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Total (NYSE:TOT) plans to boost capital spending by 16.5% in 2012 as the company looks to generate low-single digit percentage production growth through 2016. This capital will be allocated to various development projects and on exploration prospects in the company's inventory. (To know more about oil and gas, read Oil And Gas Industry Primer.)
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2012 Capital Budget
Total has set a $24 billion capital budget for 2012, with more than 80% dedicated to the company's upstream segment. The company spent an estimated $20.6 billion in 2011. These funds will be used to help meet the company's goal of growing production at an average annual rate of 2.5% from 2010 to 2015.
The company reported average daily production of 2.35 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE) in 2011, down 1% from 2010. The company said that approximately 52% of this production was composed of crude oil and other liquids.
One of Total's major projects is the Pazflor development located offshore Angola. This project started production in August 2011 and has an estimated 590 million barrels of proven and probable reserves. The company expects the productive capacity of Pazflor to peak at 220,000 barrels per day. Other companies that have an ownership interest in the Pazflor development include Statoil (NYSE:STO), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and BP (NYSE:BP) with 23.33, 20 and 16.67%, respectively.
Total has budgeted $2.5 billion in 2012 for various exploration prospects across its portfolio. This is a substantial increase over the $2.1 billion spent in 2011. The company has dozens of prospects with the most promising in Bolivia, Norway, French Guiana, Southeast Asia and Angola.
2011 Exploration Success
Total reported several successful exploration wells in 2011, and plans to delineate these discoveries further in 2012. In French Guiana, the company was involved in the Zaedyus exploratory well drilled by operator Tullow Oil. Total has put a preliminary resource estimate on this prospect of 500 million to one billion BOE. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A, RDS.B) is also involved here and owns a 45% share of this prospect. Tullow Oil plans to drill two more wells here in 2012.
Another major success in 2011 occurred in Bolivia, where Total reported the success of the Aquio-X1001 exploratory well. The company estimates that the potential natural gas and condensate resources here may exceed one billion BOE.
Total also reported exploratory success in the Azerbaijan area of the Caspian Sea. The company drilled the Absheron X-2 well and found 500 feet of net natural gas pay.
LNG Project
Total is also setting up the company for growth past 2015 and will generate some of this growth from the Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia. It owns 24% of this project, which is being developed in partnership with INPEX CORPORATION. Construction is expected to begin on this project in 2012, with the first production at the end of 2016.
The Bottom Line
Total's production decline in 2011 disappointed many investors and seemed to confirm that the major oil and gas companies are incapable of any growth. However, Total does have a significant inventory of development projects and exploration prospects that may yet generate the growth that investors yearn for. (For additional reading, check out A Guide To Investing In Oil Markets.)
Use the Investopedia Stock Simulator to trade the stocks mentioned in this stock analysis, risk free!
At the time of writing, Eric Fox did not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article.
Total (NYSE:TOT) plans to boost capital spending by 16.5% in 2012 as the company looks to generate low-single digit percentage production growth through 2016. This capital will be allocated to various development projects and on exploration prospects in the company's inventory. (To know more about oil and gas, read Oil And Gas Industry Primer.)


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ICMIC@Stanford 2010 - 2015
Advisory Board
Beverly S. Mitchell, MD
- is the Director of the Stanford Cancer Center, and the George E. Becker Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. Prior to coming to Stanford University, she was Associate Director for Translational Research at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at UNC. Her research relates to the development of new therapies for hematologic malignancies. She has a long-standing interest in the enzyme IMPDH as a therapeutic target and has published extensively on the regulation of this enzyme and the potential role of inhibitors and of nucleoside analogs in the treatment of leukemia in preclinical and clinical investigations. She is also investigating the molecular pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes. She also has an active ICMIC Developmental Project selected in 2008.
Robert Negrin, MD
- is Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program (http://bmt.stanford.edu/) at Stanford Hospital and is a Professor of Medicine. He runs an active lab focused on cell transplantation biology. He utilizes bioluminescence for cell trafficking models and understands the power of molecular imaging in studying cancer biology. He has been actively involved in helping to spread the word about molecular imaging within the Medical Center. He also has several NCI grants that utilize bioluminescence based molecular imaging and leads multiple NIH-funded programs including a program project grant as well as a T32 training grant. He is now actively using PET-CT in cancer patient management. He has also been working with Dr. Gambhir on cell imaging studies in patients using PET/SPECT.
Norbert Pelc, DSc
- is Associate Chair for Research and Professor of Radiology and Bioengineering with a courtesy appointment in Electrical Engineering. He has over 15 years experience in mentoring physics/engineering faculty and graduate students/postdocs. He also has significant experience in developing and managing training programs including the Program in Advanced Techniques for Cancer Imaging. Dr. Pelc also has extensive experience in the development, implementation, and evaluation of new imaging technologies, including MRI and CT, and is a recognized leader in this field. Dr. Pelc has also served as one of 5 scientists on the President's Advisory Council for NIH/NIBIB. He has significant interactions with the School of Engineering, Department of Applied Physics, in addition to the Department of Radiology. Dr. Pelc also co-leads the newly established strategic Center for Biomedical Imaging at Stanford (CBIS), which provides educational and networking opportunities in biomedical imaging and is providing seed funding for projects all over campus including for molecular imaging.
Internal Advisory Board Members
Scott Delp, PhD
- is the former Chair of Bioengineering and the Charles Lee Powell Foundation Professor of Engineering in the Stanford School of Engineering. He has made molecular imaging a key priority for Bioengineering. His research relies heavily on MRI applications in the development of biomechanical models to analyze muscle function and study movement abnormalities. Dr. Delp also is experienced in managing NIH-funded projects. He continues to work closely with Drs. Gambhir and Pelc to strengthen bridges between Bioengineering and MIPS.
Paul G. Fisher, MD
- is Professor of Pediatrics and the Chief, Division of Child Neurology, in the Department of Neurology. His research explores the epidemiology, natural history, and disease patterns of brain tumors in childhood, as well as prospective clinical trials for treating these neoplasms. Research interests also include neurologic effects of cancer and its therapies. Dr. Fisher is board-certified by the American Boards of Pediatrics and Neuroogy, with specialty certification in neuro-oncology. He currently manages clinical trials that evaluate therapeutic radiation following surgery in children with newly diagnosed medulloblastoma and embryonal tumors as well as a study evaluating treatment of intrinsic ontine glioma. His interest in pediatric clinical trials and therapeutic response will provide critical expertise for the continuing ICMIC@Stanford as we pursue translational goals.
Gary Glazer, MD
- is the Chair of Radiology at the Stanford School of Medicine. He has been at Stanford for over 19 years and has helped to build all aspects of Radiological Sciences in the Medical Center. He is highly supportive of molecular imaging and has mobilized significant resources to help build the MIPS. He is also highly interested in the science of Molecular Imaging, having completed a sabbatical with Dr. Markus Schwaiger (Munich) to better understand the field. Dr. Glazer is honored this year with Radiology's highest distinction, the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Gold Medal Award, which is given for exemplary service to the science of Radiology. Dr. Gambhir, in his role as Head of Nuclear Medicine reports directly to Dr. Glazer.
Gary Glover, PhD
- is Professor of Radiology and Head of the Radiation Sciences Lab (RSL). He, along with Drs. Norbert Pelc and Gary Glazer, helped build the RSL into a world-class MRI research center growing it from 2 faculty in 1992 to over 12 faculty and 40 staff in 2009. His expertise in MRI and building a large imaging program on the Stanford campus will be a great asset to the IAB and to the ICMIC@Stanford. He has also been very supportive of bridges between RSL and MIPS/ICMIC@Stanford, including the recent recruitment of Dr. Brian Rutt.
Richard Hoppe, PhD
- is the Chair of Radiation Oncology at the Stanford School of Medicine. He has been actively involved in the support of molecular imaging and has invested in clinical PET/CT equipment as well as a faculty billet focused on molecular imaging. He is also coordinating efforts within his department to better link the basic science of molecular imaging with clinical applications, including development of strategies to study tumor hypoxia with molecular imaging. He helped to recruit Dr. Ted Graves as a MIPS faculty within the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Ronald Levy, MD
- is Chief, Division of Medical Oncology and a Professor of Medicine. His research interests are focused on cancer biology of lymphoma, and therapies for lymphoma. He will help to better link translational scientists as well as clinicians into the ICMIC@Stanford effort. He is actively integrating imaging into his own lab's toolbox and encouraging its use in several clinical trials. He will help to bring medical oncology fellows interested in molecular imaging to the attention of the ICMIC@Stanford. He will also play a key role as more assays are translated into clinically useful imaging procedures for the management of cancer patients.
Albert Macovski, PhD
- is the Canon USA Professor of Electrical Engineering and Radiology (Emeritus). Dr. Macovski brings to this advisory board great distinction in virtually every area of medical imaging. He has been involved in imaging research for most of his career. Since joining the Electrical Engineering faculty at Stanford in 1976, his interests have focused on medical imaging which has included ultrasound, DSA, CT, and more recently magnetic resonance imaging. In 1985 Dr. Macovski founded the Magnetic Resonance Systems Research Lab located in the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford, which is devoted to MRI instrumentation research. Dr. Macovski has advised over 45 doctoral students during his career.
Philip Pizzo, MD
- is Chief, Division of Medical Oncology and a Professor of Medicine. His research interests are in focused on cancer biology of lymphoma and therapies for lymphoma. He will help to better link translational scientists as well as clinicians into the ICMIC@Stanford effort. He is actively integrating imaging into his own labs toolbox and encouraging its use in several clinical trials. He will help to bring medical oncology fellows interested in molecular imaging to he attention of the ICMIC@Stanford. He will also play a key role as more assays are translated into clinically useful imaging procedures for the management of cancer patients.
Matthew Scott, PhD
- is Professor of Developmental Biology, a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator and previous head of the Bio-X program. He is also a member of the Bio-X Scientific Leadership Council at Stanford to which Dr. Gambhir also belongs. He has been very supportive of molecular imaging and made it a top priority for the Clark Center and for the Bio-X Program. Through his direct efforts well over 10,000 square feet of lab space, including the small animal imaging resource (SR2) were made possible. His research is focused on studying evolutionarily conserved genes to learn how the growth of embryos is controlled and organized, and how birth defects and cancer arise when developmental regulatory genes malfunction. He is also an investigator in RP2 due to his expertise in models of medulloblastomas.
Branimir I. Sikic, MD
- is Professor of Medicine (Oncology and Clinical Pharmacology), Associate Director of the Stanford Cancer Center, Co-Director of Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Education and Research, and Chairman, Annual Northern California Tumor Board at Silverado, Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Sikic is currently conducting/recruiting for six oncology clinical trials. His interests and goals are to understand mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer cells and to develop more effective therapies. Current research ranges from biochemical and molecular studies in cellular models to Phase I, II and III clinical trials of new inhibitors of drug resistance and novel therapies. His interests in response to therapy will be of great value with this competing renewal as we focus on translating projects into the clinic.
Paul Wender, PhD
- is the Bergstrom Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, School of Humanities & Sciences. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His research interests are focused on organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biology, and medicine. He is very interested in linking the pharmaceutical industry with molecular imaging, and in forming stronger bridges between the Department of Chemistry and the MIPS. He will be a key liaison to involving other Chemistry faculty in the MIPS and ICMIC@Stanford effort. He has helped Dr. Rao to obtain a joint appointment in Chemistry, helped us recruit several graduating chemistry students as postdoctoral fellows, and been very active with our R25T postdoctoral training grant.
External Advisory Board Members
Jorge Barrio, PhD
- is Professor of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He has over 25 years experience in PET radiochemistry and has helped to develop many innovative PET tracers. His expertise and advice is an important part of the ICMIC@Stanford because we are continuing to expand our Chemistry/Radiochemistry Resource (SR1) and can learn from his wealth of experience over the years in running a cyclotron facility and developing PET radiopharmaceuticals. His experience with the FDA has been particularly useful over the last funding cycle, including providing advice to us to obtain an eIND for our integrin imaging PET agents.
Lee Hartwell, PhD
- is just retiring as President and Director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle (Hutch), and won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering work in yeast genetics. His insights provided the foundation for understanding how normal cells divide and the mechanisms leading to the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. Dr. Hartwell conducted much of his groundbreaking work at the University of Washington, where he is Professor of Genome Sciences and Adjunct Professor of Medicine. He was a critical advisor to Stanford and Dean Pizzo in our efforts to build a Comprehensive Cancer Center including a NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center grant proposal - and continues to be an incredible resource as our newly-funded Cancer Center continues to grow. He has also been directly bridging efforts in the MIPS with cancer research at the Hutch. Over the last several years, he has directly helped the MIPS to build bridges to the Canary Foundation, which has resulted in the new Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford and new investments in space, infrastructure, and faculty for the growth of the program. As a result of his efforts to help us build bridges to the Hutch, we are a direct part of the Hutch Ovarian SPORE (N. Urban, PI) with targeted microbubble molecular imaging clinical trials. He is also a personal mentor for Dr. Gambhir to help him grow as a scientist.
Ralph Weissleder, MD, PhD
- is Professor of Radiology and Director of the Center for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His expertise will be important because he has been leading the MGH/Harvard ICMIC P50, which has been funded since 2000. His experience and interest in developing new instruments and imaging probes has continued to be a great resource for us as we have expanded our own ICMIC. He has been of significant value to the ICMIC@Stanford with respect to optical fluorescence imaging, MR instrumentation issues, and faculty recruitment. Dr. Brian Rutt, who has collaborated with Dr. Weissleder, is now a new Radiology faculty at Stanford and is program co-leader for RP4 with Dr. J. Rao. Also, two students who have worked with the Harvard ICMIC are now postdoctoral fellows in the Stanford ICMIC. Due in large part to developing bridges between the Stanford and Harvard ICMICs, Drs. Weissleder and Gambhir (along with the University of Michigan ICMIC investigators Drs. Ross and Rehemtulla) have co-edited a new comprehensive book on Molecular Imaging (Molecular Imaging: Principles and Practice; published by PMPH USA).


