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WE'RE HEARING the Federal Housing Administration has no intention of reducing its mortgage insurance premiums despite the release of its actuarial report that shows FHA is finally recovering from the housing bust.
The only relief from the 175 basis point upfront fee and the 135 bp annual fee might come in the form of a deduction for first-time homebuyers if they receive housing counseling. FHA wants to provides incentives for borrowers to take counseling to ensure they understand the importance of making their monthly payments on time and notifying their servicers if they are getting into financial trouble.
While current premium structure is expensive, the Federal Housing Administration needs that revenue to cover the losses on its legacy loans and rebuild the capital of the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.
The FHA single-family program ended fiscal year 2013 with a negative net worth of $7.8 billion after providing a $4.3 billion capital infusion for the FHA reverse mortgage program.
The independent auditors are projecting that the single-family program will have a positive net worth of $7.8 billion by the end of FY 2014. So in one year the fund will see a $15.7 billion improvement if the auditors are right.
In other words, this is no time to retreat when HUD is so close to replenishing the FHA fund. So don't expected FHA commissioner Carol Galante to give up on those "richer" premiums anytime soon.
The actuarial report shows that FHA endorsed $240 in single-family loans in FY 2013 and they expect to do $190 billion in FY 2014.
But the agency has made recent moves that make it tougher to qualify for a FHA-insured loan. First, FHA has tweaked its automated underwriting system Total Scorecard to reduce the number of applicants that are automatically approved or rejected. The idea is to force the lenders to use manual underwriting to approve more borrowers by resorting to compensating factors.
However, the new manual underwriting guidance says borrowers must have cash reserves equal to the first month's mortgage payment, which is a new requirement. At the same time, FHA has capped the borrower's back-end debt ratio at 50%, which is new. So the borrower's mortgage, car and other debt payments can't exceed 50% of their income. These new requirements don't apply to borrowers approved via Total Scorecard.
First, lenders don't like manual underwriting. Automated underwriting provides greater assurance that FHA or an investor won't seek indemnification or a buyback if the loan goes bad. And second, FHA has tightened the underwriting so there likely will be fewer manually approved loans.
However, FHA believes going back to manual underwriting will make lenders sharper and lead to more creditworthy borrowers.
"Using manual underwriting more frequently gives lenders the tools to know how and when to apply compensating factors to determine borrower qualifications," Galante said. "Relying solely on a credit score or the size of the downpayment excludes qualified families and holds back our nation's economic recovery." She spoke at a Consumer Federation of America financial services conference on Dec. 6.


text:
This product is no longer available.
You can try these similar gifts instead.
Shower of Hearts Custom Photo Display
When they look into this snowglobe, they'll see a favorite picture. Maybe it's a photo of them and their new baby brother, maybe it's a photo mom took of them and dad together. Decorate the child's room in a loving style.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I auditioned Dali Ikon 6 mk2 at colleague's home. They were spacious, airy, detailed and bass rich. But highs were bright and overall sound synthetic. You described Ikon 6s as natural. Can it be difference in generations, mk1 vs. mk2 or is it equipment? Equipment was Onkyo's A-9755 and DX-7555, QED Performance Audio 2 and Chord Crimson Plus (we tried both), Naim NAC A5 and Dali Ikon 6 mk2. Can cable replacement fix synthetic and bright sound? I am asking this, because I have same amplifier and speaker cables and I want to replace my old Audes's from stone age to something new and better, mostly better.
DALI Ikon 6 loudspeaker Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood, Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek CD53 Mk.II CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek 5350SE.
Loudspeakers: Nola Mini, Amphion Helium2, Monitor Audio Silver RS6.
Cables: Interconnect: MIT MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG, Terminator. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus.
Accessories: Various by ASC, Bright Star, Celestion, Echo Busters, Salamander Designs, Simply Physics, Sound Anchor, VPI.—Robert J. Reina
I have ikon6 at home, also listened to ikon6 mk2. The ikon series are brilliant speakers, excepcially for jazz, classical. I find them a bit to revealing for rock & commercial music.
I listened to mk2 with Cambridge Audio & Nad amps. They are extremely bright speakers so with the cambridge they sounded as you describe "synthetic" (even with mp3). With nad they sounded incredible.
Don't think different cables will help that much. You have to pair them with the right amp. They sound really nice with worm amps like Archam or Nad.
My current setup: nad375 dac, audioquest type 4 cables and ikon 6.


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After being a working mom for nine years, I'm staying home. And today is the first day of school, and I'm not there. And that's ok! I loved working with my four year olds. But I have my own kiddos to take care of at home. A husband too, for that matter.
And then, there is me! I get to do something for ME for a change. Some people, (like a lovely sister who shall remain nameless) may think I'm doing the opposite. Some people, no-matter their good intentions, will never understand the satisfaction of staying home, of being able to cook and clean, to join the PTA and volunteer. I'm now able to spend more quality time with my boys. And more importantly I get to personally play a larger role in their education.
So here's to a new blog, a new stage in my life. A stage where I get to stomp, clap, and laugh more.


text:
Vancouver, BC – It's not too often that we get to talk to emcees who fearlessly advocate for positive causes through the … Read More »
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LAKEVILLE, Minn. - Police officers were called to Lakeville around 2:00 p.m. Thursday after reports of a human bones being discovered in a park. Police believe the bones are human and have been in the Ritter Farm Park for some time.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit are helping Lakeville Police and the Hennepin County Medical Examiners Office with this investigation.
Police say there is no threat to park visitors or area residents. Authorities say no further updates are expected until Friday after 12:00 p.m.


text:
There is a sadistic wrinkle that some degenerates include in their regular golf matches — we hear some of them actually play for money — that is truly evil.
It's called a reverse mulligan. Once each during the 18-hole round, you and your opponent get to say "Nice shot. Now hit it again."
Like, you're 195 yards up hill to a green guarded by traps and water and you thread an approach shot to within six feet of the hole. Then you hear the dreaded words. "Nice shot. Hit it again," and, of course, you hit the re-do 20 yards off line into the hazard and that's the shot that counts.
I mean, golf is hard enough without siphoning off the joy of that one semi-perfect shot per round that keeps you coming back.
Building championship baseball teams is hard, too, especially when you start from a place like the Boston Red Sox started from at this time last year, buried at the bottom of the American League East, their clubhouse a cesspool of disgruntlement.
So, today, a day after Boston won its 108th game of the 2013 season to claim the World Series in six games over St. Louis, we're calling a reverse mulligan. "Okay, Red Sox: Do it again."
Who knows? They just might, given that they've defied the odds and won three of the past 10 of these Fall Classics. The Red Sox have been doing something right and if you look at those three championship clubs, they have very little in common except for David Ortiz. We concede that if your starting point is David Ortiz, then you've got a leg up already but, still, there are 29 other teams in Major League Baseball trying every year to find that magic formula.
Boston's formula this year, truly was magical. They came to camp counting on the resurgence of pitchers like Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey. Lester and Buchholz had off years in 2012 and Lackey spent the entire year recovering from Tommy John surgery. This year, that troika, along with Felix Doubront, were the heart of the pitching staff.
They needed a big year out of Jacoby Ellsbury and he needed one for himself as a pending free agent. He was exactly what they needed at the top of the lineup with a .355 on-base percentage that led to 92 runs. They needed Ortiz to be Ortiz and he smashed 30 homers and drove in 103 runs with an OPS of .959. Dustin Pedroia had his usual inspirational season, batting third much of the time, which led to the second-highest RBI total of his career.
Boston GM Ben Cherington set the stage for everything to fall in place with the incredible trade he made with the Dodgers at the 2012 deadline, unloading the smothering salaries of Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett. He then stayed away from the big-ticket free agents, signing six middle-level players who each turned out to be valuable. Shane Victorino was a questionable sign at three years and $39 million and all he did was win a Gold Glove for his work in right field after spending a career in centre. Offensively, he matched Ellsbury and Pedroia's production and when he got to the playoffs, he was the team's second-leading RBI man behind Ortiz.
When closer Joel Hanrahan was lost for the season and Andrew Bailey failed to measure up, Koji Uehara was slotted into the role as bullpen closer and he was just about the best in the business. Mike Napoli was a gamble, given his hip problems and he provided steady work at first base and a big bat to follow Ortiz in the order. Jonny Gomes is a heart-and-soul player who brought something special to the clubhouse. Stephen Drew's offence betrayed him in the post-season, but he was a solid choice at shortstop all year. Ryan Dempster provided a veteran arm in the rotation and, while he wasn't at his best this year, he was no part of a failure.
Everything fell in place for this team. They had some health issues that seemed never to infringe upon the team's winning ways. Ortiz missed some time early on but others were driving in runs. Buchholz missed a couple of months with a sore shoulder but the other starters piled up the innings.
The team had marvellous chemistry from Day 1 of spring training. Ortiz was musing the other day about the chicken and egg theory.
"Does good chemistry lead to winning or does winning lead to good chemistry?" he asked. "I don't know, but we had both."
So, we come back to the original thought. Can the Red Sox duplicate the formula? More importantly, can they duplicate the magic? If so, they'll probably have to do it without Ellsbury, Napoli, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew. With Xander Bogaerts poised to step in as perhaps the next great Boston superstar, they won't lose anything at shortstop.
Ellsbury and Napoli will probably be tough to replace, but an upgrade at catcher was always in the cards for this off-season.
More importantly, can they avoid injuries and poor performance by their key players for another entire season as they did this year?
"Okay, Red Sox. Do it again," probably doesn't strike the same kind of fear in the executive suite at Fenway Park as it does in our poor schmuck golfer.
They've already done it three times in the last 10 years. What's one more?
BOSTON — Shelby Miller made 31 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals this year, went 15-9 with a 3.06 ERA over 173.1 innings but they couldn't find a way to get him into more than one inning of one game in the playoffs and World Series.
"There could be something that I don't know about going on," Miller told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. "Maybe I'll have some understanding in the off-season. I think it's more they're just looking out for me, innings-wise. I don't feel fatigued. I don't feel tired. I feel really good. There is probably some answer that I don't know about. I'll wait to hear it."
The 22-year-old sat and watched as Michael Wacha, a late-comer to the proceedings this year, starred for the Cards in the post-season.
When Miller got up to warm up in the last inning of Game 6, a writer in the press box at Fenway called out "I guess they paid the ransom."
Miller's role in the playoffs was a long reliever and in only one game did a Cards' starter pitch less than five innings. It was that one game that Miller appeared in.
"He's that safety valve for us at the end of the game and we had a couple games that were right there, just about ready to go," manager Mike Matheny said. "We were fortunate to have a pitcher of his ability sitting there, waiting if that happened."


