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How To Free Mobile Spy Apps For Android ?
If you need to monitor or track a Android phone, then there will be no problem doing it with this kind of software and, rzeczywiście, I'd venture to say it would be the best choice that you could make. Free Mobile Spy Apps For Android that works very well, and a full money back refund if you are not entirely satisfied with their product.
The functions that you get with this monitoring app for the Android or other variants of the Android come as standard for all other makes of phone so that includes Text monitoring (both inboud and outbound texts – even if they have been deleted – they will be recorded for you). You also get to see all call history on the phone including time of calls, call duration and who the other caller was (contact or phone number). You can see all emails, IMs, and other correspondence that is sent through the phone via the G3 or internet services of the cell phone and that includes all photos and pictures and internet history.
Depending on what use you have for coupling up tracking software on the Android phone, you might want to take advantage of going for the Premium upgrade. For an extra 30 or so bucks, you'll also be able to listen in to live conversations on the targeted cell phone. This facility also allows you to use the phone as a remote spying system that will let you listen in on the surroundings of the phone (including all conversations taking place within earshot of it). Another thing that the basic package will allow you to do is to track the location of the cell phone whenever it is switched on – this is done using GPS and an online real-time mapping application.
The way this works is that you need to get the Free Mobile Spy Apps For Android installed onto the target Android phone initially. Once this has been done all of the phone's information (as outlined above) will be sent to a secure website where you (and you alone) will be able to log in to track all the data in real time (including the live cell conversations).
Tracking Android Cell Phone With Free Mobile Spy Apps For Android
Po zainstalowaniu Free Mobile Spy Apps For Android on the Android phone – there is no way that a user will know that it is passing all of it's secrets to your secure spying or monitoring area. There are no clues left on the phone suggesting that the phone is being monitored as the tech guys at these companies have ensured that the download is untraceable once applied to the device. This is a part of their functionality guarantee.
I would be wary of going elsewhere for smart phone spying software as there are a number of known scammers online who will take your money without providing a working software. You would also find it very difficult to get your money back if you were unfortunate enough to go with one of these bogus software providers as they set up shop internationally overseas and are extremely scant with contact information. At least the companies in my links are an internationally renowned brand with great customer service, support and full money back guarantee if you are not totally satisfied with your purchase.
Here is a list of the Android-Samsung products that are compatible with this spying software: Vibrant Galaxy S, Nexus, Galaxy Spica, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Mini s5570, Appollo i5801, Intercept, Europa, GT I7500 Galaxy, Galaxy S Showcase, Galaxy si9000, Galaxy Prevail, itd..
, Co po prostu trzeba zrobić, to:
1. Przejdź do strony internetowej exactspy i zakup oprogramowania.
2. Pobrać aplikację do telefonu, który chcesz monitorować.
3. Zobacz dane telefonu z dowolnego urządzenia, które ma połączenie z Internetem.
With exactspy-Free Mobile Spy Apps For Android będziesz w stanie:
• Połączenia Obserwuj
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• maile Przeczytane
• Lokalizacja GPS utworu
• Korzystanie z Internetu monitora
• Kalendarz dostępu i Address Book
• przeczytanych wiadomości
• Rekord Otoczenie
• Aplikacje i programy sterujące
• Zobacz pliki multimedialne
• Mieć pilota telefonu i więcej ...
Yoy Can Download: How To Free Mobile Spy Apps For Android ?


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subset: commoncrawl


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At midfield with Morris: A World Cup diary
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — With the World Cup done, along with travelling within Brazil, the only thing left is the anticipated 24-hour flight, stopover and drive home.
No doubt the Galeão-Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport will look like a scene from Miss Saigon when they evacuated personnel from the embassy with helicopters.
My flight home is at 10 p.m. Recommended time of arrival at the airport? 2 p.m. Estimated first major meltdown? 2:01.
So we wrap up our Brazilian adventure with a few words of Portuguese never to be forgotten: "chop," which means draft beer; "recibo," which means receipt; "o que é bom hoje," which means what's good today; and "por que os oficiais têm esses grandes armas," which means why do those officers have such big guns.
Sunday, the day of the tournament's final match, with thousands of Argentine fans expected in Rio, the military was out. They were wearing cute little red berets and especially flattering dark green machine guns with matching bandolier and shoulder strap.
Very fetching.
It would be unfair to leave this tropical paradise — yes it's tropical — without talking about a few things left out of previous musings because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
First things first: It will be a relief to give Bilbo Baggins back his bed.
We never met the owners of the apartment we rented in Rio but, at first glance, they had to be hobbits. It was like the three bears going from room to room to see what fit.
The only bed that was strong enough to hold a strapping lad like myself happened to be short and narrow with an inch-thick plywood sheet under the six-inch mattress that is now three inches.
As for the chairs around the dining room table, let's just say that it was surprising there wasn't at least one incident of butt-meeting-chair-chair-meeting floor.
Then there's Geraldo. He is the first person we met upon arriving at the apartment.
Geraldo doesn't speak any English and his exact duties around the place remain somewhat a mystery. He's part caretaker, security, gardener and refuse collector.
Geraldo is always around. For a fairly big guy, he moves with stealth and furtiveness. He sits at a desk tucked away in the alcove. Next to his desk is a little four-foot door that has little air holes in it. We've suspected that's where he lives.
When he isn't there, he's sitting at the front gate looking out the slats of the gate. If you go through the gate and he isn't there, he may be sitting on the bench in the garden across the street.
Just when you think he's nowhere, he appears almost spectre-like from some remote corner of the building with a thumbs-up. One day, he was standing at ZonaSul, the local grocery store.
He is a creature of habit.
Wednesday seemed to be the day when he waters the plants around the building. Last Wednesday, there was a monsoon in Rio. There were boat races down Avenida Visconde du Albuquerque (that was the night my roommates told me there was a two-foot rat on the telephone wire).
But, it was plant-watering day and there was Geraldo doing his thing as Noah's Ark floated past the apartment.
It is safe to say this now. My belief is Geraldo is really a member of Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (ABIN), which, translated, is the Brazilian Intelligence Agency.
Shh, don't tell anyone.
Finally, there is regret leaving Rio without having one more breakfast at the lovely Café Hum, a small local breakfast place with wonderful service.
Just before heading to Maracana we stopped at the Café, but all the tables were occupied. Three of the tables had dogs sitting on the chairs.
A nice restaurant with dogs sitting at tables; there is no more valid memory of Rio.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — This is the third straight day of rain in Rio de Janeiro.
There's a cleansing to this city when it rains. It's almost as if all the problems, dirt and dog crap can be washed away.
It's Day 31 of a 35-day assignment. There have been 15 soccer games in six different cities, with return trips to three of them.
It's been a fascinating voyage through a nation where soccer is its heart and, for everything else, it has its head buried in the sand.
There are so many gorgeous new multi-million stadiums built in the shade of the desperation of hill-top favelas.
This assignment is about the World Cup and soccer, but it is impossible to spend so much time in a foreign place without absorbing a part of it and getting people to understand that while soccer was the carrot that brought us here, it plays only a bit part in a much bigger picture.
Tell people about the games but give them a picture of the real world beyond the stadiums.
When it rains in Rio — and it doesn't happen very often — it rains hard. The green turns as green as anything you've seen. Part of it may be because there is so much concrete around it.
Rio is a city that has everything. Beaches, mountains, lakes, oceans and forests are next door to a giant concrete, industrial jungle. It's not something you see in many cities on this planet.
For a city where madness swirls around you in the streets with racing vehicles, constant honking horns, and traffic wardens at intersections blowing their whistles, no one seems particularly rushed to get things done.
If you have a timeframe for eating or running errands, throw it out the window. Rushing is not in the Brazilian DNA.
It is a city of uniforms and flashing lights. Brazilians love their uniforms and they love to give orders.
You may find yourself at an intersection with four people all wearing different uniforms and all giving you different orders. With a variety of police, military, municipal and volunteer keepers of the peace, being a uniform distributor is a sure ticket to early retirement.
