text:
There are some movies that are so classic that anyone who dared to try to remake them would be pelted relentlessly with rotten tomatoes. You don't repaint the Mona Lisa. You don't rebuild the Eiffel Tower. And you don't remake a movie that was practically perfect to begin with.
Unfortunately, a whole slew of Hollywood directors have ignored this decree and have remade such untouchables as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Psycho" and "Planet of the Apes."
All of these remakes have been significantly worse than the original masterpieces from which they were taken. What giant egos some filmmakers must have to think they could make a better copy than the "real thing."
While we cannot erase the damage that has already been done, we can all stand strong and demand that if any of the following five movies becomes the victim of a remake, we will boycott the film company for life. (OK, maybe that's a little extreme, but you get the point.)
No. 5: Gone With The Wind (1939)
Any filmmaker who would even attempt to remake this popular classic would watch his career go up in flames faster than the city of Atlanta.
No one could be Scarlett O'Hara but Vivien Leigh, and no one could be Rhett Butler except Clark Gable. These actors did not just play these characters -- they ARE these characters.
Yes, the movie may be a bit too long, and a little heavy on the cheese for some people's tastes, but everything about this film screams "untouchable classic."
Rhett might not "give a damn" if he ever sees Scarlett again, but "Gone with the Wind" fans will give more than a damn if anyone tries to mess with this masterpiece.
Of course, while some movies are just too exceptional to remake, others are just too bizarre ...
No. 4: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
A sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania, doesn't just come along every day.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is so outrageously bizarre and so bizarrely outrageous, that attempting to remake it would be like Brad Pitt jumping up and down on Oprah's couch yelling about how much he loves Angelina -- some moments just cannot be duplicated.
Besides that, there is absolutely no way that anyone can make this movie better than it already is. From the insane plot, to the incredible soundtrack, to the unforgettable image of a young Susan Sarandon running around in her bra and panties, the original is a gem so rare that it must -- and we emphasize "MUST" -- remain untainted by the modern commercial machine that is Hollywood.
Otherwise, we will sick the "star" of this next film after them ...
No. 3: Jaws (1975)
Trying to remake this movie would be biting off more than even Jaws himself could chew. Granted, the special effects might be more sophisticated in a remake, but the sheer genius of the original would swallow any attempted recreation whole.
This movie has prevented millions of people from swimming in the ocean for the rest of their lives -- that is how scary it is!
No amount of CGI special effects could ever have the type of impact on audiences that the original "Jaws" had, and continues to have.
So a word of warning to any movie company thinking about remaking this terror-filled work of art: Stop thinking about it!
If you don't, you might just end up in a predicament similar to the main character in our next choice of "remake taboo" ...
No. 2: The Exorcist (1973)
What could be more terrifying than a little girl possessed by a demon spirit, speaking in tongues, spinning her head completely around and levitating above her bed while her eyes are rolled up in the back of her head?
Apparently nothing. Because no film before or since "The Exorcist" has reached the level of sheer horror that movie was able to achieve. Many have tried, and many have failed.
So it would not be surprising if Hollywood bigwigs decided one day that if they can't make a scarier film than "The Exorcist," maybe they should just remake the original. Well, it didn't work with "The Omen" and it wouldn't work with "The Exorcist" either.
Pazuzu would be rolling over in his hell fire at the mere thought of an Exorcist remake. There is only one movie more untouchable than this one, though, and that is ...
No. 1: The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Arguably the most loved and respected film ever made, "The Wizard of Oz" is as entertaining today as it was in 1939. Trying to recapture the magic of Oz would be as futile as trying to outrun the wind (unless, of course, you are Mark Walberg in "The Happening.") While James Franco and Mila Kunis flirted with a remake in "Oz the Great and Powerful," they stayed away from the original script.
It is a very rare occurrence when everything about a movie clicks together in perfect synchronicity. But in "The Wizard of Oz," that is exactly what happened.
That kind of magic could never be recreated; and anyone who would have a head big enough to think they could make a version better than the original wouldn't be able to fit inside the studio anyway.
There's no place like home, and there's no place for a remake of one of the greatest films ever created.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
American , born 1955
Jeff Brouws documents the contemporary American landscape in photographs that also reveal traces of history: "I often feel like a visual anthropologist recording our present day civilization," he has said of his practice. Brouws' photographs reveal a civilization transitioning out of an industrial economy into an undefined future. Among the evidence of this transition, which Brouws presents in a deadpan yet poetic style, are abandoned gas stations, crumbling factories, and highway vistas punctuated with commercial advertisements.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Glasses :
Discount Prescription Glasses
Discount Prescription J-Lo Glasses
discount prescription j-lo glasses: jennifer lopez has always incorporated her sense of style into every aspect of her life, including eyewear. in 2001, jennifer fulfilled one of her greatest fantasies when she launched her signature collection of eyewear, jlo by jennifer lopez. jennifer lopez started the trend of celebrity fashion brands and has made her sense of style and fashion available to the fashion forward throughout the world.
Discount Prescription J-Lo Glasses - 100% Authentic J-Lo Glasses - Brand New J-Lo Glasses


text:
CHICAGO (AP) — Two Chicago women on Wednesday became the first same-sex couple to say their vows in Illinois after a federal judge granted an expedited marriage license because of one woman's ailing health.
Patricia Ewert and Vernita Gray took the vows in a private ceremony, days after a judge agreed to expedite their wedding because of Gray's terminal cancer.
Illinois legalized gay marriage earlier this month, becoming the 16th state to legalize the practice. But the law doesn't take effect until June 1 — a date both women feared Gray might not live to see.
So the women filed a lawsuit in federal court late Friday last week, citing Gray's cancer as a reason to get a marriage license quickly. Then on Monday, a judge ordered the license and Cook County clerk officials hand-delivered it.
The two, who are in their 60s, became engaged in 2009.
"This is the realization of a very long cherished dream for them both," Camilla Taylor, the head of the legal advocacy group Lambda Legal, which helped represent the couple, said before the ceremony.
She said marriage also means that Ewert can be better protected when it comes to taxes and other federal benefits not guaranteed with a civil union.
Their legal challenge could be just the beginning and may fuel efforts to change the effective date of the law, which Gov. Pat Quinn signed last week. There's legislation pending to allow the law to take effect immediately and it could come up in late January when lawmakers gather in Springfield.
Quinn, who helped Illinois legalize civil unions in 2011, said if lawmakers sent him that bill he'd sign it.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
Turkish Quince Stew
(Ayva Yahnisi - Marmara Region)
150 gr. lamb, cut in cubes
1 + 3/4 cups hot water
3 tbsp + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
10 pearl onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 quince, peeled, removed the core, cut in medium size
1 tbsp Grape Molasses
1/2 tsp oregano
1 pinch crushed pepper
10-12 Turkish black olives
Cook the lamb cubes with their own juice. Then add 1 cup of hot water, cook at medium-low heat until all the water evaporates and the lamb pieces soften.
Meanwhile, saute all the onions with 3 tbsp olive oil about 2-3 minutes at medium heat in an another medium size pot. Add the quince and continue to saute for about 4-5 more minutes until they are pink at medium heat while stirring. Add the garlic, saute until the smell of garlic comes out. Add 3/4 cup hot water, cooked lamb, grape molasses, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover the lid, cook for about 8-10 minutes until the quince are fork tender.
Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and add Turkish black olives in it. Serve while still warm with Turkish bread.
2 servings.
Labels: Lamb- Beef -Veal


text:
Visa issues have forced former World Victory Road featherweight standout Ronnie Mann (18-2-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) out of a Bellator 40 bout with Josh Arocho (13-9 MMA, 0-0 BFC).
However, two preliminary-card fights have been added to Saturday's card, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed with event sources.
They include welterweights Tyler Stinson (19-7 MMA, 1-2 BFC) vs. Nate James (11-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) and heavyweights Eric Prindle (6-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Josh Burns (6-3 MMA, 0-0 BFC).
Featuring welterweight champion Ben Askren (7-0 MMA, 4-0 BFC) in a non-title contest with Nick Thompson (38-13-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC), Bellator 40 takes place April 9 at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla.
The night's MTV2-broadcast main card features just three bouts, but some of the prelims are expected to make the broadcast in highlights or prerecorded form.
Stinson, the winner of a Bellator open tryout in 2010, competed in the organization's season-two tourney but ultimately was eliminated by Dan Hornbuckle, who posted a runner-up finish in the eight-man field. Stinson has won three of his past four fights, including a Bellator 22 submission victory over Leonardo Pecanha.
James is an Oklahoma-based fighter who competes close to home. He's fought for a variety of organizations throughout the Midwest. He looks for his third straight victory when he meets Stinson.
Prindle, meanwhile, is an Arizona-based fighter and Rage in the Cage veteran who recently ventured to Las Vegas to train with former UFC champ Brock Lesnar. The heavyweight prospect is riding a four-fight win streak with three of the victories coming via strikes.
Burns, a Michigan-based fighter is an MMA Big Show and MMA Xplosion veteran who recently snapped a three-fight losing streak with a first-round TKO of Jeffrey Kugel.
The latest Bellator 40 card now includes:
- Champ Ben Askren vs. Nick Thompson (non-title bout)
- Jay Hieron vs. Brent Weedman (welterweight-tourney semifinal)
- Michael Chandler vs. Llyod Woodard (lightweight-tourney semifinal)
- Nate James vs. Tyler Stinson*
- Josh Burns vs. Eric Prindle*
* – Not officially announced
For more on Bellator 40, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Tyler Stinson)