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|96 m²
|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|3 nights
This beautiful apartment is on the sixth floor of the the Torremar building, constructed in 2008 and located in the heart of the picturesque town of Vina Del Mar, Chile. One block from a major mall, across the street from the beach and within a short walk to the town's square, any activity is only minutes away. This apartment offers all the conveniences including a full sized refrigerator, a washer/dryer unit, and an easy to use dishwasher all in an open and full kitchen. Free local calls, cable and internet access. There is a safe in the spacious master bedroom closet. Each and every room as well as the over-sized terrace offers a spectacular view of Vina del Mar, nearby Valparaiso and the Pacific Ocean. Chile, is famous for its world renowned wine industry. While here, you can tour one of several vineyards in the area. In Vina del Mar, which is also known as the 'Garden City' you will find many quaint shops and restaurants nestled among an array of colorful flowers. Here you can enjoy the vacation of a lifetime.
Transportation: We have a friend who offers tours and transportation between Santiago and Viña del Mar, should you so desire.
Cleaning Fee: The $50 cleaning fee is payable upon reserving the condo. (Any gratuities left upon departure will be appreciated).
Santiago: For you added enjoyment and convenience, we also offer a lovely and centrally located condo for rent in the heart of Providencia in Santiago. Please, contact us for more information.
As best friends and business partners, we are pleased to have the opportunity to share with you our beautiful condo for your stay in Chile.
Eddie Hernandez: I am a Florida (USA) native who has traveled the world thanks to my profession. As the son of an airline employee and now that I am currently a flight attendant, I have had the opportunty to visit dozens of countries throughout the world and I can truly say that Chile is like a piece of paradise here on Earth. I am thrilled to be co-owner of an luxurious condo facing the magnificent Chilean coastline.
Danilo Ibarra: I was born in the beautiful city of Santiago, Chile. Currently living in the USA, I am pleased to have the opportunity to share the beauty of my native country with people from the entire world. Viña del Mar is one of the nicest cities you will ever visit.
We are very excited to be able to offer our guests a comfortable yet elegant condo for a home away from home during your next stay in Viña del Mar.
We will welcome you with open arms!
Eddie Hernandez, Danilo Ibarra purchased this apartment in 2008
When we chose this property, they had not even broken ground on the new construction. We fell in love with this area of town as well as the spacious floor plan that we saw in the blueprints. Once the building was completed we were thrilled to see that the beauty of the apartment went beyond our expectations. We were especially awestruck by the spectacular view from the balcony.
The apartment is very accessible and in the heart of Vina del Mar, walking distance to beach, mall, shops, restaurants and the town square.
Vina del Mar is charming and this rental unit is just as lovely as pictured, if not more. It is well furnished, centrally located, easy walk to the beach. The Concierge staff were most gracious. We had wireless access, the use of the outdoor & indoor pool, a well furnished balcony to enjoy the sunsets from.
The owners ensure all is well by checking in with you when you arrive.
We would return again and can highly recommend this rental to anyone planning to visit this area.
Sharon & Dane
Sunshine Coast of BC, Canada
Will recommend to friends and would stay again.
Lovely modern unit with fantastic views! Close to beach, shops, restaurants, mall. Great location, clean, & doormen are so helpful. Safe, clean place to stay! Would definitely stay there again!
No es nuestra primera vez en esta propiedad. Como siempre todo es perfecto. El departamento tiene una ubicación espectacular, es un lugar muy lindo, muy cómodo. La gente que atiende en el edificio es muy atenta. Eddie y Danilo son excelentes anfitriones, siempre atentos.
Un departamento muy cómodo, amplio, bien decorado, y con excelente equipamiento, tiene todo lo que puedes necesitar durante tu estadía para sentirte como en casa. Ideal para una familia que busca comodidad y practicidad a buen precio.
El living y la cocina integrada son muy cómodas, con una amplia mesada que resulta muy práctica.
La vista desde el balcón es fantástica, exactamente como se ve en las fotografías, y si subes a la terraza en el último piso se pueden tomar unas fotografías muy buenas.
Está muy bien ubicado, a una cuadra del Mall Marina y dos cuadras del supermercado Líder. El acceso desde la ciudad es práctico, y cuenta con un amplio estacionamiento si estás en coche.
La atención de Eddie y de Danilo fueron muy buenas, tanto antes como durante la estadía, siempre en contacto para ver si necesitamos algo, y con instrucciones claras y precisas sobre cómo acceder al departamento.
Gracias por todo, si alguna vez volvemos a Viña seguramente trataremos de ir a este mismo departamento!!
When our plans changed for our stay in Chile, the owners were very flexible about our Santiago vrbo with them and offered us this apartment. The view was awesome; we loved the balcony and all the amenities in the kitchen; the reception/security staff was so helpful; and it was so close to everything. Would definitely stay here again! Thank you so much!
|Rate Period
|Weekend Night
Mid season
23 Sep 2017 - 30 Nov 2017
3 night minimum stay
High Season
1 Dec 2017 - 18 Mar 2018
3 night minimum stay
Low season
19 Mar 2018 - 13 Sep 2018
3 night minimum stay
My Standard Rate
3 night minimum stay
|Cleaning fee
A surcharge will be applied for certain holidays.


text:
WoRMS image
Bursina fijiensis
Philippines, Central Visayas, Bohol, Panglao Island, by tangle net, collected December 1998, ex coll. J.G.B. Nieuwenhuis. Image by Joop Trausel and Frans Slieker
Natural History Museum Rotterdam
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Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 300D DIGITAL
Image Title: Bursina fijiensis (Watson,1881)
Original Time Taken: 2009:05:20 16:50:39
Time Digitized: 2009:05:20 16:50:39
Shutter Speed: 1/30 sec
Aperture: f/16
ISO Sensitivity: 100
Exposure Compensation: -1.33 EV
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash Fired: No Flash
Original Width: 297 pixels
Original Height: 425 pixels
Orientation: 1: Normal (0 deg)
White Balance: 1
Focal Length: 50 mm
Focal Length Equivalent in 35mm Film: 822.24807643541
added on 2012-07-12
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WoRMS taxa
Bursina fijiensis
(Watson, 1881)
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Easy Street is Marketplace's daily roundup of the most interesting news stories and commentary about Wall Street, Washington and the curious world of finance.
Goldman Sachs: No one here but us trading chickens. Net Net's John Carney explains.
Related: Goldman is starting to show signs of mortality. Wall Street is worried, very worried.
How quaint: England discovers the no-doc mortgage. Welcome to the big leagues, guys.
Bank of America: Bank of America Merrill Lynch has a team of investors who decide what to do with the firm's own money. They've had big hits like hospital operator HCA. Now they're leaving the bank and going off to invest on their own.
Twitter: What becomes of a Silicon Valley darling when it has to grow up?
Related: Fortune's cover story this week on Trouble @ Twitter.
Bond Markets
Bond rally: Yesterday S&P said America might get downgraded. So Treasury bonds rallied and had a great day. Huh? For clues to how this works, picture Treasurys as Miss America.
Hedge Funds
Madoff Cleanup: Irving Picard, the trustee devoted to getting back all the money Bernie Madoff stole, wants $43 million for four months of work. Did Madoff make that kind of cash? Probably not. Remember kids: it pays to stay on the right side of the law.
The Washington Matrix
Geithner Stumps: The Treasury Secretary is convinced S&P won't downgrade the U.S., ever. And he just can't stop talking about it.
Around the Web
Wikimaps: Google allows people to edit its Maps feature now.
Thomson Reuters announced that it is the new Wall Street Journal. Just kidding. The news company actually announced it had hired a passel of new editors, many of whom made their names at the WSJ and Dow Jones.


