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Unsung heroes awarded Order of Merit
3 May 2013
AOC: The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has awarded six men the Order of Merit for their remarkable contributions to the Olympic Movement in Australia.
John Calvert-Jones AM, Gary Fenton, Peter Fox AM, Alan Grover, David Prince OAM and Gerry Ryan OAM have, in the opinion of the AOC Executive, achieved remarkable merit in the sporting world through their outstanding contribution to Australia's Olympic Teams and the Olympic Movement in Australia.
The six men have filled various behind the scenes roles in their commitment to the five rings.
Calvert-Jones and Ryan have shown unparalleled dedication to their respective sports of sailing and cycling; Fox and Prince have been pivotal in fundraising for the Australian Olympic Team; Fenton has been an enigmatic leader in Olympic television broadcasting; and the AOC's own Grover broke ground in Olympic marketing for over 25 years.
They will be formally recognised for their achievements at the 2013 AOC Annual General Meeting in Sydney on Saturday - a day of reflection on Australia's London 2012 campaign, in which all six men played influential roles.
John Calvert-Jones AM has been Chairman of the Australian Sailing Team's Patrons Program since 2009. The Patrons Program raised over $1 million for Australia's unstoppable London 2012 sailing campaign. The Team returned with three gold medals and one silver medal and Calvert-Jones will continue in his role as Chairman of the Patrons Program during the lead up to the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Jayco Corporation owner Gerry Ryan OAM has supported Australian cycling for over two decades. He personally sponsored Kathy Watt on her road to gold at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and now sponsors some of Australia's premier road cycling tours, cycling programs, and was the driving force behind the formation of the GreenEdge Cycling Team – the first world pro tour cycling team to be established out of Australia. Ryan has also been supporting the WNBL's Dandenong Rangers and got behind the Australian Women's Basketball Team in their preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
A generous and passionate supporter of the Olympic Movement, Peter Fox AM was Chairman of the eighth Prime Minister's Olympic Dinner (2012) Executive Committee. The Victorian Olympic Council's official dinner raised a record $2.2 million for the 2012 Australian Olympic Team.
Former AOC Executive member (1989-1997), South Australian Olympic Council President (1989-2013) and 1962 Commonwealth Games silver medallist David Prince OAM turned his passion for athletics into a commitment to sports administration. As Deputy Chair of the South Australian Games Appeal Committee, in excess of $3.1 million was raised for Australian Olympic Teams.
Television executive Gary Fenton has covered 11 Olympic Games. In 2000 he was Chief Operating Officer for the Sydney Olympic Broadcasting Organisation (SOBO) and Executive Producer of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games world telecast. Fenton has already been awarded the IOC's Golden Olympic Rings and the prestigious Podium d'Or Georges Bertellotti for the Sydney 2000 coverage. As Team Leader for the Nine Network's Olympic Unit since October 2007 and a member of the IOC Radio & Television Commission since 2008, it is timely Fenton has now also been awarded an Order of Merit.
Alan Grover, a three-time Olympic rower (Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972) and silver medallist (1968), retired from the AOC in October 2012 following 25 years of exemplary service. Grover restructured the Australian Olympic Team marketing program to create what is widely recognised as one of the best Olympic marketing programs in the world. Grover was also involved in the marketing activities of the Melbourne and Sydney Olympic Games bids.
For full biographies, click here>>>
Other AOC AGM announcements:


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Connecticut Ballet at Wadsworth Atheneum
Dancers from the Connecticut Ballet performed at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford during the museum's Second Saturdays for Families Saturday. The theme: 'Bonjour!Bonjour! Join us for a morning in France!' Families got to take part in a creative dance workshop, listen to French music, and see an oil painting demonstration by artists from the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists.
Rick Hartford
Copyright © 2018, Hartford Courant

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President Barack Obama called for raising the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour and warned he'll use executive powers to get his way on issues from climate change to manufacturing if Congress doesn't act, laying out an assertive second-term agenda sure to provoke Republicans.
In the first State of the Union address since winning re- election, Obama proposed making preschool available to all 4- year-olds, negotiating a new trade agreement with the European Union and spending $50 billion on "urgent" infrastructure projects. He lauded steps by companies including Apple Inc. and Ford Motor Co. to bring jobs back to the U.S.
"It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation," Obama said in his hour-long speech delivered to a joint session of Congress.
Obama also promised to push hard for his proposals on immigration and on guns, pointing out members of the audience from Newtown, Connecticut, and other communities that have been scenes of mass shootings.
Spending Cuts
Obama spoke as he and congressional Republicans are at loggerheads in negotiations to head off $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board spending cuts set to begin taking effect on March 1. He's also in a political struggle over the government's role in addressing economic inequality, a central theme of his re-election campaign and his inaugural address.
Obama's call for a minimum wage is his first as president. While it was last increased in 2009, under his presidency, the increase came out of a 2007 law signed by President George W. Bush. Raising the hourly federal minimum wage to $9 from $7.25 by the end of 2015 would return it to its highest inflation- adjusted value since 1981, under President Ronald Reagan, according to a White House fact sheet.
The address signaled Obama's plans to move quickly to use his political strength from last November's re-election by challenging the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives to schedule votes on his agenda. It also illustrated his decision to test the limits of his executive powers to push ahead on his priorities without the House or even the Democratic Senate majority.
Deficit Talks
Obama said his proposals wouldn't add "a single dime" to the deficit. He repeated his demand that Republicans accept raising tax revenue along with spending cuts as part of any "balanced" approach to his goal of $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction over a decade.
Republicans rejected Obama's assurances. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said in the Republican response that more tax increases on the wealthy would slow economic growth and ultimately harm the economic prospects for all Americans.
"The tax increases and the deficit spending you propose will hurt middle class families," Rubio said in the party's response. "It will cost them their raises. It will cost them their benefits. It may even cost some of them their jobs."
Over the next few days, the president will travel for events in North Carolina, Georgia and Illinois aimed at promoting his agenda.
Obama Agenda
While most of the speech was about the budget, taxes and spending, Obama also highlighted two of the most politically contentious parts of his agenda: immigration and gun control.
The president summoned the suffering of the families of shooting victims to make the case against opponents' efforts to obstruct gun control legislation. Referring to more than two dozen relatives the White House had invited to the chamber to view the speech, he implored the lawmakers: "If you want to vote no, that's your choice," he said. "They deserve a vote."
The president described closing more than a decade of war with the withdrawal of 34,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan over the coming year, cutting the American force there by about half.
He also talked about his targeted approach to fighting terrorists and extremism. "We don't need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations," Obama said. "Instead, we will need to help countries like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists" such as in Mali.
Drone Use
While Obama didn't mention the use of remotely piloted drone aircraft, he said he will continue a policy of "direct action" to kill terrorists, including U.S. citizens when warranted. He pledged to be more transparent about a program he said is conducted within "a durable legal and policy framework." The program came under fire during last week's confirmation hearing for John Brennan, the president's nominee to lead the Central Intelligence and architect of the drone program.
Obama said that the U.S. and other nations will work together to "do what is necessary" to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that provocative actions by North Korea including a nuclear test hours before his speech "only isolate them further." He said the U.S. will seek to work with Russia to make more reductions in nuclear arsenals.
The president also pledged that the U.S. will continue to "stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and lasting peace," he said. Obama plans to make his first trip to Israel as president next month.
He announced he has signed an executive order on cyber- security to develop voluntary standards to strengthen the security of private computer networks, protecting U.S. companies in critical industries.
Obama began his speech with a warning about the "sudden, harsh, arbitrary" spending cuts that loom if Congress fails to act to avert the sequester would slow the economy, "jeopardize our military readiness' and ''devastate priorities like education, energy, and medical research.''
He said he stood by an offer he had previously made to cut spending on the Medicare health insurance plan for the elderly by cutting payments to drug companies, raising premiums for the wealthy and changing medical reimbursement procedures.
Still, he said Republican congressional leaders, who have said they will not accept more tax increases, must accept a ''balanced approach'' to deficit reduction that includes ''getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and well-connected.''
Next page: Bad to Worse
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Transfer News: Spurs striker Jermain Defoe to join Toronto FC at the end of February
Tottenham have confirmed that Jermain Defoe will join MLS side Toronto FC at the end of February.
Last Updated: 10/01/14 2:25pm
Defoe, 31, first joined Spurs from West Ham in February 2004, making 177 appearances and scoring 64 goals before joining Portsmouth four years later. He moved back to White Hart Lane a year later and hit 78 goals in 185 games.
He told the club website: "Everybody knows how much this club means to me and I will play my heart out for the team and the fans until my last kick for the club. I have had a fantastic time here and the fans have always been amazing to me.
"I am grateful for the opportunity for myself and my family to experience living overseas and for me to play in the MLS with a contract that will take me to the age of 35.
"I have no doubt I shall be coming back as a fan supporting the team in the years to come too."
Tottenham head coach Tim Sherwood hinted he does not expect to enter the transfer market to replace Defoe, adding: "This is a great opportunity for Jermain and he feels it is one that he wishes to pursue. He has played a big part in the club for many years and we all know he will give his best until his last minute in a Spurs shirt.
"We have several attacking options within our squad for the remaining dozen or so games of the season after Jermain departs and we shall keep our options under review.
"We also have a goal threat from players in other areas of the pitch including having wide players and attacking midfielders who will enable us to vary our shape when required."
Toronto boss Ryan Nelsen had cooled reports of Defoe moving to Canada by claiming that Spurs had received several offers for the England striker from English Champions League clubs.
But he is expected to be paraded by Toronto on Monday after signing a four-year deal worth a reported £90,000 a week in what is one of the biggest deals in MLS history.
Spurs have also announced they will play Toronto in a pre-season friendly on July 23.
Toronto have also signed USA international midfielder Michael Bradley from Serie A side Roma.
Bradley, who has played across Europe for Heerenveen, Borussia Monchengladbach, Aston Villa and Chievo since leaving the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 2005, will also be unveiled as a Toronto player on Monday.