text:
In case you missed it, Nov. 18 was "Have Sex With a Guy With a Mustache Day," part of a Web video campaign by Asylum, a site that caters to, well, guys.
Something else you may have missed: clean-shaven comedian Rob Riggle of "The Daily Show" fame cursing up a storm in a recent Internet video, appropriately titled, "Profanity Ninja."
The two shorts, which make for NSFW viewing, sound like just some of the latest bawdy online silliness. But both videos employ comedy for a cause.
The Asylum mustache piece is a part of the Movember push to raise money for prostate and testicular cancer research. Riggle's profane video is the latest installment in Comedy Fights Malaria, an effort to purchase mosquito nets that was launched last month.
One thing we love about both is the humor the campaigns wring out of seemingly endless celebrity-filled fundraisers, trying to stave off compassion fatigue with some pre-emptive laughs.
"Hi, I'm an actor – you should listen to me!" Elizabeth Banks, currently of "30 Rock," declares with faux haughtiness in the kick-off malaria video.
"I know what you're thinking, they're gonna ask me for money soon. Just keep watching," adds B.J. Novak of "The Office."
They do ask for cash: $10 dollars to buy a mosquito net to help prevent some 2,000 deaths from malaria a day, primarily in Africa.
The "Mustache," video, which features comedians Ilana Glazer, Brooke Van Poppelen and Arden Myrin, among others, is somewhat less family friendly in its language, but not in its sentiment. "You're not a whore if it's for charity," is the most memorable – and perhaps the cleanest – line.
In "Profanity Ninja," Riggle tells a story from his schooldays about how he unleashed a slew of curses and classmates followed after the lights went out during an assembly. Everybody got away with it.
"Childhood is about not getting in trouble," Riggle says in the video, which notes a child dies from malaria every 45 seconds in Africa.
Check out some of the comedy charity videos below – and perhaps think about what you're most thankful for amid the laughs.
U.S. & World
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
This article is from the archive of our partner .
If case you haven't heard, there's a very smelly and disgusting cruise ship stranded in the Gulf of Mexico right now. It's still several hours away from limping into port, but CNN has got you covered right now with riveting wall-to-wall coverage of the slowest moving boat in the world.
The 24-hour cable network has been covering the "floating petri dish" almost non-stop, pausing only very briefly to talk about things like the Oscar Pistorius murder case and the complex inner workings of the federal government. But don't go away for long because they'll be right back to talk about the Carnival Cruise Lines ship that is only slight closer to shore than the last time.
Here's a recap of about 30 minutes worth of CNN's coverage today, from roughly 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. This is one of CNN's "exclusive" shots of the boat, taken from an on-shore camera:
Here it is again. Only with a weird lighthouse next to it.
The anchor has something to say, but the boat is still moving closer.
Now let's cut to this guy, who is also on water, but not on the boat. His camera isn't as good as the one trained on the boat.
On the left is the boat the way it looks now, according to the "live exclusive" shot on land. On the right is the way it looked 20 minutes ago, according to CNN's helicopter "exclusive" shot from the air, and apparently on tape delay. Believe it or not, it's the same boat.
This guy is a former employee of Carnival Cruises. That's why he's so happy to share the screen.
Here's the boat, and one of the tug boats dragging back to shore. Did you know people can walk faster than 1 mile an hour?
Can we get a close-up of one of the other tug boats?
The Carnival guy is back! He brought a friend, for dual talking head action.
Hold on, everyone. The President of the United States is speaking. That doesn't mean you can't still watch the boat down in the corner.
The Senate does not have the 60 votes needed to remove a live shot of the boat from out of this discussion.
Don't forget to turn into the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer for more exciting boat videos.
Update: "Breaking" news here...
Just in to @cnn -- first dismal photos from *inside* stricken cruise ship >> twitter.com/vplus/status/3…— Vaughn Sterling CNN (@vplus) February 14, 2013
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to email@example.com.


text:
HDD Pictures of Swimming Pond: Free Chemical Swimming Pool
Swimming pond is a way clearer and cleaner than swimming pool because it avoids chemical substances. Many people love to swim, yet they do not like the chlorine because the chlorine will make their skin dry and flaky. The condition can be worse if you have a sensitive skin, the chemical substance can me your skin itchy. This natural swimming pool comes as a solution of those problems. This natural swimming pool was firstly constructed in the mid of 1980's in Germany and Austria, then it becomes popular until now.
Swimming pond offers you extraordinary experiences. It provides fresh water, plants, green landscape and the most important thing is free from chemical substance. You can plant water lilies, sedges or the other plants in the pool. This pool has walls that separate between the pool and the plant area. This pool is surrounded by plants and the water flow is connected between the pool and the plant area, so it may attract the animal such as mosquitos, water strider and dragonfly. But, you do not need to be worry, you may install skimmer to chase away the animal.
In addition, if you want to construct this natural pool, it is required to install ultraviolet sterilizer and pump area. The pump can filter the water that make the water clean. Ultraviolet sterilizer can protect you from evil and dangerous bacteria; this equipment is also used in Aquarium to protect the fish from viruses, bacteria, algae and protozoa. The owner of this natural pool has double protection. The first protection is from artificial equipment such as skimmer, ultraviolet sterilizer and pump filter and the second protection is from plants that can provide fresh water and beautify the landscape. If you already had the swimming pool, do not be upset because you can convert your old swimming pool into swimming pond.
Pictures of swimming pond creatures is created to be the inspiration of for you. This image was published on January 6, 2017 and published by admin this is fall into the category Home Decor, the size of image is
1200 x 900
and this post has 20 related images. If you have any questions please Contact Us. Hope it could inspire you, our beloved reader in lonelybloggers.com, back to article please click Swimming Pond: Free Chemical Swimming Pool.
Here we have 20 great photos about Swimming Pond: Free Chemical Swimming Pool. We hope you enjoyed it and if you want to download the pictures in high quality, simply just click the image and you will be redirected to the download page of Swimming Pond: Free Chemical Swimming Pool.


text:
Agoria Federal promotes and protects the interests of the Agoria member companies with all relevant decision makers from the political, economic, social and academic world. Through targeted actions this policy unit advocates a favorable business environment for the benefit of the technology industry in Belgium.
Your contact Marc Lambotte
More events on the french or dutch version of our website
Coronavirus – Technology industry operating at 86% (Agoria) As reported by Agoria, the sector federation: since the restart in early May, work within the technology industry has further increased to 86% in June. It is expected to increase further to 90% over the next six months.
Reopening Europe's External Borders: Recommendation of the European Council On 30 June 2020, the European Council issued a recommendation with a number of guidelines for the EU as a whole, making it possible for Member States to open their borders to travellers from outside Europe as of 1 July. Within this European framework, it is up to each Member State to decide when, under what conditions and from which countries travellers will be allowed in again.
Bart Steukers future CEO of Agoria Bart Steukers (58) is to be the new CEO of technology federation Agoria as of 1 April 2021. He will succeed Marc Lambotte, who will retire from Agoria at the age of 65. The board of directors already made this decision for a smooth transition in these difficult coronavirus times, Mr Lambotte said.
Belgian cold stores boost the economy of Idiofa (DRC) Together with Belgian partner organisations, Horizon Ethical Projects (HEP) is setting up CSR projects in the South to support entrepreneurship within rural communities. A number of Agoria members are also bringing their weight to bear in the cold storage project in Idiofa (DRC). "But the approach can be even more sustainable," stresses HEP chairman Luc Vierendeels. The aim is a centre of competence on renewable energy.


text:
I repeat, yet again, that I think a lot is at stake on this question - there are implications for the way we think about the relationship between emptiness and language, and for how we understand the two truths. Both are critical for gaining liberation - at least according to the Madhyamikan's.gregkavarnos wrote:Tell you what, instead of wasting our precious time in intellectual mutual masturbation, let's put all our effort into reaching enlightenment and whoever get's there first can come back and tell the other one exactly what goes on inside the mind of a Buddha.
Of course there's always the chance that the one that has not reached enlightenment won't be able to comprehend the enlightened one, in which case the enlightened one will be forced to utilise conceptual/relative language, and the unenlightened one will then surmise that the enlightened one still has a conceptual mind.
Did anybody catch what colour underwear the archer was wearing?
And actually, your example describes perfectly why I think this an issue - we cannot know, one way or the other, how a buddha apprehends.
Yet, there are often strong assertions (not arguments, simple assertions) to the contrary: that we do know, categorically, how a buddha relates through language to ordinary sentient beings.
This kind of knowledge is basically grounded in scriptural authority: "Because it says so in the prajnaparmita's/or a tantric text."
My point is that a Madhyamikan ought to be able to provide a logical argument, not merely an appeal to a sutric or tantric text. So far none has been provided.


text:
Want to be a better pet parent? Check out these top iPhone apps that every good doggy mommy or daddy should download.
If you love trying new apps, read this review to learn how you can make money doing what you already enjoy.
These 6 super apps will help you read more on the go, get more from the text you do read, and make each juicy word more enriching.
If you're a savvy shopper with a smart phone, you're in luck. Instead of running from store to store comparing prices, you can do so right from your phone.
Become a fan
Follow us
Enter your email address to subscribe:


text:
WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- First lady Michelle Obama has canceled plans to speak at a high school graduation in Topeka, Kan., after students and parents complained security concerns would limit the seating for friends and family to attend the ceremony they said should focus on the students.
Obama will instead speak at a "Senior Recognition Day" for the district, Topeka Unified School District 501, on May 16, the day before graduation.
A petition on Change.org, which had nearly 2,800 signatures at the time of the White House's decision, said students had been thrilled their district had been able to get the first lady for commencement, but that the logistics would make the day a nightmare.
Students would have been limited to no more than six tickets for guests to attend the graduation ceremony, held at the Kansas Expocenter. A spokesman for USD 501 said an estimated 7,800 seats would have been available for the graduates of the five high schools and their guests and the combined ceremony.
The petition estimated that, between the combined ceremony and additional security measures, commencement day could stretch to eight hours.
A statement from the first lady's office said they had been "eager to find a solution that enabled all of the students and families to celebrate the special day."
Obama's speech will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that desegregated public schools.


