text:
3 Meetup Groups match "HappyHour & Dinner" near New York, NY
There are no upcoming Meetups.
Group that meets at car events then goes out to dinner or lunch (spouses and significant others welcome) to socialize.
There are no upcoming Meetups.
This is a group for any professional interested in going out after work on any given Friday night after a long week at work, but is totally put off by the obnoxious NYC club scene that apparently requires one to dress like a hooker, line up for hours, pay an exorbitant cover charge, buy expensive watered-down drinks and often be required to purchase bottle service just to reserve a table! I started this group because I got fed up of this city's pretentious night life and just wanted a place to h …
This group is primarily for adults who are new to the area and are looking to make some friends for happy hours, get-togethers, runs, outdoor exploration, etc. If you want to discover this community and to generally build a social network, this is the group for you. Even if you aren't new to Stamford, we'd love to have you show us around!!
Get an alert email when new Meetup Groups like this start near you.
You'll get advice, help finding members, and tools to make running a Meetup Group easier.


text:
Instead of using chips and crackers for dips, Spray green peppers with pam and sprinkle Garlic Powder on top. Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes on 400! Save tons of Calories and Carbs! YUM! via
Take to your next holiday party; your dish is already wearing it's Christmas colors!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I am delighted to be The Shabby Tea Room's Guest Designer this week! I adore this challenge blog and the Shabby Girl Designers~ such amazingly talented ladies! Thank you!
This week's Shabby Tea Room's challenge is all about Soft Neutrals ~ These are the gorgeous, inspiring images, full of texture and luscious soft neutrals to spark our creativity…
I started with a copy of a treasured photo of my Grandparents on their wedding day. I've been pulled to create with it lately.
My memories are of them are in the later years of their lives and now I love seeing them as a young couple. I layered many of my favorite embellishments~ And the tiniest touch of robin's egg blue for my Grandmother's eyes. Her eyes remained a clear turquoise blue her entire life!
I love glassine and kraft sacks and I love layers~a marriage made in heaven!
A sheet of vintage sheet music is adhered to the kraft bag so that it can show through the glassine. My Grandmother was an amazing piano player (never mind that she never learned to read a note ;) ! My Grandfather's talents were in mathematics and I suppose that's incorporated by way of design elements, though I'm not usually conscious of design principles as I play!
The inside card layer has a punched edge along the top and is layered with a panel of patterned paper, edged with another punched border . A bow made from ivory seam tape has been splattered with brown die ink and finished with a dear little aged brass, heart charm.
I'm going to set this card aside, to use when one of their great grandchildren celebrates a wedding or anniversary.
Thanks for stopping by for a visit~


text:
FMJRA 2.0: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Posted on | September 29, 2012 | 6 Comments
– compiled by Wombat-socho
Huge Crowd Stands in Line in the Rain!
- Fire Andrea Mitchell
- Spartanburg Tea Party
- Rhetorican
- The Daley Gator
- Hogewash
- Lower The Boom
- The (Perhaps Slightly Less) Lonely Conservative
- Extrano's Alley
- The (Perhaps Slightly Less) Lonely Conservative
Classic: State Department Attacks CNN for Reporting Inconvenient Facts on Libya
- Hogewash
- God's Own Crunk
- The (Perhaps Slightly Less) Lonely Conservative
- The (Perhaps Slightly Less) Lonely Conservative
- Instapundit
Fear and Loathing on the Road to Toledo
- The Camp of the Saints
- The (Perhaps Slightly Less) Lonely Conservative
- The POH Diaries
- Daily Pundit
- Red Alexandria
Neal Rauhauser's Crazy-Evil Obsession
FMJRA 2.0: Classical Interlude
I Blame Pat Condell For The Appropriation Of Obama's Spine
Memo From the National Affairs Desk: Worldwide Headquarters of Crazy, Inc.
So, Other Than All That, Mr. Levin, What Did You Think Of Conor's Article?
Scenes From Ryan Rally in Lima, Ohio
Samuelsohn: 'President Barack Obama Is Trying Hard To Win Veterans. . .'
Adding To The Chorus Of Anti-Eric Posner Derision
Polls: Self-Fulfilling Prophecies?
The Most Biased Question, Ever
Get on the Bus! AFP Leads 'Obama's Failing Agenda Tour' Across Ohio
'No True Principles or Loyalty'
Top linkers this week:
- Lonely Conservative (11)
- Hogewash (10)
- The Camp of the Saints (8)
- Daily Pundit (6)
Thanks to everyone for their linkagery! If you use Blogger, or some other platform WordPress hates, please e-mail me your links no later than Friday, October 5 so that I'll be able to include them in next week's FMJRA.
- http://thecampofthesaints.org
- http://twitter.com/BeccaJLower


text:
DETROIT (AP) -- Jimmy Howard made 25 saves for his sixth career shutout and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 on Thursday night.
Justin Abdelkader and Valtteri Filppula scored for Detroit in the Red Wings' second straight shutout.
Ty Conklin was in goal for a 3-0 victory in Colorado on Saturday night.
Cory Schneider stopped 35 shots for Vancouver.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


text:
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
AN OPEN LETTER - from a professor at USC |
bhaloo |
09/12/01 at 15:40:43 |
From: Timothy R. Huerta <firstname.lastname@example.com> Subject: September 11, 2001 AN OPEN LETTER I can not express to you enough my great concern over the backlash that this country may unleash on people of Arabic descent. While I hope for the best, I am not heartened by our history. One need only ask the Japanese-Americans who were the victims of such fear mongering during World War II about their experiences. At about 4 pm on September 11th, I was online listening to the comments around the United States and my apprehension grew. Rather than focus on helping, many people are focused on retribution, and not on the perpetrators but rather on an entire community. I am reminded of the movie, "The Siege", where Bruce Willis, playing an Army general, goes outside of the law to bring his form of justice to what he views as the perpetrators of several terrorist acts. People were locked up in that movie if they seemed to be of Middle-Eastern descent. Families were ripped apart, and upstanding citizens, indeed one of the main characters of the movie (a police detective) began to be viewed as a suspect. Not only do we need to manage our own grief, but we have a duty to challenge those who would try and replace fear of the unknown with fear of ourselves. After the Oklahoma bombing, everyone pointed their fingers at Middle-Eastern terrorists. Calls for retribution were quickly silenced when it was found that the terrorist was Timothy McVeigh. He looked nothing like what the media had painted. He was not Middle-Eastern, not part of a radical terrorist cell - he was a crazy American. A person orchestrated terror on our country in Oklahoia and a person or people did the same on September 11, 2001. We need to hold THOSE people accountable. This is not about political correctness, its about JUSTICE. Also, show support for those whose trial may just be beginning, not through word, but through deed. I have friends who are concerned about their well being because they may be mistaken for Middle Eastern. Don't just say something about combating racism, do something about it. Talk to friends. Talk to family. Talk to students and teachers. Get it out in the open. Don't let racism fester. Speak out to fight ignorance. Don't stand back while your friends make racist jokes against ANY group. Be part of the solution, and not part of the problem. Donate blood to the Red Cross. Take a stand. If you want, please feel free to pass this along, and I hope that all my fears are unwarranted. -- Timothy R. Huerta Doctoral Candidate and Part-Time Lecturer School of Policy, Planning and Development University of Southern California email@example.com |
Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.The rest © Jannah.Org |


text:
The Australian Out-bonk
Couple caught romping on car bonnet on Google Street View.... but is it real?
A RANDY Aussie couple have been caught by Google's Street View cameras bonking over the bonnet of their BMW.
The pair were romping on a deserted highway on the outskirts of Adelaide when the


text:
Message Category: Women's Running Topic: question for SMP (and others!)
I was fitted for orthotics months ago, so I am used to them & they cause no problems. I also switched to a motion control shoe (I used to wear a cushioned one as I thought I had high arches, but I do tend to roll in slightly). The cause of this was definitely over-training. I did everything wrong in training for NYC2003. I had finished a marathon in March 2003 (my first) and loved it so much I was like Forrest Gump, I just kept running. So I think the reason for the original injury has been remedied. I'm trying to make sure I stretch (I'm not that flexible, and do have tight hams & calves). Guess the best advice is to take it slow. I'm chomping to run in this beautiful fall NY weather, but it is not worth getting hurt again. I, like SMP, am not sure this will ever be 100% again.
Post a reply on the Bulletin Board
WMA makes no representations as to the accuracy of information on this site or its suitability for any use. | privacy policy | refund policy


text:
Sharia Beyond the Headlines
To register for the symposium on sharia and relevant legislation in the United States, please follow the 'events' information to 'Sharia Beyond the Headlines' and scroll down to the bottom where you can proceed to RSVP. The first 120 registrants will receive free, Middle-Eastern lunch. Thanks and see you there!
Article Follow-up to 'Sharia Beyond the Headlines'
This article by Sheila Suess Kennedy reacts to and reflects on our first symposium– and our reasons for sponsoring the event!
Read the IUPUI article on upcoming event: 'Sharia Beyond the Headlines'
The recent article in the IUPUI Newscenter details our upcoming event, Sharia Beyond the Headlines.
Registration for the event can be found here.


text:
THE OLD LIGHTHOUSE IS NOW CLOSED AND WILL REOPEN IN THE SPRING OF 2014 WE THANK ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE VISITED THE LIGHTHOUSE THIS YEAR AND HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU NEXT... read full post
THE OLD LIGHTHOUSE WILL REOPEN TODAY ...BUT WE HAVE TO DO FINAL CHECK FOR ANY OVER NIGHT DAMAGE... CAUSED BY THE HIGH WINDS. WE WILL TRY TO OPEN FOR 11AM. ... read full post
The Old Lighthouse is an Historic Grade 11 building, listed in 1992 by Shepway District Council, recently celebrating its centenary. Opened with great ceremony by His Royal Majesty the Prince of Wales in 1904 after a 3 year build, it survived two world wars before decommission in 1960. For 56 years it provided a welcome landlight to vessels negotiating the perils of the English Channel. The Lighthouse features in Nickolaus Pevsner's famous "Buildings of Kent".
This imposing building is almost 46 metres high to the top of the weather vane, 11 metres in diameter and constructed of engineering bricks with sandstone inner walls. Over three million bricks were used to build the structure. Internally there are a series of mezzanine floors made of slate and supported by steel beams and massive rivets. Each floor is linked by circular concrete stairs which hug the walls and have decorative wrought iron banisters. There are cambered casement viewing windows on all floors. The outer gallery is closed during bad weather conditions.


