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Sunday, September 6, 2009
Its about the market share.
The Linux market share today is around two percent on desktop computers and slowly growing. In contrast, Windows is around eighty eight percent and Mac OS is nine percent. The more people use a particular OS the more they all benefit as a community. GNU/Linux has been marginalized for a very long time because its market share is negligible. Software and hardware manufacturers were able to ignore Linux in the past but today things seem to be shifting slightly. Now that GNU/Linux is being adopted by more users you can see that companies and people are taking notice. A lot more software and hardware is being created for GNU/Linux and people are realizing that there is a huge potential in this expanding market.
If GNU/Linux would be able to get a larger market share on the desktop, lets say around ten or fifteen percent, it would be a huge win for the community. Not only would it show that we are doing something right but companies would have to create software and hardware that is compatible with Linux. The larger the market share, the more support for the operating system we would have. People would demand certain products for Linux and companies would have no choice but to oblige or lose to competition. With a larger market share we would have more clout and leverage against large and established companies. There is power in numbers and this applies to GNU/Linux as well.
Currently we are still hoping for certain companies to produce their products for Linux. However, if we would have a larger market share then these companies would be competing and trying very hard to be on the GNU/Linux platform.
The good news is that Linux is slowly growing and a lot more individuals are starting to switch over. They are realizing that GNU/Linux is a good operating system and that it is suitable for the average user. Now, all we need is to gain a larger market share so that companies realize that Linux is a strong force in the computer industry. The larger we are the more attention we get. The market share of GNU/Linux is important and hopefully it will continue to increase.
3 comments:
The 'market share' is not important for Linux, because it is rarely sold at retail.ReplyDelete
The significant metric is the 'installed base' - the number of machines running the OS.
- AnonymousSeptember 7, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Lot of companies are taking interest in Linux for one reason. Most Linux users turn out to be the ones that advise the Windows users on what software to install and what hardware to buy.ReplyDelete
So it turns out supporting Linux can in some cases double sales on Windows.
I agree that market share is important, but it is not the most important thing. What good is an OS with dominant market share but filled with secrets, patents, lies, insecurities, control over users, and attempts to lock in customers? What good is a GNU/Linux system without its fun, wittiness, diversity, competitiveness, and freedom? True, we may appeal to some more proprietary vendors that way, but for what?ReplyDelete
I think that the battle for market share will be about replacing the current industry with a new one. Nowadays, technology vendors are too spoiled with secrecy. Most of drivers are proprietary for no good reason; most of services do not specify what is done to users' data; the world "commercial" is understood as synonym to "proprietary". We must first change that, THEN claim significant market segment. Again, what good is a popular but restricted OS? (we have plenty of them already)


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BURBANK, Calif. – April 17, 2007 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will launch the all-new LOONEY TUNES: DUCK AMUCK videogame in fall 2007, starring the infamously short-tempered and devious Daffy Duck in stylus-based gameplay for the Nintendo DS system.
Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by WayForward Technologies, LOONEY TUNES: DUCK AMUCK lets players wield the Nintendo DS stylus to irritate, aggravate and infuriate their own Daffy Duck in humorous ways. In the game inspired by the classic Duck Amuck cartoon, players will compete against Daffy through a series of mini-games that range from retro inspired favorites to modern, innovative gameplay interactions, with the goal of driving Daffy's temperature, and his temper, through the roof. LOONEY TUNES: DUCK AMUCK will also feature wireless game play allowing players to not only gang up on Daffy as a team but also battle each other in head-to-head competition.
"LOONEY TUNES: DUCK AMUCK gives gamers and all Daffy Duck fans a brand new experience and total control in tormenting the heated duck all in good Looney Tunes fun," said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "The imaginative gameplay puts players in the creator's role with the Nintendo DS system incorporating individual and competitive play with the beloved Daffy Duck character."
LOONEY TUNES: DUCK AMUCK will release day-and-date this fall with LOONEY TUNES: ACME ARSENAL, a next and current generation console adventure for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii system and the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system.
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier publisher, licensor and a developer of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including consoles, PC-based gaming and wireless applications.

subset: commoncrawl


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This post originally appeared on the Flux7 blog at: http://flux7.com/blogs/benchmarks/littles-law/. It discusses the relationship between throughput and latency summarized by Little's Law. Little's Law has applications on any system with throughput and latency, whether it is memory performance or an industrial assembly line. Read the original article below:
Continue reading "Understanding Throughput and Latency Using Little's Law" »


text: This holiday season has been a grand celebration in New Eden, but the festivities are far from over. Starting on December 26th, ARES Operators can party like it's 2234 with special New Year's items, cosmetics, and consumables. Break out the wiki wackers and dress your ARES Operators with the latest festive swag including the Mistletoe headwear, Crystite Earrings, and Happy 2234 Glasses. Get your hands on these items and more today!