text: I am a member of a large church that has several campuses across our city. This weekend I happened to attend the one campus that currently meets in the auditorium of a middle school. I know that schools are off limits to concealed carry, but what is the law regarding CC in this situation? School is not in session, so does the law still apply? :confused:


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How to Become a Business Broker
What does it take to become a successful business broker? What are the business broker training options?
1Have a business background. A business background is essential to success as a business broker. Even better is prior ownership of a small to medium size business.
2Work on other personal attributes that are predictive of success as a business broker: (1) a sales aptitude, (2) an ability to be diplomatic in difficult situations and (3) a stick-to-it determination to work hard and independently on your own schedule without becoming lazy.
3Be willing to budget finances. While the income potential from business brokerage is significant (the average commissions for a solo practitioner in 2010 was $171,669), it tends to be "lumpy." The point: Don't go out and buy a new Mercedes with the first commission!
4Review individual training needs. Regardless of background, most individuals will need some training specific to business brokerage. There are many considerations. Just a few of these are:
- Buy a business brokerage franchise or go independent?
- Lease office space or use home office?
- How to obtain listings when just starting a practice?
- How to determine what percentage commission to charge for services?
- How to recast financial statements for discretionary cash flow?
- How to use the most appropriate business appraisal methodology?
- How to build a marketing package for each type of business?
- How to maintain strict confidentiality while marketing nationally?
- How to select the most appropriate advertising venues for marketing a business?
- How to conduct the initial buyer / seller meeting without raising animosity?
- What are the do's and don'ts of successful negotiations on price and terms?
- How to get the transaction to the closing table (and get paid!)?
- Closing the transaction with proper documentation and follow up?
5Investigate training options. There are several business broker training alternatives available for individuals who want to enter the profession. A quick Google of "Business Broker Training" will return many options.
6Choose the training program that's right for you and get started!
Community Q&A
Answered QuestionsAdd New Question
Ask a Question
- Check state laws. Currently 16 states require business brokers to have a real estate license.
- When considering professional training options, check references of previous students.
- Make sure the training program selected offers post-classroom support, preferably at no cost.
- Some franchises are very good, but it's easier than ever to be an independent. The decision depends on personal preferences.
- Before committing to a business brokerage franchise or licensing arrangement (both of which can be expensive), investigate all options.
Sources and Citations
- American Business Brokers Association
Article Info
Categories: Finance Careers
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My Christmas Wish : A King Size Dust Ruffle in Satin GoldPosted on Dec 05, 2012 under home improvements | No Comment
Christmas is just a few days away and because of that me and my husband are doing our Christmas list. Well, I don't have so much on my lists because I am on a tight budget this year. I only planned to give something special this Christmas to my love ones and close friends. Well, I think you can understand why. Anyway, while doing my Christmas list, my husband suddenly asked me what I want this Christmas?
The very first thing that entered my mine was this king size dust ruffle that is made of satin.
I just love the color and the texture of this dust ruffle or what other call as bed skirt. I think our bed needs one right now especially because there is a big gap below our bed that looks unpretty when bare. It also looks messier because of the boxes underneath our bed that I thought of keeping under the bed. I sure hope my husband can get me this one before Christmas day.


