text:
|Anyone seen Rogue One?
Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
Edgar Reynaldo
Member #8,592
May 2007
-*You had to know that wuss would kill Han Solo. This isn't the first time a shield had to be taken down by Han Solo and Chewbacca. I liked Rae as a character but Finn was kind of a wuss too and he couldn't use a light saber to save 9h8ims*ef/f*/ (that's my cat typing there...) I liked the fighter pilot. Rogue One was great because it had Donnie Yen using the force in it. Story was good but sad ending.
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Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
I loved the Droid in Rogue One. The female lead was WAY more relatable than the one in Force Awakens. I LOVED the Force Monk. A guy who ISN'T a Jedi but still BELIEVES in the force. That's such a cool idea.
p.s. Allegro's e-mails send spoiler text straight into your e-mail.
Eric Johnson
Member #14,841
January 2013
I enjoyed Force Awakens for the spectacles, but it did little for me in terms of story. Things felt too contrived; there were too many conveniences, which felt cheap. I also didn't like the new characters.
As for Rogue One, it was "grittier", which I appreciated. I enjoyed it a lot more than Force Awakens. I just hope they do a decent job moving forward with episodes 8 and 9 (screw Roman numerals, by the way).
Member #2,727
September 2002
As far as I'm concerned, the last Star Wars movie was The Return of the Jedi
Eric Johnson
Member #14,841
January 2013
torhu said:
As far as I'm concerned, the last Star Wars movie was The Return of the Jedi
I wish. Episode 7 undermines nearly everything accomplished in the original trilogy.
Member #2,229
April 2002
Seen it and loved it. it's basically a prequel to the first story. I don't know how in the hell you get "return of the Jedi" from it?!
Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
I was BLOWN AWAY that a tacked on PREQUEL to a series, that nobody really cared about, ended up being (to use your term) "gritty", and so damn amazing.
Also in the news. The new Dave Chappelle is on Netflix and it's GREAT. Though you can tell the constant cigarettes are starting to kill his voice.
Member #5,313
December 2004
A guy who ISN'T a Jedi but still BELIEVES in the force. That's such a cool idea.
What, you mean like a Sith?
Member #7,536
July 2006
I watched it when it first came out. I'm not a big SW fan so I couldn't really care less about the franchise, but I think I generally didn't like the movie. I can't remember my criticisms, but in any case I think I managed to sit through it all. As more of a Star Trek fan I find that the Star Wars media tends to seem rather low budget and random, even if they managed to spend tens of millions on its production. It just seems amateurish like they started hacking at a script without knowing how it was going to end. It probably helps that most Star Trek media is in the format of 40 minute TV episodes instead of feature length films, but they do have their share of those too (which admittedly I haven't seen many of them).
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Member #4,069
November 2003
I wasn't expecting much of that movie and therefore wasn't let down or overtly impressed. There were some good moments though. The crashlanding on the imperial outpost and what was going on after that felt a lot like first missions in Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, I liked the humour involving the droid.
However, it too was suffering from the syndrome introduced in Force Awakens - jumping between systems felt very fast. It was like: "hey we need a bombing mission on the other side of the galaxy", "sure no problem, ETA 5 minutes." I also disliked how they portrayed the Rebels as a bunch of cowards.
And don't even get me started about the final battle and the very quick tie in to the New Hope movie. It's like the introduction scene from that movie follows literally 5 minutes later which feels really cheap and out of place. Plus the CGI Grand Moff Tarkin...
It all looks like someone sat down with a cool idea about a movie depicting the effort to obtain Death Star plans (already done in the first mission of Dark Forces by the way) and how a large number of Bothan spies died in the process. And then trying really hard to tie it in as a prequel for the New Hope. I mean it didn't need to be so bloody obvious, we would get it. And the end for the lead characters? Well, I don't mind but it felt so cheap, come on!
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Member #2,229
April 2002
Wow, I am constantly surprised at the criticisms of these movies. You question their ability to travel long distances in the blink of an eye but nobody questions how they are walking around their ships with full gravity and no inertia from movement etc... etc...
I guess I'm different. I go to see a movie, I don't expect realism. I expect... a movie... fiction. I can't think of anything that I didn't like.
I loved the ending where
the one base commander uncovered what the rebels were after and why and how the other one (I am bad remembering names) ends up destroying the base, commander and all. Destroying the rebels, but also killing the commander who could have warned them about what the rebels were up to.
I thought that plot twist was brilliant to be honest!
Member #7,536
July 2006
There is a bit of a difference between artificial gravity and super-speed.
Firstly, weightlessness is cool, but also hard to do well on a set with gravity, and expensive to try to make work. That can be forgiven. I don't think it would be practical to do this live actors for an entire feature length film (at least, not one with action and space battles, etc.).
Super-speed is always achieved with special effects or CGI so there's no technical excuse for it. And going faster than possible is actually harder to produce than slower. The main complaint about crossing extreme expanses in seconds is that we know it to be physically impossible (short of some kind of wormhole or bending space phenomenon). The galaxy is 100,000 lightyears across. Traveling at the theoretical maximum speed would take 100,000 years! Sort of a leap from 30 seconds.
Of course, this rule needs to be broken somewhat to achieve a story as well. It doesn't need to be completely thrown away though. They could invent a technology that can manage to bend it, but still take several hours or days or weeks to get where you're going. Star Trek does this, and I don't think too many people get upset about their speeds because it's not completely ridiculous.
Personally I don't remember what speeds were reached in Rogue One. It sounds vaguely familiar that I was annoyed with the distances traveled, but I honestly can't remember. I'm just speaking to the specific point that you brought up.
As for expecting fiction, of course, everybody going to see a fictional movie is expecting fiction. And each fictional universe can set its own rules. That's absolutely true, and desired. It's only a problem when the rules set out in that universe are bent or broken without explanation.
I don't know that Star Wars is particularly guilty of this, but again I'm not a fan so I haven't seen nor do I remember many films. Again, I'm just refuting the argument that anything goes because it's a movie. That's not true. A movie is very easily ruined if the ending bends the rules and nullifies the entire conflict of the story, for example.
Often this bending of rules makes the conflict (or minor-conflicts throughout the movie) not actually a problem because you can just workaround the problem as if it never existed. There's no point watching something where literally anything goes.
Take the most tense moment in film history, impossible odds, how are we going to get out of this. Don't worry, we just did. Because. How fun? No, completely boring. That's like watching a sporting even where at any moment a team can win the entire match by snapping their fingers or getting lucky or something else ridiculous. What would be the point of playing or watching the game if the entire premise can be compromised in the blink of an eye? All of the hard work of the opposing team for nothing. Nobody would want to watch that. That is what watching a movie that doesn't obey its own laws is like.
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Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
OICW said:
It's like the introduction scene from that movie follows literally 5 minutes later which feels really cheap and out of place. Plus the CGI Grand Moff Tarkin...
The tie in at the VERY end did feel really rushed. Plus, Darth Vader while everyone thought he was super cool... the continuity didn't make sense. He's super super angry in this movie and swinging and force choking everyone. And then we begin A New Hope and... he's so much more calculating and reserved. And I think that was kind of the point. A Sith MASTER uses the dark side but isn't controlled by his emotions. Whereas a Sith new recruit is overwhelmed by them ala Kylo Ren (even though Ren is supposed to be a master or whatever which is also B.S.). But at the end of Rogue One, Darth Vader is like some crazy murderfest guy... which is fine if you want that but... then a New Hope hits and he's TALKING to people, interrogating prisoners. He's creepy BECAUSE he's so reserved.
Also, if he can force pull people, why the hell not force pull the ONE guy with the damn deathstar plans?
The tie-in at the end was silly and forced. (Ha. Pun.)
That being said, I loved the rest of the movie. It did feel like they spend very little time at each spot BUT contrast it with Force Awakens where they just go from one planet to the next and SIT AROUND AND TALK. Every place just spends 5 minutes of fan service without actually propelling the movie forward. There were like 10 minutes of ORIGINAL content in Force Awakens of new, cool ideas. In Rogue One there's at LEAST an hour.
Ships shooting ion torpedos. COOL. (We haven't seen those since freakin' X-Wing Vs Tie Fighter games.)
New service droids and the reprogrammed one that feels like C3-PO meets . VERY Cool.
Space Muslims. Cool.
Force Monks. Very freakin Cool.
MORE SHIPS. Great space battles. (Unlike the Force Awakens Tie-Fighter / X-Wing battle which is literally just background effects while the characters do stuff. The X-wings "win" and then magically lose somehow and allow Kylo Ren's ship to leave.)
Seamless hyper-transport. (The very end where they're retreating and then Darth Vaders ship WARPS INTO IT destroying it?)
NEW SHIPS that feel canon and look right. YES.
Pushing one destroyer into another. Mwahaha.
Explaining why the Death Star had such an obvious defect? Neat. I didn't ask for it, but it's a "plausible" reason and not some horribly obvious tacked on handling. It felt canon.
Death Star using 1 generator instead of full power? A neat special effect that ends up having a PRACTICAL plot effect. They're worried the Death Star might not run at full power, and then the obvious--I don't want to mention--part. Excellent use of a new concept twice. It the movie didn't feel like we were just being "shown" a bad thing, and then the second time "feel" the bad thing. Both times felt pretty natural.
I loved the grittyness of the film. You saw camera angles that George would NEVER use like the handicam shots.
I REALLY liked the characters that "seemed" like bad guys / traitors but didn't end up being. How the one "good" guy rebel was a pretty dark asshole assassin.
I really liked the ambiguity.
LennyLen said:
What, you mean like a Sith?
If you saw the movie you'd know what I'm talking about. A guy who ISN'T a Jedi. He CAN'T wield a lightsaber or use the force... except he can use hints from the force because he is such a strong BELIEVER in the force. Like a wizard in Harry Potter. You either are or aren't. But what if you were such a studied muggle that you could "kind of" use a wand.
OICW said:
I also disliked how they portrayed the Rebels as a bunch of cowards.
The point about the Rebels is a good one. HOWEVER, it wasn't the rebels that were cowards. I REALLY liked how they showed that the rebels were TIRED. They were fighting for so long and (NEAT) did unethical things "For the greater good."
ALSO, the COSTUMES. They were new AND FELT NORMAL. Way more than Force Awakens (though it's set in the future, yeah... but not that far.) The new Imperial general clothes, cloaks, etc. It all felt normal and GREAT. (Although the Sith's Temple or whatever... looked WAY too much like Mordor...)
Contrast with the big pile of DOG POOP force awakens where they straight up make the Empire... Space Nazis... but don't have the balls to actually put a swastika on them.
It was so damn stupid. It took all of the real fear of a cold, calculated Empire and replaced them with silly Westboro Baptist Neo Nazis.
I also liked the bad general dude. He was slightly cliche but he had SOME depth. I liked his "too eager to suck up to get ahead" attitude. He felt like some Wall Street jerk in the Empire attracted to money and power, and once he got high enough in rank he ended clashing against something different than bureaucracy and greed... the cold calculating evil of the Sith. A completely different motivation behind their actions.
- ANOTHER good thing. When they're getting attacked on the planet and all the Empire guys just stand around and the white general dude is like "DO SOMETHING!" That's a REAL feeling scene. Everyone is so shocked that anyone would dare attack them, they're stunned, and then the bureaucracy is so powerful that nobody knows who to call or what to do when a real situation happens.
The TWO unforgivable parts in the movie?
- SAYING THE NAME OF THE MOVIE and calling attention to it. WTF. It took you right out of the movie and made you THINK about the fact you were watching a movie. ROOKIE. DAMN. MISTAKE.
- Darth Vader saying a FUCKING PUN. A #@!%!@#%!@ing pun?! "Be careful you don't CHOKE on your aspirations." while force choking someone. WTF? DARTH VADER DOESN'T MAKE PUNS. That's a huge slap to the entire franchise.
I forgot to complete my thought about the rebels. The rebel LEADERS were hesitant to engage in an operation that would cause many losses and may not actually help their cause. So I don't really count them as cowards.
Also, WTF: Look at all the cool scenes they ripped from the movie we saw: (Scroll down to near the bottom for the "dialog cut from movie" video.)
Notice the FREAKING TIE FIGHTER floating up when she goes to walk out to the "align the dish" switch at 2:15 mark. Maybe she shoots the guy in the cockpit? It would have made that trip to the switch WAY more interesting instead of "tacked on" that it felt like.
"HEY GUYS, ANOTHER SWITCH YOU GOTTA PUSH because the writers said so."
The other switch was so silly too. The one the force monk and his buddy die trying to turn on. There are X-WINGS flying over head and you're pinned down in a doorway? You can't call for X-wings to drop a bomb on those black storm troopers?
Member #4,069
November 2003
Neil Roy said:
