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Partisan and Structural Balance in News Stories Covering Incumbent and Open
Elections for Governor in Michigan
Frederick Fico
Eric Freedman
School of Journalism
Michigan State University
A paper submitted to the Newspaper Division of AEJMC for consideration for
presentation at the annual convention in Kansas City, Missouri, July 2003.
Frederick Fico is a professor in the School of Journalism at MSU, where
Eric Freedman is visiting assistant professor.
Abstract: Partisan and Structural Balance in News Stories covering
Incumbent and Open Governor's Races in Michigan
A comparison of news stories about Michigan gubernatorial races 1998 and
2002 shows that the open race in 2002 was covered in a more even-handed way
than the 1998 election, in which an incumbent sought reelection. The
proportion of stories favoring the challenger was much higher in 1998 than
was the proportion favoring either major candidate in 2002. An equal
proportion of stories on the 2002 election favored each candidate.
Moreover, individual stories in 2002 were more likely to be constructed to
give more equal space and prominence to electoral opponents. A gender
difference was found in the coverage of the 2002 governor's race, in which
one candidate was the first woman nominated by a major
party. Specifically, male reporters wrote more stories giving more
attention and space to the male candidate; the opposite was true for
stories by female reporters.
Partisan/Structural Balance
Candidates in elections attempt to promote the agenda of issues and
personal qualities they think will lead to success. Candidates attempt to
get this agenda covered by the news media so that they can effectively
mobilize their supporters and persuade undecided voters. Candidates do
this in a variety of ways that include issuing position papers, giving
speeches, holding rallies and participating in debates.
The normative assumption of democracy is that voters consider the
competing claims of candidates and support those with whom they most
agree. But this assumption requires that voters are first exposed to the
views of candidates, particularly through news media coverage of their
Correspondingly, the normative assumption for news organizations covering
an election is that they report competing partisan claims in a fair and
impartial manner. Obviously such news media coverage will depend on
numerous factors specific to each election. Certainly too, the qualities
and activities of candidates can draw journalistic attention
differentially. And journalistic attention may also differ as a result of
differences in news organization resources and in the qualities of its
This study therefore explores factors that are both extrinsic and
intrinsic to the manner in which news organizations cover
elections. Outside the control of the news media is the incumbency or
challenger status of the candidates themselves, and the differential way in
which they can "create news" that must be covered. But qualities of the
news organizations and their reporters will also influence the election
coverage, especially the priority given it by editors and the specialized
training and experience reporters have in covering government.
This study has two goals in examining such treatment. First, this study
assesses the partisan and structural balance of the election coverage to
determine objectively how even or uneven it was. The partisan balance of
stories considers whether the aggregate of all stories on the election gave
more space and attention to one or the other candidate. The structural
balance of stories considers whether individual stories likely to be
encountered by readers gave more space and attention to one or the other
candidate. Partisan balance therefore addresses actual bias � whether
intended or not � in the total coverage of an election, while structural
bias addresses the chance that readers may perceive bias � whether actual
or not � depending on how the individual stories they encounter present the
Second, this study assesses influences on the partisan and structural
balance of the news coverage. Specifically, the study compares results
of two elections that differ in the incumbency status of the candidates to
determine how that societal factor may have influenced the partisan and
structural balance of news coverage. Guided by previous research, the
study also attempts to assess how differences in news organization
resources and newsroom norms also influence such partisan and structural
story qualities.
Incumbency and News Coverage
Clarke and Evans in a benchmark study of media coverage of congressional
elections noted that incumbents are much more likely to get favorable press
attention, whatever their party.1 Specifically, the coverage of incumbents
emphasized their experience and qualifications, while the coverage of
challengers dwelled on their campaign weaknesses and problems. Clarke and
Evans pointed to possible explanations for this pattern that included the
incumbents' routine access to the press, the increasing saliency of
incumbency as party identification has declined, and the ability of
incumbents to render newsworthy service to their districts.
In a study to extend that research, however, Fico et. al. suggested that
incumbency advantages vary with the level of the election.2 Specifically,
they noted research by Miller that found press attention varying with the
size of the constituency an official served, and suggested that coverage of
higher-level elections might differ from coverage of more local ones.3 The
Fico et. al. study of a U.S. presidential race, a U.S. Senate race, 18
congressional races and 18 statehouse races in Michigan found predicted
incumbency advantages in press coverage at the congressional and statehouse
levels, but not for the U.S. Senate and presidential races.
Moreover, Fico and Cote found in subsequent studies of coverage of
elections for governor in Michigan in 1994 and 1998 that stories gave much
more space and attention to the Democratic challengers than to the
Republican incumbent.4 They further found in a study of 1996
elections that Republican challengers for the U.S. Senate and the U.S.
presidency were given more story space and attention than their Democratic
incumbent opponents.5
However, studying network news coverage of 1992 and 1996 presidential
elections, Lowry and Shidler explicitly tested the notion that incumbents
get more critical attention than challengers because the incumbents' track
records provide targets for criticism.6 Their data, they concluded, was
more consistent with an interpretation of network liberal bias against
Republican candidates, whether they were incumbents or challengers.
Certainly blatant political bias on the part of news media organizations
and personnel is possible. But it also is plausible that reporters give
challengers more attention than incumbents in high-level elections because
of the importance of the office, especially if the views and experiences of
challengers are less known to the public. Challengers also may get more
attention because they deliberately shape their campaigns to match news
values for activity and drama, with the result that they get more coverage.
However, when Fico and Cote asked reporters following the 1994 governor's
election to assess their own coverage, reporters did not cite such a
rationale for their greater attention to the challenger in that race.
Influences on Election Coverage
A number of societal, news organization and reporter qualities may
influence stories covering an election. In particular, these influences
may affect the degree to which stories are more or less even-handed in
their treatment of electoral opponents.
Shoemaker and Reese posit that news content is the product of influences
at five levels, with each higher level constraining lower-level
influences.7 At the societal level, factors such as ideology, legal
political arrangements and other institutions constrain what the media can
do. The kind of media organization, its resources and its goals will in
turn constrain the actions and routines of its personnel. At the news
organizational level, resources and goals will influence the numbers of
staff available and how they are deployed. Within the news organization,
editorial rewards and sanctions reinforce the routines, norms and values
that reporters follow. And finally, the personal characteristics of the
individual journalists will influence how they recognize news values,
search for sources, and write their stories.
This research applies this hierarchy-of-influences approach to election
story space and attention given candidates. At the societal level, the
media must respond to the operation of the political process in how it
covers elections, including the incumbency or challenger status of the
contenders and the differential attention they can command. At the
organization level, staff resources available to cover an election
influence the qualities in the resulting stories. All other things equal,
the more staff a news organization has, the more thoroughly it will be able
to search out and use sources that may result in more even-handed and
in-depth treatment of controversy such as elections. Moreover,
organizational resources will determine whether reporters can be assigned
to specialized bureaus that permit them to cover stories in more depth and
with more attention to different source perspectives. Fico and Cote
found that staff size was related to the deployment of reporters to more
specialized bureaus, and that such bureau stories were more even-handed
than others in their coverage of the 1998 governor's race candidates.
Within newsrooms, one of the most salient cues editors can give reporters
for the qualities they seek in stories is prominent placement. Prominence
story placement means prestige for the reporter. But prominent story
placement also means that stories get more public scrutiny, and possible
criticism for lapses in perceived fairness. Tuchmann has called the news
media concern for getting "both sides" in a controversy a "strategic
ritual" to avoid criticism from partisans.8 Editors designating stories
for Page One presumably would seek adherence to such a ritual, and
communicate that concern to reporters. Moreover, over time, reporters
would observe the qualities of stories on Page One, and model their own
story sourcing and writing accordingly. Fico and Cote found in studies on
the 1996 presidential race the 1998 governor's race that more prominently
placed stories tended to be more even in their treatment of candidates.
Few studies have used this hierarchy-of-influence approach to define
variables and the interrelationships among them that may govern news story
balance in treatment of contending viewpoints on some controversy. This
approach can help build mass communication theory because it provides a
logical and structured framework for a cohesive research program into
identifying direct and indirect influences on media content. Identifying
such influences and the way they operate could make it possible to explain
and predict future coverage characteristics. Even more, this approach
could identify those factors that could be deliberately monitored and
changed by news personnel to better control and shape their coverage.
The research cited above suggests the following societal-level hypotheses
relating the incumbency status of the candidates to election coverage:
H1: Election stories covering an open race will be more even in their
partisan balance than election stories covering
a race with an incumbent.
H2: Election stories covering an open race will be more structurally
balanced than will stories covering a race with an
Moreover, this research presents an opportunity to replicate results from
previous studies with hypotheses that relate newsroom-characteristics to
qualities in election stories:
H3: Stories written by statehouse bureau reporters will be more even in
their partisan balance than stories written by
other reporters.
H4: Stories written by statehouse bureau reporters will be more
structurally balanced
than will stories written by other reporters.
H5: Stories given more prominent placement will be more even in their
partisan balance than will stories given less
prominent placement.
H6: Stories given more prominent placement will be more structurally
balanced than will stories given less prominent placement.
The 2002 election in Michigan was unprecedented because a woman was a
major party's nominee for governor for the first time. In the
Shoemaker-Reese hierarchy of influences on news content, reporter
perspectives and biases associated with gender would be the kind of
individual-level influences that should be constrained by newsroom norms
and values. However, reporters have considerable gate-keeping power in the
way they search for and use sources in stories. Possibly, then, male and
female reporters differed in the partisan and structural balance of stories
they wrote on this election. Hence:
RQ1: Did stories written by male and female reporters differ in their
partisan balance?
RQ2: Did stories written by male and female reporters differ in their
structural balance?
The 2002 governor's race in Michigan pitted Republican Lt. Gov. Dick
Posthumus against Democrat Jennifer Granholm, the state attorney
general. Posthumus easily defeated a challenge by a state senator to win
his party's nomination. But Granholm had to win a hard-fought, three-way
primary campaign against a former Democratic governor and a well-known
U.S. representative. In the general election, Granholm consistently led in
the polls, and she won in November with 51 percent to Posthumus' 47 percent
(minor party candidates obtained the remainder of the vote).
A content analysis was conducted of all news stories on this election in
Michigan's nine largest dailies, and the results compared with those from
an identically conducted study in 1998.9 The study newspapers account for
the vast majority of daily circulation in the state, and ranged in
circulation from more than 50,000 to more than 300,000.
The election stories included in this study ran from the Labor Day start
of the official campaign to Election Day in November. The individual story
was the unit of analysis. Editorials, columns and letters-to-the-editor
were excluded, as were "Q&A"-type stories in which candidates were quoted
at length in response to prepared questions.
Stories were first read to see if they contained quoted or paraphrased
assertions from the candidates and their supporters.10 The number of
sources making such assertions in support of each candidate was
counted. The total number of paragraphs of assertions attributed to these
sources was counted, as well as their location in each story.
Partisan and Structural Balance Measures
These dependent variable measures were identical to those used in previous
research by Fico and Cote. Four components of each election story were
assessed and were used to create indices for partisan and structural balance.
The first component was determined by counting the total paragraphs
containing assertions supporting Granholm or Posthumus, to see if either
candidate got more. The second component identified whether the first
paragraph lead of the story contained assertions supporting Granholm alone,
Postuhumus alone, both candidates or neither candidate. The third
component identified whether assertions supporting only Granholm or
Posthumus appeared in paragraphs two through five, or whether those
paragraphs contained assertions for both candidates or for neither. The
fourth component similarly identified whether assertions supporting only
Granholm or only Posthumus, both or neither, appeared in paragraphs six
through ten.
To create the partisan balance index, each of these components was first
judged to favor Republican Posthumus, to favor Democrat Granholm, to be
balanced (because support assertions for both candidates were equally
present in the component) or to be irrelevant (because no support
assertions were present). The candidate favored by the most components was
therefore judged to have been favored by the story. For example, a story
would be judged the most imbalanced possible toward Posthumus if it gave
him: (a) more total paragraphs of space than the opponent; (b) an
assertion in the lead, but not the opponent; (c) at least one assertion in
paragraphs two through five, but not the opponent; and (d) at least one
assertion in paragraphs six through ten, but not the opponent. The story
would be judged the most balanced possible if it gave identical space and
assertion placement to each candidate in each of the four components. The
story could also be judged as balanced if candidates "split" the
components (for example, both candidates obtained an equal number of story
paragraphs, only Granholm partisans made an assertion in the lead, only
Posthumus partisans made assertions in paragraphs two through five, and
neither candidate's partisans made assertions in paragraphs six through ten).
To create the structural balance index, the four components were used to
determine the degree to which the same candidate dominated the story,
regardless of who that candidate was. To assess this, the number of
components favoring the Republican was subtracted from the number of
components favoring the Democrat, and then the absolute value of that
number was used. The resulting index could range from 0, indicating a
story structurally balanced between the two candidates (and also balanced
on the partisan index), to 4, indicating that the same candidate was
favored on each of the four components.
Validity and Reliability of Balance Measures
The balance indices clearly give more weight to the prominence of story
attention to candidate assertions. This notion of balance is therefore
"reader driven," in that a story in which one candidate's positions are
presented first and then the opponent's may not be perceived as balanced
by readers who leave the story before the second candidate's perspective is
presented. The validity of this approach to assessing balance, therefore,
depends on the assumption that stories are read from the top down, and that
readers have a greater likelihood of encountering candidate assertions when
they are higher rather than lower in a story.
A two-person coder reliability assessment for this study's balance
measures was performed on approximately 10 percent of stories sampled from
all relevant ones. All component variables had percentage of agreement
scores between 90 and 100 percent and Scott Pi scores that ranged from .9
to 1.0.
Explanatory Variables
Explanatory variables used in this study include the type of reporter, the
prominence of story placement and the gender of the reporter. Reporter
type was determined by bylines, which identified reporters as being regular
staff, assigned to the newspaper's Capitol bureau, working for Associated
Press or working for another other news service. Reporter gender was
determined from bylines, but news organizations also were called to
determine whether a reporter was male or female when the name was
ambiguous. Stories that carried no byline were coded as of unknown gender
origin. Story prominence was ranked on a three-point scale, in which the
least prominent story ran on an inside page, the next most prominent story
ran on a section front page and the most prominent story ran on Page One.
Analysis of Data
Hypotheses and questions on the partisan balance of stories were assessed
using the proportions of all stories that favored Posthumus, Granholm or
were evenly balanced (as measured in this study) between the
two. Hypotheses and questions on the structural balance of stories were
assessed by computing the balance for each story and then getting the mean
balance score for stories relating to reporter type, prominence and
reporter gender. These data are from the universe of election stories and
do not require inferential statistics for generalization.
Some 275 stories were included in this study because they focused on the
governor's race of 2002, and 266 of them contained partisan assertions and
were therefore analyzed further. About a third of the stories were produced
by regular staff, another third by newspaper statehouse bureau reporters
and the final third by Associated Press (30 percent) or other news services
(3 percent). About six in 10 stories ran inside, while 32 percent were
displayed on Page One. About 57 percent of the stories were written by
male reporters and 36 percent by female reporters. The genders of the
reporter producing 7 percent of the stories could not be determined.
Election Type and Balance
The 266 stories containing partisan assertions in 2002 were compared with
400 stories containing such assertions in 1998. Overall, the election
coverage in 2002 was more balanced in both partisan and structural
dimensions, as assessed by measures employed in these studies.
Hypothesis 1 predicting that stories would be more evenly balanced between
the two candidates in 2002 than in 1998 was supported (see Table 1). The
percentage of stories supporting the Republican and Democrat in 1998
differed by 16 percentage points, compared to a 1 percentage point
difference in 2002. Interestingly, nearly equal percentages of stories in
both years were evenly balanced between the two candidates.
Hypothesis 2 predicting that the 2002 stories would be more structurally
balanced than those in 1998 was also supported (see Table 2). Some 53
percent of the 2002 stories were either the most balanced or were
imbalanced by only a single component, compared to 38 percent of the 1998
stories that were the most balanced or were imbalanced by only a single
component. Moreover, only 21 percent of the 2002 stories were imbalanced
by as many as three or four scale components, compared to 37 percent of the
stories in 1998. Finally, the average imbalance of stories in 2002 was
1.61 compared to 1.98 in 1998.
Influences on Balance
Stories on the 2002 election were assessed to determine the influence of
reporter type, story prominence and reporter gender on partisan and
structural balance.
Hypothesis 3 predicting that stories produced by statehouse bureau
reporters would display more partisan balance was not supported (see Table
3). Bureau stories differed in their favoring of Posthumus and Granholm by
10 percentage points, a bigger spread than for any other type of reporter
except the "others."
Hypothesis 4 predicting that stories produced by statehouse bureau
reporters would display more structural balance was partially supported
(see Table 4). Statehouse bureau stories were less imbalanced structurally
than those produced by regular staff and "other" reporters, but were not
less imbalanced than stories produced by Associated Press reporters.
Hypothesis 5 predicting that more prominently placed stories would display
more partisan balance than less prominently displayed stories was not
supported (see Table 3). Page One stories showed the greatest difference
between the two candidates, while section front page stories exhibited the
least. A greater percentage of Page One stories was balanced between the
two candidates, compared to the percentage of balanced stories run inside
or on section front pages.
Hypothesis 6 predicting the more prominently placed stories would be more
structurally balanced was supported (see Table 4). Page One stories had
the least structural imbalance, followed by section front page stories and
stories that ran inside.
Gender and Balance
Research Question One asked if reporter gender was associated with any
difference in the partisan balance of stories. In general, male reporters
wrote more stories in which Posthumus was given more space and prominence,
while women reporters wrote more stories in which Granholm was given more
space and prominence (See Table 3). Interestingly, stories balanced
between the two candidates made up the same proportion of stories written
by male and female reporters.
Research Question Two asked if gender made any difference in the
structural balance of stories. Differences in structural balance of
stories produced by male and female reporters were much less pronounced
than was the case for the partisan balance of stories (See Table 4).
However, a more striking reporter gender difference existed in the
structural balance of stories favoring Posthumus and Granholm. In general,
stories favoring Granholm had more balance components dominated by her
partisans than was the case for stories favoring Posthumus (see Table
4). However, this difference was largely the result of stories written by
female reporters that favored Granholm. Specifically, the difference in
the structural balance scores of stories favoring Posthumus and Granholm
written by female reporters was three times that difference for stories by
male reporters. For female reporters, that difference favored Granholm,
while for male reporters the much smaller difference favored Posthumus.
Results from this study give emphasis to the societal context within which
news organizations cover elections. Although each electoral campaign at
each electoral level can be unique, the incumbency or challenger status of
the candidates will be an important influence on the balance of stories
written about it. Results from this research show that at least for high
visibility elections, challengers are likely to get more attention in
stories than incumbents. When an incumbent is not on the ballot in a
high-visibility election, stories are more likely to "balance out" in the
total attention given candidates, and individual stories are also more
likely to present both candidates in a more even way.
This research, however, has severe limitations in method and in the scope
to which it may be relevant. A content analysis cannot, for instance,
illuminate actual biases that journalists may have that in turn may bias
stories in ways not measured in this research approach. Moreover, this
sample is limited to the largest daily newspapers in one state, and while
patterns found in this study may be more broadly present, study replication
will be needed to substantiate this. Future research therefore should
specifically examine challenger and incumbent elections in a number of
states. Within states, such elections might also be tracked across time,
as this study has done.
Other influences require surveys and focused interviews to explore. For
example, do reporters and editors intentionally give more space and
prominence to the views of candidates they deem likely to lose? If this is
so, do they see this as an effort to be fair in a broader social
sense? Moreover, in an election in which an incumbent is running against a
challenger, do reporters and editors attempt to compensate for the
incumbent's office-holding ability to "make news" by giving less attention
to the incumbent's campaign more attention to challengers?
Moreover, results from this study may not be applicable to broadcast
media. Indeed, the findings from this research contradict a network
election study that explicitly tested and refuted the notion that
challengers get more favorable attention. However, it may be that this
contradiction exists because the present research objectively measured
space and attention to candidates, rather than judging qualitatively the
tone of the attention. Future research should adapt the present partisan
and structural balance measures to incumbent and open elections covered by
broadcast media. Further, more qualitative assessments of story tone could
supplement these measures in studies of both print and broadcast election
This research mostly replicated findings from previous studies that found
that the institutional status of reporters influences the structural (but
not partisan) balance of election stories. Statehouse bureau reporters
were more likely than their newsroom-based colleagues to write individual
stories that gave more even treatment to electoral
opponents. Surprisingly, however, wire service reporters were equally
likely to do this, contrary to expectations from previous
research. Possibly this is the result of unique influences on Associated
Press coverage in this state, and replication is needed to illuminate
stable patterns in wire service coverage.
Prominent stories were more balanced structurally, and the assumption in
this research is that editors influence reporters to give more even space
and attention to candidates when stories are likely to get more reader
attention. However, it could be argued that the influence works the other
way � that well balanced stories are perceived by editors to be better
stories, and therefore more worthy to be given prominent display. Still,
such a process of editorial judgment would have the effect of influencing
reporters over time to produce more structurally balanced stories.
The reporter gender differences found in this study are striking. Again,
this result may be unique to the specific election and its circumstances
that these reporters covered. However, it is clear that journalistic norms
and values do not always take precedence over the individual
characteristics and values of reporters. Future research will be needed to
determine if male and female reporters routinely cover candidates of their
gender differently.
Obviously too, many other influences on story partisan and structural
balance have not been taken into account in the present research. But the
hierarchy-of-influence approach suggested by Shoemaker and Reese
provides a structured and logical framework for carrying out the research
program of studies necessary to fully explore influences on specific
aspects of election coverage. Even more, as such influences are
illuminated, news media managers may be able to use such knowledge to
better shape coverage to better serve their audiences.
1. Peter Clarke and Susan Evans, Covering Campaigns (Stanford, Calif.:
Stanford University Press, 1983).
2. Frederick Fico, John Clogston and Gary Pizante, "Influence of Party
and Incumbency on 1984 Michigan Election Coverage," Journalism Quarterly 65
(Autumn 1988): 709-713.
3. Susan Miller, "News Coverage of Congress: The Search for the Ultimate
Spokesman" Journalism Quarterly 54 (Autumn 1977): 459-465.
4. See: Frederick Fico and William Cote, "Fairness and Balance in
Election Reporting," Newspaper Research Journal 18 (Summer/Fall 1997):
50-64; Frederick Fico and William Cote, "Partisan and Structural Balance of
News Coverage of the 1998 Governor's Race in Michigan," Mass Communication
& Society 5 (Spring 2002): 165-182.
5. Frederick Fico and William Cote, "Fairness and Balance of Stories in
Newspaper Coverage of the 1996 Presidential Election," Journalism & Mass
Communication Quarterly 71 (Spring 1999): 124-137.
6. Dennis Lowry and Jon Shidler, "The Sound Bites, the Bitters and the
Bitten: A Two Campaign Test of the Anti-Incumbent Bias Hypothesis in
Network TV News," Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 75
7. Pamela Shoemaker and Stephen Reese, Mediating the Message: Theories
of Influences on Mass Media Content 2nd ed. (White Plains, N.Y.: Longman,
8. Gaye Tuchman, "Objectivity as Strategic Ritual," American Journal of
Sociology 77 (1972): 660-679.
9. Newspapers analyzed were the Saginaw News, the Macomb Daily, the
Kalamazoo Gazette, the Lansing State Journal, the Oakland Press, the Flint
Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.
10. Assertions were quoted or paraphrased statements explicitly linked to
candidates or their supporters with verbs of attribution indicating
speaking such as "said," "stated," "charged," etc. Verbs denoting the
states of mind of candidates or their supporters (e.g., "feels," "thinks,"
"believes," etc.) were also considered assertions when it was clear that
such state-of-mind verbs were merely being used as synonyms for speaking
verbs such as "said."
Although assertion position and length were assessed for each
story, the study did not assess the tone of the coverage in any qualitative
way. This is a difference from other research in which tone of coverage
is judged to be "positive," "negative" or "neutral."
Table 1: Partisan Balance of Stories on the 1998 and 2002 Governor's Race
in Michigan (Percentage of Stories favoring
the Republican and Democrat)
1998 2002
Favors Republican 35% 42%
Favors Democrat 51% 43%
Balanced 14% 15%
Story N 400 266
Table 2: Structural Balance Scores of Stories on the 1998 and 2002
Governor's Race in Michigan (Percentage of Stories balanced
or imbalanced toward one candidate*)
1998 2002
Most Balanced 0 14% 16%
1 24% 37%
2 25% 27%
3 23% 14%
Most Imbalanced 4 14% 7%
Story Average 1.98 1.61
Story N 400 266
*The higher the Structural Balance score, the more imbalanced the story is
in its treatment of the candidates.
The most balanced story would give equal paragraph space to assertions
supporting both candidates, as well as including quoted or paraphrased
assertions from partisans for both candidates in the story lead, in
paragraphs two through five, and in paragraphs six through ten.
The most imbalanced story would give such attention to only one of the
Table 3: Partisan Balance of Stories on the 2002 Governor's Race in
Michigan, by Story Origin, Story Prominence and Reporter
Gender (Percentage of Stories favoring the Republican and
Democratic candidate).
Favors Favors Balanced Story
Republican Democrat N
Story Origin
Newspaper Staff 44% 48% 8% 87
Newspaper Bureau 46% 36% 19% 92
Associated Press 39% 41% 20% 79
Other 13% 75% 13% 8
Story Prominence
Inside Page 46% 42% 12% 155
Section Front Page 41% 44% 16% 25
Page One 36% 43% 21% 86
Reporter Gender
Male 47% 37% 16% 152
Female 35% 50% 16% 97
Can't Tell 35% 53% 12% 17
Table 4: Structural Balance Scores of the 2002 Governor's Race Stories in
Michigan, by Story Origin, Story Prominence, Story Partisan
Balance and Reporter Gender*
Story Score Story N
Story Origin
Newspaper Staff 1.94 87
Newspaper Bureau 1.45 92
Associated Press 1.44 79
Other 1.63 8
Story Prominence
Inside Page 1.74 155
Section Front Page 1.68 25
Page One 1.37 86
Reporter Gender
Male 1.62 152
Female 1.56 97
Story Partisan Balance
Favors Republican 1.58 112
Favors Democrat 1.96 113
Balanced NA 41
Reporter Gender By Partisan Balance
Favors Republican 1.99 72
Favors Democrat 1.84 56
Balanced NA 24
Favors Republican 1.53 34
Favors Democrat 2.06 48
Balanced NA 15
*Higher scores indicate more story imbalance favoring one of the candidates.
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text:
At 07:47 AM 3/3/2004, Jason P Jones wrote:
>I just now solved my problem. I was using physdiskwrite.exe for all these
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>rebuild mode (shouldn't have monkey'ed with all the break-my-Gentoo
>packages I guess). Worked like a champ on ALL of the aforementioned cards
Your problem rang a bell with me. I remember having absolutely no luck
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Chad R. Larson (CRL22) chad at eldocomp dot com
Eldorado Computing, Inc. 602-604-3100
5353 North 16th Street, Suite 400
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text:
After a surprisingly difficult first quarter of 2014, the U.S. real estate market showed a few signs of life during the second quarter. However, when you look below the surface numbers, doubts about the sustainability of improvement continue to linger, especially for homebuilders and homebuilding stocks.
After NAHB/Wells Fargo Builder Confidence Index suffered its worst monthly decline in history, with a monthly reading drop from 56 to 46 in Q1, the second quarter saw a small bounce back to 49. However, this reading is still below 50, so it's historically negative for how the homebuilders themselves feel about the state of the market.
Another negative for real estate this quarter was the May building starts report, which showed a 6.5% decline from April, with starts down for both single-family homes and apartments. Construction jobs are still 20% lower than they were at the end of 2007, a sign of the ongoing difficulties that homebuilders continue to have.
As for home sales, it's not easy to make sense of all the up-and-down numbers. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported this week that closed existing home sales were up 4.9% to 4.89 million in May, after being revised in April to 4.66 million. This was the highest monthly rise since August, 2011. Median existing home prices were 5.1% higher than they were in May, 2013. Another positive was that foreclosures and short sales as a percentage of all sales were down to 11% from 18% a year ago.
The Real Story for Real Estate
Sounds great, right? However, behind the main numbers lurk some negative ones. May closed sales were 5.0% below the 5.15 million numbers from May, 2013. Also, first-time homebuyers accounted for only 27% of all May purchases, a drop from 29% in April of both 2014 and 2013. All cash sales, which include both investors and owner occupants, comprised 33% of all sales. Mortgage applications were basically flat this week, after falling two weeks ago.
It is important to look deeper behind the numbers to realize what is happening. A large percentage of total sales is from investors and "step-up" homeowners, rather than from first-time buyers. As prices rise, it becomes more difficult for first time buyers to afford the homes that are available, and investors begin to back off from making purchases.
As I have noted before, Millennials are still struggling financially with student and car loans, credit card debt, and job insecurity at their low-paying jobs. Many are still living at home or with roommates in cheap apartments. Many still lack the credit scores, low debt-to-income ratios, or down payments necessary to qualify for a mortgage. Eventually, both the first-time homebuyers and investors may both withdraw even further from the real estate market.