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Having joints that don't always work as designed can present challenges to daily living. Fortunately, there are a few gadgets that can make life a little easier. Here are some of my favorites.
Levers, not knobs – The doors in my house, with very few exceptions, open with levers. The water faucets are the same way. This is a great design. Every time I see my rheumatologist, she asks if I have difficulty turning door knobs, and I always say, "I don't have door knobs." If your home has the traditional knobs and they can't be replaced with levers, Great Grips are good, too.
Garage door opener – There are days that my shoulders won't tolerate reaching overhead. That makes it extremely difficult to reach up to grab the rope which is used to pull the door closed. Even when I can reach up, grasping the rope with stiff hands can be a challenge. Pressing a button to let a machine take care of the door eliminates painful reaching and grasping. My side of the garage has an automatic door opener; my husband's side of the garage opens manually. I have ample opportunity to reinforce how helpful it is to have this great tool!
Stand mixer – It's really nice to put ingredients in a bowl and throw the switch, no holding, juggling, lifting, or reaching required. I particularly like the dough hook because I never knew until RA how much wrist/elbow/shoulder action is needed to knead bread dough. I can mix two loaves at a time with the dough hook, no hand-kneading required. It's great for mixing noodle dough, too.
Long-handled shoe horn – Since I put my shoes on as soon as I get out of bed every day, I'm at my stiffest when I need to bend over and shove feet into shoes. The long handle is especially nice; this handy tool makes it much easier to get my shoes on in the mornings.
Pill sorter – It can be hard to get into the habit of taking medicine every day. A pill box helps. First, because I don't have to get the lid off of all those medicine bottles. Second, because it's very easy to see whether or not I've remembered to take my dose. For a while, I forgot to take my pills every Monday at noon. The pill boxes made it easy to identify the pattern, and I realized I needed to figure out what was going on that day to screw up my routine – which helped me solve the problem. Every couple months I bought an extra box, and now I have four. When I get home from the pharmacy, I transfer my pills for the month into the little pill sorter boxes. There's no need to deal with the bottles again until my next trip to the pharmacy.
Dough thrower – Just for fun, because I like to bake bread (and my family likes to eat fresh-baked bread), but it's become pretty hard to do sometimes, I thought I'd mention my dough thrower. This is a large dough hook which attaches to a pail, and has a easy-grasp handle atop for turning the dough hook. The pail is big enough to hold dough for four loaves of bread (or four dozen dinner rolls). Some days I can't manage the handle very long, but when there are enough people around that I need to bake four loaves, there are enough people around that I can recruit someone else to turn the handle.
Do you have special tools that make things easier for you?


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A Swiss-born painter and graphic artist whose personal, often gently humorous works are replete with allusions to dreams, music, and poetry, Paul Klee, b. Dec. 18, 1879, d. June 29, 1940, is difficult to classify. Primitive art, surrealism, cubism, and children's art all seem blended into his small-scale, delicate paintings, watercolors, and drawings. Klee grew up in a musical family and was himself a violinist. After much hesitation he chose to study art, not music, and he attended the Munich Academy in 1900. There his teacher was the popular symbolist and society painter Franz von STUCK. Klee later toured Italy (1901-02), responding enthusiastically to Early Christian and Byzantine art. Klee's early works are mostly etchings and pen-and-ink drawings. These combine satirical, grotesque, and surreal elements and reveal the influence of Francisco de Goya and James Ensor, both of whom Klee admired. Two of his best-known etchings, dating from 1903, are Virgin in a Tree and Two Men Meet, Each Believing the Other to Be of Higher Rank. Such peculiar, evocative titles are characteristic of Klee and give his works an added dimension of meaning. After his marriage in 1906 to the pianist Lil ...(PLease Login to see the complete biography.)
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Get the best deal on Hancock Seed products by signing up for email updates!
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Product 57/93
Medium Red Clover Seed - Medium red clover is a cool season perennial clover commonly used for wildlife food plots, cattle forage and cover crop applications. Medium Red Clover is a high nitrogen producing clover fixing as much as 120 units per acre.
Medium red clover is a short lived perennial used to supply nitrogen. Unlike other legumes, it fixes a lot of nitrogen even in high nitrogen soils. It has shade tolerance so it can be overseeded into small grains and incorporated in May of the following year. Since red clover seedlings tend to be slow growing, it benefits from a nurse crop. It forms tap roots and is useful for remediation of compacted soils. Red clover is also good for weed suppression.
Land preparation
Medium red clover prefers cool weather conditions. This crop is well-adapted a wide range of soil types and conditions. Medium red clover tolerates wet conditions better than vetch. It can be overseeded on small grains and if the soil is not crusted, it can be overseeded in vegetable crops with no additional preparation to the land.
Seeding rate
Drill or broadcast at 10 - 15 lbs per acre.
Seeding date
Fall - Winter
Mow medium red clover during the summer of the first year. It can be seeded between established rows, reducing soil compaction in well-traveled areas.
Control blossoms by May, incorporate when flowering.
Red clover supports aphid predators such as ladybeetles, green lacewing larvae. and hoverfly larvae.
Purchase a seed lot with high germination.
To use as a nurse crop, seed with annual rye in June-July, buckwheat in August, and oats in September.
Medium red clover is also discussed in the articles on late summer legumes and early spring cover crops.
*Seed is coated with an inoculant*
**Medium Red Clover is Non-Gmo**
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Tuesday, October 1, 2013
GeForce 331.40 Beta Driver Released
331.40 beta also includes a major update to our NVIDIA Control Panel Ambient Occlusion feature,
which allows you to apply fidelity-enhancing, realistic shading and
shadowing to games that do not natively support Ambient Occlusion. With a
few clicks, you can greatly increase the image quality of your
favorite games, and now, with 331.40 beta, the quality of the Ambient
Occlusion shading will be significantly higher thanks to the
introduction of HBAO+.
Debuted in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist,
HBAO+ is a new, NVIDIA-developed Ambient Occlusion technique that
utilizes the latest technologies to dramatically increase the precision,
fidelity, and rendering speed of high-quality AO. For further details
on HBAO+, visit Nvidia's HBAO+ technology page, and for more info on Ambient Occlusion itself, head here. To implement HBAO+ in a DX9 or DX11 game, replicate the following settings in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Rounding out 331.40 beta is a whole host of profile updates, adding
new SLI profiles, updating existing SLI profiles, adding new Ambient
Occlusion profiles, and updating other profile elements:
You can download 331.40 beta directly from the Drivers page, or automatically through GeForce Experience.


text:
Luthuli is an intelligent 3 year old boy in South Africa who loves playing with his peers. While Luthuli was healthy for the first three months of his life, his head began to increase and his development slowed for unknown reasons. Recent assessments by a doctor have diagnosed Luthuli with Macrocephalus, brain atrophy and frontal bossing.
Listed: June 2016
While there are unknowns for Luthuli's future development, he has been reported to be developmentally on target and has not shown signs of developmental delays or low intelligence.
The agency has photos and additional information available.


