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Georgia Tech assistant coach Andy McCollum kept prized signee Travin Henry a well-kept secret for a long time. Both the Jackets and the Georgia Bulldogs coveted the talented athlete, but in the end...
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San Francisco - The US National Security Agency (NSA) chief on Thursday urged top computer security specialists to harden the nation's critical infrastructure against inevitable destructive cyber attacks."This is an important time," NSA and Cyber Command director General Keith Alexander said during a presentation at a premier RSA Conference in San Francisco."Most of the destructive tools being developed haven't been used; we need to use this window of opportunity to develop defences."Two days earlier, deputy secretary of defence William Lynn gave a similar warning, saying the capability clearly exists for malicious software to cause real-world damage at power plants, water supplies and other vital points."Few weapons in the history of warfare, once created, have gone unused," Lynn said during a speech at RSA."It is possible to imagine attacks on military networks or critical infrastructure-like our transportation system and energy sector-that cause severe economic damage, physical destruction, or even loss of life."StuxnetIn January, Russia called on Nato to track down the culprits behind a Stuxnet computer worm that targeted a Russian-built Iranian nuclear power plant, saying the incident could have triggered a new Chernobyl.Secure military networks will matter little if power grid cuts or other government systems are disabled by cyber attacks, according to Lynn.He called for extending military computer defences to privately held parts of the infrastructure key to the nation functioning."During a natural disaster, like a hurricane, military troops and helicopters are often used by Fema to help deliver relief," Lynn said."In a similar vein, the military's cyber capabilities will be available to civilian leaders to help protect the networks that support government operations and critical infrastructure."Private operations that the government wants to guard include companies that supply defence department equipment, according to Alexander.He argued that the military network's "secure zone" needed to be extended to all critical resources in partnerships with the private sector.EducationAlexander maintained that national security agents and the computer wizards running company networks could work together without infringing on people's rights."I believe we have the talent to build cyber security that protects our civil liberties and privacy," he said. "We can and must do both."Alexander added that the nation's security depended on the education of coming generations as well as today's software and hardware innovations."Our nation needs to push science, technology, engineering and mathematics," Alexander said. "It is absolutely vital to our future."As in past years at the annual RSA gathering, US defence officials called on computer security specialists to help them keep the nation safe."Securing our nation's networks is a team sport," Alexander said. "We need your help."
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It's a scary proposition when Sigmund Freud seems like the reasonable one in the group. But that's what the trailer for the upcoming David Cronenberg film, A Dangerous Method, seems to indicate.
Keira Knightley—annoying to many of you, thanks to her Elizabeth Bennet portrayal in Pride and Prejudice—seems like she's stretching her acting chops here, not just relying on her enormous horse-toothed smile and sparkly eyes. And the rest of the cast, whoa: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel. Sure, Mortensen and Fassbender have unfortunate facial hair here, but the acting these three bring to the screen is incredible.
Plus we like how Freud and Jung have that whole bromance thing going on.


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A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that the Russian Tupolev TU 160 aircraft are in the UK's "area of interest," but have not yet entered UK airspace.
The Typhoons, which were dispatched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, are currently escorting the bombers south across the North Sea.
They are part of the UK's Quick Reaction Alert.
The UK's airspace covers a 12-mile radius out from the UK coastline.
NATO jets are being scrambled to intercept Russian jets with increasing frequency amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.
:: Last year Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall gained exclusive access to the heart of the military operation to protect the skies above the UK.


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Here's what we know about the upcoming "The Fast and the Furious 4" so far: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Jordana Brewster are back. And according to the guys over at Latino Review, who have read the script, also back is Michelle Rodriguez as Letty and Han (played by Sung Kang) from "Tokyo Drift". Wait, didn't Han died at the end of "Tokyo Drift"? Yes, he did, but it is believe that "FF4" will be a prequel to FF3. Or at least, it'll take place before the last movie. Unless, of course, they make this Han the other Han's evil twin brother or something.
In short, here's the rundown of FF4's Act One (via):
FF4 takes place five years after the events of FF1.
Dom is hiding out in the Dominican Republic after having been let go by Brian at the end of FF1. It's here that he meets Han.
Meanwhile, Brian is in prison in Arizona. But wait, there's a twist — Brian is undercover for the feds, and after completing his assignment, he's back out on the streets.
So what's happened to Letty, Dom's girlfriend? She's been trying to keep the crew from going under in his absence. This includes running drugs via their soup up cars for notorious South American drug dealer Antonio Braga, a man no one has ever seen. After one of her runs for Braga, Letty is killed, presumably by Braga enforcer Fenix.
Dom is told about Letty's death from Mia (his sister) via a phone call. He returns to America to attend her funeral. Brian is also there, and fills him in. Brian tells Dom he's going after Braga. That makes two of them.
And that is your set up for FF4. The Latino Review reviewer calls it the best FF story he's read in the whole franchise. I'm not sure about that. Just make sure the hot babes and hot cars keep coming, and everything will be alright.


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PHOENIX -- Asked Tuesday morning how many college prospects he would consider with the No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft, Chiefs coach Andy Reid estimated anywhere between eight and 10.
Reid said he recently hit the road to work out two pass rushers -- Oregon's Dion Jordan and Brigham Young's Ziggy Ansah -- and would be keeping tabs in coming weeks on all the top offensive linemen prospects.
The natural assumption is that Reid wouldn't pull the trigger on Geno Smith, the former West Virginia quarterback who will probably be picked in the top 10 despite mixed reviews from scouts and talking heads. The Chiefs addressed their quarterback deficiency by trading for Alex Smith.
But Reid, ever the salesman and bargain shopper, made sure to keep the clouds of smoke billowing out the Arizona Biltmore chimney during the owners meetings.
"That doesn't mean Geno is out of the water," said Reid, surrounded by a herd of Philadelphia reporters and, surprisingly, no representatives from the Kansas City media. "I'm going to keep my eyes open on everybody. I think Geno is a good quarterback. I'm going to keep this workout thing going."
Hours later in the Biltmore lobby, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman likewise fanned the flames about his nebulous quarterback situation. Roseman reiterated his intent to keep Nick Foles on the roster and let competition decide the fate of his second-year quarterback.
Roseman also didn't squash the idea of adding another arm -- he already has five -- in next month's draft. He recently traveled with owner Jeffrey Lurie and new coach Chip Kelly to Morgantown for a bird's-eye view of Smith during a private workout. That same day, Arizona quarterback Matt Scott arrived at the NovaCare Complex, presumably to interview with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor.
Therein lies the confusion.
If the Eagles have already committed roughly $7 million this year to Michael Vick, and if they're not averse to landing another passer in the draft, wouldn't it be more logical to deal Foles now, when quarterback-needy teams still have time -- and picks -- to deal?
What is the benefit in having Foles sit every Sunday if he's really not part of Chip Kelly's vision?
"It's the most important position in football," Roseman said. "If you're telling me that the worst thing we can have on our football team is we have a bunch of good players at the quarterback position, where do I sign up?"
That sounds all well and good. But this comes from the man who heads the same front office that twice dealt odd-man out quarterbacks for hefty draft compensation: Donovan McNabb after the 2009 season and Kevin Kolb after 2010.
Roseman was also quickly ascending the Eagles front office ladder in 2003 when the Eagles pilfered a second-round pick from the Dolphins in exchange for third-string quarterback A.J. Feeley.
This is different, Roseman promised. So long as Foles is in the hunt for the starting job, the Eagles don't see value in moving in.
"I can't sit here and tell you for a fact I know exactly what Nick is going to be," Roseman added. "Because he hasn't been our full-time player."
Roseman admitted that his story is hard to believe, given the team's reputation for sending quarterbacks packing. But an old ally backed Roseman's claim. Reid was asked if he made any serious overtures about trading for Foles before he explored the Smith deal.
"They weren't in a position where they were gonna let him go," Reid said. "That was really never part of the discussion. We kind of had our sights set on Alex, and that's the route we went."
Roseman repeated what Kelly said in February at the NFL Scouting Combine, that Kelly has honest plans to have Foles compete for the starting job and looks forward to working with the former Arizona quarterback who once carved up Kelly's defense at Oregon in 2011.
"You heard it from Andy, we have not tried to trade Nick," Roseman said. "And to be totally honest, I understand that people don't believe that. I get that. Chip came in, he watched him and he told you the truth. He wants to work with him. We want to see him at minicamp. We drafted him.
"He didn't get a chance to play with his full complement of skill guys. He didn't get a chance to play with his full offensive line. I think the worst thing you can do is trade a young quarterback before you at least think you know what he is and then go see him have a tremendous amount of success somewhere else."
Roseman painted an incomplete picture of Foles, a third-round pick who replaced a concussed Vick as the Eagles spiraled downward to their worst season ever in Reid's 14 seasons as head coach.
He won just one of his six starts and missed the season finale with a broken hand but also averaged nearly 247 passing yards per game and completed 61 percent of his passes. Mobility -- or lack thereof -- would seemingly be his disadvantage as Kelly prefers that his quarterbacks have some running ability to freeze the extra defender who comes down into the box.
Kelly has repeatedly said that his playbook will be built around the best quarterback instead of vice versa, but it's telling that the two quarterbacks who have joined the roster since Kelly's hiring -- Dennis Dixon and G.J. Kinnie -- are dual-threat quarterbacks with plus mobility.
Reid, who also looked for mobility in his quarterbacks to run his West Coast offense, said Foles "is mobile enough" to keep defenses honest and noted the 14-yard touchdown run against Tampa Bay, a game the Eagles thrillingly won, 23-21, on Foles' 1-yard touchdown to Jeremy Maclin at the buzzer.
"Most of the quarterbacks in our offense have been mobile guys," he said. "If you take the history of the West Coast offense most of the kids have run when needed, and you saw Nick do that against Tampa, when they played all the two-man they were playing. He took off and scored and had a couple of good plays. You just have to be able to do enough of it. He's always been able to go when he needed to. I think that's a plus."


