic setting, but most likely it's the love you and your sweetheart share. Either way, you win. Should you be turned down, you will be consoled with a free night for a second try! Contact: 800-786-4455 or http://www.sunsethillhouse.com/.
Lady and the Tramp at Failte Inn, Athens, Pa. Failte is the Irish word for welcome. Tramp, the inn cat, has her own style of feline hospitality, best seen when she's the center of attention. Not to be outdone by a bride in a lovely full-skirted wedding gown, Tramp marched down the aisle alongside the bride and her father, then disappeared under the gown's hooped petticoats and remained there quietly until the service ended. Inquiring minds are still wondering about the view from Tramp's vantage point. Contact: 570-358-3899 or http://www.failteinn.com/.
Cypress Inn, Conway, S.C. Take your love to new heights at the Cypress Inn. Flying high above the landscape in a hot air balloon, Cypress Inn guests have been known to get down on one knee to propose or take the hand of their betrothed in marriage. Hot air balloon weddings are a specialty of the Cypress Inn, and innkeeper and justice of the peace Carol Ruddick is an expert at small weddings. Contact: 800-575-5307 or http://www.acypressinn.com.
Iron Mountain Inn B&B, Butler, Tenn. See fireworks at Iron Mountain Inn B&B. This B&B guarantees fireworks on the night you propose. When it comes time to "pop the question" at Iron Mountain Inn, fireworks will go off on signal. Most couples stand alone on the inn's deck. Once the ring is presented, the woosh of the rocket follows, and then the fireworks really begin! A toast to the happy couple always follows. Contact: 888-781-2399 or http://www.ironmountaininn.com/.
Karbach Haus B&B, New Braunfels, Texas On any given weekend, hearts are aflame at this couples-only B&B. Romantic getaways are celebrated with carriage rides, champagne toasts, and the scenic surroundings of New Braunfels. Just to insure that hearts will pound, no detail goes unnoticed, from the heart-shaped pecan waffles to the tiny embossed hearts on the toilet paper to a long list of thoughtful extras. Double rates are $110-$200 per night. Info: 800-972-5941 or http://www.bbhost.com/karbach.
Hillcrest Inn, Burlington, Wis. Scavenge for love at Hillcrest Inn & Carriage House. Tales of a foiled scavenger hunt where a well-intentioned wife left clues along the route to their secret 10th anniversary getaway still keep the Hillcrest's innkeepers laughing. After toiling over creative clues to guide her husband to their celebratory getaway, he almost missed it after the first clue fell out of his lunch bag and under the car seat. The story of his misguided adventure amused the other guests, while the couple's romantic reunion made it all worthwhile. Contact: 800-313-9030 or http://www.thehillcrestinn.com.