text:
- Home
- Blogs
- Community
- Big Game Hunting
- Regional
- Firearms
- Archery
- Muzzleloader
- Gear Bag
Nutria Incentive Program Ends with 168,843 Harvested
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) 2005-06 Coastwide Nutria Control Program concluded on March 31, 2006 with 216 participants harvesting 168,843 nutria.
The harvest began on the first day of trapping season, Nov. 20, 2005. The goal of the program, funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act, is to reduce or eliminate damage to Louisiana's wetlands caused by nutria by increasing the annual harvest to 400,000 nutria. Registered participants received a $4 incentive for each nutria tail brought to official collection locations along Louisiana's coast.
The program area was bounded on the north by Interstate 10 from the Texas line to Baton Rouge, Interstate 12 from Baton Rouge to Slidell, and I-10 from Slidell to the Mississippi line.
Trappers harvested 128,692 fewer nutria than last year, when they took 297,535. The decrease can primarily be traced to lack of hunter participation due to hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
The majority of nutria harvested this year were in the central portion of the state, which also has the most wetland damage caused by nutria. The highest harvest occurred in Terrebonne parish with 57,756 nutria, and the second largest harvest happened in Lafourche parish with 24,668 nutria. Other parishes with significant harvests were St. Mary (21,023 nutria), St. Martin (15,903 nutria) and St. Charles (13,807 nutria).
LDWF is assessing the amount and severity of the nutria damage for 2006 during aerial surveys conducted in April and May. A final report on the 2005-06 incentive program and aerial surveys will be available in July at the following Web sites:
www.nutria.com and www.wlf.louisiana.gov.
Information was collected from each participant to determine the method of take, carcass use, and harvest date and location. The information on the harvest location was refined to each participant's lease this year to show a more precise location of nutria harvest.
For more information, contact Edmond Mouton at 337-373-0032 [email protected]. 2006-143


text:
Get a Price for My Group
You have indicated an interest in getting a group price quote for a trip that includes accomodations at the following hotel:
Krystal Cancun
Cancun, Mexico
Spring Break
StudentCity is currently offering group discounts and they won't last!
Book a group of 16+ people and StudentCity will pay for your trip as the Group Organizer. You can also earn commission, a free party package, VIP perks, and more. Get started today to learn about all that you can enjoy when traveling with a large group.
Don't wait, or these group discounts will be gone! Request a group quote by submitting the information below.


text:
Shadow communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has confirmed a Coalition government would honour existing contracts for the National Broadband Network (NBN).
However, Turnbull said the Coalition would consider negotiating a round of further contracts to complete the roll out of a national network based on fibre-to-the-node technology, instead of the fibre-to-the-premises model currently being employed for the NBN build.
"You might complete the contacts that you've already got for fibre-to-the-premises and then enter into new ones for fibre-to-the-node," he told Computerworld Australia.
Last night, Turnbull also indicated a Coalition government would not build the NBN in areas currently serviced by HFC in the "near term", which employs a mix of copper and fibre, covering around 30 per cent of Australia.
"You wouldn't be overbuilding the HFC areas in the near term because they're getting very good service already," he said on ABC's Lateline program.
Turnbull has previously indicated he would retain the HFC network in order to remove "barriers to competition" with the NBN.
However, retaining the HFC network would require key NBN contacts to be renegotiated, including an $11 billion agreement between Telstra and NBN Co and an $800 million agreement between Optus and NBN Co.
Mark Feetham, partner at law firm K&L Gates, said contract renegotiation might not be a straightforward process.
He said some contracts might need to undergo regulatory approval from the ACCC, a process the current Telstra and Optus agreements with NBN Co had to go through.
"Generally contracts don't allow one party to dictate a change. However, some government contracts will require the parties to negotiate in good faith," Feetham said.
"If the parties aren't able to reach an agreement, then sometimes the clause will go on and say that if the parties aren't able to agree after a period of time, then one party can terminate the agreement.
"It's unlikely that the contract's going to have a unilateral right for the government just to vary the contract."
In cases where agreements are terminated, Feetham said compensation would need to be paid.
"The leverage that the Coalition government would have would depend on whether the terms of those contracts allowed for a reshaping or a re-scoping or a possible right to terminate the contract in the event of regulatory change," Feetham said.
Although the Coalition has repeatedly stated it would mainly use a fibre-to-the-node network for the NBN in brownfield premises, with fibre-to-the-premises in greenfield developments, Turnbull said he is not completely against FTTH as a technology.
"What you have to do is balance a bunch of different things," Turnbull told Computerworld Australia.
"You've got to balance the service [and make sure] the infrastructure you're proposing to build can deliver both … capability and in terms of what customers actually need or will pay for.
"Then you've got to think about how much it is going to cost, because that's going to impact on how much you're going to have to charge for it – the more it costs, the more you're going to have to charge.
"If money was no object and you didn't care how much money you spent and you didn't care how long it took, yes you would do fibre into every house – without a doubt."
However, Turnbull conceded that the "claimed" benefit of FTTH is that it can deliver much higher speeds – up to 1Gbps, in the future.
"That is not feasible under fibre-to-the-node – at least in the present time," Turnbull said.
"Although it's worth noting that the NBN is advertising 100Mbps as their top speed product and of course 100Mbps is way more than most people either need or let alone will pay for, as indeed the carriers have found out already because … Telstra's offering a 100Mbps product on HFC and hasn't had much success in selling it."
Telstra's HFC network passes 2.8 million premises.
Further NBN delays a "debacle"
On Wednesday, NBN Co said contractor Syntheo was responsible for NBN Co downgrading its premises passed target for June 2013.
Addressing a Senate Estimates hearing, NBN Co didn't reveal the specific problem that led to the change in targets.
"This performance in WA, SA and the NT does not fill you with any confidence … We are constantly getting anecdotal reports of the rollout not being effective and not meeting targets, even the reduced targets that they set in August last year," Turnbull said.
The NBN has suffered previous delays stretching back to March 2011, when NBN Co blamed protracted negotiations with Telstra for delays to the launch of second release sites for the network.
In August last year NBN Co blamed the ACCC for contributing to a nine-month delay due to the approval process required by the watchdog for the $11 billion definitive agreements between Telstra and NBN Co.
Turnbull described the latest rollout delay as a "debacle" and took a swipe at what he said was NBN Co's lack of transparency, which he has said has hindered the Coalition in costing its version of the NBN.
"NBN management, as you know, are hardly forthcoming," Turnbull said.
"For a company whose main product is glass fibre, they're not very transparent."
Election 2013:
Oakeshott: Coalition's NBN may only save $5 billion
Coalition should keep Australian cyber security centre, says academic
ACS pushes for technology curriculum reform
Follow Stephanie McDonald on Twitter: @stephmcdonald0
Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU


text:
The A-88MKII is supremely playable, with onboard creative tools for today's musicians and producers.
Pro production for smartphone live streaming.
Roland India Fan Page.
Stay up to date with Roland news, artists, promotions, events, and more.
This channel provides information of the Roland's best quality electronic musical instruments. Provides an overview of key features, functions and operational tips.
Welcome to our global family. The Roland Worldwide Social Network keeps you connected to the latest products, exciting events, and much more.


text:
Associated Press
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Derrek Lee Hager had just dropped off his girlfriend in the Texas Panhandle and was headed with four other friends to a nearby town to continue enjoying their spring break.
But the teens never made it, perishing in a fiery wreck near Dumas after the driver ran a stop sign and collided with a tanker loaded with fuel.
The deaths of the five Texas teens came the same day as an accident in Ohio that killed six and a day before a crash in Illinois killed four. Three teenagers died Friday in Indiana when police said the drivers of two pickups ran a four-way stop and collided.
The deadly accidents serve as horrific reminders of the perils of teen driving but contrast statistics indicating that fatal crashes among teen drivers have declined during the past decade, according to a report released last month by the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety offices. The report also indicates that deaths of younger teen drivers sharply increased during the first six months of last year, reversing a 10-year trend.
There were 435 16-year-old drivers killed in 2000, according to the report, but by 2011 that had dropped to 173. During the same time period, deaths among 17-year-old drivers dropped from 564 to 250.
But deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers in traffic accidents during the first six months of 2012 rose a combined 19 percent during the same period of the previous year, from 202 to 240 deaths. The report, which does not include passenger deaths, is based on preliminary state data that sometime changes.
Despite the recent increase, overall teen driving deaths are significantly lower than they were a decade ago, when teen drivers traveled with fewer state-imposed restrictions, including limits on driving with teen passengers and driving at night.
Deaths of young passengers when the driver was between the ages of 15 and 20 have dropped significantly since 1982, when 1,898 riders within the same age range died, according to the report. In 2011, the year for which most recent data are available, the number of deaths of passengers between 15 and 20 years old dropped to 777, the report showed.
Meanwhile, fewer American teens are getting driver's licenses, part of a demographic segment that also includes those in their 20s and 30s, transportation researchers have found. Among those groups, the number of people with driver's licenses has dropped significantly during the past three decades in the United States and in some other wealthy nations with a high proportion of Internet users.
Researchers surmise that virtual contact through Internet and other electronic means is reducing the need for face-to-face visits among young people, researchers say.
Early Tuesday, the bodies of four high school students from Wilmington, Ill., aged 15 to 17, were recovered from a nearby creek.
Will County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ken Kaupas said it appeared the driver hit a patch of water or ice and lost control. The car tore through a guard rail on the bridge and plunged into the water.
Wilmington Mayor Marty Orr said at a news conference that the city was still coming to grips with the magnitude of the tragedy.
"This really kind of increases it tenfold but we'll get through it," he said.
In Texas, Hager's father said Tuesday that both vehicles involved in the crash were engulfed by flames, prompting investigators to turn to DNA to positively identify the teenagers in the car. The 18-wheeler's driver, Ezequiel Garcia, remained in critical condition with burns over 65 percent of his body.
Terrance Hager said, despite shock and disbelief, he's found one comfort in the loss of his 17-year-old son.
"I know he's with his mom," he said, referring to his wife's death eight years ago. She was killed in a traffic accident involving an 18-wheeler right outside the family's home in Stratford, 30 minutes north of Dumas near the Oklahoma border.
The teens' deaths have affected families throughout the Texas Panhandle, a local official said Tuesday.
"It's had a big effect on the whole area, and I think it always seems more tragic when you have a loss of life when people are so young," said Dr. David Bonner, the mayor pro tem of Dumas.
Two of the teens were sisters from Dumas, a ranching and farming town of about 15,000. The others were from a nearby small town.
The collision occurred Sunday, about 45 miles north of Amarillo. Preliminary reports indicate that alcohol was not a factor and an investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
Killed were Jacob Paul Stipe, 16, of Sunray, Hager and Christopher Lee Moore, both 17 and from Sunray, and October Dawn Roys, 17, and her younger sister, Elizabeth Kay Roys, 15.
According to a report on the Ohio crash released Tuesday, the 19-year-old driver of an allegedly stolen SUV that plunged into water and killed six of the eight people inside did not have a current driver's license. Two teens who survived the crash told police the woman was speeding and driving recklessly before Sunday's accident.
The Indiana wreck happened after six students off from school to attend a Future Farmers of America event at a rural church left the event. Three died at the scene and three others were injured. Police believe both drivers ran a four-way stop, with a Dodge truck hitting a smaller Ford F-250 broadside.
Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau in Chicago and Joan Lowy in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.