text:
Nashua firm fights for lost NH state liquor dealBy KIMBERLY HOUGHTON
Union Leader Correspondent
December 10. 2012 10:28PM
NASHUA - A local company that has stored state liquor for more than 40 years has filed a right-to-know petition against the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, alleging the agency improperly negotiated with a competitor.
Law Warehouses Inc. filed a seven-page petition at Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord Friday. The company, which recently lost a 20-year liquor warehouse contract that could put 80 jobs in jeopardy, is requesting an expedited court hearing.
A Liquor Commission representative denied the claims Monday, saying it followed a fair and impartial process in selecting a new storage firm.
Law Warehouses is asking that the Liquor Commission release information about the agency's competitive bid process that resulted in a contract awarded Nov. 20 to Exel Inc. of Ohio, which is owned by the German firm Deutsche Post DHL.
The Nashua company contends that apparent deficiencies with the Exel bid raise serious concerns.
"Based on the limited information released by the Liquor Commission to date, it would appear these deficiencies have the potential to cost the state of New Hampshire millions of dollars over the terms of the contract ... " the petition states. "From what we know about the Deutsche Post Exel proposal, it appears to have some serious flaws because it does not provide the state with the key service improvements they are looking for, and does not provide the best return to the people of New Hampshire," Brian Law, president of Law Warehouses, said in a release.
Law Warehouses, which currently provides warehousing for the Liquor Commission at its Nashua facilities, will continue its work until November 2013, when Exel will take over from a new warehouse to be built in Bow.
Five vendors applied for the state liquor storage contact. When the winner was announced Nov. 20, commission Chairman Joseph Mollica described the contract award as "a significant milestone in enhancing the service and revenue we provide to the state of New Hampshire."
Craig Bulkley, chief of administration for the Liquor Commission, said Monday that he could not comment on the legal action, but did elaborate on the bidding process.
"We are very confident that the process we went through was a solid one, and would stand up to any scrutiny," Bulkley said. "We feel this was a very fair and impartial process."
He said the contract will result in about a $3 million savings to the Liquor Commission every 30 months, in addition to $4 million in savings to suppliers and consumers.
"It is significant savings, and that was one of our goals - to engage a company that could provide efficient and effective operations, and save the Liquor Commission and the state of New Hampshire money to control costs of wine and spirits to our customers, and costs for warehousing to our business partners," Bulkley said.
Law Warehouses wants to see those savings in print.
According to the right-to-know petition, Law Warehouses has on three occasions sought additional information on the recent bidding process. It has since been provided with some redacted paperwork.
"Based on the very limited information contained in the heavily redacted Exel proposal, it appears that Exel's proposal was significantly nonresponsive to the (request for proposals) and should have been rejected outright," states the petition written by attorneys Christopher Carter and Suzan Lehmann. It goes on to allege that the Liquor Commission "improperly afforded Exel opportunities to materially revise its proposal," says the petition.
Law said Monday that if his company lost fair and square, he will walk away.
"We are hoping that the information comes out so that New Hampshire can decide whether the correct decision was made," Law said.
Bulkley said that much of the information being sought by Law Warehouses is readily available online, and that the Liquor Commission is working to publicize even more information once it is assured that specific details are not confidential.