text:
Two years ago this month, we had to put down our 14-year-old yellow lab "Gretchen." Though she was older, we didn't expect it then — just before Thanksgiving.
We walked the grounds of the Loomis Basin Vet Clinic, a little dazed, knowing we soon we have to say goodbye for the last time. Dr. Jon Peek — our vet here, and the same doctor who put down the famous racehorse "Noor" and told me about that experience — had prepared us for the inevitable.
We got a book for our son "Dog Heaven" to help him understand: "When dogs go to heaven they don't need wings, because they like running best," it reads.
I wrote an obit for Gretchen: "We will miss your companionship, your thumping tail, our walks in the woods together, swimming and sailing with you at the lake, and napping next to you in front of the fireplace.
"You were a fixture at the foot of our bed for more than 13 years, friendly to all, and definitely weren't a picky eater. You were our first 'child,' a 'counselor' to us on occasion, and a constant reminder why a dog is a man's best friend."
We could never replace Gretchen, but we now have a two-year-old red lab named Whiskey (pictured here). She is a wonderful dog: happy, playful, a swimmer and smart. Whiskey can carry The New York Times to our doorstep (when we subscribe during the wintertime). Her hips had been a concern, but her mobility remains excellent, the vet said in a checkup this month.
The relationship between dogs and humans has been documented for many thousands of years. I'm a big fan of the Dutch masters' paintings of dogs — sitting beside their "master" or pulling a fowl off the dinner table when the guests are looking the other way. Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum houses some of them.
Here's a video of a soldier coming home from Afghanistan to his dog. It's very heartwarming:
Filed under: Uncategorized


text:
Before you get started on that family room addition, take a moment to consider its potential return. Each year, Remodeling magazine's Cost vs. Value Report provides a fascinating look at the percentage of a home improvement project's costs that are likely to be recouped at resale. The report finds that not all home remodeling jobs are created equal—you'll probably get more of your investment back after building a wooden deck, for example, than adding a sunroom.
[Slide Show: The Five Best—and 5 Worst—Home Remodeling Projects.]
To help consumers better understand which jobs offer the highest potential returns, we used the 2009–2010 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report to compile a list of the 5 best—and 5 worst—home improvement projects for your money:
The 5 Best
1. Steel entry door replacement: Homeowners who install a steel front door recoup on average nearly 129 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Sal Alfano, the editorial director Remodeling magazine, says that's in part because a steel door is less expensive than the alternatives. A fiberglass front door replacement project, for example, costs about three times more than a steel door replacement, according to the report. But a steel door can still be attractive enough to boost your home's curb appeal. "A brand new door makes a big first impression on somebody who is looking at the house," Alfano says.
A steel door can also make a home more energy efficient, says home improvement expert Danny Lipford. "Steel most of the time has a magnetic weather stripping," Lipford says. "So you close it and that magnetic weather stripping seals it up very nicely." But Lipford cautions that while steel makes for a nice painted surface, it doesn't work with all design tastes. "If you are going for a stained look, a rich wood look, you can simulate the stain, but as soon as you knock on [the steel door] you know that it has an unrealistic look to it."
2. Attic bedroom: Homeowners who turn their dusty old attic into a functional bedroom recoup on average about 83 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. At around $49,000 a job, converting an attic into a bedroom is certainly more expensive than replacing your front door. But when it comes to adding new livable space to your home, building an attic bedroom is often easier on your budget than the alternatives. A family room addition, for example, can run around $83,000. "When you are adding to the footprint of the house you have foundation costs, dirt work, and all of that," says Paul Zuch, the president of Capital Improvements. "But if you are doing an attic conversion you don't have all of those."
At the same time, modern households can encounter all sorts of scenarios that require additional living space. "Whether it's because an elderly parent is moving to the house and is taking the first floor suite and so the kids are moving upstairs, or a child has come back to live with the family after graduating from college," Alfano says. When faced with situations like this, an attic bedroom conversion can sometimes be your best option.
3. Wood deck addition: Homeowners who add a wooden deck to their properties recoup on average nearly 81 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports, says the wooden deck's appeal is linked to today's more thrift-conscious consumers, who are looking to save money by spending more time at home. "Since they are staying home they want to enjoy their exterior, they want to enjoy their outdoors," Kuperszmid Lehrman says. "So [adding a deck] is one of those areas that can add value." Like steel, the popularity of wooden decks is also associated with costs. A similar project built from composite materials can run you about 50 percent more. Lipford, meanwhile, highlights another key benefit of building a wooden deck. "That's not heated and cooled space, but it is an opportunity to make you feel like you have a lot more space in your home than you actually have," Lipford said.
4. Vinyl siding replacement: Homeowners who replace their vinyl siding recoup on average nearly 80 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Alfano says the project's low costs—the job averages less than $11,000—deserves part of the credit for its impact. But curb appeal plays a significant role too. "New siding is going to make a house look brand new," he says. "It is going to really change the way the house looks from the street." In addition, vinyl siding is extremely low-maintenance and lasts up to 25 years, Alfano says. By comparison, houses typically need their exterior repainted every five to seven years, he says. "That's sort of a trend among homeowners and home buyers over the last five to ten years—moving toward low maintenance or low maintenance materials."
5. Wood window replacement: Homeowners who replace their wood windows recoup on average about 77 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Zuch notes that window replacement projects can be appealing because they can make the home more attractive while increasing its energy efficiency. "Not only does it add value but it reduces your energy bills," Zuch says. At the same time, homeowners who make certain window replacements can qualify for federal tax credits. But Kuperszmid Lehrman cautions that the project's cost—of nearly $12,000—means homeowners shouldn't replace their windows simply to lower their energy bills. "It's just too expensive," she says. "The payback period—even with the federal tax credits—is still going to be pretty long." Instead, homeowners should replace windows if they are beaten up or broken and consider the project's energy efficiency benefits the icing on the cake.
The 5 Worst
1. Home office remodel: Property owners who remodel a home office recoup on average less than half of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. That's because even though more people are working out of their homes these days, not all buyers want a space dedicated exclusively to work. "That space in your home—when your square footage is so precious—may serve your needs very well, but the next person might say, 'I need a bedroom, I don't need a home office,'" Lipford says. "And that specialized work that's needed in that home office just doesn't pay you back."
2. Sunroom addition: Homeowners who add a sunroom to their house recoup on average about 51 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Like the home office, the sunroom represents an inefficient use of interior space, Zuch says. "If you are going to add a room, what people are looking for, especially now, is [perhaps] a mother-in-law suite with a universal design," Zuch says. "[Or] for a family that is growing, they want a nursery on the first floor [because] they don't want to climb stairs." Homeowners who are willing to sink $73,000—the average cost of a sunroom addition—into their house would be better off investing in a different home improvement project.
3. Bathroom addition: Homeowners who build a bathroom addition recoup on average only about 60 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Lipford says the project's relatively low return on investment reflects its cost, of around $39,000. "When you are talking about a bathroom, you are talking about a footprint that has lots of plumbing, you still have your air conditioning, heating, you still have your electrical concerns, and you are putting in fixtures," Lipford says. "It doesn't matter how big it is because your concentrated square footage costs in that scenario are way up there compared to building a closet."
But Kuperszmid Lehrman argues that a homeowner's true return on this particular investment depends on how many bathrooms they already have. Homes with one less bathroom than comparable properties in the neighborhood would be better served by this project. "If you are a bathroom short, depending on what's going on in your neighborhood, then it is going to make more sense," she says.
4. Backup power generator: Homeowners who obtain a backup power generator recoup on average only about 59 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Although most homeowners don't consider a backup power generator essential, its popularity varies a great deal from one region to another. Those living in communities where tornados, hurricanes, or blizzards could knock out power for days are more likely to be drawn to homes with this feature, Alfano says. "Being out of power in Florida might not be that big of a deal in February, whereas in Vermont [a backup power generator] makes a huge difference," Alfano says.
5. Garage addition: Homeowners who build a garage addition recoup on average about 62 percent of the project's cost when they sell the home, according to the report. Lipford argues that the limited versatility of a garage doesn't necessarily justify its high cost, which can average more than $58,000. A garage addition project is a labor intensive effort, often requiring builders to pour a slab, construct walls, and build a roof, among other things. "The only thing that is keeping it from being legitimate living space is insulated walls for air conditioning and heating—so it does represent a high cost to do that for strictly sheltering cars [or storing belongings]," Lipford said. "So when you start going down the check list of things you have to do, [the garage addition] starts moving down the list."


text:
August 20, 2009 Yoga Minchahttp://www.jewishjournal.com/blog/item/yoga_mincha_39090820/ |
There have already been a few entries in this space discussing the efficacy of prayer, and what we, Morethodox Jews can learn from others about tefilah. I'd like to add to this theme in my post today. Meaningful prayer is something that many strive to attain and maintain. I learned this week to step out of my prayer comfort zone, just a little, even if to experience a taste of how others achieve spiritual moments. As we enter the month of Elul, a month where we focus more than ever on our prayerful selves, let's keep striving to bring ourselves closer to God. |
© Copyright 2013 Tribe Media Corp. |


text:
Quick Index Board Index Home FAQ Site Map
Nothing ... advances intimacy so much
Written by Heather L
(4/1/2006 1:33 p.m.)
in consequence of the missive, Pick up line..., penned by MaryAnn K.
I think Henry's lightly testing Catherine to see if she approves of and/or shares his quirky sense of humor. By making fun of the standard get-to-know-you patter of Bath, Henry invites her to share a joke with him. I think Catherine's lack of understanding is because she's inexperienced -- everything about Bath is new to her; she hasn't heard the standard pick-up lines enough to be able to make fun of them like Henry can. But to her credit, she seems to be trying her best to play along with Henry. |
Groupread is maintained by Myretta with WebBBS 3.21.


text:
Matt Damon Launches Water.Org (PHOTO)
Huffington Post Barbara Fenig First Posted: 08/15/09 06:12 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 02:35 PM ET
Actor Matt Damon, H20 Africa co-founder, and Gary White, WaterPartners executive director and co-founder, have created water.org, a non-profit organization that provides the developing world with access to safe water and sanitation. Its mission is to assist the 2.5 billion people that lack clean sanitation and 890 million people without safe water worldwide. Water.org currently has projects in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Matt Damon, a devoted environmental advocate who also co-founded Not On Our Watch, a humanitarian assistance charity, notes his impetus for starting water.org,
"Every 15 seconds, a child in the developing world dies from water-related disease. After visiting project sites in Africa and Asia with Gary, I've seen the problem and the impact of safe water."