text: Yale Digital Safes The Yale Digital Safe range combines the most advanced digital technology and materials to provide: • Immediate access to valuables using keypad/PIN technologyYale Digital Safes widen the range of your valuables. You can now protect those valuables that you usually leave out in the open, including credit cards or those items that are meaningful and unique to you, such as personal diaries, love letters and more.• Access valuables in the darkThis digital safe range offers an easy-to-read backlit display and extra-bright LED interior lighting to give you convenient access to your valuables in a completely dark environment.• Comprehensive protection against fire, humidity and burglaryYale Digital Safes can now secure a wider range of valuables from both immediate and long-term damage. They protect expensive items such as jewelry, and also preserve temperature- and humidity-sensitive belongings such as digital devices and paper documents.


text:
Photographer's Note
This photo was taken from the Bratislavský hrad, the castle of Bratislava when I came over from Vienna for a day. It shows the view over the Danaube towards the southern suburb of Petrzalka. The title is the name of the road which goes from left to right through the photo.
When post processing this scanned photo I first worked on the color version and for fun I tried a B&W conversion because it was pretty colorless (cloudy), which wasn't a real succes. So I deceided to try a B&W conversion from start (my first real one) and this one is the result.
Critiques | Translate
pboehringer (770) 2007-03-06 12:26
Hi Harko, I'm not quite sure if there is anything to be said regarding your PP. It looks perfect to me, but I'm not a B&W expert either. You're rigth that translating a color image simply by taking the color away is not the way to go, although quite tempting. At some critique at TE I found an interesting link to a web-page that dedicates some thougths and technique suggestions for the B&W conversion.
By the way, the post has a considerable tilt to the right.
Cheers, Peter
Wanda1 (15142) 2007-03-06 23:58
Hi Harko,
A nice sharp shot showing great details especially on the row of buildings and the cars on the bridge. Well composed from a great point of view. I think that your black and white conversion came out well!
Standa (1877) 2007-04-11 4:20
Hi Harko,
your B/W choice remindes me the socialist era in Slovakia (former Czechoslovakia) - the life seemed gray or B/W like your photo :(
Photo Information
- Copyright: Harko Pilot (TravelerNL) (3011)
- Genre: Lieux
- Medium: Noir & blanc
- Date Taken: 2005-08-00
- Categories: Transports, Architecture
- Camera: Sigma SA-300, Sigma 35-80mm, Fuji Sensia
- Versions: version originale
- Date Submitted: 2007-03-06 11:57
- To pboehringer: Thanks (1)
by TravelerNL, last updated 2007-03-06 12:46


text:
American: The Bill Hicks Story (imdb) is a fine, must see documentary for all comedy fans and People of Counterculture. The movie shows us a man who during his own lifetime lived and breathed relentless dedication to speaking hurtful truths to barely receptive small-town comedy club audiences, but was privileged enough to witness the early days of his persona's journey towards cult-like status.
You can buy your own copy or rent a stream (HD quality available) on the film's site. A 720p copy can be downloaded illegally over bittorrent.
The documentary is definitely worth its weight in HD bandwidth thanks to a ton of gorgeous animations made from photo cutouts. Lazy, white-trash Finnish fans might however enjoy the free, subtitled low-res copy of the movie on The Finnish Broadcasting Company's Areena streaming site (25 days of geographically restricted availability left at the time of posting).
[via:Linda Rajalin]


text:
thats epic!
Half-Life Episode Two begins exactly where Half-Life ended, after accepting the job agreement with Gman Gordon freeman is sent back to the Black Mesa Research Facility, why? Its up to you to find out.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
This is a work in progress of the map I been working on lately, feel free to comment.


text:
Google I/O conference may highlight new phone and online software
SAN FRANCISCO -- Google will have a difficult time matching the spectacle of last year's surprise sky-diving demonstration over Moscone Center, but several thousand software developers and other techies are still eager to see what the giant Internet company plans to show off this year at the annual conference known as I/O.
Along with a new Nexus smartphone and possibly other gadgets, analysts and tech bloggers are looking for a demonstration of new applications for the wearable computer known as Glass, as well as updates to Google's Android mobile software, a new online messaging service and possibly other new products.
I/O, which runs Wednesday through Friday, is a chance for developers and analysts who don't work at Google to talk shop and trade coding tips with the company's own software experts. But it's also become known as the event where Google showcases its latest big ideas.
That was the case last year, when Google co-founder Sergey Brin showed off the new Glass device by hosting a video chat with several sky divers who wore the Internet-connected gadget as they parachuted to the roof of the Moscone West convention building in downtown San Francisco.
"The first question is: 'What stunt will they play this year?' " Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said in a blog post this week. "Last year's parachuting on the Moscone Center was pretty special."
But after that spectacle, Google appears to be trying to lower expectations for this year. While the company usually gives few clues about planned announcements, Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai recently suggested the emphasis will be on new online services, rather than shiny new hardware.
"It's going to be different. It's not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system," Pichai told Wired magazine. Adding that the conference will focus on writing programs for Google's Android and Chrome operating systems, he said, "We will show how Google services are doing amazing things on top of these two platforms."
Pichai oversees the Chrome business and also recently took over Google's Android division from veteran executive Andy Rubin, who moved to an undisclosed new assignment at the company. Analysts are hoping for news about Rubin's new project this week.
CEO Larry Page did not make a major speech at last year's conference, and he is expected to keep a relatively low profile again this year. He announced Tuesday that he has partial vocal cord paralysis, which he said has not interfered with his job but still makes long speeches "more tedious for me, and probably the audience."
Based on previous conferences, Google is likely to show off a new smartphone bearing the Nexus brand, which the company uses to demonstrate its latest software and services. Analysts say Google has hinted that it may also have news about an Internet television service and an online messaging system called Babel, rumored to be Google's answer to popular competing services like Line and WhatsApp.
Google also has reportedly been working to build an online streaming music service, which may be announced this week.
Contact Brandon Bailey at 408-920-5022; follow him at Twitter.com/BrandonBailey.


text:
Ski resorts turn to terrain-based teaching, using sculpted zones to reduce fear, boost fun
NORTH CONWAY, N.H. (AP) � Allison Willette's first few skiing lessons left her with a sore butt and aching knees, but not a lot of skills. But one day's worth of terrain-based learning made all the difference.
"Yesterday was probably the first day that I enjoyed it," she said.
The instruction Willette got at Cranmore Mountain Resort is a new approach that uses sculpted zones to control students' speed and reduce fears and falls. Without worrying about sliding down the mountain out of control, students can focus on building skills because the banks, berms and bumps naturally slow them down.
That means less emphasis on "snowplowing," or pointing the skis into a wedge shape to slow down. Less time learning to stop, more time learning to go.
"Back in the good old days, we used to get people into a wedge right off the jump, but the wedge was more of a defensive posture, something to slow down and stop with," said instructor Dave Bartlett. "But we were kind of resisting the forces we're working with."
The new method put the emphasis on shaping those forces, Bartlett said, getting students more comfortable more quickly.
Willette, of Hadley, Mass., tried it out last month with her eight-year-old son. He had never been on skis; the few times she had she'd always felt intimidated. Both made quick progress.
"It allowed you to physically feel what the turn should feel like, and then you just naturally push in the right direction. So you kind of disengage your brain, and you can do it," she said. "I learned quickly how to make turns there, and I was able to apply that to the flatter field."
Students start out on flat snow, getting a feel for their skis. The next zone is a mini-pipe, where they slide down one side of a gentle, U-shaped slope and part way up the other. The slope is a bit steeper in the "roller" zone, which is followed by a short section of trail with banks and berms that guide students through three turns. The "traverse trax" zone includes eight turns and is the last stop before students head to the chairlift to try out a beginner trail.
Cranmore, along with Vermont's Bromley Mountain and Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts, is one of three New England resorts that partnered with the consulting firm Snow Operating LLC to start terrain-based learning this year. Others that have adopted the approach in recent years include Breckenridge and Vail in Colorado, Northstar in California and Mountain Creek in New Jersey.
Kelly Coffey, training manager for the Breckenridge Ski and Ride School, said he has seen a marked improvement in his students, sometimes even before they actually try out the course. A family of four who took a lesson during the Christmas holiday were visibly nervous when they put on their skis, but by the time he finished explaining the zones, they were more relaxed.
"I could just see the tension in their bodies just flow out," said Coffey, who also is a freestyle specialist for the Professional Ski Instructors of America. "From then on, I was able to get them to move a lot easier, and more gracefully, and we could progress more quickly. There were times I wanted them to turn, and they didn't accomplish it, but they didn't panic."
Karen Dolan, director of Cranmore's snowsports school, said she has seen many trends come and go during her 40 years in the industry but she believes terrain-based learning has sticking power because it makes learning more fun. And boosting the fun factor makes it more likely that students will return � a key motivator for Cranmore and other resorts given that nationally, 85 percent of new skiers never try it again after their first outing.
Mountain Creek saw its so-called conversion rate rise from 17 percent to 65 percent after implementing terrain-based learning. It remains to be seen whether Cranmore will see a similar increase, but Dolan said that kind of improvement would more than justify the $37,500 expense of building and maintaining the new terrain zones. In the meantime, the entire resort, including groomers, snow-makers, instructors and managers, is getting used to the new program.
"They all have to be part of this culture change and understand why we're doing it. It's everybody's job to convert skiers and riders," she said. "They're here, marketing spent a lot of time getting them here, so let's make sure that they're having fun."
First-time skiers and snowboarders can try terrain-based learning for free on March 9 at the three New England resorts if they register in advance. The promotion, limited to 150 people at each resort, includes equipment rental, helmet rental, a lesson and a beginner's lift ticket.