text:
" Author: Anne Rice / Genre: Horror "
* Prices may differ from that shown
Pandora was the first of a series of spinoff novels by Anne Rice from her famous or infamous Interview With The Vampire. The series featured other vampires and characters and would mention their interactions with the more well known vampires. My version of Pandora is the 1999 edition which is a standalone book of 419 pages but subsequent editions joined the story with others in the series to make volumes of up to 3 books back to back. The covers are also different per edition where mine features what I can only assume to be Pandora herself in a somewhat Mona Lisa-esque facial portrait with ancient Egyptian overtones.
General Plot Info and Thoughts:
Pandora is written in biographical style and tells a tale of a mysterious lady of intelligence, charm and endurance. I'm not a vampire fan though for some reason this book called to me, but unfortunately I have many gripes with the portrayal of this particular 'biography':
Firstly - The overall story is not based upon Pandora's life as a vampire at all but rather her human life as a Roman girl and woman. Most of the book is spent in great, articulate, period detail and resembles more of a history book than a work of fictional pleasure. However for the detail buffs out there, this could get an A* rating on the authenticity scale as Rice has outdone herself in this particular novel and perhaps even more so than in her other books that I subsequently read.
Secondly - When we finally get an insight into Pandora's vampiric life, we are only given a taster as practically the entire content is given over to her time with Marius, the begrudging and resentful lover who changed her into a vampire. (He is also the other major character of the series in addition to LeStat in my opinion.) In the whole of the tale Pandora is placed in nothing but stereotypical roles as a wife and daughter, she was known for nothing else other than which household or man she was attached to. The book might as well be titled 'The wife of Marius' as it seems she had no life other then at his side which I would hazard to guess was either lacking on the part of what was usually a forward thinking author or the author's way of showing us that not much was really known about Pandora.
Thirdly - Again actually, I can't emphasise enough the extreme lack of emphasis on Pandora herself; there is much graphic, atmospheric and historical detail but hardly any character revelations other than in her encounters with other characters. The tone with which she narrates is objective and unemotional or maybe that is representative of Pandora herself in that she is not to talk about her feelings and thoughts too deeply lest she be revealed and her security taken away from her. But it is a shame because there was such potential in her character; a beautiful, gifted, intelligent, fiery female with wit, daring and cunning. She was forced into marriage and home life but rebelled and strived for as much freedom as possible. Her character is just not done justice at all in this book. There is much suffering, conflict, sorrow and despair in Pandora's character but also rejuvenation, strength, adaptability and courage; there is something of a Hypatia of Egypt (historical figure) about her and she is simply irresistible yet suppressed and abandoned by everybody whom she ever loved. She is lonely and fragile and yet resourceful and stubborn - come what may she is a survivor and will stand the test of time no matter what guise or form she may take be it a seemingly empty shell of depression and woe or a reserved lady of wisdom and dignity. It is just unfortunate that in her own book even, she is hardly given the time of day.
Fourthly - The other main and loveable character Flavius (her 'butler') isn't developed to the heights of what potentially could have been yet another spin-off novel biography. His character is so very compatible and complimentary to Pandora's that I wonder would they have been lovers if he had not been gay and then where and how would Marius fit in?
It certainly is an interesting concept especially for those familiar with the series - the great Marius and the one that got away (Pandora) or more correctly, the one that he foolishly left and never returned to even though he claimed to love her dearly. Flavius' whole life with Marius and Pandora is glossed over in approximately one sentence which basically states that many a happy year passed by, until the last part of his storyline in the book which is quite shocking and cruel. How is it that Rice can more than surpass the standards for setting the scene and yet come up so surprisingly short in character detail and experience? It is a shame and a sad waste to not have continued his story at the time.
Finally - for those readers who have or even have not read 'Blood and Gold - The Story of the Vampire Marius' you will notice some inconsistencies in some of the encounters and events between the two, for example when they meet up again at a ball; the experience is very short lived in Pandora and expanded as well as softened in Marius' story. Another example being in Marius' story where Pandora saves him; in Marius' story he loves Pandora dearly but in 'The Queen of the Damned' he is practically on the verge of spitting venom at her. This just goes to show that either Rice underestimated the intelligence and sensitivity of her readers or forgot to check her own stories and wrote new ones thinking she could change them without anyone noticing.
Pandora as a character herself is a wonderful assortment of emotional humanity and bleak immortality but as the novel is rather monotonous at times long breaks are necessary in between chapters otherwise one might lose all motivation to keep reading. Pandora is a beautiful flower stuck in a barren desert of literary boredom; if you like her character as I did then the book is worth the read; but if not, just skip through the history lesson and read the interesting parts (namely her interaction with other characters). That's not to say historical detail is boring in general, I find it very helpful usually both for learning and imagining but this is a case where the background superimposed the foreground and I believe in a detrimental way or veil to the story.
It's also interesting to note that in the books belonging to other vampires Pandora is thought of in a conflicting and often negative way, but from what I read in this book it is probably because she would not conform. If you want to compare Pandora to other well known fictional and non-fiction characters I would suggest that she is up there with Cleopatra, The Queen of Sheba, Delilah and all of those other sumptuous and oft misunderstood heroines. Rice had a real treasure here but it was squandered, I cannot say why as from her interviews she sounded as though she was really pleased to be writing about a strong female character and liked Pandora personally but for whatever reason that enthusiasm wasn't transparent on the pages of the book.
Note - this is a review I posted under my old Ciao account: ladyofsorrow. I have re-organized and updated it. Many thanks for reading and regards.
Pandora is one of several 'Vampire Chronicles' by Anne Rice. It's really quite important that you've read at least a couple of the earlier books in this series before you read this one as it features characters that will otherwise be a bit perplexing to you. This is one of several standalone stories that Anne Rice has written to go with the series but I do feel you need to know what's gone on before to really understand this. In fact it doesn't really serve any purpose if you don't know the story before you read this.
Pandora is basically one of the older vampires. Readers who've read a few of Anne Rice's 'Vampire Chronicles' will know that vampires have existed in Anne Rice's world for several thousand years and as such, there are numerous vampires in her books of drastically varying ages. The older the vampire, the stronger their gifts are. So Pandora is not just old but also especially gifted.
Because of the gifts that Pandora has, there are a few interesting storylines that go on in this book. But that said, it isn't some great novel with wonderfully entertaining or interesting things going on. In fact despite having only read this book a few months ago - I had to get it out and actually read a few chapters before I was sure I remembered what had actually happened. I think that goes to show just how forgettable this addition to the 'Vampire Chronicles' is.
The only really redeeming feature about this book is that if you really like the series in general, well it's something else to read isn't it? But if you're not a die hard fan then I'd say give this one a miss to be honest - especially considering the price is no cheaper than the better books in the series. There really isn't a lot that goes on in this book and if you miss out, it won't affect your enjoyment of any of the others.
Product Detail:
Price: £5.99
Pages: 406
Publisher: Arrow Books Limited
As many of you know, I have been reading the books in the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. This book is the first in her New Tales of the Vampires, although it is basically carrying on the story, and telling of the lives of other characters in her past novels. Anne Rice's first chronicle was the famous Interview With The Vampire, which was made into a motion picture in 1994. She followed the success of that book with the second chronicle, The Vampire Lestat, then with Queen of the Damned, which is the book that Pandora was first mentioned. The last two, Tale of the Body Thief and Memnoch the Devil were both about the vampire Lestat again. Anne Rice now tells us about other vampires that have been mentioned in her past books, and this includes Pandora. Others are still mentioned in this book, including Lestat, Armand and Marius. At the end of the book, Tale of the Body Thief, Lestat gets his own body back after he was tricked by a mortal into an exchange. The mortal body that he had, was then taken over by David Talbot, the 74 year old man, head of the Talamasca. Lestat then made him a vampire. So, David Talbot, now a vampire, meets up with Pandora to ask her to write her life story for him, as Louis and Lestat have already done with their books. She is reluctant, but agrees. The book then, is about Pandora, and what her life was like before and after becoming a vampire. How she was the only daughter of a Roman Senator, and her love for poetry and education. At the age of 10, she meets Marius, then a mortal, and is instantly drawn to him. At the age of 15, Marius asks her father for her hand in marriage, but he refuses. Roman wars between it's leaders and religion, force her to flee to Antioch. Her family have been slaughtered for being traitors (You will find out who the informant was later in the book). Anne Rice describes beautifully the surroundings, people and objects that you can al
most see them. Her knowledge of history is excellent, filling me in on a few things I didn't learn at school. Pandora meets up again with Marius, but this time he is a vampire, and means her no harm. (Marius is the one that made Armand, and the keeper of the vampire King and Queen, if you have been following my opinions). He does make her into a vampire, just over half way through the book, and they remain together for several hundred years. She goes on to tell us of other vampires that happen upon them to drink from the King and Queen, and how history and religion begins to change in the world. Although they love each other, they do have heated arguments about what they each believe in, and finally Marius leaves, taking the King and Queen with him. The next time the two meet up is in the book, Queen of the Damned. Writing this for David has brought back her feelings for Marius, and she wants to go to New Orleans to see him again, and also to see Lestat after his tour of Heaven and Hell with Memnoch the Devil. The book can get a little boring in places, but for lovers of period novels, it is a must. The next book on my list? The Vampire Armand. (406 pages)
In this first of a series, David Talbot, vampire survivor of Memnoch the Devil, calls forth Pandora, last seen in Queen of the Damned, to tell her own extraordinary tale.