You question their ability to travel long distances in the blink of an eye but nobody questions how they are walking around their ships with full gravity and no inertia from movement etc... etc...
Well, it wasn't meant like this. As bamccaig put it, some things wouldn't be fun or practical to shoot, unless you are Stanley Kubrick My point was rather at the fact that in the New Hope it takes them quite long to jump from Tatooine to Aldebaran and we actually get to watch what they do on board of Millenium Falcon while in transit. Sure, subsequently they started to cut things because there wasn't important stuff to be shown.
However, both in Force Awakens and in Rogue One it felt really rushed up. And the whole thing with the whole Republic being smashed by a single shot from the "New Death Star", that was such a shortcut that I was really pissed off. I mean before the empire the Galactic Republic was spanning the whole galaxy or at least a vast majority. It was superceded by the Empire and after it felt, again the Republic was established. You don't want to tell me that it was just a single planet and several moons neatly together to simply vaporize them with a new superweapon. That was like super rushed and I got the same feeling from the rest of the movie.
The tie-in at the end was silly and forced. (Ha. Pun.)
Exactly though, I didn't mind the actual pun delivered by Vader.
Chris Katko said:
The point about the Rebels is a good one. HOWEVER, it wasn't the rebels that were cowards. I REALLY liked how they showed that the rebels were TIRED. They were fighting for so long and (NEAT) did unethical things "For the greater good."
Yeah, right, they were tired, I forgot that. Maybe I just can't express myself very well on this. The thing is they felt completely different from the Rebels you get to watch literally 5 minutes after the end of this movie and in Empire Strikes Back. Their behaviour felt totally out of place.
Don't get me wrong, I kinda liked both movies, especially audiovisually. But storywise, well, I liked Rogue One more as it was grittier. Yet, again, just as it was actually cool to think about the Clone wars as Obi Wan uttered a mention about them in the New Hope it was a let down to see them portrayed in the second trilogy. So, in my opinion, same goes for the theft of the Death Star plans.
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Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
That reminds me of another thing I hated about Force Awakens. The Super Death Star (Star killer?) was such a stupid thing.
Building TWO death stars in the series was almost insane. "Hey guys, we build this MOON sized ship... TWICE. With the SAME flaw in it." By time you hit Jedi. BUT, they changed it up because it was till being built. Which was kind of cool.
Force Awakens... they build a THIRD DAMN DEATH STAR? I MEAN COME THE HELL ON. .. And it's got ANOTHER critical weakness... A THIRD TIME? They're really stretching credibility here. It's straight up comical at this point, like some insane silly James Bond villain. "OH NO, here's comes Dr Evil with his THIRD LAIR of DOOM!" Or like a comic book villian, "Here's comes X, trying to take over the world again with his robot minions! However will we defeat him, team?"
Moreover, it's just damn lazy. (TO DAMN LAZY for a BILLION DOLLAR franchise.)
"OH WOW, this NEW death star can blow up FIVE planets in a row."
Okay... but... the LAST two could also do that... they just had to fly around for five minutes for each one. WHO CARES if an entire galaxy, an entire civilization blows up in 30 seconds, or 30 minutes?! WHO CARES?! Compared to the thousands of years they existed on those planets?
And how can ANY of us possibly comprehend and empathize with an entire civilization dying? How can any of us wrap out heads around it? It's a horrible plot device. A human brain can't comprehend it, so why the hell is it in the movie? Am I supposed to be sad everyone is dead? And if not, why the hell are you showing me it? (Just like what Disney did in Tron: Legacy where they killed all the synthetic people... but never showed them. All you heard was cheesy death sounds. Am I supposed to care about these people that live in a computer that I've never heard about before?)
Moreover, if they were gonna go the "Empire are just neo nazis" route, it would have been a THOUSAND times more heartfelt and impactful if they did ACTUAL Nazi stuff instead of "POLITICALLY CORRECT NAZI" stuff. Actual torture chambers. Actual interment camps. Actual genocide. THAT would have been intense. Not this White Washed, PC, version of Space Nazis where they would never torture you... but they'll blow up your entire galaxy (including ALL the important resources/documents/armies alongside it? REALLY?). Taking Scorched Earth policy to a whole new level there...
And why blow up the Republic anyway? Couldn't they have just THREATENED them with the new doom laser and extorted them into gaining resources, power, influence, slaves, whatever. It just doesn't make sense.
When the USA got nukes, they didn't blow up entire countries off the face of the Earth. They dropped TWO BOMBS. Enough to get the point across so they could then extort/influence the country to their whims.
How many potential new Storm Troopers could they have enslaved from those planets they blew up? It's SILLY.
And just as a movie device, GOOD GOD. "Hey guys, it's a death star... but this one is... BIGGER." Has got to be the laziest plot device for a SciFi movie in the history of movies. Look at Tremors 1, 2, 3, etc. Even though the 2nd onward are cheap B-movies, the movie revolves around prehistoric worms. BUT, each movie had NEW evolutions of those worms. The 2nd one, they could walk and see heat (while the 1st movie was vibrations ala Dune). The 3rd one had jetpack "butt buster" ones. And so on. NONE of those movies did "Hey, it's a worm... but it's a BIGGER WORM!!! OMGAWWD". If you can't beat a SciFi channel B-movie, what the hell are you doing with your career? Would you have watched Star Trek 1/2/3 if they were just Wrath of Kahn (good movie!) but... BIGGER WRATH OF KAHN SHIP. And the next one... BIGGER WRATH OF KAHN SHIP! ("But this time Kahn IS A ROBOT!") Hell no you wouldn't.
Rogue One felt like a narrative. The characters were just a part of a bigger story going on. Force Awakens felt like the opposite. It felt like the WORLD bent to whatever the characters (::cough:: writers ::cough::) needed to happen so that these characters could go through a list of "cool scenes". It was like Family Guy. And I mean that seriously. The writing for Family Guy is extremely lazy. I'll never forget the South Park creators talking to film students saying:
"What we've learned makes a good story is, you never have 'this happens' AND 'this happens'. You want to do 'this happens' BUT 'this happens' BECAUSE 'this happens'. Use BUT and BECAUSE. If you have this AND this AND this, it ends up boring."
Family Guy is SUPER like "this AND this AND this." Peter discovers X, then Y shows up under the carpet, then Z happens. There's no real struggle, suspense or twists. Even the "twists" in Family Guy are all just tacked on, for the same of a list of jokes they want to say. And Force Awakens felt like a bunch of tacked on bullet points of neat scenes that barely fit together in any natural way, and only link because the writers deemed that they should.
I mean, the millennium falcon JUST so happened to be sitting on the first planet AND it just so happened to be fueled and ready to fly? REALLY? ... REEALLLY? In the original New Hope movie where the ship is introduced they remark how "old" and "piece of junk" the ship is. So this 100+ year old ship is both faster and more powerful then contemporary ships AND ready to fly?
Pacific Rim's "Big robots punch Godzilla" felt better put together and had me cheering way more than Force Awakens. (Though I did cheer on Rogue One at some badass stuff.)
Member #7,536
July 2006
This is getting intense. But I generally agree, the story was very poorly written. And considering it's a franchise that goes away for years at a time I think it was a pretty big let down for the people that give a crap.
I personally know people that paid extra to watch it on the special release night thingamabobber, at least locally, and the show was canceled because of a snow storm. And it was sold out for days afterward. I'm not sure how or if the theater ever made it up to them. Can you imagine?
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Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
Samuel Henderson
Member #3,757
August 2003
I wouldn't consider myself to be much of a Star Wars nerd, although I have watched all the movies so I watched Force Awakens and Rogue One mainly due to curiosity more than anything.
When I walked out of the cinema after watching The Force Awakens, I remember feeling satisfied that it at least felt like a Star Wars movie (unlike Episode 1,2 and 3). Then after further reflection I was disappointed when I realized it's 'familiar' feeling was basically because it was just a carbon copy of Episode 4.
I felt like Rogue One was a much better movie. I didn't realize that the actor that played Moff Tarkin had kicked the bucket until about halfway through the movie when there was a particularly bad scene of him. If they would have kept him in dimmer lit areas I might never have noticed he was CGI'd at all.
Member #5,313
December 2004
If you saw the movie you'd know what I'm talking about.
I did see the movie. I guess I just read your words literally.
Member #2,229
April 2002
Oh, and I also liked episode 1, 2 and 3. I really think people are far too critical.
Eric Johnson
Member #14,841
January 2013
I'm 22. I wasn't alive to see the original trilogy while it was new, though they were the first I saw as a child. But I personally prefer episodes 1-3 over 4-6, as they are more nostalgic for me, and I enjoyed the CGI. Yeah, much of it hasn't aged well, and lots of the dialogue is cheesy, but I still enjoy it. Besides, the light saber fights are way better in the prequel trilogy, and there's plenty of cheesy acting in the originals, too.
But hey, each to their own.
I'm just hoping that things improve moving forward with episodes 8 and 9. My expectations aren't too high though. I enjoyed the Star Trek movie reboot thing a from a few years ago, for example, but hated the sequel (rehashing the Khan story but in a crappy fashion felt cheap and disrespectful to the original movies). I thought the third movie would bring things back to good standing, but I was even more so disappointed with that one. So I have very little expectations from JJ and Star Wars.
It seems that a lot of sequels are garbage these days. They used to almost always be garbage, but in the mid 2000s, things seemed to be a bit brighter for a time. But now it's back to garbage. Or maybe sequels have always sucked, but I was just blind to it? Just like they're rebooting King Kong again! I saw the trailer the other day and thought, "didn't I they just remake that?" But then I realized that was 12 years ago! Man, how time flies... I just don't see a reason to remake/reboot these things so quickly (if at all ever). I've recently felt the same way with video game sequels, too. Animal Crossing from the GameCube era, for example, is more than enough for me. I bought the first two sequels, but felt they were not as good as the original. I recently tried the third sequel was was really disappointed. Kind of bummed me out. So screw sequels, I guess...
Ramble, grumble...
Member #7,536
July 2006
I think there is such a thing as far too uncritical.
I think that sequels can be good, but it's rare the the writing is done well, or that the money is available. I think that production companies see sequels as an easy way to make money. Which is really shitty business, IMO, which might have something to do with the rental and ownership business going down the toilet. When odds are a movie is going to suck who cares anymore?
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Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
Neil Roy said:
Oh, and I also liked episode 1, 2 and 3. I really think people are far too critical.
Some people were making good points that Force Awakens really highlighted how overly critical we were of George Lucas and how much we shat on him. Don't get me wrong, I'm not "super" impressed with the prequels with lines like "You are softer than sand... m'lady" (was he wearing a fedora?) and MITICHLORIANS RETCONNING the entire series.
HOWEVER. As much as "Star Wars Prequels" didn't feel... exactly like Star Wars. (Read: Force Awakens being so conservative its afraid to do anything at all) It sure as hell felt like SOMETHING NEW. It was so new that it didn't exactly feel like Star Wars so much as "in the universe of Star Wars". But George sure as hell put a lot of effort into it.
(Fun fact: Tons of the original SCRAPPED ideas for Star Wars New Hope that producers/etc ripped out of his movie for being too silly or stupid ended up in the prequels. Almost like he was like "SCREW YOU. Those WERE good ideas damn it!")
So I'm still on the fence about the prequels. One thing I remember as a kid, being MOST interested in was ... "How did Darth Vader become Darth Vader?" the coolest bad guy in fiction ever created. And then the prequels hit and I was like "Wait, so he's just a whiny bitch?" and then the prequels ENDED the moment he turns into vader! We never got to actually SEE Anakin BECOME Vader. We just saw him turn to the dark side and get the suit. All of that I didn't care about... I wanted to see young vader WITH the suit, encountering stuff and becoming more and more of the badass we see in the originals. What missions did he go on? What things did he see? To me, the prequels were set at least 10 years too early. I was hoping George was going to give us info about vader that would enhance the words we saw in the original series. Pick a random line, say, "You are apart of the rebel alliance and a traitor." and then we find out he was referencing a very specific event in his history that fueled his emotions and actions. (We did get a slight hint/taste of that with Rogue One.)
Member #2,229
April 2002
I dunno, I guess I just don't go over movies with a fine tooth comb like that. <shrug>
I felt the story in the prequels was needed. Jar Jar was a tad silly at times, but I got a laugh from it when it first came out. But if you wanted a story about Darth Vader, than you really needed those movies the way they were. I recall people whining about there being a love story and I was like "What?!" You NEEDED a love story, one where he was REALLY, deeply in love with her in order for him to go so bad when she died. Being a married man (32 years now) who once threw his doctor across the room for making his wife cry, I totally understand that aspect.
I dunno... I just haven't seen a Star Wars I didn't like. Some more than others, the Ewoks felt a little like a Muppets show but... meh, just a movie, so I rolled with it.