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The archangel Gabriel was mightily pissed off. That in itself was not an unusual state of affairs. Gabriel was frequently melancholy, sullen and prone to explosive fits of temper. Being the angel of death, amongst other, more socially acceptable things, had an infuriating propensity to play havoc with one's social life. He liked to think of himself as multi-skilled, but mostly everyone just saw the black leathers, the pale ivory skin and raven wings and drew their own conclusions. People also tended to give him a wide berth when he played his silver trumpet. It could get very messy, like the time He asked him to put on jam sessions at Sodom and Gomorrah. He had really blown his audience away. It had taken him centuries to get the stains out of his robes.
Unsurprisingly, Gabriel had fewer friends amongst the heavenly Hosts than he would like. He had his imitators amongst the lesser hierarchies, which he treated with a disdain that bordered on pathological hatred – none of them had the balls to do his job.
Mostly they just fluttered about wailing about the unfairness of existence, dying their hair black and writing appalling poetry, which was all well and good, but did not help him meet his productivity targets. He grunted his thanks as Uziel, one of his trusted lieutenants, slid a full glass of bourbon into his hand.
Like his boss, Uziel was dressed in sleek black from silk YSL shirt to expensive metal-decorated boots. Reflective black eyes perpetually covered by impenetrable Oakley shades, he projected an aura of sinister cool that was second only to Gabriel's. All angels were cool. They had their own patented images to jealously protect. Where the archangels led, other angelic beings followed. The divisions were almost tribal, gaggles of cherubim, ophanim or seraphim mimicking the style of their chosen role model. Of course, their primary allegiance was to Him, and if He decided He wanted His angels to return to the old uniform of white nightdress and halo, they would obey. But it would be silk Prada nightdresses.
Languidly, Gabriel allowed his gaze to wander around the crowded strip club, taking in the slightly tacky frothy pink décor and the pert-breasted waitresses dressed as French maids or Playboy bunnies. Gender was a subjective thing for an angel. Gabriel had once tried being Gabrielle, but found his tits got in the way when he played trumpet and were less than aerodynamic. To his horror, Uriel had tried to cop a feel, asking if he wanted to see something big and hot. Uriel took his role as Regent of the Sun a little too seriously. Gabriel now confined his gender bending to the first century of every millennium, finding that no matter how hard he tried, he still loved corsets. He had taken great delight in tipping off humankind about better uses for PVC than flooring and piping.
The baby pink door swung open to admit Raphael and his afghan-clad entourage, their forms obscured by fragrant clouds of smoke that smelled suspiciously like marijuana. Handing his rose-coloured velvet coat to the doorman, a granite-faced cherub with an artful five o'clock shadow and sweeping peregrine grey wings, he staggered to a table. Contrary to popular mortal opinion, cherubim were not fat winged babies, though many liked the youthful image and affected blond curls and plump-cheeked cuteness. The doorman was not one such cherub, his appearance owing more to the sphinx of ancient Assyria than nappy-filling human offspring.
Lounging back in his chair, Raphael pushed his pink-tinted Gucci glasses up his nose and waved at Gabriel cheerfully, a lopsided grin on his goatee-bearded face. Gabriel scowled fiercely enough to melt glass, biting back a scathing put-down. It was not wise to insult the angel of science and medicine, for although he tried most of his trippy concoctions on himself, he was known for slipping them into fellow angel's drinks. The results could be interesting, to say the least. Propping his platform shoes on the table, the cuffs of his blue denim flares trailing, Raphael snapped his fingers for absinthe and girls. One of his cronies magicked up an acoustic guitar and began strumming, nodding to his companions to sing, filling the dingy club with ethereal soaring harmonies.
Fingering the smooth-sliding valves of his trumpet, running a loving palm over its gaping bell mouth, Gabriel suppressed the urge to raise the instrument to his lips and reduce the hippy-dippy, tree-hugging idiots to a smoking collection of bones. The best part of being the angel of death was he could always resurrect anything he had slaughtered and try a new method of execution. Unfortunately, He had decreed that His archangels were not to be killed. Ever. Damn it.
However, that did not preclude the dismemberment of lesser angelic beings. Brightening, Gabriel licked the sticky bourbon film from his lips and lifted his trumpet, only to have two silently roaring presences materialise at his shoulder. Muttering a curse, he returned it to his lap, exchanging exasperated glances with Uziel, who turned and insolently gave the newcomers the middle finger. Raguel and Sariel, respectively charged with watching over the good behaviour of angels and meting out punishment to miscreants, were unimpressed. Clicking his tongue against his teeth reprovingly, Sariel tapped his exquisitely engraved silver fountain pen against his leather-bound clipboard while Raguel ticked a box. Identical in severe, unflattering suits of clerical grey, steely clipped hair and slate-coloured wings, they epitomised the bureaucracy of heaven. And they always showed up to spoil Gabriel's fun. He longed for the day when the irritatingly smug pair would be caught out and he could play them a private coda. Everybody had the odd skeleton or nephilim love child rattling in their closet, the most recent of whom answered to the name Elvis and lived somewhere called Graceland. After all, only God was perfect, although certain ex-members of the Host would disagree. Lingering until satisfied the angel of death would not let out a sly parp, they quirked an eyebrow in unison and vanished in an implosion of navy blue light. Looking around to make sure the bothersome pair had indeed gone, Gabriel swivelled in his cane-backed chair to surreptitiously point a long white finger at Raphael and his tuned-in, spaced-out sidekicks.
His trumpet was not a necessity in the game of piss-off-the-archangel. The guitar-playing seraph gave a loud indignant shriek as the wooden instrument spectacularly burst into flames, toppling over to lie kicking on his back as his friends swatted at his burning clothes. Unlike earthly fire, the blaze did not wane, the tangerine flames growing hotter until all that was left was a smeary ash-angel on the floor. The stench of burnt feathers was abominable.
Gabriel and his lieutenant chuckled throatily as the inebriated smile on Raphael's face faded, wheels of chartreuse green lightning sparking in his blue eyes as he handed his glass of absinthe to a scantily clad seraph stripper. Hand jumping to the polished willow hilt of his sword, which due to his archangel status was larger than that of more junior divine beings, he locked gazes with Gabriel. Uziel looked expectantly from one luminous face to the other, glancing at his diamond-set platinum Rolex. He gave it precisely thirty seconds before his governor barbecued Raphael's remaining entourage like chicken wings. Licks of blue green energy spiralled along the cold steel length of Raphael's sword as he imbued it with his angelic power, a glowing nimbus of white light flaring around his chestnut brown hair. Gabriel merely looked exceptionally bored and yawned loudly, brushing a speck of something only he could see from the burnished flank of his trumpet. For all his cooler-than-thou posturing, Raphael would be at a distinct disadvantage if it came to a serious fight. Power of life and death over all His beings did whop the arse of any fancy-pants light show. Despite the fact he was technically not allowed to kill another archangel, Him Downstairs included, you never could tell with Gabriel.
Other angels often secretly speculated on just how close he was to an exclusive private room with padded walls in a quiet corner of purgatory. Several millennia of slaying firstborns and laying waste to cities appeared to have left him several virtues short of a second choir. Raphael decided he did not want to risk pushing the angel of death over the edge and backed down, sheathing his sword with a metallic sibilance and a beatific smile. Smirking triumphantly, Gabriel crooked a finger at a passing waitress for a refill, slapping the nastily grinning Uziel on the shoulder. He knew what was whispered about him, and he played on it. If he was feeling charitable, he might reanimate the unfortunate seraph at a later date.
Regarding the pathetic charcoal smudge on the floor with distaste, noting the apparent expression of deepest surprise singed into the carpet at the approximate region of the head, Raphael frowned and belched softly.
Watching Gabriel drink a toast with his lieutenant, he stroked the pearlescent wooden hilt of his sword and plotted a suitable revenge. Vengeance was supposed to be divine, and Raphael certainly counted as such. If only Gabriel was caught doing something naughty, he would be sin-binned long enough for Raphael to enjoy an extended gloat and perhaps spike the drinks of a few of his lieutenants. They would be so high that the Almighty himself would have trouble bringing them down, not to mention the skull-shattering hangover. Where the angel of medicine was concerned, all the hyperbole about the undesirable after-effects of drugs could be taken quite literally. When Raphael threw a wild all-century party, it was not unusual to find globs of grey brain matter floating in the punch bowel. Rubbing his hands craftily, he called for a dancer. Disinterestedly watching a leggy blonde seraph with breasts like overripe melons peel off her sugar-pink bra, which was little more than two triangles of marabou-trimmed material held together with string, Gabriel leaned his chin in his hand and frowned. JC was supposed to meet him for a few beers and was late. Like any child, the Son of God was going through his rebellious stage and liked nothing better than carousing with the big, bad, black-clad angel of death. He had even taken to roaring about heaven on a silver Harley Davidson wearing a leather jacket emblazoned with the legend 'Lived fastidiously, died young'. This amused Gabriel no end. All he had to do was persuade him to get a tattoo, and his work would be done. Michael thought Gabriel was a bad influence and often sniffily told him so while adjusting his gold cufflinks and drinking endless Martinis. What He thought remained a mystery. The archangels supposed He had things of cosmic importance to worry about that outweighed a tendency to drink too many Slow Comfortable Screws and make lewd comments about Mary Magdalene.
An obscenely high, toothpick-thin stiletto heel stamped down onto the tabletop, narrowly missing Gabriel's left pinkie. Uziel looked up, eyebrows escalating, and he whistled appreciatively. Slowly removing his Oakleys, revealing impenetrable eyes of mirrored jet, Gabriel allowed his gaze to wander over the tall wedge sole and up the tightly laced black patent leather boot to a fishnetted thigh. Waist cinched organ-crushingly tight by a buckled corset that matched her micro skirt and opera-length gloves, all of which were gleaming black PVC, the stripper nudged aside his empty glass with her foot. A single eyebrow quirking at her audacity, Gabriel produced a crisp green bill, tucked it into the top of her thigh boots and asked what her name was. Tossing back her shiny black bob, dark almond eyes heavy, lips whore crimson, she huskily breathed that it was Salome. Gabriel grinned toothily and allowed himself a gruff chuckle as she began to gyrate to the music, pulling at the fingertips of her gloves with perfect teeth. They were all called Salome, Delilah, Jezebel or Lilith. There were less Liliths around than one might imagine. Imitators who dared steal her name tended to pale before the sheer feral female magnificence of the original. That and the fact she had a habit of punishing impersonators by forcibly turning them male before castrating them with blunt spoons. Gabriel had dated Lilith for a few millennia until she unceremoniously dumped him, declaring she was bored and wanted more to do at weekends than jazz concerts and Earth fetish clubs. Currently, she was running an exclusive dungeon in purgatory, flagellating male angels for their venial sins and the odd minor demonic being who did it just for recreation. Secretly, Gabriel had been quite glad when she gave him his marching orders. Though he was loath to admit it, he simply could not keep up with her.
Iridescent magpie wings spread behind her, effortlessly defying the laws of gravity, Salome inched off her glove and threw it into Gabriel's lap. Daring to run her tiny fingers over his jaw, she began to remove the second, oblivious to Uziel's eager gaze. Enviously watching as his boss fingered the discarded glove, something approaching interest sparking in his black eyes, Uziel pulled a note from his Channel calfskin wallet and leaned forward to slip it down her cantilevered cleavage. Finding his wrist caught by a powerful white hand, the delicate bones grinding, he bit back a cry as Gabriel glared daggers at him. Meekly sitting down, he pulled out several sharp blades and winced at the damage to his jacket. Working for the angel of death meant hefty bills at the tailors and dry-cleaners, not to mention the life insurance premiums.
The second knee-tremblingly glossy PVC glove hit Uziel in the face, wrapping around his head. He snatched it off and cradled his prize in sweaty palms, transfixed by the lazy, come-hither sway of her hips. Head tipped to one side, looking just as predatory and dangerous as he was, Gabriel watched as she began to unbuckle her corset, cooing endearments. Such an eye-wateringly restrictive garment would almost certainly have fractured the ribs of a human, and listening to the tortured creak of metal boning, he was not convinced Salome was entirely comfortable.
Glancing across at Uziel, whose wet pink tongue had unfurled almost to his knees, he pulled out his cellphone and surreptitiously made a call. Snapping shut his phone, Gabriel gave a wire thin, chilling smile and slid it into the inside pocket of his silk-lined black leather trenchcoat. Casually, he asked who she worked for, as she was not like the usual line-up of blonde, milk-skinned seraphim with raspberry-glossed lips and tiny pastel bikinis. When she replied she was one of Lilith's Girls, with a capital 'L' and 'G', the angel of death merely nodded sagely and sat back to enjoy the show. Seeing Uziel's tongue was trailing on the floor, he rolled his eyes with an air of long-suffering patience as Salome burst free of her corset with a sound like two popped springs. Sliding her hands enticingly along the glistening length of her thigh boots, laughing at the gradually increasing puddle of drool at Uziel's feet, she flicked a disdainfully dismissive glance at a waitress who dared flutter past to collect empty glasses.
Several seraph strippers stomped away in disgust as their marks began to pay less attention to their pink-pantied rears and more to the razor- cheeked Salome. Provocatively, she dropped her corset into Gabriel's lap, much to his lieutenant's disgruntlement. It settled with a faint squeaking creak of PVC over his trumpet, metal boning concertinaing the material. Plucking another note from his wallet, he proffered it between his index and middle fingers. Bending over backwards with the inhuman flexibility of a reticulated python, she closed her teeth on the bill, the small silver rings in her nipples glinting in the light from the slowly revolving mirror ball. By this time, Uziel looked about ready to explode like an angel-sized thermonuclear device, wisps of steam emerging from beneath his collar.
Deciding there were things he needed doing that very instant, Gabriel snapped his fingers imperiously beneath his nose. Much as he trusted his number one lieutenant to do his job, Uziel had an annoying disposition towards rampant lechery. When one wore all black, questionable stains were extremely hard to conceal or explain away. Excluding blood, of course. Jackdaw wings unfurling indignantly, Uziel almost took umbrage at the interruption, then remembered his place. The last seraph in Gabriel's employment who had put a metal-heeled biker boot over the line was currently serving as a wine rack in his cellars, bottles of vintage Bollinger wedged into his exposed ribcage. Many an unsuspecting guest was shocked to find the wine rack breathing and uttering the occasional low moan of despair, eternally caught between life and death. Catching his boss's glittering reptilian eyes, receiving silent orders, Uziel readjusted his Oakleys, snapped a brisk salute and disappeared in a muted implosion of vermilion light.
Wrinkling his nose at the lingering odour of sulphur, Gabriel made a mental note to talk to his underling. Being mean, moody and wearing hideously expensive designer clothing was one thing, but it did not go down well with the establishment if angels were caught imitating the Big Bad's calling card. Besides which, no angel in his outfit should go around smelling like a catalytic converter. No matter how popular it became, Armani would never produce cologne that smelled awfully like bad eggs.
A sly, self-satisfied smile bowed Salome's crimson-slicked lips and she descended from the table with a minimal flick of her wings. She landed faultlessly, an Oriental fetish Barbie with all the right accessories. Slithering into Gabriel's lap, daring to move aside his trumpet, she slipped her arms around his neck and whispered something smutty into his ear.
The proposal was quite indecent and required parting with a considerable amount of cash.
Idly sliding a hand up her thigh, the angel of death began to smile. It was not a pleasant sight. It was the kind of smile that made mothers with nubile teenage daughters nervous and pretty, smooth-cheeked boys even more so.
Casually, he retrieved his wallet and checked how much money he had, making sure the crisp wads of ten, twenty and one hundred-dollar bills printed with His face were clearly visible. The exchange rate was good at the moment, although there was talk of introducing a single currency that could be used in heaven as well as purgatory. This had caused a furore in the angelic and demonic business communities alike, prompting dark mutterings about devaluation and the destruction of economic autonomy. The uproar, backbiting and general ill feeling had kept Raguel and Sariel buzzing about like two anally retentive grey bees for centuries.
Apparently satisfied with the ludicrous amount of cash in his wallet, Gabriel nodded, allowing her to take his hand and lead him away. Across the floor, Raphael watched as Salome shimmied her way to a cotton candy pink door marked 'private', and all but hauled the angel of death through. The door slammed shut, leaving a single floating raven feather and a discarded PVC microskirt. There was a loud crash followed by tinkling glass as a waitress tripped over it, ending up sprawled with legs at ten and two on the floor. Cackling wildly, so much so he dislodged his Gucci shades from their already precarious position on the bridge of his nose, he rubbed his hands with glee.
Soliciting a whore was definitely a sin. His scheme was working with heavenly perfection, which was to be expected. After all, he was one of His archangels – the closest living beings to God. Well, apart from Jesus. Pupils dilated to black hole proportions, he joked how it was about bloody time Gabriel got to duet after centuries of playing solo.
His entourage sniggered obediently, having reached the stage of intoxication that allowed them to laugh at anything and everything. A prerequisite of joining Raphael's clique was the ability to drop tabs of industrial-strength acid and any other psychotropic substance like Smarties. Several were spreading out the powdery ash remains of the incinerated angel and doodling in it with their fingers, cooing over the pretty patterns. A mop-topped seraph in a collarless suit began to wheeze with helpless giggles as he realised he had got some of his erstwhile drinking buddy on his carefully shined Chelsea boots. The angel of science and medicine rolled his eyes, realising he would have to foot the bill for the carpet cleaning. Retrieving his solid silver Viner's absinthe spoon from the centre of the table, he lovingly filled it with sugar and poured on a little of the fey green, noxious-looking liquor. Snapping his fingers, he produced a clear blue flame from the tip of his thumb and proceeded to light the absinthe-soaked sugar. Watching greedily as it dripped through the spoon's perforated bowl into his half full glass, he expertly added water, snuffing the flames. Cheerfully quoting Mary Poppins to his cronies as he lifted the glass for a swallow, he blew out his lit thumb. Everyone laughed, including the strippers, who were very pleased the client-snatching Salome was off the scene.
Beaming like a stoned Cheshire cat, Raphael fluttered his psychedelic wings and leisurely contemplated dropping a line to Raguel and Sariel's secretary. Just as dour and uninteresting as her bosses, her efficiency was legendary, as was her suspect enthusiasm for her job. Prim in grey pinstripe and Jackie O horn-rims, a boot-faced, Bond-less Miss Moneypenny with wings, it was rumoured she had suggested beginning criminal proceedings against Lilith for lowering the tone in purgatory. Raphael, the mighty archangel who sat at the right hand of God, shuddered slightly. Nobody screwed with Her and lived. Except perhaps Gabriel and Him Downstairs. She evidently had a soft spot for the angel of death, meaning she did not kill and dismember him on sight like she had other ex-squeezes. As for Lucifer, they had had an on-off fling for millennia.
Careful not to think the name too loud in case he accidentally invoked the Ultimate Evil, Raphael pouted jealously. The Son of Morning, the fairest of the Host, always managed to get the girl, even after his unfortunate tumble from grace and subsequent make-over involving horns, cloven hooves and a forked tail. Sending a folded green hundred-dollar bill in the general direction of the nearest bee-stung-lipped stripper with a flick of his index finger, he began compiling a mental list of misdemeanors. Solicitation, bringing a respectable business into disrepute, threatening behaviour, oh, and a criminal dress sense. The untimely and downright impolite cremation of his seraph guitar player was somewhere below Gabriel's taste in fashion on Raphael's list. The angel of death would have the book thrown at him. Not The Book, just the one with all the rules and regulations compiled by countless millennia of the celestial civil service. Raphael pondered that such a book would undoubtedly crush Gabriel flat like an unnaturally shiny black creepy-crawly. Squish.
Briefly wondering what the inside of an archangel looked like, he settled back to enjoy his drink while a small herd of bored-looking strippers lined up to prepare for the grand finale of the evening. An exceedingly professional bum wiggle began at one end of the line, progressing through the assembled ranks like a titillating Mexican wave. Arse wiggle, tit thrust, pout and stretch.
The club door abruptly banged open, jolting the cherub bouncer from his pleasant doze. Disgruntled, he rose to his full impressive height and grumbled like an approaching juggernaut with the brake cables cut. Uziel sauntered through, politely stepping aside to usher in a female figure cloaked in black velvet. With two beats of his sleek black wings, he rose to level with the doorman's slightly pointed ear and whispered, gesticulating eloquently. A sharp-eyed observer might have spotted a wad of money transfer from the lieutenant's pale hand to the cherub's breast pocket.
Nodding assent, the doorman waved a shovel-sized paw in a fair imitation of a policeman directing a tanker filled with explosive trichloroethane. Uziel grinned, Oakleys flashing in the strobe lighting, and shepherded his guest towards the back of the club and the private rooms. Attention caught by the bank vault clang of the door, Raphael watched the pair like they were wired up to a not inconsiderable amount of dynamite. With Gabriel's lieutenants, it paid to be cautious and have a fire extinguisher handy. You never knew if one of them would turn kamikaze and napalm themselves, secure in the knowledge their boss would resurrect them. The smell, whether in the morning or heart of darkness, was never pleasant, though self- sacrifice did seem to appeal to Gabriel's sense of aesthetics.
When Uziel opened the door to the room occupied by the angel of death and the athletic Salome, Raphael could hardly believe his luck. He could kill two crow-winged angels with a single stone. The archangel's sin compounded by a copycat transgression on the part of his subordinate. Too utterly delicious for words. Looking furtively around, Uziel directed a small bow towards the cloaked figure and closed the door behind her.
The angel of medicine hugged himself and kicked up his Jimmy Choo platform shoes, laughing so much he spluttered watery absinthe spit all over his sycophants. He clapped and whistled loudly as the strippers jiggled in formation, wings pumping furiously as they formed concentric aerial tiers that began to shed pieces of clothing at an alarming rate. Raising his fingers to his lips to let out a trilling wolf-whistle, Raphael suddenly realised that the velvet-cloaked, exceptionally female being who had arrived with Uziel did not have any wings. The ramifications had just begun to filter through his stupefied divine brain when there was an eardrum-bursting, strangely asexual screech from the private room.
Thrown out of synch, the graceful carousel of long-limbed blonde seraphim ground to a muttering, swearing halt. Staring around like so many Manga-eyed clones, they flinched in unison as the scream abruptly ended in a gurgling sound not dissimilar to 'ack!'. All eyes flew towards the cherub doorman, whose job it was to break up fights and turf out inebriates whose halos were in distinct danger of strangling them. He grunted noncommittally, scratched at his sandpapery stubble and chose that exact moment to lumber away for a well-earned cigarette break. A questioning babble broke out, melodious angelic voices rising well into the ultrasonic range. A few glasses shattered here and there, dousing a number of laps and sleeves. Come Monday morning, the dry cleaners in purgatory would make a killing.
Just as Raphael was considering sending an expendable flunky to investigate, the floor shook like a tube station platform in the wake of the nine a.m express. Heralded by a vicious clap of thunder, Gabriel materialised at the centre of the dance floor, sending the strippers scurrying for cover like so many pink bunnies. Glistening jet wings spread behind him, coat and hair whipping in a seething maelstrom of wind and hissing lightning, he raised his dazzling silver trumpet.
Raphael sniffed disparagingly as the mad scramble for the exit began. In his opinion, the grand entrance smacked of unnecessary theatrics that were so ninth century B.C. He half expected a burning bush to appear at any moment.
Gabriel liked to remind the Host that he was Guardian of thunder and lightning as well as Death Incarnate. Wondering what had got his silk Armani boxers in a twist, Raphael waited expectantly for the inevitable rampage of mass destruction. Sometimes, all one needed to do to find Gabriel was follow the trail of mutilated cadavers. Overkill was an apt description.
Suddenly, to everyone's utmost surprise and bewilderment, the angel of death lowered his trumpet. An audible sigh of relief rippled around the club, a sigh that trailed away into eerie silence as Gabriel began to grin, revealing far too many teeth. Finding his hand had jumped to the willow sword hilt at his belt, Raphael got an uneasy twinge in his gut. When Gabriel smiled like that, it was usually time to get the hell out of Dodge. Still grinning, the angel of death stalked across the empty dance floor and stopped in front of his table. Raphael's entourage shifted nervously, a combination of loyalty and good old-fashioned mortal terror keeping bums on seats.
Obsidian eyes tracking slowly around, lingering over the anxious pastel huddle of dancers crowded in the far corner near the DJ booth, Gabriel blinked twice, mamba-like. Uziel and the anonymous female being appeared at his side in a flash of crimson light, their entrance markedly less showy. Upstaging was not advisable. The nearest group of ophanim gagged and coughed a little, waving their hands before their noses at the sulphurous fumes. Uziel shot a barbed glare, killing two and maiming another.
Returning his attention to the angel of medicine and his abruptly stone cold sober cronies, he began to grin exactly like his boss. Gabriel's smile thinned and he studied the quaking seraphim as if contemplating which head to rip off and play football with first, while studiously ignoring Raphael. At his gesture, the cloaked female stepped forward and dramatically threw back her hood, precipitating startled gasps of 'succubus' and 'Lilith's Girl'. Mob mentality took hold, reducing His representatives to the level of pitchfork-wielding peasants. If peasants carried limited edition Fendi handbags, which was debatable. They stared at the succubus. She stared back. Uziel made a rude noise.
Jet-haired and chalk-skinned, with bruise purple lips and enormous dark eyes, the succubus glared imperiously at the angelic beings. Shrugging off her cloak to reveal a spray-on leather catsuit and impossibly high stiletto boots, she snapped her fingers and magicked up a large silver serving platter with a domed lid. Gliding forward like a dominatrix ballerina on wheels, no mean feat in vertigo-inducing heels, she contemptuously swept away everything on Raphael's table and slammed the platter down. Raphael looked at it, then at her, then at Gabriel, who merely grinned. The succubus snatched off the lid and threw it away. Pearlescent features tinged faintly green, Raphael realised the game was up. A severed head lay on the platter, artfully arranged on a bed of fresh asparagus. It was Oriental and obviously male, despite the smeared scarlet lipstick, earrings and formerly sleek bob haircut. The overall effect was kabuki-meets-porno-flick.
did not take a genius to work out that Salome had received Lilith's patented punishment for infringement of copyright, and then some. She usually ordered a simple castration. A neatly written note was stuffed between the teeth of the whore-turned-rent boy. Jaw tightening, Raphael plucked it out and read the single word – John. With an involuntary yelp, the archangel recoiled as the disembodied head began to soundlessly mouth like a badly dubbed kung-fu movie. Unfurling a scroll handed to her by Uziel, who was torn between hopeless, jelly-kneed lust and fits of laughter, the succubus began to list violations of copyright, trademarks and licensing laws. Smugly, she handed the angel of medicine a Heavenly Court Summons brought by one Lilith, Lilitu, Lilia, Kali, Hecate, Morrigan, Nebt- het, Ix-chel (ex Mrs Adam I). Incensed, Raphael leapt to his feet, sword roaring into full zinging, lightsabre-esque life. When Gabriel began to laugh like an emptying drain instead of tooting on his trumpet and levelling everything for a four-block radius, Raphael got that sinking feeling. Stopping short, sword dangling from his hand like a naughty schoolboy's catapult, he turned around to see Raguel and Sariel. The divine civil servants tutted reprovingly in unison and shook their Bryl-creamed heads. Raguel took the top off his fountain pen. Sariel ticked four boxes on his form.
Turning an unfetching shade of aubergine with outrage, Raphael began to splutter and protest like a boiled kettle, realising his scheme had backfired. They knew he was responsible for hiring Salome, taking Her name in vain and attempting to engineer the discovery of a fellow archangel in a compromising situation. One look at Gabriel's smug little smirk told him he had known all along and cleverly turned the tables. Raguel huffed and Sariel ticked two more boxes. Speechless, the dope-fiend angel looked in real danger of having a seizure. With a dull pop, two cherub heavies appeared, a pair of cauliflower-eared bookends with dragging knuckles. They took hold of an arm each and towed the apoplectic Raphael away. Waving after him from the wrist like a child, Gabriel beamed, black eyes dancing like spiders. He would like to be a fly on the wall when Raphael had to explain this little incident to Him. It was not good for PR when the archangels were caught with their pants down. Raphael would be suspended with no pay for a few centuries and might even have his wings clipped. Score one for the angel of death. Nobody got one over on Gabriel. Clapping Uziel chummily on the shoulder, he planted a triumphant kiss on the succubus's porcelain cheek and signalled to the DJ to put on something with a catchy tune. Turning to Raphael's entourage, who were trying to sneak out unnoticed, he waved an admonishing finger. They froze like hedgehogs caught before a speeding Robin Reliant. Quickly, everyone else within striking range edged away. Several sets of terrified eyes watched as the angel of death raised his silver trumpet to his lips and blew.
(c) Helen C. Murphy, All Rights Reserved