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The new tapeless ADAT provides 24 tracks of hard disk recording at less than the price of the original eight-track.
Paul White
Many years ago, I tried to convince Alesis that it might be a popular move to build a tapeless ADAT, but at the time hard drives were still expensive, so all I was envisaging was a simple eight-track system. I argued that, by incorporating the nine-pin sync and optical connectors of the original tape machine, ADAT tape and ADAT hard drive could be mixed within the same system, enabling Songs to be archived to ADAT tape via the optical digital link when finished. At the time, Alesis chose not to go that route, but last year the company announced the HD24, which meets my wish list and more. Since that announcement, Alesis has been bought by DJ company Numark, but, happily, Numark saw fit to include the HD24 in their marketing strategy.
First Impressions
In some ways the Alesis HD24 looks rather basic compared to some of today's hard disk recorders, but it offers up to 24 tracks of 24-bit recording at 44.1kHz or 48kHz (or 12 tracks at 88.2kHz or 96kHz with the addition of a forthcoming optional converter card). Unlike some systems, where I/O cards add to the basic cost, the machine comes with balanced jack analogue audio I/O for all 24 tracks, plus three pairs of ADAT-format optical I/O. The HD24 also features the nine-pin sync and remote control compatibility of its tape-based predecessor, which is extremely good news for existing ADAT owners, as it makes it very easy to transfer projects from tape to disk and vice versa, even though tape-based ADATs are limited to 16- or 20-bit recording depending on the model. Up to five HD24s can be sync'ed to give 120-track capability with single-sample accuracy, and the machines may be controlled directly from their front panels, from the included LRC (Little Remote Control) or from a regular Alesis BRC (Big Remote Control). Basic transport operation is also available via MIDI Machine Control.
The unit ships with a somewhat modest 10Gb hard drive fitted in a removable caddy (around 45 minutes of recording over 24 tracks at 48kHz sample rate) and there's a second slot that will accept a second caddy-mounted drive of your choosing. Recording can be to either drive, but not to both at the same time, though you can back up from one drive to another, either on a per-Song basis or the whole drive.
Editing is limited to basic cut/copy/paste operations, across multiple tracks if necessary, and, to facilitate this, 72 track minutes of drive space (calculated at 48kHz) are 'ring-fenced' for use in editing. Edits can be undone up to 99 steps, space permitting, but recording operations can't be undone, which could be a bit nerve-racking when you're doing tight punch-ins. On the other hand, it does mean you can do multiple drop-ins without stopping the transport, which I find essential for patching up vocal takes and so forth.
When the undo drive space is full, or if the number of edits exceeds 99, old operations are automatically discarded and replaced by the most recent. The capacity of the reserved drive space allows for one copy operation of up to 90 seconds long across all 24 tracks, though you can disable the paste undo facility to double this capacity when copying long sections of multitrack audio.
Nuts & Bolts
Physically, the Alesis HD24 occupies the same rack space (3U) as the previous ADAT machines, and the front panel is set out in a similar way, making it very easy to operate. Above the two drive bays are 24 bar-graph meters with user-selectable peak hold options, and beneath each is a rather small track selection button. The drives must be unmounted using their respective Drive buttons before they can be removed from the machine, and an LED beneath the currently active drive flashes alternately red and green. Basic software drive repair tools are included within the system, so minor damage caused by unplugging a mounted drive can usually be fixed.
Alesis HD24 £1999
Up to 24 tracks of simultaneous recording.
24 tracks of analogue and ADAT digital I/O provided.
ADAT-compatible sync and remote control facilities.
Recording time not dynamically allocated.
Small buttons.
Limited editing functions.
Unlike edit functions, recording actions cannot be undone.
Audible fan.
For less money in the UK than the original ADAT, you get 24-track recording capability, ADAT sync and optical I/O compatibility, and a very straightforward user interface. Will probably appeal most to existing ADAT users.
Around the back are 24 balanced jacks for the analogue ins and outs, and there's a user-configurable normalising system for the inputs, so that if you only ever use, say, eight inputs, these can be left connected and will feed all 24 tracks in banks of eight. This system can accommodate mixers with two, four, eight, 12 or 14 outputs. Each of the ADAT optical connector pairs can handle eight tracks at regular sample rates or four tracks at the higher sample rates, so the three pairs always provide full access to all available tracks. Similarly, the ADAT nine-pin sync has both inputs and outputs to enable the Alesis HD24 to be used as part of a multi-machine system. When connected to a BRC, the input sync source is automatically selected so that the BRC is master. Where one or more machines in a system is an ADAT tape machine, the tape machine should be made the master due to its considerably longer locate and lock times.
Another piece of ADAT legacy is the varispeed control, which offers ±200 cents of pitch change at a sample rate of 44.1kHz or +100/-300 cents at 48kHz. As this works by varying the sample rate, it can only be used when the machine is running on internal sync, not when it's sync'ed to other devices that have a fixed clock rate.
An Ethernet connector enables the HD24 to function as an FTP server to allow audio files to be transferred to or from a computer (see 'Ethernet Facilities' box) and, unlike the original ADAT, there's also MIDI In and Out, making it possible for the machine to follow or generate MMC commands, and to output MTC. A word clock input BNC connector is also fitted, along with a jack that accommodates any momentary-action footswitch for remote drop-ins. A second jack hooks up to the included LRC, which is the same as that supplied with the tape-based ADATs, providing basic transport control and a limited number of locate points.
A hard power switch is mounted next to the IEC mains input. When powered on, the machine can be switched into standby mode from the front panel. This switch parks the drive heads, so should always be used before shutting down via the rear-panel mains switch. A large grille gives away the presence of an internal cooling fan.
Before the HD24 can be connected to a computer, you need to set the IP address and subnet mask and put it into server mode, a task that can be accomplished via the Utility button and menus. If you're on a network, then the IP address needs to be set up accordingly, but if you're working with a single computer, the manual provides default address and subnet mask values that will work in most cases. Files may be transferred via a common browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Netscape's Navigator, though dedicated FTP software is advised for optimum speed. Suitable packages for both Mac and PC are recommended in the manual. Using a browser, it is necessary first to type in 'ftp://' followed by the IP address set up for the HD24, after which the audio can be downloaded into a folder as AIFF or WAV files. From there, the files can be imported into a suitable audio software package. To be honest, unless you're into networking, this all looks a tad heavy going, and piping audio into the computer via a soundcard with an ADAT port will almost certainly be simpler and faster. I'd also have appreciated a digital camera-style drag-and-drop mode where the HD24 mounts as an additional hard drive, enabling Songs to be dragged across as folders, but sadly, it isn't that simple.
Onboard Ethernet Facilities
The HD24 uses Ethernet to allow it to share audio files with a computer or network of computers. Once a connection has been established, tracks may be exported as either AIFF or WAV files. Similarly, audio can be transferred from the computer to the HD24. There's even a password system that allows you to hook up the HD24 to the Internet so that anyone with a password can access its audio files, though I have to admit that this isn't something at the top of my priority list. When Ethernet is active, the machine can't be used to record or play as it essentially functions as an FTP server, and audio transfer can be slow. For example, even with a following wind, a four-minute, 24-track Song will take at least 16 minutes to transfer.
Before the HD24 can be connected to a computer, you need to set the IP address and subnet mask and put it into server mode, a task that can be accomplished via the Utility button and menus. If you're on a network, then the IP address needs to be set up accordingly, but if you're working with a single computer, the manual provides default address and subnet mask values that will work in most cases. Files may be transferred via a common browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Netscape's Navigator, though dedicated FTP software is advised for optimum speed. Suitable packages for both Mac and PC are recommended in the manual. Using a browser, it is necessary first to type in 'ftp://' followed by the IP address set up for the HD24, after which the audio can be downloaded into a folder as AIFF or WAV files. From there, the files can be imported into a suitable audio software package. To be honest, unless you're into networking, this all looks a tad heavy going, and piping audio into the computer via a soundcard with an ADAT port will almost certainly be simpler and faster. I'd also have appreciated a digital camera-style drag-and-drop mode where the HD24 mounts as an additional hard drive, enabling Songs to be dragged across as folders, but sadly, it isn't that simple.
Firing It Up
Each new recording to the Alesis HD24 requires the user to create a new Song. Each Song can be set up with its own sample rate, track count and name. Up to 64 Songs can be created per disk, though there's no rule that says you only have to record one musical song into each of them. In HD24-speak, a Song is simply a chunk of recording time along with its track count and sample rate parameters. Time starts from zero (unless you enter an alternative value) for each Song and the Song end is defined once the first recording pass has been made, so it's important to allow for any overdubs that may overhang the end of the Song by recording extra time on the first pass. There's no way to pre-roll before the beginning of a Song and Songs can't be extended once started, though a possible workaround is to set up a new, longer Song and then copy/paste the Song you want to extend into it, copy buffer size permitting. Note that if you're planning to sync to a tape ADAT, for backing up or combined tape/disk recording, it's advisable to leave at least ten seconds of blank space at the start of each Song to give the tape enough time to lock properly.
While tape fast winds in a well-known and predictable way, hard drives can locate in an instant, so the transport controls function slightly differently to those of a tape recorder. Stop, Play and Record work normally, though it must be noted that you can only enter record by pressing Play and Record together, at which time any armed tracks will go into record mode. You can't work the other way around, by putting the machine into record first and then using the track arming buttons to punch in.
Rewind can be pressed momentarily to make the playback jump back by five seconds, or it can be held down to achieve an accelerating rewind in much the same way as tape. Forward wind works in the same way, though it's also possible to use both forward and rewind in conjunction with Stop to achieve low-speed audio scrubbing.
Looking Through The Specs
Though figures don't tell you everything about how a piece of equipment sounds, the spec of the HD24 is impressive. Recording uncompressed PCM audio, the HD24 has a frequency response of 20Hz to 22kHz ±0.5dB with a signal-to-noise ratio better than 103dBA. Distortion is a minuscule 0.003 percent, while the dynamic range is claimed as being 144dB digital in to digital out, and better than 103dB via the analogue I/O. The A-D converters use 128x oversampling as standard, and if the 96kHz board is fitted (a dealer installation), it replaces the existing board. Like the ADAT tape machine, the analogue I/O is calibrated so that +4dBu is -15dBFS.Test Spec Alesis HD24 OS v1.00
To help with navigation, each Song can make use of up to 24 time locations (if you include the Edit Start/End and drop-in markers). Markers one and two are used by default when setting up a loop, which you may want to do when rehearsing a specific section of a Song. Locate points one to 20 are general purpose and may be stored on the fly or when the transport is stopped, just as with a tape ADAT. Locate times are referenced to the Song start time and move relative to it, so that they stay at the right location within the Song. If you've used a BRC before, you'll find the system very similar indeed, right down to the ability to directly edit locate times. The Locate button takes the transport to the currently selected locate time.
Various automatic functions can be achieved using the locators in conjunction with the Auto Return, Auto Play and Auto Record buttons. When Auto Return is active, playback jumps to the loop start marker as soon as the loop end marker is reached, while in Auto Play playback begins from the locate position as soon as the Locate button is pressed. Auto Record handles automatic drop-ins based on locate points 21 and 22 (with a rehearse option) while points 23 and 24 function as the Edit Start and End markers. It's also possible to combine automatic recording with looping if you need to keep going over a specific section, though my own preference is to punch in manually using the transport controls, or to use a footswitch if I'm playing guitar at the same time.
Editing Facilities
With a tape machine, the only editing you can do without copying to a second machine is to punch in and out, something the HD24 does extremely smoothly using the same default 10mS crossfade as the original ADAT. However, we expect more from hard disk than mere tape emulation, and there are several buttons dedicated to editing, all of which revolve around the use of the Edit Start and Edit End locators. To set these times, it is necessary only to hold down the Locate button and then press the Edit Start and Edit End buttons at the appropriate times. These edit points may be adjusted in the same way as other markers by manually entering or changing time values.
The basic edit moves comprise Cut, Copy and Paste (either within a Song or from one Song to another) where a paste operation will overwrite whatever audio data was previously in that location. Note that Paste Undo must be enabled in order to undo paste operations, even though cut and copy moves can always be undone. While these basic edit operations are adequate for many uses, and clearly are more flexible than working with tape, it would still have been useful to have an edit mode capable of removing a section of audio while joining up the two cut ends (for taking out excess bars for example) and for inserting sections.
I've been using ADATs, often in multiples, since the format was invented, but I've never learned to live with the slow response of what is essentially a VHS video transport. Even one machine takes a few seconds to go into play mode from stop, and trying to lock up multiple machines is like waiting for the launderette spin cycle to finish. On top of that, the odd tape gets chewed after you've spent hours working on it, and usually minutes before you were planning to make a backup!
Coming from this background, the HD24 is an absolute joy to use because you can treat it very much like a tape ADAT, but without having to suffer the indignities of endless lockup times or slow rewinding. Moving through Songs is fast and easy, even without using the locators, and being able to start playback instantly or return to the start of a Song in an instant is extremely refreshing. Unfortunately, the fan noise is roughly equivalent to the whirring of a regular ADAT transport, but you can at least use the LRC or a footswitch to record sensitive parts from the other end of the room. It's sad that recordings can't be undone, which I guess is down to the limited size of the undo buffer, but again you're no worse off than you were with tape. If you fudge a punch in, you can always record the section again, just like in the old days it's invariably faster than using technology to salvage something!
As I commented earlier, the edit functions are very basic, especially in the light of what you can do in a computer, but, being realistic, you're most likely to need the ability to copy good vocal choruses or bits of guitar solo, and this you can do (and undo) quite easily. However, if you decide to extend a Song by copying verses, you may find that you haven't left enough space at the end of the Song, and if you're using all 24 tracks, the longest section you can copy over to a new Song in one go is 3 minutes with the paste undo buffer switched off. There are also some edit moves that are noticeably absent, and I found some of the front-panel buttons, including those used for editing, to be rather small and quite difficult to read.
The strength of the HD24 is not its sophistication, but rather its transparency and smoothness of operation. It can function in an ADAT environment, it can make use of your existing BRC, though a good external word clock is needed to tame the BRC's notorious jitter, and (not to be overlooked) it provides full balanced analogue plus ADAT digital I/O as standard. Though the editing facilities are limited, they're better than you get from tape, while having dual drive bays provides a practical and cost-effective means of backing up projects.
HD24 MIDI Functionality
The HD24 responds to MIDI Machine Control messages and can also generate them. There's no SMPTE generation facility, but MIDI Time Code (MTC) is available, albeit at a fixed 30fps. The MTC start point is the same as the Song start point, so offsets can be introduced by changing the Song start time value. Additionally, the MIDI In port can be used to load in software updates, and all MIDI-related facilities are accessed via the MIDI button and the cursor keys.
Sound quality is hard to define at this level, as modern converters tend to behave so well, but, subjectively, the HD24 is similar to the 20-bit ADAT XT, though those extra four bits give it additional low-level resolution, at least in theory. It also has a workable built-in backup strategy and it's easy to sync multiple machines if you really need more tracks. The high sample-rate options are available for anyone who feels they need them, but, for my money, I'd rather have the extra tracks! A high sample-rate board wasn't provided with the review model, but I'd have thought that any sonic differences would be likely to be negligible when working in a project studio environment.
Naturally there are some things I don't like, other than the audible cooling fan and the small buttons, such as the machine's inability to play all the Songs on a drive automatically in sequence, which would have made unattended backup to ADAT tape possible. As it is, you have to recall and start playback afresh for every new Song. I also feel the edit features could have been made a little more flexible, perhaps to include insert and 'cut and join up' modes or, more importantly, a better way of auditioning paste edits before you commit to them, which is especially important if paste undo is disabled.
Ultimately, if you look upon the HD24 as a 24-track, tapeless ADAT with a few editing features thrown in for good measure, you won't be disappointed. It works smoothly, you can tackle the learning curve in slippers, not crampons, and it eliminates the worst frustrations of its tape-based predecessors, one of which ate a brand new tape during the course of this review! It may not have all the bells and whistles of the competition, but if you like everything about the tape environment other than the tape itself, the HD24 is a straightforward and affordable alternative.
HD24, £1999 including VAT; optional converter board for elevated sample-rates, £tba.
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Preventing Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases
- Region
- Africa, Asia, Central America and Mexico, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, Pacific Islands, South America, The Caribbean, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe
- Grade
- Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
- Subjects
- Environment, Health, Language Arts & Literature, Science, Social Studies & Geography
In this WebQuest, students investigate the global challenge of disease prevention – including both communicable (infectious) and noncommunicable (chronic) diseases. Students will identify the distinguishing features of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and give examples of diseases in each category. They will investigate the domestic and global impacts of disease, and learn about some of the strategies that Peace Corps Volunteers are using to help reduce the risk of communicable and noncommunicable diseases in their host communities. Finally, each student will select a disease to research in depth. Using what they've learned, students will create realistic fiction journals from the perspective of a person who has experienced the disease they researched
More about how Peace Corps Volunteers address global issues:
More about communicable and noncommunicable diseases in the world:
More about communicable and noncommunicable diseases in the United States:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Chronic Disease Prevention
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Vaccines and Preventable Diseases
- Compare and contrast communicable and non-communicable diseases and provide examples of each
- Posit explanations for the disproportionately high burden of communicable diseases in low-income countries
- Identify strategies for reducing risk factors for noncommunicable disease
- Conduct in-depth research on a disease
- Write realistic fictional narratives that demonstrate an understanding of the symptoms, impacts, and prevention of a specific disease
- AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; an advanced stage of HIV infection in which the immune system cannot fight off infections
- Chronic disease: Long-lasting or recurrent diseases like cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes
- Diabetes: Chronic disease in which the body does not produce insulin or cells ignore insulin
- Diarrheal disease: Any gastrointestinal illness that causes diarrhea; can lead to dehydration and an impaired immune system
- Heart disease: Any disease that prevents the heart from functioning normally; often linked with nutrition and physical inactivity, as well as family history
- HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus; the virus that causes AIDS
- Infectious diseases: Diseases caused by microorganisms entering the body (e.g., HIV/AIDS, malaria, influenza)
- Infrastructure: Basic facilities and services needed for a society or community to function
- Malaria: A type of infectious disease spread by mosquitoes
- Mosquito nets: Mesh netting usually hung over people's beds to prevent the spread of malaria through mosquito bites
- Neonatal disease: A health condition existing at birth or developing in the first month of life
- Stroke: The sudden death of some brain cells when blood flow to the brain is blocked or disrupted
- Tuberculosis: A type of infectious disease caused by bacteria; usually affects the lungs
- Vaccines: Weakened or killed forms of infectious disease organisms that are often injected into the body to stimulate the immune system and prevent future infection
- Waterborne diseases: Infections transmitted through ingestion of contaminated water
- Student access to computers with Internet and audio
- Introduce students to the terms communicable disease and noncommunicable disease. Can they give examples of each type or explain the differences between the two types of disease? What experiences do students have with communicable and noncommunicable diseases? What do they know about key communicable and noncommunicable diseases that are affecting the U.S. and the world?
- Explain to students that they will be engaging in a WebQuest, in which they will conduct research about disease prevention and then investigate one specific disease in-depth. As they investigate, they will learn about examples of disease prevention initiatives led by Peace Corps Volunteers around the world. If students are unfamiliar with Peace Corps, view the video available on the Peace Corps website .
- In the computer lab, direct students to the Preventing Disease WebQuest On the Student Page, read the Introduction and Task sections together, demonstrating how to navigate through the WebQuest and collect information requested on the data collection sheet. When reviewing the task, introduce the idea of realistic fiction and taking the perspective of someone who has experienced the disease or condition researched.
- Allow time for students to work on the WebQuest independently, in pairs, or in small groups. Provide assistance to students as needed during their work time.
- When students reach the section Researching a Communicable or Non-Communicable Disease , provide guidance as needed as students select diseases to research and look for relevant background information.
- Once students have completed their research and reach the section How do Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases Affect People's Lives , model an approach to beginning a journal entry from the perspective of a fictional character. Have students evaluate their work using the rubric in the Evaluation section. Then provide an opportunity for students to read one another's writing and ask questions about the specific diseases their classmates investigated.
- Use the questions in the Conclusion section of the WebQuest to guide a class discussion, or ask for students' verbal or written reflections.
- To engage students in further interdisciplinary exploration, see the teaching suggestions listed in Investigating Disease Prevention.
Frameworks & Standards
Enduring understandings
- Communicable and noncommunicable diseases have a significant effect on people and communities in the United States and the world.
- It is possible to reduce the risk factors for communicable and noncommunicable diseases.
- Successful disease prevention depends on access to resources like access to medical care and supplies, infrastructure, and quality health education.
Essential Questions
- How does disease affect individuals, families, communities, countries, and the world?
- How are global health concerns related to other major global issues such as poverty, water and sanitation, nutrition, and education?
- What can you do to address the burden of disease in your community and in the world?
National Science Education Standards
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
- Personal and community health
National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
Thematic Strand IX: Global Connections
- Use maps, charts, and databases to explore patterns and predict trends regarding global connections at the community, state, or national level
- Explore the causes, consequences, and possible solutions related to persistent, current, and emerging global issues
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
- Text types and purposes: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
- Research to build and present knowledge: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.