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It's a new year here at South of the Border in lovely Dillon, South Carolina. 2010 was a busy year here at The Border, with lots of fun new additions to make your visits even more exciting. It has also been a year of hard work making all your favorite attractions look new again. Although, if you have never visited us they are all new to you sez Pedro.
9) Tamales, Tamales, Tamales
8) You can crash in our guest room, and you don't even have to make the bed when you leave.
7) You like that BOOM BOOM POW.
6) You think getting high is pretty cool.
5) Your need to stock up on Good Ole Blenheim Ginger Ale.
4) To fill up those hungry kids and get back on the road
3) Educate the kids about all the creepy-crawly things from around the world.
2) With hundreds of miles of signs, resistance is futile.
1) Pedro loves you and he likes your pesos too!
Hope you have enjoyed our silly little list for the new year. But to be serious, we really do love all the people who stop by and visit with us. Thanks for making 2010 a great year. It was a year of change and renewal around South of the Border. In 2011, we plan to continue this effort to refurbish the grounds and provide new exciting attractions to go with all the ones you have grow to love here.
Thanks again for making South of the Border America's Favorite Roadside Attraction. Follow us on Twitter and join the Official Facebook page for South of the Border here.

subset: commoncrawl


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A new analysis of Hubble surveys, including the All-Wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS), the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS), and the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS), combined with simulations of galaxy interactions, reveals that the merger rate of galaxies over the last 8 billion to 9 billion years falls between the previous estimates.
The galaxy merger rate is one of the fundamental measures of galaxy evolution, yielding clues to how galaxies bulked up over time through encounters with other galaxies. And yet, a huge discrepancy exists over how often galaxies coalesced in the past. Measurements of galaxies in deep-field surveys made by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope generated a broad range of results: anywhere from 5 percent to 25 percent of the galaxies were merging.
This video zooms into the Groth Strip and highlights four merging galaxy candidates located in the region.
NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)
Publication: October 27, 2011