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* Prices may differ from that shown
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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Humanity First Usa, Silver Spring, MD, USA
I've volunteered with several non-profits in the Chicago area in a variety of fundraising support roles. Humanity First amazed me in its capability to organize, advertise and run large scale fundraising events with a very small amount of overhead. Nearly all of the donated funds (something like 92 or 93%) go to either established long-term programs or short-term relief operations. Additionally, the Director of Fundraising has an ability to both identify and execute on great ad hoc communications ideas to increase donations and participation in the major fundraising events such as the national walkathons.
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The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
very professional. Many on the staff came from consulting backgrounds, and they were able to use that experience to plan and run a well organized and effective fundraising event.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?


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Bubble memory gives way to bubble logic
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PORTLAND, Ore. Bubble memory technology is backthis time in a microfluidic version for logic applications rather than the magnetic approach taken by Texas Instruments in the 1970s.
Invented by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the microfluidic bubbles are used for logic, not memory. Bubble logic can encode on-chip process control for microfluidic devices, in lieu of electronic circuitry, the researchers claimed.
"Our bubble trains encode information, with the presence of a bubble representing a "1" while its absence implies a '0'," said Manu Prakash, a research assistant at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, where bubble logic was invented. "Thus a bubble is a single bit of information, but now a bit of information can'also carry a'material [or] chemical payload. This is a powerful paradigm as a computation also results in physical material processing at the same time."
The work was performed with Neil Gershenfeld, director of the Center for Bits and Atoms.
Bubble logic promises to enable microfluidic "labs-on-a-chip" that incorporate computer-like control for the processing of chemicals without electronic circuitry. By encoding bubbles into the chemical flow itself, the MIT team demonstrated that microfluidic devices can carry their own process control information without the need for an external microprocessor.
Microfluidic devices demonstrated by the researchers were about 100 times faster than the external valves and control systems used in current microfluidic chips, but were about 1,000 times slower than a microprocessor.
Microfluidic labs-on-a-chip use nanoliters of chemicals that speed up reactions, enabling tests to be performed in minutes rather than hours or even days. The small amount of reagents needed makes testing much cheaper. In addition, the push-button control provided by application-specific channels on a microfluidic chip mean testing could move from the lab to the field.
Without bubble logic to encode process control information, however, current microfluidic labs-on-a-chip must rely on interfaces with electronic circuitry and battery powered microprocessors. Using bubble logic, process control information could be encoded into the chemical flow itself, allowing valves to be automatically opened and closed in the correct sequence to perform specific tests.
According to the researchers, bubble logic is encoded into long trains of molecules moving lock-step through a microfluidic device, permitting chemicals to be gated into the proper microfluidic reaction chambers. After the reaction takes place, the same chemical flow gates the results out of the reaction chambers and into read-out channels which indicate the results.
"We have tested numerous schemes for readout," said Prakash. "The easiest is optical, but we have numerous other'readouts based on applications which include pressure transients [and] capacitive sensing."
Besides tests, bubble-logic controlled processes could synthesize compounds, sort biological cells and deposit anything from chemicals for etching to ink for print-heads.
The MIT researchers also demonstrated logic controlled microfluidic devices using nitrogen bubbles, but other types of gas would also work. Current demonstrations at the MIT Center include bubble logic controlled gates, memories, amplifiers and oscillators.
Funding for the project was provided by the National Science Foundation.
Texas Instruments took the first crack at magnetic-based bubble memory technology around 1975.


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Babe Ruth World Series on net TV
Local fans should have a chance to see their West Fargo team compete in the 15-year-old Babe Ruth World Series via the Internet.
The storied West Fargo team begins play in its third World Series in a row tomorrow against host Longview, Wash. at 5:35 p.m., West Fargo time.
The series features eight regional champions from across the country as well as two area host teams. West Fargo won the Central Plains Regional here in West Fargo earlier this month.
The tourney runs tomorrow through Aug. 28, and includes round robin pool play through Aug. 25. Bracket play includes the top three teams from each of the two round robin pools.
Today's festivities include a home run derby, barbeque and opening ceremonies.
West Fargo will have Saturday off and will resume Sunday at 5:35 p.m. against Appleton, Wisc. On Monday, Aug. 24, West Fargo will battle Torrance, Calif. at 12:35 p.m.
West Fargo matches up with Nederland, Texas on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 10:05 a.m. All times are West Fargo time.
All scores will be updated after each game at longviewworldseries.com. Local media stations are planning live coverage. KLTV.org will have streaming television broadcasts of the World Series on the Internet, while KLOG.com will feature streaming radio broadcasts.


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Results 1 to 5 of 19
Thread: Nickname vs. Legal name
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July 29th, 2013 12:04 AM #1Junior Member
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Nickname vs. Legal name
I'm almost 39 weeks pregnant, and I'm second-guessing my name choices. Well, sort of. I'm second-guessing the format.
Previously, I didn't want to have a child with a long name that felt the need to be shortened. I didn't want her correcting everyone the rest of her life, saying "But, I go by...". But I've started to love a longer version of one of my choices, and now I'm not sure what I want to do.
My top two names are Edith and Thora. But lately I can't stop coming back to Theodora as the primary name, shortened to Thora. I think it's beautiful enough that it shouldn't be a problem if teachers or employers call her Theodora, but friends call her Thora. But I'm not sure. Is it too much of a hassle?
By the way, we're deciding on our final name choice once she is born. So Edith will still be in the running, but I don't want to be questioning the Theodora vs. Thora thing after she's born.
July 29th, 2013 12:20 AM #3Senior Member
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July 29th, 2013 12:26 AM #5baby BOY arriving november 2015
currently considering: Martin, Shepherd, Edmond, Teagan, Winston, Absalom
a girl would have been named: Beatrix Judith
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July 29th, 2013 06:01 AM #7bluejuniper Guest
July 29th, 2013 06:27 AM #9Gwendolyn Mae... Meredith Jane. ... Josephine Claire...Catherine Esme... Evelyn Grace ** Arlo Grant ... Drew Thomas ... Eli James ... Owen Vincent... Jay Theodore


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Does anyone know how to store the contents of a file then read to a string array, then convert it to hex, then read it to a richtextbox and then read to a second string and convert it back to text and save to the original file?
the file is opened through the openfiledialog method; where I then browse for the file (using a filter) select and the open i.e -:
I tried using this :Code:OpenFileDialog dialog = new OpenFileDialog(); dialog.Filter = "txt files (*.txt)|*.txt|All files (*.*)|*.*"; dialog.InitialDirectory = "@c:\\"; dialog.Title = "Select a text file";
to read the file to a string, But the variable after new StreamReader(.... ) I can't quite get. Any help would be much appreciated.Code:StreamReader streamReader = new StreamReader(OpenFileDialog.dialog); string text = streamReader.ReadToEnd(); streamReader.Close();