text:
At killexams.com, we give considered Oracle 1Z0-071 preparing sources the lovely to pass 1Z0-071 exam, and to get certified by method for Oracle. It is a fine decision to vitalize your work as a pro in the Information Technology industry. We are happy with our notoriety of supporting individuals pass the 1Z0-071 exam of their first endeavors. Our flourishing charges inside the past two years have been exceptional, on account of our happy customers presently arranged to result in their vocations in the most extreme advanced arrangement of strike. killexams.com is the essential decision among IT pros, specifically those who're making arrangements to climb the development extends quicker in their individual organizations. Oracle is the business undertaking pioneer in data advancement, and getting declared by them is a guaranteed approach to adapt to win with IT employments. We enable you to do strongly that with our remarkable Oracle 1Z0-071 preparing materials.
Oracle 1Z0-071 is inescapable all around the worldwide, and the business and programming productions of activity gave by methods for them are gotten an oversee on by method for each one of the organizations. They have helped in utilizing an inside and out amount of relationship on the shot technique for progress. Broad acing of Oracle matters are viewed as an essential capacity, and the specialists certified through them are remarkably appeared in all organizations.
We give genuine to goodness 1Z0-071 pdf exam question and arrangements braindumps in two designs. Download PDF and Practice Tests. Pass Oracle 1Z0-071 Exam quick and suitably. The 1Z0-071 braindumps PDF kind is to be had for examining and printing. You can print relentlessly and practice more often than not. Our pass rate is high to ninety eight.9% and the likeness expense among our 1Z0-071 syllabus remember oversee and genuine exam is ninety% in mellow of our seven-yr training premise. Do you require accomplishments inside the 1Z0-071 exam in only an unmarried endeavor? I am at the current time breaking down for the Oracle 1Z0-071 genuine exam.
As the guideline factor in any way basic here is passing the 1Z0-071 - Oracle Database 12c SQL exam. As all that you require is an unreasonable rating of Oracle 1Z0-071 exam. The best a singular component you have to do is downloading braindumps of 1Z0-071 exam bear thinking organizes now. We won't can enable you to down with our unlimited assurance. The specialists in like way keep pace with the greatest best in style exam to give most extreme of updated materials. Three months free access to can possibly them through the date of procurement. Each competitor may moreover persevere through the cost of the 1Z0-071 exam dumps through killexams.com expecting almost no exertion. Routinely markdown for everybody all.
Inside observing the real exam material of the brain dumps at killexams.com you can without a mess of an increase widen your proclaim to notoriety. For the IT experts, it's miles fundamental to upgrade their abilities as appeared with the guide of their work require. We make it basic for our clients to hold certification exam with the assistance of killexams.com certified and genuine to goodness exam fabric. For a marvelous fate in its region, our brain dumps are the Great choice.
A Great dumps developing is a fundamental section that makes it reliable a decent method to take Oracle certifications. Regardless, 1Z0-071 braindumps PDF offers settlement for hopefuls. The IT presentation is an imperative intense endeavor on the off chance that one doesn't find genuine course as obvious asset material. In this manner, we have appropriate and updated material for the organizing of certification exam.
It is fundamental to obtain to the manual material if one wishes toward shop time. As you require packs of time to search for restored and genuine exam material for taking the IT certification exam. On the off chance that you find that at one locale, what might be higher than this? Its truly killexams.com that has what you require. You can spare time and keep a key separation from inconvenience if you buy Adobe IT certification from our site.
You have to get the greatest resuscitated Oracle 1Z0-071 Braindumps with the real answers, which can be set up by method for killexams.com experts, enabling the probability to capture discovering roughly their 1Z0-071 exam course inside the five star, you won't find 1Z0-071 results of such acceptable wherever inside the commercial center. Our Oracle 1Z0-071 Practice Dumps are given to candidates at acting 100% in their exam. Our Oracle 1Z0-071 exam dumps are present day inside the market, allowing you to plan on your 1Z0-071 exam in the correct way.
if you are had with reasonably Passing the Oracle 1Z0-071 exam to begin acquiring? killexams.com has riding region made Oracle exam tends to to promise you pass this 1Z0-071 exam! killexams.com passes on you the most extreme right, blessing and front line restored 1Z0-071 exam inquiries and open with 100% genuine guarantee. several establishments that give 1Z0-071 mind dumps however the ones are not certified and front line ones. Course of movement with killexams.com 1Z0-071 new demand is an absolute best approach to manage pass this certification exam in essential way.
killexams.com Huge Discount Coupons and Promo Codes are as under;
WC2017: 60% Discount Coupon for all exams on website
PROF17: 10% Discount Coupon for Orders greater than $69
DEAL17: 15% Discount Coupon for Orders greater than $99
OCTSPECIAL: 10% Special Discount Coupon for All Orders
We are normally exceptionally careful that a basic trouble inside the IT business is that inaccessibility of gigantic well worth bear thinking materials. Our exam preparation material gives every one of you that you should take a certification exam. Our Oracle 1Z0-071 Exam will give you exam question with certified answers that mirror the genuine exam. These ask for and answers furnish you with the delight in of taking the true blue test. High bore and stimulus for the 1Z0-071 Exam. 100% certification to pass your Oracle 1Z0-071 exam and get your Oracle verification. We at killexams.com are made arrangements to engage you to pass your 1Z0-071 exam with over the top appraisals. The odds of you neglect to finish your 1Z0-071 test, after experiencing our general exam dumps are for all aims and capacities nothing.
Source / Reference:


text:
Complete Story
NTIA Awards More Broadband Mapping Funds
By: John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration has awarded another approximately $13.5 million in broadand mapping funds to seven more states.
That brings the total to 15 states that have gotten broadband stimulus mapping money.
NTIA has gotten applications from all 50 states, five territories and D.C.
The newest additions to the list are Alabama, IDaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Grantees are required to collect and verify speed and location of broadband in their states. The data will be used to create state maps as well as an interactive national map of braodband availability.
NTIA has to have that map ready by February 2011, only 15 months away.
Source: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/383244-NTIA_Awards_More_Broadband_Mapping_Funds.php?rssid=20065


text:
After then things changed between them. Apparently Serena didn't take too kindly to being beaten by Sloan and went from being Sloan's mentor to being her enemy in the blink of an eye..
In the latest issue of ESPN Magazine, Sloan blasts Serena revealing,
"She's not said one word to me, not spoken to me, not said hi, not looked my way, not been in the same room with me since I played her in Australia. And that should tell everyone something, how she went from saying all these nice things about me to unfollowing me on Twitter."
"Like, seriously! People should know. They think she's so friendly and she's so this and she's so that - no, that's not reality! You don't unfollow someone on Twitter, delete them off of BlackBerry Messenger. I mean, what for? Why?"


text:
Becton Dickinson Syringes | BD Needles
Becton Dickinson is the leading manufacturer of hypodermic needles and syringes. Often referred to as simply BD, Becton Dickinson Syringes are respected in the medical industry as the innovation leader for high-quality, easy to use syringes and needles. Healthcare practitioners favor the advanced safety-engineered features of BD needles and Becton Dickinson Syringes. Becton Dickinson syringes are available in a wide assortment of styles and sizes. Becton Dickinson needles are available in a large assortment of syringe needle lengths and needle diameters. The diversity of BD Needles and BD Syringes - Becton Dickinson Syringes include the BD UltraFine Syringes, BD Integra Syringes, BD Irrigation Syringes, BD Eclipse Needles, BD Safety Syringes, BD AutoShield Pen Needles, BD SafetyGlide Syringes, BD Prefilled Syringes, BD MicroFine Syringes, BD Allergy Syringes, BD Tuberculin Syringes, BD Oral Syringes, BD Luer-Lok Syringes, BD Catheter Tip Syringes, BD Insulin Syringes, and BD Lo-Dose Insulin Syringes. Vitality Medical carries Becton Dickinson Syringe products that we ship directly to your door. Order online Becton Dickinson today from VitalityMedical.com!
3 mL Syringes with Safety Needle by MagellanMagellan
Starting at: $14.48
1 mL Syringes with Safety Needle by MagellanMagellan
Starting at: $17.82
6 mL Syringes with Safety Needle by MagellanMagellan
Starting at: $16.70
1 mL Tuberculin Syringe 28 Gauge 1/2 Inch Safety Needle by MagellanMagellan
Starting at: $17.82