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Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:53 am
Post subject: Ooh
Year after year, I find myself becoming more and more disinterested in the latest games that are released. Of course, every year there is usually a few games that I learn to love, but that number is lessening rapidly. Then today, I stumble across a game that catches my interest. An alpha version of a game called Brass & Steel. I nearly disregarded it, thinking it would be a bugfest, but the idea of an Advance Wars like game infused with ideas from Company of Heroes (two of the best games to come out in recent times) was too much not to even look at.
So, two hours later, I find myself addicted. If this is the standard for an alpha version of a game, I cannot wait until the full version is released. This game has immense potential.
The game could obviously do with more gameplay features, a more polished interface etc. but in it's current state, I found the only problem was a slightly laggy screen scrolling. Though this may have been due to the fact I was playing on a netbook.
The graphics are charming, the gameplay is fun and it's addictive. It looks to have great replay value.
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Mark Pay
Site Admin
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Posts: 626
Location: Margate, UK
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 6:28 pm
Post subject:
Hi Mossy! I cannot tell you how happy your post makes me.
I've been working on Brass & Steel for about a year now, but most of that time I've been at my new job, so spare time is restricted to weekends, and progress has been slow.
It's not had a lot of downloads or positive feedback so far, so I'm thrilled to hear that you're enjoying it.
There are an enormous number of features that can be added. I'm working on walls and hedges at the moment. Buildings next, then hills, which will be tricky to display. Beyond that I'd love to get missions, a map editor, other armies, campaigns in there. It'll take a long time though...
The game was originally developed on a netbook! I've switched back to my main PC because it's cold and wet outside though. The HWA, DirectX accelerated version runs really well on my EEE PC 1000, but scrolling is sluggish on the software-only version. The mouseover popups in the latest version render very slowly as well, and need replacing.
Thanks again!
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Joined: 16 Mar 2010
Posts: 5
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 1:16 pm
Post subject:
I stumbled upon Brass and Steel by happy chance, and I can say that it's the best game I seen in months. It's addictive the very same way as Civilization or Battle for Wesnoth- you're always wanting to spend one more turn until you realize it's way past midnight.
You have a real gameplay gem here, and I can't wait to see it released.
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Joined: 08 May 2010
Posts: 3
Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 3:13 pm
Post subject:
I downloaded the Spirit Engine 2 when it became free and then came back to your website and discovered this little gem.
I absolutley love it! It's a perfect mix of engrossing tactics that's just light enough not to bog you down.
Please keep working on it.
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Mark Pay
Site Admin
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Posts: 626
Location: Margate, UK
Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 9:02 pm
Post subject:
Thanks for your support guys. I really appreciate it.
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Joined: 03 Jul 2010
Posts: 1
Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 12:43 pm
Post subject:
At first, sorry for language, I'm russian & I'm almost never writing on english forums.
Well, Brass & Steel is already wonderful, nice graphics, very good gameplay... I like it so much! When I downloaded alpha, almost whole day was lost due to the game
By the way, I played both TSE of cause. These are very impressive game, one of the best games I ever played, really.
So thank you very much, Mark, for your outstanding games! I really hope that you'll continue all this work!
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Note: This is one in a series of profiles of UL contributors and friends and how they became involved in the "liberty movement." Share your story on Twitter using the hashtag #IAmUnitedLiberty.
In the fall of 2007 I stepped onto the campus of Rutgers-Camden for the first time. I didn't have the slightest idea which career field I wanted to enter, which major I would choose – heck, I hardly knew where my classes were.
What I did know was what my major shouldn't be; everybody told me to stay away from a Bachelor of Art's degree because they "don't mean anything." I struggled for a long time deciding what career field I wanted to enter. Eventually, I went with my heart and made the best decision of my life which would eventually result in moving to and working in Washington, D.C.
I took courses from several different majors, trying to get a feel for what I wanted to do. During my first semester at Rutgers-Camden, I took an intro to political science class. I hardly had an interest in politics as I thought that those who were interested in politics either wanted a cushy job in government, or even worse, become a politician for a living.


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Toulouse, 31st. October 2006 – IGE+XAO Group
During 2005/2006, IGE+XAO entrenched its development with a turnover of € 19,698,405 an increase of 7.2% on the previous fiscal.
On its plans for profitability, the Company's performance is significant with an operating profit rising to € 3,107,699 up 20.5% and with the net income reaching € 2,052,946 an increase of 17.3%. The net margin of 10.4% of turnover thus achieved, underwrites the objective between 8% and 10% announced by the Group Board of Directors.
At the same time, IGE+XAO strengthened its financial position with the absence of long-term financial debt, cash-at-bank of € 10,193,927 (€ 8,970,715 in 2004/2005), and a total shareholder's equities of € 11,649,114 (€ 10,348,618 in 2004/2005).
This very healthy financial position gives the Group the ability to achieve its commercial and technical development objectives. In 2005/2006, the Group thereby increased its international presence with the acquisition of its Swiss distributor Hibatec GmbH, the creation of a marketing subsidiary in the United States and the opening of a representative office in China. Significant commercial agreements have been signed notably with Schneider Electric in June 2006 and Embraer very recently in October 2006. On the technical plan, IGE+XAO has persuaded a large research and development effort in order to market in particular an integrated program to manage the life cycle of an electrical installation (PLM).
Finally, and in accordance with IGE+XAO policy, the Board of Directors will propose at the Annual General Meeting, a dividend distribution amounting to € 350,800 compared to € 315,720 in 2004/2005.
Cijfers IGE+XAO corporate
Toulouse, 31st. October 2006 – IGE+XAO Group


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Lea Michele Pumps up the Volume on Allure Cover
Lea Michele is the December cover girl for beauty bible Allure and the 'Glee' diva showcases her unconventional beauty through and through. Her cover shot is sexy in the most subtle of ways, as she looks over her shoulder and is posed sideways.
For most of the spread, Michele's silky, chocolate-brown locks are texturized and teased to be big, wavy and voluminous. The only thing bigger than her beautiful hair is that gorgeous voice that we enjoy every Tuesday night on FOX. This is the most grown up we've seen the girl who plays Rachel Berry in quite some time.
Michele even tweeted her joy about appearing on the cover, posting: "I'm rocking my natural Italian/Jewish hair! Haha…Hope you guys like it!" Like it? We love it, Lea. You look gorgeous.
The shots of the singer/actress zero in on her face. Her eyes look incredibly wide, thanks to black cat eye liner and glossy, peach lips. The shot where she piles the curls on her head and holds them, obscuring one of her eyes, is so mysterious and intriguing.
Michele spoke about being an atypical and natural stunner — and even opened up about being asked to get a nose job!
"Have I been asked to change anything? Uh-huh. Uh-huh," she admitted. "When I was 15, my mother and I went to meet a manager who said, 'You have to get a nose job in order for me to work with you.'"
But her mom was having none of that crazy talk. She finished, "My mother would say to me, 'Barbra Streisand never got a nose job. You're not getting a nose job.' And this was before I really even knew who Barbra was. I just knew that she was, like, the messiah for girls like me."
Lea Michele is the poster girl for unconventional head turners of this generation. The heir apparent to Babs.
The December issue of Allure lands on stands on Nov. 22.


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Get an alert when new Take That dates are announced
While it's hard to 'never forget' the tears shed by millions of fans when the band announced their split in 1996, they thankfully proved they were 'back for good' since their return in 2006 with the no.1 album 'Beautiful World'.
Releasing eight no.1 singles in the 90s, the Noughties have seen the boys reach bigger heights with their album sales, as 2008's 'The Circus' became the fastest selling album of that year, and they made even more 'Progress' in 2010, becoming the second fastest selling album in UK history, beaten only by Oasis 'Be Here Now'.
Of course, 'everything changes', and 2014 saw the departure of Jason Orange. But Take That took that as a sign not to split, and carry on as a fighting three-piece - Gary, Howard and Mark will continue to 'shine'.
See more info at takethat.com
Take That tour dates listed on Ents24.com since Nov 2005.
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Sandy Ridge Church
- Address: 1626 Amostown Rd, 27046, Sandy Ridge, United States
- Tags: Community And Government, Religious, Churches
Located in the diverse city of Sandy Ridge, Sandy Ridge Church is a beautiful church.
If you happen to be in Sandy Ridge and are planning to visit Sandy Ridge Church for peace and relaxation, you will find the details of the address, contact number, and operating hours on this page. To find the exact location, you can also check the map.
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If you have any other relevant information about Sandy Ridge Church, Sandy Ridge, please feel free to add your contributions on the page. We welcome good images, and the details of the address and timings if you have any. If you want to know more about this hidden gem of Sandy Ridge, you can ask questions to our team in the comments section.
With the help of TripHobo, you can plan a great trip to Sandy Ridge with Sandy Ridge Church for a peaceful visit. For this, you might want to check the day to day itineraries created by the users. This will give you a clear idea about visitor's preference of the places near Sandy Ridge Church, and how much time they spent in Sandy Ridge Church. You will also get to know the nearby attractions.
On your visit to Sandy Ridge Church in Sandy Ridge, you may need information about the Public safety stations, Internet cafes, pharmacies, ATMs, and banks. This page allows you to find these public services close to Sandy Ridge Church to make your trip comfortable.
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There are some useful booking portals such as Booking.com, Airbnb, Hotelscombined, and Agoda that help you find the best accommodation near Sandy Ridge Church in Sandy Ridge. From luxurious stay to pocket-friendly, these hotels and homestays are there to serve you with their best services.
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If you are in Sandy Ridge with a broader perspective and want to explore the best places of United States, the United States trip planner tool will surely help you out. Read the details about United States and personalize your trip on the basis of your travel style.
- Sandy Ridge Church Address: 1626 Amostown Rd, 27046, Sandy Ridge, United States
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Game Development forum covering non language specific programming - game creation, design, modding, theories and math. A place for developers and gamers of all levels to discuss and debate all things involved in game creation and modding.
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EKD Aviator Nylon and Leather Pouch
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- A compact pouch in lightweight aviator nylon with leather trims, highlighted with an Equestrian Knight Device.
- 24.5 x 11 x 11.5 cm/9.6 x 4.3 x 4.5in
- Handle drop: 4.5cm/1.8in
- Outer: 100% polyamide
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With President Barack Obama's well-received second inaugural address still fresh in Republican minds, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal articulated a new vision for the GOP Thursday night, calling on the party to "recalibrate the conservative compass" in order to make itself relevant to today's voters.
On paper, the speech — the keynote address at this week's Republican National Committee winter meeting — was a blunt challenge to Jindal's own party, which is still smarting from its meltdown in the 2008 and 2012 national elections. In a four-point outline, Jindal laid bare the fundamental weaknesses of the GOP's message and strategy, and delivered the first real Republican rebuttal to the liberal vision for America that Obama articulated on Monday.
Here are the highlights of Jindal's argument:
1. "America is not the federal government." Jindal's first argument basically calls on Republicans to end their singular focus on federal spending and the deficit, and start talking about other issues.
"A debate about which party can better manage the federal government is a very small and shortsighted debate," Jindal said. "If our vision is not bigger than that, we do not deserve to win. … We as Republicans have to accept that government number-crunching - even conservative number crunching - is not the answer to our nation's problems."
This is actually a very salient argument that gets at the core of GOP's message problems. Concerns about the federal deficit were a major factor in driving the Tea Party wave of 2010, and the issues have been central to Republicans since then. The result has been political paralysis and a one-dimensional Republican message that offers spending cuts rather than solutions. Meanwhile, poll after poll has shown that while voters are concerned about government spending in the abstract, they oppose any actual spending cuts.
Here's Jindal's key line: "We must not become the party of austerity. We must become the party of growth. Of course we know that government is out of control. The public knows that too. And yet we just lost an election."
2. "We believe in planting the seeds of growth in the fertile soil of your economy, where you live,where you work, invest, and dream, not in the barren concrete of Washington. If it's worth doing, block grant it to the states. If it's something you don't trust the states to do, then maybe Washington shouldn't do it at all."
This is pretty standard anti-Washington rhetoric for a Republican politician with national aspirations, and establishes Jindal as a staunch states-rights crusader who sees federal government as an outdated failure. It's worth noting, however, that Jindal's anti-Washington argument is also a means to an end — rather than simply pushing back against Democratic spending, he argues, Republicans need to "rethink nearly every social program in Washington," and come up with states-based alternatives.
3. "We must stop looking backward. … Nostalgia about the good old days is heart-warming, but the battle of ideas must be waged in the future."
4. "We must compete for every single vote. The 47 percent and the 53 percent. And any othercombination of numbers that adds up to 100 percent." (Obviously, this is a direct shot at Mitt Romney.)
5. "We must reject the notion that demography is destiny, the pathetic and simplistic notion that skin pigmentation dictates voter behavior. … The first step in getting the voters to like you is to demonstrate that you like them."
While some may argue that this strategy won't do much to solve the Republicans' problems with minority and youth voters, Jindal is taking a direct shot at conventional GOP campaign wisdom that argues Republican candidates will never win the minority vote, and therefore should not spend resources trying.
6. "We must stop being the stupid party. I'm serious. It's time for a new Republican party that talks like adults. It's time for us to articulate our plans and visions for America in real terms. We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments. We've had enough of that."
Obviously, Jindal is taking aim at 2012 candidates like Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, who lost winnable Senate races after making inflammatory comments about rape. Significantly, Jindal isn't arguing for the GOP to give up its pro-life platform — he's simply calling for the party to pick better candidates.
7. "We must stop insulting the intelligence of voters. ... We have to stop dumbing down our ideas and stop reducing everything to mindless slogans and tag lines for 30-second ads. We must be willing to provide details in describing our views." (Another shot at Romney.)
8. "We are not the party of big business, big banks, big Wall Street bailouts, big corporate loopholes, or big anything. … We are a populist party and need to make that clear."
But while Jindal's prescriptions seemed forceful in print, the delivery was reportedly lackluster, particularly for a politician who is already considered a top contender for the GOP's 2016 presidential nomination. BuzzFeed's Zeke Miller wrote that the speech was "coolly-received" by the audience of RNC members. Yahoo's Chris Moody compared the speech to Jindal's first Obama rebuttal, his widely-panned response to the President's 2009 State of the Union address.
"Similar to 2009," Moody wrote, "the delivery may still need some work for a national debut.