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House GOP: Napolitano must go
posted at 8:54 pm on April 22, 2009 by Allahpundit
She doesn't know immigration law or how the 9/11 hijackers got here, and she can't manage a report on a topic as sensitive as domestic terrorism without insulting vets, but hey — at least she doesn't owe back taxes. Who could have guessed that the title of Most Hapless Obama Appointee would pass so soon from Geithner?
Nothing says "smart power" like having foreign media wonder how your chief of security got her job.
House Republicans are calling on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to step down or be fired in the wake of a controversial department memo that has sparked indignant battle cries from conservatives and some veterans.
"Singling out political opponents for working against the ruling party is precisely the tactic of every tyrannical government from Red China to Venezuela," said Texas Rep. John Carter, a member of the party's elected leadership who has organized an hour of floor speeches Wednesday night to call for Napolitano's ouster. "The first step in the process is creating unfounded public suspicion of political opponents, followed by arresting and jailing any who continue speaking against the regime."
Leave it to the GOP to blow an easy lay-up like sticking up for vets by invoking hyperbolic comparisons to Red China and jailing of dissidents. Funny thing: If they did somehow succeed in getting Napolitano canned, her likely next move would be … running for Senate in Arizona, where she'd be well positioned to turn the seat blue thanks to the internecine McCain/Simcox primary bloodletting to come. Napolitano must stay!
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- Napolitano is lost… | NEOAVATARA
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- While I was out being famous… | The Anchoress