text:
Missing jet's pilot was opposition 'political activist'
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The pilot of the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished more than a week ago is a strong supporter of the political opposition leader here, but friends vehemently deny that he is a terrorist.
Flight 370 pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah has close ties with Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has been fighting a charge of sodomy. Hours before boarding the flight, Zaharie turned up at the Court of Appeal in the country's new administrative capital, Putrajaya, for a hearing at which Anwar was sentenced to five years in prison. The opposition is appealing Anwar's prison sentence.
Speaking to USA TODAY, a close friend of Zaharie, Peter Chong, said Zaharie does support the opposition but that the reports that he may have had a role in diverting the plane were "not true."
"He is a political activist, yes. And yes, he was in court for Anwar's trial and he is our strong supporter, but that does not make him a terrorist," Chong said.
Malaysian authorities said Sunday they were "refocusing their investigation" on the crew and passengers. Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said officers from the Royal Malaysia Police visited the home of the pilot, spoke to family members and began examining his flight simulator. His laptop is also being picked apart for clues, according to local media reports.
The scrutiny follows revelations Saturday that someone aboard the jet made a series of highly technical actions to deliberately hide the plane from modern detection systems. Prime Minister Najib Razak said the path of the flight, which departed from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing at 12:40 a.m. local time on March 8, was altered shortly after takeoff. The last known signal from the airliner came more than seven hours after takeoff.
The final words from the cockpit to air traffic controllers -- "All right, good night." -- apparently were spoken after the plane was diverted, Razak said.
Nirmala Nadarajah, a former Malaysia Airlines flight attendant, told USA TODAY that Zaharie is a "good, kind man."
"He loved flying. That is his biggest passion. And he was always caring. He was always concerned about being alert and fit because he considered the safety of his passengers seriously," she said. "This investigation is utter rubbish. He would never ever have hijacked the plane."
The pilot isn't the only person aboard the plane facing intensified scrutiny. Hishammuddin, also the acting transportation minister, said officers visited the home of the co-pilot and were investigating the engineers who worked on the plane.
Police chief Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar said he had requested countries with citizens on board the plane to investigate their background. He said some had already done this and found nothing suspicious, but he was waiting for others to respond. The plane was carrying 239 people.
Meanwhile, Malaysian authorities said Sunday that the number of countries involved in the search for the missing jetliner has increased from 14 to 25, as the investigation shifted its focus toward the actions of the flight crew.
Hishammuddin said 11 more countries joined the search after it was determined that the flight may have gone as far north as Central Asia, flying over several countries.
"This is a significant recalibration of the search," he said.
Authorities were hoping for more satellite data that would narrow the search, which also includes the Indian Ocean, he said.
That search involves dozens of planes and ships in an ever-widening area where the plane may have gone down. Military and government experts on Saturday pored over satellite and radar data that may shed light on the fate of the plane but so far there is no trace of debris.
According to new satellite data analyzed by the FAA, NTSB, Air Accidents Investigation Branch and Malaysian authorities, the plane's communications from the Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) were cut off just before the aircraft reached the east coast of the peninsula of Malaysia, and the aircraft's transponder was turned off shortly thereafter, near the border of Malaysia and Vietnam, Malaysian authorities said.
Shortly afterward, someone on board switched off the aircraft's transponder, which communicates with civilian air traffic controllers. Although the aircraft was flying virtually blind to air-traffic controllers at this point, on board equipment continued to send "pings" to satellites.
U.S. aviation safety experts say the shutdown of communications systems makes it clear the missing Malaysia Airlines jet was taken over by someone who knew how the plane worked.
Contributing: Calum MacLeod, John Bacon; Associated Press


text:
Our site uses cookies, by closing this cookie window or continuing to use our website you are consenting to our use of cookies. You can read our policy here which includes information on how to manage cookies.
We'll do the hard work for youStart yourCar Insurance quote >
We'll do the hard work for youStart yourHome Insurance quote >
We'll do the hard work for youStart yourBike Insurance quote >
Swinton provide caravan insurance through Safeguard.
Safeguard has been providing insurance products to help suit the needs of caravanners and motorhomers in the UK for over 25 years.
Their knowledgeable team can help you find a policy to suit your needs for:
Safeguard is an external site, if you would like to continue to safeguarduk.co.uk click below:
Take me to Safeguard
Add a handy optional extra to your policy at any time.
We know making claims can be stressful, that's why we're here to help.


text:
A press release for today's surprise Sonic Lost World new Yoshi's Island level for Wii U includes the following tease, reprinted here with the original emphasis: "And get ready to link to another special DLC for Sonic Lost World in 2014. More info to come on that one shortly."
That sure looks like the tease of a Zelda-themed level. Neat!
UPDATE: I've added an image from today's Nintendo Direct that I hadn't caught when it first aired. My stream faltered. Thankfully, many of you spotted it and pointed it out. Looks like we can consider this confirmed!


text:
- High Quality Products
- UK and EU regulated
- We sell what we vape
Hellvape Dead Rabbit RTA
Key Features:
- 24mm diameter
- 2ml e-liquid capacity
- Heat-resistant Pyrex glass
- Single and dual coil compatibility
- 810 resin widebore drip tip
- Excellent durability and a stylish design
- Leak resistant
Dead Rabbit RTA By HellVape Vape Tank is a brand new and innovative Rebuildable Tank Atomizer. The Dead Rabbit RTA has taken all of the best features from the best-selling Dead Rabbit RDA. It features a 24mm diameter, giving it a compact feel without compromising any other aspects. The Dead Rabbit RTA has been constructed using material that has great durability and a stylish appearance.
Featuring the ability to build both Single Coil and Dual Coil builds, the Dead Rabbit RTA has a top-side diagonal adjustable airflow, which brings optimal flavour and minimises e-liquid leakage effectively. Even better, an 810 wide bore drip tip rests at the top, increasing the air intake for maximum performance.
- 1 x Dead Rabbit RTA
- 1 x 810 Resin Drip Tip
- 1 x 510 SS Drip Tip Adapter
- 1 x Spare Glass
- 1 x Spare Parts Bag
- 1 x Instructional Manual
Delivery Info
At Ecigwizard, we endeavour to get your products to your door as quickly as possible. In order to achieve this, we ensure that all orders are shipped within 2 working days of the purchase date. Please note, however, in times of high demand the shipping process may take longer than expected.
*All prices may vary depending on current postal rates.
UK Mainland Orders*
- Royal Mail First Class~ Delivered within 1-3 working days.
- Royal Mail Second Class ~ Delivered within 2-4 working days.
- Royal Mail Recorded First Class ~ Delivered within 1-3 working days. Signature is required.
- DPD Next Working Day~ Delivered the next working day when order is placed before 4pm Monday to Thursday.
- DPD Saturday ~ Delivered on Saturday when ordered by 4pm on Friday
- DPD Sunday~ Delivered on Saturday when ordered by 12:30pm on Saturday. Orders to Northern Scotland may take 2 working days.
*Please note that we can now only use DHL express delivery for non-UK shipping of batteries or devices containing batteries, To avoid any delays or additional charges, please select this delivery method at the checkout.
At Ecigwizard, we endeavour to get your products to your door as quickly as possible. In order to achieve this, we ensure that all orders are shipped within 2 working days of the purchase date. Please note, however, in times of high demand the shipping process may take longer than expected.
Age Verification
According to current UK legislation, E-cigarette products can only be purchased by and shipped to those who are over the age of 18. Due to a law implemented on 20th May 2017, we are required to verify the age of any customers wishing to purchase our products.
We are authorised to use any personal information, provided by you, to carry out and conduct relevant age verification checks. We use Experian to aid us in running the necessary checks to verify that you are over the age of 18. They will compare your details against over 1 billion records, that they hold on their system, to ensure that you are of the correct age to purchase our products. Experian is one of the largest and most trusted providers of age verification in the UK, so you can rest-assured that your personal information is in safe hands. Experian do not need to run a credit check in order to verify your age and may also keep a copy of any basic information that we pass on to them.
By accepting our terms and conditions, you consent to your data being used in this way. We aim to run as few checks as possible and will only run several checks if we are initially unable to verify your age.
At times, the age verification check may fail or be referred. In these scenarios, we may request passport or driving license details from you to re-check your details manually against the relevant database. If you do not wish to release this information to us, we are able to cancel and refund your order.
Please refer to the data protection section of our terms and conditions for information on how we handle data.
*Please note that if for any reason you fail the age verification check, there is a strong possibility that the delivery of your order will be delayed. If this occurs, please contact customer services immediately on 0345 305 2585 or email us at email@example.com.


text:
--:-- • --:--Пример экскурсии
Stand with your back towards the Memorial Chapel, and you'll see Ilyinsky Gates Square to your left. Although there are no gates!
Ilyinsky Gates Square from the ancient gateway here in the Kitai-Gorod Walls. The gates here were originally named the Cosmo-Damianovsky Gates, in honour of the Church which once stood nearby. Later on they became known as the Ilyinsky Gates. Long ago the area by the gates had a famous Apple-Yard, where locals came to buy apples. In the 1930s the soviet authorities ripped out the gates, along with the medieval walls – the name of the square here is the only reminder of their existence.
Kitay-gorod is one of the oldest parts of Moscow. It appeared nearby the old wooden Kremlin. Although the name translates as "Chinatown," it probably derives from kita (wattle), referring to the wall that surrounded this early Kremlin suburb. Today, remains of an old city wall and colorful churches are scattered throughout this ancient neighborhood.
The stone walls were erected in the 16th century by an Italian architect known under the name Petrok Maly and originally featured 13 towers and six gates. They were as thick as they were high. The last of the towers were demolished in the 1930s, but small portions of the wall still stand. One of two remaining parts of the wall is located in Zaryadye and the other near the exit from the Okhotny Ryad station of Moscow Metro behind the Hotel Metropol.
Kitay-gorod starts at Red Square. Apart from Red Square, the quarter is bordered by the chain of Central Squares of Moscow, notably Theatre Square (in front of Bolshoi Theatre), Lubyanka Square (in front of the KGB headquarters), and Slavyanskaya Square.
Since time immemorial Kitay-gorod has been developing as a trading area. And for centuries it was known as the most prestigious business area of Moscow. Its three main streets — Varvarka, Ilyinka, and Nikolskaya — are lined with banks, shops, and storehouses. There are also lots of historical buildings that relate to the heritage of the federal and global importance now.
In our tour you will walk along Nikolskaya Street that is famous for being the site of Moscow's first university, the Slavic Greek Latin Academy, housed in extant Zaikonospassky monastery (1660s). Another monastery cathedral, the main church of Epiphany Bogoyavlensky Monastery (1690s), is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, stands in the middle of Kitay-gorod in the eponymous Bogoyavlensky Lane. The 18th century survives in the exterior walls of the otherwise rebuilt Gostiny Dvor (Guest Merchant's Court) by Giacomo Quarenghi.
A whole quarter of Kitay-gorod adjacent to the Moskva River and known as Zaryadye (now just Varvarka Street) was demolished in the 20th century, sparing only those structures that were classified as historic monuments. These include the Cathedral of the Sign (1679–84), the Church of All Saints (1680s), St. George's Church on Pskov Hill (1657), St. Maksim's Church (1698), St. Anna's Church at the Corner (1510s), St. Barbara's Church (1796–1804), the Old English Embassy (1550s), and the 16th century Romanov boyar residence. The two last are the museums. You can visit them to see the life of the first Romanovs in the 16-17th centuries.