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Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission
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Houses for Rent in Crown Point, Hamilton, ON - 1 Rental available
We found 0 rentals in Crown Point, Hamilton, ON and 1 rental nearby
We're sorry. Right now there are no available rentals that match your search criteria. Try this instead: ✓ Save your search and be the first to receive new listings straight to your inbox ✓ For more listings, expand your apartment search or clear your advanced search filters ✓ Check the nearby rentals below
We found 1 rental within a 2-mile radius of Crown Point, Hamilton, ON
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Renting a House in Crown Point, Hamilton, ON
Chances are that you are here right now because you cannot wait to have your own garage for your metallic grey Daisy, your own inviting backyard, or your own flower garden. The good news is that there are homes for rent in Crown Point, Hamilton, ON right now for you to choose from. Just in case you're searching for cheap houses for rent, some of the best affordable homes are now at your fingertips. Depending on your location preference, you can opt either for serene areas, further away from the city, or for the liveliest area in town. It is up to you to decide which one of the houses listed in Crown Point, Hamilton, ON meets your standards: duplexes, townhomes, 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom homes or some larger rentals.
Parents search for rental houses close to prestigious schools
As important as a good education is for your children, we know that you'd rather not drive your kids to school for one hour every morning. It is hard for any child to wake up early in the morning, and most probably your school-aged children are no exception. That is why we want to help you find a home near one of the best-rated schools in Crown Point, Hamilton, ON. 3 bedroom and 4 bedroom houses are waiting for you, with a total number of single family homes for rent right now. Since there is a very high demand for homes in such areas, make sure that once you find a house that qualifies to become your future home, apply while it's still available.


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Ok. Here is a confession. I like summer but I'm more a winter person. Skiing and snowboarding is as tempting to me as a beach holiday. And sometimes more…
As my favourite time of the year has come (inc Christmas) we can start talking about ski holidays which I will be packing for soon! Hooray! J
Either you are a first timer or a regular skier there are certain things you wouldn't want missing in your suitcase. Also there is a certain 'style' in ski holiday/ski look too.
So here is the 'suitcase must have list' for 2014 ski holidays!
PS: according to my surveys, women find men who snowboard very charming.
- First things first. Your ski outfit! Besides the specific ski/board trousers, gloves and etc, for a ski/board jacket, Moncler rules!
- Thermal socks & thermal and long sleeved tops for base layers. You will hate yourself if you forget these. Thermal socks and tops are life savers on a ski holiday!
- Fleece sweater with a safe pocket for your mobile. DO NOT GO SKIING WITHOUT YOUR MOBILE – You may get lost… You may also prefer a small rucksack.
- Even though it's not a beach holiday you still have to take your sun care kit with you. The sun can be unforgiving up on the mountain, reflecting off the snow. Lip protection with high SPF, high factor sunscreen and after sun lotion. + Moisturizing
- Another summer essential for a winter holiday! Swim suit for sauna, hot tub or pool which is the second greatest time of the day after skiing.
- Pills like pain killers, muscle relaxants and something for diarrhea. Trust me!
- Casual clothes for the evening, layers are key as hotels and chalets can be warm. I usually prefer going very casual and relax on ski holidays. Enjoy this opportunity! J
- Travel Shot Glasses – you know why J
And as a result: Welcome to the BEANIE zone! Here are my picks for a stylish ski holiday inc. beanies, accessories, and jackets.


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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Southern Mississippi has agreed to be the visiting team for its football game against Nebraska next fall in exchange for a $2.1 million paycheck.
The schools announced the agreement Thursday.
The Golden Eagles had been scheduled to host the Cornhuskers in Hattiesburg on Sept. 7, 2013. The game now will be played in Lincoln on the same date.
The game gives Nebraska eight home games in 2013 and will be the second in a three-game agreement with Southern Miss. The schools opened the 2012 season against each other with Nebraska winning 49-20. Southern Miss is also scheduled to visit Lincoln on Sept. 26, 2015.
Nebraska is paying an average of $1 million per game - $300,000 for 2012, $2.125 million for 2013 and $700,000 for 2015.


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Pip King gives her thoughts on 1st Tea of New Zealand and on the evening with Greg Norman in this first interview.
One of the biggest international sportsmen to speak live in New Zealand, Norman spent a massive 331 weeks as the World's Number 1 ranked golfer and was the first person in tour history to surpass $10 million in career earnings.
Earning his Nickname "The Great White Shark," due to his aggressive style and white blonde hair, Norman is also admired for his gracious attitude and his immense business skills.
The First Tee of New Zealand provides a place where youngsters can not only learn to play golf, but also learn invaluable life skills. Children can benefit from this programme through learning values and life skills that can help them to become better citizens. The lifeskills experience, delivered through the game of golf by experienced professionals, can offer children resistance skills and a set of core values to call their own.
We rated the 90 experience:
Getting started is super easy. Just fill out simple quote request form and one of our video consultants will get back to you, fast.Create Video
15 Sale Street, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010
149 New Montgomery St San Francisco, CA 94105


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A 17-year-old pregnant teen was pronounced dead Thursday after she was found shot in the head in a Chicago suburb on Christmas Day. Her baby girl, however, survived, and was listed in critical condition.
Police say the victim, Eva Casara, was found shot between two houses in the 1100 block of East 152nd Street in south suburban Dolton. She was 26 weeks pregnant.
"Officers discovered that she had one gunshot wound to the head, bleeding profusely from the head, and they immediately called for an ambulance and fire department to give us a hand with that," Dolton Fire Chief John Franklin said.
Casara was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Casara may have been in the alley for up to 40 minutes before she was discovered, according to investigators, but they also believe she was shot a few blocks away, at 152nd Street and Dorchester Avenue.
Neighbors say they heard gunshots around 6 p.m.
"Neighbors are telling me they heard multiple gunshots last night, so we're trying to help the Dolton Police Department," community activist Andrew Holmes said.
Police are looking at home video from a neighbor's surveillance camera, hoping it reveals some clues.
The victim's mother, Estrellita Casara, tearfully spoke with reporters Thursday.
"My princess. I miss her so much," Casara said. "Everywhere she goes, she just lights up the place. She's as beautiful inside as she is outside ... Please, somebody, anybody, help me with my baby."
The little girl, who family members said will be named Lailani Paris Casara, was born weighing 1 pound, 5 ounces. Doctors at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn were caring for her.