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Repo! The Genetic Opera (US - BD RA)
Gabe dresses up in black leather and eye-shadow for his night at the opera...
In the year 2056 an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savoir emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants—for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men. In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on painkilling drugs and murder is sanctioned by law, a sheltered young girl searches for the cure to her own rare disease as well as information about her family's mysterious history. After being sucked into the haunting world of GeneCo, she is unable to turn back, as all of her questions will be answered at the wildly anticipated spectacular event: the Genetic Opera.
Repo! The Genetic Opera had a lot of potential—an original story concept, enough catchy tunes to make a few good teaser trailers, and the support of a creative team that obviously believed in the material. Of course, true believers often can't see the forest from the trees, but in arts and entertainment I'm usually willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The immediately obvious problems, pre-viewing, all had to do with the film's style, which appeared a bit to 'Hot Topic' for my current tastes. I couldn't help thinking that had the film been released in early 1995 it would've been fifteen-year-old Gabe's favourite thing ever, but in 2009 the anachronistic neo-goth is a little embarrassingly regressive.
Turns out those assumptions were mostly correct, and Repo! looks like, and is about as deep as, an elongated Evanescence music video. Sometimes the look works (as in the Blade Runner by way of CG anime landscape shots, and some of the set design), but when it doesn't work (the dumb colour schemes, the Sky Captain softness) it's an obnoxious disappointment. Staying true to the staged nature of the original production is important, and appreciated, and the production looks a little more expensive than it actually was, but did the whole thing really need to look like it was lighted by Van Halen's stage crew? And did they only have low watt bulbs?
But this is a taste issue, and even those of us that don't particularly like the look have to appreciate the audacity of it all, and I do. The film has plenty of other problems we can talk about.
Repo! is the only rock opera I can recall that takes the 'opera' part as seriously as the 'rock' part. In film and stage form rock operas are more often rock musicals. Opera is defined as telling a story in song form, not a series of talking scenes followed by musical scenes that stop or slow the story. The characters in Repo! bravely sing the vast majority of their lines. Unfortunately, the songs that contain the most anecdotal information often ramble, repeat, and generally sound like they're being made up as they're sung. Worse, they aren't the kind of thing most people would want to listen to outside of context. The big exception is the song 'Zydrate Anatomy', which manages to give several pieces of plot information, and be genuinely catchy at the same time. It's a microcosm of what the film could've been.
Even these chatty songs don't really tell the story, though. The majority of Repo's! sordid tale (which is effectively operatic) is revealed in the many non-animated comic book panels wedged between musical moments. The panels are a stylish way to deal with a low budget, but mostly just made me pine for all the more interesting story pieces that are glazed over. It's frustrating because there's a really good Sci-Fi story somewhere in this tangle that isn't served by the music, and there's an intrigue behind the music that isn't served by the story (for example, the songs 'Chase the Morning' or 'At the Opera Tonight', which were songs I liked much more out of context). I'd rather read a Repo! comic book that takes the time to tell the story of the Genetic Opera while listening to an album of songs 'inspired' by the film.
I had both my Repo! and Saw V DVD reviews finished and ready to go when I received the Blu-ray discs by mail, the Monday before release. Tsk. Actually, it's not a very big deal in this case because the Blu-ray and DVD are very close transfer-wise.
Repo! is such a visually over-produced film it's very hard to judge the transfer. Those who remember Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow may remember the strange lack of sharpness and loss of dimension that came with the very specific look. Repo! suffers many of the same 'issues'. Whites are all blown-out, blacks are overbearing, and details are smeared. The richness of the blacks is notable (a big advantage on the hi-def version), as is the lack of edge enhancement, but there are some digital compression elements on the edges of the wide shots. The pureness of many of the bright red colours is impressive, especially the finale which is bathed in intense blood reds. The Blu-ray is generally sharper, and a little brighter than the DVD, but they're pretty darn close.
If I were someone involved with the blood, sweat and tears of this unlikely production I'd be really pissed off about both disc's mis-mixed soundtracks. The DVD's Dolby Digital 5.1 track is the obvious loser, but the Blu-ray's DTS track has its share of issues. The obvious problem with the DD track is front and centre, so to speak, namely the centre channel speaker, which is way louder than the other channels. The dialogue is all delegated to this super loud centre channel, meaning the lyrics outweigh the rest of the music. There's almost no music at all in the centre channel when characters are singing leaving a hole when the singing pauses. In general the track is mixed really low as well, losing most of the surround effects that likely would've added a bit of artificial bulk to the budget.
On Blu-ray the centre channel is still a little too heavy, and still somewhat lacking of centred music, but the overall balance is much nicer, and the effort put into the surround effects can be better appreciated. There's still too much echo to the instruments, stealing bite from the crunchier guitars, and there are still some moments where the surround and stereo delegated music is (apparently) purposefully muted for the sake of the centre dialogue.
The disc's extras begin with two audio commentaries, one with director Darren Lynn Bousman and actors Bill Moseley, Alexa Vega and Ogre, the other with Bousman, creators Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, and music producer Joseph Bishara. The uphill battle of the entire production, including advertising apparently, is well documented on both tracks by Bousman to the point of annoyance. The actor track is a little on the dumb side, concerned more with corny jokes than talking about the production. The director and creators are more focused, and answer some of the early criticisms pretty well, mostly telling the critics that it's okay to laugh at the film. Our more professional commentators also point out all the differences between the original stage musical and the film.
Our first Blu-ray only extra is a select scene commentary with Paris Hilton and Bousman. Those of you without Blu-ray capabilities aren't missing much, as a Paris Hilton commentary is exactly what you're expecting. Bousman does his best to interview Hilton, and keep her talking, but she sounds really uninterested. The commentaries total around ten minutes.
Next on both the DVD and Blu-ray are two featurettes, 'From Stage to Screen' and 'Legal Assassin'. 'From Stage to Screen' takes about eleven minutes to chronicle the birth of the stage play, and the laborious process of bringing it to the screening. There's some video footage from the stage version, but no audio, mixed with interviews, scenes from the film, and raw footage from the set. 'Legal Assassin' is a four minute general making-of the song 'Legal Assassin', including the writers and director talking about the song, footage of Head's audition tape, and footage of the hired musicians (which includes Poe on back-up vocals, remember her?). It must have been made for the internet, because it's presented in a frame to disguise its resolution, and because the sound is loud and distorted.
The Blu-ray features two additional featurettes concerning the production of the songs 'Zydrate Anatomy' and 'Chase the Morning'. Like the 'Legal Assassin' featurette, these featurettes are of lower image resolution (not even anamorphic), and fuzzy audio (which is, funny enough, encoded in stereo DTS), and were likely made with internet in mind. They run four and a half and three minutes.
Besides the greatly improved (but still slightly iffy) soundtrack, the main reason fans might want to make sure they get a Blu-ray copy is the four deleted scenes. The scenes are presented in their rough form—non-anamophic video, minus the post-production effects, and temp sound. Bousman is on hand on track two to tell us why the scenes were deleted (along with Hilton, again), and his reasoning is sound, but the scenes don't add up to a whole lot. They're more like the trimmings of full deleted scenes. Bousman somewhat verifies this by noting there's still a lot more deleted footage on a cutting room floor somewhere.
The Blu-ray disc has two more minor surprises not found on the DVD release—four bouncing ball sing-along tracks, and a poster gallery. Both discs are both finished off by a trailer, and trailers for other Lions Gate releases.
I was really looking forward to Repo! The Genetic Opera, but the final film is a mess of negative and positive points that ultimately all cancel each other out. I still appreciate the obvious love that went into the production, and have no real point of reference, but I can't help thinking that this one might've done better to stay on stage with a bit of a budget boost. I can suggest seeing the film to the curious based on a few good songs, and unsurprisingly fantastic performances from Anthony Stewart Head and Sarah Brightman. I can suggest not seeing the film to just about everyone else.
*Note: The images on this page are not representative of the Blu-ray release.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Fabricio De Zuasnabar Member Join Date: July 2005 Location: United States Posts: 1,350
i just bought it, this morning, i was between this and IGOR... and i was really interested a little bit more on this... so let's see tonight
JosephNYC Member Join Date: February 2006 Location: United States Posts: 111
This film is a hot mess. Worst rock opera ever. Bad story and horrible. Not one memorable song. I can't believe this was ever a stage show.
I watched it over the weekend and I still don't know what it was about. And I love rock operas.
I watched it over the weekend and I still don't know what it was about. And I love rock operas.
Tyler Foster Member Join Date: October 2004 Location: United States Posts: 717
Not "sorted tale" but "sordid tale".
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,719
Nope, the tale's been written on a series of playing cards and handed out to the participants after a good shuffling.
Mr.White Member Join Date: November 2005 Location: United States Posts: 143
I watched it last night and I still can't tell if I really liked it or not. It was definitely interesting, but after all the wait I don't know if it lived up to the hype surounding it. All the performers were great, no denying, just the over all product is a little unsatisfying.
I'll be suggesting it to others though, if for nothing else, to have something to talk about.
I'll be suggesting it to others though, if for nothing else, to have something to talk about.
Michael Greenwaldt Member Join Date: November 2004 Location: United States Posts: 790
I thought it was pretty cool, for the most part. I was kind of letdown though as I had extremely high hopes for it. Still worth seeing, though it's probably too bizarre for a lot of people.
Billy Gates Member Join Date: November 2005 Location: United States Posts: 651
Mr.White wrote: I watched it last night and I still can't tell if I really liked it or not. It was definitely interesting, but after all the wait I don't know if it lived up to the hype surounding it. All the performers were great, no denying, just the over all product is a little unsatisfying.
I'll be suggesting it to others though, if for nothing else, to have something to talk about.
I completely agree with you, I watched it this morning and I don't know if I liked it. At the moment I feel it was decent, because the last 30 minutes or so was actually good but the singing wasn't that great. The music itself is good though...I dunno, maybe I should watch it again a couple months down the line, maybe my opinion will change.
I'll be suggesting it to others though, if for nothing else, to have something to talk about.
I completely agree with you, I watched it this morning and I don't know if I liked it. At the moment I feel it was decent, because the last 30 minutes or so was actually good but the singing wasn't that great. The music itself is good though...I dunno, maybe I should watch it again a couple months down the line, maybe my opinion will change.
Fabricio De Zuasnabar Member Join Date: July 2005 Location: United States Posts: 1,350
ok... the first 30 minutes... it was good, original... it's a rare movie that im not used to see... but by the middle of the film all the c**ppy musical thing just killed it... it could be much better without the whole music thing, and without Paris Hilton on it...
fdestination Member Join Date: April 2006 Location: United States Posts: 96
I loved this MOVIE!
NOTLWolfie Member Join Date: September 2007 Location: United States Posts: 206
I loved it!
KSmith5393 Member Join Date: April 2008 Location: United States Posts: 54
it was awesome. definitely not for everybody, but it definitely has it's fan base.
i love repo! and is just hoping for a director's cut.
i love repo! and is just hoping for a director's cut.
Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
Disc Details
Release Date: 20th January 2009
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 1.78:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English
Subtitles: English HoH, Spanish
Extras: Director/Actor Commentary, Director/Creators/Music Producer Commentary, Select Scene Director/Actress Commentary, Deleted Scenes with Commentary, 'From Stage to Screen', 'Legal Assassin', 'Zydrate Anatomy' , 'Chase the Morning', 4 Sing-Alongs, Poster Gallery, Trailers
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Cast: Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, Alexa Vega, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton
Genre: Animation, Horror, Musical and Sci-Fi
Length: 98 minutes
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Arms Buildups and the Use of Military Force
David F. Mitchell and Jeffrey Pickering
The empirical literature on arms buildups and the use of interstate military force has advanced considerably over the last half century. Research has largely confirmed that a relationship exists between arms buildups and the subsequent use of force, although it is historically contingent. The relationship seems to have existed in some earlier historical periods but has not been a feature of international politics since 1945. Broader work such as the steps-to-war model brings understanding to such variation by demonstrating how arms races are interrelated with other causes of conflict, such as territorial disputes and alliances. Still, many important dimensions of the arms race–conflict connection remain to be explored. Differences between qualitative and quantitative arms races, for example, have not received sufficient empirical scrutiny. Precise theory also needs to be developed on direct and indirect relationships between arms races and conflict, and such theory requires empirical investigation.
Bargaining Models of War and the Stability of Peace in Post-Conflict Societies
Margit Bussmann
A major challenge for countries that emerge from civil war is the stabilization of the post-conflict order in a way that fighting does not break out again. Recent empirical and theoretical work on the resolution of civil wars and on the duration of peace strongly rely on the bargaining framework of war emphasizing information asymmetries and commitment problems as main reasons for why in some states civil wars recur repeatedly, whereas in other societies a conflict ends and a transition to a peaceful society is successful. The length of peace spells depends partly on information about the distribution of power that became available during the conflict, captured by the duration and intensity of the fighting as well as the type of conflict ending. Information problems are more relevant at earlier stages and with regard to the initiation of negotiations. In finding bargaining deals and securing their implementation, the conflict parties have to overcome commitment problems. The literature has investigated in more detail third-party security guarantees and power-sharing arrangements as mechanisms to get conflict parties to credibly commit to and adhere to a negotiated agreement. Recently, empirical research moved beyond the conclusion of peace agreements to the study of their implementation. Particular challenges for a peaceful order are the demobilization of ex-combatants, which is aggravated by time-inconsistency problems, the timing of elections, and the redistribution of economic resources. Finally, solutions become more difficult in multiparty conflicts and if the armed groups are fragmented.
Bargaining Theory, Civil War Outcomes, and War Recurrence: Assessing the Results of Empirical Tests of the Theory
Caroline A. Hartzell
Once ended, a significant number of civil wars recur. One influential empirical international relations theory on which scholars have drawn in an effort to provide an explanation for this phenomenon is the bargaining model of war. Devised initially for the study of interstate war, the theory posits that bargaining problems may prevent belligerents from reaching a deal that enables them to avoid a costly war. Bargaining problems also have been identified as contributing to the recurrence of armed intrastate conflict. Working within the framework of bargaining theory, a number of scholars have claimed that the most effective way to inhibit a return to civil war is to end the conflict via military victory as such an outcome is thought to help solve key bargaining problems. However, a growing number of empirical tests cast doubt on this proposition. An analysis of the results of these tests as well as new scholarship on civil war termination highlight some of the limitations inherent in employing a theory devised for the study of interstate war to analyze questions related to civil wars.
Capitalist Peace Theory: A Critical Appraisal
Gerald Schneider
Capitalist peace theory (CPT) has gained considerable attention in international relations theory and the conflict literature. Its proponents maintain that a capitalist organization of an economy pacifies states internally and externally. They portray CPT either as a complement or as a substitute to other liberal explanations such as the democratic peace thesis. They, however, disagree about the facet of capitalism that is supposed to reduce the risk of political violence. Key contributions have identified three main drivers of the capitalist peace phenomenon: the fiscal constraints that a laissez-faire regimen puts on potentially aggressive governments, the mollifying norms that a capitalist organization creates; and the increased ability of capitalist governments to signal their intentions effectively in a confrontation with an adversary. Defining capitalism narrowly through the freedom entrepreneurs enjoy domestically, this article evaluates the key causal mechanisms and empirical evidence that have been advanced in support of these competing claims. The article argues that CPT needs to be based on a narrow definition of capitalism and that it should scrutinize motives and constraints of the main actors more deeply. Future contributions to the CPT literature should also pay close attention to classic theories of capitalism, which all considered individual risk taking and the dramatic changes between booms and busts to be key constitutive features of this form of economic governance. Finally, empirical tests of the proposed causal mechanism should rely on data sets in which capitalists appear as actors and not as "structures." If the literature takes these objections seriously, CPT could establish itself as central theory of peace and war in two respects. First, it could serve as an antidote to the theory of imperialism and other "critical" approaches that see in capitalism a source of conflict rather than of peace. Second, it could become an important complement to commercial liberalism that stresses the external openness rather than the internal freedoms as an economic cause of peace and that particularly sees trade and foreign direct investment as pacifying forces.
Civil War and Terrorism: A Call for Further Theory Building
Charity Butcher
Since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, terrorism has gained increased prominence in both scholarship and the media. While international terrorist acts are quite visible and highly publicized, such attacks represent only one type of terrorism within the international system. In fact, a very large number of acts of terrorism take place within the context of civil wars. Given the great disparity in power in most civil wars, it is not surprising that terrorism might be seen as a tactic that is often used by insurgent groups, who may have few resources at their disposal to fight a much stronger opponent.
There is a clear linkage between the concepts of terrorism and civil war, yet until recently scholars have largely approached civil war and terrorism separately. Recent literature has attempted to specifically map the intersection of terrorism and civil war, recognizing the extent to which the two overlap. As expected, the findings suggest that civil war and terrorism are highly linked. Other scholars have endeavoured to explain why rebel groups in some civil wars use terrorism, while others do not. Further research focuses on how governments respond to terrorism during civil war or on how the decisions of external actors to intervene in civil wars are affected by the use of terrorism by insurgent groups.
These studies show that there is too little theorizing on the relationship between civil war and terrorism; while scholars are finally considering these concepts collectively, the full nature of their relationship remains unexplored. Additional research is needed to better understand the various ways that terrorism and civil war overlap, interact, and mutually affect other important international and domestic political processes.
Civil War from a Transnational Perspective
Kristian Skrede Gleditsch
Civil war is the dominant form of armed conflict in the contemporary international system, and most severe lethal armed conflicts in the post-Cold War era have been civil/intrastate rather than interstate. Still, it would be misleading to see these conflicts as purely domestic, as many contemporary civil wars such as Syria display clear transnational characteristics, including inspirations from events in other countries, links to actors in other countries, as well as international interventions. Moreover, civil wars often have important implications for other states, including security concerns and economic impacts. There is a need to focus on the growth and core findings in the literature on transnational dimensions of civil war, in particular on how factors outside a particular state can influence the risk of conflict within states as well as some of the central consequences of domestic conflict for other states or relations between states. This line of research has helped expand our understanding of both civil conflict and interstate war, and that a comparative focus on varieties conflict and attention to the possible transnational dimensions of civil war deserve a prominent role in future research.
Civil War Termination
Caroline A. Hartzell
Civil wars typically have been terminated by a variety of means, including military victories, negotiated settlements and ceasefires, and "draws." Three very different historical trends in the means by which civil wars have ended can be identified for the post–World War II period. A number of explanations have been developed to account for those trends, some of which focus on international factors and others on national or actor-level variables. Efforts to explain why civil wars end as they do are considered important because one of the most contested issues among political scientists who study civil wars is how "best" to end a civil war if the goal is to achieve a stable peace. Several factors have contributed to this debate, among them conflicting results produced by various studies on this topic as well as different understandings of the concepts war termination, civil war resolution, peace-building, and stable peace.
Conflict Management of Territorial Disputes
Krista E. Wiegand
Despite the decline in interstate wars, there remain dozens of interstate disputes that could erupt into diplomatic crises and evolve into military escalation. By far the most difficult interstate dispute that exists are territorial disputes, followed by maritime and river boundary disputes. These disputes are not only costly for the states involved, but also potentially dangerous for states in the region and allies of disputant states who could become entrapped in armed conflicts. Fortunately, though many disputes remain unresolved and some disputes endure for decades or more than a century, many other disputes are peacefully resolved through conflict management tools.
Understanding the factors that influence conflict management—the means by which governments decide their foreign policy strategies relating to interstate disputes and civil conflicts—is critical to policy makers and scholars interested in the peaceful resolution of such disputes. Though conflict management of territorial and maritime disputes can include a spectrum of management tools, including use of force, most conflict management tools are peaceful, involving direct bilateral negotiations between the disputant states, non-binding third party mediation, or binding legal dispute resolution. Governments most often attempt the most direct dispute resolution method, which is bilateral negotiations, but often, such negotiations break down due to uncompromising positions of the disputing states, leading governments to turn to other resolution methods. There are pros and cons of each of the dispute resolution methods and certain factors will influence the decisions that governments make about the management of their territorial and maritime disputes. Overall, the peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes is an important but complicated issue for states both directly involved and indirectly affected by the persistence of such disputes.
Dynamics, Endogeneity, and Complexity in Protest Campaigns
Karen A. Rasler
There is an argument that nonviolent civil resistance or protest campaigns should be studied as dynamic and complex phenomenon, rather than a single case comprised of various attributes, such as size, scale, and scope, which are then compared with other cases. As protest campaigns have increased all over the world during the last few years, international relations scholars have begun to devote more time and resources to studying them systematically with new data projects and analytical tools and methods. In light of this emerging research program, one needs to understand that protest campaigns contain large-scale processes of political contention that evolve across time and space. Such evolutionary processes are the result of the interactive relationships among multiple governmental and nongovernmental actors. These interactions reflect "highly interdependent sets of actions and reactions" that generate causal mechanisms and intersect with other large-scale processes which can produce similar and dissimilar outcomes across different political contexts. An argument will be advanced that a "relational mechanisms-process" approach articulated by McAdam, Tarrow, and Tilly provides analytical leverage over such complexity. Most, international relations scholars, unlike social movement scholars, are not familiar with this approach. So, the effort herein is to not only make the case for a relational mechanisms-process approach but also to illustrate it with a partial analysis of the Egyptian uprising on January 25, 2011, which led to Mubarak's resignation. The end result is a call for theoretical and empirical research that bridges two communities of scholars, one that is dominated by sociologists (social movement scholars) and the other that is dominated by political science (international relations political violence scholars).
Effectiveness of Peacekeeping Operations
Jessica Di Salvatore and Andrea Ruggeri
Peacekeeping has been one of the main conflict management tools used by the international community to restore or safeguard peace and security. Since 1948, the United Nations has established 70 peace operations and has substantially evolved, adopting approaches to peace that extend beyond purely military concerns. Indeed, the promises of peacekeeping as effective instrument of conflict reduction may, to some extent, explain the evolution toward multidimensional missions and the unprecedented number of peacekeepers deployed in the last decade. As consequence, the growing importance of peacekeeping effectiveness has sparked a new wave of research that empirically investigates whether and under which conditions UN peacekeeping works.
Peacekeepers are mostly deployed in conflict or postconflict environments where violence is either ongoing or lingering. Thus, violence remains a priority for peace missions. Consequently, peacekeeping is deemed successful or effective according to whether it curbs conflict in several dimensions. Effective missions are those responsible for decreasing the intensity of battle violence, protecting civilians, and containing conflict diffusion and recurrence in the postwar phase. Each mission, however, is deployed in different contexts and operates under variable conditions that affect the operation's capacity to influence conflict. Concerning mission features, peacekeeping success is more likely when large contingents are deployed under robust mandates. Mission type, size, and composition signal credible commitment from the international community and empower peacekeepers to halt violence while guaranteeing the implementation of peace agreements. These nuanced understandings of peacekeeping stem from the availability of new data on both conflict and peace operations at the national and subnational levels of analysis. Moreover, the empirical study of the effectiveness of peace operations has recently been flanked by simulation-based forecasting, field experiments, and surveys investigating local-level outcomes of peace missions.
Unsurprisingly, the focus on violence and conflict outcomes as indicators of success is debatable. First, in dealing with violence, peacekeeping operations produce spillover effects that are largely neglected, such as refugee flows and terrorist violence. Second, given the wide range of functions performed by UN peacekeepers, including electoral assistance, economic reconstruction, and state building, it is reasonable to include these aspects when defining effectiveness. Third, and relatedly, no assessment of short- versus long-term implications of peacekeeping for political, social, and economic development in the host country has been forthcoming. While reducing infant mortality, inequality, and crime are not necessarily tasks for peacekeepers, it is vital to study whether and how UN missions may have shaped the quality of peace in host countries.
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PORTSMOUTH — Optima Bank & Trust has been New Hampshire's fastest growing bank since opening its doors five years ago.
"Every month, at every one of our locations, we have seen a growth in assets, loans and deposits," said Daniel R. Morrison, Optima Bank's president and chief executive officer. "Both business and personal customers have noticed the positive difference our exceptional service makes."
Since opening in January of 2008, at the beginning of the nation's financial crisis, Optima Bank has grown from eight employees to 40, while assets had grown to more than $245 million by the end of 2012.
In addition to full-service branches in Portsmouth, Stratham and North Hampton, the bank recently opened a commercial and residential loan office in Dover at 828 Central Avenue.
"We expect in 2013 to continue to grow at the same pace," Morrison said. "Our plans are to keep expanding, with at least one additional location on the drawing board for 2013."
At the Portsmouth headquarters at Two Harbour Place, renovations in 2012 nearly doubled the capacity of the building, adding 18 work spaces for new employees.
Optima Bank also has had three stock offerings since opening and the bank's stock price is up 60 percent to $16 a share.
Established as the Seacoast's only locally-owned commercial bank, Optima Bank was named the 2012 Business of the Year by the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and a Top "10 to Watch" private company in New Hampshire by Business NH Magazine.
Optima Bank has consistently earned the highest five-star superior rating for strength and stability from BauerFinancial Inc., the nation's leading independent bank and credit union rating and research firm, ever since the bank was first eligible to be considered for the rating in 2010.
From the start, Optima Bank's management, employees and Board of Directors have been active with many non-profit and charitable organizations. The bank regularly sponsors community groups involved with education, community wellness and the arts.
"We want to be an integral part of our local communities," Morrison said. "Our goal is to continue to invest every day in our local people, our local businesses and our local communities."
For more information, visit the Optima full-service branches at Two Harbour Place, Portsmouth (433-9600), 26 Lafayette Road, North Hampton (433-9633) and 17 Portsmouth Avenue, Stratham (773-5222) and the commercial and residential Loan Office at 828 Central Ave, Dover (516-1175) or the website at www.optimabank.com.