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The list of surefire future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers in the 2013 Finals matchup between the Heat and Spurs is absurdly long: Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobili, Chris Bosh, Erik Spoelstra.
Wait, 42-year-old Erik Spoelstra? Seriously?
Yes, according to ESPN commentator and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, who said on a Finals conference call Tuesday that he believes the Heat's young coach is destined for Springfield.
"Erik is still in the phase where he gets more blame for their losses than credit for their wins, but he's going to the Hall of Fame," Van Gundy said. "He's that good. His even‑keel demeanor, his humility, I think helps him really get the most out of his best players and you know, it's fun to watch his teams, fun to watch [Popovich's] teams. I just love the grace and humility both teams play with."
Van Gundy sees Spoelstra's postseason success over the last three seasons as only one part of his résumé.
"Erik to me has never gotten in his short time, the credit that he deserves, particularly those first two years [2008-09 and 2009-10] that he took over," Van Gundy said. "He's taken over in a pretty down period in Miami Heat basketball, and with [Udonis] Haslem and Wade, Wade obviously being his best player, but the cornerstone of Haslem, that they were able to win as much as they did the first two years showed his true greatness in coaching. And then how he's done these last three years, now being in the Finals three consecutive years, and actually delivering more than ever could have been expected with James. To reach three consecutive Finals is an incredible feat."
Is Van Gundy nuts in totally over-hyping Spoelstra or is he merely way ahead of the curve in giving the Heat coach his historical due?
The latter seems more accurate, although declaring any NBA coach is "going to the Hall of Fame" is a massive statement, if only because so few have actually made it there. Of the 88 inducted coaches (including the 2013 crop), less than one-quarter are recognized primarily for their work in the NBA. The short list of purely NBA coaching inductees is a who's who list of giants: Red Auerbach, Chuck Daly, Phil Jackson, Jack Ramsay, Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan and Lenny Wilkins, among them. Longevity and championships, as you would expect, are the two top qualities among the coaches who made the cut.
Five seasons in, Spoelstra is simply out of his depth from a longevity standpoint. Everyone -- even Van Gundy -- can surely agree that this conversation is happening way too early. But his success to date definitely has him heading toward exclusive company.
His .660 winning percentage ranks sixth among coaches with at least five years of experience and his playoff winning percentage of .639 currently ranks third behind only Jackson and Paul Westhead. Should the Heat prevail over the Spurs, Spoelstra would become one of just 13 coaches to win at least two titles. What's more, should the Heat win this year and next season, Spoelstra would become one of just six coaches to win at least three titles. Those six include five current Hall of Famers (Jackson, Auerbach, John Kundla, Riley and Daly) plus Popovich, who is surely destined for Springfield. It doesn't get any better than that.
Big picture, Spoelstra's youth arguably helps his Hall of Fame chances. It's crazy to even type this, but he could legitimately coach for 25 more years. His 260 career regular-season wins currently place him tied for No. 69 all-time. Hypothetically speaking, if he were to go .500 over the next 25 years, coaching until he's 67 (Jackson's current age), he would be one of just three coaches (along with Don Nelson and Wilkens) to crack the 1,250 wins mark. The point here isn't to predict that he will be able to stay employed and passionate about coaching for that long, but merely to point out that his ceiling is essentially limitless thanks to his immense success early in his career.
Some might argue that James looms over this conversation as a double-edged sword. The best player of his generation, James has the capacity to single-handedly make Spoelstra's teams championship contenders while also possessing the potential to overshadow his coach's contributions to their shared success. That said, guiding legends to titles worked out pretty well for Auerbach, Jackson and Riley when it came time to induct them.
The best analogy for 2013 Spoelstra might actually be 2005 Tony Parker. At just 22, Parker had two championships to his name with another decade-plus of basketball ahead of him. He hadn't yet made an All-Star team and he was still, for all intents and purposes, firmly in Tim Duncan's shadow. Eight years later, Parker has delivered on that early success, erasing any doubts and questions about his own place in history by winning another title, winning a Finals MVP and making five All-Star teams and three All-NBA teams.
"It's really hard to go to the Finals, to win a championship, and for me personally, I was 21 when I won my first one, and you think it's easy and you're going to go back every year," Parker said, after the Spurs eliminated the Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals. "In 2007 we won our third one in five years, and you think it's going to keep coming, and I'm 25, and six years goes by, and every year it gets tougher and tougher. ... If we go all the way [this year] it'll definitely be my favorite because it gets harder and harder."
That nonstop fight is what will face Spoelstra over the next decade (or two). This much is for sure: The uber-focused Spoelstra is the last person on Earth to spend a second of thought gauging his historical track. Consider his response when he was asked immediately after Monday's Game 7 victory whether he had thought ahead to a matchup with the Spurs.
"When you're in such a competitive series like this, you are so fully immersed, that it's such a beautiful place to be, a Game 7," he said. "It's one of those few times in competitive team sports you're not thinking about tomorrow, you're not thinking about the previous games, you're not thinking about what possibly may happen, you're not thinking about the reward. All you're thinking about is the desperation of that moment. That's a great place to live. It probably hit me right about then, and it was the "Oh" type moment. We have to get our act together in the next 48 hours of doing our diligence."
A guy who is so consumed by the task at hand that he isn't thinking 48 hours ahead surely isn't going to ponder what life will be like in 25 years, or what life will be like when he no longer has No. 6 to design systems around. Keep making progress, continue winning, and the recognition will take care of itself, the mantra goes.
Sure, this conversation is happening way too early, but it was going to happen sooner or later, especially if James continues to dominate the next 12 months as he's dominated the last 12 months. Rarely do we see stars reach such peaks, and usually when it happens the key figures around them are rewarded, too.The Point Forward suggested


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Contact Info / Websites
Recent Movie Reviews
Rated 4 / 5 stars
Very smooth animation and funny song, and just for the record, I typed in 'pencil case' once and somehow it came up with boobs... Don't know why.
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Very good animation and gorgeous art style. I'm just curious to know if this was all based on Aborigine legends because those patterns look like didgeridoo carvings and I'm guessing that's the rainbow serpent from the dreamtime, yeah? Anyway, other than maybe one or two animation glitches here and there it's very well done and nice to look at.
Recent Art Reviews
Moon Charger
Rated 4.5 / 5 stars
I keep seeing this and forgetting to comment. Did I ever tell you how BADASS I think this is? :D It makes me hope that there are creatures like this on Europa.
Thanks! If there are creatures like this, you can sign me up for the next voyage to Jupiter! :D
Fearless (Promo Art) ver.1
Rated 3.5 / 5 stars
Hi there.
Since you asked for a critique, I'll try my best with it. I'm going to do it under little sub-headings in order to make it a little more organised. Anyway, here we go.
Well first of all, this is a very striking piece. The lines constructing the junkyard that pull towards a vanishing point direct your eyes straight into the centre of the piece. The positioning of the characters is well balanced without looking too stock and generic (as some film posters can do) and the designs themselves are nice. There's almost a Burton-esque feel to the two human characters and it fits well with the dark setting. I also really like the design of the robot, particularly his face, plus his pose is dynamic and tells you a lot about his character. As for the big creatures in the background, they have very unique designs and are intimidating yet weirdly funky at the same time.
Lastly, it's good that you drew some detail into the junkyard without over-doing it, plus the deep shading in the path helps draw your eyes towards the characters.
I think the biggest issue here is anatomy. There's a saying that goes 'You need to know the rules before you break them,' basically meaning that you need to study anatomy before finding a way to stylize it. Again, you have a very nice style, but knowing anatomy could add to it. This is particularly a problem with the middle giant creature. The foreshortening of the arm and hand looks good, but the hand itself looks a little off, especially the middle finger. Also, the male human character seems to have two left hands. I'm going to post a link to an anatomy course that I took recently that might help you.
This piece could also use more shading to make it look more striking. To further bring the eye towards the characters, I suggest blacking out the sky and making the distant junk yard heaps quite dark. It may also be worth shading the junk surrounding the central characters a little and only leave a small ring of white around the all on the floor. That way, the male character's torch light will be more noticeable if you leave the beam white and anything around it shaded lightly. In any piece you make, it's always important to draw attention away from unimportant information towards what you want people to see.
This is just to cover any last things I may have noticed. As well as anatomy, it may be worth looking into how the folds in clothes work and skirt/dress styles. You've done well with perspective, though the milk carton looks a little too raised to me.
Overall, well done. I think this is a good piece with good composition and the tweaks that need making are only fairly minor. Don't feel discouraged by any criticism as it's there just as a suggestion to help you. Please let me know if you're going to put an updated piece here on NG at a later date :)
A Star Fell
Rated 4.5 / 5 stars
I would totally have this as a pet!
The detail on this is beautiful as always and the anatomy is spot-on. I also love how the features on the tail and those big eyes stand out against the background. While I would say the background could perhaps use some more detail, I'd also say that could be counter-productive since more background detail may distract from the character design, so that was pointless of me bringing up XD Having said that, I love how that treestump acts as a podium for your character, she definitely deserves to be the centre of attention.
Anyway, great job as usual. Also, I will be back on DA soon, just taking a break for now.
I'm way too happy to hear you say the anatomy is good! YES! I spent days plotting the structure to the dot. And while the economy background was intended, I could have added a little more shapes to the hills in the back but alas, I was simply too excited to post it to go the extra step. It was a labor of love to add the trees that are there already. :P
And no worries about DA, sometimes it's nice to hang out with Newgrounders. XD


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KIEV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 19: Berkut riot police shoot rubber bullets toward anti-government protesters on Independence Square on February 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine. After several weeks of calm, violence has again flared between anti-government protesters and police as the Ukrainian parliament is meant to take up the question of whether to revert to the country's 2004 constitution. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
- Copyright
- 2014 Getty Images
- Image Size
- 5760x3840 / 7.0MB
- Contained in galleries
- Maidan Protests