text:
For practical tips and tools to prevent check fraud and identity theft!
Ivy Checks
Vintage Lucy Checks
Securiguard Checks
GP Cats Checks
Filigree Checks
Concrete Jungle Checks
Swirls Checks
Bitter Sweet Checks
Contemporary Crosses Checks
Inspirations Checks
Dolphins Checks
Custom Photo Checks
Circles Checks
Wildlife Checks
Stars & Stripes Checks
Diamond Plate Checks
Magic & Mischief Checks
Mountain Reflections
When you order checks online from Styles, you'll find more than standard checks,
you'll find products that fit your style. With over 200
personal checks,
Styles Checks has something to satisfy every interest. You can also buy matching
checkbook covers
or purchase coordinating
address labels.
Ordering checks online is safe & secure. All orders are backed by our 100% Satisfaction


text:
Rosin faces long odds making Dodgers' roster
Versatile reliever, Rule 5 Draft pickup from Mets could help LA in short or long relief
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- As a Rule 5 Draft pick on a World Series contender, Seth Rosin knows what he's up against. A guy who has never pitched above Double-A is trying to make the Opening Day roster of a team with a payroll north of $225 million.
Those odds may not sound too promising, but don't count out the right-hander just yet. Rosin possesses a trait the Dodgers' star-studded bullpen is currently short on: versatility.
"I like to think of myself as a 3-wood," Rosin said. "You can hit that club off the tee or in the fairway or wherever. That's me."
Standing an imposing 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, Rosin has the ability to fill any number of roles on a pitching staff. Whether it is in short relief, long relief or even spot starting, the 25-year-old could end up doing it all for Los Angeles if he impresses enough this spring. After all, that flexibility provided the motivation for the Dodgers to acquire Rosin in December from the Mets, the team that selected him from the Phillies in the Rule 5 Draft.
Still, there's a reason players taken in the Rule 5 Draft rarely work out. The Dodgers would have to keep Rosin on the active roster for all of 2014 or be forced to place him on waivers before, if he clears, offering him back to the Phillies.
Los Angeles could also work out a deal with Philadelphia to keep the righty in its system if he doesn't make the club, but that possibility is far from Rosin's mind right now. He's focused on doing whatever it takes to stand out in camp.
"I gotta be ready to go every day, I have to show the coaches what I can do or else," Rosin said. "I understand what's at stake for me and what it's going to take for me to stay here, especially with all those amazing arms that are here. It's going to be tough, but I'm going to give it all that I have."
Last year with Double-A Reading in the Phillies' system, Rosin went 9-6 with a 4.33 ERA in 26 games, including 23 starts. He also tallied 96 strikeouts against just 35 walks in his 126 2/3 innings of work. Over his four seasons in the Minors, the righty owns a combined 4.23 ERA when starting and a 3.47 ERA when coming out of the bullpen. Throwing harder in shorter outings, his strikeout numbers favor relieving as well, with Rosin punching out 116 batters in 90 2/3 career relief innings.
That body of work points to Rosin being a quality swingman in the Majors, with the majority of his appearances likely coming in relief. His two offspeed pitches, a curve and a changeup, are coming along well, but he believes he's making the most progress with his fastball, a pitch that touches 94 mph but had been lacking consistency.
"I feel like I'm incorporating my lower half better, getting that constant velocity and working on that power," Rosin said. "Kenley Jansen assisted a lot with that. He took me aside and showed me some drills that helped him incorporate his lower half and get extension. So now I'm doing those drills daily, and I'm seeing the difference it makes."
Rosin threw his first live batting-practice session of the spring on Sunday, and he came away feeling confident with the strides he's making.
"It felt great," he said. "It's fun to try out all the new things I've been learning. I watched video of it today and I was happy. My arm feels really good for this time of year, so I'm excited about that, too."
With six Dodgers relievers signed to Major League deals and Paco Rodriguez and Chris Withrow also on the 40-man roster, Rosin certainly has his work cut out for him over the next month of camp, but he's not backing down from the challenge one bit.
"I'm going to attack every outing with a closer's mentality," he said. "I have to close every inning that I'm out there if I have a chance. I have to have a bulldog mentality, and that's just what I plan on doing."


text:
Commerce City CO (Tuesday July 10 2007)- Three different players found the back of the net tonight as the Colorado Rapids secured a place in the quarterfinals of the oldest sports tournament in America with a 3-1 win over the USL's California Victory.
The Rapids had their first scoring chance when Herculez Gomez hit the woodwork in the fourth minute. Roberto Brown headed a ball to Cancela who flicked it on to Herculez. The
In the ninth minute Victory goalie Eric Reed made a one-handed save on a Cancela free kick. The Uruguayan was fouled 20 yards from goal to earn the restart.
Cancela got a second chance in the 22nd minute and this time made no mistake. His curling right-footed free kick flew into the side netting for a 1-0 Rapids lead.
In the 30th minute Roberto Brown ran into the
Nick LaBrocca skipped a shot wide in the 43rd minute. The rookie from
Herculez doubled the Rapids' lead in the 50th minute. Playing in his second game after earning his first two caps for the US National Team he headed in a Cancela cross.
The Victory got a goal back in the 79th minute when Juan Epitie's shot bounced off the post off Zach Thornton and into the goal.
Second half substitute Omar Cummings scored the Rapids' third goal in the 89th minute. Gomez chipped a ball over and around two Victory defenders to leave Cummings one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The Jamaican international wasted no time firing on his second touch he gave Reed no chance to save the shot.
The Rapids now move on to the quarterfinals of the Open Cup on August 7 and will travel to take on the winner of the Seattle Sounders v. Chivas
Scoring Summary:
COL – Gomez (Cancela) 50
CAL – Epitie 79
COL – Cummings (Gomez) 89
Colorado Rapids – Zach Thornton Kosuke Kimura Ugo Ihemelu Stephen Keel Jordan Harvey Kyle Beckerman (Nico Colaluca 71) Daniel Wasson Jose Cancela (Jovan Kirovski 75) Nick LaBrocca (Nicolas Hernandez 87) Herculez Gomez Roberto Brown (Omar Cummings 46)
Substitutes Not Used: Justin Hughes Terry Cooke Brandon Prideaux
California Victory – Eric Reed Luis Aguilar Chris Schwarze Ryan Suarez Jose Reitz Omar Aguayo (Yuri Morales 46) Federico Bianchi Mike Munoz (Hugo Casillas 59) Matt Fitzgerald (Chuck Kim 75) Juan Epitie Josh Hansen (Aaron Chandler 64)
Substitutes Not Used: Dominik Jakubek Luis Mira
Misconduct Summary:
CAL – Schwarze (Caution) 21
Referee: Ramon Hernandez
Referees Assts.: Matt Grove Scott McCaslin
Fourth Official: Eric Bryan


text:
Filters: Author is Russell, G. L. [Clear All Filters]
Comparison of results from several AOGCMs for global and regional sea-level change 1900-2100." Climate Dynamics 18 (2001): 225-240. Abstract"
Detecting time variations in gravity associated with climate change." Journal of Geophysical Research (Solid Earth) 107 (2002): 2112. Abstract"
Earth's Energy Imbalance: Confirmation and Implications." Science 308 (2005): 1431-1435. Abstract"


text:
You are currently viewing the beta version of the new AMM site.
Click here
to return to the current site.
To include more than one recipient, please separate each email address with a semi-colon
';', to a maximum of
By submitting this article to a friend we reserve the right to contact them regarding Fastmarkets AMM subscriptions. Please ensure you have their consent before giving us their details.
According to Rio Tinto Alcan's chief executive, aluminum is not yet out of the woods and it may take quite a while, perhaps even a couple of years, until inventories return to healthy levels.
A quick examination of Rio Tinto Alcan's major markets reveals why Jacynthe Côté is wise in her caution. The sector is heavily dependent on three major markets—transportation, construction and packaging—none of which has proven particularly robust this time around.
The trials and tribulations of the U.S. automotive industry have been well reported and it is widely recognized that it may take a number of years for automotive build rates to return to their previous highs. Construction can hardly be described as a safe haven, either, and orders for can sheet—the most important part of the packaging business for aluminum—actually fell 5 percent in March while shipments of sheet, plate and extrusions grew.
Growing aluminum's market share in these recently lackluster sectors is one way to limit the damage of future downturns. At the same time, the industry needs to be on the lookout for completely new applications that can help aluminum retain the same relevance in the 21st Century as it had in the latter half of the 20th Century.
In this regard, however, Rio Tinto Alcan, as well as upstream rivals like BHP Billiton and United Co. Rusal, will soon be dependent on its customers and integrated competitors. When Rio Tinto Alcan finally succeeds in selling its remaining downstream assets it will, to a large extent, be turning over responsibility for market development to customers such as Novelis Inc. and Aleris International Inc., as well as to still-integrated rival Alcoa Inc.
There are good arguments in favor of de-integration of the aluminum sector, and certainly shareholders have shown a greater fondness in recent years for those stocks that offer full exposure to the very fashionable, if somewhat volatile, commodity markets.
But there can be little doubt that the aluminum industry at large suffers when huge multinational conglomerates like Rio Tinto step back from the front line of product development and instead pass the mantle onto companies that for the most part are far smaller and less well-resourced.
Indeed, in the recent past we have seen two of the largest independent fabricators, rolling company Aleris and extruder Indalex, enter bankruptcy protection—not the ideal platform from which to promote the development of aluminum.
Novelis also experienced financial problems in its early days, although it is now performing with some distinction. And it is the Hindalco subsidiary, along with Alcoa, on which much of the burden for market development rests.
To be fair, Rio Tinto Alcan is still an innovator at the upstream level, funneling more than $100 million a year into R&D as the company looks to reduce its energy consumption at the smelting level and eliminate carbon dioxide emissions, Côté told AMM.
But on the downstream level, the exit of a major player like Rio Tinto Alcan could curb new product growth.
It's not as if aluminum doesn't face stiff competition. The steel industry, for example, has been resolute in its defense of market share in the automotive sector, and collaborative efforts by groups such as the Steel Market Development Institute's Automotive Applications Council has seen great advancements in ultra-lightweight steels, which threaten the advance of aluminum in the automotive arena. And with the generally small aluminum fabricators pitted against international behemoths like ArcelorMittal, the aluminum sector's voice in the ever-present push for new applications is not always heard.
Aluminum's own giant, Alcoa, for its part, continues to look for new avenues of growth, and consumer electronics and aluminum-intensive solar cells are held out as potentially significant markets for the light metal in years to come. Alcoa hopes that as the leading light in these developments, it will be the first to benefit.
Of course, if the likes of Alcoa and Novelis are successful in broadening aluminum's horizons, upstream producers like Rio Tinto Alcan will benefit, too. Investors seem quite content with this, and probably snigger quietly that it's great to have others put up the R&D money from which they ultimately can reap rewards.
But if a reliance on such a small number of well-resourced downstream companies to develop markets for aluminum ultimately results in a loss of market share, the entire aluminum supply chain—including shareholders in upstream producers—will suffer.
All comments are subject to editorial review.
All fields are compulsory.
Every month American Metal Market takes a statistical look inside the marketplace.
The Korean producers 'seem to think they have a good case, but personally I wouldn't get overly confident.'
--OCTG trader