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Complex Conversations: Willie Cole Sculptures and Wall Works
On Friday, April 4, Faulconer Gallery will welcome "Complex Conversations: Willie Cole Sculptures and Wall Works," curated by Patterson Sims, an independent art curator, writer, and consultant based in New York. Grinnell College's Faulconer Gallery is the exhibition's fourth of five college and university stops.
There will be a number of events in conjunction with this exhibition, including gallery talks with Willie Cole on April 4 at 4:15 p.m. and members of Happenstance Theater on Tuesday, April 8, at noon.
The realities of inner-city African-American life and his immediate family have laid the groundwork for the sculptures, paintings, drawings, and prints of Willie Cole. Cole, who grew up in post-industrial Newark, sees himself as an "urban archaeologist." He draws inspiration from traditional African art to create contemporary works in many media.
Cole transforms mass-produced objects into precious icons or symbolic representations to examine race, history, and belief systems. His artwork has engaged in a continuous conversation with national identity and world culture through shifting themes, from the personal to the universal and his African-American Baptist heritage to international, pan-spiritual perspectives.
Faulconer Gallery will host the following public events during "Complex Conversations: Willie Cole Sculptures and Wall Works":
- Mondays and Thursdays, March 31 – May 15, 12:15 p.m.: Yoga in the gallery for beginners and experienced practitioners. Co-sponsored by Live Well Grinnell. Mats are provided.
- Fri., April 4, 4:15 p.m.: Gallery talk with artist Willie Cole. Co-sponsored by the Grinnell College Black Alumni Weekend.
- Fri., April 4, 5 p.m.: Opening reception. Willie Cole will be present, and light refreshments will be served. Co-sponsored by the Grinnell College Black Alumni Weekend.
- Tues., April 8, noon: Gallery talk with Happenstance Theater. Performers will discuss how they would engage with an exhibition through theatre, using "Complex Conversations: Willie Cole Sculptures and Wall Works".
- Sat., April 12, 1:30 p.m.: Community Day. Tour the exhibitions, complete a scavenger hunt, enjoy printmaking, and create sculptures from shoes. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.
- Wed., April 16, 7:30 p.m.: Spring harp recital under the direction of Kristin Maahs, applied music associate.
- Thurs., April 17, 7:30 p.m.: Fresh Flutes concert under the direction of Claudia Anderson, applied music associate.
- Wed., April 30, 4:15 p.m.: "Sharing Complex Conversations." Gallery talk with curator Patterson Sims, president of the Board of Independent Curators.
"Complex Conversations: Willie Cole Sculptures and Wall Works" is open through June 1. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, and admission is free. The gallery will be closed for Memorial Day.
Faulconer Gallery is located in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts at 1108 Park St. For more information about the exhibitions and related programs, call 641-269-4660 or visit www.grinnell.edu/faulconergallery. Information on parking and accessibility is available on the college website. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations at 641-269-3235 or email@example.com.