text:
Recently I was working on a project that required me to fade a sound in and out dynamically. Here is the result:
FadeSound (clever name, huh?) is an AS3 class that extends Flashs built in Sound class and includes fading in and fading out (including auto-fade out on sound completion).
Here is the source: http://blog.organa.ca/flashContent/fadeSound/SoundFader_Organa.zip
You can probably just dive in and figure it out based on the examples, but I'll do a write-up after the break.
This method will start playing your sound, the sound will fade in at the beginning for the length of time specified in the argument.
startTime:Number Set the start time in miliseconds (same as the Sound class)
sndTransform:SoundTransform The initial SoundTransform object assigned to the sound channel. (same as the Sound class)
setFadeInDurationInSeconds:Number Set the amount of time the initial fade in will take. In seconds, so 2.2 will specify a 2.2 second fade in when your sound starts playing.
setAutoFadeOut:Number Set the length of the fade out at the end of the sound. This will automatically start a fade out at the end of the sound.
setEaseType:Function = null Assign an easing function to the fade in. fl.motion.easing.Linear .Sine etc.
This method allows you to manually fade out and stop your sound at any point.
setFadeOutDurationInSeconds:Number The time in seconds it will take your sound to fade out.
setEaseType:Function Assign an easing function to the fade out. fl.motion.easing.Linear com.gskinner.motion.easing.Sine etc.
soundVolume (Number)
Set the volume of the currently playing sound. This is a number between 0 and 1
autoFadeOut (Number)
Set the length of the fade out at the end of the sound. This will automatically start a fade out at the end of the sound. Setting this to 0 will give the sound a hard stop at the end.
Included with the class is the FadeSoundEvent.as class. This is just a container for the three events dispatched by FadeSound.as.
SOUND_FADE_IN_COMPLETE:String Dispatched when the sound has faded in completely.
SOUND_FADE_OUT_COMPLETE:String Dispatched when the sound has faded out completely.
SOUND_FADE_OUT_STARTED:String Dispatched when the sound has started to fade out.
import ca.organa.sound.FadeSound; import ca.organa.events.FadeSoundEvent; import fl.motion.easing.Sine; // var soundRequest:URLRequest = new URLRequest("MP3/dust_lane.mp3"); // var fadeSound:FadeSound = new FadeSound(); fadeSound.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onMP3Loaded); fadeSound.load(soundRequest); // function onMP3Loaded(e:Event):void { fadeSound.removeEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onMP3Loaded); fadeSound.playWithFadeIn(1, null, 3, 2, Sine.easeOut); }
This is a pretty simple example. All I'm doing is creating an instance of the FadeSound class and loading the external MP3 file.
When the file has loaded successfully I call the the playWithFadeInFunction specifying a 3 second fade in, a 2 second automatic fade out at the end and I point to the Sine.easeOut function for my easing.
That's pretty much it folks. If you have any problems with the class or have any ideas for additional features please leave me a note in the comments and hopefully I'll get back to you
In an effort provide further evidence that I'm still alive and that I still care about this blog I'm posting more old stuff! This time from way back in 2006.
This is a game engine I called Sprocket. Sprocket was my 'Learn AS2′ project. The code was an absolute mess, but I'm still really proud of the game.
Be sure to check out the cars with working Suspension (jump on them!), the bullet sparks (dynamic!) and the shot gun (use your mouse wheel or the 1 and 2 keys to switch weapons).
I wasn't the only person to work on this!
The background graphics are by Trevor Goodwin.
The Character Sprites are by Justin Chan.
The Music is by Ragozzino
The title screen is by Marcin Zajkowski
Before I begin I'd like to point out that you can buy this 3D Flash Pie Chart for $10 from this link.
About half a lifetime ago I posted about the Pie Chart I was working on.
I spent a hell of a lot of time turning that AS3 Pie Chart into a proper component. Adding a lot of behind the scenes functionality. Making it Flex compatible. Making sure it was 100% code based. As well as writing up a bunch of documentation.
What I was left with was a Flash Pie Chart which looks almost exactly like the one I did in September except this one has a lot of useful functionality for developers and is much more CPU efficient.
I've been selling the Pie Chart component on Activeden (formerly Flashden) and folks seem happy: a 5 star rating and lots of positive feedback!
Anyway if you're in the market for an AS3 based Pie Chart you can get an awesome one written by me. It's only $10.
Also, I'm sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. I recently bought my first condo and haven't had time to work on side projects! Things are starting to settle down now, and I'm already thinking of a new swarm based project.
]]>So as I wrote earlier I'm working on transforming my 3D Pie Chart into a proper AS3 component. Holy crap, it's harder than I thought!
By far the most useful resource I've found is this one written by Jeff Kamerer from Adobe. The document is divided into 9 parts (it's a small book!) and covers:
I've trudged my way through the first 3 parts and… GREAT SUCCESS! I've got my Pie Chart publishing from a component inspector window (shown on the left).
The bit of code that caused me the most grief is the section that pertains to the dataProvider. It seems that if I want custom parameters in my Component Inspector I need to create my own DataProvider classes.
[Collection(collectionClass="ca.organa.Data.Collect", collectionItem="ca.organa.Data.ComponentInfo", identifier="sliceLabel", name="Pie Chart Data")] public function set dataProvider(value:Collection):void { if (_dataProvider != null) { _dataProvider.removeEventListener(DataChangeEvent.DATA_CHANGE, handleDataChange); } _dataProvider = value; _dataProvider.addEventListener(DataChangeEvent.DATA_CHANGE, handleDataChange, false, 0, true); invalidate(); }
I'll post about components again once I've gone further into this stuff. My next challenges are going to be getting live preview working, and getting a proper colour picker in the component inspector (is that even possible?).
]]>First an FYI, this is a showing off post. I'm not sharing the source for this as I'd like to explore the idea of selling the Pie Chart as a Flash Component.
Recently at work I've been doing on a bunch of charts (mostly analytics style lines graphs). When I was finished, I thought to myself: "Well I haven't done a Pie Chart yet".
Ultimately, it took me 5 times longer than I would have ever expected, but I did create a fully functional 3D Pie Chart!
As I mentioned earlier, I'd like to make this into a proper component. I'll be working on that in the near future and should be posting any results to the blog.
Also, a special thanks goes out to William my Algorithm Consultant, he's responsible for pretty much all the brilliant bits in this project.
But I did write at least one useful piece of code that I think some people might find useful: Level Scrolling.
When I was working on my first Flash 2D platform engine Sprocket (game was never finished). I found one of the biggest problems was having the level scroll properly. So this time when I started writing the game engine, scrolling was the first thing I nailed down.
In Sprocket I found that scrolling with the Character locked in the center of the screen was unsatisfactory as enemies could easily sneak up behind you. So I developed a system where the mouse controls the user's view. I was inspired by the scrolling in PC games such as Abuse, and Soldat.
In my new game I've created a LevelDisplay class which handles all scrolling work automatically. Just tell the LevelDisplay what game sprite to focus on and it will handle the rest.
Keep in mind all of this code is very early, so please don't just plonk this in your game. Once I've built an actual game I'll have a better idea of how successful my implementation actually is. But for now I'll share what I have and maybe you can get some use out of it.
Use the right and left arrow keys to move the game character. Use your mouse to control the view. The pink dot represents the scrolling target. There is NO hit detection in this demo.
Initiatize LevelDisplay like so:
theLevel = new LevelDisplay(screenBounds, levelBackground); theLevel.registerBounds(new Rectangle(0, 0, levelBackground.width, levelBackground.height)); gameCharacter = new Character(); theLevel.addToDisplay(gameCharacter); theLevel.setCameraFocus(gameCharacter, true); addChild(theLevel); this.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, onTick);
There are two constructor arguments:
1) A Rectangle which defines the size of the swf display (this contains the scrolling to the confines of the screen) and
2) An image to display in the background.
I define the level boundaries with registerBounds()
I create a new game character and add it to the Level display with addToDisplay().
Then, I tell Level to focus on the character with setCameraFocus(). Setting the second argument to true enabled mouse scrolling.
In an ENTER_FRAME event method I update the display with:
gameCharacter.characterTick(); theLevel.positionStage();
This just tells the character to update his position if there are keyboard inputs and tells LevelDisplay to change the display based on the character and mouse position.
Here is all of the actual scrolling code.
public function positionStage():void { var mousePoint:Point = MouseKeyboardCapture.mousePoint; var relativeMouseX:Number = mousePoint.x - levelGraphics.x; var relativeMouseY:Number = mousePoint.y - levelGraphics.y; var mDX:Number = relativeMouseX - _focusOn.x; var mDY:Number = relativeMouseY - _focusOn.y; var mDist:Number = Math.sqrt(mDX * mDX + mDY * mDY); var mVX:Number = mDX / mDist; var mVY:Number = mDY / mDist; // if (mDist > mouseOutMax) { mDist = mouseOutMax; } var scrollDist:Number = scrollOverLimit * (mDist / mouseOutMax); if (mouseFollowDebug) { followMouseTest.x = _focusOn.x + (mVX * scrollDist); followMouseTest.y = _focusOn.y + (mVY * scrollDist); } if (_focusOn != null) { var scrollTargetX:Number; var scrollTargetY:Number; if (followMouse) { scrollTargetX = -_focusOn.x + (_screenBounds.width / 2) - (mVX * scrollDist); scrollTargetY = -_focusOn.y + (_screenBounds.height / 2) - (mVY * scrollDist); } else { scrollTargetX = -_focusOn.x + (_screenBounds.width / 2); scrollTargetY = -_focusOn.y + (_screenBounds.height / 2); } if (scrollTargetX > _scrollBounds.x) { scrollTargetX = _scrollBounds.x; }else if (-scrollTargetX > _scrollBounds.width - _screenBounds.width) { scrollTargetX = -(_scrollBounds.width - _screenBounds.width); } if (scrollTargetY > _scrollBounds.y) { scrollTargetY = _scrollBounds.y; } else if ( -scrollTargetY > _scrollBounds.height - _screenBounds.height) { scrollTargetY = -(_scrollBounds.height - _screenBounds.height); } levelGraphics.x += (scrollTargetX - levelGraphics.x) * SCROLL_EASE_SPEED; levelGraphics.y += (scrollTargetY - levelGraphics.y) * SCROLL_EASE_SPEED; } }
Lines 2-9:
Here I find the deltas and vectors to the mouse cursor.
Lines 11-14:
I set a cap for the scrolling distance. This makes sure the screen doesn't scroll too far out. Then I decide how far out from the character the screen will scroll.
Lines 15-18:
I update the position of the little pink dot, this is just for testing/visualization purposes.
Lines 22-28:
I set the position of the screen. If followMouse is set to true I center on the character position PLUS the mouse scroll value found earlier. If the variable is false I just focus on the character and don't take into account mouse scrolling.
Lines 29-38:
Make sure that target is within the confines of the screen. If I'm scrolling out side of the screen I reset the target here.
Lines 39-40:
Here is where I actually move the screen Sprite. I ease the screen to it's target. I find that eased movement is much less jarring than eased movement.
I suppose that's it. As I've stated earlier, this is very early code and I'm sure there are a bunch of problems I haven't discovered yet. Still, I hope you've found it helpful.
You may also find the MouseKeyboardCapture class helpful. It's what I'm using to catch keyboard inputs and keep track of the Mouse Position.
Download the SOURCE CODE HERE.
]]>'The Lander' is the project that convinced me that maybe I should continue working in Flash and ActionScript.
Anyway. For the past 5 years 'The Lander' was hosted by my friend Mario Tan (this is back from the time when I was too poor to afford web hosting). Mario's hosting has finally expired, so I'm hosting it myself.
WARNING: This game is old (written in Flash 6!) and super buggy. It is not an indicator of my current skill set!
You can play the game here http://www.organa.ca/Lander/
I spent some time the last week working on my dad's website (he runs a portable Pet Photography Studio). Specifically, I was working on a AS3, PHP+SQL application that would give his clients a preview of their photos before they order them.
I hadn't worked on a PHP project in ages and the language was just as a I remembered it: Really ugly code that does exactly what I need it to do.
The Flash to PHP communication was handled via XML-RPC for PHP and XMPRC for Asctionscript 3.0. XML-RPC is a set of libraries that help you ferry data from one system to another. It took me a little while to get the knack for preparing the RPC Objects, but ultimately it was a painless process.
What I was left with is a (ugly as hell) back-end interface in PHP that outputs to an attractive (I think) Flash front-end.
The advantages here are:
I think my favourite part of this app is the Transition class, it transitions between any two display objects with a fade & re-size. I'm using that class to display everything in the main window. If anyone shows interest I'll go ahead and clean up the class and post it here.
Anyhow. You can see the app in action here. Use 'Reese' as a password.
If anyone is curious you can see my Dad's Flickr page here.
Oh and if you're wondering about the blog post title. I have no idea what to call this application. I'll gladly take suggestions in the comments section!
]]>Ok, so I'm coming down with a serious case of blog guilt. I haven't posted in… well a while.
First my excuse:
I just finished a big freelance job. Now that the job is done I can get on to some more exciting stuff!
To warm myself up. I'm posting something I played around with recently. I explored Flash's fl.motion.BezierSegment class. It's neat and surprisingly easy to use.
You can see the swf in motion after the break. I've included the source code, enjoy!
Drag the A,B,C,D points around to change the curve