Drivers in Rio aren't particularly impressed with uniforms. Wednesday night, our cab driver wasn't impressed with how a traffic warden was going his job. You don't have to speak Portuguese to know what he told him when he rolled down the window.
Every official vehicle has their lights flashing all the time. It may be by the side of the road parked 20 yards away from anywhere, but the lights are still flashing. The cop may be simply driving along the road, yet his lights continue to flash.
Officers could be eating a quick lunch of feijoada and beans but, like a disco night gone mad, the flashing continues. One a.m., 3 a.m., 5 a.m. — when you wake up, lights are always flashing.
Oh, and no one pays attention to the flashers.
Cars run red lights on a regular basis, especially if there are no cops around. Motorcycles actually run red lights no matter who is around.
The way people drive in Rio is one thing that will forever be ingrained in my memory.
There seems to be this insane need for most cab drivers to give you the most uncomfortable ride possible.
It's 6 a.m. on Thursday and few people are on the roads. That doesn't prevent our cab driver from switching lanes at 100 kilometres-an-hour. He cuts corners so tightly he slams us into the side panels.
Taxi concussion protocol should be a requirement in Rio.
Another memory that will come home with me will be transported on clothes and in my nostrils. It's the smell of sewage.
It's especially evident around big public buildings. It permeates everything. On warm days around the lagoon, it hits you like a punch in the stomach.
Then there's the people — the rich, the poor, the homeless, the beggars.
The poor will hang around the open-air cafes and, if they are lucky, a diner will give he/she one of their rolls. Usually, though, they are ignored.
A tourist may slip them a five-real note ($2.50) and then get the evil-eye from the locals. The poor person then hobbles off in the rain, oblivious to the downpour as while continuing a journey to somewhere.
It has been quite a journey that will end in four days … at least for me.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Here are a few moments in time that highlight things about Rio de Janeiro and Brazil that both confuse and fascinate me.
Our apartment is in the Leblon district, one of the better parts in Rio.
Dogs must be a status symbol here because there are a lot of them. All sorts of dogs, big ones, little ones, especially those smush-faced pugs and yappy walking mops.
Owners like to bring their dogs to outside cafes. The rich elite like to dress their dogs up in shoes, hats and even full outfits.
Dog walkers are also popular. It isn't unusual to see a dog walker with six dogs on leashes, walking along the sidewalk.
Yes, they do pick up after the dogs, but it still pays to watch your step.
Rio's population, in general, has to be one of the most attractive anywhere on earth. The women are stunning and the men aren't bad either.
But, it isn't restricted to just Rio.
Late one night while I was waiting for my flight inside the Brasilia airport, one of the most stunning women I've ever seen was walking to a gate along with her companion. She was tall and willowy, had jet-black hair and was wearing at least five-inch stiletto heels. She looked as if she'd stepped out of Elle Magazine.
As the couple walked by, to my great shame, I looked yet again. Suddenly, something I read jumped into my head. Brazil, and Rio specifically, has the largest population of transvestites on the planet.
Soccer fans may remember that six-or-so years ago Ronaldo, the Brazilian star, had a run-in with a transvestite.
Brazilians normally give you plenty of everything, but in virtually every restaurant (aside from the cloth napkin kind) there seems to be an issue with napkins.
While North American restaurants give you napkins the size of towels, the size of napkins in restaurants in Rio are barely big enough for one lip, let alone a mustache-covered mouth. As for putting them on your lap, forget it. One shift of your leg and the napkin is gone.
Most cab drivers in Rio de Janeiro like two kinds of music. They appear obsessed with music from the 1980s. Or they love flipping on CDs with old guys like Frank Sinatra, Bobby Solo, Ray Charles and Dean Martin.
Nothing like singing along with 'New York, New York' while your Portuguese cab driver looks at you like you are nuts. The cab driver had a terrific compilation of five CDs, including songs for old farts and sad bastard music. He offered to sell them to me for 50 rials, which is about $25 back home.
Restaurant service in Brazil isn't quite the same as it is in other places. For instance, usually in North America you have one service person serving your table.
After the game on Saturday in Brasilia, I stopped for dinner at a hotel restaurant. There were four other people in the restaurant, with four wait staff, none of whom spoke a word of English.
I started with a beer. Having finished it, one waiter came by and I ordered a second. Off he went. Five seconds later another waiter came by and asked if I wanted a beer. I let him know by pointing to the back that I had already ordered one.
No more than 10 seconds after that, the third waiter came back and asked. I let him know that the two previous guys had asked the same thing.
The first guy arrived with a beer and opened it. About 10 seconds after that, the second guy showed up with a beer. (Do I need to go any further?)
About 20 seconds after that, the last guy came by with two beers. Fortunately, he hadn't opened them.
Even more fortunate, I wasn't driving.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Success!
It took two tries but on the second one we finally made it up the mountain to see the iconic concrete Jesus, the massive Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado (Hunchback) mountain that overlooks Rio de Janeiro.
He's 40-metres high and has his arms outstretched.
The last time we attempted to see him turned out to be, quite frankly, a massive disaster. Not only did we underestimate how long it would take for us to get up and down the mountain by a mere three hours, we also somehow wound up on the wrong mountain.
Thursday we did it right. We booked tickets online for a specific time and got on the train that would take us up the mountain. Everything went wonderfully.
Christ the Redeemer is probably the biggest tourist attraction in Rio. But it is somewhat disconcerting to see just how commercial it has become.
It's also disconcerting to see that despite the religious strength of the statue, people still insist on being jerks.
Thousands of people visit the statue daily. There are orderly lines set up. Then when the train arrives it's a jailbreak with enough elbows being thrown to warrant a match suspension. Jesus did say that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. I'm quite sure that's not what he meant.
There is a souvenir shop on the street. On the walk to the train there is another souvenir shop with Brazil bikinis and souvenirs. Next to it is a Hard Rock Cafe that looks like it came off the set of Cast Away. When you get to the train building there's a little bar with more souvenirs and refreshments including beer.
You battle your way onto the train. After a seven-minute chug up the mountain, the train stops.
Suddenly, as if from the heavens, vendors appear with cold water, soft drinks … and beer.
The stop takes five minutes. After another seven-minute-or-so chug, the train stops again and lets on a five-piece band with drums, guitar, tambourine and some sort of acoustic instrument. They sing and dance and get the people on the train to sing and dance.
Then they pass the tambourine around for money, the train stops and they get off.
Finally we get to the top of the mountain. There is a souvenir shop, restaurant and bar. You can walk up to the statue or ride an escalator.
When you first see it, the statue is stunning and breathtaking. The views of Rio are unparalleled. The area is so packed you can't move.
There are people laying on his or her back trying to get a good angle for a picture of Christ while risking a foot in the face.
There is jostling, pushing and short tempers. From the top you can see the souvenir shops and bar.
What I wouldn't pay to know what he's thinking.
Somewhere in Brazil — It's been four days, five cities, six airports.
It's pretty much a fog.
You come to realize quickly that not all the drivers are like the taxi drivers in Rio. One even asked that I put on my seatbelt.
It leads you to believe that this is going to be crazy. Instead, it was a sedated, stop-on-red-lights kind of ride.
But, like every soccer game, when you are in that many airports and airplanes, something always happens — at least to me.
First of all, never hesitate to fly TAM, one of the Brazilian airlines. They treat you well, the seats are big enough for big people.
What's important is that the seat belts are long enough to fit just about anyone. There is nothing worse than working up a sweat trying to get that last inch of seatbelt around you.
Actually, there is.
It's having to call the airline attendant over to ask her for a seatbelt extension. Even in Portuguese, everyone knows what you are looking for. You might as well put a sign on you that says "this man needs a salad."
Thank you, TAM, for protecting my dignity and giving out that delightful pao de queijo (OK, it's Brazilian cheese bread).
The first night on the road, on the first flight, a young lad vomited on me. Well, not really vomited — but he was in the window seat and some unintentional splatter got on me.