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My twins were born at 35 weeks gestation and are acting very much like late preterm infants. They are now in NICU and I have just been discharged so I am home evenings through morning and will be spending 6 a.m. to 8pm with them and then coming home and sleeping and pumping. I need to get my supply up and communicate to my body there's two babies to make milk for.
I have rented a hospital grade pump and am pumping every 3 hrs. Now I wonder if I should pump every 2 hrs while separated because the LC said realistically when they're both home they'll nurse every 2 hrs. The NICU uses a 3 hr schedule although they said we really don't need to follow it. But the problem is they nurse, they are topped off with pumped milk in a bottle, they are on IV dextrose (sugar water) and then I pump so it's really hard to deviate from that too much since it's already so busy and I can't nurse again right after pumping since they expend most of their energy through nursing.
I'm just wondering what the best pumping schedule should be while we're apart, more or less. Tonight I nursed them both at 6 pm then pumped. Pumped at 8 pm now again at 10 pm, I am thinking maybe 12, 2, 4:30 and then just stay up to get ready to go back to NICU? that's about 5 hrs of sleep if I can sleep right away after pumping. DH is washing pump parts. I will try to nap at NICU on the recliner in my babies' room although I'm not counting on being able to fall asleep there.
I know I need some sleep to make milk but I really really want to make enough. They are 4 days old, my milk came in yesterday pretty much. I pumped about 5 oz total yesterday over 8 sessions, nursed them 6x if they were awake (sometimes I put them to breast and they are too sleepy to nurse, then we do skin to skin).


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Police: UNH student falsely reported assault
October 04. 2013 10:40AM
DURHAM — Police now say a female University of New Hampshire student falsely reported that she was assaulted on campus earlier this week.
UNH Police Chief Paul Dean said the young woman has "recanted her story" about two men who threw her to the ground and tried to steal her wallet on Wednesday night before she fought them off.
The report of the violent assault, which Dean earlier had called a "first" for the Durham university, prompted a campus-wide alert and increased campus patrols.
In a statement released Friday, Dean said, "Although I am aware of circumstances that would explain why she fabricated the incident, the university is reviewing all options including bringing criminal charges and other administrative sanctions."
"We work hard to create as safe an environment as possible for this community and false reports like this tend to elevate what should be a reasonable and appropriate level of caution to an unnecessary level of fear for our students, their families, and for the faculty, staff and other community members at UNH," the chief said.


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The National Fire Protection Agency is reminding the public to properly store and dispose of seasonal decorations.
The National Fire Protection Agency is reminding the public to properly store and dispose of seasonal decorations.
In 2006 to 2010, holiday lights and other decorative lighting were involved in an annual average of 160 home fires, nine civilian deaths, 13 related injuries, and nine million in direct property damage.
To reduce the risk of holiday light fires and keep equipment in good condition for next year, follow these storage suggestions:
To unplug electric decorations, use the gripping area provided on the plugs. Never pull the cord to unplug a device from electrical outlets. Doing so can harm the cord's wire and insulation and even lead to an electrical shock or fire.As you're putting away electrical light strings, take time to inspect each for damage. Throw out light sets if they have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires.Do not place a damaged set of lights back into the storage box for next year's use.Wrap each set of lights and put them in individual plastic bags, or wrap the lights around a piece of cardboard.Store electrical decorations in a dry place where they cannot be damaged by water or dampness. Also, keep them away from children and pets. For more information, visit nfpa.org/freeaccess.