text:
Latest Headlines
Black ice is possible for the Wednesday morning commute. Cold & Dry weather ...
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine weighs in on the budget deal announced Tuesday.
D.C. Police say a man is in serious condition after he was recovered from Hains ...
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will not play Tuesday night against ...
The Boston Celtics have won 17 NBA Championships in their storied history.
The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat will renew their budding rivalry Tuesday ...
Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - The Seattle Mariners officially agreed to terms with starting pitcher Joe Saunders on Tuesday, signing the veteran lefty to a one-year contract.
The deal also includes a mutual option for the 2014 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The 31-year-old made 28 starts between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Baltimore Orioles in 2012, finishing with a 9-13 record and 4.07 earned run average.
He also made two postseason starts for Baltimore this past season, going 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA over 11 1/3 innings pitched.
Over eight major league seasons with the Angels (2005-10), Diamondbacks (2010-12) and Orioles, Saunders owns a 78-65 career record with a 4.15 ERA.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mariners designated first baseman/designated hitter Mike Carp for assignment.
The Sports Network


text:
Welcome to Fields, Morris & Verdin
FMV was formed in 2004 following the merger of Fields Wine Merchants with Morris & Verdin. FMV is an agency business supplying high quality wines and Champagnes nationally to the on-trade and retail sectors. We have a broad customer base ranging from Michelin starred restaurants and boutique hotels through to independent wine merchants.
We are exclusive UK agents for some of the finest domaines and wine estates in the world. We strive both to build on the fine reputations of our wine producers and to strengthen our portfolio by the acquisition of other quality-driven agencies.
Please visit the Our Wines page where you can discover more about the agencies we represent. There is also a Contact Us page if you would like any further information.
Please note - A new FMV Website is currently under construction. More information soon, watch this space.


text:
Skip to main content
West Central Tribune
Warwick attorney seeks to suppress statement in Willmar murder case
Shrubb to retire as Minnesota West president
UPDATE: Three Willmar Police officers hurt in assault, suspect in court today
U.S. third-quarter growth raised to 4.1 percent
Last-minute Obamacare exemption for those with canceled plans
More Topics
College Football: U of M's Texas Bowl preview
NBA: Kobe out 6 weeks with knee injury
MLB Roundup: Beltran signs Yankee contract
Prep Hockey: River Lakes girls win
Girls Gymnastics: B/KMS knocks off LPGE
More Topics
'Duck Dynasty' anti-gay fallout sparks wider debate on tolerance
'Nuncrackers' opens tonight at The Barn Theatre in Willmar, Minn.
'Come, Lord Jesus' theme of Calvary's Advent Festival this year
Taylor Swift sweeps top prize at American Music Awards
More Topics
Video: Target's holiday hijacked by hack
January Business2Business: Meet the 5 Under 40 winners
FedEx posts higher second-quarter profit
Heather Thompson uses her talents, experiences to help others
Zack Liebl: As a part of the community, he wants to make a difference wherever he can
Video: Ugly Sweater Day at the West Central Tribune
Radig — Syverson
Kirtz — Trelstad
Janssen — Eklund
Schroeder — Wachter
More Topics
Leland D Larson
Pasquale Buzzeo
Agnes Erickson
Rosanna J. Reinke
Vicki Sorenson
Letter: Willmar should redefine city administrator's role
Letter: Facts vs. lies about Israel
Commentary: A 90th birthday is a day to celebrate a lot of living
Letter: The echo chamber of opinion
Letter: Ella Avenue needs guard rails
More Topics
Weather Forecast
December 18, 2013
Willmar notebook: All-day skaters brought Willmar glory
Peter Stahnke, 1983 Willmar grad and 2006 Cardinal Pride HOF inductee, returns to his hometown Saturday evening with a hockey team in tow. His prep team is 3-1-1 after skating to a 3-3 tie at Crookston on Tuesday night. The Panthers play Northern Lights at Pequot Lakes tonight....
sports / Cardinals
December 18, 2013 - 10:16pm
Girls Hockey: Willmar rallies to snap Mankato West's win streak
WILLMAR — Heavily covered after winning the faceoff to start the second period, Willmar center Shelby Schneider nonetheless was able get a stick on a feed from sister Riley carrying the puck down the left wing and direct it into the net for what turned out to be the game-winning...
sports / Cardinals
December 18, 2013 - 12:25am
Girls Basketball: Cardinals throttle Brainerd
WILLMAR — Except for a few lapses, the Willmar Cardinals girls team was dominant in a Central Lakes Conference game against Brainerd, downing the Warriors 57-44 on Tuesday at the WHS gym. Kalley Fosso had 14 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Cardinals, and McKenzie Hastad pulled...
sports / Cardinals
December 18, 2013 - 12:15am
December 15, 2013
Girls basketball roundup: Tigers outrun Cardinals
HUTCHINSON — The Tigers had too much depth and the Cardinals offense struggled with ball security once again in suffering their first loss vs. section opponents after two wins. Willmar committed 25 turnovers in the 65-53 road loss to Section 2AAA confederate Hutchinson on Saturday...
sports / Cardinals
December 15, 2013 - 9:03pm
Boys hockey roundup: Timely first goal lifts Cardinals
WILLMAR — Austin Smith's first varsity goal was a beauty — and a game-winner. Smith, a junior right-handed stick-handler, whacked a puck out of mid-air, hip level, with two ticks left in the first period that got by Marshall goalie Mason Campion on Saturday in the Cardinals'...
sports / Cardinals
December 15, 2013 - 7:56pm
December 13, 2013
Boys basketball roundup: Willmar drills Rocori to win 4th straight
COLD SPRING — The Cardinals, right at home in the Spartans new gym, fired at a 62 percent clip (28 of 45) to smash Rocori 64-29 on Friday night in Central Lakes boys basketball. Adam Nibaur led the point parade with 16 points followed by Kyler Johnson with 12 (four 3s), Dylan...
sports / Cardinals
December 13, 2013 - 11:29pm
December 12, 2013
Prep skiing: St. Cloud Apollo Invite
St. Cloud Apollo Invite ST. CLOUD — Willmar Cardinal sophomore Jack Erickson was Willmar's top performer at the St. Cloud Apollo Invite on Thursday at Riverside Park. Erickson finished 12th in the boys 5k skate in a time of 14:20. Boys Results TEAM SCORING — 1. Mora...
sports / Cardinals
December 12, 2013 - 11:42pm
Prep gymnastics: Sartell nips Willmar
SARTELL — The Sabres shaded Willmar by less than a point (.20) on Thursday in Central Lake Conference gymnastics. On its home floor, Sartell took the victory 135.675 to 135.475. The highlight for the Cardinals was Alexis Miley's floor routine. She opened with a perfectly...
sports / Cardinals
December 12, 2013 - 11:42pm
Boys swimming & diving: Sartell dunks Cardinals
WILLMAR — The Willmar Cardinals won four events in their loss to Sartell 110-71 on Thursday. Willmar's Trent Flegel won the 50 freestyle at 23.87, and Ryan Kuchta took the 100 breaststroke with a 1:16.59. Gerson Maldonado-Garcia won diving for the Cards with a 133.90. The...
sports / Cardinals
December 12, 2013 - 11:41pm
Prep wrestling: Cards dull Sabres
WILLMAR — The Willmar Cardinals won at nine different weights and rolled past Sartell-St. Stephen 46-18 on Thursday. Willmar's Vaughn Johnson pinned Sartell-St. Stephen's Creedence McDermond in 51 seconds for the win at 195, and Logan Walkow (132), Colten Carlson (160), Jalen...
sports / Cardinals
December 12, 2013 - 11:39pm
Girls hockey roundup: Alex tops Willmar
ALEXANDRIA — Willmar scored first in the opening and second periods, but Alexandria held the visiting Cardinals in check for the remainder of the game en route to posting a 6-2 Central Lakes Conference win Thursday. Alexandria, unbeaten in the conference at 4-0, scored three...
sports / Cardinals
December 12, 2013 - 11:38pm
Girls basketball roundup: No. 1 Otters pound Willmar
WILLMAR — Fergus Falls currently owns the Central Lakes loop when it comes to girls basketball and Thursday night the Otters showed off their mastery, crushing the Willmar Cardinals 56-23. The No. 1 team in Class AAA is out to claim a fourth straight conference championship....
sports / Cardinals
December 12, 2013 - 11:37pm
Boys hockey: Alexandria hands Willmar first loss
WILLMAR — The game was even through two periods and into the 13th minute of the final frame when Brady Bast score for Alexandia which clung to the lead for the final 4 minutes and 20 seconds to claim a 3-2 victory over Willmar in Central Lakes boys hockey on Thurday. Bast scored...
sports / Cardinals
December 12, 2013 - 11:34pm
December 11, 2013
Willmar notebook: Gophers' wrestler Steinhaus stout in return
Kevin Steinhaus, the former Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg athlete from Pennock, returned to the spotlight on Saturday at Stillwater, Okla. Coming off summer ACL surgery, the Gophers' redshirt senior wrestler won by major decision over Jordan Rodgers (6-4, five falls) by a 14-5 score...
sports / Cardinals
December 11, 2013 - 9:37pm
Boys swimming & diving: Montevideo sinks Willmar
WILLMAR — The Montevideo Thunder Hawks won the first three events and went on to submerge the Willmar Cardinals 100-86 on Thursday. The Thunder Hawks went on to win 8 of the 11 swimming events, plus diving. Jack Speath led off the winning 200-medley relay which won by 9 seconds...
sports / Cardinals
December 11, 2013 - 12:04am
Page 1
Older »