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Printable View
Originally Posted by M00KIE
I don't think so. Seems to be a normal JR draft. Take the BPA according to their scouting (rather than ours ;) )
We needed help on the lines, got it. We need a viable backup QB for the future (Carr will be gone next year for sure, if he even makes it through this camp). We need some S help, we got a prospect late. Did we get that star LB? No, but I don't think there were many stand outs this year anyways.
Lets see what undrafted we sign as well as camp casualties before rushing to judgement.
This seems to be exactly on point...


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Australian Classification Board upholds ratings after Rau's "unwarranted, costly" review
The Australian Classification Board has made no changes to the classification of a dozen games which South Australian attorney general John Rau insisted undergo review, a move local trade body the IGEA has described as unnecessary.
IGEA headlines
70% of Australians play games, 90% of homes have a gaming device - study
A new study has found gaming is extremely common in Australia, and that the typical gamer is a pretty average person.
R18+: iGEA head celebrates Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus launch
Australia's first R18+ rated game, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus, released today, with iGEA CEO Ron Curry celebrating the first step in a "master plan" to prepare Australia's games industry for the future.
Australian games retail shrinks 23% year-on-year
The NPD Group Australia has released a report on 2012 retail sales showing a contraction in overall sales, but industry figures believe spend may have been diverted to non-traditional channels.
Australian R18+ Guidelines released, IGEA gives a "reserved and qualified welcome"
The long-awaited Guidelines for Australia's new R18+ ratings category for video games have met with with a mixed reaction from interested parties.
NPD: Australian retail dropped 12% in 2011
The NPD Group Australia has revealed a 12.8% year-on-year decrease in traditional retail in 2011, but local industry expects digital revenue to climb.
Study finds growth in Australian gaming habits
The Digital Australia Report 2012 has found more Australian households include gamers than ever before.
Analysts point to Australian games industry growth
Analysts have predicted an upswing for the Australian games industry, which has seen depressing shrinkage over the last few years.
IGEA latest
Australian Classification Board upholds ratings after Rau's "unwarranted, costly" review
70% of Australians play games, 90% of homes have a gaming device – study
Australian R18+ Guidelines released, IGEA gives a "reserved and qualified welcome"