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- 18 & over
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Guy Torry W/ Special Guest TC Cope
Purchase Tickets
Show Details
- Ticket Price: $10.00 - $20.00
- Door Time: 8:00 PM
- Show Type: Stand Up
- Tags: Urban, Hot Ticket, Homepage Feature
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Two items minimum
Guy Torry is an amazing actor, even more… a respected, talented, and laugh out loud comedian. With Sold Out shows across the country, be sure to catch this GUY as he prepares for his upcoming Comedy Special!
His quick wit and clever thought provoking comedy, will have you laughing your @$$ off! Guy has been captivating audiences worldwide on stage, television, and film.
His roles in movies such as; "American History X", "The Animal," "Life"," Pearl Harbor" and "Runaway Jury" have been critically acclaimed. His television credits include; The Tonight Show, Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central, Politically Incorrect, Jimmy Kimmel, ESPN and Late Night with Craig Ferguson.
Fans describe his comedy as a pot of HOT boiling Gumbo. A dash of Chris Rock, shavings of Richard Pryor, a scoop of Lenny Bruce and some spice of George Carlin. Come satisfy your comedy appetite and let GUY TORRY tickle your taste buds with his menu of flavorful humor. Guaranteed to have you sucking on the funny bone.


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Given the pedigree of Lee Byung-Hun's most recognized works in the eyes of Western audiences, most notably his film stealing scenes as Storm Shadow in "GI Joe: Rise of Cobra" and "GI Joe: Retaliation," it is a very easy, but ultimately incredibly ignorant assumption to assume a film like "Masquerade" getting a fairly notable DVD release in the United States might fall under the umbrella of Byung-Hun's other action oriented starring roles (i.e. "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird," "RED 2," etc.) "Masquerade" is not an action film though, despite the somewhat misleading cover, but in fact a strikingly produced, incredibly solid, historical drama focused on King Gwanghae, who ruled the during the Joseon Dynasty in the very early 1600s. Quite specifically the film focuses on a period in Gwanghae's reign known as the missing 15 days and uses this as the mean's to tell a long familiar story, "The Prince and the Pauper."
Director Choo Chang-Min shows tremendous technical skill not only offering audiences a film with an eye-catching level of production design and detail, but giving Lee Byung-Hun the platform to tackle a challenging dual-role which asks him a multi-faceted performance as the stoic and quite paranoid King Gwanghae, but also an earnestly funny performance as the acrobat, Ha-sun, who finds himself before the King after being caught by royal officials crudely lampooning the honored leader in a local inn. This initial pairing of Byung-Hun against himself is an immediate taste of what's to come as the meek, terrified Ha-sun, who quivers in both physicality and voice, only to transform immediately into the embodiment of his ruler upon command. Once again, Byung-Hun cements his status as a skilled actor and vessel of charisma, winning over even the most cynical viewer who may raise unfair issue with the film treading familiar narrative ground.
Once the film establishes the identity switch (a plot point that does give appropriate justification to Gwanghae's inherent paranoia), "Masquerade" does become a familiar exercise in narrative and it's not long before Ha-sun fulfils his role as a voice of reason and empathy, far removed from a lineage of privilege and aristocracy. The film could have made it's point and wrapped up long before it's 131-minute runtime, but Chang-Min allows his characters and story develop at a natural, fluid pace, softening the often 180-degree moral stances supporting characters undergo as they become closer to Ha-sun, not to mention Ha-sun's struggle with following his heart and the need to maintain the illusion of the absent ruler. Much to my own surprise, the film's action-focused finale, while equally and skillfully filmed as what precedes it, satisfies on a visceral level, but comes off the film's only truly clichéd element: a "clean" ending regardless of the outcome for either side.
"Masquerade" doesn't break much if any original cinematic ground, and ultimately serves best as a high-water mark for the career of Lee Byung-Hun thus far, giving audiences, well, Western audiences at least, a taste for the actor's dramatic and comedic talents, proving Byung-Hun is a top all-around performer. Choo Chang-Min's direction shows the hand of a well-accomplished craftsman, evoking the rare feeling of a period film that never feels gimmicky and utilizes the setting strictly as needed for historical context, letting the script and actors remaining the focal point in his camera's lens, not lavish costumes and sets (which, don't get me wrong, are eye-catching, but feel natural and never forced). In fact, "Masquerade" comes even more highly recommended due to it taking the familiar "Prince and Pauper" tale and attaching it to a non-Western culture, resulting in a firm reinforcement of universal themes.
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer sports a nearly artifact free, strongly detailed, image. The color definition is eye catching, most notably early in the film during a scene where Gwanghae's golden robes are matched against an ornate golden sculpture behind him. The transfer isn't reference quality, but does manage to provide a consistently solid visual component to a well-crafted period drama.
The Audio
The Dolby Digital Korean 5.1 audio track is incredibly more vibrant compared to its 2.0 counterpart with a strong soundstage. The mix is a tad too aggressive at times, with dialogue, especially sometimes intentionally murmured dialogue feeling sonically out of balance with elements of the soundtrack. In addition to the 2.0 Korean soundtrack, 5.1 and 2.0 English dubs are included as well as English subtitles.
The Extras
Extras include two featurettes on lighting and cinematography as well as production design. Rounding out the bonus features are a handful of deleted scenes.
Final Thoughts
"Masquerade" is an all-around, solid period drama, mixing sweeping historical politics with occasional humor, rich character drama, and a dose of action added in for good measure. The performance of Lee Byung-Hun is reason enough to offer the film your valuable time and the technical presentation of this disc is more than adequate. Highly Recommended.


text: The Fighting Illini are the athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports and competes in the Big Ten Conference. The school's most prominent athletic facilities are Memorial Stadium (football) and the State Farm Center (basketball). The Fighting Illini lay claim to more than 25 national championships. Mike Thomas is the university's athletic director.


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Kyle Rose vs John Hunka
In 1998, Matt Linde faced Mike Long in a battle of the mono-white weenie deck and a combo deck. Again, this year. No. Today history repeats itself with Kyle Rose's white weenie deck facing John Hunka's Enchantress strategy that has not been seen in type 2 since Earthcraft was added to the banned list.
Sadly, the match was less than exciting. There was little interaction between the two decks, each pursuing its own strategy and mostly just ignoring the opponent.
Rose was able to deal over ten points of damage with a horde of 1/1 creatures under Crusade. Unlike the Bargain decks though, Hunka's Enchantress deck does not need to be at a very high life total in order to win.
Hunka's combo worked out perfectly, providing those watching the live video coverage with an excellent example of how this deck is supposed to win.
First Hunka played a pair of Enchantresses - Argothian and Verduran. He went on to cast multiple enchantments that speed up mana development - Wild Growth, Fertile Ground and Exploration. He was able to keep doing so because playing each enchantment would let him draw two cards. Once it seemed Hunka was about to run out of mana he would cast either a Cloud of Faeries of Frantic Search - untapping his Forest enchanted with a number of Wild Growths and his Serra's Sanctum. Eventually he would go through his entire deck and cast Yawgmoth's Will, generating more mana with the "free" spells out of the graveyard. In the end, there would be sufficient mana to cast Stroke of Genius for the win. Even if he couldn't pull off enough mana with Searches and Faeries, a single Palinchron provides the ability to gain infinite mana when needed.
Second game was a lot more difficult for Hunka. Rose played a turn four Humility, preventing Hunka from being able to draw cards via Enchantress. Down to one life, Hunka was finally forced to try and go off a few turns later. He managed to find a Disenhant, deal with Humility and get his combo going in the nick of time.
It seemed like Hunka was about to sweep as he started off the combo in game three. It was not to be as the combo stalled on him and he conceded the game with 10 mana in his mana pool and no way to use it.
In the fourth game Rose's Humility strategy paid off. Hunka could not find the Disenchant in time, was forced to block with his two Enchantresses and eventually lose the game to 1/1 attacking creatures.
In the final game three 1/1 creatures were on the table by turn two, joined by Glorious Anthem on the third turn. Rose managed to deal a lot of early damage to Hunka, who had a mediocre draw. Eventually Hunka did manage to start generating extra mana and try to go off but luck was not with him today. Around 5:30pm EST Rose won the fifth game to become the sixth U.S. National Champion.
Rose 3 - Hunka 2
© 1995-2003 Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Wizards is headquartered in Renton, Washington, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057.