text:
Chad Douglas is an Anchor and a Reporter for KHQA.
QUINCY, ILL. -- A Quincy family is without a home after a grease fire got out of control.
The fire happened at 2925 Hampshire Street just before 6:00 Monday night.
The Quincy Fire Department tells KHQA the fire started in a pan of grease on the stove.
Luckily, everyone was able to get out safely.
However, the kitchen and dining room area suffered a lot of fire damage and the rest of the home suffered a lot of smoke damage.
The Red Cross is helping the family.


text:
Dorgan, Byron
The latest news on Dorgan, Byron
Prominent past politicians urge Congress to create large advisory board.
Former Senator says Obama will approve the project when the political stakes aren't so high.
The North Dakota senator is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.
Messina is managing Barack Obama's 2012 presidential campaign.
The uproar over security measures could cause headaches for Thanksgiving travelers.
An early state-by-state look at 2012 races shows the magnitude of Democrats' challenges.
Democrats won key races in West Virginia and California to retain their majority in the Senate.
What you need to know to follow the battle for Congress.
Close House races in Democratic seats.


text:
Estate Van Cleef & Arpels Amethyst & Pink Sapphire "Hawaii" Collar Necklace
"Hawaii" collar necklace, designed as a light purple satin collar, set with two gem-set flower motifs, composed of circular-cut pink sapphires, surrounded by pear-shaped amethyst 'petals,' mounted in 18k yellow gold, with an 18k yellow gold buckle style clasp, signed Van Cleef & Arpels.
- Price: $14,000
- Ref #: EJNEC03739
- In Stock
New Feature!
Click "Add to Favorites" to save the products you love in one convenient place. You can email your list of favorites to friends and loved ones by clicking the "Share Favorites" link on the Favorites page in the account page. It's a great way to give loved ones gift ideas for that next special occasion.


text:
Speeding Laws Rules of the RoadBy Matt Hardigree PO Edit11266L Left-Lane Passing Laws: A State-By-State MapDriving slowly in the fast lane is more than just annoying, it's also illegal in many states. Wanna know if your 45-mph, Buick-borne grandma is breaking the law on the interstate? Just consult our handy map. Read… 3/25/10 2:30pm 3/25/10 2:30pmGeorgia To Outlaw Driving Slowly In The Fast Lane
Rules of the RoadBy Matt Hardigree PO Edit1298L Georgia To Outlaw Driving Slowly In The Fast LaneThe Georgia legislature just passed a bill making it illegal to drive below the speed limit in the left lane without letting faster cars pass. If the senate doesn't pass this we're torching Atlanta, again. (H/T to Tony!) [Augusta Chronicle] Discuss… 3/24/10 9:00am 3/24/10 9:00am


text:
Process delegation is a necessary part of the company atmosphere. Even if the people allocated to these projects are fully capable and effective, there is no assurance that a given worker is conference his or her complete potential without proper control. Business Procedure Management is the practice of working company techniques though a five-step pattern such as style, modelling, performance, tracking and marketing.
The style level requires the procedure circulation, standard working techniques (SOP's), service level contracts, and other factors and recognizes them in order to provide as the basis for a more effective and value-adding process. Modeling the Procedure Management requires the new theoretical style and is applicable different sets of factors, which signify the provision, cost, and value of all of the sources involved in working. Each different set of factors triggers a extensive projector screen of how things add up. Execution includes the automated of techniques through programs, often with the help of individual involvement. Companies have designed software to reduce the need for individual involvement, making use of the complete company strategy plan designed from the style level.


text:
Fatal crash was a suicide attempt, prosecutors say 6:25 PM
The Voice coach Shelton predicts win for Tessanne 5:34 PM
NSWMA to spend $45m on Christmas work 5:22 PM
Two wanted men taken into custody 5:00 PM
'Ribbiz' opens at Acropolis 4:05 PM
PHOTOS: Norman Manley Law School continues winning streak at World Human Rights moot court competition 3:55 PM
All Woman
Sophia Campbell is comfortable in a (taxi) man's world
By NADINE WILSON All Woman writer firstname.lastname@example.com
Monday, June 25, 2012
MANY Jamaicans can probably recount an unpleasant incident with a taxi driver, whether as a passenger, a pedestrian, or a fellow road user, but when she was approached to represent them as president of the Route Taxi Association of Jamaica (RTAJ), Sophia Campbell readily obliged.
At first, she said, some taxi operators were not convinced she could manage the job of lobbying for their needs because of her gender, but today she is one of the first people they turn to when bureaucracy makes doing their jobs become burdensome.
"Being a female, they thought I did not understand what they were going through. They believed that the fact that I am not out there operating a taxi, I am unaware of their daily challenges. But after about two years of representing them, their perception changed," she said.
Campbell became president of RTAJ eight years ago, after the Transport Authority made it a requirement for all route taxis to become members of an association. At the time, she was administrative and finance manager at World Net Investment Company, a micro-financial institution which had a number of taxi owners as clients. Seeing the plight of the taxi operators, her company allowed her to offer herself as a member of RTAJ.
Representing over 3,500 taxi operators and owners is not an easy task, and coupled with carrying out her duties as manager at the investment company, Campbell's days are very hectic.
"Being a manager here is challenging and so my hours are very long. My staff call me a workaholic because I am always on the go. But a lot of times I balance both by working late for my company and then in between, I will rush out for a meeting or to an accident scene or so on where the association is concerned," she said.
"It really and truly gets hard at times, and it's really my passion for service, my passion for helping, my passion for trying to help to make change that really keep me going. It's not an industry that you find a lot of females, especially in the role that I am in. You might find them as owners, but not as very active in the association," Campbell told All Woman during a recent interview.
Campbell is not ignorant of the reputation taxi drivers hold, and she herself admits that they can be indisciplined at times. However, she is big on finding solutions, and is also cognisant of the challenges they face in carrying out their duties.
It is this awareness that makes it easy for her to lobby for their cause, which she has been doing quite a lot of in recent times in a more public way. It is not uncommon to see her on the nightly news or in newspapers making appeals to the Authority on the drivers' behalf.
"People think that I have this rough personality because I am seen as the lady with the strong voice when I am speaking for my sector," said the association president, whose well manicured nails and immaculate business suit could easily fool one into believing that she is far removed from the realities faced by those she represents.
"I think I get this roughness because of the fact that I was raised mainly amongst boys, because when I visited my grandfather during the holidays, the majority of my cousins were males, so I learnt to climb trees and to follow them to the river — but it was fun," she said.
Having represented Manchester High School in debating and drama competitions, Campbell has never had a problem articulating her points or dealing with a large crowd. In fact, she has had to draw upon these strengths on occasions, for example, when dealing with taxi men who, in an effort to get redress, choose to block the roads instead of trying dialogue.
Campbell plans to make the sector a more structured one, so that the society can change the perception of taxi drivers. This is going to be an uphill task, but the Manchester native has never been one to run away from a challenge.
"My aim is really to see all those plans, all the ideas that we have for the sector, become a reality for me. I will stay with the sector for as long as I can, because I have a passion for service and I want to ensure that we get to the point when we can professionalise the service level," she said.
Other Stories
Get involved in your child's life
Surviving Christmas while single
10 things men can do to end sexism
I don't see a future with my hustler boyfriend
Vows - Love on the dance floor
Jarrett: Investing in women will benefit society greatly
There's a thin line between loving and spoiling your child
About whooping cough (PERTUSSIS)
I will tell my daughter I'm a porn star, mom says
Why the second kiss is more important
The most embarrassing love advice I've got from dad


text:
October is GMO Awareness Month and many people still do not know exactly what GMOs are. This time, however, I would like to show you a fantastic infographic from Nature's Path Organic Foods. The infographic also explains how GMO labeling is done across the world – e.g. shame on the U.S.A and Canada for not having mandatory labeling!
For more on GMOs have a look also at Prince Charles' interview with The Telegraph.
Related Stories:


text:
Its Owner
The Biblioctopus Catalog can be as entertaining a read as some of the rare and antiquarian books that the Beverly Hills, Calif., shop sells.
An unfinished poker table made of mahogany, ebony, maple, and satinwood sits in the center of Mark Lackley's workshop in the Vermont village of Quechee.
The formidable line of custom fly-fishing reels from Hatch Outdoors (www.hatchoutdoors.com) has a new top end.
Its OwnerBill Mastro is the chairman and CEO of Mastro Auctions, a Chicagoland consignment auction house that specializes in sports-related items.
However striking a fazioli piano (www.fazioli.com) may appear, the instrument's truly distinguishing component is the red spruce soundboard t
Dr. C. Keith Wilbur's collection of antique medical instruments indicates that 150 years ago, his was not a profession for the fainthearted.
In 1682, Louis XIV—wishing to lock his fractious nobles in a golden cage where he could keep an eye on them—established the French center of government at a former hunting lodge in Versailles.
''If popularity were a true measure of worth," a reporter for the New York Daily News wrote just prior to a 2005 auction featuring a pair of paintings by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, "th