But, when you live right . . .
"So sorry sir, can we move you to these seats?" asked the attendant.
Would those be the emergency row seats with an extra foot of legroom? Count me in.
The second night was a day of massive walking, more than five kilometers, because that's the way FIFA likes to do things.
By the time I got to the airport I was hobbling with two bad knees.
Here comes TAM again. One of the staff saw me wobbling along heading to the check-in counter and immediately took my by the arm.
He took the chain off the line reserved for physically challenged individuals and directed me through it, still holding my arm.
"No, no, no," I said. "I am not physically challenged," but alas, nothing I could say would get him to change his mind.
"You are very brave to be this way," he said. "But I can tell when someone has disabilities."
The only thing that eased the embarrassment was the fact there were no individuals who were physically challenged and only six people in the other line.
Rio de Janeiro—It was an inauspicious start to what will be the most ambitious travel schedule of this World Cup.
It started in Rio on Saturday and from there will go to five cities, six airports, four games and a bus station all over five days. Please note in that time frame there is only one hotel on the schedule; one (1). That means two overnights in airports and one overnight bus ride.
But this morning in Rio it didn't matter than Brazil was playing hundreds of miles away, no one had any interest in anything except getting to a television set.
Our regular eating place couldn't believe it when we wandered in at 10:30 and asked for coffee. Imagine that, going to a restaurant in the morning to ask for eggs and coffee. The obviously didn't expect anyone to come in because it took them 20 minutes to deliver the coffee and another 15 for the eggs.
Getting a cab on the day Brazil plays, even though there are thousands in the city, is as hard as finding a cab in New York on a rainy day. Half of the cabs are empty but they speed by you with nary a glance.
They are going home to watch the game.
After a half hour of waving, developing tendinitis of the shoulder and looking like an idiot, we finally flagged one down.
"Marriott Hotel," we say so we can take the media shuttle to the stadium.
Like all Marriott's it's relatively big and well known.
He looked at me like I was Yoda and just come out of a mud hut in the Dagobah system.
The driver shook his head and said "novo," which means new in Portuguese. Yup, we have a guy who's never driven a cab before.
Okay, take us to Copacabana (the massive beach in Rio.)
No reaction.
Okay, Ipanema (the other big beach.)
No reaction.
Maybe I should have learned the word for ocean?
How can you not know where the biggest beach in Rio is?
Then it dawns on me. Maybe he's from the Dagobah system.
Nothing works. We try everything. I even try my Michael Phelps imitation.
So we finally point and he starts driving . . . at 15 kilometres an hour!
We let him know that it's a long, long, long way away and he speeds up to 40.
Every three blocks he looks back and we give him the thumbs up.
About 30 thumbs up later we get to the hotel. We pay him and ask for a receipt.
He looks very sad and embarrassed. "Novo," he said. "No recibo."
I can't say the response came as a big surprise.
He looked over at me and gave me a puppy dog thumbs up.
At least he knows where the ocean is now.
RIO DE JANEIRO – Every city has focus points that one simply can't miss when they are there.
The main one is Rio is the iconic concrete Jesus.
The statue is Christ the Redeemer and was the largest art deco statue in the world until 2010. It's 30 metres tall, not including its eight-metre pedestal, and its arms stretch 28 metres.
The statue is located at the peak of the 700-metre Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. It's made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931.
Not having a lot of time to sightsee, you have to grab the opportunity when you can. Heading out with a couple of colleagues at 9 a.m., I figured three, four hours should be good enough to check it out before having to work.
We got in a cab and asked the driver if it would be busy.
"No, no. Tuesday," he said in Portuguese.
Then again, he could have said "Are you crazy? There are 5,000 people there."
He stopped in an area where there appeared to be, oh, 5,000 people.
"Where do we go?" I asked.
He pointed to the end of the line which started somewhere around Miami.
You can take a train up to the top. We didn't reserve tickets, of course.
"Next train, two hours," said a woman wearing a vest. She seemed to be in charge.
"Mini-buses to the top only 25 rials ($13)," screamed another person wearing a vest. "See Christo."
That sounded good, better than waiting two hours.
The minibuses turned out to be vans that seat 15 people.
The doors opened and there was a mad rush to get in.
"Rapido, rapido, rapido," yelled another guy in a vest. All that's missing is a cattle prod.
We headed up the mountain and within half a kilometre fear overwhelmed me. Only the packed bodies prevented me from jumping out and running (rolling) down the hill screaming in abject terror.
The road is narrow, bumpy, steep with cars parked along the side. Jeeps stop in the middle of the road so tourists can take pictures.
As the driver went up the road he was also selling tickets, taking cash and making change, ripping off receipts while navigating the road.
But excitement overtook the fear as I sensed our approach to the Christ statue.
As an added bonus, the spot has one of the best scenic views of Rio.
I could hardly sit in my seat.
The van stopped and I was one of the first ones out.
There were another 5,000 people here … in long lines.
I looked all over for the Christo. It seemed odd that somehow I misplaced a 38-metre tall statue.
"Where is it," I asked someone wearing a vest.
He looked at me rather oddly and pointed to another peak at least a mile away where Christ the Redeemer spreads his arms encompassing the city.
"This line. Two hours. Buy ticket for another bus. It goes there," he said pointing to my goal.
I tried not to read anything into the fact that the statue had its back turned to me.
RIO DE JANEIRO – It's 5:30 p.m. in Rio on a Monday, the height of rush hour.
Cars, buses and taxis are normally bumper to bumper with horns blasting, people yelling, sirens blaring and dogs barking.
But right now roads are virtually deserted. The neighbourhood is silent except for the occasional horn that honks
It isn't quite a ghost town, but close enough to be scary.
It isn't the zombie apocalypse.
Brazil is playing Cameroon and the city has shut down.
In fact, one doesn't need to even watch television to know what's going on. When Brazil scores the silence is shattered by wild cheers, sirens blowing and firecrackers exploding for minutes on end even the dogs begin to bark.
Then silence again.
Cameroon scores to tie the game.
Not a cheer or horn disturbs the air.
Minutes later, Brazil takes the lead. Cue the cheers, sirens, firecrackers and Fido. It happens twice more.
At 6:50 the final whistle ends the game. Brazil has won 4-1.
Afterward, it's like a tap has opened, but instead of water out pours, cars, trucks, motorcycles and people. Rio returns to the Rio everyone knows.
Car horns blast in unison, firecrackers are set off and people are yelling in the streets.
A ghost town gives way to life.
For another night Brazil is able to overcome its nervousness and apprehension.
That is until June 28 when the country shuts down yet again to sweat out another 90 minutes, this time against Chile.
Rio de Janeiro—Travelling isn't just about going from Point A to Point B, it's about the people you meet.
Few people would ever get a chance to meet journalists from all around the world. The inside of a World Cup press centre is like a three-ring circus. It is not the standard, normal, professional atmosphere North American journalists are used to working in.
For many journalists from other nations, there is no such thing as being a neutral. Polite applause one can live with, even though in North America the person would be told to take a hike.
It is not unusual to be working and have a sudden roar go up when "their' team scores. There are hugs and high fives. Often you see an accredited journalist show up wearing a jersey of the team he or she is covering.
There have even been occasions when a journalist hasn't liked a call and yelled at the referee from the press box.
No one says a word because it is accepted practice.
Then we have the selfie takers. We are talking dozens and dozens of journalists posing in front of their desks, with their backs to the field and heaven forbid if a famous old-guy soccer player shows up in the press room, they run so they can get his autograph and a picture taken with him.
Then we have the guy we call 'The Screamer'. This is a radio broadcaster who does a report every 10 minutes. Sometimes it's just one guy. Many times it's two or three from different nations.
It might be the weather, news of a starting lineup, the colour of the grass. Every report is done in barely controlled hysteria as if someone scored a goal to win the World Cup.
Often, this is the guy who didn't get a ticket to get into the press box so as the game is being played, he's watching it on television in the media centre. The minute something happens he does his live report and now he is using his outdoor voice.