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If They Come for Your Guns, Do You Have a Responsibility to Fight? MUST READ!
I feel a tremendous responsibility to write this article though I am a little apprehensive. Thinking about the possibility of rising up against our own government is a frightening thing for many of us.
I am not Johnny Rambo and I will be the first to admit that I do not want to die. The reason I feel compelled to write this, however, is simply because I don't think the average American is equipped with the facts.
I feel that a lot of American citizens feel like they have no choice but to surrender their guns if the government comes for them. I blame traditional media sources for this mass brainwash and I carry the responsibility of all small independent bloggers to tell the truth. So my focus today is to lay out your constitutional rights as an American, and let you decide what to do with those rights.
About a month ago I let the "democracy" word slip in a discussion with a fellow blogger. I know better. Americans have been conditioned to use this term. It's not an accurate term and it never has been a correct term to describe our form of government. The truth is that the United States of America is a constitutional republic. This is similar to a democracy because our representatives are selected by democratic elections, but ultimately our representatives are required to work within the framework of our constitution. In other words, even if 90% of Americans want something that goes against our founding principles, they have no right to call for a violation of constitutional rights.
If you are religious you might choose to think of it this way… Say that members of your congregation decide that mass fornication is a good thing. Do they have the right to change the teachings of your God? The truth is the truth. It doesn't matter how many people try to stray from it. Did I just compare our founders to God? In a way I did, but please note that I am not trying to insult anyone. For the purpose of the American Government our constitution and founders who wrote it are much like God is to believers. It is the law. It is indisputable.
Our founders did not want a "democracy" for they feared a true democracy was just as dangerous as a monarchy.
Congress could pass gun ban legislation by a 90%+ margin and it just would not matter. I think some people are very unclear on this. This is the reason we have a Supreme Court, and though I do not doubt that the Supreme Court can also become corrupt, in 2008 they got it right. They supported the constitution. It does not matter what the majority supports because America is not a democracy. A constitutional republic protects the rights of every single citizen, no matter what their "elected servants" say. A majority in America only matters when the constitution is not in play.
Read the rest here:
The whole idea is to educate.
As I just got through reading somewhere else:
"If you don't care enough to learn, please have the decency to avoid doing things that might eliminate the ability of others to protect themselves, their families, their neighbors, and you—or might steal the liberty of our descendants."
– KoFFee29 views


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BAE's First HybriDrive Series Electric Placement with Nova Bus
BAE Systems will supply its second-generation HybriDrive Series-E Propulsion drivelines for 475 low-floor buses by Volvo-Nova Bus for Canada's ATUQ, the Association du transport urbain du Quebec consortium of nine area transit agencies. The order includes an option for approximately 1,200 additional vehicles.
BAE will deliver its HDS200 drive for 40-foot Nova LFS HEV vehicles for ATUQ, and its HDS300 for 60-foot articulated buses. Also in negotiation is use of one of four all-electric modes, says BAE VP and HybriDrive GM Steve Trichka. BAE uses lithium ion batteries from A123 Systems.
"We are pleased to be working with Nova Bus for the first time, which expands our original equipment manufacturer platform base in the North American market," Trichka says in a release. BAE had been a longtime supplier of hybrid drives to the now defunct Orion bus unit of Daimler and more recently supplies New Flyer. BAE hybrids are in service Toronto, Ottawa and Mississauga, he told F&F.
ATUQ serves Montréal, Québec, Lévis, Laval, Longueuil, Gatineau, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay, and Sherbrooke.
"One important part of Nova Bus' vision is to be a leader in green efficiency and electro-mobility," Volvo Buses Americas business region president Stefan Tilk said in his company's ATUQ announcement. "We believe that lower-emissions buses help meet urban challenges such as congestion and improve quality of life," Tilk said.
More Than 4,000 HybriDrive Buses Worldwide
BAE says that the Nova LFS HEV offers approximately 30% lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional diesel-powered buses, BAE says. Development and production of the hybrid propulsion systems will be conducted at a new, 100,000-square-foot facility in Endicott, N.Y.
BAE has upwards of 4,000 of its drives in transit service worldwide, and they have logged more than 600 million miles. Most are in North America, but BAE also supplies Alexander Dennis in the UK and Iveco in continental Europe. "Roughly half of overall series sales are in Europe right now, Trichka says.
Contact information is only available to premium subscribers. Click here to purchase a subscription.
Source: BAE Systems with Fleets & Fuels follow-up


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Dear Government: You Can't MAKE Me Buy A Gun, Either
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I stand 100% against any government leach or placeman telling me I cannot have a gun. It is unconstitutional and violates my God-given civil rights. But, I am just as much against the same class of people telling me I must own a gun.
A town in Maine is the newest town to put in place a rule that mandates that residents buy and own a gun. This sort of rule has been known in small towns in Idaho, Georgia and Texas, as well. But this requirement is no more in keeping with the Constitution than laws in big cities that try to outlaw ownership of guns–itself also a total violation of the U.S. Constitution.
This week the city fathers in the small town of Byron, Maine, are making news for sponsoring a new ordinance making gun ownership mandatory.
Of course, the rule is meant less to force everyone to buy a gun than it is to make sure that laws saying they can't would be nullified. But, if held to the letter of this law, this pro-gun mandate would violate freedom of choice just as much as outright bans on guns.
101 Things All Young Adults Should Know
by Sir John Hawkins
John Hawkins's book 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know is filled with lessons that newly minted adults need in order to get the most out of life. Gleaned from a lifetime of trial, error, and writing it down, Hawkins provides advice everyone can benefit from in short, digestible chapters.Buy Now
American freedom and liberty is an individual's right, not a collective right. As long as the exercise of my freedoms don't infringe on yours, then we are all good, if you will. But, telling me I must own a gun is just as much a violation of that liberty as telling me I can't own one.
The choice must be mine. With an emphasis on choice.
Americans have a right to be stupid and not indulge their God-given, natural rights to self-protection if they want. We call it liberty.
So, no, gun supporters, mandating gun ownership is no solution to the anti-Constitutional actions of the extremists on the far-left. Let's not over reach on this, shall we?
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Warner Todd Huston
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago-based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, BigJournalsim.com and all Breitbart News' other sites, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, and many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs across the country to discuss his opinion editorials and current events as well as appearing on TV networks such as CNN, Fox News, Fox Business Network, and various Chicago-based news programs. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the book "Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture" which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston and follow him on Twitter, on Google Plus , and Facebook.


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By convention, you declare resource properties following the resource type properties in the RTR file. Resource properties include system-defined properties provided by Sun Cluster and extension properties you define. For either type you can specify a number of property attributes supplied by Sun Cluster, such as minimum, maximum, and default values.
The following listing shows the system-defined properties in the sample RTR file.
# A list of bracketed resource property declarations follows the # resource-type declarations. The property-name declaration must be # the first attribute after the open curly bracket of each entry. # The <method>_timeout properties set the value in seconds after which # the RGM concludes invocation of the method has failed. # The MIN value for all method timeouts is set to 60 seconds. This # prevents administrators from setting shorter timeouts, which do not # improve switchover/failover performance, and can lead to undesired # RGM actions (false failovers, node reboot, or moving the resource group # to ERROR_STOP_FAILED state, requiring operator intervention). Setting # too-short method timeouts leads to a *decrease* in overall availability # of the data service. { PROPERTY = Start_timeout; MIN=60; DEFAULT=300; } { PROPERTY = Stop_timeout; MIN=60; DEFAULT=300; } { PROPERTY = Validate_timeout; MIN=60; DEFAULT=300; } { PROPERTY = Update_timeout; MIN=60; DEFAULT=300; } { PROPERTY = Monitor_Start_timeout; MIN=60; DEFAULT=300; } { PROPERTY = Monitor_Stop_timeout; MIN=60; DEFAULT=300; } { PROPERTY = Thorough_Probe_Interval; MIN=1; MAX=3600; DEFAULT=60; TUNABLE = ANYTIME; } # The number of retries to be done within a certain period before concluding # that the application cannot be successfully started on this node. { PROPERTY = Retry_Count; MIN=0; MAX=10; DEFAULT=2; TUNABLE = ANYTIME; } # Set Retry_Interval as a multiple of 60 since it is converted from seconds # to minutes, rounding up. For example, a value of 50 (seconds) # is converted to 1 minute. Use this property to time the number of # retries (Retry_Count). { PROPERTY = Retry_Interval; MIN=60; MAX=3600; DEFAULT=300; TUNABLE = ANYTIME; } { PROPERTY = Network_resources_used; TUNABLE = AT_CREATION; DEFAULT = ""; }
Although Sun Cluster provides the system-defined properties, you can set different default values using resource property attributes. See Resource Property Attributes for a complete list of attributes available for applying to resource properties.
Note the following about the system-defined resource properties in the sample RTR file:
Sun Cluster provides a minimum value (1 second) and a default value (3600 seconds) for all timeouts. The sample RTR file changes the minimum 60 and changes the default to 300 seconds. A cluster administrator can accept this default value or change the value of the timeout to something else, (60 or greater). Sun Cluster has no maximum allowable value.
The properties Thorough_Probe_Interval, Retry_count, and Retry_interval, have the TUNABLE attribute set to ANYTIME. This settings means the cluster administrator can change the value of these properties, even when the data service is running. These properties are used by the fault monitor implemented by the sample data service. The sample data service implements an Update method to stop and restart the fault monitor when these or other resource properties are changed by administrative action. See Update Method.
Resource properties are classified as
required—the cluster administrator must specify a value when creating a resource;
optional—if the administrator does not specify a value, the system supplies a default value.
conditional—the RGM creates the property only if it is declared in the RTR file.
The fault monitor of the sample data service makes use of the Thorough_probe_interval, Retry_count, Retry_interval, and Network_resources_used conditional properties, so the developer needed to declare them in the RTR file. See the r_properties(5) man page or Resource Properties for information about how properties are classified.
At the end of the sample RTR file are extension properties, as shown in the following listing
# Extension Properties # The cluster administrator must set the value of this property to point to the # directory that contains the configuration files used by the application. # For this application, DNS, specify the path of the DNS configuration file on # PXFS (typically named.conf). { PROPERTY = Confdir; EXTENSION; STRING; TUNABLE = AT_CREATION; DESCRIPTION = "The Configuration Directory Path"; } # Time out value in seconds before declaring the probe as failed. { PROPERTY = Probe_timeout; EXTENSION; INT; DEFAULT = 120; TUNABLE = ANYTIME; DESCRIPTION = "Time out value for the probe (seconds)"; }
The sample RTR file defines two extension properties, Confdir and Probe_timeout. Confdir specifies the path to the DNS configuration directory. This directory contains the in.named file, which DNS requires to operate successfully. The sample data service's Start and Validate methods use this property to verify that the configuration directory and the in.named file are accessible before starting DNS.
When the data service is configured, the Validate method verifies that the new directory is accessible.
The sample data services's PROBE method is not a Sun Cluster callback method but a user-defined method. Therefore Sun Cluster doesn't provide a Probe_timeout property for it. The developer has defined an extension property in the RTR file to allow a cluster administrator to configure a Probe_timeout value.