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Ride to remember
Mike writes on his Easter show adventure: "Our family of four [mum, dad and two boys] were on the Ferris wheel which they load slowly one carriage at a time. We're sitting in our carriage up near the top enjoying the view and waiting for the ride to start when our 4-year-old starts clutching himself, pulling pained faces - he is busting and really needs to go. Thank goodness they had given us the ride tokens in a cup when we bought them. We emptied out the tokens and held the cup while the little guy filled it. I then had to sit for the rest of the ride holding a cup of warm pee hoping for no sudden jolts or excessive swinging. He is now proudly telling people peeing in a cup was the best part of the trip."
Slow to spot mistaken identity
Tales of brain fade: "One of my ex-colleagues used to suffer brain-fade on a regular basis, such as reaching into her handbag for her mobile and pulling out her home phone, or, on one occasion, her TV remote. My favourite though was the melon episode.
She used to bring lunch every day. Nothing fancy, just a couple of sandwiches, maybe some crisps, and a slice of melon. One Monday, she complained that the melon she'd bought wasn't very nice; it was hard, a bit dry and not very tasty. Reasoning that it probably wasn't ripe, she soldiered on and said she'd put it somewhere warm to ripen up overnight. This happened again on Tuesday. And Wednesday. On Thursday she came into the office and announced that she'd found out why her melon wasn't very nice: It was a pumpkin." (Source: B3ta.com)
Fake canines catch suspects
Strange but true:
1) Two car theft suspects were holed up in a house in New Haven, Connecticut. Police surrounded the house, but couldn't persuade them to give up. Then police hostage negotiators threatened to unleash the canine units, but the dogs weren't available. So they had officers pretend to bark like dogs and it worked. The perps walked outside and were arrested on the spot.
2) Luxury clothing brand Hermes are selling men's T-shirts crafted from "an innovative lightweight dyed crocodile," and calling the range of products Crocodile Chiffon. It's retailing at $91,500 at their Madison Avenue store. Unfortunately for the crocodiles their vital organ is in demand by luxury fashion brands. Last year, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's fashion company featured a backpack made out of black patent leather from Nile crocodiles, which was created in collaboration with British artist Damien Hirst.
Strange products: Beardski makes a line of ski masks that look like beards (they're meant to be funny) and there's even a choice of beard style - the Pirate, the Viking, the Santa and more.
Picture this: Picture after the fire at London's Madam Tussauds Wax Museum in 1925...
Picture this: A reader writes: "This was a beautiful wall mural in New Lynn that took months to complete. Now it's being painted over. What a shame that all that effort has gone to waste and something quite beautiful is being covered. What gives?"
Light-fingered: Vector Arena writes: "Yes, we do have more than one light, but would the fat bloke caught on camera at Neil Young please bring it back? We have pretty clear video footage of him in action, and he's not welcome to come back to any shows anytime soon!
Video: Camera guy's laughter is infectious.
* Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana here.


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Sheena Iyengar:
The art of choosing
Sheena Iyengar studies how we make choices — and how we feel about the choices we make. At TEDGlobal, she talks about both trivial choices (Coke v. Pepsi) and profound ones, and shares her groundbreaking research that has uncovered some surprising attitudes about our decisions.
Similar topics
- Business
- Choice
- Culture
- Decision-making
- Economics
- Psychology
- Social change
- Society
This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.
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Celebrate by listening to one of these 2013 Audie nominated titles! Enjoying audiobooks from your library has never been easier with CD, Playaway, and downloadable formats. Check one out today!
Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow.
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
When the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery's massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Surete du Quebec in this 8th Three Pines mystery.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The story begins in 1962 on the Italian coastline where an innkeeper spies an American starlet approaching his boat. This chance meeting will have repercussions decades later.
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Though he battled for years to marry her, Henry VIII has become disenchanted with the audacious Anne Boleyn in this enthralling sequel to Wolf Hall.
Da Vinci's Ghost: genius, obsession, and how Leonardo created the world in his own image
by Toby Lester
Toby Lester opens up a surprising window onto the artist and philosopher himself and the tumultuous intellectual and cultural transformations he
Hush Money by Chuck Greaves
Jack MacTaggart is assigned to handle an insurance claim on behalf of socialite Sydney Everett. Hush Puppy, Sydney's champion show horse, has died unexpectedly, and attending veterinarian George Wells confides to Jack that the great horse's death was anything but natural.
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Alvina Carnarvon
Tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration and setting for Julian Fellowes's Emmy Award-winning PBS show.
The Witness by Nora Roberts
Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.


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We have consolidated all of our University news sources into one location called BingUNews. Inside stories published through 2016 will remain available here. Stories published in 2017 and later will be found at BingUNews. Enjoy!
The SFJAZZ Collective, featuring Stefon Harris, front left, will perform music from Motown legend Stevie Wonder at an Anderson Center for the Performing Arts concert on Thursday, Oct. 6. Binghamton University is the second stop on the Collective's fall tour.
SFJAZZ Collective to present a night of wonderful songs
September 30, 2011Tweet
Stefon Harris chuckled when asked how he picked a Stevie Wonder song to arrange for the SFJAZZ Collective's tribute to the musical icon.
"From a practical standpoint, it's tough to pick one Stevie Wonder song because they all are so incredible," said Harris, a Grammy-nominated vibraphonist.
Harris is one of one eight jazz greats who are part of the SFJAZZ Collective. The ensemble will bring their reinterpretations of Wonder's music to the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6. Tickets are $30, general public; $25, faculty and staff; and $15, students (Call 607-777-ARTS or visit anderson.binghamton.edu). In addition, the Anderson Center will donate $5 from each ticket sale to the United Way for flood-relief efforts.
Formed in 2004, the group meets each spring for a multi-week residency in the nonprofit organization's San Francisco headquarters and rehearses the works of a chosen musician, along with original compositions from group members. The Collective, which this year also includes drummer Eric Harland, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Matt Penman, trombonist Robin Eubanks, trumpeter Avishai Cohen and saxophonists Mark Turner and Miguel Zenon, then records a live CD and tours all over the world in the spring and fall.
This marks the first year that the SFJAZZ Collective has ventured away from the works of a jazz master and focused instead on a pop/R&B artist. The Collective has previously explored the music of greats such as Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk.
The decision to pay tribute to Wonder has proven popular, Harris said.
"The public reaction has been very, very good," he said. "People seem to feel it was a great choice and the way we handled the music was adventurous and very much in line with the character of the Collective – taking lots of chances and being creative in the arrangements."
In fact, Harris emphasized that recording popular music has always been "a real tradition of jazz."
"I would say it's more unusual in terms of the history of jazz to be recording the music of older jazz musicians," Harris said. "John Coltrane wasn't recording the music of Sidney Bechet, but he did do 'My Favorite Things.' As you go through the history of the music, you'll find that the actual pattern is far more consistent in terms of choosing the popular music of the day and doing jazz versions of it than it is about rearranging the music of the past."
While other SFJAZZ Collective members chose well-known hits such as "Superstition," "Do I Do," "Sir Duke" and "My Cherie Amour" to arrange, Harris went deep into the Motown legend's catalog. The self-proclaimed "huge fan" chose "Visions" from the 1973 album Innervisions.
"One of the things I look for is a melody I can fall in love with," Harris said. "And I love the melody on that composition. The other thing I look for is something that's not thoroughly arranged because there is more leeway in what I can do with it."
A song about having hope for a brighter future, "Visions" is one of Wonder's sparsest compositions, featuring only electric piano, upright bass and acoustic guitar. The song's lack of drums played a role in Harris' decision to rearrange it, he said. When the Collective opens "Visions", its members use their instruments to add a sense of excitement to the song's optimism.
"Picking a song without drums allows me to play any type of rhythm I choose and I wouldn't sound like I was modifying Stevie Wonder's music," said Harris, who also considered the song "Look Around" from Wonder's 1971 album Where I'm Coming From. "What I did was bring something else that wasn't there. That's a big part of why I chose that composition."
A graduate of Albany High School and the Manhattan School of Music, Harris has received numerous honors in the jazz world and is considered one of the genre's young, rising stars. Harris' 2009 album Urbanus, recorded with his ensemble Blackout earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Earlier this year, he released Ninety Miles, a CD/DVD recorded in Cuba with saxophonist David Sanchez, trumpeter Christian Scott and Cuban musicians.
Harris first joined the SFJAZZ Collective in 2008 and is now in his fourth stint with the group.
"The concept of the Collective is absolutely brilliant," he said. "One of the things that is really special is the idea that we are all leaders and we get together for a limited period of time. Then we go off to our own different worlds – different bands, some of us doing electric music, some of us doing traditional jazz. When we get back together, it's always fresh.
"It's so inspiring to be around musicians who have pushed themselves and challenged themselves. Does it get easier? I don't think it gets easier: It gets better."
Harris also has a love that coincides with the mission of the SFJAZZ Collective: education. The group members spend part of their residency at SFJAZZ hosting educational programs for youth and adults in the San Francisco area. Harris serves as a faculty member in jazz studies at New York University and said he knew as a child that he wanted to teach someday.
"Most careers are a reflection of who you are," he said. "Even as I learned material, I was always excited to share it with others. I was never someone who hoarded information – it was just as exciting to help someone else along. It's partly just who I am, but I also had amazing teachers in upstate New York who helped me understand the importance of mentorship."
A two-week residency speaking to elementary-schools students in Iowa after he graduated from music school was the spark needed to delve further into teaching, he said.
"I loved the challenge of figuring out how to reach people," Harris said. "My real focus (now) is education: trying to figure out a system that is effective in terms of helping people get a good start in music. I'm taking it as a challenge in the way I took on learning how to play. … I'm comfortable saying that at least 50 percent of my real passion is education."
The SFJAZZ Collective's onstage show will consist of half Stevie Wonder songs and half original compositions from the Collective. The songs change nightly, Harris said, as group members alternate coming up with setlists.
"Hopefully, the music will be part of the moment," Harris said about the upcoming Binghamton University concert. "It depends on the weather, what happened in the news, how the stock market is. Hopefully, we will share an experience together that will be memorable."
More about the SFJAZZ Collective
Read an interview with SFJAZZ Collective trumpeter Avishai Cohen by Chris Kocher of pressconnects.com.