text:
You are on this page: Home > Service > Brochures
Brochures and flyers provide a concise, easy-to-read insight into German defence policy.
The Defence Policy Guidelines set the strategic framework for the mission and the tasks of the Bundeswehr as an element of the whole-of-government approach to security. They describe the security objectives and security interests of the Federal Republic of Germany.The Defence Policy Guidelines 2011 (PDF, 53,1 kB)
The Bendlerblock is one of the most significant sites of recent German history in Berlin.The Bendlerblock (PDF, 4,5 MB, 42 pages)
Safeguarding National Interests – Assuming International Responsibility– Shaping Security TogetherThe Reorientation of the Bundeswehr (PDF, 4,5 MB, 75 pages)
In memory of those of the Bundeswehr who died for peace, right and freedom.The Bundeswehr Memorial (PDF, 4,3 MB)
The 2014 Annual Military Scientific Research Report illustrates, through selected examples, the diverse and successful activities being conducted in all areas of defence Research.Military Scientific Research Annual Report 2014 (PDF, 5,5 MB)
The Großer Zapfenstreich (Grand Tattoo) holds a special and prominent position in the manifold field of German military music.The Großer Zapfenstreich (PDF, 1,7 MB, 19 pages)
Current as of 9/2/15 |
Author: Editorial Board