text:
Blogs Cliopatria Exactly how many words did the Sage of Baltimore write?
Jan 3, 2006 7:48 pmExactly how many words did the Sage of Baltimore write?
Today's New York Times reports that H.L. Mencken was "among the most prolific" American writers and social critics.
"In a career of almost 50 years, Mencken wrote more than 70 million words—many intended to expose hypocrisy, debunk received wisdom and take on all manner of sacred cows," writes Thomas Vinciguerra.
But not even Mencken could have produced that many words! Composing copy at that rate would have required him to pound out more than 1.4 million words a year—or about 3,835 words a day. That's the equivalent of a midsize New Yorker feature on a daily basis, and would have left little time to eat, drink, bathe, shave, sleep, edit, get laid, and play music, all of which Mencken was known to do.
So if 70 million words exaggerates Mencken's output, how many words did he write? Nexis and Google searches collect a range of estimates, none of which approaches 70 million.
The nearest figure to 70 million is attributed to Mencken scholar Vincent Fitzpatrick, by Brennen Jensen in the Jan. 26, 2000, Baltimore City Paper. The piece posits a conservative estimate of Mencken's printed output at about 15 million words.
Mencken biographer Fred Hobson supports a 10 million-plus figure in 1994's Mencken: A Life. Hobson writes, "In his collection at the Pratt [library] he placed schoolboy grades, commencement accounts, bank statements, records of earnings, medical histories (including an exhaustive hay fever diary), and much else. All this is, of course, in addition to the more than ten million words in print, including journalism, which in 1940 he estimated he had produced and the more than one hundred thousand letters he wrote in his lifetime."
Writing in the Feb. 2, 1990, Jerusalem Post, Peter Schertz attributes this circa 1940 quotation to Mencken: "I have probably written 10,000,000 words of English and continue to this day to pour out more and more." ...
comments powered by Disqus


text:
Stay tuned, we are launching in Saint Cloud very soon...
Find and Book exclusive deals on limo services, airport transfers and shuttles. Leave us your email below, and we'll notify you the minute we open the doors.
Save up to 60%
on Top Limo Deals in your City
We're currently accepting new transportation providers!
Join UsSaint Cloud Airport Limo Services
- ARX - Asbury Park Airport Limo Service
- AVO - Avon Park Municipal Airport Limo Service
- BOW - Bartow Airport Limo Service
- COF - Patrick Air Force Base Limo Service
- COI - Merritt Island Airport Limo Service
- ISM - Kissimmee Municipal Airport Limo Service
- LAL - Lakeland Municipal Airport Limo Service
- MCO - Orlando International... Limo Service
- MLB - Melbourne International... Limo Service
- View More
Limo Rentals in Other Cities
Saint Cloud Limousine Services
- Saint Cloud Airport Service Limousines
- Saint Cloud Anniversary Limousines
- Saint Cloud Bachelor Party Limousines
- Saint Cloud Bachelorette Party Limousines
- Saint Cloud Birthday Limousines
- Saint Cloud Concert Limousines
- Saint Cloud Holiday Light Tour Limousines
- Saint Cloud Night-on-the-Town Limousines
- Saint Cloud Wedding Package Limousines
- View More
Copyright © 2008-2013 Travelweb Technologies, LLC. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Abonnez-vousdès maintenant
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 25, 2012) - Argonaut Gold Inc. (News - Market indicators) announces that its second quarter financials will be released before market open on August 15, 2012 followed by a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The conference call replay will be available from 10:30 a.m. ET on August 15, 2011 until August 22, 2011.
About Argonaut
Argonaut is a Canadian gold company engaged in exploration, mine development and production activities. Its primary assets are the production-stage El Castillo Mine in the State of Durango, Mexico, the La Colorada Mine in the State of Sonora, Mexico, the advanced exploration stage San Antonio project in the State of Baja California Sur, Mexico, and several exploration stage projects, all of which are located in Mexico.
Creating Value Beyond Gold


text:
Name: Daffy
Case Number: #7897
Hi, I'm Daffy, a young male Terrier-Boxer mix looking for a good home.
I am only six months old but my life so far has been rough. I came into the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in Wantagh with a broken hip but the staff fixed up. I had to spend a long time on cage rest to make sure I healed well, but now I'm all ready to go home with a family who will love me.
I'm up-to-date on all my shots and I have been neutered too. Please come down to the shelter and give me a chance!
To learn how you can adopt Daffy, contact the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in Wantagh at (516) 785-5220. Adoption hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.


text:
KitchenAid 8pc Cookware Set $99 Shipped
Sorry, this deal is expired.
The best deals can go quickly and don't always last as long as we first thought. Prices and inventory can be very fluid. There are many great deals that are still active.
See more active Cooking.com Deals or deals filed under: Home & Garden, Kitchen
KitchenAid 8pc Cookware Set $99 Shipped
Cooking.com has an 8-piece KitchenAid Cookware Set in clearance for $99.99 plus a free shipping coupon code that knocks off $10 of shipping. The set is first-rate with heavy guage aluminum, hard base ceramic primer, porcelain enamel exterior and three-coat nonstick surface. (Instructions »)
- Go to Cooking.com via this link and add the item(s) to your cart (new window will open).
- Enter this Free Shipping w/ $69 coupon code during checkout: C98239
- Confirm that the discount has been applied prior to purchase.
Related Coupons
Cooking.com Coupons 10% Off Order
Get 10% Off Your Order with Cooking.com Coupon: C97966 (expires January 1, 2014)


text:
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 32
Tour: 6 years
Badge # Not available
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Incident Date: 11/24/1930
Weapon: Not available
Suspect: Not available
· Leave a Reflection
· Add to My Heroes
· Update this memorial
Officer Rogerson was killed when a vehicle stuck him as he helped a woman cross Geary Street at Eighth Avenue. The driver later stated he was blinded by the sunlight and did not see the officer in the street.
Officer Rogerson had been with the agency for six years and was survived by his mother and sister.


text:
Shoals CrimeStoppers
'Tide for Troops' Helping Military Personnel
Thursday, Tide for Troops delivered 180 Alabama shirts to the 128th MP Company that is deployed to Guantanamo Bay from Huntsville. They will leave on January 5th on their mission.
The Tide for Troops non-profit works to send Alabama shirts to servicemen and servicewomen serving their country in a several locations.
Tide for Troops founder Justin Crisler says 100 percent of donations are collected and used in purchasing the Alabama shirts for military personnel. He says the shirts are used to support and boost morale for military personnel around the globe.
If you want to help Tide for Troops, you can email Justin at email@example.com
WHNT Twitter Talk
Use the hashtag 'valleywx' to talk weather with us on Twitter.


text:
Skip to Content
Home > Education > Pharmacy Residency
The Pharmacy Practice Residency Program at Abington Memorial Hospital is a one-year training program in a diverse healthcare practice setting.
The program provides experiences in a variety of settings, focusing on the core areas of practice as specified in the ASHP Accreditation standards including patient care and practice management. Yet, the program is flexible enough to provide the resident with an opportunity to concentrate on a practice area of special interest.
• Current Residents • Pharmacy Preceptors for AMH PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program
Upon completion of the program, Residents will gain clinical, institutional, and administrative practice experiences in a large, community, teaching hospital that emphasizes patient safety while gaining competence and confidence in hospital-based and ambulatory pharmacy services. A list of skills that the resident will gain includes:
Abington Memorial Hospital offers two full-time appointments for the one year PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency Program. The Abington Memorial Hospital PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency program is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).
Salary and fringe benefits for the residency program:
General Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Pain Management
Critical Care
Medication Safety
Ambulatory Care
Pharmacy Administration
Pharmacy Practice
Abington offers some flexibility in selecting elective rotations for its pharmacy residents. The residency director and preceptors will work together with the resident to select electives by considering the residents' respective preferences and interests.
Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Us
1200 Old York Road Abington, PA 19001 215-481-2000


text:
- September 18, 2011
- 10:12 p.m.
- Suggest removal
- Reply to this post
haveaniceday writes:
Knee jerk is to say yes , but common sense say's NO
I've always been of the mind if you have trouble with the law in an Area of the country, when you served your time, Move away from where you got in trouble, and you might be able to start over. To stay in a town where the Police Know Your Name is self defeating.
Want to participate in the conversation? Become a subscriber today. Subscribers can read and comment on any story, anytime. Non-subscribers will only be able to view comments on select stories.


text:
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- intransitive v. To make a choice or decision: opted for early retirement; opted not to go.
- opt out Slang To choose not to participate in something: "give individual schools the right to opt out of the local educational authority" ( Newsweek).
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- v. To choose; to select.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In grammar, an abbreviation of optative.
- To choose one of two alternatives; choose.
- An abbreviation of optical;
- of optician;
- of optics.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- v. select as an alternative over another
French opter, from Old French, from Latin optāre.
(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)From French opter, from Latin optare "to choose" or "to select" (Wiktionary)


text:
History in Flight
Rare warbirds star in a California airshow.
- By Linda Shiner
- AirSpaceMag.com, May 11, 2010
Frank Mormillo/ Planes of Fame Air Museum
Almost 10,000 B-25 medium bombers were built in World War II, and there are probably more B-25s still flying today than any other type of bomber from the war. The Planes of Fame Museum's B-25J was built in Kansas City, Kansas, a plant that opened when the North American plant in Inglewood, California, building the bombers and P-51 Mustang fighters, had reached its capacity.
Tweet | Digg |
Comments (5)
is that a yak 9 flying with the b-25?
Posted by J. GRENCIK on May 13,2010 | 01:55 PM
Aside from closing my eyes and just dreaming about flying any one of these beauties, the only thought that comes to mind is : Wish I could be there. Anybody who is going,
enjoy it for all of us who can't make it. Someday I AM
gong to Chino. PP
Posted by Paul Peckham on May 14,2010 | 10:59 AM
Your show looks amazing and a friend and I would like to drive over from Phoenix next year to see it. Unfortunately we did not discover it until today or we would have come this time around. Would it be possible for you to email me when you know the dates of the 2011 show. EDITORS' REPLY: You need to contact the organizers of the show for that information.
Posted by Laura Taylor on May 15,2010 | 11:58 PM
The Planes of Fame airshow is usually the third weekend of May. This years show was outstanding as usual. The museum is worth visiting any time of the year if you are a fan of WWII era planes. They also have other interesting displays of pre-WWII and post-WWII aircraft, and holds special events the first Saturday of each month.
Posted by Geoff Hetzel on May 21,2010 | 02:00 PM
wow! this is amazing
Posted by nicholas on May 22,2010 | 09:39 AM


text:
MaxPro summer 'activity' camp concluded on June 30, 2012. This camp has been organized at three locations, Hiran Magri, Sector 4 (Opp. Hansa Palace), Surajpole (Opp. JMB) and Sunderwas.
Activities like craft, drawing, story writing / narrating, project work, hand writing, English (grammar, word games etc), clay modeling, puzzles (like maze, crossword, jumbled letters) etc were organized for children in the age group of 4-12 years.
During this summer camp children also participated in various competitions like drawing, article writing, and quizzes and also won prizes. Also, top three submissions have also been published in Udaipur Times. The summer camp was an added benefit for children who have come to meet their grandparents or other family relatives.
MaxPro Education primarily deals in supplementary education for kids of age group 6-16 years. Programs like Abacus, Vedic Math, English, Mind Mentorship, and Math Mentorship are conducted at the centers.