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Cultivating personal, positive relationships with everyone makes life challenging. But since you never know when you'll need someone's support or help, it's vital to your success.
A few of the people you should cultivate:
- Your manager's manager (and even above that; the higher your acquaintances, the better).
- Your manager's staff.
- Your manager's family and friends.
- Administrative staff at higher and lower levels.
- Your administrative peers.
- Receptionists.
- Human resources/benefits managers and staff.
- Accounting managers and staff.
- People from other departments and other divisions.
- Clients and potential customers.
- Vendors (whether your company or organization currently is doing business with them or not).
- Salespeople (good relationships can lead to lower prices).
- Mail-room staff.
- Janitorial or maintenance staff.
It's a long list, and you can probably think of many others. But the point is, says Inner Circle Assistant author Joan Burge: "The more people you know who, in turn, know you—as a good person, hard worker, advocate for their personal and professional lives and superconnector—the wider the web of support you create around you, and the stronger it becomes."
During a setback, your web can be a lifesaver. And the rest of the time, you can feel more confident just knowing it's there.


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Episode 27: The Launch
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Stop, Drop and Play. All three of the lads are in attendance this week as we have a special episode of Stop, Drop and Play. Along with all of our usual shenanigans we chat about Dead Space, the "future of Playstation" event next week, N64 memories, and much more. As alway, we also have a whole bunch of listeners questions from the folks over on MyIGN, thanks guys
Now none of this may seem out of ordinary or special to you at all, but this episode actually marks the official launch of the Stop Drop and Play website! That's right, we now have an area where we can bring our podcast, Youtube videos and writing all under one roof. There's not too much content available on it now but that's sure to change in the coming weeks so we'd love it if you could check it out by clicking the link below, maybe subscribe/follow and let us know what you think of!
The new Stop Drop and Play Website!!!
Well alright, this weeks episode of SDP is approximately 90 minutes long, with explicit language used throughout, and we hope you enjoy it!


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Ditto all of the above. It rules, and it takes a lot of time, more than most have. If you're pressed for time, I suggest the spartacus workouts Men's Health drew up. I've tweaked em quite a bit switching out exercises to customize it, but it's a good routine if you have less time.
When I was in the depths of having no free time whatsoever with two kids in diapers (diaper stereo I called it) I bought Tony Horton's 10 minute workout DVDs. They were good because sometimes that's literally all I had was 10 minutes..and if I had 20 minutes, I'd do another workout.
Results 11 to 20 of 30
Thread: P90x
Mar 12, 2012, 01:49 AM #11Senior Member
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Mar 12, 2012, 02:34 AM #12Senior Member
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Do you do any other exercises to complement the p90x, like cardio or yoga?
Mar 12, 2012, 03:06 AM #13Senior Member
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right on man, thanks for the intel.
I don't know
I have watched others do it while I do something else.
My impression is that it is simply too much and nearly impossible to maintain for the long term.
Not to mention it is too much especially if you have a harder than average and time consuming job and a family.
I can see myself doing it if i had very few other responsibilities and a lot of time for rest, otherwise it is too much and too much equals little rest and overdoing it...
to everyone who has tried it - if you think the the plyo kicks butt then go for the plyo max workout on insanity (another beach body product)
even the trainers cant keep steady through that whole workout
Mar 12, 2012, 11:51 AM #17Senior Member
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I know it's going to sound lame, but I want to be on the Mick Fanning training program, or at least as close to it as practical for a married guy with a 9-to-5. I'm open-minded about anything that can help me surf and keep me in shape so that I'm still surfing into my 60s.
Mar 12, 2012, 12:33 PM #18Senior Member
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I've been doing P90x for several years, on and off and it works.
However, I started insanity last week and its just that. Maybe I got too confortable with P90x- Not sure - but Insanity is pushing my limits.
Ifg you guys are looking for one of the programs, always check craigslist. I scored insanity brand new for $40.
Mar 12, 2012, 01:11 PM #19
Crossfit. It's free and that's what SF Army uses. I don't know too much about it. My son is a Delta 18 and he told me about it this weekend. He says it's easier to maintain the intensity than the PX90 work outs. I'm going to give it a shot because All I do is cardio, because I'm old and lazy...
Mar 12, 2012, 02:08 PM #20
I also just started. I just rented a house and low and behold someone left about 200 DVD's in the hall closet. Including p90x, various yoga and pilates, and some straight to lifetime old lady flicks. I might get online and try to download the nutrition guide but so far my impression is that you can eat anything under the sun, and should, as you are doing straight cardio for an hour a day, by 90 days I bet I will be a cal burning machine.


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You can try these similar gifts instead.
Organic Penny Pig Teething Blankie
There's just so much to love about their tiny baby, and they want to find a gift that mom, dad, and the little one herself will enjoy. This teething blankie is great for both nap-time and play-time.


text: Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 'Unique' Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Bailey Nurseries 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Unique') hy-DRAIN-jah pah-nik-yew-LAY-tah Genus: Hydrangea 'Unique' bears 8-inch-long white flower heads that fade to pinkish white. It is similar to, but more vigorous than, Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'. The cultivar name refers to the shape of the flower heads; they are broad at the base and rounded at the tip. Noteworthy Characteristics: This is one of the most cold-hardy species. It may be grown as a single-stemmed specimen or as a multi-stemmed shrub. Care: Grow in moist, but well-drained soil, in sun to partial shade. Blooms on current season's wood; may cut back to a few buds from a framework in spring to produce larger flowers, or alternately, allow to grow with minimal pruning. Propagation: Sow seed in a cold frame in spring; take softwood cuttings in early summer, hardwood cuttings in winter. Problems: Gray mold, slugs, powdery mildew, rust, ringspot virus, leaf spots. Overview Height 6 ft. to 10 ft. Spread 6 ft. to 10 ft. Growth Habit Clumps Growth Pace Fast Grower Light Full Sun to Part Shade Moisture Medium Moisture Maintenance Low Characteristics Showy Flowers, Showy Seed Heads Bloom Time Fall, Late Summer, Summer Flower Color Pink Yarrow, White Uses Beds and Borders, Cut Flower, Dried Flower, Specimen Plant/Focal Point Style Cottage Garden Seasonal Interest Summer Interest Tolerance Frost Tolerant Type Shrubs Related Plants to Hydrangea paniculata 'Unique' 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Peegee hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora' 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva' 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens View the discussion thread.


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James H. Foreman
James H. Foreman, PMP, Senior Consultant, Strategy Execution, specializes in advanced project management. With clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to global industries to the federal government, he has provided project management training and professional services for more than 30 years. In addition, he has extensive experience in the areas of strategic planning for information management and the information system life cycle as well as service acquisition and service delivery.
At Strategy Execution, Jim focuses on client support, where he designs client-specific improvement programs and defines and designs programs and products for use across the client base. He was also instrumental in developing two of our white papers: Improving Sourcing Outcomes: The Three Cs of Vendor Management Success and Collaborating for Successful EVM: Five Fundamental Roles.
Jim is a former President of the Board of Directors of the International School of Stuttgart, Germany. He has a bachelor's degree from Yale University.