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Hurricane Sandy and related severe weather hitting the East Coast Monday and Tuesday could have the power to shape the final week of the presidential race by changing the minds of voters, disrupting campaign events and impacting early voting.
In studies examining the impact of weather on presidential elections, the pattern suggests that the incumbent party does less well when it's too wet or dry, political scientist Larry Bartels told Mother Jones. However, for President Barack Obama, the storm presents an opportunity to show leadership that may sway voters
"Especially because it's happening so close to the election, probably the visible response of the administration to the situation is going to matter more than the situation itself," Bartels said.
"Every president puts up pictures of himself with shirtsleeves rolled up comforting voters," political science professor Andrew Reeves told Mother Jones. "I'm willing to bet that we're going to see the White House put up a picture of Obama doing the same."
However, if mismanagement of a natural disaster turns the storm into a national event, Obama's approval rating may decline in response, the article warned.
On Monday, Obama canceled two campaign trips, leaving Florida early in order to beat the system to the East Coast, and nixing a Tuesday trip to Green Bay, Wis.
CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller tweeted that upon his return to the White House, Obama planned to hold a situation room meeting with key officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy and others to monitor and assess the situation.
CNN reports that Obama will make a statement at 10:45 p.m. MT.
Obama has also declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. The emergency declaration authorizes federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.
The storm may impact the ability of citizens to vote by cutting into early-voting days, delaying the delivery of absentee ballots and cutting short early or in-person absentee voting, The Atlantic reported Monday.
In Connecticut, Gov. Dan Malloy extended the voter registration deadline, while Maryland and Washington D.C. suspended early voting Monday. Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island offer the option of voting early by mail only. According to CNN, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said his state will take measures to ensure citizens can vote despite the obstacles accompanying the storm, and will make it a priority to restore power to polling centers should outages occur.17 comments on this story
Both campaigns have urged supporters to donate to the Red Cross, and both agreed to stop sending fundraising emails Monday to people living in the storm's path. Mitt Romney's staffers in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Virginia were collecting storm-relief supplies at campaign offices, while Romney emailed supporters to encourage them to prepare for the storm and to help their neighbors get ready as well, The Associated Press reported.
Byron York of the Washington Examiner tweeted that Romney and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan had canceled all Monday night and Tuesday campaign events, "out of sensitivity for millions of Americans in path of Hurricane Sandy."


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Yesterday our whole UK Public Sector team (which is now about 140 people) travelled up to Dudley in the Black Country for the kick-off meeting for our new financial year (FY) which started on 1st July.
Why Dudley, you may be asking?
Well we decided to go to Dudley as part of our relationship with the Black Country Consortium - which I mentioned briefly in one of our earliest postings.
The meeting included our usual review of the last FY, however during the morning we also heard from 2 very inspirational external speakers.
First of all we heard from Nick Page, Service Transformation Director at Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, about the radical approach they are taking to dramatically change their community through their approach to the Building Schools for the Future programme. Nick's passion for this project shone through and his determination to help improve the opportunities open to people in Knowsley was remarkable. The statistics he shared with us about the current levels of educational attainment in Knowsley were an eye-opener to many of us.
Then Sarah Middleton, Chief Executive of the Black Country Consortium, spoke to us about the 30 year regeneration plan that her organisation has developed with the councils of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. And again we found her personal commitment to this exciting project to be very inspiring.
In the afternoon we all split up into various groups and went out to various places across the Black Country to learn more about the area and to get involved in a few community projects with local people. Most of these projects were based around supporting the Black Country's bid to establish an Urban Park. My group did a Healthy Walk along the canal next to Aldersley Leisure Village to help promote the Dudley Walkzone project. This was a real treat, the canal was hidden away behind all the houses and was very peaceful and attractive. We saw some canal boats and a few moorhen chicks.
At the end of the afternoon we all met up in Grange Park where one group had been working with local children to clear up part of the park and clean up an old Bandstand. The grand finale was a presentation, in the newly-painted Bandstand, of a play that another group worked on with more local children.
We all had a great afternoon and really enjoyed it - luckily the weather was very kind to us and we even got a bit of sunshine!
Hopefully our involvement will help publicise the great work that Sarah and her team and all the council staff and local people are doing and will help get even more support for their plan. I know that our involvement yesterday will have only scratched the surface of all the work there is to be done in the Black Country over the next 30 years and that there will be a few cynics who think we only do this sort of stuff for the publicity we get from it and I won't deny that Microsoft, like all large companies, wants to be seen as a good corporate citizen. However I'm glad that we do actually bother to do stuff like this and that I had a chance to do a little bit myself and meet and hear from these amazing people.
Posted by Ellen


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Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe and Rep. Frank Lucas have introduced a bill that would prohibit every government agency — except the military — from buying more ammunition each month, than the monthly average it purchased from 2001 to 2009.
The lawmakers say the Obama administration is buying up exceedingly high levels of ammunition in an attempt to limit the number of bullets the American public have access to on the open marketplace.
"President Obama has been adamant about curbing law-abiding Americans' access and opportunities to exercise their Second Amendment rights," said Inhofe.
"One way the Obama Administration is able to do this is by limiting what's available in the market with federal agencies purchasing unnecessary stockpiles of ammunition."


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Branyan accepting role as a bench player
Branyan accepting role as a bench player
In the case of the Angels and Mike Scioscia, that means occasionally carrying his bat to the plate with the notion of hitting a ball out of the yard, something he has done once every 15.1 at-bats in his career. Only 16 players have homered with more frequency.
"I try to keep a good strike zone, have pitch awareness, that sort of thing," Branyan said. "It's no easy task."
Branyan homered in Friday night's 11-7 loss to the Rangers, a three-run shot against reliever Yoshinori Tateyama. It was his fourth homer, with 10 RBIs, in his past 19 at-bats, dating to July 1.
"It's more of a mindset," said Branyan, who went deep 31 times for the Mariners in 2009 and 25 times for the Mariners and Indians last season. "It's owning your role. If you're not happy in your role, it's hard to produce. It's important to enjoy your role and enjoy your team.
"I'm at a certain point where I'm accepting this bench role. You can't fight it. If you do, you're going to struggle. When I was a starting player, I never wanted to hear a bench player complaining, saying they can do your job. We've got some good guys on this bench."
Branyan is 3-for-8 as a pinch-hitter with two homers. The rest of the club is 5-for-45 without a homer.


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Minster FM News
Free lung tests to find COPD
9:09am 27th June 2012
Staff and students at York St John University are providing free lung tests to York residents between 25 and 29 June to mark World Spirometry Day 2012 (Wednesday 27 June).
Lung disease is among the leading causes of death across the globe, and numbers are rising mainly due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and tuberculosis.
The Harsh reality is that one person dies every 20 minutes from COPD in England and Wales, that's around 25,000 people per year, making it the UK's fifth biggest killer disease. However, many lung diseases are preventable, or could be better controlled at an early stage if diagnosed or detected via spirometry testing.
Paul Humphrey, lecturer in Physiotherapy at York St John University, is a specialist in this area having worked as a clinical specialist respiratory physiotherapist prior to his role in higher education. Paul held a variety of senior physiotherapy positions in the critical care setting and the respiratory care of the chronically ill patient.
Paul said:
"COPD is one of the country's hidden killers. In Yorkshire and the Humber it is estimated that 43% of COPD sufferers remain undiagnosed, there are also significant numbers of misdiagnosis.
"Our aim is to raise awareness of spirometry testing and to encourage York residents to get checked. Early diagnosis can have a huge impact on a patient's life as it enables them to manage their condition themselves and get the treatment they need, this can include appropriate medication, exercise and physiotherapy to limit the course of the lung disease and breathlessness and improve quality of life and exercise capacity."
Physiotherapy students from York St John University will be running the event with lecturer Paul Humphrey. If the test results raise concern, participants will be given a letter to take to their doctor. YSJActive, the University's sport, exercise and wellbeing department will also be available to offer free lifestyle advice. Paul adds: "We want to encourage as many people as we can to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle; it's something the students are very passionate about. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. People with lung problems often fear that exercise will make breathlessness worse, but regular physical exercise is proven to be the best treatment."
Everyone is welcome to drop in for a free spirometry test, especially those who are worried about their lung health or have had difficulty with breathlessness, coughing or sputum production. Free spirometry tests will take place at York St John University 10am – 4pm on Monday 25 June; 9am – 12 noon on Tuesday 26 June; 8am – 6pm on Wednesday 27 June, which is World Spirometry Day; and between 1pm and 4pm on Friday 29 June.
To find out more about the event click here.
To pre-book an appointment please call 01904 876300 or email email@example.com, or please feel free to just drop in.
For more information about World Spirometry Day events click here.