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"With the glut of condos popping up in recent years on the former Railway Lands, Craig Taylor knew how important it was for his company to distinguish its new project from the competition.
"There are all these nameless glass, grey buildings in the area," says Taylor, director of interior design and marketing for Context Development, the firm behind Library District Condominiums, a 29-storey, 364-unit glass tower at the corner of Fort York Blvd. and Bathurst.
The site will form the western bookend for the Railway Lands, a sizable swath of residential development between Spadina Rd. and Bathurst St. that's dominated by Concord Adex's CityPlace mega-project.
...As the project's name indicates, the Library District Condos will incorporate a Toronto Public Library branch — a two-storey, 15,000 square foot facility — that will stand separate from the condo tower.
The condo will also overlook a new park with views of neighbouring Fort York.
...With that in mind, Shirley Blumberg, a partner at KPMB Architects, alludes to both the library and parkland in her design.
..."In urban design, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing," she says, referring to podiums. "Given that this site really reveals Fort York to the city, I felt it should be highly penetrable by the public. The last thing I wanted to do was block it in.""Text by Ryan StarrTo view the complete article, please visit:http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/realestate/article/847135--book-value


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Economic consultant Joel Naroff addresses the topic of the economy in 2011 on Dec. 9 at Xavier
The luncheon event is free to members of the business community | December 3, 2010
Economic consultant Joel L. Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, is the keynote speaker at a free luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 9, sponsored by Xavier University's Center for Applied Finance in the Williams College of Business.
Naroff is doing a presentation after the lunch, from 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m., that focuses on whether the changes brought about by the mid-term election results in November will have an effect on the U.S. economy in 2011. While there are still headwinds that restrain activity, a number of factors are already in place that could cause growth to accelerate.
The lunch begins at 11:00 a.m. The business community is invited to register by emailing email@example.com. Location of the lunch and presentation are being announced at the time of registration.


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Just give us an indication of what you find objectionable
(sometimes it isn't neccesarily clear), and we'll look into it.
Item ID: 11006
(Do you favor the new law allowing school districts to levy up to $300 per student without voter approval?)
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Movies, books, and songs to capture the essence of St. Petersburg and get you in the mood for travel
The Captivating Star of Happiness (1975)
Beautifully shot and acted costume drama about 1825 Decemberist uprising in St. Petersburg. The focus is on Russian women who followed their husbands into Siberian exile.
Piter FM (2006)
A melodrama about the lives of modern twenty-somethings in St. Petersburg. Focuses on Masha, a DJ on a popular Petersburg radio station, and Maxim, a young architect. Masha is preparing to marry (someone else) while Maxim has just won an international architectural competition and is now being invited to work in Germany.
Russian Ark (2002)
Alexsander Sokurov's remarkable film shot in the Hermitage museum with a single take and without editing. A retrospective of Russian history from Peter and Catherine the Great through to the horrors of the 20th century; each door that opens up gallery after gallery leads the audience from one era to another.
The Stroll/"Progulka" (2003)
Fast moving docudrama-style German movie. A girl and two young men meet on Nevsky Prospekt. As they walk along the busy streets of St. Petersburg they come into contact with various people and situations. Their walk is full of laughter and tears with a love triangle and unexpected mysteries.
White Nights (1957)
Luchino Visconti's enchanting dramatization of Dostoyevsky's short novel. A young man meets a girl who is about to commit suicide. A tragic story of poverty, love, and betrayal unfolding on the streets and embankments of Petersburg. Though not actually filmed in the city, the film is a superb portrayal of the mystic beauty which descends on the city in the season when days don't turn into night.
The Bronze Horseman, by Aleksandr Pushkin (1833)
Brilliant narrative poem that captures the majestic and awesome struggle between man and nature that is St. Petersburg.
To the Hermitage, by Malcolm Bradbury (2000)
A time and culture traveling novel that's also a bit of a self-portrait by one of Britain's leading writers of the late 20th century.
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1866)
Based in St. Petersburg, this is one of the darkest, most insightful, and dramatic portrayals of the tragedies of human existence.
The Master of Petersburg, by J.M. Coetzee (1994)
A mystery novel by the Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee based on an imaginative vision of Dostoyevsky obsessed by his stepson's ghost.
The Nose and the Overcoat, by Nikolay Gogol (1836 and 1842)
Satirical, witty, and almost surreal short stories that convey much about the ways of life in early 19th-century Petersburg.
St. Petersburg: A Cultural History, by Solomon Volkov (1995)
Entertaining overview of the evolution of the city's architecture, art, music, and philosophy.
Peter the Great, by Robert K. Massie (1980)
An engrossing account of Tsar Peter's life and legacy. Illuminating early history of the city.
Ultimate Tchaikovsky, Various Artists (2007)
A 5-CD set released by Decca of the best of Tchaikovsky, performed by a glittering array of international superstars from the classical music world.
The Male Choir of St. Petersburg (1999)
Conducted by Vadim Afanasiev, an album of traditional choral masterworks by the choir founded in 1993.
Shostakovich–Leningrad Symphony (Symphony no. 7), St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy and performed by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (2000), this is a brilliant performance of Dmitry Shostakovich's tragic musical portrayal (1941) of Leningrad life under Stalin and during the Siege of World War II.
Gergiev Opera Collection: Boris Godunov, Prince Igor, Ruslan and Lyudmila
The Mariinsky Theatre's genius is shown off in this lavish six-DVD set released 2003.
Some Combinations of Fingers and Passions
Sergey Kuryokhin's avant-garde genius at its moody best (1991). Powerful piano improvisations tinged with jazz and classical traditions. Great reworking of Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo."
Zvezdy, Kotorye ne Gasnut. Eduard Hil. Ostayus Leningradtsem (Stars That Can't Go Out. Eduard Hill. Still a Leningrader)
Eduard Hil's 2002 album of nostalgic Soviet popular/variety songs from the '70s and '80s, with his famously optimistic "Solnechnaya Ballada" (Sunny Ballad).
Edita Piekha. Zolotaya Kollektsiya (Gold Collection) (2006)
Tracks from the still performing, multi-award-winning female star of '60s and '70s Leningrad pop.
Everything Is Fine/Good Mood
Dancer Faroukh Ruzimatov and Petersburg jazz pioneer David Goloshchekin (Leningrad Jazz Ensemble) combine in a double DVD (2007) of amazing, daring jazz-dance performance. Good Mood is a full-scale concert film.
Classic Songs:
1. "Kozli" by Aquarium
2. "Rechka-Fontanka" by Various Artists
3. "Leningrad" by Billy Joel
4. "Leti" by Russki Razmer
5. "Samolet" by Tequilajazzz
6. "White Night" by DDT
7. "Leningradskoe nebo" by Multfilmy
8. "V lunnom siyanii" by Evgeni Yur'ev
9. "Nichego ne vizhu" by Edita Piekha
10. "Kak provozhayut parohody" by Eduard Hil
11. "Gori, Gori moya zvezda!" by Sergey Zakharov
About St. Petersburg and Russia
St. Petersburg
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Austrian writer/director Michael Haneke's French-language film Amour was released in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago, just days after it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
It was splendid timing for the movie which has received an endless stream of superlative critical praise ever since it won the top prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
But while mature viewers and dedicated cineastes have been lapping the film up in its local release, I have anecdotally perceived definite disinterest in many cinemagoers.
I'm always being asked for movie recommendations, and at the risk of sounding like a pompous ass, it's fun to try and push art house, indie or foreign movies if I think they are palatable to a wider audience.
Amour follows two octoganarian music teachers living out their retirement in a Paris apartment. After the wife suffers a stroke, the husband must adopt the role of carer and her condition worsens.
"Oh that's the film about the old lady dying? No thanks." is the type of response I generally encounter when attempting to foister Amour upon an unsuspecting advice-seeker.
Amour's reputation is that of a "worthy" film. It's not difficult to see why general audiences may not be interested - it has the reputation of cinematic cod liver oil. Good for you, but hard to swallow.
But I strongly believe that most people would enjoy Amour if they gave it a chance.
So at further risk of ass-pomposity, and wholly embracing the irony of defending a universally-acclaimed film, I am now going to lay out a five-point argument for seeing Amour aimed at cinemagoers who might otherwise not be interested.
1. It's never a chore
I've read many reviews of Amour that applaud the film but warn that it's a "difficult"; "painful" and "hard to watch". I disagree with this assessment and it's been depressing to see so many critics re-inforcing the view of the film as an arduous slog while ostensibly recommending it.
While there may be a dearth of explosions or pratfalls, I found the movie to be extremely watchable. There's a directness and a confidence in the drama that carries Amour along with a grand feel that supercedes the surface mundanity of what's on screen. I never once stopped to consider how entertained I was - I was too caught up in the lives being presented to me.
Most of the film takes place in an apartment, but it's all shot with a masterful technical precision that makes every composition something to behold. Haneke loves to sit on a shot for as long as possible - I find this to be an incredibly effective way drawing the viewer into the reality of a film. It forces you to be present with the characters.
2. It's uplifting, not depressing.
Amour has been too readily dismissed as a film about death. The name of the film is "Love", not "Death", and that comes through emphatically. Although death plays a role, it is the love between the two main characters that dominates over any other aspect of the film.
The genius of Amour is that it's addressing something innumerable other movies have extolled, but it's doing so with an emotional palette that makes it feel newly profound.
The strength of the partnership between the two main characters is nothing short of inspiring. It buoys the film.
3. It paints a welcome portrait of retired life.
My beloved Coronation Street excepted, modern film and television appears to have little interest in portraying the elderly as complex characters with any kind of internal life.
One thing I loved about Amour is how it painted a well-observed and relatable portrait of the central characters' daily lives as retirees. It's a portrait that comes a little unstuck once the bad stuff starts happening of course, but I really appreciated how their lives never came across as empty or depressing. They carried themselves as two people who'd lived rich, full lives.
The quiet vibrancy of their characterisation only makes subsequent events more heartbreaking. In a good way.
Plus these 80-somethings are French. So they're much more attractive than a lot of on screen old folks.
4. It's not as icky as you think
The logline conjures up images of TV movies about disease that wallow in the undignified suffering of their characters. Although Amour doesn't shy away from the realities of the condition endured by the wife character, it does so with a degree of classy austerity that stops short of rubbing our faces in the griminess of it all.
Plus I was so invested in the characters by the time this stuff occurred, I was willing to go any place with them.
5. Everybody should see at least one Michael Haneke film.
Amour's writer/director Michael Haneke is one of the boldest filmmakers working today. He is a cinematic artist with a unique grasp of how movies can really get under your skin. He films often challenge the viewer, but in a manner that is always stimulating and emotionally rewarding. The works are only difficult to watch in the sense that he's a master of excrutiating tension-building.
Amour is one of Haneke's most accessible films, and less of a thriller than many of his recent works (Hidden; The White Ribbon). But his filmmaking prowess is in full effect.
His direct, declarative style often brings Stanley Kubrick to mind and allows his films to work as both high drama and deep metaphor. He's often accused of being pretentious (there's a hilarious fake Twitter account), but I think pretentiousness is a great attribute for a film director to have. What is film after all, if not artful pretense?
I often view his films as movie-length Twilight Zone episodes, a description that could very much be applied to Amour. Seriously.
Haneke is at the forefront of modern auteur cinema, and that comes through in every frame of Amour, don't let the opportunity to see this masterpiece on the big screen pass you by.
Seen Amour? Do you think it's for everyone? Has this blog inspired you to see it? Do I come across as a pompous ass attempting to educate the idiotic masses? Because that was my goal.