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The sun shined on us this week (at least near E2T headquarters) and investments, deals and partnerships in the solar industry were bright too. Wha'ppened? Here's the solar primer of the week. Oh yeah, and expect even more solar news from us when Solar Power 2007 kicks off on Monday:
- Sony Going Solar with EI: EI Solutions and Sony Pictures Entertainment said on Friday that the companies will build a 235kW solar system at the studio's Culver City, California company headquarters.
- German Thin Film: German solar and wind company Schueco International and German energy company E.ON AG say they are investing $135 million to develop thin-film technology for metal and glass facades.
- Solar A Rounds: Solar Power Partners has raised $6 million of a $6.2 million Series A round led by Globespan Capital Partners, according to a regulatory filing from PeHub. The Mill Valley, Calif.-based startup also announced a 55,000-square-foot Safeway grocery store in Dublin, Calif. Also Solar Notion raised around $10 million in a first round of funding led by hedge fund Third Point.
- European Solar Deal: Danish power producer Scan Energy will work with Solon, a German manufacturer of solar systems, to build a 44 MW solar power plant in Spain.
- What you see isn't what you get: Keep a close eye on the estimated potential output of a solar system and the actual production of kilowatt-hours, says Neal Dikeman. He quotes a California Energy Commission study that claims "a 100-watt module output, reduced by production tolerance, heat, dust, wiring, AC conversion and other losses will translate into about 68 watts of AC power delivered to the house panel during the middle of a clear day." Uh-oh.
- GE Likey Thin Film: We brought you the news that GE has reached an agreement to acquire a minority interest in thin film player PrimeStar Solar. Ecomagination in effect!