How he would know is anyone's guess.
Finally we have 'The Scrappers'. They fight to get in line at the cafeteria, fight to get in line to get their media tickets and the other day, fought to get into an elevator that already had 200 people in it.
Welcome to my world.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The World Cup is probably the longest assignment a newspaper person can go on without taking up permanent residence in a country.
When you are away from home that long, you seek basic comforts and there is nothing that brings more basic comfort than finding a place you can eat where everyone knows you name.
Ok, so it isn't exactly Cheers in Rio because it's hard for people that know your name when they don't speak English and you don't speak Portuguese.
But, you find your favourite local spot through trial and error, lots of trial and error.
Just down the street from our apartment is the rustic, working-persons restaurant bar.
The first time in, we sat at a table right next to entry. A woman in her 60s hobbled in and gave us a look that would frighten the curl out of a pig's tail.
She called the owner over and began to harangue him while pointing at us. He kept trying to calm her down. Finally. she sat behind us, mumbling and giving us the hairy eyeball as he brought her a beer.
Five minutes later, we got up to leave. She moved with the swiftness of a cat and sat down in our (her) spot immediately, with her beer and a big smile.
This place specializes in common food, the kind of food that Brazilian slaves used to make. We've learned a few words, like meat and beer. We've now taken to going there and simply asking what's good today.
Even though he tells us, we still have no idea what it is. He's taken to bringing out a chunk of whatever it is on a plate to show us.
That's service.
If it looks good, we order it. Today it was beef — actually, beef spine — marinated, cooked until it fell off the vertebrae.
It was a big portion, probably from the L1-to-L5 along with the sacral vertebrae (where the spine goes into your tailbone). It came with some unknown greens, rice and three pounds of potatoes.
Unbelievably delicious.
RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO, Brazil – There are times when you can get too much local colour.
With three hours to kill after the Chile-Spain game before taking the six-hour midnight express bus from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo, several of us followed a local's recommendation for a restaurant with huge hunks of beef and was relatively affordable near Maracana Stadium.
We hopped into a cab and gave the driver the address. He nodded and gave us the most common form of communication in Brazil, a thumb's up.
We drove off and quickly found ourselves in one of the places where no doubt the locals are used to slicing meat off the bone and probably not all for consumption.
I noticed the driver smiling at a text on his cell phone and tried to lighten the mood.
"Girlfriend?" I ask.
He looked at me like I've grown a second head. "Girlfriend?" I asked again with a different accent.
He must have understood, because his face lit up. "Yes, yes, yes," he said with a big smile.
We drove another five minutes before he stopped and backed up on a one-way street.
"Aqui (here)," he said pointing to a doorway with thin, coloured neon lights along the doorframe.
It didn't look like a restaurant.
"Aqui," he repeated and then made the shape of a woman's figure. "Girlfriend," he said with a thumbs up.
Thumbs down! We got him away from the notion of bringing us to a strip club and back to the restaurant, which happened to be just two doors down. It was 8 p.m. and the restaurant was closed.
There was a massive metal garage-like door hiding any indication that it was a restaurant.
For once, missing a meal actually made me happy. The front of the restaurant reminded me a little too much of the setting for the St. Valentine's Day massacre when seven of Bugs Moran's thugs where lined up against a wall and shot by Al Capone's thugs.
Dinner was just not worth it.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Never say never.
In Mexico at the 1986 World Cup, I made the mistake of believing nothing would ever match the experience of riding in one of the country's taxi cabs. There were an estimated million cabs used during the tournament, most of them Volkswagen beetles. It was like a bug infestation.
That was before the Internet, cell phones and Rio de Janeiro.
Rio is a city of taxi cabs. It seems that every fifth car is a cab and while you make think it's easy to get one, try doing so after a soccer game or during rush hour in the morning or afternoon.
When you do get into one, you realize quickly that these are special people driving them. They fight unimaginable traffic on most days and do so with nerves of steel. But there appears to be no law in Brazil about driving and talking on your cell phone while playing bumper cars with the rest of the traffic.
What puts them in a league above all taxi drivers is their ability to multi-task; talking or texting while driving and fighting traffic. Please note that most vehicles in Brazil operate on standard transmission. So while he's texting, he's also shifting.
Sunday night a few colleagues and I met Mr. Grump, the grumpiest person we've met in Rio. In truth, he could well be the grumpiest man alive.
It was after the Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina game and every cab was occupied.
Not Mr. Grump's.
Mr. Grump was going home for the night. No doubt he broke into a smile sometime during the day and it exhausted him. He only allowed us into his cab because our destination must have been near his abode. He figured making a few more bucks to pay for charm school can't hurt.
We showed him the exact address, which he had no interest in looking at.
He didn't say a word to us. All he did was drive and watch a cooking show on his miniature television, set on the dash of the car. Someone was making a roast.
And for that Mr. Grump is a first ballot entry to the Taxi Driver Hall of Fame.
MANAUS, Brazil — It began with a Top Gun-like taxi ride in Rio de Janeiro.
It ended somewhere in Dante's Inferno in Manaus.
After Saturday's trip of the Damned to this eco-friendly city, I faced my own Green Mile, only it turned into about 20 miles.
Travelling to the airport in Rio on a Saturday is pleasant for a change. No chaos. No Mad Max.
Unfortunately, it seemed to the pent up emotions of rage for our driver who for most of the week is used to crawling along at tortoise-like velocity.
The moment he hit the highway it was like a colt loosened from its restraints. He hit speeds of 100 kilometres an hour, weaving between cars moving from outside lane to inside lane with an almost euphoric grin on his face. That might not mean much in Canada, because the highways here aren't like Canada at all.
In an effort to break him out of his trance, I joke "you must have been a race driver" and mimicked driving like a mad man. Something got lost in the translation because he grinned maniacally and put the hammer down. Just before covering my eyes with my hands, the speedometer read 130 and we were close enough that I could shake hands with the driver in the car next to us.
We made the airport in 15 minutes . . . unheard of unless you go by helicopter.
The more than four-hour flight to Manaus allowed me to recover.
I should have known better.
On arrival in Manaus we went to the FIFA shuttle area. Six people were manning the booth with no one to serve.
"Can we get a shuttle to the stadium?" I ask in my charming, I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing sort of way.
"This is shuttle is for FIFA personnel, FIFA ticketholders, FIFA sponsors and other important people," the young man said in his best you-are-none-of-these things-voice.
Being dismissed by prepubescent teen in a uniform was not pleasant.
So I took off on another taxi ride with George Johnson from Calgary Herald.
Things went well and were close, oh-so-close to getting to the stadium.
But this is a FIFA run tournament.
The cab was turned away from the easy entry to the stadium and no amount of credential waving was going to help.
We battle 500-yards of horn honking, people stopping in the middle of the street to take pictures of themselves with the guards and were stopped at another roadblock. We showed our credentials and the army guy pointed at George and me.
No doubt what he meant. "Get out of the cab now."
Not good. Big gun, big guy, no smile and not even my disarming charm could sway him.
He stood us on the sidewalk. We stood there for two minutes waiting our fate and perhaps a last cigarette and blindfold.
Suddenly the army guy pulls a city bus over with shoppers and regular folks on it. He makes them open the door and puts us on it.
The bus travels 50 yards.
We have to get off.
Arena Amazonia might as well be in the Amazon.
We start walking. It's slow because every 10 feet George has to drag Morris. But after 20 feet a woman jumps out with a clipboard and says "this is your bus. We take people with passes and it will get you right near the stadium."
I could cry in gratitude but I have no moisture left in my body.
We get on the bus and realize it's transportation for physically challenged individuals.
Off we go. We travel a kilometre and see the right hand turn to the stadium with Arena Amazonia 100 yards away.
The bus turns left.
"For the love of God, stop. Have mercy" I say from my seat. "We're going the wrong way."
Clipboard woman says "no worry. We just have to go around."
And we go around . . . and around . . . 10 kilometres back the way we came. I am about to hang myself on a hand strap just to end it all.