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Image by The Library of Congress via FlickrOne of the most common reactions I get in response to this blog from those outside our state is surprise. "There are atheists in Mississippi?" It is an understandable question, and I'm quite certain I would be asking it if I wasn't here myself. Yes, there are atheists in Mississippi. As you might expect, many of us remain fairly quiet on the subject of religion, for we have much to lose by expressing our thoughts and even more by identifying ourselves as atheists.
For those who have not spend any significant time in the rural South, it is difficult to convey what it is like to be an atheist here. Religion is more pervasive in Mississippi than I could have imagined without experiencing it for myself. Virtually everyone I know here has a large part of their identity tied up in religion. I sometimes find it even more oppressive than the summer humidity, and there is no question that living here affects me.
To say that there is a social stigma against atheists in Mississippi would be a colossal understatement. As difficult as it must be to be gay here, I suspect that an openly gay Christian would have a somewhat more positive experience than a heterosexual atheist.
Many atheists in Mississippi have had enough bad experiences around revealing their atheism that it is difficult to remember that not all experiences will be negative. This is understandable, but it also serves as an obstacle for atheist equality. As long as we remain invisible, it is easy to demonize us. And yet, it is easy to say that more of us should "come out" without appreciating the price paid by those who do.
What is it like socially for atheists in Mississippi? Of course, our experience is variable. I've written previously about my inner tug-of-war between deception and ostracization. Either I keep my atheism to myself, or I run a fairly high risk of being socially ostracized. It is not easy.
Although there are a handful of small atheist groups active in Mississippi, I know that many atheists here feel socially isolated. I've never been someone with particularly strong social needs, and I suppose that plays a big part in how I can stand to be here. Nevertheless, I can relate to the sense of alienation I have heard many atheists describe. It goes far beyond simply loneliness and involves a sense of not being able to be genuinely oneself in so many situations.
There are many barriers to atheist activism in Mississippi, but I think that the lack of strong communities of support is probably the most important. It is far easier to join in or organize activist efforts when one has a safe community. Too many of the atheists in our state lack any such community, and this makes it much harder to work for meaningful change.
Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists