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First Alpha Systems Test Released!
The first Torment Alpha Systems Test is out to our backers! If your tier includes this reward or you added it as an add-on, check your email and grab your key on the Torment website!
Read More
Updated Our Journal #46: Narrative Character Generation
TL;DR: Adam at PAX; an update on production and interfaces; Adam on character generation
Hello Tormented Ones,
Kevin here.
First and foremost, if you happen to be attending PAX Prime in Seattle in a few weeks, be sure to check in on the CLASSIC RPGs FOREVER! Panel on Sunday, August 30th at 11 AM in the Sasquatch Theater. It will feature not only DoubleBear's Annie Mitsoda, Obsidian's Josh Sawyer, Harebrained's Mitch Gitelman, and Larian's Swen Vincke, but also our very own...
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Classic RPGs Panel at PAX
If you are going to PAX Prime next month, be sure to check in on the Classic RPGs Panel, which includes our very own design lead Adam Heine, along with Annie Mitsoda, Josh Sawyer, Mitch Gitelman, and Swen Vincke, with Penny Arcade's Jeff Kalles moderating.
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Updated Our Journal #45: George Ziets, Josh Jertberg and Jeremy Kopman Talk on Live Stream
TL;DR: live streaming Torment talk; Asylum art; progress on physical map
Thomas here.
Our creative lead Colin McComb was in the office again in the flesh (he is always with us in spirit, of course). You may have seen this amusing photo from a Sagus Cliffs story session or his cameo at the end of the Bard's Tale IV infomercial. But fist-bumps aside, it was a very productive visit as we continue to make great progress on our number one focus, the opening areas of...
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'Blue-sky outages' a dark cloud for utilities
December 21. 2013 10:09PM
First of two parts
By DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
Christina Keene went shopping for her Thanksgiving Day feast a week early this year, hoping to get a head start on the holiday. Unfortunately, a power outage in her Windham neighborhood wrecked her plans because she had to throw away a good part of the purchase due to spoilage.
"Over the past four years I would guess that I have spent (thousands of dollars) on wasted groceries, medicines, hotel expenses and missed work days," she said. "I have been living in Windham for the last four years, and during that time I have been without power more than 20 times during the winter months and sometimes even during the summer."
Windham is in a part of the state that appears to be a hot spot for what utility companies call "blue-sky outages" - a loss of power not related to a major weather event.
The performance of regulated utilities such as PSNH or Unitil in restoring power after a calamity like the 2008 ice storm or 2011 October snowstorm gets a lot of attention and is subject to a report card by the Public Utilities Commission.
But what about the performance of the delivery companies on a day-to-day basis? The PUC keeps an eye on the routine performance of PSNH, Unitil, the N.H. Electric Cooperative and Liberty Utilities (formerly Granite State Electric), the regulated utilities responno regulated utilities respond no matter who provides it.
Utilities have to report annually on the number of outages, their duration and the number of customers affected, after filtering out the impact of severe weather events, as defined by the PUC.
Those reports show some improvement from 2011 to 2012, the last full year for which statistics were available. The average time without power for a PSNH customer improved from 188 minutes in 2011 to 140 minutes in 2012. For a Unitil customer, the number went from 190 minutes in 2011 to 156 minutes in 2012. (See chart)
Spokesmen for utilities and regulators cautioned against using the numbers to compare performance among utilities, given the variation in factors such as urban versus rural settings and numbers of customers. But they are a good measurement of whether a particular utility is improving from one year to the next.
Improvement on paper
Those improvements on paper come as little solace to someone who lives in one of the areas served by the top 50 circuits that PSNH has identified as having the worst reliability on blue-sky days among the hundreds of circuits in its network. A circuit is a device that provides a path for electrical current to flow. "Long circuits'' is a reference to circuits that have a long distance between them on a power line.
"We're trying to get the biggest bang for the dollar to reduce outages on the system, so we go after the most problematic areas," said Paul Ramsey, vice president for energy delivery at PSNH, who declined to reveal exactly where those problem areas are.
"We'd rather not do that," he said, "because many of those won't be problematic in the near future. They may have already been corrected this year. It depends on the timing."
The information provided to the PUC is based on the entire franchise area and is not broken down circuit by circuit. But it's likely that Windham and neighboring communities along the Massachusetts border that grew dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s are among the trouble spots.
Not just storms
Some of the outages in Windham over the past four years were due to major storms, but Martin Murray, a spokesman for PSNH, acknowledges that Windham has had its share of outages not related to big events. Keene says her blue-sky outages typically last from a couple of hours to a half-day and happen five to 10 times a year in all seasons.
"That area is served primarily from two long circuits that run along roadways where there are many, many trees. Over time, there's been population growth and a load growth, so there are more customers along these circuits," Murray said.
More than 30,000 customers in the state lost power after strong winds knocked down tree limbs on Nov. 24, including 1,258 in Derry, 2,013 in Salem and 1,217 in Windham.
PSNH is in the middle of a statewide project to cut more trees, install new equipment and otherwise improve the reliability of service. Said Murray: "We're hardening our infrastructure in a number of ways."
In the past five years, the PSNH budget for tree trimming has gone from $16.2 million a year to $20.6 million. At Unitil, the number has gone from $800,000 to $2.9 million, all of it, of course, built into electricity rates.
The "enhanced tree trimming," as the utilities call it, started after the 2008 ice storm.
"The Legislature changed the laws so that we are now allowed to be more effective with our vegetation trimming," said Murray. "Prior to the ice storm, we actually had to alert every single customer along a trimming area that we would be trimming and get their permission to do so. Now the subtle change is that if we notify them that we will be trimming, and if we don't hear from them in 45 days, we can go ahead and trim."
In addition to more aggressive tree trimming, utilities are doing big things, including installing new high-tech devices along the power lines to minimize the impact and duration of outages, and small things, such as installing squirrel barriers at substations.
A 'defining issue'
For the new president of PSNH, Bill Quinlan, improving the reliability of the network is Job 1. "There are technologies and practices that will drive significant reliability improvements for our customers," he said as keynote speaker at an energy seminar on Dec. 12 hosted by the Business and Industry Association in Manchester. "And we are going to go after that."
Quinlan said the PSNH service area seems to "have a bull's-eye on it" for bad weather, with eight of the worst outages in the company's history occurring in the recent past.
"Over the past five years, we've had an inordinate number of storms and weather events that have affected our system," he said, "to the extent that it has become a defining issue for us. We've learned we need to do better, and we are going to be an industry leader in the critical area of system reliability."
Keene thinks more prodding from state regulators might speed up those improvements and wonders why the New Hampshire PUC can't fine utilities in New Hampshire for poor performance, as is done in Massachusetts, New York and other states.
The PUC in the Bay State levied nearly $25 million in fines on three regulated electric utilities because of their poor performance in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm.
The Massachusetts PUC also maintains an index of quality standards on frequency and duration of outages that utilities must meet, or face fines. If they exceed the quality benchmarks, they are rewarded.
"Massachusetts fines and regulates the utility companies for their failures, but it would seem New Hampshire lawmakers have little care for how their constituents get through the winter," said Keene.
In Part 2 of our series, we look at the Bay State vs. New Hampshire: Who does better? Massachusetts' aggressive regulatory environmentis not mirrored in New Hampshire. Are the hefty fines issued south of the border the answer to keeping utilities on their toes?
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What to Do When Your Kid Needs an Entitlement Intervention
Entitlement is often confused with the word affluenza, a term used to describe the spoiledness of the very rich. But entitlement occurs across all income groups. It's a state of mind, the concept that "I deserve, even without putting in an effort." This attitude begins at home, but often our society helps reinforce it. Think of the so-called participant trophies given to all kids…
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February 8, 2013, 3:31 pm
Fighter Frenzy takes place this weekend in Denver at Westwood College
Think you're good at fighting and shooting games?
Test your might at the fifth annual Fighter Frenzy, which will take place on Feb. 9 at the Westwood College – north Denver campus, 7350 Broadway, Denver.
The event, put on by Westwood College and Colorado Cutthroat Connection, features a wide variety of games in which to compete, including Halo 4, Super Street Fighter IV, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. In addition, there will be panels and games for casual participants.


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Master USA Seals app collects 50 states' seals from The United States Of America.
Help you to remember 50 seals and know the pronunciation during play match and trivia game.
We design two kinds of game.
Match Game: If you find a matching pair, you gain points. If your pair doesn't match, you lose points.
Trivia Game: Touch the correct flag according to state. If your touch is correct, you will gain points, or else you lose points.
Other function.
-Read state name function by America girl.
-Score and time function also input user name entered top10 rank.
-Three game level for match and trivia game.


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Subramanian Swamy isn't your average summer school instructor. Swamy was a Harvard University economics professor before returning to politics in India, where he is president of the Janata Party. But he comes back to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the summer to teach at the university, while still sharing his views in India – views that are setting off a debate at the university and in his home country.
In an op-ed in Daily News & Analysis last month, Swamy responded to a recent bombing by Muslim terrorists in Mumbai. India could wipe out terrorism, he wrote, by taking certain steps, such as declaring India a Hindu state where "non-Hindus can vote only if they proudly acknowledge that their ancestors were Hindus", or demolishing mosques or banning conversion from Hinduism to any other faith. The op-ed author's sign-off didn't mention Swamy's Harvard connection, but it didn't take long for word to reach the university.
Some students said that, while respecting academic freedom, they found it offensive that an instructor could be advocating removing voting rights on religious grounds.
A petition, whose signatories include Harvard students and parents of students, claims that Swamy has gone beyond what is acceptable discourse and is calling for the university to "terminate" its association with him. "While free expression and the vigorous contest of ideas are essential in any academic community, so, too, are respect and tolerance for human difference," the petition states. "By advocating measures that would grossly violate freedom of religion and the unqualified right to vote for different religious groups, and by aggressively vilifying an entire religious community, Swamy breaches the most basic standards of respect and tolerance."
The petition also questions his suitability as a teacher: "Swamy's comments cast doubt on his ability to treat a diverse community of students with fairness and respect. The highly insulting and stereotypical nature of his comments suggest that he cannot be trusted to regard Muslims – and no doubt other groups – with anything but a jaundiced eye."
The dispute has attracted considerable attention in India, with some groups calling for Swamy's arrest, and the country's National Commission for Minorities plans to discuss the article this week.
Reports have been circulating that Harvard also plans to investigate Swamy, based on a quote from the summer school dean in The Harvard Crimson that the university "will give this matter serious attention". However, the US Foundation for Individual Rights wrote to Harvard president Drew Faust last week calling on the university not to investigate Swamy's statement or take action against him. The phrase "serious attention" would "unacceptably chill expression among members of Harvard's community", the foundation said.
Despite the remark, there has been no investigation, and Swamy has been teaching his courses, which conclude this week, without incident. And on Sunday Harvard spokesman, Jeff A. Neal, released a statement defending Swamy's right to free speech, while noting the concern.
"As an institution of research and teaching, we are dedicated to the proposition that all people, regardless of color or creed, deserve equal opportunities, equal respect and equal protection," Neal wrote. "Recent writings by Dr Swamy therefore are distressing to many members of our community, and understandably so." However, he added: "It is central to the mission of a university to protect free speech, including that of Dr Swamy and of those who disagree with him. We are ultimately stronger as a university when we maintain our commitment to the most basic freedoms that enable the robust exchange of ideas."