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Lakeside 887 Description
Set up a fully stocked bar in no time at your restaurant's or bar's patio with Lakeside's 63.5" portable bar with 40 lb. ice bin and drain. Easily roll a cash bar into your formal event's ballroom, with Lakeside portable bar's Lake-Glide non-marking all swivel casters. The durable top features a convenient recessed space for mixing drinks, while its laminate top is easy to clean. Store up to 14 liquor bottles or mixers in this portable bar's two stainless speed rails that hold 7 bottles each. And, when its closing time, simply remove the 7-bottle speed rails for easy cleaning.
Standard Features:
- All-welded stainless steel construction
- Your choice of laminate exterior finish: beige suede, red maple, black, Victorian cherry, gray sand, or hard rock maple
- Built-in 40 lb. ice bin w/drain
- (2)Removable stainless steel speed rails
- Durable waterproof laminate top with convenient mixing shelf
- Spacious storage areas
- 4 each non-marking 5" Lake-Glide casters - all swivel, 2 each with brake
Portable Bar, 63-1/2" long, waterproof top, laminate over stainless steel exterior, stainless steel work shelf and inner cabinet, (1) ice bin with drain: 40 lb. capacity, (2) 7 bottle speed rails, all-swivel 5" non-marking Lake-Glide casters (2 with brakes)
Lakeside 887 SpecificationsPDF Spec Sheet
|1-year Parts & Labor


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Detail Information
- Weight-change as a prognostic marker in 12 550 patients following acute myocardial infarction or with stable coronary artery diseaseLinn M A Kennedy
Department of Cardiology, Malmo University Hospital, Lund University, S 205 02 Malmo, Sweden
Eur Heart J 27:2755-62. 2006..To examine the prognostic importance of weight-change in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), especially following acute myocardial infarction (AMI)...
- Impact of neurohormonal blockade on association between body mass index and mortalityLinn M A Kennedy
Department of Cardiology, Malmo University Hospital, Lund University, Malmo, Sweden
Int J Cardiol 119:33-40. 2007..The prognostic impact of body mass index (BMI) in patients following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may be altered by neurohormonal blockade...
- The prognostic importance of body mass index after complicated myocardial infarctionLinn M A Kennedy
J Am Coll Cardiol 45:156-8. 2005
- Prognostic role of body mass index after acute myocardial infarctionMitja Lainscak
Am J Cardiol 98:1556-7. 2006


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Get DVD Talk Feeds
It is hard to categorize director John Sturges' 1954 film. Blurring the lines between westerns, film noir, and mysteries, Bad Day at Black Rock emerges as a seamless marriage of multiple genres. A tight knit thriller that moves at a laconic pace, the film is also a classic example of the old school tough guy films, with Spencer Tracy standing out as an unconventional, yet thoroughly convincing asskicker.
The fun begins several months after the end of World War II, when John J. Macreedy (Tracy), a disabled veteran, arrives by train in the sleepy desert community of Black Rock. This is the first time the train has stopped in Black Rock in four years, and Macreedy is the first visitor in as many years. What his purpose is in town remains unclear, but the one thing that is certain is that he is not welcome. From the moment he steps off the train, Macreedy is greeted with suspicion and outright hostility. And when he begins asking questions about a resident of Black Rock, a Japanese-American named Komoko, things really begin to heat up. It is soon clear that the residents of Black Rock have a secret they want to keep, even if it means killing Macreedy.
Spencer Tracy is not the first actor you think of when you think of an action hero. And when you try to imagine him going up against villains like those portrayed by Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine, it's difficult to not break out into laughter. But Tracy manages, for the most part, to pull it off. He plays Macreedy as a world-weary loner who arrives in Black Rock with nothing to live for, but soon finds a renewed sense of purpose – first in trying to unravel the mystery surrounding Komoko and, eventually, trying to stay alive. Tracy's Macreedy is the classic reluctant hero, much like Humphrey Bogart in Key Largo, but at the same time he is the mysterious force to be reckoned with, much like the characters Clint Eastwood would go on to play in many of his westerns. In fact, Bad Day at Black Rock bares a passing resemblance to the Eastwood classic High Plains Drifter.
Sturges, best known for such classic action films as The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, delivers one of the best films of his esteemed career. In the contemporary era of action films, defined by fast paced editing and pyrotechnics, Bad Day at Black Rock is from a time when shot composition meant something, and action was used as a punctuation point, but not as the entire sentence.
Bad Day at Black Rock was beautifully shot in Cinemascope, and the 2:35.1 widescreen presentation preserves the stunning photography. The image transfer, however, is whole different matter. Much of the time the image looks great, with crisp clean images and vibrant color. But every now then you see scratched on the print source, color distortion during certain scene transitions, and most disappointing severe damage to the print on at least one occasion.
Bad Day at Black Rock is presented in Dolby Digital Surround, but the mix itself is low, and you'll need to crack the volume pretty high to hear everything.
Film historian Dana Polan provides an academic audio commentary, which while not being boring, is far from exciting. At least Polan doesn't sound like he's reading off a cheat sheet, but at the same time his commentary isn't something that calls out to be listened to. There is also the original theatrical trailer.


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"Let's Go Boston" and "USA, USA" crowds chanted, with some people climbing onto car roofs while others danced in the streets.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found hiding in a boat in a back garden in Watertown, shortly after authorities had acknowledged that they feared the 19-year-old had escaped the huge manhunt they had set up.
"It has been so tense all week," said Susan Nolan. "I was so nervous when I heard that the police were planning to pull out and he had not been caught."
Sheamus McGovern, who was among the crowd of people gathered outside Mount Auburn Hospital, where Tsarnaev was taken after his capture, said: "It's just a huge relief to be able to get outdoors. Another day of that, I don't want to start getting angry."
The jubilation was widespread.
The mayor of Boston, which was paralysed during the manhunt, tweeted: "We got him!"
And at the home of the New York Mets, fans jumped to their feet and cheered when the news spread during a game against the Washington Nationals.
Hundreds of people marched down Commonwealth Avenue, chanting "USA" and singing the Red Sox anthem "Sweet Caroline" as they headed toward Boston Common. Police blocked traffic along part of the street to allow for the impromptu parade.
Boston University student Aaron Wengertsman, 19, wrapped himself in an American flag as a silent crowd of several dozen gathered on Boylston Street, three blocks from the site of the explosions on Monday.
He was on the marathon route a mile from the finish line when the bombs exploded.
"I'm glad they caught him alive," Mr Wengertsman said. "I thought people might be more excited, but it's humbling to see all these people paying their respects."
In the Boston neighbourhood of Dorchester where eight-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the bombing, lived, people set off fireworks to celebrate.
Lawyer Beth Lloyd-Jones, 25, said it felt like she had her city back, adding: "That could have been any one of us. Now I feel a little safer."
Boston University students Brendan Hathaway and Sam Howes gave passers-by high-fives as they walked through the streets.
"This was like our first opportunity to really be outside without feeling like there imminent danger," said Mr Hathaway, a mechanical engineering student. "It was close to home for me."


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Just in time for the outdoor season the city of Folsom recently celebrated the opening of the new urban park entertainment venue in Folsom's Historic District. Construction crews had worked through several days of heavy rains to complete the project.
The public plaza and amphitheater are seen as an outdoor living room, where people can gather and socialize or enjoy events. The venue is part of the Historic Folsom Station, a block of mixed public and private development across from the Light Rail Station between Sutter and Leisdesdorff streets.
The Historic Folsom Station is part of the redevelopment of Folsom's Historic District.
The complex includes the Historic District parking structure, the railroad museum and turntable, and Pioneer Village outdoor living history museum. The Folsom Chamber of Commerce will be moving from the train depot. The depot building will become part of the railroad exhibit. Four privately-owned historic-themed buildings with residential, retail, restaurant and office spaces are scheduled for construction.
A large crowd filled the 300-seat amphitheater and stood along Sutter Street to view the official opening that began at 5 p.m. on a beautiful sunny day.
As people gathered, a pair of jugglers entertained young and old alike. The Eastern Ways Chinese Lion Dancers led the official festivities.
Local officials welcomed the audience, emphasizing that the new community gathering place is the result of the people's investment of tax dollars and volunteer time.
City Manager Evert Palmer said he anticipates that residents and visitors will enjoy it for many years to come. Mayor Kerri Howell invited the audience to stay and enjoy this season's initial Second Saturday, as the stores and restaurants in the Historic District stay open until late.
Jim Snook, president of the Folsom Historic District Business Association gave credit to a residential neighbor for suggesting that the amphitheater face east so the audience doesn't look into the setting sun.
City Councilman and former mayor Jeff Starsky appealed to everyone to email Gov. Jerry Brown and urge him not to take the redevelopment investment in Folsom and sell it to a private party. "Folsom spent its redevelopment money wisely, and this belongs to all of us," he said.
Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan lauded Folsom as a "Can-do city."
Other speakers were Vice Mayor Steve Miklos, City Councilmembers Andy Morin and Ernie Sheldon, and Joe Gagliardi, CEO of the Folsom Chamber of Commerce and Folsom Economic Development Corporation.
Following the ribbon cutting, the Mighty Cash Cats Johnny Cash tribute band entertained. Children stood in line for a chance to pump the handcar on the track of the turntable with encouragement from Folsom El Dorado and Sacramento Historical Railroad Association volunteers.
The summer weekly Farmer's Market begins in the Public Plaza on Sunday, June 10. On Saturday, June 23, the Folsom History Museum will open the newly designed and expanded Pioneer Village. The Cattle Drive, the kickoff event of the Folsom Pro Rodeo, will pass by the Historic Folsom Station on Thursday, June 28.
For more information visit historicfolsom.org.