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Opened in Theaters: Friday, August 8th, 2014
Directed by Steven Quale
Genre: Action/Adventure
Running Time: 1:29
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Into the Storm
In the span of a single day, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers... View more >
sequences of intense destruction and peril, and language including some sexual references
Starring Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sumpter... View more >
Reviews Summary
Please Note: Reader Reviews are submitted by the readers of The BigScreen Cinema Guide and represent their own personal opinions regarding this movie, and do not represent the views of The BigScreen Cinema Guide, or any of its associated entities.
"Into the Strom" is a movie for those who think the 1996 film "Twister" is too tame. yes, ther are lots of tornados who are doing the damage. If you come to the movie expecting to see a shark flying out of one of those tornadoes, well you are seeing the wrong movie. I don't care much about the acting, but I'm glad that I came for the special effects. Lots of great special effects. "Into the Strom" is this year's "Gravity," because the special effects reminds me of the movie. This movie puts you in the thick of the acting as a series of Torandoes hits a town and the people are trapped in the mist of their apporach.
It was good enough said
Effects were good, acting not, got a little long at times but still good to see on the big screen.
Excellent camera work
Very realistic
Great movie
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San Diego's own lords of death and destruction, Goblin Cock accomplished exactly what they set out to do last night at The Rickshaw Stop. Donned in their traditional garb of grim reaper-esque robes and B.C. Rich guitars, skulls were abundant and the sometimes shirtless crowd got into it (although fairly tame for a metal show).
Claiming powers to transcend time and space, the smoke machine-happy crew of Lord Phallus (singer aka Pinback's Rob Crow), Bane Ass-Pounder (guitar), King Sith (bass), Braindeath (drums) and Loki Sinjuggler (keyboards) dished up some serious sludge metal all with faces concealed (with the exception of Lord Phallus' beard popping out and Braindeath's face exposed wearing a Zorro mask).


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Stewart Lee's Usual Friday Morning Rant
As a fan of great comedy writing, I tend to hang on every word of Stewart Lee's agitprop, which is why I feel so bright and savage this Friday morning. I lay in bed chucking over Lee's latest policy statement about the place of writers in stand-up and, by the time I'd finished, Lee's feisty words had certainly got the blood pumping. It contains some fruity insights, a few slices of Bacon, and only one disappointing nugget in the form of his denial that he took a 'sideswipe' at Michael McIntyre. It's a great way to begin the day but an even better way to spend your morning is to watch the hour long lecture that accompanies the piece. It's very highly recommended for anybody interested in writing processes, comedy, or stand up. It reminds me again why Lee is one of the good guys and I'm even more committed to finding the money to buy a ticket for his Liverpool show even if I have to steal a swimming pool from a neighbour's garden and flog it at the local flea market.
Meanwhile back in the land of the failing comedy writers: last night I endured another episode in the long-running sitcom, 'Neighbours in the aforementioned swimming pool'. The latest ran two hours and included the classic line: 'Grandma! Do a backflip!' Sadly, no backflips were attempted because I didn't hear that other classic line: 'Grandma! Why are you being admitted into a spinal trauma unit?'
About 2am this morning, I finished drawing the main lines of my latest strip, which I hope to submit to a competition in the coming days. My previous strip was full of heartfelt biography but probably didn't hold together, whereas this new strip is outright satire and has a more coherent narrative and some bits that might make people laugh. Or I hope it does, once I get all the crosshatching finished which is what I should be doing right now…by


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Meet our featured Facebook friend – Myra!
We found Myra, (or rather, she found us) after she posted some amazing photos of her clothing designs on our Facebook page! She also wrote us a little note about how her designs and photo shoots are inspired by Free People! We could totally tell, and were very flattered!
Myra is from Chesterfield, Missouri, and is creating things all the time! She starts out her process by envisioning a story, which includes a specific model and setting, and goes from there. She has been designing ever since she received her first sewing machine in 2004! She will be attending school for fashion design starting this fall, and is currently planning a booth for her wares at a local art fair!
Myra was so sweet as to put together an awesome how-to for the camisole tank dress that she makes! You can see examples of how cute the dress looks when it's finished in the pictures above and below! We just love the details on this dress! I can't wait to make my own! Myra even shows us how to cinch the tank at the top! Click here for all the instructions on how to make the dress, with a ton more pictures too!
Just for fun, we asked Myra a few interview-type questions!
What is your current state of mind?
I am enthused about my future for the endless possibilities!
Do you have any pets?
I have a big black cat, named Big Boy
What inspires you?
Nature, vintage photos, vintage styles, and of course Free People!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Sewing, going to music stores, shopping for vintage clothing, eating at places I've never been to.
Do you have a favorite artist?
Erté a French designer and artist in the early 1900's, and Mucha
Who are your favorite designers?
Free people, Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, and myself.
Who is your favorite celebrity inspiration?
Kate Moss, Sienna Miller
What did you want to be as a child?
I wanted to be an elementary teacher I thought it would be fun to create activities for kids to do.
What do you like best about where you live now?
My friends and family, and the inspiring mid-west countryside
What superpower would you most like to have?
Definitely to fly, I've had dreams of flying and it's the craziest feeling to be above everything.
What is your favorite article of clothing that you own right now?
My collection of vintage plaid shirt's, I can't just pick one!
What is your motto?
Out of good comes good
And the mysterious fate
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing one of your beautiful designs with us Myra! I can't wait to work on my own camisole tank dress!


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Video: Minuteman Report – St. Louis Cardinals Honor Deployed MO Guardsmen and Families
Video by Master Sgt. Matt Schwartz
The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team hosted over 300 families of Missouri National Guardsmen at a recent baseball game. The annual event is broadcast via the Armed Forces Network through Fox Sports Mid-West to wherever the deployed soldiers are located. Story by Air Force Staff Sgt. Elise Rich.
This work, Minuteman Report – St. Louis Cardinals Honor Deployed MO Guardsmen and Families, by MSgt Matt Schwartz, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.
Date Taken:08.28.2014
Date Posted:08.28.2014 2:38PM
Video ID:357741
Location:TN, US
This video is featured in:
Minuteman Report


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Reading 1-2 Villa: Lambert - Baker was exceptional after own-goal
Paul Lambert hailed Nathan Baker for the way he put the own-goal behind him to produce an exceptional performance.
Baker sliced into his net midway through the first half to give Reading the lead at the Madejski Stadium.
But the centre-half-cum-left-back kept his composure to rally and defend stoutly for the remainder of the tense and tight game in Berkshire.
Lambert was thoroughly impressed with the maturity of the 21-year-old who never wavered after the mishap.
Lambert said: "There was a long way to go when Nathan scored the own goal. The only slight worry was whether Nathan would keep at it, which he did do.
"I thought he was exceptional and has been for a number of weeks now.
"We put him at left-back and I thought he was excellent.
"It was important his head never went down which it didn't.
"The own-goal wasn't nice to watch and with him being young the only slight thing that was in my head was how he would react.
"But you've got to give him so much credit. I thought he grew into the game and got better.
"I think he's been playing well for the last few weeks. He has been excellent for us.
"He's been a big, big player for us. His general play was terrific again.
"The own-goal happened but you have to give him a lot of credit. He grew into the game. He was outstanding."
Snap up match tickets for our clash with QPR.
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University of Connecticut, McMahon Hall
Published in FSD Update
Renovation brings food preparation front and center.
"We changed the service model," Pierce explains. "Food is now served on a plate rather than self-service. And we use smaller plates, giving an upscale feel while reducing food waste."
Photo Credit: Anton Grassl of Esto