We finally turn around and come back six kilometers and there, just in front of us is . . . the army guy with the gun at the roadblock.
I begin to weep.
"Why?" I say to clipboard woman,"why me?"
"This is determined by FIFA," she says.
That explains everything.


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Manchester aldermen censure board member Joe Kelly LevasseurBy BILL SMITH
New Hampshire Union Leader
February 18. 2014 8:35PM
MANCHESTER — An unbowed and unrepentant Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur was formally censured by his colleagues on the Board of Mayor and Alderman Tuesday night.
His colleagues voted 11-2 for a motion to censure that was made by Alderman Patrick Long. Aldermen Keith Hirschmann and Edward Osborne voted against it. Osborne tried to change his vote, but was told that it was too late.
After the meeting, Levasseur was dismissive of the vote.
"I feel it's all politics," he said.
The vote came after last week's report from Attorney General Joseph Foster that found no substantiation for allegations Levasseur made that he had been intimidated by the police department and that Steve Maloney, president of the patrol officers union, had "poked" Levasseur during a confrontation outside City Hall in January 2013.
Aldermen voted after hearing condemnation of Levasseur's conduct toward city police from the department's chief, assistant chief and the president of its largest union.
But the strongest criticism of Levasseur came from one of his colleagues,
Alderman William Shea, the dean of the council, who occupies the seat next to Levasseur at board meetings, tore into his colleague.
"Have some guts; kick him off the board," Shea said to his fellow aldermen. "That's where he should go, off the board,"
Shea was informed by City Solicitor Thomas Clark that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen does not have the power to remove a sitting alderman from office.
"He doesn't deserve to be an alderman at large, and anyone who thinks he should be an alderman at large is simply wasting their time," Shea said. "I can go back in history and see the same treatment that is being done to the chief of police and to the assistant chief of police was done to me by Joe Levasseur, so Joe Levasseur isn't going to stop."
Levasseur did not speak in his defense during the discussion. Only Hirschmann spoke against the censure, saying that without more than one person being involved, there would have been no altercation outside City Hall. He told his colleagues they were being asked to condemn the actions of only one of the participants.
Maloney spoke during a public participation period and directed some of his remarks to Levasseur.
"Alderman Levasseur, step down now," Maloney said. "Go back to being a private citizen."
A crowd of police officers attended the meeting to show their support for their union chief. After the public session, at which Maloney spoke, Levasseur walked past several of the police officers and said, "I'm not afraid of you," and went inside the aldermen's private anteroom.
Police Chief David Mara had submitted Foster's report to the board for discussion. Aldermen moved the issue, which had been listed 37th on the agenda, to the start of the meeting.
Mara spoke of the impact on the department of Levasseur's claims of intimidation. Assistant Police Chief Nick Willard spoke of his feelings as a police officer who had been subject to Levasseur's criticism.
"I have been accused of wrong-doing by a sitting alderman, Alderman Joseph Levasseur has accused me of intimidating him," Willard said. "I assert without hesitation here tonight, that claim of intimidation and thereby abuse of my power and my position is a blatant lie and is most likely borne of the animus he has toward the Manchester Police Department.
After the vote, Mara said in an interview that it was an important vote by the aldermen.
"City government, the Board of Aldermen, took a stand that they're not going to tolerate untrue allegations and lies to be perpetrated against the men and women of our police department," Mara said. "They're going to continue to do their jobs, continue to go out there every single night and do their jobs and keep the people of the city safe."
Mayor Ted Gatsas, whose political career also has included stints as an alderman, state senator and Republican leader in the state Senate, said that he had never seen someone with whom he served censured by colleagues.
"I think this incident is behind us. I hope it is, I hope we can move forward and solve the problems of the city," Gatsas said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a done issue."
Levasseur said the vote wouldn't change the way he approaches his work as an alderman.
Despite being censured for making claims of physical intimidation by Maloney — claims that were rejected by the attorney general — Levasseur is not backing down from the accusation.
Outside City Hall after the meeting, Levasseur said to a Union Leader reporter, "I owe my life" to Matthew Normand, the city clerk, and a security guard who intervened in the altercation outside City Hall.
"If they hadn't, I would have a lot less teeth than I have now," he said.


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Wednesday October 14, 2009
X Factor bossess have announced that Cheryl Cole will pre-record her performance of new single Fight For This Love for this Saturday's live results show.
It will be the first time in her professional career she has ever performed on her own in front of a crowd.
A spokesman for the show confirmed: "Cheryl will be recording her music performance earlier in the day with a live studio audience to ensure she can fully continue with her judging commitments on The X Factor later that evening."
It's believed Geordie lass will mime the majority of the song during the recording before the evening show, but will sing over some sections.
Cheryl performed live last year on the programme with her Girls Aloud bandmates, but the performance drew a mixed reception from critics, who said the vocals were slightly off in places.
This week the 26-year-old admitted she felt jittery about her solo debut.
"I'm absolutely terrified, she told Radio One DJ Chris Moyles.
"The nerves started weeks ago. I love performing but I've sat for weeks judging people, and then I'm putting myself out there to be judged and it's a weird feeling."
Photo: � Rex


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- Parent Category: News
Rainy Week Ahead in Illiana
The National Weather Service forecasts this week suggest you keep an umbrella handy. Showers and thunderstorms are likely through Friday.
Today's morning weather word brings the first chance for thunderstorms Re-developing t-storms are likely during the afternoon. The high temperature is expected at 67 degrees.
Tuesday's weather-word won't be much different. Forecasters expect a high temperature of 61 with showers likely.
Temperatures could reach the low-70s on Wednesday, but forecasters predict a 70 to 80 percent chance of thunderstorms during the day and at night.
Thursday brings a cool off period, but it is not expected to dry out. The National Weather Service expects high temperatures in the low-60s with showers likely.
Friday will bring much cooler temperature readings. The National Weather Service expects a high of 47 degrees with a chance of rain and snow. The overnight low is expected to drop near freezing.
The sun is expected to make a return on Saturday and Sunday. Afternoon temperatures could reach the mid- to high-50s with overnight lows in the 30s.


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Sep 25, 2019 -- Milwaukee, WI


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South Africa 14-14 England, Port Elizabeth
Lancaster: England are in a good place
ESPN Staff
June 23, 2012
Danny Care shone for England © PA Photos
Stuart Lancaster hailed his young side after they avoided the series whitewash with a 14-14 draw with the Springboks on Saturday.
England could have won the game in the dying embers of the match but Owen Farrell failed to connect with the ball properly with the kick flying along the ground rather than towards the posts. But regardless of the eventual 2-0 score in the series, Lancaster was full of praise for his charges.
"We have mixed feelings in terms of the result," Lancaster said. "We are desperately disappointed not to have got the win. I was really pleased we improved our defensive performance from last week and I thought our mentality and mindset going into the game was strong - but we are disappointed not to have won, particularly having got into a position where we could have sneaked it.
"But credit to South Africa, they are a tough side to play at home, as everyone knows. On reflection for us, from the tour as a whole, there are a lot of positives we can take from it."
England are at the start of their journey under Lancaster and he was keen to emphasise this. "People have got short memories, I think," Lancaster told Sky Sports. "Take us back six months - we lost a huge amount of experience out of this England side. When you take out Jonny Wilkinson, Simon Shaw, Mike Tindall, Lewis Moody... it takes time to rebuild.
"They [South Africa] had over 500 caps in their side. We're a side just developing that experience. Don't get me wrong - we're gutted not to win the game. We wanted to win the game. We wanted to win the series. We didn't, but there are plenty of positives to take as well."
One particular positive was the performance of scrum-half Care on his return to the side at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The 25-year-old was dropped for the Six Nations earlier this year after a series of off-field incidents and has been made to wait for his recall.
Lancaster said: "We are in a fantastic position in this country in terms of the quality of nines we have got. We lose Ben Youngs, who had an outstanding second Test, then Danny Care starts the third Test and gets man of the match.