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text: If you work in an office and are partial to chili, you need these. If you subsist on a diet of broccoli and prunes, you really need these. If you've ever looked at a Fiber One bar in a grocery store — even just a quick glance — call it quits. There's no protecting you now.


text:
Type of Document Master's Thesis Author West, Charles K. URN etd-10262005-101026 Title An investigation of second-person narratives : the positioning of "you" in a therapy relationship Degree PhD Department Family and Child Development (Marriage and Family Therapy) Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title No Advisors Found Keywords
- Discourse analysis, Narrative Psychological aspect
- Therapist and patient.
Date of Defense 1994-00-00 Availability restricted Abstract Files
Filename Size Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)
28.8 Modem 56K Modem ISDN (64 Kb) ISDN (128 Kb) Higher-speed Access LD5655.V856_1994.W478.pdf 12.48 Mb 00:57:46 00:29:42 00:26:00 00:13:00 00:01:06next to an author's name indicates that all files or directories associated with their ETD are accessible from the Virginia Tech campus network only.
If you have questions or technical problems, please Contact DLA.


text:
Finding the money for a new, Medicare-style dental scheme is going to be hard enough. Removing the bad taste left by the present arrangements to relieve the dental problems of the chronically ill is an added complication. When Tasmanian dentist Wilma Johnson bumped into Labor senator Helen Polley at an agricultural show in Launceston recently, it was only natural they would talk audits.
Senator Polley chairs the Senate committee that was considering a private members bill moved to address the dental profession's concerns about Medicare.
Specifically, the beef was over audits Medicare had conducted in relation to the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme, which pays dentists up to $4250 every two years for seeing patients referred by general practitioners.
Johnson has a personal interest in the bill, and in the Senate inquiry. Medicare wants her to repay $24,600 she received for work conducted under the scheme.
The dentist and Medicare agree the work was done and the necessary paperwork was not. What happened next is the grist of the complaint: Medicare's compliance officers recommended "education and no further action" for Johnson, but Medicare is still demanding the money, which was paid for the treatment of 24 patients.
Johnson is not shy about coming forward and when she saw Polley she asked about the inquiry.
"Helen Polley was very sympathetic," Johnson said yesterday. "She said she was going home to work on the report and she seemed to understand the problems."
A week later the Senate committee tabled its report. It recommended the private members bill not be passed as it "may not be the best way to deal with the problems" identified in the inquiry. It said the government accepted that some of the concerns raised by dentists and their supporters required further consideration and this was under way through "normal departmental processes".
The recommendation did not surprise. The government spends a lot of time criticising the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme but expecting its senators to support the bill, which was put forward by opposition health spokesman
Also not surprising was the dissenting report issued by the Coalition senators on the committee which called on the government to halt the Medicare Audit Taskforce immediately and waive any demands for repayments.
The inquiry heard the Health Department had received 1025 complaints about 745 dental practitioners related to the scheme. By February, 94 dentists had been audited. Some 65 were red-flagged. Twelve of those audited were found to have not delivered the services they had billed to Medicare and 63 were guilty of administrative breaches. This meant they either didn't give a quote for the full cost of the work to the patient (many of whom were bulk-billed) or failed to deliver a treatment statement to the referring doctor.
Both the government and the dentists agree there have been some instances of outright fraud and over-servicing where dentists have provided Rolls-Royce treatments when cheaper options were possible.
What peeves the dentists is the emphasis the government has given to these cases, and the lack of sympathy it has extended to those caught out by paperwork.
The committee's report was released last Thursday. Two days before, on budget night, Health Minister
This is good news for the government, which has been trying to shut down the existing scheme for four years but has lacked the numbers to get the necessary legislation through the upper house. The Greens say they will agree to close the scheme when there is a new one to take its place.
Everyone agrees a universal scheme is out of reach. Any new proposal will involve means-testing, unlike the CDDS.
The Australian Dentists Association, no fan of the CDDS, is in favour of a new scheme. Indeed, in its pre-budget submission it outlined a full proposal which would include the 30 to 35 per cent of people an expert advisory council estimated did not receive adequate dental care. The proposed new access arrangements would function much like Medicare but would be means-tested and payments would be capped.
But while most dentists would no doubt be pleased to see more government money coming their way, Johnson says many are downright leery of Medicare.
"What makes me the most angry is the long-term effect of all of this," she says.
"I could just pay the money and walk away but the wider damage that has been done is enormous. Practices have closed, people are out of work and the people who really suffer are the patients.
"I don't think we will get another scheme off the ground."
Greens senator Richard di Natale is more optimistic.
"The CDDS was the first time dentists were exposed to Medicare in any significant way. If you assume, as I do, that dentists are neither crooks nor dim, one can conclude they didn't get satisfactory information on how the scheme was supposed to operate.
"It's also fair to say the government has pursued this with vigour. They have never liked this scheme, have consistently argued it should be shut down and any evidence the system has been abused by dentists makes it easier to make that call.
"But the CDDS continues to grow in cost. More dentists are accessing it to provide more services as the months go by. There is no sign of the decline you would expect to see if the damage inflicted on dentists' readiness to use Medicare was terminal."
The government has already built in savings from the closure of the CDDS into forward estimates. The fact that it is still running is a constant irritant. It is also an expensive one, with the annual cost now close to $1 billion. With no funds allocated, it's a scramble every six months to find the money to keep it going.
What's yet to be seen is how much it will cost to come up with a replacement scheme the Greens like enough to agree to shut down the CDDS.
At a minimum, the Greens say any new scheme will have to treat more people than are currently helped by the CDDS. Means-testing and reducing the per-person entitlement could mean spending less while enabling more people to spend some time in a dentist's chair.
A new national scheme could also bring on a whole new argument with the states, which have traditionally taken responsibility for public dental services.
It's going to take a lot of imagination –and goodwill – to shift the debate beyond what's wrong with publicly funded dental services to the point where there is a binding commitment on what level of oral health taxpayers are willing and able to subsidise.
The Australian Financial Review