text:
Complete Story
Cable, Satellite Ops Seek Congressional Review of Retrans
By: John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable
Looks like cable is opening a two-front war on the retrans system as currently constituted.
According to a copy of a letter being sent to the House and Senate Commerce Committees from Time Warner, Cablevision, Dish, DirecTV, Cablevision, the American Cable Association and others, cable and satellite operators want the committees to take a new look at the Cable Act and retransmission consent in light of what they say is the current imbalance in favor of broadcasters and a "broken system" in need of repair.
Citing the retrans fights between Cablevision and ABC and the loss of WABC programming "temporarily" to 3 million consumers (something on the order of 18.5 hours), they said that the balance of power that existed in 1992 has shifted and it is consumers who are caught in the crosshairs.
The companies, which are mostly the same ones signing onto a petition asking the FCC to "fix" retrans as well, say that there is a difference between asking the government to step into negotiations for cable channels and TV stations. That difference, they say, is "the unique government benefits and privileges conferred on broadcasters that preclude the normal give and take of private contractual negotiations."
They say those include guaranteed basic tier carriage, exclusivity and blackout rules as well as must-carry.
Although, stations that elect must-carry are not negotiating retrans. The operators suggest must-carry protection could be a government incubator for future negotiators. "Broadcasters alone have been the beneficiaries of mandatory carriage rights - must carry - that have allowed them over decades to grow their audiences through the free use of facilities built by video providers while at the same time having been granted the freedom to dictate the terms on which they will allow the retransmission of the same programming that is available over the air and increasingly over the Internet for free," said the companies.
Also signing on to the letter were Charter, Insight, Mediacom, Suddenlink, Bright House, and OPASTCO, the small telco lobby.
The letter is reprinted in full below:
Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:
The undersigned serve, or represent companies that serve, over 65 million video consumers. We write to you today to bring to your attention to, and to seek your assistance in addressing, the harm that is being caused to those consumers as a result of increasingly contentious negotiations over the terms that broadcasters are demanding from multichannel video programming distributors for retransmission consent. The most recent retransmission consent dispute, between ABC and Cablevision, resulted in over three million consumers losing access temporarily to ABC programming. That dispute is just the latest example of how the retransmission consent regime is broken and in need of repair, and comes immediately in the wake of similar highly publicized disputes that occurred at the turn of the year. During the impasse between ABC and Cablevision, over 70 state legislators and a number of Members of Congress raised concerns about the impact retransmission consent-related service disruptions and threats of such disruptions are having on consumers.
Congress gave broadcasters retransmission consent rights in 1992 as part of a regulatory scheme that was intended to ensure the broadest availability of broadcast programming to the public. The video marketplace is dramatically different today on the distribution side with MVPDs competing with one another in nearly every community nationwide. These changes in the market are allowing broadcasters to wield the very government protections meant to preserve access to the public in order to threaten to deny - or actually deny - their signals to consumers as a tactic to increase their profits.
Not surprisingly, the broadcasters would prefer that Congress and the Federal Communications Commission stay on the sidelines and leave consumers helpless in the face of such brinkmanship tactics. But that argument - and the related argument that negotiations for the carriage of broadcast stations should be treated no differently than negotiations for non-broadcast programming services like the NFL Network or the Discovery Channel - ignores the unique government benefits and privileges conferred on broadcasters that preclude the normal give and take of private contractual negotiations.
As a result of these government benefits, broadcasters alone enjoy channel location and tier placement guarantees that maximize their access to viewers, and broadcasters alone are guaranteed undue leverage in carriage negotiations by virtue of a detailed set of program exclusivity and blackout rules. Additionally, broadcasters alone have been the beneficiaries of mandatory carriage rights - must carry - that have allowed them over decades to grow their
audiences through the free use of facilities built by video providers while at the same time having been granted the freedom to dictate the terms on which they will allow the retransmission of the same programming that is available over the air and increasingly over the Internet for free.
Congress was aware of the fact that retransmission consent could, if abused, lead to higher prices for consumers or service interruptions. But Congress believed that these risks could and would be managed by the Federal Communications Commission. Unfortunately, as recent events confirm, the balance of power that existed in 1992 has shifted and it is consumers who are caught in the crosshairs. It is time to consider how to restore balance to the unique retransmission consent process and take steps to protect consumers against either seeing access to broadcast signals priced out of their reach or having that access denied to them.
We respectfully urge you and other Members of Congress to carefully examine the circumstances that have resulted in the current imbalance in retransmission consent negotiations. We stand ready to assist you in whatever way possible in taking the necessary steps to ensure that, in the future, retransmission consent benefits those Congress intended for it to serve: the American people.
Signatories to the letter pointed out that they represented 65 million viewers. They also included seven of the top 10 multichannel video providers plus some 900 smaller cable providers represented by the ACA.
"The unintended consequences of pay TV providers attacking the free-market-based retransmission consent model could be the demise of local programming," said National Association of Broadcasters spokesman Dennis Wharton. "Modest retransmission consent revenues help local TV stations fund news operations, community service and life-saving weather information that viewers across America rely on every day. Vertically-integrated cable operators routinely compensate each other for their own less-watched cable-owned networks while raking in profit increases five times the amount of their programming costs. To see billion-dollar pay TV companies asking for government intervention to protect their exorbitant profits is just plain wrong."
Source: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/449949-Cable_Satellite_Ops_Seek_Congressional_Review_of_Retrans.php?rssid=20065


text:
Counting Crows at SxSW 2012 by 5342 Studios
What does Underwater Sunshine mean to me in three paragraphs or less: I've been good friends with Adam Duritz for the last four years now. We met doing an interview just prior to the release of Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings in early '08. We found our allotment of time (20 minutes or less) couldn't handle our first three hour conversation about music... The topic of discussion that day wasn't so much Adam's music... We talked about the spirit of making music, about sharing the music we love, and about an enthusiasm of being in the moment. That's something Adam has never had a hard time doing - being human. And that's what loving music is all about.. Surrendering yourself in it and letting it change you.
4/14 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
4/16 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
4/17 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
4/19 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
4/21 Minneapolis, MN @ State Theater
4/22 Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
4/24 New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
4/25 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
4/27 Mashantucket, CT @ MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
4/28 Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata
5/1 Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theatre
5/2 West Palm Beach, FL @ Sunfest
5/4 Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
5/5 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium


text:
LETTER: DeRuyter board-1-sided on hydrofracking
To The Editor:
One of the major reasons for discussing issues is because we live in a democracy. Another reason is to bring facts to their town boards that they might otherwise not know.
When a resident is not allowed to speak at a town board meeting during the open comment period, democracy is silenced. In my opinion, it appears the town board is denying the right to speak in order to protect their vested interest in gaining from gas leases.
Regarding hydrofracking, my town board:
1. will not allow resident to discuss hydrofracking -- but board promotes it.
2. is uninformed on many of the issues: DEC setbacks, the environmental exemptions given the gas industry, and compulsory integration.
3. has board members with gas leases.
4. downplays the 300 signed petitions requesting a moratorium.
5. attended a pro-gas meeting which residents were not allowed to attend.
6. has not implemented a road use plan or comprehensive plan that reflects what the community wants.
7. discourages others from attending board meetings to discuss negative effects of hydrofracking.
9. tried to influence other towns from enacting moratoriums.
10. won't put hydrofracking up for a vote.
Example, randomly petitioning for a moratorium on hydrofracking, I met a family that lived in Pennsylvania and worked for a gas company. She and her husband signed a petition. He said that he could talk for an hour on all the negatives that go with the gas drilling in Pennsylvania. He moved his family back to New York because gas drilling in Pennsylvania posed too many health threats. He mentioned many things that went on with the gas companies. There wasn't much good. I said come to a board meeting. He thought he could do that. In the interim he talked to the town supervisor.
Bottom line, the town supervisor didn't think it was needed for him to come to a board meeting. Guess what?
This guy didn't attend any of the board meetings. You can bet whatever he told me and assuming he told our supervisor the same -- the board members heard very little. Just another example of closing down factual information regarding hydrofracking.
If there is some reason that a town board thinks most people want hydrofracking in their community -- then put it up for a vote.
Let the majority of the citizens decide on this issue of hydrofracking and not a small group.
The Oneida Daily Dispatch welcomes letters from our readers about subjects of interest. Letters should be fewer than 500 words
Letters are subject to editing for clarity, brevity and taste and limited to one per writer per calendar month. For more information call 363-5100 ex 137 or visit:
All letters must include the author's name, address and a daytime phone number to verify the letter's authenticity; phone number and exact street address will not be published. Please send to:
Oneida Daily Dispatch,
130 Broad St.
Oneida, NY, 13421 or :