"That is not counting Lee Dickson who, throughout the Six Nations and this tour, has pushed both and could be considered unlucky not to start. I'm delighted with the strength in depth and really pleased for Danny. He has made his mark back on the international stage. It was his 33rd cap but it felt like his first again."
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer felt England had played the better rugby and he praised Lancaster's men. "All credit to England, I thought they adapted much better than us to the conditions," Meyer said. "They kicked it behind us one or two times and defended for their lives.
"It is no use making excuses. They had a great game and we didn't adapt well. These guys needs to learn, a lot of these guys haven't played in these conditions at Test level.
"It was a great performance by England. I thought they were better on the night."
South Africa fly-half Morne Steyn struggled from the tee but Meyer backed his man to recover and re-find his best form before the Rugby Championship. "Morne is a worrier. He knows he is not playing at his best. In the last two games I feel he has played well but his kicking is not there. He has got high standards but I know Morne and he will be back."
Dylan Hartley was England's skipper on the day and he is already looking ahead to the November Tests. "It's been a tough tour. It's been a good three weeks," Hartley said. "We've grafted hard, just haven't played for the full 80 minutes.
"Today we strung together a full 80 minutes. Defence was good, ball-retention was good - we just didn't come away with the result. It was a tough Test, as always. In the last two games we've learned when the green machine gets going they're hard to stop. We took a bit of pride today in two-man tackles, getting it off the line, stopping their momentum. A draw's a draw. We'll take it and look forward to playing the boys again in November in England."
Flanker James Haskell revealed the renewed sense of team spirit had been a big factor in the squad's approach. He said: "I spoke to the guys before the game and it's something Stuart's instilled in us. The shirt - you've got it for a very short time and I think we're sick of losing in the white shirt.
"The squad's come on really well. It would have been good to get a win. Unfortunately, I just don't think we were good enough in attack. We just didn't get enough calls going our way in the breakdown battle."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Thor: The Dark World (2D) (US - BD RA)
Gabe returns to Asgard for more action-packed intergalactic sibling rivalry...
In the aftermath of the Chitauri's attack on New York City, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all. (From Marvel's official synopsis)
Since this current wave of superhero blockbusters began, arguably with Bryan Singer's X-Men and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, the second film in a series is generally better or at least more balanced on a narrative level. The exception to the rule was Iron Man 2, because it was both a sequel and a first attempt at creating a foundation for the larger Marvel movie universe. During this first round of films, now dubbed 'Phase One,' Marvel was flying by the seat of their pants with only a vague outline to construct a complex, interlocking series of films together. Iron Man 2's direct follow-up, Thor, was awkwardly split into two halves – a problem shared by every one of Marvel's introductory films and, in turn, most introductory superhero movies. However, in the case of Thor, director Kenneth Branagh was also forced to squeeze a bunch of leftover S.H.I.E.L.D junk into an already overstuffed narrative (there was really no place for it in Captain America, since that was a period piece). The center of that movie, where the title character is learning to appreciate humanity, was the biggest sacrifice, robbing the arc of its eloquence.
None of the post- Iron Man Marvel releases entirely worked on their own, but the overall experiment worked when The Avengers pulled all of the elements together into an extended pay-off. With audience confidence earned, the studio kicked off Phase Two – a more rigorously planned series of films that would lead up to the release of Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. Having learned their lesson from Iron Man 2 and Thor's overstuffed meta-plot, the first two films of the second phase, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, would be relatively self-contained, non-cross-over events. Iron Man 3 was built around the talents of its stars and Shane Black, an unlikely writer/director with a strong, trademarked style. This set a nearly singular vision for the sequel (Black co-wrote the script with Drew Pearce, a man more familiar with the history of the comic's characters) – the complete opposite of almost all of the studio's pre- Avengers features, which were slowly developed with entire committees of filmmakers/writers. As a result, Iron Man 3 was the tightest, most satisfactorily structured of all the Marvel movies.
Though Avengers 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy will also be writer/director-driven (by Joss Whedon and James Gunn, respectfully), Thor: The Dark World was made using the 'old' Marvel model. After some behind-the-scenes strife, the folks in charge chose Alan Taylor as director, a man whose previous experience was mostly in low-budget comedies and HBO series, specifically Game of Thrones. He was a relatively cheap choice and one that would be easy to control if the Marvel think tank decided to change course in the middle of the creative process. This fluid production technique could be blamed for the movie's strangest structural choices. There are two moments when we are given redundant information for no discernible reason, which jostles the film's otherwise powerful momentum. The first instance occurs when Odin repeats the tale of the Dark Elves, even though he did it just fine with his opening narration. The second instance is when we are re-introduced to footage of Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) wandering naked around Stonehenge; though in this case, it is the initial appearance of the footage that seems misplaced. Still, corporate tool or not, Taylor proves himself as a technical director. The action scenes are an improvement over the previous Thor, especially the visual effects-heavy scenes featuring battling spaceships and the climax – a well-executed series of flying punches and black holes. Thor: The Dark World looks a little cheap and cheesy, but, like the first Thor (and The Avengers, really), it embraces the camp side effects of limited budgets and production times. It's knowingly a little silly.
Taylor reportedly did not approve of all of the film's sillier moments (he publicly complained about the Guardians of the Galaxy tag in the middle of the end credits), which is weird, because the unexpected comedy is really the element that holds the barreling narrative together. The plot is full of the kind of coincidences and shortcuts that typically appear in this kind of movie (the narrative thrust literally depends on turning Jane into a MacGuffin) – things superhero/fantasy audiences have learned to overlook in preparation for big action set pieces. Incredible Hulk aside, the Marvel films have excelled at covering their exposed story tracks with a well-placed joke. Based on the trailers, some fans (myself included) initially feared that Phase Two was going to take the same grim 'n gritty road that Warner Brothers had been dragging their DC characters down since Batman Begins. Thankfully, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World were actually funnier than their predecessors and, in the case of Taylor's film, comedy actually saves a handful of the more exposition-heavy sequences.
Arguably more important than Phase One's responsibility to story was its establishment of characters and a key part of that process was casting the right people. Kenneth Branagh wasn't the best choice for a technical director (he shot Thor with an excess of arbitrary Dutch angles, his action scenes were confusing, and many of the digital effects-heavy sequences were either too dark or too plasticy), but he found the perfect actors for the parts and brought out the very best in his cast. His major contribution to the Marvel movie universe was the 'discovery' of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, and his reputation helped secure the likes of Stellan Skarsgard, Rene Russo, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, and Natalie Portman as well. Following The Avengers, Hemsworth and Hiddleston became vital pieces of the ongoing series and I can't imagine these films without them at this point. Both actors continue hitting all the right notes in Thor: The Dark World and, unhindered by the magnetic personalities of their Avengers counterparts, even improve on past performances.
Taylor and the screenwriters also manage to find a whole lot more for Natalie Portman to do, though various behind-the-scenes stories have credited the actress herself with the expansion of her character (Portman was even rumoured to have dropped out of the film in anger when her choice for director, Patty Jenkins, was cut in favor of Taylor). Thor: The Dark World isn't the first Marvel film to pass the notorious Bechdel Test, but is still in increase in significance for women in these films. Most of the feminine screen-time pertains to either Portman or Kat Dennings (who I found genuinely funny this time around), but, even with large chunks of their subplots ending up on the cutting room floor, Jaime Alexander and Rene Russo (whose Spoiler death is used as a shaky means to motivate Thor and Loki to work together, which is an almost textbook example of 'stuffing the refrigerator') also manage to make a much bigger impact than they did in the first film where they were practically afterthoughts. I'm also elated that humans are such a vital part in saving the universe. It would be disappointing if it were all left up to Thor and his hammer.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the cast has improved since original film. The bulk of the supporting cast at least matches the charms of their previous performances, but Anthony Hopkins seems lost without Branagh's guidance and appears bored by the experience. Newcomers Christopher Eccleston and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje are completely wasted as Malekith and Algrim, two textureless villains that are so buried in prosthetics and post-production voice effects that they could've been played by stunt doubles without anyone noticing. The first Thor had similar problems with its secondary villain, Laufey the Frost Giant (played by an unrecognizable Colm Feore), though, in that case he was positioned as second fiddle to Loki – this time Loki, is relegated to an antihero position and doesn't even take part in the climax, so the waste of Eccleston and Akinnuoye-Agbaje is all the more disappointing. Also disappointing: ditching Hogun at the beginning of the film, not only because Tadanobu Asano is an amazing screen talent, but because pushing the Asian guy to the side feels a little…suspect.