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Sweet! Eat free ice cream, learn about SECC
By Lynn Gosnell
Special Projects Writer
(Oct. 6, 2008)--The 2008 State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) kicks off Oct. 7-8 with four ice cream socials to provide a free, sweet treat to participants as they learn about the benefits of the annual charitable giving campaign. More than 500 local, national and international agencies participate in SECC, giving donors an incredible variety of organizations to support.
Today's headlines
- La Prensa Foundation is newest member of UTSA Lone Star Society
- UTSA alumna Jordan Kaufmann wins $50K for new stent-graft start-up
- UTSA begins new way-finding sign installation this summer at Main Campus
- USA Today: UTSA long jumper Tyler Williamson rescues three-year-old boy
Article tools
Each event will feature free frozen treats, known as "the best ice cream in the country" (courtesy of Bluebell Creameries) and a brief talk by representatives of organizations receiving funds through SECC.
"We want to put a face on the campaign," said Frances Riojas, one of three campaign chairs. "Staff and faculty are welcome to bring their printed giving forms to these events, which makes the donor eligible for door prizes." The door prizes include t-shirts, restaurant gift certificates and gas cards.
Online giving via the e-Way Web site also makes folks eligible for door prizes. (See the instructions on UTSA Today.) "Just bring a copy of your donation confirmation e-mail to the kick-off social," said Riojas.
The annual campaign, which opened Oct. 1, continues through Oct. 31. Last year, UTSA staff and faculty donated more than $220,000 to the campaign.
"The SECC would not be successful without the giving hearts of our faculty and staff," said UTSA President Ricardo Romo. "They understand that by pledging whatever amount they select, that pledge will go a long way in making a difference in someone's life."
In the coming weeks, UTSA Today stories will highlight some of the personal reasons staff and faculty are motivated to give through SECC.
UTSA SECC Free Ice Cream Socials
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
University Heights SECC Kick-off and Ice Cream Social
University Heights Room 1.106
Featured organization: The Battered Women's and Children Shelter of Bexar County
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Downtown Campus SECC Kick-off and Ice Cream Social
Durango Building Southwest Room (1.124)
Featured organizations: Goodwill Industries of San Antonio, The Children's Shelter
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Institute of Texan Cultures SECC Kick-off and Ice Cream Social
Connally Room
Featured organization: Children's Association for Maximum Potential
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
1604 Campus SECC Kick-off Rally and Ice Cream Social
University Center Ballroom 2
Featured organization: SAMMinistries


text: Here's one to chomp on. 2005 ccsb Z-71 5.3, 4l60E, G80....Wondering about the difficulty level and/or possibility of a bolting in a newer 6L60E in place of the 4L? Thinking it would have to have the '11+tune for shift points, but will that work with the engine? What kind of wiring issues, t-case issues?


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Kim's Pharmacy Offers FREE Flu Shots!
By Kim's Pharmacy | Sep 20, 2013
Flu shots are now available at Kim's Pharmacy in Waynesville. The shot is FREE to patients who have insurance through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC or Medicare. For other patients we can bill your insurance to see if the shot is covered. If you have no insurance coverage the shot will be $25.00, which includes administering the shot.
No appointment necessary, walk-ins are welcomed.
If you have any questions call the pharmacy at (828) 452-2313, or visit them in the BI-LO shopping center. Hours are Monday -Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am-2pm.
- Kim's Pharmacy366 RUSS AVE STE 4Phone: 828-452-2313
Waynesville, NC 28786


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"Claudia was attentive and did everything required to ensure our puppies were well looked after and..."
"Tracey was an awesome sitter. She gave our dogs lots of love and care. They were very happy. We..."
"Shantelle was a delight and very organised. She visited our dog before the stay to familiarise...."
"Lil was absolutely fantastic with Lochie! I felt so happy that I was to work and Lochie was having..."
"Fantastic as always! "
"Second time my staffy Diva has stayed with Jessica. I can't recommend her enough, Diva is happy,..."
"Louey was so wrll looked after, made a friend! And loved the updates. Felt very happy knowing..."
"Louise was great to deal with and Lola seemed to have a great time. The pickup time had to be..."
"Perfect, thanks. "
"She was fantastic. Received regular updates and was able to answer any questions. We would highly..."
"Daisy had an absolute blast with Laura and spoilt rotten. If we ever need to go away without Daisy..."
"Amanda did a great job looking after Lucy over the Easter weekend.She sent us beautiful photos of..."
"Rich and Jess were fantastic! We definitely felt like they took care of our two dogs (one older and ..."


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#Frisky Friday: July 6th 2012
The hottest girls of this week's #FriskyFriday all in one place.
Need a little boost after the post-patriotism slump we're all feeling after July 4th? These beautiful #FriskyFriday babes will get you in the mood to start cooking up your leftover hot dogs and drinking the rest of the booze to celebrate the freedom of your weekend.
Every week Playboy asks Playmates, models and random hot girls to submit their sexiest photos via Twitter using the hashtag #FriskyFriday. They then filter through the girls to see which ones encompass the Playboy brand the best. Those who make the cut will make it to this page and are one step closer to becoming the weekly #FriskyFriday winner judged by Playboy staff.
If you are on Twitter, be sure to follow @PlayboyDotCom to check out our favorite photos being tweeted out. If you're not on Twitter, fear not! Simply refresh this page randomly throughout the day to catch the best of the best #FriskyFriday tweets.
[View the story "Playboy.com's #FriskyFriday 7/6/12" on Storify]


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[10] CARL FROM AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE Toon trash
Wife-beater + upper-arm hair + bald pate + flip-flops + bad mustache = still sexier than Bob Dylan.
[9] BOB DYLAN Senior citizen rocker
In a police lineup, he could be mistaken for a grizzled wino. His enigmatic demeanor was sexy — when he was a brash, insouciant songwriter in the '60s and '70s. But now that he's in his 60s and 70s, it seems more like the grumpiness grandpa exhibits when grandma won't let him have a second slice of cheesecake.
[8] PEREZ HILTON Bloggist
Exponentially overhyped gossip blogger whose sense of entitlement far outweighs his actual contribution to society. And, oh yeah, he's gross, too.
[7] SANJAYA MALAKAR American Idol
The class clown is operating under the delusion that he's the class stud.
[6] DON IMUS Fake cowboy, real racist
Long before he called the (predominantly black) Rutgers womens' basketball team a bunch of "nappy-headed hos," this leathery talk-show troll established himself as one of the ugliest faces in a medium that prizes them.
[5] HOWARD K. STERN Professional widower
We understood the zillion-year-old billionaire: Anna Nicole Smith would sleep with anything with money. But her dalliance with this glassy-eyed, salamanderous cretin forced Americans to re-calibrate Anna's standards: she'd screw anything with . . . kidneys? At least she was smart enough not to have a baby with him.
[4] KARL ROVE White devil
Slimy puppet master, cruel politico, and skin-crawlingly awkward rapper. We'd love to sentence this genius to five years of hard labor as Barney Frank's cabana boy.
[3] FLAVOR FLAV Public Enemy
Here's a thought that kept us company while we were compiling the list. You know the white, pasty flakes of sputum that collect at the corners of Flav's mouth? (Flavor crystals, we've taken to calling them.) Where do those go when he makes out with his ladies?
[2] THE FAT GUY FROM BORAT Fat Guy from Borat
Repeated viewings of the scene in which Ken Davitian goes cheek-to-hairy-cheek with Sacha Baron Cohen's face have been proven to cause sterility in lab rats. So feel lucky that it merely makes you want to rip your eyes out of their sockets.
[1] DONALD TRUMP Loathsome billionaire
It's not the greed, the preposterous comb-over, or the public bullying that turns women off any more: it's the pursed lips and the scrunched, pineal stare. Actually, scratch that: it's still the hair, the greed, and the bullying.
Worst in show: Counting down the unsexiest video moments from our Unsexiest Men
Table of Contents
Cover Archive
Masthead | Authors | Contact us
Unsexiest Men: 2008 edition
Worst in Breed: View the 2007 Unsexiest Men list by category:Music | Movies | Media | Sports Politics | Newsmakers | Television
Flashback 2006: See who made last year's Unsexiest Men list
All Slideshows