text:
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Review: Dire Straight
As a member of the Classic Film Community, I often wonder what springs to people's minds when a celebrity's name is mentioned. For example, mention Marilyn Monroe, and you are likely to get responses ranging from "bombshell" to Some Like It Hot to President John F. Kennedy. Mention Charlton Heston, you'll go from Moses to Planet of the Apes to the NRA. Mention Rock Hudson and chances are you'll get Doris Day … or HIV and AIDS.
In 1985, Rock Hudson, the handsome leading man of 1950s-1960s Hollywood, who made hearts swoon and panties drop, became the first celebrity face of HIV and AIDS. The actor lived for 16 months between diagnosis and his passing, and only three months passed between his public announcement and his death. The protagonist in Dallas Buyers Club, which is set in 1985, has even less time than that.
Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is a professional electrician, an amateur rodeo cowboy, and full-time hustler from Texas who, for all of the things he does, instead does nothing when he shows signs of some illness. When he is injured on the job and taken to the hospital, routine blood tests show that he has contracted AIDS. His doctors give him 30 days to live.
After spending a week in denial, Woodroof begins research on AIDS treatments and finds that prospects are dim while the FDA performs lengthy tests. Motivated by survival, Woodroof looks to Mexico for drug alternatives. There, Dr. Vass (Griffin Dunne), whose license was stripped in the US, exposes to Woodroof the harms of the experimental drug AZT, and introduces the victim to alternatives. Now surviving and motivated by money, Woodroof makes the doctor a lucrative offer and returns stateside where he attempts to sell the alternative meds to the gay community that is being ravaged by the disease.
Meeting limited success, Woodroof strikes a partnership with Rayon (Jared Leto), a gay/transvestite AIDS victim who can give him inroads to, and bona fides with, the gay community. The plan works, but selling drugs is a dicey legal proposition. To skirt the law, Woodroof launches the Dallas Buyers Club, where no one actually buys drugs but instead joins the club for a monthly fee and receives drugs as part of the membership. The FDA is unhappy with Woodroof's enterprise, but his doctor, Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner), while questioning his methods, has bigger questions about the FDA itself and the safety and viability of AZT.
Dallas Buyers Club is a study in character and a tale of social injustice, with the finished product riding heavily on the performances of McConaughey and Leto, lest the film devolve into a big screen movie-of-the-week. A combination of errors by the filmmakers would have guaranteed this fate had it not been for those two performances (more on those later).
The design of Woodroof the character, by director Jean-Marc Vallee and screenwriters Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, is so heavy-handed and overt that it reaches the point of becoming an insult to the viewer. The film opens with Woodroof in a dark recess of an arena where bull-riding is taking place in his field of vision. His attention, though, is on the standing two-girl three-way that he is vigorously taking part in. Once he's finished – and you know he's finished – he's behind the scenes at the rodeo, smoking and drinking and illegally gambling, all the while discussing the fate of celebrity AIDS victim Rock Hudson and using every homophobic epithet he can think of in the process. He is 110% Texas Man, right down to his oversized belt buckle.
It's all too much. It establishes Woodroof as the prototypical '80s straight male the way turning the volume up to 10 establishes that your stereo system works – both are technically accurate, but both blow out your senses in the process.
A great example of how this hurts the film is the scene that sends Woodroof to the hospital. He is summoned to help an injured coworker, and that coworker happens to be an illegal immigrant. The site boss is reluctant to call an ambulance because of the possible legal repercussions, but Woodroof insists. This is key in understanding the complexity of the Woodroof character – he's not just a knuckle-dragger, he cares for people too – yet the exchange is almost blink-and-you-miss-it. The filmmakers instead spend more time on things like two-girl three-ways and nudie pictures on walls to remind you, "Hey. This is a STRAIGHT GUY we're dealing with."
The social injustice aspect of the film is two-fold and is a mixed bag. The poorly handled fold involves The System in general, as illustrated by FDA representative Richard Barkley and hospital representative Dr. Sevard (the excellent pair of character actors Michael O'Neill and Denis O'Hare, respectively). The System is underdeveloped, portrayed as sort-of inept and sort-of greedy, but neither convincingly enough. This makes The System nothing more than Donkey Kong, a two-dimensional nemesis throwing barrels in the path of Woodroff's Mario for the sake of fulfilling the conflict requirement of the story. I'm not defending The System, but the repetitive "Stop what you're doing this time, Mr. Woodroof, because we're right and you're not," grows old quickly.
Also, the Garner character is completely unnecessary. She is supposed to be this bridge between Woodroof's world and The System, slowly moving away from the latter and towards the former, but all of her scenes feel forced. It's as if someone said, "Hey, we can't vilify The System with so broad a brush, so let's throw in a good guy in the bad System. And make it a female character because we need one of those." They chose Garner, who is completely unconvincing regardless of her proximity to either side of the struggle.
The other social injustice fold is at the human level, and how Woodroof's friends treat him once word gets out he has AIDS. It's shocking and saddening and for as hard as it hits you in the face, it was probably 10x worse in real life. Not only do they slander him with verbal jabs and awful graffiti on his home, they treat him like a pariah in ways that defy sense. His so-called friends, those with whom he had shared work and booze and women only weeks prior, literally avoid him like the plague, ensuring that he is always feet away from them physically, as if sharing close enough airspace with him was a death sentence. This is odd to say, but as storytelling goes, this horror is a bright spot.
With overall weak storytelling, thank goodness for the performances. Matthew McConaughey turns in the best work of his career to date, surpassing another great performance in this year's Mud. Despite the filmmakers' clumsiness, the actor understands the depth of his character, particularly how Woodroof must somehow embrace those whom he once disdained because, at least in the eye of the public, he has become one of them. He uses that compassion that flashed earlier in the film, parlays it with the moneymaker in him, and presents Woodroof as the Hustler with the Heart of Gold, but one without a tidy happy ending in his future.
But Jared Leto does the unthinkable and steals scenes from the mighty McConaughey. Not only is Leto physically transformed into a meticulously primped and pretty, but eventually physically deteriorated, gay transvestite, he never overplays the character. Not once does he turn in even a hint of camp, and there is always the sense that for all of the good he is doing to help his brothers in AIDS, he is suffering inside – physically and emotionally. There are two specific scenes that spring to mind: a tender moment with Garner (despite Garner) and a scene near the end of the film, where he asks his estranged father for help. The former is touching, the latter is simply devastating, and the two are worth the price of admission.
Dallas Buyers Club is one of those films that is "inspired by true events," a tag that allows filmmakers the greatest possible storytelling latitude. They can pick and choose the most interesting parts of the story that actually happened, while at the same time embellish, or even invent, other aspects to make the story a better one told. The bad news is that the filmmakers fumbled their end of the deal. The good news is McConaughey and Leto more than make up for those errors, leaving on the screen a pair of performances that will stay with you for a very long time.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE Review: Reheated Leftovers
If a film is based on a book, I never read the book before I see the film because to me, the work needs to be a film first. If a film is great but doesn't "stay true" to the source material, I don't care because the film is great. If a film satisfies the fans of the source material for its faithfulness, but leaves me cold as a viewer, I'm just as disappointed as I would be if the screenplay were original (and I won't seek out the book to try to compensate for the bad film experience, either). While I respect those that look for and/or need a correlation between the two works, I don't need it to get the full moviegoing experience out of it.
Sadly, though, not knowing the source material means that I cannot properly offer praise to the original author when a work is done well. Conversely, and sadder still, I cannot properly assign blame to the original author – in this case Suzanne Collins' – when the film struggles … as I would like to do here.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the second installment of the Hunger Games trilogy (both literary and cinematic, although the third book, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, will be made into two films, the first slated for release in 2014 and the second in 2015). If you don't know the story by now, in the first installment, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in a dystopian future where the rich and mighty oppress the poor and feeble, and once a year those poor and feeble must fight to the death in an annual contest called "The Hunger Games," and do so for the entertainment of the rich and mighty. Not everyone fights, of course. Only two people – two children, actually – are chosen to represent each of the 12 Districts (like states, basically). Katniss not only wins the games, she outsmarts President Snow (Donald Sutherland), which keeps her District 12 mate – and possible love interest? – Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) alive and co-champion.
In this second installment, Katniss is now an inspiration to a beleaguered nation – a symbol of hope. As she and Peeta – whose romance is trumped up for TV, much to the concern of Katniss' actual man, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) – embark on their Victor's Tour, President Snow has growing concerns that the people might actually rebel against the government. Taking the advice of Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), President Snow announces that the 75th Hunger Games will be contested by past winners from all 12 Districts – an all-star edition, if you will. This puts Katniss and Peeta (who were to be married to keep the people happy), back on the field of battle. They are assisted by those who helped them in the first go-round – former champion Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), District Escort Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), and Stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz).
If I knew nothing about this franchise and had been shown the first film (without its title revealed to me) and then shown this film (again without its title revealed to me), I would be convinced that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is nothing more than a glossier remake of The Hunger Games, but with the same cast. There are so many similarities between the two that they become a distraction, which does a disservice to the greater theme of the film. That's a shame, because there was real potential here.
Both films run more like two-act plays than three-act movies, with each "second half" starting when the games begin. After an interesting open involving what is expected of Katniss and Peeta's "romance" in terms of public presentation, the first half is quickly weighed down by procedural repetition. There is a reaping (contestant selection) again. Katniss is emotionally torn from her sister again. There is a train ride to The Capitol again. Haymitch preaches alliances and currying favor to earn sponsors again. The duo rides into the arena and their clothes spectacularly burn again. Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) interviews the star-crossed lovers again. Katniss twirls so her dress burns again (albeit with a cooler result … but still). There is a training sequence with an assessment of the competition again.
Is it done better than in the original? Yes. However, I'll remind you that this is a sequel, not a remake. What the filmmakers miss is an opportunity to delve deeper into the machinations of puppet master President Snow. He has a very complex relationship with Katniss but that is never explored, which is a shame. Also unexplored is how the oppressed folk across the Districts are inspired to uprise. The notion that Katniss' victory-by-exploitation of the system can be taken at face value at the end of the first film, but this film needs to flesh out how her victory translates to that, and it doesn't. There is also a too-quick moment about the surviving family members of those that died in the previous Games. Some type of look into not just the loss, but the senselessness of the Games and that they caused the loss, would have been emotionally appealing. Alas. Thus endeth the first half.
The second half here is also like an improved second half of the first film. The action is more intense (I like the fog, I could do without the monkeys, I like the birds), and the supporting allies are more interesting, particularly Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright). But ultimately it's an exercise in outdoing the second half of the first film. The stunts are bigger, the perils are bigger, the traps are more clever, but in the end it's still people killing people until one remains (or two, of course). I'm not bothered by the lethal aspect of it, I'm bothered by the been there/done that/got the Happy Meal toy feeling I get from watching it … again.
It's all very much remake-y, not sequel-y … until the last scene. THAT scene is spectacular. Having not read the books, I didn't see it coming, and it sets up wonderfully for what could be … could be … an epic two-part conclusion.
Of course the film is full of excellent performances, led by Hoffman (who isn't in it enough), Lawrence, and Harrelson, although Woody was better in the first film only because he had more screen time in the first film.
My hope for the conclusion of this cinematic franchise is that it becomes a little more cerebral and touches on the sociological ramifications of the events in the film beyond "people are uprising, send more troopers and increase the floggings." I think that will give us a nice, full feeling at the end of this movie meal.