Thor: The Dark World was shot using a series of digital HD cameras (Red Epic, Arri Alexa, Canon EOS…) and was post-converted for its 3D release. This 1080p, 2.40:1, 2D Blu-ray meets the expectations set by similar blockbuster Hollywood fare shot using similar camera systems. It's a grittier and more contrasty film than the original Thor and, in turn, has some harder edges and harsher gradations. The first film was significantly grainier, since it was shot on 35mm, but Taylor and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau (another Game of Thrones alumni) take pains to recreate the general feel of film. As the title indicates, Thor: The Dark World is definitely intended to be a dark movie, but this transfer might be darker and more crushed than the digital projection I saw in theaters. The scenes shot in the lowest light are almost indiscernible, outside of the most vivid highlights. Details are definitely flattened during these moments, but are delightfully complex and tight during the brighter, cheerier sequences. The clarity of the digitally-extended Asgardian sets is breathtaking (probably a vital element in making the 3D version of the film work effectively). The colour palette is appropriately unreal, but doesn't feature the same soft blends that often coincide with digital HD features. The palette is divided according to location with some places appearing cool and crisp, some are warm and soft, while others are sickly blends of yellow and green. The red of Thor's cape and the Dark Elf technology seems to be the unifying highlight element throughout all of the environments and it shines without any notable blocking effects.
Once again, Marvel and Disney deliver a demo-worthy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. The film's sound designers (who mixed with the new Dolby Atmos system in mind) have a blast mixing the disparate aural elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and the real world into a relatively 'natural' track. Obviously, the action sequences stand out, especially those that are built around chase scenes, where the zippy, Star Wars-meets- Lord of the Rings effects crash the channels with super-loud bombast. It's like listening to rocks fighting laser beams. The sounds of the Bifröst warping characters through space, black hole grenades sucking victims into oblivion, and the Dark Elves' jittering spaceships are all major highlights as well. Dialogue-heavy sequences aren't left out of the audio immersion equation and usually include effective environmental ambiances. Composer Brian Tyler returns for his second Marvel movie, following Iron Man 3 and, once again, knocks it out of the park. Thor: The Dark World doesn't have the same memorable melodies of some of Tyler's strongest work, but is still a nearly perfect underscore for the film's constantly changing tones. The theme he writes for an unspecified funeral sequence is outstanding.
- Audio commentary with director Alan Taylor, producer Kevin Feige, actor Tom Hiddleston, and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau. This track is cleverly cobbled together from (at least) two different commentaries – Taylor & Feige's more substantial and technically informative commentary, and Hiddleston & Morgenthau's more spotty discussion (I believe Hiddleston and Morgenthau were recorded together). Not surprisingly, studio leader Feige leads the discussion with Taylor hanging back to point out his more important contributions (I should probably note that he doesn't directly state that he dislikes any of the comedy). Hiddleston crops up with relative regularity, too, while Morgenthau pops up to support something the actor is saying or softly describe a technical detail.
- Marvel One Shot: All Hail to the King (13:50, HD) – In what might be the set's most anticipated special feature, writer/director Drew Pearce shows us what happened to the false Mandarin, Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), after he was jailed for his part in the events of Iron Man 3. No spoilers here, but let's just say that those people that didn't like the hilarious and spectacular twist towards the end of Iron Man 3 will probably be satisfied. Hopefully, this fantastically funny short is where Marvel will leave the whole Mandarin thing for the time being.
- A Brothers' Journey: Thor & Loki (31:40, HD) – This two-part featurette covers the relationship between the series' main protagonist and antagonist throughout the original comic books and the films ( Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World). It includes footage from Hemsworth and Hiddleston's audition tapes and leads into a more generalized behind-the-scenes look at Thor: The Dark World during its second part.
- Exclusive Look at Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier (3:40, HD) – An EPK/extended trailer for the next Marvel Cinematic Universe release (apparently, the Winter Soldier's identity isn't a mystery?).
- Scoring Marvel's Thor: The Dark World with Brian Tyler (5:20, HD) – An interview with the composer that includes footage of him conducting the recording sessions.
- Six deleted & extended scenes with optional Alan Taylor and Tom Hiddleston commentary (7:50, HD)
- A gag reel (3:30, HD)
- Trailers for other Marvel releases
Thor: The Dark World is a more problematic movie than Iron Man 3, but there was more room for failure in a second Thor movie, following the uneven original film. A weak lead villain and predictable storyline are respectable prices to pay for a surprisingly funny and dramatic follow-up. So far, it looks like Marvel's Phase Two is on track to be a thematically substantial and tonally satisfying long-form second act. Marvel's 2D Blu-ray looks good, if not darker than I remember it being in theaters, sounds spectacular, and features a decent little collection of extras.
* Note: The above images are taken from the Blu-ray and resized for the page. Full-resolution captures are available by clicking individual images, but due to .jpg compression they are not necessarily representative of the quality of the transfer.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
Disc Details
Release Date: 25th February 2014
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.40:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 French, Spanish, and Portuguese
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Director/Producer/Actor/Cinematographer Commentary, Marvel One Shot: Hail to the King, A Brothers' Journey: Thor & Loki, Scoring Thor, Exclusive First Look at Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Deleted/Extended Scenes, Gag Reel, Trailers
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Alan Taylor
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Length: 112 minutes
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Every game seems absolutely crucial, which means you're going to play your top dogs more. ... Because you can't worry about tomorrow's game, you've gotta get tonight's.
Dave KingBob Hartley isn't shy about admitting that he, along with most of his NHL coaching brethren, find themselves entering uncharted territory as Sunday's mad, 48-game dash looms.
"This," he said with a certain delving-into-the-unknown fascination, "is new to all of us."
Buck up, fellas. An old hand at this abbreviated-season business, though, Dave King, boss of the Calgary Flames back in the lockout-abbreviated 1994-95 campaign, can offer at least some words of encouragement.
"Actually," reckons King, now development coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, "I felt coaching in a shortened season might've actually been easier because there was no lull, none of those January blahs you usually have to push through, where the level of play dropped for a little while.
"I remember there was no motivation issues that year, no worry about guys losing their focus or concentration, or the effort level eroding, as can happen during a long regular season.
"You get caught up in the way the games, the season, just keeps pushing on.
"It's just go, go, go."
That year, King and the Flames went, went, went, climbing their way to first in the Pacific Division standings and the automatic second playoff seed in the Western Conference (24-17-7).
During the off-season, change had been in the air, with Conn Smythe-winning defenceman Al MacInnis and goaltender Mike Vernon both off-loaded.
After the 103-day lockout ended Jan. 11, Calgary right winger Theoren Fleury, a second team all-star, finished tied for sixth in NHL scoring alongside Detroit defenceman Paul Coffey with 58 points, with Joe Nieuwendyk adding 50. Trevor Kidd, the primary reason for Vernon's departure to the Wings, toiled in 43 of the 48 games, tying Patrick Roy, still in Montreal, for the league lead in that department.
"You do have to manage your people a little differently," acknowledges King, "if only because the number of games is intensified while your recovery time is reduced.
"I can remember that on some days not everybody practised. As a coach, in an 82-game season I want guys to practise. I believe in practice. But in a 48-game season, the players whose minutes are up, they take the morning off. Or they take the day off. Everything is designed to keep your players fresh.