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Super Surveillance
Whether your profession is football or security, there's no larger stage than the Super Bowl. In an industry exclusive, SSI goes behind the scenes of Super Bowl XLIV to analyze the security plan for the big game.
Solution Ties It All Together
The municipal/law enforcement market poses unique challenges in providing the right solution for the many different missions of the various agencies. These challenges are further compounded when several different agencies require video surveillance images through a range of delivery mediums. Such was the case for Super Bowl XLIV, which necessitated a keen blend of technology and coordination.
"Video from many different sources, including analog, IP PTZs, microwave, mast-mounted cameras and more, has to be consolidated and distributed out to many different locations and in many different formats such as Mac, PC, flash, iPhone, etc.," says Mann. "Aware Digital is providing solutions to not only distribute these feeds but also to bring in additional outside feeds from other agencies and devices."
In a nutshell, the mission was to design a solution that would provide the best quality and highest frame rate to all the agencies involved in the most flexible and efficient manner possible. To achieve this, the integrator and end user selected Sony IP cameras and digital encoders, OnSSI's VMS platform and recording software, with BridgeWave Communications supplying some of the wireless gear. The FBI, however, is using a Milestone VMS.
As it does on many projects of this scope, Sony worked closely with Aware Digital and MDPD to provide technical expertise and consultation. The project incorporates SNC-RH164 HD IP p/t/z cameras, SNC-RX550 standard definition (SD) IP p/t/z cameras and SNT Series SD IP video encoders.
Among other features, the integrator and end user were impressed with the equipment's video quality and real-time frame rate of 30 images per second.
"Our new HD p/t/z cameras being deployed at Dolphin Stadium incorporate proprietary Sony technologies such as XDNR dynamic noise reduction and Visibility Enhancer for scene contrast optimization," says Miguel Lazatin, senior marketing manager for Sony's Security Systems Group. "Combined they improve overall picture quality, increase sensitivity and make scenes more visible, especially in low light. These technologies and 10x optical zoom of our SNC-RH164 HD cameras are extremely critical when capturing incidents at long distances, and in densely populated environments such as the Super Bowl."
The stadium's expanded surveillance system is a semi-permanent installation that allows for quick deployment, removal and redeployment as needed for future events. As such, cabling and mounting equipment is permanently installed and select cameras are add
ed when warranted.
Crowd Control Is Critical
The parking and general public areas surrounding Dolphin Stadium as well as multiple traffic spots will be covered by the IP p/t/z cameras. Selected cameras from the venue's interior are being integrated via multiple microwave downlinks that flow into encoders to be redistributed, with some feeds routed to mobile devices and even helicopters. In addition, the live game TV feed will be integrated into the surveillance/situational awareness platform.
"The system will be monitored from a command vehicle and multiple other agencies during the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl events," says Mann. "This will be connected back to the stadium cameras using a gigabit millimeter wave wireless link by BridgeWave Communications."
The installation itself required placing cameras where they could provide the best possible vantage points for monitoring the tens of thousands of fans, VIPs, facility staff, vendors and the teams and associated personnel. This meant mounting them in some extreme locations, including on top of the scoreboards.
"The NFL is very concerned about crowd control. They want to make sure that people making it to the Super Bowl get there as quickly and as safely as possible," says Villalobos. "There is a tailgate party between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. that's also an event where we will need to get people inside as quickly as possible."
Aware Digital is making sure MDPD is thoroughly trained on operating the sophisticated surveillance solution well before the big game. Villalobos is excited about the system's capabilities and eager to take full advantage of them.
"Sony covers all the features that we would use and what we would need," he says. "Their cameras provide an analog and an IP option, which is a big plus. I also like features like day/night, being able to put the cameras on a schedule, the ability to zoom in, the aspect ratio, remote monitoring; it's just got so many great capabilities. And HD for security is amazing, especially for identifying people.
Surveillance Part of Bigger Picture
It has been demonstrated time and time again that the most effective security involves a layered approach encompassing many different but well coordinated practices and systems. It's all those vital pieces that add up to create a truly comprehensive solution. As such, video surveillance is only one aspect of the Super Bowl's multipronged plan.
Security Is Our Business, Too
For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You'll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add sales to your bottom line.
A free subscription to the #1 resource for the residential and commercial security industry will prove to be invaluable. Subscribe today!


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AAMA Launches Facebook Page for Scholarship and Partner Programs
March 26, 2013
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association launched a Facebook page for its scholarship and partner programs. The Facebook page is a resource for AAMA members and prospective applicants to receive exclusive information regarding the programs. To access the page, search "AAMA Scholarship Program" on Facebook or visit AAMAScholarshipProgram.
"The Facebook page ... will be an excellent resource for information regarding the application process and deadline, in addition to current and previous years' award winners," says Janice Yglesias, AAMA's association services director. "AAMA members are encouraged to 'like' our Facebook page and share our information on their companies' social media channels so that even more applicants take advantage of this opportunity to build the future of our industry."
The Facebook launch is the third phase in establishing AAMA's social networking presence, following last year's launch of two discussion groups on LinkedIn and the association's Twitter page. Also, AAMA's blog, "Member Edge," is dedicated to the benefits of AAMA membership, which includes the AAMA scholarship and partner programs.


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Referee laughs at Matt Simms' salsa dancing
Matt Simms made the most of his playing time during Friday's game against the Giants, as the Jets QB busted out some salsa moves after tossing a late touchdown to receiver Greg Salas. He's no Victor Cruz, but at least the referee enjoyed it.
-- Alex Suskind


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September 17, 2012
Five Reasons to Stay Positive About the State of the Music Industry...
Following today's big look at piracy by the BBC, paidContent lists five reasons to remain optimistic:
3. Labels are winning court support
Individual court decisions are also going labels' way. Like in the UK, Finland, Denmark and Austria, where the country's top ISPs block The Pirate Bay. In Britain, other sites pointing to unauthorised hosts are also getting taken down via injunction.