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By Karen Brainard
Ramona Community Planning Group (RCPG) has not given up on trying to find a solution to the rush-hour traffic back-ups at the state Route 67 and Highland Valley/Dye Road intersection.
"That is the bottleneck for the community of Ramona," said RCPG Chair Jim Piva at the group's Feb 2 meeting.
Piva reported that the group's subcommittee working on a resolution will pursue funding with the regional San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to do a project report on the intersection.
A project report, explained RCPG member Carl Hickman, is a document that an agency puts together displaying all options or alternatives to ease or solve problems.
The county and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) do not have the money to fund the project report, said Piva, so they are turning to SANDAG. Piva and Hickman are scheduled to give a presentation on the intersection in a meeting with District 2 County Supervisor Dianne Jacob and SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Funding for a project report would have to be approved by the SANDAG board of directors.
An engineering plan to improve the intersection did not garner enough planning group votes in May 2011, mainly due to the inclusion of a traffic light at Mussey Grade Road and Route 67.
In another matter, Piva said that he and RCPG Secretary Kristi Mansolf had attended a meeting on Jan. 31 with members of Committee for a Rural Ramona (CFARR) and Terry Rayback with the County Department of Public Works on the proposed Ramona Street Extension. They learned that the design, in its fourth iteration, is only 70 percent complete and is projected to be finished in the fall.
The road project would extend .33 miles of Ramona Street between Boundary Avenue and Warnock Drive. Members of CFARR who live along that stretch oppose the project and have voiced recent concerns about the possibility of rock blasting during construction.
A geotechnical report, completed in November 2011, indicated the project area may rock that might need to be blasted, according to Rayback. He said that is quite common in San Diego County and was not unexpected.
When the design is complete, Piva said, Rayback will present the entire design at an RCPG meeting and will distribute copies to planning group and CFARR members to review for 30 days.
"We will all have a chance to critique it and come back with our concerns," said Piva.
In other issues, the planning group unanimously approved an Alcoholic Beverage Control license for Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market planned in Sun Valley shopping center in the 1300 block of Main Street.
Jeff Herbst with K.L. Charles Architects of Santa Fe Springs said alcohol would amount to about 5 percent of the business. The focus is on fresh, wholesome foods with no additives and the market will carry ready-made meals, he said. The market may open in October, said Herbst.
Mansolf announced that the public comment period for the Notice of Preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the county's Tiered Equine Ordinance ends on Feb. 17. The document is available at www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/regulatory/doc/POD11-011_CEQA_REVIEW_120119/POD11-01-NOPD.pdf. The project proposes amendments to the County of San Diego Zoning Ordinance for equine uses.


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Enlighten me!
Mar 29, 2010 in Uncategorized
A new painting was added to this site today. As you can see it's pure abstract art, pure meaning that there's nothing from the real world in this painting, just the collection of blobs of paint which we call abstract art. Most of the paintings I'm doing now are purely abstract. This happens when I feel I need to renew my style, which is easier without figurative constraints, like in portraits. Then, if feel I have completed that process, I apply the new style to paintings with figurative elements. So, the abstract does preceed the figurative, which is why I feel justified calling my style abstract art, whether or not it contains figurative elements.
In society the shifting perception of What Is Art? rages on. The art world (museums, galleries, recognized artists) are adamant that in art politics should preceed artistic motives, while the public seems to long for a return to intrinsic artistic merits. Correct me if I'm misjudging public opinion, here, because obviously I might be doing some wishful thinking. Nowadays the art world feels that art should shock. Can anyone explain to me why art has to shock?
Rubens would make art that was intended to shock, to a degree, particularly when he made use of Christian iconography: the crucifiction. Jesus (Him again) was hung on a cross, in the nude and irrevelantly upside down, with a bunch of heavies fanatically busy preparing the crucifiction and a dog barking at Jesus. Not very nice, but the divine sacrifice is central to Catholicism. Through empathy with Jesus, believers are supposed to be able to enter a higher spiritual state. I don't wish to discuss religion here, the point is that the shock element was part of an established religious tradition, not an expression of "art against society".
So why does the established art world wants to shock people? I don't always like the world either, but to wage a bitter guerrilla against John Doe, I don't get it.
Enlighten me! I'm politically incorrect..


text: Ron is the name, you can call me that or Cowboy or Igor or anything else is fine. I just bought a Masterbuilt 30" electric Smoker the one without a window or remote. I also have a cheap Walmart barrel smoker. I live in Fort Worth Right now I am smoking country ribs and Jerky. Unfortunately the Jerky wont probably turn out right because I have the temp up for the ribs . 225 deg


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Lawyers who have fed off the negotiate-arbitrate model of regulation used in telecommunications for the past decade will be seeing big dollar signs following the latest developments in the Queensland government's efforts to float QR National, the state's rail freight business.
Many legal careers – and almost entire large legal practices – have been built on the fees from taking action under Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act (TPA), which aims to facilitate third party access to monopoly infrastructure.
Anyone with experience in telecommunications will attest to the fact that Part IIIA has been one of the single biggest barriers to establishing a fair and competitive market for telco services.
It is specifically cited as one of the reasons why the Australian telecommunications market is underdeveloped relative to other countries, and it has been a catalyst for sweeping reform.
It plays right into the hands of lawyers because it provides plenty of opportunities for stalling, filibustering and endless appeals against decisions. Despite all that, there is now the prospect that the Queensland rail industry will become a happy hunting ground for competition lawyers thanks to
Asciano is QR's single biggest customer and he is not happy.
Yesterday, he applied to the National Competition Council (NCC) to have the use of Queensland's coal rail track assets declared under the TPA.
This pre-empts a move by the Queensland government to have the NCC certify the state's existing regulatory system of access undertakings, which are enforced by the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA).
Rowsthorn wants to dump a regulatory system that has worked well for nine years and allowed Asciano to acquire a 17 per cent share of the Queensland coal freight market.
While he has been telling analysts that he plans to build that market share to 30 per cent within five years, he now says those statements were based on the assumption that the regulatory system would need to change.
Rowsthorn says he does not want to frustrate or disrupt the float of QR, but his actions will ensure that regulatory uncertainty will be injected into the float process.
It is the latest blow to one of the only floats in Australia that actually has some momentum.
The other threat to the IPO comes from 14 coal companies. They want to buy the business directly from the government but have yet to lodge a formal offer.
QR has been slated for an initial public offering for some time. In March, five financial institutions (BOA Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, UBS and RBS) were appointed as joint lead managers of the float.
The business is said to have an enterprise value of about $7 billion based on historic earnings multiples, and assuming its balance sheet will be structured in line with similar businesses overseas while carrying an investment-grade credit rating.
Assuming debt of $4 billion, the equity would be $3 billion. But the final market capitalisation of the IPO will depend upon how much equity the government retains. Either way, there will be a 15 per cent cap on individual shareholdings.
Rowsthorn's regulatory move came as QR chief executive Lance Hockridge was hosting a site visit for about 40 financial advisers from various institutions.
They got a three-hour "QR 101" lesson yesterday in Brisbane before flying to Mackay for a visit today to QR's coal freight operations, including the track connecting BHP's Goonyella mine to the port. The site visit is part of a broader investor relations campaign that includes Hockridge and QR chief financial officer Deborah O'Toole heading to the United States next week to meet investors. That trip will be hosted by the joint lead managers, and starts in New York.
The pre-IPO marketing contains the usual restrictions on discussing forward financial projections.
The QR prospectus was always going to include uncertainty about the regulatory environment for the company because of the glacial pace at agreeing a third access undertaking for QR with the QCA.
The second access undertaking was meant to be terminated in December 2008 but that was extended until June this year. When it is completed, the access undertaking will be sent to the NCC for certification. Under TPA processes, that can take at least six months.
A recommendation in favour of a certification of the access undertaking would normally go to Queensland Treasurer
If Rowsthorn's application for the rail track to be declared is approved by the NCC then it would normally go to Queensland Premier
A declaration would give Asciano the advantage of being able to appeal decisions on their merits rather than simply on legal grounds, which is the case with the QCA regulatory regime.
However, based on the experience with Telstra under the negotiate-arbitrate model, QR would have greater ability to frustrate access seekers under an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission-regulated regime.
Rowsthorn said yesterday the current regulatory system for access to the QR tracks was ineffective in terms of the obligations imposed on the company for governance, non-discrimination, audit, performance measurement, and penalties for non-compliance.
This is the laundry list of issues that will make the lawyers's mouths water if and when the ACCC gets to rule the regulatory roost. Rowsthorn was particularly damning of the new members of the QR board. He said they would have fiduciary duty to exploit every possible loophole or weakness in the regulatory framework to favour QR's own rolling stock over that of third party access seekers such as Asciano.
This statement carries with it the assumption that directors will not work towards long-term value creation for shareholders. Instead it adopts the mindset of a competition lawyer schooled in Part IIIA.
QR has shown through its commercial agreement with coalminers on the so-called $1.1 billion northern missing link in north Queensland that it knows how to balance its interests as an owner and freight forwarder with those of its freight customers.
The agreement was reached without the need for an access undertaking and it included terms that were regarded fair by both sides.
More importantly, it highlighted the real incentives for QR to encourage higher freight usage of QR tracks through capital investment.
The Australian Financial Review


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2017-2018 Catalog
2017-2018 Catalog > Courses > MAT - Mathematics > 100 > MAT 155
Engages students in the concepts of school mathematics, the course will include the recognition of numerical and geometric patterns and their application to a variety of mathematical situations; mathematical problem-solving, reasoning, critical thinking, and communication; algebraic thinking, representation, analysis, manipulation, generalizations and extensions.
MAT 155 & MAT 156 are intended for Early Childhood Education & Elementary Education Students ONLY. Students who take MAT 155 & MAT 156 and who later change to a major outside Early Childhood Teacher Education & Elementary Teacher Education may not receive the guaranteed completion of lower division general education at the receiving 4-yr institution, as MAT 155 & MAT 156 are not gtPathways approved courses.