"Every game seems absolutely crucial, which means you're going to play your top dogs more. In the last 10 minutes of a close game — and there will be a lot of those — you're going to use those guys. A lot. Because you can't worry about tomorrow's game, you've gotta get tonight's."
The most critical position, naturally, is the one between the pipes.
"It's really going to be interesting to see how teams manage their No. 1 goalies. How smart they are with them. There's going to be so many back-to-back games, yet every point is crucial and you're playing against teams you're fighting with to make the playoffs night in and night out.
"But these guys need recovery time, too. It's not going to be easy for some of the goaltenders who are going to be expected to play 40, 41 or 42 games out of 48.
"Most of us are in the same pickle. You've got a No. 1 guy and you've got to ride him as hard as you can but you never want to put him in a situation he could get hurt. Because then it could be curtains."
By acclamation, a fast start would seem to be essential. Looking back to 1994-95, the Flames didn't exactly Usain Bolt off the line but never slipped below .500, carving out a 5-4-1 record after 10 starts and 10-6-4 after 20 to set themselves up.
"In an 82-game season, you can get off to a bad start and recover," warns King. "In a shortened season, your start better be good, because if it isn't ... There can be none of this 'Oh, everything will even itself out' thinking. Being a front-runner early, you have a chance to make the playoffs. If you find yourself chasing the pack, from behind, it's a real struggle. Games are tight, points are difficult to come by.
"I remember in Calgary that year, our slogan was 'The first team that gets down to business.' That's what we wanted to be. There's no cushion, no way to ease yourself in.
"The level of play is going to be very high very early. I'm not saying it's going to be error free. Far from it. But the tempo, the work rate, the concentration, will all be high. Therefore, with a shortened camp and so much on the line right away, there's a greater chance of guys getting nicked, being hurt, early. So much has changed since '95. The medical coverage has gone up and up and up, in the amount of attention, the number of specialists, teams since then. Everything has improved.
"But still, I think we're going to have to use our farm-clubs, for sure."
Those who were around for the last lockout-shortened season recall how close the jockeying for playoff positions wound up being. Dave King sees the races being even tighter now than in '94-95, the margin for error less.
"Of course, back then we didn't have overtime. Those games loom so large now. All your games are conference games. So there's no game that's ... extraneous, if that's the right word. There's no games against Eastern Conference opponents where the loss of that extra point might not seem so damaging. Games in overtime in this shortened season are going to be very, very close to the vest because of the importance. Sometimes in overtime 4-on-4 against an Eastern team, you'd open up, because if they get the extra point, well ... you still got one.
"I think with exclusive conference play, a lot of the overtime games will be decided in shootouts because no one is going to want to give everything away by taking a chance in those five minutes. You'll play solid defensively in the OT and then take your chances in a shootout.
"It's going to be an unbalanced schedule, where you're playing some teams three times, twice in your rink and once in theirs. So it's going to be pretty wild.
"With the urgency I remember us all feeling in '94-95, you just feel you can't let any opportunities slip away. It's tough on the players and can be murder on the coaches, but the fans, I think, are going to get to see some pretty good hockey."
email@example.com George Johnson on Twitter/GeorgejohnsonCH


text:
The recording of the php|architect webcast from earlier today, Make the most of MySQL with phpMyAdmin, has been posted.
The webcast consists of:
- a high-level look at what phpMyAdmin is, how it can be used
- an introduction to its interface
- some of the more advanced features
- and what the future holds for phpMyAdmin
Marc Delisle hosts the webcast (author of Mastering phpMyAdmin for Effective MySQL Management) and provides some answers in the Q&A section at the end. You can find out more about phpMyAdmin from their homepage, and you can download the webcast from php|architect.


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"Big man in a suit of armor � take that off, what are you?"
That's a question Captain America asks Tony Stark/Iron Man during "The Avengers" movie. Of course Stark fires back one of his trademark snarky replies � "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" � but he's not forced to seriously consider that question until "Iron Man 3." The first two "Iron Man" films were all about Tony creating the suit and coming to grips with his new identity, but the third is about his search for the answer to Captain America's question � without the suit, is he still a hero?
"Iron Man 3" (released in theaters May 3) takes place after the events in "The Avengers." Tony helped the band of misfit superheroes save the world, but he's having trouble dealing with the aftermath. He's haunted by panic attacks, and he's struggling to cope with how much his world has changed. When a terrorist known simply as "The Mandarin" begins launching a series of attacks against the United States, Tony decides he's had enough. In his typically cocky manner, he releases his home address to the media and dares the Mandarin to come and confront him. Unfortunately, the Mandarin takes him up on that offer, and the battle leaves Tony's posh house in ruins.
Without his workshop and with a barely functioning suit, Tony is forced to face the threat of the Mandarin without many of the gadgets and resources he's come to rely on. He has to discover who he really is without the suit and without the "Avengers" to back him up. Can he rise to the challenge?
"Iron Man 3" is currently scoring about 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which is enough to certify it as "fresh" and is higher than the first sequel, "Iron Man 2." I personally found this to be a fun, action-packed film, and it's great way to kick off the summer blockbuster season.
Iron Man is my favorite film superhero, and I think the primary reason for that is Robert Downey Jr.'s performance. Iron Man is fascinating because he isn't like most other superheroes. While most superheroes agonize over what would happen if their secret identities were revealed, Tony throws a press conference and tells the whole world he's Iron Man with the same casual flippancy he'd use to announce he's buying a new jet. He spouts off one-liners almost faster than viewers can keep up with, and he's always trying to push himself and others to the limit.
Yet beneath all that devil-may-care cockiness, Tony does have his vulnerabilities. He's arrogant and narcissistic, but he's also capable of throwing himself recklessly into danger to save the people he cares about. I think it was a good idea for the film makers to require Tony to spend much of the movie without his suit, and I'm also glad the film addressed his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tony Stark is never going to be altruistic or humble, but I thought his character did grow in this film, and he's becoming a better person.
There are some nice action set pieces scattered throughout the film, my favorite being the attack on Tony's house. I did like the next evolution of Tony's suit, and the fact he can now summon the suit to him using technology (that technology is also used for some comic relief when it malfunctions). Director Shane Black doesn't veer too far from the tone set up in the previous two films by Jon Favreau, but he does enough to keep "Iron Man 3" feeling fresh. Robert Downey Jr.'s rapid-fire wit is used well here once again, and the film is packed with plenty of humor.
"Iron Man 3" has proven to be somewhat polarizing, and much of the discussion on the blogs I've read has centered on a certain major "twist" that occurs toward the end of the film. I was genuinely caught off guard by this twist, and I do have to give the director credit for pulling off the surprise and for being willing to take such a big, unexpected risk in a comic book superhero movie. I haven't quite decided what I ultimately thought of the twist � and if you haven't seen the movie yet and want to be surprised, go ahead and skip to the next paragraph. My initial reaction was that the twist was funny and brought up an interesting point about the nature of evil and how powerful a symbol can be, even if that symbol is just an illusion. Still, I respect the fact the Mandarin is an important part of Iron Man lore for comic book fans, and the twist was perhaps a little too flippant. Perhaps a good compromise would have been to make the twist a "double blind" instead of a "bait and switch": Tony shows up to confront the Mandarin, finds he's really just a bumbling actor playing a character, writes off the Mandarin, then later on learns the Mandarin was just bluffing and truly is a dangerous threat.
There are places in the film I could be picky. It would have been nice to see more screen time for Aldrich Killian and Maya Hansen, Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall's characters, and I wouldn't have minded seeing more of Don Cheadle's War Machine. I also missed Samuel L. Jackson's signature Nick Fury cameo. However, for me, watching "Iron Man 3" was so much fun none of the flaws really mattered. I like the fact the film was willing to take risks and do something different (after all, what other comic book superhero movie throws in a "Downton Abbey" joke?) "Iron Man 3" accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: it's just a fun summer popcorn movie, and it made me even more excited for the upcoming Thor and Captain America sequels.
So, what did you think? Did you enjoy the new "Iron Man" film? Did you like the surprise "twist"?