text:
Site created 12/15/97.
review added: 10/29/01
Planet of the Apes
Special Edition
- 2001 (2001) - 20th Century Fox
review by Bill Hunt, editor of
The Digital Bits
Film Rating: C+
Disc Ratings (Video/Extras): A-/A
Audio Ratings (DD/DTS): A/A+
Specs and Features
Disc One: The Film
120 mins., PG-13, letterboxed widescreen (2.35:1), 16x9 enhanced, THX-certified, dual keep case packaging, single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 45:22, at the start of chapter 15), audio commentary with director Tim Burton, audio commentary with composer Danny Elfman (featuring isolated sound effects and music cues), enhanced viewing mode (provides access to behind-the-scenes material via picture-in-picture windows and interactive branching), cast and crew profiles, THX-Optimode test patterns, Nuon features (including director's digest, "viddies", zoom and more), DVD-ROM features (including storyboards, screenplay access and weblinks), liner notes booklet and "non-linear timeline" map, animated film-themed menus with sound and music, scene access (36 chapters), languages: English (DD & DTS 5.1) and Spanish (DD 2.0), subtitles: English, Closed Captioned
Disc Two: Supplemental Material
5 behind-the-scenes documentaries:
Simian Academy
(24 mins.),
Face Like a Monkey
(30 mins.),
Ape Couture
(7 mins.),
Chimp Symphony Op. 37
(10 mins.),
On Location - Lake Powell
(12 mins.) and
Swinging from the Trees
(10 mins.), screen test footage (including make-up, group, costume, movement and stunt tests, with multiple audio tracks), 8 multi-angle featurettes (with multiple video angles and audio tracks and access to production art, screenplay excerpts and final footage), 5 extended scenes, HBO's
The Making of Planet of the Apes
documentary (27 mins.), Paul Oakenfold music video for
Rule the Planet Remix
, teaser trailer, theatrical trailer, 6 TV spots, promo trailers (for
Moulin Rouge
Dr. Doolittle 2
), poster art and press kit gallery, soundtrack promo, DVD-ROM features (including "Leo's Logbook"), gallery of production photos, production artwork and storyboards (with index), animated film-themed menus with sound and music
"How the hell did these monkeys get like this?"
When I heard that 20th Century Fox was doing a remake of
Planet of the Apes
well, what else could you do but groan loudly and shake your head? I mean, how dare they remake one of the most-loved classics of Sci-Fi? Then I heard that director Tim Burton was taking the reigns, and I'll admit, I relented a little. Just think of it - a Tim Burton
movie. That could be cool, right? Well it almost was. Almost.
The film's revised story centers on Captain Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg), a United States Air Force pilot stationed at a primate research facility/space station near Saturn (I think). It seems that the primates, including the stout-hearted Pericles, have been genetically engineered to make them better space pilots (who knows why). Suddenly, there's an electro-magnetic storm that's right outside the space station windows (naturally). So Leo tucks Pericles into a rocket pod and sends him out to see what the storm's all about. Surprise he disappears. Surprise again Leo disobeys orders and goes after his little banana lovin' buddy. And wouldn't you know it, he crash lands on a planet where apes rule and humans all look like Estella Warren and Kris Kristofferson. Well okay, not all of 'em, but you get the idea. Leo is quickly captured by the nasty Thade (Tim Roth) and taken to Ape City, where he's befriended by the kind-hearted Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), who believes that humans are people too. She helps Leo escape, and before long, humans and apes square off in a battle to rule the planet.
You know, I really enjoyed almost everything that took place in this film from the time Leo crashes on the planet of the apes until just before the end. With the exception of some totally unnecessary camp references to the original film (including a silly cameo by Charlton Heston), I bought pretty much everything. The cast is excellent, the performances are good, the atmosphere is appropriately Burton-esque and the production design is damn cool. But the film's setup is so weak as to be silly. And the ending feels so tacked on, that not only do you not get the payoff you're looking for, you're left scratching your head trying to figure out what possible twists of logic could allow for it.
I'm not even going to touch the ending, because I don't want to spoil the gag for you. Suffice it to say it feels like a cheap copy of the original film's ending. And while Burton obviously understands it (as he explains in his audio commentary) he isn't about to tell us what it means (as he also explains in his commentary). So that leaves the setup. Why does the USAF have a space station orbiting Saturn for which the only purpose seems to be training chimps to fly rocket pods? Is there some need for chimps that can fly rocket pods? We seem to do pretty well these days sending robot probes to check out distant objects in space - have we lost that capability? Why would Davidson risk his own neck going after Pericles? Is there some special bond between the two of them? These are all questions that go largely unanswered, which I suspect the filmmakers would say fall in the category of things that don't need explanation - you're just supposed to accept them as part of the suspension of disbelief demanded by all movies. But to me, that's just lazy storytelling. Todd and I were talking about this. How hard would it be to explain these things? Not hard. Imagine that the military decided that it wanted to experiment with genetically engineered primates but genetic tampering's been outlawed on Earth. So the USAF sets up a secret genetic research facility on the edges of our solar system. When the electromagnetic storm happens, Pericles, being the curious, and highly intelligent, genetically engineered chimp that he is, decides to go check it out on his own. So he hops into a rocket pod and blasts off into the storm. Davidson must go after him, because his superiors are worried that if Pericles somehow makes his way back to Earth, their secret research will be compromised. And everything else about this story could play out like it already does. See? It's as easy as that. The biggest problem I have with Hollywood Sci-Fi films these days, is that you're expected to just accept plot elements on face value that make no logical sense within the context of the story. And that's just bad storytelling.
So if the film itself is a bit of a miss, what about the DVD? Well simply put, this 2-disc set is one of the most interesting I've seen in a long time. Let's start with Disc One. The film is presented here in an excellent anamorphic widescreen transfer, which preserves its 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Planet of the Apes
is as dark and atmospheric a film as one would expect of Burton. And the DVD presents that perfectly. The contrast is excellent and the images are clean without being edgy. There's plenty of detail in the darker areas of the picture. Color is rich and spot-on accurate. And surprisingly, there's very little compression artifacting visible. This is excellent DVD video which, if not quite reference quality, is pretty close.
And that's impressive given that this disc also features dual 5.1 audio tracks in Dolby Digital and DTS flavors. It seems like we spend a lot of time saying this, but as expected, the DTS track provides a greater measure of clarity and naturalism, resulting in a somewhat fuller and more unified soundfield. But the Dolby Digital track is no slouch either. Both tracks feature active surround channels during action scenes (the crash, for example), which remain active, if more subtle, throughout the rest of the film to maintain atmosphere (during, say, scenes set in the jungle). Dialogue is clean and audible, there's plenty of bass in the mix and Danny Elfman's score is ever-present without being overwhelming.
Disc One also features a pair of audio commentary tracks, one with director Tim Burton and the other with Elfman. Burton's commentary ranks among the better I've heard him do, but there are still plenty of gaps where he simply stops talking. There are also a number of things I'd love for him to talk more about, that go unexplained (the ending again stands out). Elfman's track features the film's terrific score isolated in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, with occasional sound effects and Elfman speaking in between the music cues. Also included on Disc One are cast and crew bios, THX-Optimode test signals, features that will work only in Nuon-enhanced DVD players (like "viddies" and various zoom points during the film) and DVD-ROM extras (including the script-to-screen viewing mode and weblinks).
But the really cool thing about Disc One, is the ability to watch the film in "enhanced mode". If you select this option, at various points during the film, a small picture-in-picture window will appear in which various cast and crew members will talk about the making of the scene you're watching at that moment. Or you might see behind-the-scenes footage of that scene being shot. The video plays right over and along with the film itself (these segments are inserted via seamless branching). Additionally, at various times during the film, an icon will appear on the screen (a la the "Follow the White Rabbit" feature on
The Matrix
). Pressing 'enter' on your remote at that time will take you out of the film for a few minutes, to view a separate piece of behind-the-scenes video. So, for example, when you see the space station, an ILM staffer will show you the full-size miniature in more detail, and talk about how it was filmed. Then you're sent right back into the movie without having missed anything. Both of these features are cool ways to convey the usual "here's how we did that" kind of information in the context of viewing the film, and I think they're used very effectively here.
Disc Two provides even more behind-the-scenes material. And if this material lacks any kind of perspective (the DVD extras were completed with a few days of the film's theatrical release, allowing little time for retrospective thinking), it's all so interestingly presented, that you'll hardly notice - a very neat trick indeed. You get an HBO documentary on the making of the film, which is pretty standard. But you also get 5 cool behind-the-scenes featurettes, some quite substantial, on various aspects of the production. There's a look at the recording of the score, a video on the "ape movement" classes the cast attended, the creation of the make-up effects and costumes, what it was like to shoot on location, etc. You also get a number of video "screen test" segments, where similar video material appears in quad-screen and you can select which audio track you want to listen too. And we're just getting warmed up. You get 5 extended scenes, the film's trailer and teaser, 8 TV spots and an extensive gallery of production photos, storyboards and conceptual artwork indexed by subject. There's an additional gallery that provides a look at the film's poster and print campaign, along with images from the press kit. You even get a music video remix of the film's theme. Best of all, however, there are 8 different multi-angle featurettes, which give you a look at the production of various scenes in the film. Each featurette has up to 4 different video angles and up to 3 different audio tracks that you can select in whatever combination you wish. A little icon at the top tells you which angle you're on at that moment, and lets you select another. And a "command bar" ever-present at the bottom of the screen allows you to dive out of the featurettes momentarily to view production artwork created for that scene, to view the final scene in the film, or to read a text excerpt of that scene from the screenplay.
So there's lots of substance in this 2-disc set. But it's the way the material is organized and presented that is so completely impressive here. This is one of the most interesting and efficient uses of DVD interactivity that I've ever seen. And before I forget, both discs feature very cool and highly-stylized animated menu screens, which appear as though you're viewing various ape environments via one of the computer screens in Leo's rocket pod. They're just icing on an already tasty cake.
The bottom line is that this 2-disc set has more bells and whistles than a superhero's utility belt. But forget the Shark Repellent Bat-Spray - these are cool bells and whistles that you'll actually want to use.
Planet of the Apes
raises the bar and throws down the gauntlet. It's arguably the most technically advanced DVD ever produced, in terms of both authoring complexity and interactivity. It's just too bad the flick wasn't a little better...
Bill Hunt
[email protected]
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Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review
Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review
Federal Register Notice
October 27, 1999
Volume 64, Number 207
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for extension of currently approved collections. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on June 10, 1999 (64 FR 31345).
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 26, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus, (202) 366-4387.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
Title: Submission of Audit Reports, Part 248.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved Collection.
OMB Control Number: 2138-0004.
Form(s): None.
Affected Public: Certificated Air Carriers.
Abstract: BTS collects independent audited financial reports from U.S. certificated air carriers. Carriers not having an annual audit must file a statement that no such audit has been performed. In lieu of the audit report, the Department will accept the annual report submitted to the stockholders. The audited reports are needed by DOT as (a) a means to monitor an air carrier's continuing fitness to operate, (b) reference material used by analysts in examining foreign route cases, (c) reference material used by analysts in examining proposed acquisitions, mergers, and consolidations, (d) a means whereby the Department sends a copy of the report to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in fulfillment of a U.S. treaty obligation, and (e) corroboration of carriers' Form 41 filings.
Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 21 hours.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725-17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention BTS Desk Officer.
Comments are Invited on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 21, 1999.
Timothy E. Carmody,
Director, Office of Airline Information.
[FR Doc. 99-28005 Filed 10-26-99; 8:45 am]