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Funeral services for Roy Kennon Talley, 57, are Corinth are set for 2 p.m. Friday at Magnolia Funeral Home Chapel of Memories with burial in Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery.
Visitation is from 4:30 to 9 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. until service time Friday.
Mr. Talley died Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at his residence.
Bro. Howard Goolsby, Bro. Philip Caples, Bro. Trent Spencer and Bro. Cody Hill will officiate.
Donald Gray
Donald Gray died Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at Magnolia Regional Health Center.
Arrangements are pending with Memorial Funeral Home.
Betty Sue Gray
Funeral services for Betty Sue Dunn Gray, 66, of Corinth are set for 11 a.m. Friday at Magnolia Funeral Home Chapel of Memories with burial in Liberty Cemetery in Michie, Tenn.
Private family visitation will be held from 11 a.m. until noon Friday.
Ms. Gray died Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at her residence.
Mary Ann Maxwell
IUKA — Funeral services for Mary Ann Maxwell, 86, of Iuka are set for 11 a.m. Thursday at Cutshall Funeral Home in Iuka with burial in Oak Grove Cemetery.
Visitation is from 5 to 9 p.m. today.
Ms. Maxwell died Monday, July 28, 2014, at Tishomingo Community Living Center.
Bro. Tony Curtis will officiate.
Ferry Dale Ratliff
A graveside service for Ferry Dale Ratliff, 61, of Corinth are set for 11 a.m. Friday at Corinth National Cemetery.
Visitation is from noon to 5 p.m. today at Patterson Memorial Chapel.
Mr. Ratliff died Sunday, July, 27, 2014, at Magnolia Regional Health Center.
The Rev. Kim Ratliff will officiate.
Patterson Memorial Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.


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Federal authorities in Nevada have charged 15 people with selling marijuana through several Las Vegas storefronts, violating medical marijuana laws and marketing themselves as providing a health service while simply selling the drug for profit.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden in Las Vegas announced the charges Thursday as part of an effort to crack down on commercial sales of marijuana in the state.
"Nothing in the Nevada Medical Marijuana Act permits the establishment of such commercial enterprises in Nevada," Bogden said in a statement. "Yet drug intelligence information indicates there are currently 45 to 60 of these marijuana trafficking enterprises operating unlawfully in the Las Vegas Valley alone."
Nevada's medical marijuana law passed in 2000. In all, 15 states and the District of Columbia allow it.
But advocates say Nevada's law makes it nearly impossible to legally smoke pot. Patients can't buy or sell marijuana and can only grow seven plants for personal use. Nevada's health department regulates medical marijuana but tells patients it cannot provide information about how to grow cannabis.
Authorities said 11 people were arrested Thursday in Las Vegas and one in Los Angeles on charges including marijuana distribution, money laundering and weapons possession. The cases were filed Dec. 17 and unsealed on Thursday.
The defendants were expected make initial court appearances on Friday.
Authorities said those charged included: John "Mr. Happy" Birmele, 36, of Las Vegas; Kelly Birmele, 36, of Las Vegas; Laura Rhoades-Yokoi, 36, of Henderson; John Allen Youngblood, 40, of Los Angeles; Timothy Hough, 31, of Henderson and Michael Ellsworth, 57, of Henderson.
Also charged from Las Vegas were: Pierre "Dr. Reefer" Werner, 39, Reynalda Barnett, 59, Clyde Barnett, 21, Ron Teston, 57, and Kristen Krusyna, 21.
Authorities said Las Vegas residents Michael McAuliffe, 53, and Katree Darriel Saunders, 30, were also charged, along with 26-year-old Chad Uhl of North Las Vegas and 49-year-old Caroline Dellaville of Henderson.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney said all defendants had been arrested except for Kelly Birmele, Saunders and Uhl.
Authorities named five businesses in the complaints: The Happiness Consultant, the Nevada Compassionate Center, Dr. Reefer, LV Fingerprinting and Organic Releaf.
Attempts to reach the businesses by The Associated Press were not immediately successful. A woman on a recorded message at Organic Releaf said the business was closed because of a "family emergency."
"Hopefully we will reopen tomorrow," the woman said.
Werner told The Associated Press recently after his Dr. Reefer shop was raided that he thought authorities would leave them alone.
"No one should go to prison for a plant," he said.