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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
In article <6rdta9$hjs$1 at nnrp1.dejanews.com>, kyosai at yin.or.jp wrote: > This is a technical question Dan (by the way,what`s up?),after clear cutting, > wouldn`t the fungi remain in the soil? Seeking a new host, such as the > infamous Scleroderma, by traveling with the ground water downslope? With the > number of mycorrhizal fungi that are known in the Pacific Northwest, would > not the shear number and diversification insure re-inoculation of seedlings > or shrubs that were replanted on clear cut lands? Let me know. > Good question. While Scleroderma can and does form mycorrhizae with many host trees and shrubs, it is not commonly associated with Douglas fir that is known (although I _have_ found S. hypogaeum with Douglas fir). Most mycorrhizal fungi die within a year of clearcutting. This is even more pronounced when the area is denuded of all plant life, such as in heavy slash fires, which until recently were common. It now appears that there is a succession of mycorrhizal fungi as trees and shrubs mature and a forest develops. For example, while Endogone can be associated with very young seedling Douglas fir, Cantharellus formosus and Tricholoma magnivelare are seldom, if ever associated with seedling fir. Close monitoring of one nearly monoculture stand of Douglas fir in Clackamas County over the past 13 years strongly suggests Tuber species are unusual in very young trees, even though I have found a Tuber gibbosum with a seedling Douglas fir less than 8 inches tall and probably less than 3 years old. Since mycorrhizal fungi are generally ignored in modern forestry, recolonization is haphazard and spotty. Fortunately, the most common animals found in clearcuts also are instrumental in re-introducing many hypogeous mycorrhizal fungi via feces. But unless these animals are encouraged rather than discouraged, future tree health is in jeopardy. There are a host of different things that affect mycorrhizal fungi development, including soil type, soil pH, slope, water availability, available hosts, degree of rock and type of rock; native animal species, large woody debris left as cover for animals and the dispersal of said debris; elevation, etc. Most of these have not been covered. And in general, the mycorrhizal fungi have been so infrequently cultivated as to be of no real consequence. For example, no one knows how important Thelophora terrestris is is seedling tree survival, nor how fast that mycorrhizal fungi allows trees to develop, and under what conditions. While Pisolithus tinctorius is commonly introduced to seedlings in nurseries, that fungus is an indication of _very_ poor growing conditions in nature. What role these fungi, often not even native to clearcuts, affects regeneration has not been documented. Nor is it likely to be in the near future. Daniel B. Wheeler http://www.oregonwhitetruffles.com -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==----- http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum


text: how to stop smoking Archive 13 Jan 2017 How to overcome drug addiction naturally, on your own By admin Lifestyle 0 Comment Drug Addiction Effects & Types. Drug addiction, otherwise called substance reliance, has been a piece of human culture for a large number of years, since the main "physiology-modifying" substance came into well-liked practices. Indeed, even liquor is a sort of drug, making liquor abuse a type of drug addiction. It applies to substances like heroin, Read More


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Pokémon Black Version and White Version (ポケットモンスターブラック・ホワイト, Poketto Monsutā Burakku & Howaito, "Pocket Monsters: Black & White") comprise the upcoming fifth generation of the core Pokémon series of RPGs. The games are set to be released on September 18, 2010, in Japan. As of September 2010, there have been a total of 30 new Pokémon officially announced, two of which debuted in the thirteenth Pokémon film in Japanese theaters on July 10, 2010. The games will be released outside Japan in the second quarter of 2011. As of August 2010, Black and White are the fastest DS games to reach one million consumer pre-orders in Japan.
On January 29, 2010, the Pokémon Company announced that a new game was in development for the Nintendo DS to be released later that year.Director Junichi Masuda stated that several aspects of the series were being revamped for the new generation. On April 9, 2010, the Japanese website updated with the titles of the versions as Pokémon Black and White, and announced a Q3 2010 release date. The games will feature an improved visual style from other Pokémon games, with an increased use of 3D computer graphics than any other of the handheld series. It also has a special feature that allows the user to upload their saved game to the Internet, allowing them to do certain things on an official website.[11][12] Another new feature in the game is the implementation of different seasons tied in with the games' internal clock.
On August 3, 2010, Masuda announced on his blog that the Black and White game versions will initially only contain brand new Pokémon to evoke a feeling of it being a brand new game, like when the original Pokémon games were first released. In all of the games following the first generation, there were a series of new Pokémon introduced interspersed with Pokémon from the previous generations. For example, Pikachu was introduced in Red and Green, and was obtainable in Blue, Yellow, and all subsequent main series games; however, Pikachu will not be obtainable in Black and White from the start of the game.
A silhouette of a new Pokémon was shown by Junichi Masuda on the February 7, 2010 episode of Pokémon Sunday, stated to be in the upcoming film for the summer and to be identified in a future episode on February 21. This new character would also be featured in the March 2010 issue of CoroCoro Comic available on February 15, and is the start of the fifth generation of the Pokémon franchise. Since then, the character has been named "Zoroark" (ゾロアーク, Zoroāku), and it evolves from a character named "Zorua" (ゾロア, Zoroa). Both are to be featured in the upcoming film Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl The Movie: Phantom Ruler: Zoroark. For pre-order ticket holders, an alternate-colored Raikou, Entei, or Suicune was available for transfer to their Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, or SoulSilver games. At the theater, players would be able to download a Celebi to the same games. Both of these Pokémon would activate special events in Black and White involving Zoroark and Zorua, respectively.
On April 18, 2010, the episode of Pokémon Sunday showed game footage of a player character walking around in a 3-D environment and a single screenshot depicting a battle between the player's Zoroark and an enemy Zorua. Host Shoko Nakagawa made note of how the player's Zoroark's sprite was a full body sprite as viewed from behind, when in the past all such sprites only showed a smaller portion of the player's Pokémon's body. On May 9, 2010, the episode of Pokémon Sunday revealed silhouettes of the three Pokémon available to choose from at the beginning of the games, which were later revealed to be the Grass Snake Pokémon Tsutarja (ツタージャ, Tsutāja), the Fire Pig Pokémon Pokabu (ポカブ), and the Sea Otter Pokémon Mijumaru (ミジュマル). Other information revealed is that the game takes place in the Isshu Region (イッシュ地方, Isshu-chihō) which includes the Hiun City (ヒウンシティ, Hiun Shiti) metropolis. On May 16, 2010, the episode of Pokémon Sunday showed game battle footage, illustrating the new in-battle animations and dynamic camera positioning; also described were Zoroark's Illusion (イリュージョン, Iryūjon) ability and the special Zoroark acquired by the movie ticket pre-order gift Pokémon.
On May 28, 2010, both the official Japanese and English Pokémon websites revealed names and designs of the two major Legendary Pokémon of these games, who also serve as the game version mascots: the White Yang Pokémon Reshiram (レシラム, Reshiramu) for Pokémon Black and the Black Yin Pokémon Zekrom (ゼクロム, Zekuromu) for Pokémon White. The July 2010 issue of CoroCoro Comic revealed the C Gear (Cギア, Shī Gia?) wireless interactivity features, the ability to upload game data to the internet and the player's computer, several brand new Pokémon, new Pokémon moves, Reshiram and Zekrom's Pokémon types, details on the Celebi/Zorua event, and a new character: Professor Araragi (アララギ博士, Araragi Hakase), the first female Pokémon professor to appear in the video games. The June 27, 2010, episode of Pokémon Sunday, made the announcement of the release date as September 18, 2010, and a yet-to-be named character. The June 28, 2010, episode of Oha Suta, showed a trailer, which included its release date, new gameplay footage, several new characters, more new Pokémon, and a three-on-three battle system. The August 2010 issue of CoroCoro Comic elaborated upon many new game mechanics: the three-on-three system, the online Global Link system, an online Dream World that can allow for access to other Pokémon, access to an area that uses the Wi-Fi called the High-Link (similar to the Underground), a special feature called Live Caster for video chat on the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS, kanji support, aesthetic differences between the two versions of the game, areas exclusive to the game versions, new characters, new moves, new abilities, and new Pokémon.
The July 25, 2010, episode of Pokémon Sunday introduced the new phantom Pokémon Victini (ビクティニ, Bikutini), which initially appeared in a trailer for the 2011 Pokémon film that was shown with screenings of Phantom Ruler: Zoroark. It is noted to be Pokémon No. 000 in Isshu's regional Pokédex, and is only accessible by downloading a special item from Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, DS Stations, and Nintendo Zones (such as those found in Japanese McDonald's restaurants) to a game save. This will initially be available for a month following the games' release date.
In August 2010, one month before the games' release in Japan, Pokémon Black and White gained a total of 1.08 million pre-orders, becoming the fastest game on the Nintendo DS to break the one million mark. Japanese magazine Famitsu Weekly awarded the game a perfect 40 out of 40 score, becoming the 15th game to receive such as distinction, as well as obtaining the highest score ever given to a Pokémon video game by the publication.
|Game Freak
|Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
|Junichi Masuda
|Nintendo DS
|Release date(s)
|Role-playing video game