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Casting "what if" stories fascinate me. What would Back to the Future have looked like with Eric Stoltz in for Michael J. Fox? Could Dougray Scott have done a better job as Wolverine than Hugh Jackman? And my favorite – Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones!
But here's one I haven't heard before, and it raises several questions: Did you know that American Idol contestant and eventual Oscar nominee Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) was offered the lead role in Lee Daniels' Precious, but turned it down? The singer-actress reveals that poor career choice in her latest book, I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down (according to Uptown Magazine). At the time, Hudson was coming off the grueling Dreamgirls press circuit, which traditionally accompanies an Oscar run, and was told by the Precious director that she'd have to pack on additional pounds to play the abused teenager.
"I had done that with [her Dreamgirls character] Effie … and as much as I was moved by this film, I wanted to try a role that had nothing whatsoever to do with my weight," she said.
So instead, she contributed to a Sex and the City movie, while Daniels' film earned six Oscar nominations and two wins for screenwriting and Best Supporting Actress. Which begs the questions: Would Hudson's appearance have changed anything? Was Precious always going to hinge on the casting of Precious' malicious mother (Mo'Nique, who was terrifying)? And will Hudson ever get another role of that caliber? She recently played Winnie Mandela opposite Terrence Howard, though that film scored little traction at TIFF. And now she'll be in a Three Stooges movie. Yikes.
Either way, Gabourey Sidibe – who earned an Oscar nomination for playing Precious – should send Hudson gift baskets on an annual basis for turning Daniels down. Just make sure they are loaded with fat-free treats.
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A ChriFSMas Message.
Introduction: A ChriFSMas Message.
I was so impressed with Trebochet03's Instructable that I had to stop building my entry for the Christmas contest and make one. Working on the principle of 'If it's worth doing, it's worth going totally over the top', here is a ChriFSMas message from The Noodly One.
(Apologies for the quality - I did this in a hurry.)
I was hoping no-one would notice that.
I borrowed the circuitry from my entry for the Chrissy contest (look out for Baad Snowman) so I need it back. To put it at the top of the tree I'd have had to go out to the shed for the stepladder, and also, the angel which currently resides in that position will probably fall apart if moved again.
(Answers to rhetorical questions free of charge ;¬)


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HTC M7 Specs: Render Leaks Revealing Design
The HTC M7 specifications have been revealed in rumors, and now a new render has leaked, showing what the smartphone's design might look like.
The body of this device happens to bear a striking resemblance to Apple's iPhone 5.
The image was leaked by Unwired View. The publication claims that this image was clipped from a short animation clip instructing new owners on first-time SIM card installation for the M7. The leak was provided by a "trusted source."
Earlier this month, an XDA forum member tweeted that the HTC M7 would be revealed this month at CES. However, that did not happen, so now the device is expected to be introduced at this year's Mobile World Congress.
The HTC M7 will be an extremely impressive device that features several industry firsts. HTC will also replace the One X with the M7, making it the new flagship device for the company.
These firsts include specs that rival and top away many of the handsets currently available in the market, such as a 4.7-inch display with a pixel density of 468ppi and a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a second generation 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal flash storage, and LTE connectivity.
However, the 4.7-inch screen size is still just a rumor, as NDTV is reporting that the handset could end up with a 5-inch display when it is released. The device is expected to be full HD (1080p) like its predecessors, the DNA and Butterfly.
The camera on the M7 is said to have some major improvements from previous HTC devices. It will come with a 1080p 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 1080p front camera.
It will also feature either Android 4.1, or 4.2 JellyBean.


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When it comes to superhero movies, you probably won't find one as universally praised as The Dark Knight. The second film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is beloved by many for its realistic setting and great story, as well as an outstanding performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker.
The Dark Knight trilogy has been noted for being so different from superhero movies today. Whereas most superhero films today focus on otherworldly and fantastical elements, Nolan's take on Batman was very noticeably realistic.
In fact, one Dark Knight actor even uses Nolan's realistic and arguably non-comic book world to explain why he likes the trilogy much more than any comic book movies that have come out recently.
Cillian Murphy, who portrays Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in all three Nolan Batman films, recently discussed his dislike for the modern superhero movie in an interview with Vulture:
Murphy: Have they exhausted every single comic book ever? I don't know where they're coming from anymore. It was a different time back when we made Batman Begins. I think that Chris [Nolan] has to take credit for making that trilogy of films. I think they're so grounded in a relatable reality. Nobody in those films ever had a superpower. Do you know what I mean? It's a slightly heightened level of storytelling, where New York is Gotham, and no one did anything magical. Batman in his movies just did a lot of pushups and was, like, British. So that's what I loved about them.
Personally, while I think that Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy helped shaped the state of superhero films today, I have to disagree with Murphy that superhero films suffer from not being as realistic as the trilogy.
Superhero films are meant to be fantastical. Our favorite heroes, such as Thor, Superman, and others, are meant to bring a little bit of fantasy into our lives. There's nothing wrong with a realistic superhero movie, but it certainly isn't the only way to go.
But while I may not agree with his opinion, there are actually quite a few notable people in Hollywood who would agree with Murphy's comments.
Jason Statham
There was once a time where it looked like Jason Statham would join the MCU. The action superstar was rumored to be playing iconic supervillain Bullseye in the second season of Daredevil. Unfortunately, Statham squashed the rumors, while at the same time throwing a ton of shade at Marvel.
Last year, Jason Statham slammed Marvel's heavy use of special effects over practical ones, saying that "any guy can do" a Marvel action scene. He even joked that his grandmother could easily star in a Marvel film. Ouch. It doesn't look we'll be seeing the Expendables star don a cape and mask anytime soon.
Roland Emmerich
Surprisingly, the director behind huge sci-fi epics such as The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day and Independence Day: Resurgence, isn't a fan of superhero movies. However, it isn't the special effects or fantasy aspect of superhero films that he has a problem with- it's the costumes.
In an interview with The Guardian, Roland Emmerich talked about what he thought of heroes and their "silly" costumes:
"When you look at my movies it's always the regular Joe Schmo that's the unlikely hero. A lot of Marvel movies, they show people in funny suits running around. I don't like people in capes. I find it silly when someone dons a superhero suit and flies. I don't understand it. I grew up in Germany, that's probably why."
To be fair, Superman does wear his underwear outside of his clothing, so Emmerich isn't entirely wrong in that regard.
Alejandro Inarritu
See Also:
Cillian Murphy And The Cast Of Anthropoid Compared To Their Real Characters
After Batman, Which Heroes Should Telltale Games Tackle Next?
10 Superhero Films That Broke $1 Billion At The Box Office
Alejandro Inarritu is one of my favorite directors. He's the man behind some of my favorite films- Birdman, 21 Grams, and the recent epic tale of survival, The Revenant!
Him being one of my favorite directors is why it stings just a bit to hear his thoughts on one of my favorite genres. While promoting Birdman in 2014, Inarritu had some...choice words about the superhero film genre:
"I sometimes enjoy them because they are basic and simple and go well with popcorn. The problem is that sometimes they purport to be profound, based on some Greek mythological kind of thing. And they are honestly very right wing. I always see them as killing people because they do not believe in what you believe, or they are not being who you want them to be. I hate that, and don't respond to those characters."
He went on to call superhero movies "poison" and "cultural genocide", stating that they're full of exposition and themes that mean nothing about the experience of being a human being. Inarritu's comments are mainly why many believe Birdman to be a parody of the superhero genre.
Tim Burton
That's right- Tim Burton, the man who arguably helped kickstart start the superhero film craze, isn't very impressed with superhero movies today! In case you didn't know, Tim Burton directed the award-winning 1989 Batman film and its sequel, Batman Returns.
In an interview with Yahoo UK, Tim Burton expressed his boredom with the Marvel movie formula, basically stating that superhero movies today are all the same:
How many times can you say 'you're wearing a funny costume' with the tights and stuff? That's been going on for 20 years now. Yes, we all know that superheroes are damaged individuals. Maybe we need to see a happy superhero?"
His comments are pretty ironic, considering his Batman films feature the large level of darkness you'd expect from a Tim Burton-directed adventure starring the Dark Knight. It's also ironic when you look at the amount of humor present in Marvel films. In fact, Marvel movies are criticized by some for their campiness rather than their darkness.
As you can see, Cillian Murphy isn't the only celebrity out there who isn't into the whole superhero film craze currently taking over Hollywood. While I personally disagree with Murphy and the others on this list, I have to give them credit for going against the crowd and sharing their honest opinions.
Still, whether he loves superhero films or not, I will always petition for Cillian Murphy to come back as Scarecrow. Seriously- continuity errors be damned, the DCEU needs Murphy's Scarecrow in its plans!
Thanks for reading! If you happen to like your superheroes in 'silly costumes', we reckon you'll enjoy the thoroughly silly Doctor Strange video below.
How do you feel about superhero movies? Let me know in the comments!