text:
Seriously, what the hell.. How many knock offs have been made recently?
Yeah, spelled Guitar wrong in the title.
Seriously, what the hell.. How many knock offs have been made recently?
Yeah, spelled Guitar wrong in the title.
Last edited by Saltines; 09-06-2007 at 06:48 AM.
Also, forget real drums, pick up this bad boy!
Enough for me to quit counting. Often imitated, never duplicated.
It's a joke, especially since they're actually trying to sell it for $70 lol
What a waste of money on the production. No matter what the age, I think kids would prefer to play real songs too.
At least "I Can Play Guitar", or whatever it was called, used a different type of interface and changed the controller around.
This is the toy that I was talking about that I was looking for in the 'The Coolest Guitar Toy Ever' thread. I couldn't find a website on it so that I could show you guys, but it's great that 'Saltines' found it. Thanks for postin' dude.
But yeah, when I saw it at Target, it said that there's 10 great songs to jam to, but didn't tell you what songs they were. Kinda pissed me off, but I don't care 'cause it looks like a crappy game anyway. Still, I wanna try it out, though.
Oh, and I just noticed my post count. "69, dude!" "Whoa." B&T.
Last edited by DWDrummer121; 09-06-2007 at 12:21 PM.
Pointed this out to my friend in Harmonix's QA a few days ago, she immediately got someone to go out and buy it the next day. This was the result.


text:
They may have gone out clubbing together, but Nicole Scherzinger and Cheryl Cole didn't get off to the best start.
The Geordie singer has branded the former Pussycat doll as "crazy and odd", revealing that Nicole sang the entirety of her song "Promise this" in her face when they first met.
The Girls Aloud bandmate, who was dramatically replaced by Nicole on The X Factor USA, has written in her autobiography that she was embarrassed by the American singer.
According to Chezza, Nicole gushed about how pretty Cheryl is before giving her own rendition of the song right in her face.
Calling the incident 'awkward' the Call My Name singer said it would be like singing Baby, One More Time right up in Britney's face.


text: Whether you are looking for bagels and baked goods to take home or a very comfortable place to have breakfast or lunch, you cannot go wrong at Blue Moon. This is the best option you will find in the Medfield area. Everything is fresh, homemade and delicious. The variety is unlimited and the service is friendly and quick. You can... More


text:
Food and Drink |
Return to Board Menu Bottom | Page 1 of 3 |
Message |
Just starting to fully appreciate whiskey. Recommend me some Posted by LSU6262 on 6/2 at 10:12 pm I just finished a bottle of bushmills. Before that I had jack daniels single barrel. I liked the jack better. I have found that I prefer it with 2-3 ice cubes. Anyway, what should my next bottle be? under $50 please Reply Back to Top |
bushmills is irish whiskey jack daniels is tennessee whiskey very different animals Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Dandy Lion on 6/2 at 10:55 pm to LSU6262 quote: stay in Tennesee and Kentucky. Reply Back to Top |
Bourbon: Black Maple Hill or Jefferson's. Bulliet is interesting. Scotch: i prefer Highland Park, but some people dont appreciate the peat forward taste. When starting with single malts, begin with the Lowlands area. They are light and more malty than peaty. Auchentoshan is a good one. . I cant help you with irish, canadian, or japanese whisky. Reply Back to Top |
Posted by OldTigahFot on 6/2 at 11:07 pm to LSU6262 Do some research on the different types of whiskey. There are different tastes for different folks. Some like scotch, some blended, some bourbon, etc. Try different ones to see which you prefer. Also, remember, some are meant to be enjoyed pure and some benefit from a splash of 7up/Coke/ginger ale/ whatever. When you find what you like, light a big fat cigar and enjoy ! Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Dandy Lion on 6/2 at 11:14 pm to OldTigahFot quote: blends Reply Back to Top |
Redbreast 12 y/o Reply Back to Top |
I agree with bulleit. Great bourbon and pretty affordable. Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Pepe Lepew on 6/3 at 6:57 am to LSU6262 Eagle Rare, 10 yr aged $ 30 a bottle at Albertson's in BR .... This post was edited on 6/3 at 7:29 am Reply Back to Top |
Posted by GarmischTiger on 6/3 at 7:50 am to Cash quote:An EXCELLENT Irish. I'm a bourbon guy, but I drink "The Tit" with enthusiasm. Reply Back to Top |
Bourbons- Knob Creek @30 great stuff serve on rocks and it is a nice little starter product, a touch above are Bookers and Blantons. Scotch- Glenlivet and Glefiddich 12-18 year old versions are what I would call the know starter models, the Solera of Glefiddich is great stuff a little above 50. A personal favorite is Balvenie Doublewood(6 in oak, 6 in a used Sherry cask) friends have described it as melted butter) Reply Back to Top |
Knob Creek Reply Back to Top |
Posted by CITWTT on 6/3 at 8:01 am to Dandy Lion To you two blenders GTFO, that is a waste of money and taste buds.Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Ole Geauxt on 6/3 at 9:19 am to LSU6262 i don't know the difference between whiskey and bourbon,(suppose i could goggle), but i really don't care.. i like george dickel and evan williams. both are way under 50 bucks and taste damn good, get you some...Reply Back to Top |
There's a reason that the Scots themselves drink blends. It's because most single malts taste like shite. I drink singles from time to time, but I simply can't get enjoyment from choking down a drink that tastes like a bandaid soaked in iodine tincture(Laphroaig). For a guy just getting started, the blends are the way to go. This post was edited on 6/3 at 9:59 am Reply Back to Top |
Posted by cmoxon on 6/3 at 9:59 am to Ole Geauxt Basil Haydens...You're welcome Reply Back to Top |
Posted by GarmischTiger on 6/3 at 10:22 am to wiltznucs quote:I think the snide comment targeting blends was referring to whiskeys other than scotch - your VOs, CCs, Crown, etc. - which you would normally drink with a mixer versus neat, rocks or up. This post was edited on 6/3 at 12:49 pm Reply Back to Top |
Posted by wiltznucs on 6/3 at 10:37 am to GarmischTiger You may be right.. Reply Back to Top |
Calandro's has the 90 proof Jack Daniels. That's what I like and I have no desire to drink other whiskeys...Crown, Makers, etc. all taste like mosquito repellent to me.....Yes, I know what mosquito repellent tastes like. Reply Back to Top |
quote:link? quote:im sure he's already had a dewer's, Johhnie Walker and/or J&B. The single malts of the lowlands are the next step. quote:each region has it's distinct taste. Islay has some very aromatic scotches but they do have iodine to them. Lowlands are light and malty, highlands are smoky/peaty, etc. Just because one tastes like one thing means nothing about the next. Its like saying you had a single vineyard wine that you didnt like so you probably wont like any. Reply Back to Top Refresh |
Return to Board | ||
Page 1 of 3 |


text:
Archive for May, 2011
watch Nate surf sledding Bazi Pipeline!!
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011check out nate shred the gnar in the vid!
ipeline from Nathan Yeomans on Vimeo.
Trevor Thorton Dominates!!
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011Check Nate Yoemans out in OZ
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011One Session at Snapper from Nathan Yeomans on Vimeo.
alex gray….huh??
Saturday, May 14th, 2011Rock out with your wig out!
Saturday, May 14th, 2011Mikala Jones scores Padang!
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011US premier of Soul Surfer
Monday, May 9th, 2011DIA PRIETTO IS ON A MISSION!
Monday, May 9th, 2011lOwErS 6.0!
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011Well some of out boys kinda had a shocker in todays 2-3 ft glassy @ lower trestles but that's why there are over 20 world wide stops for the ASP! One guy that didn't have a shocker was Michel Bourez…. the man in white out shined all his competitors! Taylor Knox was in fine form today as well!! Can't beat the flow of Taylors power surfing!


text:
Iowa business defends denial of same-sex wedding
GRIMES (AP) — The owners of a private event venue have filed a lawsuit against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, claiming that any attempt by the commission to force the couple behind the business to host a same-sex wedding violates their religious beliefs.
Betty and Richard Odgaard filed the suit Monday in connection with their decision in August to deny a same-sex couple from holding their wedding at the Görtz Haus Gallery in Grimes. The Mennonite owners said the wedding violated their religious beliefs, The Des Moines Register reported.
The couple said if they're forced to host such events, it would be a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
Story Archived
Please sign in with your Comment Member ID and password.
Having trouble?
If you have any technical difficulties, either with your username and password or with the payment options, please contact us by e-mail at email@example.com