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« Survivor: Tocantins — Carolina's Short Survivor Stay | Home | American Idol: Posh Spice Turned Down Judging Role »
American Idol: Ryan Seacrest Explains Joanna Pacitti's Exit
February 13, 2009 03:00 PM by Paulene Hinds
American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest confirmed on FoxNews that Joanna Pacitti's relationship with 19 Entertainment's Michelle Young and Roger Widynowski may be the reason that she was given the boot out of the top 36 this week. The singer has been the subject of controversy since receiving her golden ticket to Hollywood.
"The producers do the background checks right around [the] Hollywood [round]," Ryan Seacrest said. "When they see something that stands out, they have to address it. And they saw something, and there was apparently some sort of a link that, somewhere along the line, could be construed as one that's close to the competition, and they didn't want to risk it."
Ryan Seacrest, who was inattendance atthe opening of the new American Idol Experienceattraction at Disney World last night, was sympathetic to Joanna Pacitti and the fact that she had been disqualified after making it as far as she did in the show.
"It's a sad thing to have to tell a contestant they can't compete, but we have to play by our rules," Ryan Seacrest said.
The first voting round will take place next Tuesday on American Idol when six males and six female contestantswill compete to stay in the running.
Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and tell us what you think! For more on American Idol, check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.
Photos Courtesy: American Idol Experience Walt Disney World
Topics: American Idol, FOX Reality TV Shows, Ryan Seacrest |
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You limited your search to:
Partner: UNT Music Library
Decade: 1680-1689
Year: 1686
Collection: Virtual Music Rare Book Room
Date: 1686~
Creator: Lully, Jean Baptiste, 1632-1687 & Quinault, Philippe, 1635-1688
Description: Armide, which premiered at the Paris Opéra February 15, 1686, was the last tragédie lyrique on which Jean-Baptiste Lully collaborated with his favorite librettist, Philippe Quinault. Quinault retired from the stage after Armide, and Lully died a year later on March 22, 1687. From its first performance, Armide was considered their masterpiece. Armide is unusual among Lully and Quinault's tragédies lyriques in that it concentrates on the psychological development of a single character; the reflective style of this late work may be regarded as an early presentiment of trends toward individualism in art.
Contributing Partner: UNT Music Library
Armide : tragedie mise en musique
Date: 1686
Creator: Lully, Jean Baptiste, 1632-1687 & Quinault, Philippe, 1635-1688
Description: None
Contributing Partner: UNT Music Library
Forza del sangue, e della pietà; drama per musica
Date: 1686
Creator: Fabrini, Giuseppe & Gigli, Girolamo, 1660-1722
Description: 1686 libretto for Giuseppe Fabrini's opera La forza del sangue, e della pietà. The music for all of Giuseppe Fabrini's operas, including La forza del sangue e della pietà, is lost. However, the libretti by Gerolamo Gigli, have been preserved for these dramas that were performed at the Collegio Tolomei in Siena. La forza del sangue e della pietà translates as "The Force of Blood and Pity."
Contributing Partner: UNT Music Library


text: I've always admired the Buche de Noel, though I've also always assumed it was too complicated to tackle. But, this Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cake seems like a good way to get my feet wet, so to speak. It has everything you could want – chocolate cake, chocolate sauce, chocolate buttercream and peppermint buttercream – minus the complicated, but lovely, wood grain icing and meringue toadstools.


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Wholesale Enquiries
If you are interested in becoming a wholesale stockist of any of our products then please use the form below to place an enquiry with us. One of our dedicated sales executives will endeavour to get back to you within the next 24 hours.
Alternatively, you can email your query to us at email@example.com