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As the parents of 9-month-old Ariel Eluziario watched, the man charged with brutally beating their child to death was arraigned Tuesday in New Bedford District Court on an upgraded charge of murder.
NEW BEDFORD — As the parents of 9-month-old Ariel Eluziario watched, the man charged with brutally beating their child to death was arraigned Tuesday in New Bedford District Court on an upgraded charge of murder.
Ethen Harrison, 21, pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail by Judge Kevin J. Finnerty.
Harrison was already facing assault charges in the child's death.
Amanda Eluziario, 22, the baby's mother, sat next to the child's biological father, Tom Racine, and wept quietly as prosecutor Stephen Nadeau read the case against Harrison, her former boyfriend.
After the arraignment, Amanda Eluziario and Racine held hands as they left the courthouse followed by members of both their families. The baby's parents didn't speak with the media.
The cause of the baby's death was "blunt force trauma to the head," according to Nadeau. The murder charge was brought against Harrison based on the cause of death, the prosecutor said.
The autopsy was performed in Rhode Island and, although the report has not been completed, a detective was present at the autopsy when the physician reached his conclusion, Nadeau said. According to court records, Harrison told police he grew angry when the baby became "fussy" and dropped her to the floor, causing her to hit her head.
He also admitted "forcefully picking the baby up" off the floor, snapping her head forward, court records said.
At that point, he allegedly threw the child on the bed so hard she bounced off, falling 4 feet to the floor, hitting her head again.
He then shook her, slapping her three times around the mouth and two times on the side of the face, court records said.
The incident occurred Jan. 24 in an Adams Street apartment in New Bedford where Harrison lived with Amanda Eluziario and her two children, Eluziario's mother and boyfriend.
The child was brought by private vehicle to St. Luke's Hospital and then flown to Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, where she was pronounced dead after surgery.
Harrison has already been charged with reckless endangerment to a child under 18, assault and battery on a child with substantial injury and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Finnerty continued all the charges until March 25.
Sharon St. Pierre of Fairhaven, a family friend and the child-care provider for Ariel Eluziario, said the arraignment was "very emotional" for both of the child's parents. "This was their daughter. They miss her a lot," she said.
Amanda Eluziario and her family have moved from the Adams Street apartment and spent part of Monday night packing their belongings, including some of the baby's bottles and other items, she said.
"It was upsetting for her," St. Pierre said.


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Project Description
This MIT project will develop and assess a slurry feeding system based on a suspension of coal in liquid CO2 that can be pumped into a high-pressure gasifier. The advantages of this solution are that CO2 has a low heat capacity, a low heat of vaporization and low viscosity. Thus, the liquid CO2 imposes a much smaller thermal load on the gasifier relative to a water slurry, and has the potential to improve the efficiency and economics of integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants with carbon capture and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal fired power plants.
Project Benefits
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology project is developing and assessing a coal-CO2 slurry feeding system. As opposed to conventional coal-water slurry feeding, the coal-CO2 slurry feeding approach avoids the thermal efficiency loss incurred by addition of slurry water, particularly when feeding low-rank coals already high in moisture content, and allows high-pressure operation while avoiding the high capital cost and limited pressure range of dry coal feeding using lock-hopper technology. This new coal feeding method has the potential to improve the efficiency and economics of coal-based power generation with carbon capture and reduce the costs of converting coal to gasoline and diesel fuels.
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Why Are Bad Movies Called Turkeys?
As a nation of devoted movie fans prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving Day by gathering with friends and family, cooking large feasts, paying proper obeisance to the television football gods, ingesting large amounts of food, and then sneaking off to go see a holiday movie or two, may I suggest addiing one more item to your 'To Do' list?
Stop calling movies turkeys! Both filmmakers and turkeys deserve greater respect. And here's why.
Fun Facts
-- The birds we now call turkeys were native North Americans living happily in the wild. They were first domesticated in Mexico and then taken to Spain by explorers in the 16th century, soon making their way to the U.K., and then reintroduced to North America along with other newly arrived immigrants.
-- The turkeys served as part of the first Thanksgiving Day feast were of the native, wild turkey variety.
-- Average life span for a turkey is 10 years. However, most "Thanksgiving" turkeys are bred for size, not for longetivity, thus increasing health problems associated with obesity, such as heart disease, respiratory failure and joint damage.
-- Male turkeys spend much of their time on what is termed "sexual display." (Use your imagination.)
-- Turkeys are known to be highly social and can become very distressed when isolated.
-- Turkeys have their own form of social media; when one turkey expresses a certain type of behavior, that in itself makes it more likely that other turkeys will express themselves in the same way.
-- Generally, turkeys do not like strangers in their midst. "Aliens" might get pecked to death.
-- There is no evidence that Benjamin Franklin publicly supported the wild turkey over the bald eagle as the national bird of the United States, though in private correspondence he wrote: "In Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage."
The Turkey Gets a Bad Rap
The expression "let's talk turkey" has meant "to speak plainly" about possibly unpleasant subjects since about 1830, and spawned a derivative expression, "cold turkey," in about 1910. The meaning of "cold turkey" sprang from the idea that serving turkey cold required no preparation, and so "quitting cold turkey" would be understood to mean stopping a bad habit on a moment's notice, without any preparation beforehand. (Example: the 1971 movie Cold Turkey, in which an entire town attempts to stop smoking.)
But it was in 1927 (or so) that "turkey" came to mean a failed or inferior theatrical production, and with the exodus of theatrical show folk to Hollywood, it's only natural that the expression came westward as well. By 1951, "turkey" also came to mean a person who was not too bright, and is probably derived from the World War II expression "turkey shoot," referring to marksmanship contests in which -- yikes! -- turkeys were "tied behind a log with their heads showing as targets," according to one reference work. (The expression was used as the apt title for Brian Tenchard-Smith's futuristic thriller Turkey Shoot.)
Another related expression, "jive turkey," emerged in the late '60s and early '70s, again relating to the thought of someone acting foolishly or in a less than genuine manner. (Note that the 1974 blaxploitation film Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes was rereleased as Jive Turkey.)
Golden Turkeys
Calling movies "turkeys" gained huge momentum after the 1980 publication of The Golden Turkey Awards: The Worst Achievements in Hollywood History, by Harry and Michael Medved. Building on their previous book, The Fifty Worst Movies of All Time, the authors made clear their intention to celebrate movies, and they did so with playful, tongue-in-cheek humor that connected with the public. Many spirited discussions were sparked as cineastes rushed to defend forgotten auteurs such as Ed Wood and his best-known film, Plan 9 from Outer Space, prompting others to shake their heads in astonishment!
While the 1970s produced a number of unquestionable classics, by the end of the decade audiences were getting bowled over by big-budget blockbusters, which became the predominant force in the Hollywood studio system during the 1980s. Though many teens and young adults flocked to the increasing number of popcorn films, a large number of older adults began to turn away from Hollywood product, and were very receptive to the idea that bad movies = turkeys.
So Bad It's Good?
Years ago, I helped prescreen submissions for a major film festival in Los Angeles. Of the initial batch of films I watched, I was taken aback at how awful some of them were. But a veteran festival programmer reminded me: every movie (and the filmmakers involved) deserves a measure of respect… because they got their movie made!
Now, that doesn't mean that every movie automatically qualifies to be seen by the public. But the hundreds of hours of time, energy and sheer determined work demand a minimum of appreciation by the viewer for the achievement. And it also means, to my mind, that anyone who writes about films should keep that achievement in mind. It's fair and expected to point out any blemishes, outright flaws, and manifest imperfections in a film; it's simply not right to belittle and impugn the motives of the people involved in the production.
(Example: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a bloated, cacophonous train wreck of a movie." That's fair, as long as examples are cited to support that opinion. "Michael Bay is a greedy moron." That's not only unfair, it's unnecessarily mean and nasty. And it's an outgrowth of referring to movies as underappreciated birds.)
As a boy, Michael Paul Stephenson appeared in Troll 2, a low-budget affair featuring a cast of inexperienced actors that went disastrously wrong. The movie became known as one of the worst of all time, at a level that had to be seen to be believed, and developed a cult following. But that also gave rise to complications for the cast and crew, which Stephenson lovingly depicted with unfliching truth in his documentary Best Worst Movie. The film explores the fine line between ridicule and appreciation.
Movies Are Not "Turkeys!"
Should movies be called "turkeys?" As we've already established, turkeys are friendly, sociable creatures. Most live relatively short lives, during which they are fed until they're fat so they can then be slaughtered for the enjoyment of families across the nation.
And movies reflect the combined efforts of dozens, if not hundreds, of people who are all trying their best to make entertainment and/or art that may then be slaughtered by critics for the enjoyment of their readers.
In other words, movies and turkeys have a lot in common, and both deserve more respect than they usually receive. So let's retire the idea of calling movies "turkeys" -- its purpose has been served. Instead, let's celebrate the achievements of birds and filmmakers by enjoying Thanksgiving dinner -- and then watching more movies!
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