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Release Date: 2009 |
Album Rating: 3.5Close to a rating of 4, but no cigar.
Wasn't there another review of this like a couple of days ago? (Hides)
Ugh, I'm wrong lol good review...grrr
nice one, davey
Album Rating: 3.5WRONG! :-)
The above comment was obviously directed at Marko, not you Jim.
This Message Edited On 03.19.09
this has ruined my day!
Album Rating: 3.5LOL. After a hard days work driving the cab around town Jim, I can imagine you don't need to come home & have your day ruined by some Sputnik'er.
Davey is just an asshole. Never talk to him Bahamut, ever.
Album Rating: 4.0Nice Review as usual. Maybe it's because I don't listen to much electronic music, but I really like some of the sounds they get by fusing pop rock guitars with synths.
I would probably give it a definite 4.
Album Rating: 3.5Easy there Goran, or else I'll start an "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy" chant and then we'll see who has back up!
Thanks Croc. And you raise a really good point with your comment. I think fans of Franz Ferdinand who are not really into electronica could use this album as a bit of a pathway into some of the more accessible electronic artists. If you like this, there are a number of other artists that also fuse electronica & guitars. I've had a mental blank on all but the obvious (Klaxons, MGMT, etc...) right now, but I'm sure other people can chime in with any albums that 'Tonight:...' reminds them of. At the very least, it may be worth keeping in mind when reading future reviews.
Another good review under the belt, Davey. Who's next on the list to be reviewed?
On topic, theres only a very small number of electronica bands i enjoy, even then they're not all that electronic, they just fuse it with something else. I'd like to enjoy more of it, but it gets so boring lol.
Album Rating: 3.5Thanks Billy. I'm listening to a lot of Rise Against in the lead-up to the concert next Friday, so I may just have to complete my review of their discography.
And yeah, I think I am similar to you on electronica for the most part. I tend to like the singles from most of the bands you are alluding to, but the album tracks tend to be filler to me. For example; MGMT, Klaxons, The Presets & Empire of the Sun.
Album Rating: 4.0Good review, good album, not as good as s/t but better than YCHISMB. I think that this has some of Franz's weakest stuff on it (Send Him Away, Live Alone), but the strength of the better tracks is easily enough to hide that. I've had Ulysses in my head literally all year, and No You Girls is their catchiest chorus yet imo. I loved Lucid Dreams as well, basically cos it's so different to anything else they've ever done.
Album Rating: 3.0Ha! I knew this was coming. Didn't think it would be this fast. You sure do churn out these reviews fast, and in consistenly good quality along with it.
I want to do a discography too sometime (when I think my reviews are good enough), but haven't decided which one yet. Must be a band no one has done entirely yet...
Great review Davey as per usual. Obviously I disagree with your rating. Some of the electronics feel out of place and the whole album feels stogy in the middle, but undoubtedly the good songs on this are really great.
The line on Ulysses "Come on lets get high" gives further evidence for my claim that Britains water is traced with LSD :-).
Album Rating: 3.5Thanks Ali. I can't really add to your comments as I pretty much agree with them all. I rate this fractionally better than 'YCHISMB' at the moment, but that may be because it is fresher.
Nagrarok, the good thing about reviewing discographies is once you get going on the first review, it can tend to flow through to the others (hence why I can sometimes churn them out so quickly). Of course, the negative side of that is that I/you have to be careful not to get too repetitive over the multiple reviews.
Thanks Ross. LOL about the "come on lets get high" line. I actually hadn't thought of that. As difficult as it was, I attempted to treat this album sort of like a debut from a little known band as I think one of the reasons the electronics can feel out of place is due to comparisons with their earlier albums. Does anything feel out of place? I dunno... Maybe, but not so much that it goes anywhere near ruining the album for me.
Need I say that this is a great review?
I vote you do Hysteria next, then you can follow through with my DFelon suggestion also, it might give me a chance to go on a rant about how bad 80's stadium pop/rock was, which is always a plus in my mind.
Haha I guess if you think of this as a debut it probably deserves higher than a 3, but it isn't a debut, Franz Ferdinand are a talented and popular band, and I think they can do better than this. The middle of the album is far too weak.
Album Rating: 3.5Thanks Spamue1. And man, are you winding up for this rant or what? I think I'll let you wind up a little further. I tell you what though, it will be posted before I head off on vacation in mid-May.
Ross, that's not to say I increased my rating because I sort of tried to consider this as a debut. I can assure you that the 3.5 I gave it is on face value. It was more just for judging the sound withour pre-meditated ideas I guess.
I didn't mean to sound as hostile as I came across Davey, and I'm sure you gave the album a rating reflective of the content. To be honest (and I think I mentioned this in my review) I don't even think the change is that great; certainly there is less dependance on the guitars and an increased usage of synths, but not to such a degree that one couldn't tell it was the same band that released Franz Ferdinand back in '04.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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(click linked text below to jump to related section of the review)
- The Movie Itself
- 3.5 Stars
- HD Video Quality
- 5 Stars
- HD Audio Quality
- 4.5 Stars
- Supplements
- 0.5 Stars
- High-Def Extras
- 1 Stars
- Bottom Line
- Worth a Look
- Street Date:
- January 14th, 2014
- Reviewed by:
- M. Enois Duarte
- Review Date: 1
- December 31st, 2013
- Movie Release Year:
- 2013
- Studio:
- Universal
- Length:
- 119 Minutes
- MPAA Rating:
- Rated R
- Release Country
- United States
The Movie Itself: Our Reviewer's Take
After the visually ambitious but very divisive 'Chronicles,' David Twohy returns to basics in 'Riddick,' the third installment in the sci-fi series that began with 'Pitch Black' and went on to follow the ongoing exploits of the Furyan antihero. The last movie was grandiose in design and larger in scope as it tried to expand on the universe and mythos of the character established in 'Pitch Black.' Love it or hate it, the movie at least accomplished that much and turned the escaped convict into a laudable baddie worth cheering on. Admittedly, there is something drab and dreary about the Necromongers — perhaps it's their malefic religious fanaticism — but they nonetheless make interesting foibles counter to Riddick's own search for purpose.
In this second sequel, however, Twohy eschews another storyline with the rigorously faithful empire in favor of the lone warrior against a hostile planet approach that worked for him so well in the first film. He does away with them very early on in a flashback sequence that feels quickly pieced together and attached as an afterthought. Living like a king to a congregation of death worshipers, Riddick (Vin Diesel reprising the role that made him an action star but also doing excellent in it) explains he grew soft and comfortable, leaving him open to a betrayal he never saw coming. After a coldly-detached conversation with Commander Vaako (Karl Urban) using the location of Riddick's home planet Furya as leverage, our hero is abandoned on a desolate, barren world to die.
It's a rocky start to an otherwise entertaining entry in the series. As Riddick wanders the desert licking his wounds — both literally and figuratively — he finds time to raise and domesticate a chest-high jackal-like beast, evolve a resistance to venom, and make himself a variety of Ginsu-sharp weapons from bones and rocks. One of his most amazing creations is an enormous femur-like bone that opens like an oversized straight razor, which he uses against a deadly monster that hypnotizes its prey with a serpentine tail that looks like the larger, nastier cousin of the 'Prometheus' snake. Thankfully, Riddick is neither a biologist nor a geologist, so he focuses on killing these creatures rather than studying them. It's also a good thing he takes this tactic since these viciously aggressive mud demons will return for our hero in larger numbers.
But before coming to that point in the story, Riddick calls for a taxi ride off the dry, red planet the only way he knows how — announcing the location of the most wanted man in the universe. This is how and where Twohy and producer Diesel return to basics — while also, to some extent, feeling like they're repeating the first film on a negligible level that I'm willing to forgive because frankly, I like it. What makes Riddick such a fascinating character is his interaction with others, his unabashed confidence in his abilities, intelligence, and physical prowess, especially in light of overly cocky bounty hunters like Santana (Jordi Mollà) and his ragtag team, which includes Dave Bautista. It's fun watching his big mouth get slapped around a few times by a woman, but the highlight is Riddick detailing Santana's death in a matter seconds and then delivering on that promise.
But again, before getting to that awesome, holy sh*t moment, Riddick faces the ghost of his past in the second group of bounty hunters, a professional, well-prepared mercenary team led by Boss Johns (Matthew Nable) who harbors a specific agenda. Katee Sackhoff is part of the crew as second in command Dahl, the tough, hard-hitting woman that wipes the floor with Santana to teach him some manners. And as mentioned earlier, Riddick's interaction with these folks, as well as seeing handle himself exceptionally well in hand-to-hand combat, is ultimately the joy of watching these movies. The pace is sadly a bit sluggish in the middle, but with Twohy's dazzling camerawork, imaginative production design — although much of it thanks to CGI — and Diesel's performance as the eponymous antihero, 'Riddick' churns out plenty of entertaining action, making for a good entry in the series and finishing with hints for future adventures.
The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats
Universal Studios Home Entertainment brings 'Riddick' to Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a code for an UltraViolet Digital Copy and dubbed the "Unrated Director's Cut." The Region Free, BD50 disc sits comfortably on a panel opposite a DVD-9 copy. Both are housed inside a blue, eco-elite case with a glossy cardboard slipcover.
The unrated cut adds approximately 8 minutes of footage to the movie's 119-minute theatrical version. The difference is mostly minor with some added blood and gore, but the bonus scenes are most notable at the beginning because they show an assassination attempt and the conversation with Vaako is also longer. The ending on the director's cut is also different from the theatrical. At startup, viewers can skip a few trailers before coming to a static window with music and the usual menu options along the left side where one can choose between the two versions.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
Riddick is abandoned on the barren plains of a Blu planet with a first-rate and highly-detailed 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode. Every pebble and grain of sand is distinct while the tiniest pockmark in the various rock formations can be individually made out. Lifelike complexions, especially during close-ups, reveal every pore, scar and blemish with superb definition. Each hair, whether human or jackal beast, is clear, every thread and stitch discrete, and every smudge and dirt is well-defined. The body armor of Riddick and the professional mercenaries shows the scratches, nicks and abrasions of battle with outstanding clarity and detail.
Presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, the freshly-minted transfer, taken directly from a digital source, arrives with an excellent but deliberately stylized contrast balance. Daylight sequences intentionally run hot with blooming whites that surprisingly don't clip or wash-out any surrounding details. At night and during poorly-lit interiors, the video is stunningly crystal-clear with exceptional visibility of the smallest background information. Blacks are luxurious and inky rich with remarkable gradations and cavernous shadows that heighten suspense. Although the palette is generally limited, primaries still pop with intensity and energy while the softer hues add variety, making this a splendid high-def presentation.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
The second sequel in the Riddick film series also crash lands on Blu-ray with an extraordinary DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that will excite and energize the room. The design delivers a fantastically wide and broad imaging, creating an amazing wall of sound that's nearly consistent from beginning to end. Makeshift bone-swords swing, shots from pulse rifles whir and wild alien creatures jump from one side of the soundstage to the other with incredible fidelity and flawless clarity. Dynamics and acoustics are superbly detailed with sharply-defined highs and distinct, room-penetrating mids. Although it never hits ultra-low depths, the low-end is nicely responsive and palpable, especially with the spaceships and hover bikes, providing the movie with welcoming impact and presence.
The most fun to be had is, of course, the often lively and enthusiastic surrounds with activity that generates an engagingly immersive soundfield. Vehicles soar and whiz from the fronts to the rears with faultless panning, and debris from explosions or gunshots fills the room with exceptional directionality. When the rain finally arrives, the listener is engulfed with perpetual showers, as every drop of water falls and lands on the ground all around. The best moments are those with the mud demons and their screeching sounds as they move unseen from one speaker to the next with excellent precision. Amid all this, dialogue remains crystalline and accurate in the center of the screen, making this a marvelous lossless mix.
The Supplements: Digging Into the Good Stuff
- Meet the Mercs (HD, 11 min) — Discussion on the bounty hunter characters, casting and costuming.
- Vin's Riddick (HD, 9 min) — Cast & crew interviews on Diesel's commitments to the production and character.
- "Riddick: Blindsided" (HD, 7 min) — Short motion-comic film that shows an alternate opening to the film.
HD Bonus Content: Any Exclusive Goodies in There?
Aside from the DVD and Digital Copy, Universal tempts fans into a Blu-ray purchase by making the unrated director's cut with alternate ending a high-def exclusive and offering a few other featurettes.
- The World of Riddick (HD, 11 min) — Director/writer David Twohy, production designer Joseph Nemec III, cinematographer David Eggby and others talk about the film's look.
- Riddickian Tech (HD, 10 min) — As one would imagine, the piece looks at the vehicles and technology seen in the film.
- The Twohy Touch (HD, 6 min) — Interviews on the director's approach, directional style and general thoughts on this third entry.
Final Thoughts
Although the pace is sadly a bit sluggish in the middle, 'Riddick' manages to churn out plenty of entertaining action and makes for a good entry in the ever-expanding series. With Twohy's dazzling camerawork, imaginative production design and Diesel's performance as the eponymous antihero, the second sequel will maintain devotees wanting more but will not likely garner a larger fanbase. The Blu-ray arrives with an excellent, reference-quality audio and video presentation, and with a healthy selection of bonuses that includes the director's cut with an alternate ending, the overall package is definitely worth checking out.
Technical Specs
- Two-Disc Combo Pack
- BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc / DVD-9 Dual-Layer Disc
- Region Free
Video Resolution/Codec
- 1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Aspect Ratio(s)
- 2.40:1
Audio Formats
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Spanish DTS 5.1
- English SDH
- French
- Spanish
- Featurettes
- Short Film
Exclusive HD Content
- Unrated Director's Cut
- Featurettes
- DVD Copy
- UltraViolet Digital Copy
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