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Alarms Going Off As 102 Dollar-Yen Support Breached
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- goldman sachs
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- headlines
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- Janet Yellen
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- Market Sentiment
- Markit
- Monetary Policy
- Morgan Stanley
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- Reality
- recovery
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- Unemployment Benefits
- Yen
Alarms are going off in assorted plunge protecting offices, now that the USDJPY has breached the 102.000 "fundamental" support level, below which the Yen can comfortably soar to sub 100.000 in perfectly even 100 pip increments. The first trading day of February has brought another weaker session across Asia though some equity indices such as the KOSPI (-1.1%) are in catch-up mode given they were shut towards the back-end of last week. Over the weekend, the Chinese government published its latest official manufacturing PMI which showed a 0.5pt drop to 50.5, a six-month low, and consistent with consensus estimates. DB's Jun Ma believes there was some element of seasonality affecting this month's result including the fact that Chinese New Year started at the end of January (vs February last year), anti-pollution measures in the lead up to CNY and efforts to control government consumption around the holiday period. The official service PMI was released overnight (53.4) which printed at the lowest level since at least 2011. The uninspiring Chinese data has not helped market sentiment this morning, with the Nikkei plunging -2% and ASX200 once again under pressure. S&P500 futures have fluctuated around the unchanged line this morning although if support below the USDJPY fail solidly, then watch out below. Markets in Mainland China and Hong Kong remain closed for Lunar New Year.
Aside from the ECB, which is meeting this week, other highlights in the week ahead include a big US data docket. Indeed the three most important data releases this week are today's January manufacturing ISM, Wednesday's ADP employment and of course, Friday's January non-farm payrolls. Also on Friday, the US treasury will once again officially hit its debt ceiling limit.
Market Re-Cap
European equities are treading water in negative territory amid cautious sentiment ahead of this week's plethora of key risk events. Consequently financials are seeing underperformance with health care stocks outperforming in a defensive move, which is acting as support for the SMI and FTSE 100. In stock specific news, Lloyd's shares are seen down 3% following their pre-market update which revealed the Co. sees GBP 1.8bln provision for PPI in Q4. Elsewhere, Ryanair are seen up over 5% after the Co. reiterated FY profit forecast of EUR 500-520mln and says pricing "soft" but not declining.
Following a host of impressive Eurozone Manufacturing PMI releases, EUR has trended higher, a move that has been exacerbated by the residual touted month-end related flows in EUR/GBP. GBP has seen weakness following this and a disappointing PMI Manufacturing release, a figure that is very much against the grain of recent UK data. Elsewhere, USTs and Bunds have recovered earlier losses and move back to unchanged, alongside the move lower in equities.
US Event Calendar:
- 8:58am: Markit U.S. PMI Final, Jan., est. 53.9
- 10:00am: ISM Manufacturing, Jan., est. 56.1 (prior 57, revised 56.5); ISM Prices Paid, Jan., est. 53.8 (prior 53.5)
- 10:00am: Construction Spending, m/m, Dec., est. 0.2% (prior 1%)
- Total Vehicle Sales, Jan., est. 15.6m (prior 15.3m); Domestic Vehicle Sales, Jan., est. 12m (prior 11.65m)
- Yellen's first POMO - Fed purchases $1-1.25b in 2036-2043 sector at 11 am
Overnight headline bulletin from Bloomberg and RanSquawk:
- European equities are seen lower ahead of this week's host of key global risk events.
- GBP/USD has trended lower following a disappointing UK Manufacturing PMI and residual touted monthend related flows in EUR/GBP.
- Looking ahead for the session, there is a lack of tier 1 data. However, 1500GMT/0900CST sees the release of US ISM Manufacturing (Jan) M/M Exp. 56.2 vs. Prev. 57.0.
- Treasury 10Y yields holding near lowest since early November as China's official purchasing managers' index falls to six-month low in Jan., Nikkei enters correction.
- U.K. manufacturing expanded at slower pace in January, with PMI falling to 56.7 from revised 57.2, as domestic demand and rising export orders underpinned growth for a 10th month
- Investors are betting Bank of England's Carney will lead the charge out of record-low interest rates as central banks pivot from fighting stagnation to managing expansions
- The U.K. markets regulator notified a bank manager and a rate submitter that they face penalties over their involvement in manipulating Libor in the first civil cases against individuals in the global probe
- Obama said neither he nor members of his administration anticipated the magnitude of the flaws that hobbled the startup of the federal website for people to choose health-care plans under his new law
- Ukraine's opposition got a boost in its struggle to wrest power from President Viktor Yanukovych as a report said the European Union and U.S. are working on an aid package to rival assistance from Russia
- Hundreds of flights across the U.S. are being canceled as a winter storm threatens to drop snow, ice and sleet from Utah to Pennsylvania, including as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) in New York City
- Sovereign yields mixed. EU peripheral spreads tighten. Asian and European stocks, U.S. stock-index futures fall. WTI crude and copper lower; gold higher
Asian Headlines
China Manufacturing PMI (Jan) M/M 50.5 vs. Exp. 50.5 (Prev. 51.0); 6-month low.
China Non-Manufacturing PMI (Jan) M/M 53.4 (Prev. 54.6)
The Nikkei 225 closed 10% below its Dec. 30 high to enter a correction phase (down 2.0% on the day), as risk appetite across the region remained dampened following the release of uninspiring Chinese data. (RANsquawk) Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan remained closed following the Lunar New Year celebrations.
EU & UK Headlines
German Manufacturing PMI (Jan F) M/M 56.5 vs. Exp. 56.3 (Prev. 56.3) - Highest since May 2011
Eurozone Manufacturing PMI (Jan F) M/M 54.0 vs Exp. 53.9 (Prev. 53.9)
French PMI Manufacturing (Jan F) M/M 49.3 vs Exp. 48.8 (Prev. 48.8)
Spanish PMI Manufacturing (Jan) M/M 52.2 vs Exp. 51.1 (Prev. 50.8)
- Spanish Job Manufacturing PMI Employment Index (Jan) M/M 50.8 vs Prev. 48.4 - showing the first jobs growth since Oct 2010.
UK PMI Manufacturing (Jan) M/M 56.7 vs Exp. 57.3 (Prev. 57.3)
Germany has denied reports of possible Greece debt cut, according to the German government spokesman Semmelmann. (RTRS) This follows earlier reports that German Finance Minister Schaeuble is planning EUR 10-20bln in Greek aid. (Spiegel)
BoE Governor Carney said sees no immediate rate change needed. Carney said the bank will take stock of drop in unemployment and forward guidance will evolve. (Scotland on Sunday)
US Headlines
Fed watcher Hilsenrath points out that Yellen's most critical decisions is when to start lifting interest rates and that if she and her colleagues wait too long, they could fuel high inflation or financial bubbles; if they move too soon, they could dampen a recovery that is just gaining steam. (WSJ)
US auto sales are due out Monday; Ford (F) exp. down 2.3%, Fiat's Chrysler (F IM) exp. up 5.4% and General Motors (GM) exp. down 2.5%. (RANsquawk)
With participants looking ahead to key risk events this week in the form of ECB and BoE monetary policy decisions, as well as the monthly US jobs report, European stocks have trended lower. Consequently, financials have been put under pressure, whilst healthcare stocks have benefited from the defensive positioning by participants, which has provided the FTSE 100 and SMI with support. Lloyds shares have suffered this morning (-3%) as their pre-market update has revealed the Co. sees GBP 1.8bln in provisions for PPI in Q4. Julius Baer shares are seen lower by over 5% following the Co.'s 2013 net profit CHF 480mln vs Exp. CHF 495mln. Ryanair are the sessions outperformer and seen seen up over 5% after the Co. reiterated FY profit forecast of EUR 500-520mln.
EUR has been guided by an amalgamation of positive Eurozone PMI readings and residual touted month-end related flows in EUR/GBP. A move which has put downward pressure on GBP and later exacerbated by a disappointing PMI Manufacturing release from the UK. In Asia-Pacific trade, the Nikkei 225 closed 10% below its Dec. 30 high to enter a correction phase, alongside a less than impressive PMI release from China, which has consequently led USD/JPY lower. SNB's Danthine said the SNB would only consider scrapping the minimum exchange rate of 1.2000 in EUR/CHF if inflation were much higher and there was less upward pressure on the currency. (Blick)
South African government mediators have put forward a proposal designed to end a strike that hit around 40% of global platinum supply. It has not been made immediately clear what the proposal entails. (RTRS)
Morgan Stanley has lowered their 2014 gold forecast to USD 1,160/oz. (BBG)
Iraq's crude exports have declined to an average of 2.228mbpd but should rise next month, according to the Iraqi Oil Minister. (RTRS).
Goldman Sachs has raised their 2014 NYMEX natural gas price forecast to USD 4.5mmbtu from USD 4.25mmbtu. (RTRS)
In conclusion, here is Jim Reid with the overnight and weekend recap:
Right on my way back from three weeks away, the last couple spent travelling through Asia and Australia in seemingly non-stop meetings. I first travelled to Australia in 1998 when most of the tourists I saw were British, European or Americans. It's a measure of how the world has changed in such a relatively short space of time that in my down time exploring, most of the tourists were from Asia with many from China. I suppose this reflects the changing world order from the last time EM had a global crisis. So we think whatever happens in EM this year will have consequences for the global economy, global markets and global central banks. It'll be difficult to de-couple. Indeed, emerging markets are expected to account for 85% of all global GDP growth seen in 2013, up from an average of just 37% in the years leading up to the 1997-1998 emerging market crises according to IMF data.
From all the stories that broke while I was away the most fascinating surely revolves around the Chinese Trust product that in the end wasn't allowed to be at the mercy of market forces. For me it's a microcosm of the fragility still present in global financial markets that a $9.0 trillion dollar economy - that will be the biggest in the world within the time frame of most of our careers - struggles to allow a $500 million investment product to default without there being market fears of it igniting panic in financial markets. This has now been a theme for the best part of 10-15 years in global financial markets particularly in the developed world but more recently the EM world since the GFC. We've created a global debt monster that's now so big and so crucial to the workings of the financial system and economy that defaults have been increasingly minimised by uber aggressive policy responses. It's arguably too late to change course now without huge consequences. This cycle perhaps started with very easy policy after the 97/98 EM crises thus kick starting the exponential rise in leverage across the globe. Since then we saw big corporates saved in the early 00s, financials towards the end of the decade and most recently Sovereigns bailed out. It's been many, many years since free markets decided the fate of debt markets and bail-outs have generally had to get bigger and bigger.
This sounds negative but the reality is that for us it means that central banks have little option but to keep high levels of support for markets for as far as the eye can see and defaults will stay artificially low. As such we remain bullish for 2014. However it's largely because we think the authorities are trapped for now rather than because the global financial system is healing rapidly. So as well as EM being very important for 2014, we continue to think the Fed taper pace is also very important. If the US economy was the only one in the world then maybe they could slowly taper without major consequences. However the world is fixated with US monetary policy and huge flows have traded off the back of QE and ZIRP so it does matter. We have suspicions that the Fed may have to be appreciative of the global beast they've helped create as the year progresses. We stand by our call from the 2014 Outlook (The Taper-Bubble Tightrope) that credit will end up having a good year but that H1 will be volatile but that H2 will be more positive as central bankers around the world look to be keeping their foot on the gas for longer.
On this the ECB will be interesting this week in light of Friday's soft inflation print (0.7% year-on-year vs consensus of 0.9%), which returned headline inflation to the October 2013 lows. Core inflation was 0.8% year-on-year which was little changed on last month. DB's Wall and Moec think that last week's inflation data was a negative surprise for the ECB, making it highly likely that forward inflation projections will be revised down. Despite the better PMI, weaker than expected German inflation data in January, pressures in EM that could entail disinflationary forces for Europe and an ECB keen to be ahead of the curve on inflation all add to the justification for the ECB to ease the policy stance again in February (if not in February, certainly in March). Wall & Moec expect the ECB to cut all policy rates by 5 or 10 basis points this week, implying a small negative deposit rate. The direct impact of a negative deposit rate may be less today than might have been the case 6 months ago when excess reserves were much higher. But there could be an important signal benefit from even a small negative deposit rate – either way a negative deposit rate would be another significant milestone in the theme of financial repression.
The first trading day of February has brought another weaker session across Asia though some equity indices such as the KOSPI (-1.1%) are in catch-up mode given they were shut towards the back-end of last week. Over the weekend, the Chinese government published its latest official manufacturing PMI which showed a 0.5pt drop to 50.5, a six-month low, and consistent with consensus estimates. DB's Jun Ma believes there was some element of seasonality affecting this month's result including the fact that Chinese New Year started at the end of January (vs February last year), anti-pollution measures in the lead up to CNY and efforts to control government consumption around the holiday period. The official service PMI was released overnight (53.4) which printed at the lowest level since at least 2011. The uninspiring Chinese data has not helped market sentiment this morning, with the Nikkei (-1.6%) and ASX200 (-0.1%) once again under pressure. S&P500 futures are slightly higher this morning (+0.15%) while 10yr USTs are unchanged near three month lows of 2.66%. Markets in Mainland China and Hong Kong remain closed for Lunar New Year.
Aside from the ECB, the other highlights in the week ahead include a big US data docket. Indeed the three most important data releases this week are today's January manufacturing ISM, Wednesday's ADP employment and of course, Friday's January non-farm payrolls. DB is forecasting a +200k gain on both headline and private nonfarm payrolls. In addition, our economists expect the unemployment rate to fall two-tenths to 6.5% due to the expiration of extended unemployment benefits. Outside of the macro data, it's another big week for earnings with close to one-fifth of S&P500 constituents reporting. Janet Yellen will be officially sworn in as Fed chair today so we enter a new era. The US treasury officially hits its debt ceiling limit on Friday, but the treasury secretary will resort to extraordinary measures to push the funding deadline until sometime late in February while Congress debates when and how to increase the debt limit. The US Congressional Budget Office releases its annual economic outlook on Tuesday. In Europe all eyes will be on Thursday's ECB and BoE meetings. The service sector PMI readings will be published on Wednesday, German factory orders on Thursday and German and UK IP reports will be released on Friday. Australia's RBA meets on Tuesday. In EM, there will be some focus on the inflation readings from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. The fallout from Thailand's weekend elections should be clearer towards the latter part of this week. Now onto the review of January - a fascinating month.
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Today is going to be a "Sell Vol" kinda day at the NYFRB
Expect US equitiy markets to break major support today! And it's all over!
Chart from Daneric's blog
Tylers: No mention of the Super Bowl Theory Omen???
all that security and those blackhawk helicopters and robocops everywhere and this still happens....crazy....
>> Chart from Daneric's blog
Is that the same Daneric that's been forcasting the markets to crash for the last five years?
this is captain Yellen Janet...
set autodestruct...
in 5 minutes...
authorisation code... One... One... Alpha...
Yellen: One.
Dark Blankfein: One.
Colonel Dimon: One.
Yellen: Two.
Dark Blankfein: Two.
Colonel Dimon: Two.
Yellen: Three.
Dark Blankfein: Three.
Colonel Dimon: Three.
Yellen: Four.
Dark Blankfein: Four.
Colonel Dimon: Four.
Yellen: Five.
Dark Blankfein: Five.
Colonel Dimon: Five.
Dark Blankfein: So the combination is... one, two, three, four, five? That's the stupidest combination I've ever heard in my life! That's the kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage!
President Obama: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5? That's amazing! I've got the same combination on my luggage!
For Nearly Two Decades the Nuclear Launch Code at all Minuteman Silos in the United States Was 00000000
Only a bloated federal bureaucracy is capable of such stupidity.
I hate it when I lose support, can only imagine what this means for an entire country's currency.
Sagging Yen starts dragging Yen.
also this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2itnur8fdyY
Surprised the snipers didn't nail him!
I wonder if he made it home ??
Arrested for trespass is what I heard.
He's probably been dissapeared by now.
They probably inserted some child porn onto his computer too. Just to kill any remaining credibility, and chance at becoming a martyr that he might have otherwise had.
Rather pointless really. Nearly everyone must have gotten at least that much information by now.
you'd be surprised. sheep don't like change.
Unless its coming from Obama...
the unwind needs to be wound tighter...
just one big fight against deflation.
no velocity as money parked in wrong places.
slowing world econs.
I'm skeptical of this "magic number" analysis. Every time some "fundamental support level" is breached ... nothing much happens.
As I recall, it was the Japanese who maintained that "Business is War"..
How's that working for you, you fine-souled chaps?
My fingers are itching to short something... Come on!
o dont worry, futures r being pumped like crazy, from - 30 to plus 50 in less than an hour.
i guess they need to pump futures up so that when we get the shitty economic reports today, they can be so high already so even if they fall a few pts they will be well into the green.
also, fuckbook and google can not have a red day.
USDJPY back over 102. Move along, these aren't the droids you're looking for.
The NKY/JPY correlation, typically driven by the currency, not by the equity market, is dead, as fear over EM blowout restores Yen's safe-haven status.
All things being equal in this fucked up AIPAC/NSA world, this is why I have NOT sold my JPY, I could of should-of, but I figured 'what the fuck', I mean yep the USA and USD is fucked, but at least the JAP's have a soul.
The Jap's have homogenous culture, ... all they need is a good nationalist to pull them from their FUNK.
'Alarms going Off my Ass'
What are these fuck-tards going to say when the USD implodes?
They were all hoping that the JPY would go to the toilet to prove their 'FED/QE controls the world thesis, the FED doesn't control shit.
So whoopee JPY is a tear and ZH freaks fucking out.
Is this RATIONAL fuck NO, but let's just say that compared to the USA, that JAPAN is rational.
The USA is 10000% full IRRATIONAL, and that makes fucking JAPAN look rock fucking solid.
Japan has a worse demographic time bomb than the US, has a population density of 837 per square mile, has zero natural resources, imports every single food item and all of their non-nuke energy, they are monetizing their debt at a rate 2.5 times that of the US (given the size of their economy), and they started it well ahead of the US at an already high 115 Debt/GDP ratio.
In short, a famine will be coming to Japan in a few short years if they don't sell themselves to the Chinese or the Arabs in exchange for resources (food or oil respectively) before then.
Fed watcher Hilsenrath points out that Yellen's most critical decisions is when to start lifting interest rates and that if she and her colleagues wait too long, they could fuel high inflation or financial bubbles; if they move too soon, they could dampen a recovery that is just gaining steam. (WSJ)
Um. Wait. Fred-Sanford style I need to find the right glasses to spot this one.