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Kontoyiannis House Apartment
103 Makarios Avenue, Kalavasos village, 7733, Larnaca, Cyprus
- Air conditioning
- Self-Catering Facilities
- Dryer
- Free Internet Access
- Internet Access
- Iron / Ironing Board"
- Microwave
- Utensils
- Washing machine
Important Information
Twenty percent deposit required in order to confirm reservation.
No refund on deposit.
50% on due amount will be taken if this booking is cancelled 7 days before booking date or there is a no show.
It may be possible in some cases to transfer some of this amount to a later holiday, this is at the discretion of management.
For a stay of one or two nights there will be a surcharge.
A stay of one night is not always possible especially during peak holiday season and will only be allowed under special circumstances. Just make a request and we will see if we can accommodate you.
We would appreciate if you could also include your flight information or if not available Expected Time of Arrival since we have to arrange for someone to meet you at the house on your arrival! If you do not have this information at time of making this reservation, please make sure to let us know as soon as you do
Check-in / Check-out
Earliest check-in: 00:00
Latest Check-out: 11:00
- Credit Cards Accepted
- No Curfew
Group booking?
Group of 15 or more traveling to Larnaca?
Private Rooms
Standard 2 Bed Apartment Ensuite
Sleeps 2
Room types
Private Room
Private Bathroom
Standard 2 Bed Apartment Ensuite
Sleeps 2
Room types
Private Room
Private Bathroom
Superior 4 Bed PRIVATE Ensuite
Sleeps 4
Room types
Private Room
Private Bathroom
About Kontoyiannis House
Our traditional stone built family house in Kalavasos village, in Larnaca District of Cyprus is about half way between Limassol and Larnaca.
We offer 4 large self contained apartments or we are happy to accept bookings for the entire villa. An ideal solution for several families holidaying together is a holiday apartment in Cyprus.
Enjoy the ambience of a traditional Cyprus Villa in a friendly village community
while still being just a short five minutes from secluded "Governors Beach" and
Location Information
The house is very near the village square and all amenities.
We are also a short 5 minute drive to the popular but secluded Governors beach with wonderful local restaurants.
Also located in the village are numerous restaurants and out door eating places. It has its own secluded courtyard offering peace and privacy to its occupants - each apartment has it own patio or balcony.
Our Cyprus Villa Holiday offers a friendly village community atmosphere just a short distance from beaches and a variety of leisure activities.
Cancellation Policy
Customers can cancel their reservation free of charge up to 1 day before arrival. After this date, charges will be applied by the property up to the first nights cost of the reservation, unless otherwise stated in the property's conditions. Deposits paid are non refundable.


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Awesome Iron Man GRAND THEFT AUTO IV MOD
Here's an amazingly awesome Grand Theft Auto IV MOD featuring Iron Man running around the city blowing cars up and killing people with his repulsor beams. The video also shows him flying around high above the city using his jets. This is one of the coolest MOD's for the game I think I've seen. Maybe even cooler than the Back to the Future MOD we shared with you a few months back. This looks like it would be so fun to play! Check out the video!
Joey Paur — Co-Founder / Editor of GeekTyrant.com, and if you haven't noticed I write… a lot. Movies are my passion and I live and breathe all things geek. This site is part of my life's work, it's a part of me. I love what I do, and I enjoy sharing everything I can with you when it comes to movies and geekery. In my spare time I travel to the netherworlds to battle demons. @JoeyPaur | email@example.com
Featured Posts on GeekTyrant


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Report from interviews for the Making Great Illustration book. For more info see About
I travel on Eurostar with my good friend Edith to Paris, and the book I'm reading, The Photographer by Emmanuel Guibert, one if the artists I'm going to interview, draws the attention of a passenger sitting opposite. She's going for an interview with Medecins Sans Frontiers and has been involved as a helicopter pilot in the troubled Afghanistan area. Her insights into working in war torn and troubled regions around the world are fascinating and she is equally interested in the graphic novel which I show her. Her reaction is a reminder of the power of illustration to communicate – she finds it compelling.
We've managed to arrange a two-day trip with both interviews on the same day with Antoine and Manuel in the morning followed by Emmanuel Guibert in the afternoon. Emmanuel is leaving dead on 5 o'clock, for his 2 months summer break in the north of France and he is giving us an hour of his time in between packing his belongings away. We know that we will have to be prompt, the only problem we have is that we don't know where he is – we don't have an address for him. Bit of a challenge, that.
It's very hot when we arrive in Paris and it's teatime. We leave messages on Emmanuel's answer machine, check with Derek in the UK to see if Emmanuel has been in touch and then make contact with Paul the photographer, who is staying in an upmarket hotel up the road. We troup off excitedly for our supper feeling decidedly in a holiday mood. The trips where there's company for mealtimes and time to explore with are definitely the best. An extra perk (as if meeting your hero illustrators isn't enough of a perk already).
It's a warm evening so we go to Montmartre, as all tourists do. Typically it's packed so we find somewhere at the bottom of the hill and order our kir. Paul stops on the way to photograph a pair of shoes left abandoned on the pavement. We wonder if it's a case of spontaneous combustion.
We are quite merry when we get back to the hotel but there's still no message from Emmanuel. I do manage to speak to Antoine to confirm that all's fine for the next day. He is very warm and friendly so I begin to look forward to interview – I've read that Antoine and Manuel only do interviews in disguise and I've been nervous about it, but the brief telephone conversation is very easy. I wasn't speaking French of course, and Antoine is charming. Before going to bed I do a last minute check of recorder batteries and memory.
Antoine and Manuel work in a vast studio in the Marais district in Paris. It's a very upmarket and trendy area and a sign of their commercial success. The space inside is incredible. Many rooms, some papered with their distinctive imagery and featuring their unique furniture and installations. Antoine is wearing shorts and there is no sign of a mask. He is most charming and welcoming and apologetic because Manuel is running late. We try to be relaxed but with no word yet from Emmanuel we know that we can't afford to get behind on our schedule.
When Manuel arrives we can see that he is ill. He doesn't want to let us down because of the effort we have made and we really appreciate that and he also doesn't want to put his make up on. That means that Paul may be taking the only recognisable portraits of the duo. A coup!
Antoine is less talkative during the interview and Manuel dominates the responses to my questions. There are times when things get a bit lost in translation and answers are given to questions I don't ask but I'm beginning to develop a sense during interviews of the amount and quality of information I'm getting and the potential to draw usable quotes. I feel that overall it's been ok, and am conscious of the time- we've been talking for an hour and a half. I can see that Paul is itching to get started on the more formal portrait and studio shots.
I notice Paul getting interested in a splatter of pink paint on a wall and decide to sneak off and do a bit more chatting with Antoine independently, as I suspect he is happy to add to the material I have recorded (successfully!) during the interview.
At this point in the book I'm wishing I could have a big dinner party and invite some of my favourite interviewees around for ongoing good-humoured chat as some kind of experiment. Antoine would be near the top of my list and I'd sit him next to Kitty Crowther, both of them warm and engaging.
The photos of Antoine and Manuel in the red installation in their studio are quite remarkable. I feel quite humbled to be alongside such a great photographer.
It's hot when we leave the studio to meet Edith for lunch. It's already 2 o'clock and the phone rings – it's Derek, with Emmanuel's contact details. We gallop our baguettes down and head for the nearest metro- we are working against the clock and our own inclination is to sit down and enjoy a cool drink and confer on and digest our last experience with Antoine and Manuel.
Paul rings one of his ex-photography students, a native Parisienne and she meets us outside Emmanuel's house. He seems doubly important now he has his own assistant, French speaking too. I'm jealous. Emmanuel waves down at us enthusiastically from the balcony, he's about 5 floors up in a vintage typically Parisian fin-de-siècle building. We gather our wits for another interview and another set of questions and observations. It's an effort to appear fresh on such a hot and challenging day.
Emmanuel is a delight. He laughs as I put my 3 recorders in front of him on the table; I'm taking no chances and say that it's a sign of his importance. He asks if I've mistaken him for Sarkosy.
He is vibrant and fascinating. He talks with enthusiasm and joy about his work and the pleasure he has had in meeting people through it. I nod in agreement. He is surrounded by packing cases, the Normandy coast beckoning him for his 3-month break but he is really attentive and our hour-long interview becomes a 2-hour visit, with photos on the balcony and him enjoying French friendly banter with the photographic assistant.
There's a fly by of vintage military planes outside, a vapour trail scarring the blue sky. Emmanuel graciously signs a print for each of us and wishes us bonnes vacances. It's a memorable end to a memorable day… not quite. We owe ourselves a glass of kir… and our return train is the next day, so the night is but young.
Jo Davies
Studio and portrait photographs by Paul Dureinckx


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BONN (Apr. 25)
A memorial museum dedicated to the Jewish victims who were killed by the Nazis in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was opened at the site of the camp today. A special section of the museum, documenting various aspects of life and death in the camp, was dedicated to Anne Frank, the Dutch girl put to death in Bergen-Belsen, who left a diary giving a grim account of the Nazi persecution of Jews.