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Wally at the Wheel: Symposium on Feb 24by Jim Amidon • January 27, 2012 Share:
Alumni, faculty, and staff of Wabash College will take an in-depth look at the evolution of the automobile in Wally at the Wheel: A Liberal Arts Symposium on the Automobile on Friday, February 24. This marks the third straight year that alumni are partnering with faculty and staff to present a day of colloquies followed by a festive dinner.
"Wally at the Wheel, this year's Alumni Faculty Symposium, could be our best yet," said Tom Runge '71, Interim Dean for College Advancement. "The presentations and the car exhibitions are perfect examples of the liberal arts — all over the map. Want to talk Detroit meltdown? GM's strong rise? Classic Cars? Electric cars? Muscle cars? Demolition derby? We'll have it all… and more!"
The topic of this year's symposium, the automobile, will be covered from every turn on the track. Faculty will present talks on the physics of car crashes to the economic impact of the federal government's bailout of the auto industry. Alumni are taking part, too, with talks on the environmental impact of cars and the convenience they provide and what it's like to compete in demolition derbies.
All of the colloquium talks will take place in Hays Hall beginning at 1:00 p.m. Friday. All are free and open to the public.
One of the highlights of this year's symposium is the Wally at the Wheel Car Show in Knowling Fieldhouse. Jim Davlin '85, who recently took the wheel as treasurer of General Motors, will give the after dinner keynote speech. He's also bringing a couple of GM's finest cars — a 1955 Bel Air Convertible and a 2012 Camaro ZL1 with a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that cranks out 580 horsepower. Other cars in the show range from a 1947 Willy's jeep to a 1965 Corvair Monza to a 1971 Dodge Challenger. Ray Knight '69 will display a 1951 Porsche Sauter Roadster — the only one of its kind ever built — and he will tell the remarkable story of the car and its restoration.
"One can easily argue the vehicle industry 'drives' society's future — not only in economic terms, but in how we interact with each other, our environment, materials, technology, etc.," said Greg Estell '85, one of the organizers of this year's event. "The effects are apparent far beyond what and how people drive — they go to the very structure of organizations, best management and manufacturing practices, how we organize our society to be productive and generate wealth (hence a livable world) at every strata. Challenges abound on those fronts, and the liberal arts helps prepare one to grasp and address them."
RSVPs are required for the reception, car show, and dinner. Cost for the dinner is $25 per person. For more information or to sign up, contact Heather Bazzani in the Alumni Office (email@example.com or 765-361-6360).
"Wally at the Wheel will be another fun and educational day for the Wabash family," said alumni organizer Jon Pactor '71. "The first topic was baseball, then it was food, and now it is the car. Regardless of the topic, the goal of each symposium is for alumni, faculty and staff to strengthen the ties among us in a fun and educational way within the context of the liberal arts. I encourage everyone to attend, learn, and enjoy."
A schedule of the presentations follows, as well as a tentative list of the cars that will be exhibited in the Wally at the Wheel Car Show.
1:00 p.m. — Welcoming Remarks
1:05 p.m. — Ray Knight '69: Magnificent Obsession: Restoring Porsche's Sauter Roadster
2:00 p.m. — Michael Bricker '04: Strip Malls, Escalades, and the Consequences of Convenience
2:00 p.m. — Ryan Daming '02: Booger Eater to Wrecking Ball: How I Became a Demolition Derby Winner
2:45 p.m. — Dr. Richard Bowen: Tune Up, Tune In: Pop Music on the Road
2:45 p.m. — Dr. Martin Madsen: A Crash Course in the Physics of Collisions
3:30 p.m. — Dr. Preston Bost: Traffic Safety: Designing Roads for the Human Mind
3:30 p.m. — Dr. Jennifer Abbott: Auto Ads and the Tools of Persuasion
4:15 p.m. — Dr. Tracey Salisbury: Sittin' Sidewayz: The History and Influence of the Automobile in Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture
4:15 p.m. — Shawn Miller '81: Speed City –Indiana's Pivotal Role in Automotive Development
5:00 p.m. — Dr. Joyce Burnette: The Ins and Outs of the Auto Bailout
5:00 p.m. — Chris Bryan '95: I Think I Understand: My Family History with Jeep
6:00 p.m. — Wally at the Wheel Car Show, Reception, and Dinner (RSVP Required, $25 per person)
8:00 p.m. — Jim Davlin '85: Visionaries Wanted: Reshaping the Auto Industry for a Sustainable Future
Tentative Lineup: Wally at the Wheel Car Show
Car — Owner/Provider
1947 Willy's CJ2A Jeep — Chris Bryant '95
1967 Dodge Wagon — Ryan Daming '02
2012 Camaro ZL1 — General Motors/Jim Davlin '85
1955 Bel Air Convertible — General Motors/Jim Davlin '85
2012 Chevy Volt — General Motors/Jim Davlin '85
1971 Dodge Challenger — Brad Johnson '71
1951 Porsche "Sauter Roadster" — Ray Knight '69
1941 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe — Shawn Miller '81
1959 Lancia Flaminia GT — Shawn Miller '81
1929 Ford Model A — John Horner '59
1959 Ford Edsel — John Horner '59
1964 Studebaker — John Horner '59
1965 Chevrolet Corvair — John Horner '59
1969 Volkswagen Beetle — John Horner '59
1980 Volkswagen Rabbit Cabriolet — Eric Rowland '86
1946 Hudson Super 6 — Jim Ayers '63
Wally at the Wheel Colloquium Abstracts:
Ray Knight '69 — Restoring Porsche's "Sauter Roadster"
Ray Knight used the breadth of his liberal arts education when he started the restoration of a one-of-a-kind car, the 1951 Porsche Sauter Roadster. Not only did he face a nearly impossible task on the restoration front, there was almost no history recorded of the racecar built at about the same time as Porsche's 1951 series of America Roadsters. With rear-hinged "suicide doors" and a nifty 1500-cc engine that cranked out 52 horsepower, the Sauter could do 185 kph. Over time, Knight discovered the car's unique history (published in Porsche Panorama in February, 1987), and he did the impossible: he rebuilt the car from scratch — devoting some 3,800 hours to the project. The car raced in Europe for a year in 1952, another two years in America (after undergoing some design changes), and was retired in 1954. When Knight found the car, it had a blown engine, been in a barn fire, and sat outside in the weather from 1958 until Knight rescued it in 1982. Enjoy Ray's account of rebuilding one of the most mysterious cars ever built.
Michael Bricker '04, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art — Strip Malls, Escalades, and the Consequences of Convenience
Michael Bricker is a designer, filmmaker, and social entrepreneur, working in both Indianapolis and Austin. Most recently, he has worked as the production designer for feature films Computer Chess and Natural Selection (winner of SXSW Grant Jury Prize). In addition to his film work, he serves as the Chief Innovator for People for Urban Progress, an Indianapolis-based innovation center and do-tank. PUP is known for the salvage and repurposing of both the RCA/Hoosier Dome roof fabric and the arena seats from Bush Stadium. Michael earned his Masters in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently also serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Wabash College.
Ryan Daming '02 — Booger Eater to Wrecking Ball: How I Became a Demolition Derby Winner
Ryan Daming was a political science and music double major and is a class agent. He graduated from Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis in 2006. He is the Chief Operating Officer of Daming Excavating, a company that works on new homes in the Indianapolis metro area. He has restored two classic cars and has competed in approximately 30 demolition derbies, including events in the RCA Dome and Lucas Oil Stadium. His dedicated cheering section includes his wife, Jamie, and three daughters, Grace, Madeline, and Lily.
Dr. Richard Bowen, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of the Glee Club — Tune up, Tune In: Pop Music on the Road
The 1950s, '60s, and '70s bore witness to extraordinary changes in American society. Among the prime causes of these changes were our twin love affairs with American muscle cars and their music machines. In this presentation, we take a closer look at the changing landscape of the "popular portable music" industry: the songs, the sentiments, and the technology. Richard Bowen grew up in a small town in south-central Pennsylvania. At the tender age of 19, he was smitten by his first four-wheeled love, a sky-blue 1962 Sunbeam Alpine. She was, however, a high-maintenance consort, who required regular confirmations of his devotion. The final straw was the new engine, which not only cooled the relationship but "broke the bank." Fortunately, Richard recovered from this misfortune and cultivated subsequent automotive relationships, including: a 1950 Chevy (which drank a quart of oil every 20 miles); a 1969 Fiat 850; a 1961 Borgward; and a 1940 Cadillac 60S. Richard teaches in the Wabash Music Department and directs the Glee Club.
Martin Madsen, Assistant Professor of Physics — A Crash Course in the Physics of Collisions
We have been crashing cars since their invention over 100 years ago. Incredibly, it took us almost 80 years to finally apply physics principles to automotive safety. I will introduce the key ideas from physics that have dramatically reduced the number of fatalities in car crashes both on the road and the racetrack. Finally, I will talk about your best strategies to avoid a crash and reduce the likelihood of severe injury in the event of a crash.
Preston Bost, Associate Professor of Psychology — Traffic Safety: Designing Roads for the Human Mind
According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries were the ninth leading cause of death worldwide in 2004, and are projected to rise to the fifth leading cause of death by the year 2030. How can we make driving less dangerous? Traditional methods involve restraining risky behavior via traffic signals, warnings, and enforcement. The psychological discipline of human factors, however, emphasizes not simply external rules but control from within: design elements, grounded in a scientific understanding of the mind, that naturally evoke proper action. Through a look at the work of Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman, I will examine the potential for increasing traffic safety by designing roads that appeal to the processes of human cognition and social interaction.
Dr. Jennifer Abbott — Auto Ads and the Tools of Persuasion
Spend a few minutes watching television or flipping through a magazine, and you're likely to see an auto advertisement. In a 30-second commercial or a single image, advertisers communicate volumes about their product through selectively chosen words and images. In this interactive presentation, we will identify several of the persuasive tools they frequently use.
Dr. Tracey Salisbury, Assistant Professor of History — Sittin' Sidewayz: The History and Influence of the Automobile in Rap Music & Hip Hop Culture
From the founding days of the influential musical genre, rap music, the importance and celebration of the automobile has become a multi-faceted symbol within the hip-hop culture and the urban community. The passion for the automobile in rap music and hip-hop culture spawned not only a new descriptive language about cars, but also a new industry driven by the interests and desires of rap artists and their fans. This presentation will examine the historical rise of the automobile in rap music and hip-hop culture and how this relationship has not only influenced and impacted the auto industry, but American society and culture at large.
Shawn Miller '81 — Speed City: Indiana's Pivotal Role in Automotive Development
Shawn Miller is an avid car collector who will discuss Indiana's history in the development of the automobile. In the early days of the automobile, Indiana was a literal epi-center of the industry. Miller will walk us through that history and talk about his own passion for cars.
Dr. Joyce Burnette, Associate Professor of Economics — The Ins and Outs of the Auto Bailout
In 2008-09 the US economy experienced a severe recession. Sales of automobiles fell, and US automakers faced bankruptcy. Should the government have bailed out GM and Chrysler, or should it have let them fail? This presentation will present both the case for a bailout and the case against bailout, and will evaluate the path chosen by the government.
Chris Bryan '95 — I Think I Understand
Chris Bryan was a religion major at Wabash and a founding member of the Greater Cincinnati Association of Wabash Men. Since May of 1995 he has worked for W.T. Bryan and Associates, Inc., a manufacturers representative firm in Cincinnati, OH, and he is Vice President of Operations. "Chris says, "There are only a few years of my life that I cannot remember having a Jeep in our family — and the stories that go with them!"