text:
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text:
21 Jun 2013
23 Jun 2013, Camber Sands Holiday Centre, UK
24 Jun 2013 14:00
Following their curation of the ATP festival and the release of their fantastic latest album Monomania, Deerhunter will make their long anticipated return to London for a headline show at the Roundhouse this November. Tickets are on sale now, here are the details...
Read More
19 Jun 2013 10:45
Below you can find the stage times and DJ schedules for the event. The nine films playing in the Cinema will be revealed in the free programme you receive at the event. Please be advised stage 2 and the cinema cannot hold the entire festival capacity at once so please bear this in mind and arrive early if you don't want to miss something...
14 Jun 2013 15:46
Next week from the 21st-23rd June, Deerhunter will curate and headline the last ever UK Holiday Camp ATP festival at Camber Sands, alongside many other amazing acts such as The Breeders performing Last Splash, Tom Tom Club, Steve Reich and many many more. Tickets are available now from this link. See below for our two final mini interviews sent in by artists performing at the event...
13 Jun 2013 14:39
Deerhunter will be curating ATP's final seaside holidy camp festival event starting from next Friday 21st June. Their event takes place at Pontins, Camber Sands and we have just released a limited amount of 2 berth chalets for the event. We can now announce some extracurricular activities...
12 Jun 2013 14:42
Don't have travel sorted for ATP curated by Deerhunter? Coach travel for £22 return from London is available via We Can Go Dutch...
Performing Cryptograms, Microcastle & Halcyon Digest
The Breeders
Performing Last Splash
Steve Reich w/ The London Sinfonietta
Tom Tom Club
Atlas Sound
Rhys Chatham with Oneida
Panda Bear
Robyn Hitchcock
Kim Gordon, Ikue Mori & Bill Nace
William Basinski
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks
Pere Ubu
Dan Deacon
Black Dice
Cavern of Anti-Matter
Laetitia Sadier
No Age
Black Lips
Ex Models feat. Kid Millions
Samara Lubelski


text:
Critical Comments On Li Hongzhi's "Scripture" (Part 5)
The Strange Tales and Absurd Rules of Falun Gong
MALE COMMENTATOR: A middle-age man, good for nothing, idling, came up with this idea: being a super-conman is much profitable than stealing or robbing. He then collects tips and bits from all popular qigong practice, and infuses it with "bring people up to the high level." From then on, the evil winds of Falun Gong spread quickly among the mass.
Video of Li Hongzhi: The Falun of our Falun gong, ah, is cultivating in such a big thing as the universe, so this Falun is the image of the universe.
Video of Li Hongzhi: Let me tell you, the Falun is more valuable than your life, it is a high-level form of life.
Video of Li Hongzhi: Because this way to cultivate is extremely complicated, in the other space (universe), its evolutions are very intricate. Everyone knows something about the parts of the television, watch, those precision parts, and considers them to be precise. I tell you that it is more precise and intricate than those many times.
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: Had not been limited by his education, Li Hongzhi may have come up many other words to promote Falun Gong.
MALE COMMENTATOR: As to the wonderful results from practicing Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi still feels that some vivid examples are best to deceive people.
Video of Li Hongzhi: Of course, Fashen, Yuanying (the primordial spirit), those we have not said much yet. We can cultivate a baby (yinghai) there. Those are life forms, born out of Dantian positions, very mischievous, about this size. Some are a bit bigger. Anyway, they jump here and there, very mischievous. Some of our students may have seen then, (they) made out a motorcycle out of Falun, two Falun's, used the two Falun's as wheels. In the middle, it transformed, into, something like a motorcycle. Some grabbing hair, running around, back and forth. They came in through a slide, and skidded down to there. Anyway, you feel uncomfortable here? Anyway, we know that they are mischievous.
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: This shows a typical symptom of a hallucinating bipolar patient. Li Hongzhi says once this disciple has practiced into the fulfillment stage (three flowers on head), and that has cultivated a Yuanying from the abdomen. As to the celestial eyes, it is an easy dish.
Video of Li Hongzhi: A young man, about 30, he said, when I sat down, I saw the Amida Buddha, and Lao Zi. Amida Buddha sat there, Lao Zi sat here. They looked at him, silent, then, disappeared. As soon as they disappeared, in between them, there appeared an image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Guan Yin was holding her bottle, a smoke flew out. It changed into several Feitian (flying) beauties.
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: From our interviews (of the Falun Gong practitioners), except that one anxious student drew an eye on the forehead, there was none who had celestial eyes. Let us see another little side benefits of Falun Gong.
Video of Li Hongzhi: When you are practicing, the karma of your life radiates out. When it leaves, do you know how dirty your blood is? Do you know that the mosquitoes are sucking out the dirty things from your body? If you are a good practitioner, when you see mosquitoes not flying towards you, but biting the people around you, but not you.
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: It is beyond imagination that Falun Gong functions as mosquito expellants, saving the mosquito expellant incense. Can anyone believe his words?
MALE COMMENTATOR: Strange but worthy of notice, Li Hongzhi claims there is wide spread social benefits from Falun Gong.
Video of Li Hongzhi: When I hosted the lecture classes in Wuhan, several students came to Wuhan for the lessons. There were several students in a factory. After they learned the Gong, went back, these several people, worked. Before that, the factory (performed poorly), now the spirit and outlook of the factory, people, ah, fear instability. So, these, as usually, the enterprises were not making profits. Many causes. These people worked, but did not work well, the quality of the product deteriorated, so the profits got worse. These few students went back, not only taught others to practices the Gong, but also worked hard in the factory, early in and late out. Yes, never before, it completely changed from the past. These few people worked, and motivated the whole factory's spirit.
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: Based on our investigation, all these stories are fabricated. This reveals a bigger plot (of Li's). When our economy is going through transformation, the society is working on solutions for the under-performing enterprises, Li Hongzhi wanted a part in it, saying that his Falun Gong was the only solution to these enterprises. This is simply a joke.
MALE COMMENTATOR: On the contrary, if all in a factory practice Falun Gong, everyone comes in late and leaves early, staying up late, crossing legs, reciting Sutra, wishing to become a Buddha; one would take productivity and profit-seeking as normal people's addition. There will be no pie falling from the sky.
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: A very striking contrast of Falun Da is that it forbids reading any other schools of thoughts outside of Li Hongzhi's sutra.
Video of Li Hongzhi: I am here bringing the people to the high level, truly practicing. Those qigong master's practicing, saying these things, even if you are a good one, you are only cultivating the qi. But it is also hard to tell if it is good or bad, many are not good. Some of our students open a book, he looks at it, opening, hey, this sentence is quite right. Goodness! It is acceptance. The mind thinks: this sentence is quite right, a huge python jumps out. The words turn into a python, constricting him. He tried to shake it off, calling my name…, this is to say, things are complicated. In the age of the dharma-ending, the human society is quite complicated, and quite disorganized, quite corrupt. You'd better not touch these things.
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