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Published: July 27, 2009 at 9:17 PMAw... I wish my theme park job had more perks like to blow cash-- it reminds me of being a freshman in college (sigh... good times)
Published: July 27, 2009 at 10:02 PMthis is all so true! we even had a special name for payday...Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday...yes, EPCOT :) thursdays were always the day we spent all our money on PI and the trading pins...and had to go to the cast member store to buy the hugely discounted items guests returned!
Published: July 28, 2009 at 4:07 PMBack in 1982 when I was a cast member I was an Elvis Costello fan. I always chuckled at the song "Clubland" (which told the stories of the bar fly lifestyle). One lyric that seemed CM appropriate went: "Thursday to Saturday, Money's gone already!"
And while PI was not open we still had Giraffe, the Laughing Kookabura, Illusions, Peoples, JJ Whispers and the Big Bamboo. In retrospect, with CMs scraping up the change hidden in their second hand couches at Lake Vista Village Apartments, it was pretty wise of Church Street Station to schedule Nickel Beer Night on Wednesdays.
But now that I am older (and not necessarily wiser) I'm am pleased to be the primary breadwinner in my household. My part time CM spouse earns WDW wages but gets the perks (discounts and the maingate pass).
But I am CERTAIN that we spend more at WDW than she gets paid every year. From dining and gifts and drinks and drinks and drinks (don't try this at home kids. Stay in school or you will end up wearing guy-liner) I have no doubt we spend more than she earns.
I would go so far as to claim that Disney must track what individual CMs spend on their discount purchases and have likely determined that if they were to layoff my wife the company would probably LOSE money!
Published: July 28, 2009 at 11:47 PMWorking seasonally at Disneyland, I also worked at Farrell's part time during the rest of the year. At closing time when the Manager was counting up the money and we had finished the nightly cleaning, with the front door still locked, we spent most of our tips on the video games. Management always encouraged it by throwing in a few free tokens (the first one is always free!) In the early 80's, most of the tips I got were in the form of quarters.
Related - While working in the kitchen for the Plaza Inn and Inn Between, I had moved up to being a cook. One check came that changed my rate to a full time, higher level cook. Even in 80's dollars, the extra amount was about $500.00 more than it should have been for the week. Most everyone said to be quiet about it, but I figured it would be found out eventually and be hard to pay back (besides being the right thing to do.) I don't remember if there was any more than a thanks for being honest... Things like that always work out better in the end anyway. It was fun and a privilege to move up to cooking and I didn't want to blow that opportunity.
I guess I learned a lot there.


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Carson Palmer cost the Oakland Raiders a hefty price, including this year's first-round draft pick, when they acquired him from the Cincinnati Bengals last October.
Many panned the trade by former Head Coach Hue Jackson (it also cost the Silver & Black a second-round pick that could kick up to a first if the team fares well in the playoffs this season). Palmer was wildly uneven last season in 10 games -- he told ESPN it was the "most difficult situation" of his nine-year career -- but that was hardly surprising as he was thrust into an unfamiliar lineup and system just days after his arrival.
He went 4-5 in nine starts, passed for 2,753 yards, 13 TDs and 16 INTs but did flash his old Pro Bowl form at times, too.
Now he's adapting to new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp's playbook, one which will require him to utilize his limited mobility more. But Palmer, with a full offseason in Oakland under his belt, says he's ready to deliver.
"I love that pressure. I'm excited to go out and prove doubters wrong," he said. "It can drive you in the offseason, get you through tough times."
His optimism is partially fueled by his growing familiarity with his new teammates and the fact that he'll finally get to play with star RB Darren McFadden, whose season-ending foot injury occurred in Palmer's first game with the Raiders.
"I still have a lot of football left in me. I'm excited about the guys around me," said Palmer. "It's an exciting time for the Oakland Raiders."
Nate Davis is a reporter, blogger and editor who's been at USA TODAY since 2000. He has covered the NFL since 2005. No, he did not play quarterback for Ball State. Davis' succession of our esteemed colleague Sean Leahy at The Huddle is considered a Brady-for-Bledsoe swap by most "insiders."More about Nate


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Senior Brian McKenzie has played his last game in a Friar uniform after injuring his ankle on Saturday against Seton Hall.
According to Kevin McNamara of the ProJo
PC senior Brian McKenzie was wearing a boot on his injured foot and did not practice Sunday. He is not expected to play on Tuesday.
Brian has taken plenty of abuse this season, but you hate to see a kid from Brooklyn miss out on his last shot to play basketball in New York City.


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Park City and Deer Valley Utah Vacation Rentals
Alpine Ski Properties offers a wide variety of vacation rental homes and condominiums in Park City and Deer Valley, Utah. Our rental properties are reasonably priced, exceptionally clean and well maintained! We are confident that with our broad range of vacation rental properties we will be able to find the perfect lodging option for your family ski trip. Browse our selection of Park City and Deer Valley accommodations in our reservations page to find a property that is just right for you. If you have a question or would like to place a reservation over the phone our friendly, local reservationists will be more than happy to take your call. We also offer assistance in planning other activities and special requests such as grocery shopping, lift tickets and airport transportation.
Our full service, top notch property management services are trusted by hundreds of home owners in Park City and Deer Valley, Utah. We work closely with our clients to insure that services are custom tailored to the needs of your property. We provide housekeeping, maintenance and hot tub service internally and have long standing relationships with trusted contractors if repairs require further expertise. With over 30 years of experience in Park City & Deer Valley property management there is simply no other service as capable.
Enjoy browsing our properties online or give us a call @ 800.771.1505 if you have any questions!


text: PENANG, MALAYSIA, May 7, 2001: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam has demanded an apology of Idris Omar, a member of PAS, the Pan-Malaysia Islamic political party. This report in The Star newspaper states, "The Malaysia Hindu Sangam demanded a public apology from Idris for his statement that PAS would destroy all statues in non-Muslim places of worship if it came into power. 'We condemn him if he had made such remarks and call on him to apologize and retract the statement immediately,' said its president, A. Vaithilingam. He said the organization was shocked to find out about the statement, and had passed a resolution against Idris. Democratic Action Party national deputy chairman Karpal Singh said he believed Omar could be charged with sedition.


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Heirloom Silver-Chest Medium Bath Cabinet
- No Longer Available -
In the days of heirloom silver, families stored their prized flatware and serving pieces in heavyweight wooden trunks fitted with interior organization. Inspired by the aesthetic and impressed by the practical utility of the trunk, we've repurposed it, in materials suitable for the bath.
Show Details +
- 26"W x 18"D x 72"H
- Weight: 75 lbs.
Shown in antiqued brown oak.
Product Not Available
We're sorry. This product is no longer available
Please continue browsing.


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A brand new image claimed to be 'I Love You Phillip Morris' first official photo has been released and it showcases Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor are about to kiss each other.
The forthcoming drama comedy movie "I Love You Phillip Morris" has exposed its first still and from the look of it, Jim Carrey is going to be seen sharing more than an attraction to Ewan McGregor. The brand new image displays the two actors leaning towards each other as they are about to lock lips.
In the movie, Carrey plays Steven Russell, a married father and a conman who is sent to prison in Texas. While spending his time there, he falls in love with his cellmate Phillip Morris portrayed by McGregor. After Morris is being released, Russell escapes from prison four times doing whatever he can like faking his own death only to meet his lover.
Based on the real life events of con artist and impostor Steven Jay Russell, the Europacorp comedy is directed and penned by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Described by McGregor as "a gay prison romance story", it also features Leslie Mann and Rodrigo Santoro. It is expected to be released sometime in February 2009.


text:
- Description
The Spanx Difference
We made this moto-inspired legging with faux leather details at the sides to add edge to any outfit. With the slim built-in, these leggings keep you comfortable and confident while you're on the go.
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- The slim's built in— tricot-mesh waistband
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- Model is 5'10", wearing a size Small
- Care Instructions: Machine wash cold, gentle cycle. Do not use fabric softener. Only non-chlorine bleach when needed. Lay flat to dry. Low iron if needed.
- Imported
- Body: 62% Rayon, 34% Nylon, 4% Spandex/Elastane. Fabric Panels: 87% Nylon, 13% Spandex/Elastane. Lining: 80% Polyester, 20% Spandex/Elastane
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Contact the Transformation Team for advice! Let our team of SPANX specialists help you place an order or find the right product for you!
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