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The Fourth Annual CFLLC Student Conference
Sunday, November 4 | 1:00 – 3:30 PM
Schapiro Hall 129
In Many Voices, the fourth annual CFLLC Student Conference will be held on Sunday, November 4 at 1 PM. Seven seniors will present topics related to their independent research or theses and the languages, literature and cultures they have studied at Williams.
Opening Remarks
Panel I, 1:15 – 2:15 PM
- Professor Janneke van de Stadt, Moderator
- Jacob Gelman, "Natural Law as a Standard in Cicero's Political Thought"
- David Kealhofer, "Odysseus' Murderous Project"
- Amanda M. McLaughlin, "'You will hear that this terrible, annihilating thing is true': Simultaneity and Sequentiality in The Return of Martin Guerre"
- Sarah Zager, "Halakhic Orienteering: Moses Mendelssohn's Path from Idolatry to Morality in the Face of the Kantian Critique"
Panel II, 2:30 – 3:30 PM
- Professor Christopher Nugent, Moderator
- Ian McLean, "Apuleius and Egypt: The Role of Egyptian Stereotypes in The Golden Ass"
- Madlyn Mgrublian, "The Arab Telenovela: Globalization in Middle Eastern Television"
- Hannah Wang, "Reflections of Narcissus: Ovidian Reception in the Victorian Period"


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A bill before the New York Legislature would require employers to provide domestic or sexual abuse victims up to 90 days per year of unpaid leave to deal with the effects of the abuse.
Employees would be allowed to use the time to seek medical care, secure legal assistance or attend counseling or therapy.
Employees returning from leave would be guaranteed the right to be reinstated in the same or equivalent job to the one they left. Employers would be barred from discriminating against employees because of their use of the leave.
Note: If passed, employers would have to track this leave separately from federal FMLA leave since the FMLA does not cover absences for domestic abuse per se.


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My daughter-in-law is a crybaby, manipulative in all of her actions and my son and she have 3 boys, ages 9, 6 and 1. The children are disrespectful, argumentative, holy terrors, backtalk their parents and us, the grandparents. They fight constantly, run through our house constantly - they cannot walk, they do not sit down at the table and eat. We spend all of our time cooking, cleaning and arguing with them just to keep them from hurting each other. My son and his wife, both sit by and to not say ONE word. They just let the kids tear your house apart, torment your animals, etc. I am a disciplinarian and cannot tolerate their behavior. My son has called me twice now and told me that I am mean, evil and that his wife cries all the way home (they live 4 hours away), every time they come see us. I am the bad guy in their eyes. The grandkids love me and tell me they don't want to leave when it is time to go. The 9 year old still wets the bed. They drag the one year old around by the scruff of the neck. They pull down their pants and urinate in public. We have set down clear rules for our home but they are clearly not going to make their children obey. We no longer go to restaurants because it is too embarrassing. They are Christians who don't believe in spanking and their mother is a kindergarten teacher. Neither one of them stick to what they say as far as time out. It is hard to watch, not enjoyable to be around and I would like to know if anyone else has grandkids that they love but cannot take part in discipline when the parents aren't doing their job? Should I just stay away so I don't have a broken heart every time we see each other? I feel sorry for the children because they have no boundaries.
If my Grand-kids ever was to be disrespectable towards me, I would have nothing in life ever to do with them. I loved my Grand-parents even the Step ones when they was mean to me, I didn't know any better, but as I became older I realized that they didn't like me, because I was not their son's daughter, and they didn't like my Mom. So I stayed away from them, and never disrespect them.
My husbands Grandkids are awful, they say bad words, talk back at you and my grandkids are very well behaved. My husband thinks it's ok for the kids to act like that...He says they are just kids and I get very angry because they come to our home and destroy everything. They touch everything around, open closets get on the bed with shoes on and they jump on the sofas...My grandkids are very well mannered and I just don't understand why these kids are the way they are....I guess they have no discipline in their home their parents drink and smoke in front of them and they think it's ok. I have already spoke with my husband about their behavior and we always get into an argument. I don't want them in my home...what can I do? I know they don't get spanked and I think I want out of my marriage because these kids are driving me crazy.....All of the children family are weired....
I agree with this list - except for the "nutrition" item. I laughed to myself at the example "Nutrition." I think nutrition is a touchy and sensitive subject..and it's easy for a grandmother (me included!) or mother-in-law (me included!) to give advice and say, "oh - it's their health!!" But honestly, nutrition is not in the same category as "the big stuff" that you mentioned, or "safety" or "developmental delays" IMO. I think if anything, let the grandmother give the kids candy (if the parents allow) and leave the nutrition up to the parents and their pediatricians or whomever else they consult (not us, the grandmothers!). Luckily, both my DIL's are okay with nutrition for the kids, but I try not to look too closely. Was I any better? (now of course if the mom of your grandkids is giving their kids peanut butter and jelly 3 times a day, should you speak up? Hmmmmm.. Probably not!)... Just my 2 cents...lol.
How well do you get along with your grandchild and other family members? Want to know if your personalities mesh?Find out here.


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I am thrilled to be the Director of Legal Studies! Whether you consider yourself law school bound, or are just testing the waters, seek to have a foundation in law as a valuable resource in another career, or simply wish to attain some understanding of law for your own edification, a legal studies minor is an excellent choice. Law is all around us. It affects our daily lives in innumerable ways. I encourage you to dive in and explore our diverse offerings.
From business law to criminal law, civil liberties to the mass media, we offer substantive courses that would not be out of place in any of the country's major law schools. However, spanning the university, we also offer classes that approach law through the lens of many disciplines.
I encourage you to make the most of your legal studies experience. If you have any questions, or are in need of advising, please contact me or Barbara Ford
email@example.com in the Political Science office.
Christopher is a Dean's Merit Scholar at Villanova Law School. While at UD, Christopher embraced the legal studies program, and interned for a UD alumnus and real estate litigator in Wilmington, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and in the White House Internship Program Office of Vice President Joe Biden. Christopher also worked with Legal Studies director Dr. Wayne Batchis to author an encyclopedia entry on the Warren Court, which was published in May of 2017. Outside of academia, Christopher was a Student Alumni Ambassador, and served on the Executive Board for the UD Model United Nations Conference (HenMUN) for two years.
Emily Lentz is a merit scholar
at The George Washington University Law School. At GW Law, she serves as
President of the Antitrust Law Association and Director of Outreach for the
Corporate and Business Law Society. Emily currently interns for the Federal
Communications Commission. While at UD, Emily interned for the law firm of
Ciconte, Scerba & Kerrick, LLC, the Cecil County Maryland State's
Attorney's Office, and Governor John Carney's 2014 Congressional Reelection
Campaign. Outside of school, she was founding President of the Blue Hen
Economics Club, a committee chair of UD's Model United Nations Conference, and
a sister of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority.