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A trademark used for the drug pentobarbital sodium.A white crystalline or powdery barbiturate, C11H17N2O3Na, used as a hypnotic, a sedative, and an anticonvulsive drug. Also called pentobarbitone.
Her pockets are bulging, with nembutal, bought from some doctor, who was also bought, to keep those pockets full. <--Name that song kidz!
by Adict June 11, 2003


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|Product #: T-81021
Classroom Awards : AWARDS I LOST A TOOTH HOORAY - 30 AWARDS PACK
Reward progress and achievement with cheerful awards kids are proud to take home. Recognition Awards celebrate everyday accomplishments and big moments of success. Easy to customize to each occasion and child. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". 30 per pack.
Customer Reviews:
Submit a review


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Spons'd Tingles: WIND Mobile Naughty or Nice #5
We've had Ashton and Daniel Craig in the naughty category and Sandy Bullock and Emma Stone as our two nice girls of 2010. Click here to catch up on all those previous articles. So who was the Naughtiest of 2010?
Do we have to talk about Mel Gibson?
Because I'd rather dump on Justin Timberlake.
JT, the actor, finally had his breakthrough year thanks to David Fincher and the considerable talents of Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. So he's all like – I'm a thespian now, I'm all about the character development. I totally made that movie. I totally make ever movie…
As Boo Boo in Yogi Bear?
Well, that might be a little unfair. After all, Justin has worked steadily, much more steadily than his honey, all year in front of the camera and not making a music video. First it was a comedy called Bad Teacher with his ex gf Cameron Diaz, then another comedy about friends with sex benefits with Mila Kunis, and now a thriller with Amanda Seyfried.
Surrounded by attractive colleagues, but Jussy is totally faithful, right?
Us Weekly blew that up with a report just as he was trying to launch an Oscar campaign that he had cheated on Jessica Biel with Olivia Munn. He denied but strangely enough, Olivia's response was much, much more vague. In fact, she's never outright denied it. And… did you know they still text? Bad Santa gives great gifts for that kind of behaviour.
Thank you all for your suggestions over the last few weeks and thanks to WIND for sponsoring this feature. Of course WIND isn't finished here. The phone giveaways continue right through December 24th, so keep an eye on my Twitter for your chance to win. And check out Wind Mobile's Facebook page here.
Attached: Justin Timberlake with Amanda Seyfried on the set of NOW earlier today.
Photos from Flynetonline.com
*celebrity names/images are used for editorial purposes only and have no association with the products featured in this advertorial


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text:
Various Artists / Fly Russia
Error Broadcast store
Turntable Lab
192kbps MP3 Free Download
All music by contributing artists as indicated
Artwork by Roma Lubimov
Error Broadcast Collective
Some Rights Reserved
"Vintage synthesizer music envelops video-game glitch, ambient haze coasts over tribal percussion, slow soul twists with wobbly dubstep."
"Complete, crazy fire"
"The latest compilation from Error Broadcast features unreal abstract & microsoul flavoured Hip Hop music in "yeah yeah yeah" quality! Some glitches will occur, too…"
"You'll hear all sort of stuff in here that'll make you wonder why you've never heard of these artists before."
"We've been hawking the Error Broadcast label for a minute – they've unleashed a handful of stellar releases in the post-hop boogie realm. Fly Russia collects all the current players in the scene."
"(...) a 17 track whopper of a compilaiton featuring the very best of Russian beatmakers."
"This particular gem is a collection by Russian producers that ranges from chilled out to "Oh my god my NES is going to explode"."
"It's pretty epic to say the least, actually I am picking my jaw up off the floor."
"oh damn, this is dope as hell!!! russia ain't nuthing ta fuck wit!!!"
"This compilation is out of control, I've already been telling my friends about it."
"(...) the best of what this Russia beat scene has to offer. Completely new takes on some of the most exciting sounds being produced today."
"(...) Be sure to grab the Fly Russia compilation by Gimme5 and Error Broadcast. It features all the essential names in the contemporary Russian beat science scene."
"(...) vollends zerstörte 8-Bit Beats, Korgs am Rande des Wahnsinns unterlegt mit druckvollen Bässen, in gewissermaßen eine Dekonstruktion des technischen "Fortschritts" der 90er und frühen 2000er Jahre als eklektischer Future-Hop."
"Russia delivers some serious heat here."
"I told you once, don't sleep on the Russian beat scene!!! Dope compilation!"
Ein wirklich schöner "Hirnfick"!
"It is hard to imagine (...) a more appealing compilation, since "Fly Russia" is based on swift surprise, endlessly broken beats, and – therefore – a kind of ironic sedition. After all, dancing's tough when you're in a bad mood."
"Fly Russia brings some of the most raw hard hitting beats of the year so far into one bite size download, tracks from the likes of DZA, Pixelord, Lapti and various new faces seriously make this one of my favorite releases of late."
"The under-represented Russian beat scene gets a good leg-up with this ace comp on the promising Error Broadcast label."
"Error Broadcast and Russian bloggers Gimme5 have teamed up to present a free compilation, showing off the many talented beatmakers from all over Russia."
"Today it's the turn of Eastern Europe, Russia in particular. Siberia-based collective Gimme5 is responsible for selecting the cuts included in "Fly Russia", a digital compilation featuring the work of new Russian producers."
"Overall, it's a big release, so go set a reminder on Sept. 13, just in case you might forget!"
"You have to watch out for this. I had the chance to listen to the full album and it is frisky indeed. It's like trapped in a video game."
"Enlisted for the compilation are persons like Pixelord and recent Red Bull Music Academy grad Dza, as well as a slew of talent i'm getting hip to. Amazing."
Error Broadcast teamed up with Siberian weblog Gimme5 to deliver this 17-track compilation Fly Russia that features all the names relevant to the Russian beatscene such as Pixelord, DZA, Lapti, Nocow, 813, Kntxt, Demokracy, OL and many others.
At all given diversity, common to all tracks on Fly Russia is an in-depth understanding of 30 years of experimental electronic music, the love for a Hip Hop and downbeat tempo plus something people might define as "Slav Soul". Beneath several layers of nasty beats and hissing synthesizers, melancholy lurks in nearly every song. The generation of young beatmakers we refer to as Fly Russia does aim for nodding heads and emotional impact all but the same.
Feature on the Russian beatscene via Pitchfork
Article on "Fly Russia" and beyond via LA Weekly


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I say we will win 7. With Cueto pitching 3 times on this trip I like the chances of goin 7-4
"Losing feels worse than winning feels good." -Vin Scully
I'm going to revise. Their ace starting the road trip with a loss is a bad omen. They'll win four games in California and go into the All-Star break in third place.
In SF: 1-3 (though, where they get the one win is tough to see)
In LA: 1-2
In SD: 2-2
1 win vs the Giants, 1 win vs the Dodgers, 2 vs the Padres. 4 wins total.
"You only have to bat a thousand in two things; flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go 4-for-5."
-Beano Cook
good start WOY
"Since I've been with the Reds in 1989, we've never had a farm system this loaded," Bowden said. "If we were the New York Yankees and had unlimited dollars, we could have traded for Colon, (Jeff) Weaver, Rolen, (Cliff) Floyd, (Kenny) Rogers and Finley and gotten them all -- and still held onto our top five prospects. That's an amazing statement."
Wow, tonight was like the lost decade all over. 1 hit over 9 innings (a single) in San Fran. Don't get me wrong, San Fran has incredible pitching, but that was a pathetic performance tonight. It also soured me a bit on Frazier. That ball misjudgement was bad and was worth a run. Cueto wasn't amazing, but he was still good despite not having his best stuff. I just hope the other pitchers in the staff come up big.
They won't be pumping the offense with cheap HR out there and just don't get on base enough to score much otherwise.
Last edited by mth123; 06-29-2012 at 06:37 AM.
"All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it." --BABE RUTH
Having better players makes "the right time" or "the big hit" happen a lot more often. PLUS PLUS
Ya gotta drive the ball in these cavernous parks. If you loft a ball to land without a bounce at 350 feet, that's an easy out, not a home run like GABP. It takes a minute to get used to, which is harder when you are facing good pitching. I hope they start barreling the ball tonight. Frazier is one of the best at that, I hope he gets back out there in LF tonight.
3-4 for me. Not enough guys swinging well right now.
"Baseball is a very, very complex business. It's more of a people business than most businesses." - Bob Castellini
Have a really bad feeling.
The offense has been mostly MIA for the last 13 games, more of the norm right now than the exception it seems.
4-7 would be pretty encouraging.
At first I said we would win 7 of 11. However I think now 6-5 or 5-6 is more likely. The matchups we have this weekend seem to be good for us. Even if we only win 1 in SF, The Dodgers are playing about as bad as anyone right now. We need 2 of 3 there and we could easily take 3 of 4 in SD. That right there is 6 wins. I would be happy with a 5-6 trip. If we took 3 of 4 from SD at least we can say we had a nice series before the break. Seems like alot of our guys need a rest, I just hope we can finish strong here in the first half.
"Losing feels worse than winning feels good." -Vin Scully
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


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Hello all,
I recently came across a hobby store selling little jars of Testors model paint. The price was really good and I thought that someone on this site stated that they used testors for marking. Is this stuff OK? Also, I have decided to adopt an international color scheme. Does anyone know the year colors off of the top of your head?