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A Matter of Life and Death
We would like to make some comments regarding Steve Jackson's "Dealing with the Devil" series, which concluded in the June 3 issue. First of all, the Warren brothers are not related to Francisco "Pancho" Martinez. Second, we feel that the justice system has failed David Warren all through his life. All of Social Services knew of him being abused as a child. Now the justice system has failed him again, by telling him lies that they were going to send him out of state. They did not. He already has been getting death threats. Therefore, he did not want to respond to any of the last questions for Pancho. David was jumped in jail already--so what kind of life does he have now? You can say the death sentence.
Also, we want to let Brandy DuVall's family know that there are no regrets of not saying "sorry," because the Warren family sincerely does.
The Warren family
via the Internet
To be honest, I have not read all of Steve Jackson's articles in full, since I cannot handle the details of Brandy's last hours of life and how she died, but I feel that you are making the public aware of exactly how monstrous Francisco Martinez and his followers are.
I never met Brandy DuVall, but I think of her daily, and each night, I pray that she is at peace and for the Lord to watch over her. I have a young daughter and cannot imagine the pain Brandy's parents go through daily, nor can I imagine my daughter enduring all the hell that Brandy did. It both sickens and saddens me.
Brandy was a child--a child who will never grow into an adult. Her rapists, her torturers, her killers have gotten off way too easy. They should have to suffer everything that they put that defenseless child through, and personally, I hope that they get gang-raped and beat up in prison...daily. And how could that uncle ignore her cries? Doesn't he have a conscience? Or a heart? How selfish to protect yourself and let a child suffer what Brandy did. He should have to be raped and beaten in prison, also...and have everyone ignore his pleas for help.
Kathleen Loften-Neubauer
Castle Rock
The articles on Brandy were very well-written and told the story of both sides. It's a shame this murder took place, but thank goodness the people responsible for this hideous crime are where they belong and won't be able to murder any more young, innocent girls. Good reporting.
Biz Sikorra
via the Internet
Having moved from Denver, I was glad to be able to find out on the Web how the trials went and the sentences the gang members got for the awful things they did to Brandy. They all deserved the death sentence, but I'm glad they will be in jail for the rest of their lives, at least, so they can't hurt another innocent person. I do resent those kinds of animals using my tax money to live on, though.
L. McKinney
Kansas City
Editor's note: Steve Jackson's entire "Dealing with the Devil" series is available online at www.westword.com/1999/022599/feature1-1.html.
Suit Yourself
In the June 3 issue, I found Patricia Calhoun's "A Blanket Indictment" very interesting. Where was the Denver Art Museum for all the years the blanket was missing? If the museum wanted to find a likely suspect to blame, it seems they should have looked a little closer to home. To curator Norman Feder, for example, who signed off on the sale.
I wonder what else the people of Denver lost from the museum's collections and will never see again?
Sally Hirsch
via the Internet
The question is not who stole the blanket from the Denver Art Museum, but who stole it from the Navajo? Where is the tribe's cut on the sale?
Jay Walkinghorse
via the Internet
Editor's note: Last week, New York District Judge Naomi Buchwald released her decision in the case of the Denver Art Museum v. Adelaide de Menil--and the museum lost. Buchwald ruled in favor of de Menil, noting that at the time she purchased the blanket from a New York dealer in October 1970, the museum had no formal deaccessioning policy and its record-keeping was "imperfect." Subsequent to the sale, the judge added, the museum did not treat the blanket as stolen, nor did it "contact anyone to find out the whereabouts" for 27 years--until the piece turned up in a 1997 catalogue for Sotheby's, which was auctioning it off for de Menil. "Plaintiff has failed to establish that the exchange [between the museum and the dealer] was anything other than a bona fide exchange," Buchwald determined.
Left, Write, Left, Write ...
Patricia Calhoun: With the April 29 "Opportunism Knocks," you proved once again what a rotten and despicable person you are. I was appalled that you would be so amused about the family of state legislator Doug Dean receiving telephone threats because of his trying to make it easier for law-abiding citizens to get concealed-gun permits. The persons responsible for these threats are no doubt politically correct liberals.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, his law office in Springfield, Illinois, received a flood of hate mail, cursing him as an ape and a baboon who brought the country evil. He received letters with drawings of skills and daggers, plus threats of poisoning and shootings.
Going back to the present, I sent that article of yours to Doug Dean so he can see for himself how you feel about him and his family. I also sent your paper's latest hate article about Governor Bill Owens, "This State for Sale," in the May 13 issue, so he can know what new kind of poison is being published about him.
To conclude this letter, Linda Tripp, Gennifer Flowers, Kathleen Willey and Henry Hyde have also received threats against them and their families for trying to expose Bill Clinton and his politically correct liberal ilk. I'm sure that you don't give a damn. This shows to me that the perverse counterculture luminaries of the 1960s and their minions (like yourself) are using their newly won power to wreak their spite and vengeance upon conservatives who opposed them thirty years ago and those who oppose them today. The gutter has come to power. Calhoun, a statement by Adolf Hitler in 1934 would have described such like yourself well: "We are barbarians. We want to be barbarians. It is an honorable title."
John Bales
I love Westword. Patty Calhoun's perceptive ability is off the chart. She has proven to be interested and committed to providing the community with the kind of news we are interested in.
The city of Denver is so diverse, and some of the stories are so perverse, but the boundaries seem to be limitless. I have found that there is no hesitancy on the part of Calhoun to print what's out there. What I enjoy most is her vision and the impartiality with which the paper is willing to provide news noteworthy to all citizens of this diverse culture, a culture that continues to strive for harmony among its diverse peoples.
Donna Citizen
Pave As You Go
Your June 3 Off Limits item on our gov-on-high's fundraising dinner with the Lutherans is just another example of his lack of leadership--to the contrary of what many believe. He seems to affiliate with every conservative view (but only the ones with deep pockets)--not in a bid to better the general welfare of the citizens of the State of Colorado, but seemingly to fill the fuel tank of a future run at Washington. If Bill Owens gets to spend more than one term in office, the Front Range will be paved over more than the New Jersey Turnpike with Highlands Raunch clones and strip malls; the highways will be full of unregulated SUVs (all standing still four hours a day); any open groundwater will be filled with acid mine drainage; and his eminence The Governor will have a cabinet consisting of CEOs and the religious right.
Greg Majersky
via the Internet
Double-DARE Ya
I noted a few things in T. Steele's June 3 response to Nadia Pflaum's May 20 "Truth or Scare" article that were very telling. Just as Mr. Steele defended DARE by noting that your article concentrated on its "failures," so does Mr. Steele have an equal bias as an enabler for the controversial program. I believe some of the deficits in this tax-supported propaganda program derive from the same failures that made "experimentation" so popular in the Sixties. The first inducement to any contraband is the disapproval of authority, which has always sweetened any experiment since the apple. The second failure comes from spouting lies that makes suspect any and every utterance to follow.
In Mr. Steele's presentations, did he ever mention that the "sativa" in "cannabis sativa" is Latin for "cultivated" and that this recognizes the fact that it is among the oldest deliberately grown crops in existence? Did he mention it's been used for millennia without a single recorded fatality? Did he mention the medicinal properties ascribed to it since before Christ? Did he tell how it was the number-two cash crop in the U.S. before World War I and was outlawed through efforts by the cotton lobby, an industry that resented its versatility as a textile and how cheap and accommodating it is to grow? Did he make the point that the war on drugs has been waged ineffectually for decades and has produced in the Drug Enforcement Administration an organization that the Gestapo would recognize and envy? (And in DARE, do we see a precursor for the Hitler Youth? Get the kids to turn in their parents and the prescription will be complete!)
I somehow doubt he did. And maybe only he and his ilk would wonder why their "well-meaning" lies and misstatements do not produce the obedient robots that it seems this program promulgates.
Jeff Miller
via the Internet
Waste Not, Want Not
There are a couple of incidents in the news recently that I feel have not been explored to their full depth. One of these is the censoring of the TV film Atomic Train (Off Limits, May 27). Was it pulled for, as they claim, "resemblances to the Columbine incident"? Or rather because local authorities feared it would set off a backlash against atomic-waste transport in Colorado?
I suspect the latter.
Roger Freed
The Straight Dope
Regarding Susan Froyd's May 27 Night & Day feature "Telling Truths":
I think the film It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School is very important in teaching not only respect for a person's beliefs, but acceptance of them. I am not gay or lesbian but have many friends and family members who are. The ignorance in this country is what I believe cripples us; these types of shows and conversations (not only of gays, but of people from all walks of life) will aid in broadening our children's horizons and minds.
A job well-done. Of course there will be havoc raised about it, but when people who believe against something so strongly get confused on whether or not they are wrong, you will always have conflict--that's what makes it so great!
Name withheld on request
via the Internet
Notting in Common
Scott Kelton Jones's May 27 "Star Struck Out," a review of the truly entertaining film Notting Hill, was off the mark. Is it so difficult to lose the critical eye and actually find the good in a film? Yes, the film was overly stereotypical. So what? Should we really expect more from Hollywood today? People attend films to escape reality, to at least glimpse hope through the eyes of others. If you have a problem with Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts, then you should not go see this film. If you enjoy raw British humor and romance, please don't hesitate to go.
R.J. Roll
via the Internet
Chew on This
In the May 27 issue's Mouthing Off, I read Kyle Wagner's comment about the Southside Cafe, that its bacon had "melt-in-your-mouth fat with a minimum of grease." What's the difference? Melt-in-your-mouth fat is good-tasting grease and grease is bad-tasting fat? Help me out here.
Jim Dumas
via the Internet
Mellow Journalism
As an Elvis Costello fan since 1977 who has read hundreds of articles about The Man since, I must say that Michael Roberts's May 27 "The Mellowing of Mr. C" is one of the best and most insightful pieces I have ever seen. Most people who write about Elvis are out of their league. This was spot-on.
Lee Rousso
via the Internet
Homie on the Range
Regarding Kelly Lemieux's "A Hamblin You Can Dance To," in the April 22 issue:
DJ K-NEE is the real pioneer of Denver urban music. He has always been my inspiration and my source of knowledge. Keep up all the good work, "homie."
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CFPB Card Database Could Be Good for Credit Unions
A new publicly available database of consumer complaints about big bank credit card programs may benefit credit unions trying to market their own card programs, an industry observer speculates.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has begun making the comments it has been gathering available on its website.
Credit unions generally have been known for having more consumer-friendly credit card programs, but have often been slow to market them on those qualities.
"This represents another tremendous opportunity for the 3,200-plus card issuing credit unions to promote their credit card programs. Time to put the credit card product front and center on their credit union website homepage," said Ondine Irving, a consumer card advocate and founder of the credit union card website Credit Card Connection.
Since the database only includes card issuers with more than $10 billion in assets, it's unlikely that it will contain many credit union issued cards directly, but Irving pointed out that credit unions which have partnered with major bank card issuers could find that they wind up on the database through their association.
"For those credit unions who have sold their program to banks, don't be surprised if complaints creep up about your pseudo credit union card program, due to the higher rates, member service issues and fees, which are typically not found on credit union issued card programs," she added.
One credit union industry leader, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the new database.
"NAFCU understands the CFPB has the authority to investigate legitimate consumer complaints," said President/CEO Fred Becker. "Unfortunately, we fear that this new database may open the door to frivolous and unsubstantiated complaints. In addition, given the nature of viral media, disclosing all complaints may paint a misleading picture and trigger reputational risks for solid institutions that could raise safety and soundness concerns for the financial institutions in question."