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As the CEO of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, I would like to respond to the Butler Eagle's March 18 editorial about the steps taken by the state attorney general's office relating to our agency ("Turnpike scandal confirms past abuses: Clean it up or abolish it").
I can assure Eagle readers that the conduct alleged by the office does not reflect the dedication of our hardworking staff members who keep our road open and safe.
In the past two years, the turnpike commission instituted a more rigorous, transparent process for awarding professional-services contracts to ensure that only the most-qualified firms are considered. We created an office of compliance and provided sufficient resources to ensure that employee actions remain above reproach.
We formed a diversity and inclusion department to attract a more diverse pool of potential business partners to bid on our projects.
During the past week, we began a review of active contracts awarded during the time frame in question. And, we are forming an advisory group to review and critique all current procurement policies and procedures.
On folding the Turnpike into the state Department of Transportation: These organizations are working closer today than at any point in our history. We launched a collaborative effort known as "Mapping the Future" in July 2011 to enhance cooperation and increase efficiency. We are sharing expenses in areas like training and facilities design and are exploring alliances to cut costs in other areas.
I understand the significant challenges that lie ahead for this organization, but I have a team in place that is equipped to confront them head-on.
The commission has made great strides the past two years, but all involved realize that we are just getting started.
Our customers, our employees and our business partners deserve no less.


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Wolf Team is a fast paced 3D MMOFPS that features the ability for players to switch between playing as a Human or as a Werewolf. Humans have an assortment of weapons available at their disposal giving them an advantage at a distance. Wolves on the other hand have no ranged attack but are faster and stronger than their human counter parts.
The ability to transform between human and wolf at any time adds a new element of strategy to Wolf Team over other traditional shooter games. Players will never need to worry about running out of ammunition because Wolves have their own distinct advantages such as running on walls and dropping in on other players unexpectedly. In certain modes players can even play as other types of wolves such as ghost wolves that can turn invisible.

subset: commoncrawl


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DelveInsight's, Factor VIII InhibitorsPipeline Insights, 2017, report provides in depth insights on the pipeline drugs and their development activities around the Factor VIII Inhibitors. The DelveInsight's Report covers the product profiles in various stages of development including Discovery, Preclinical, IND, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III and Preregistration. Report covers the product clinical trials information and other development activities including technology, licensing, collaborations, acquisitions, fundings, patent and USFDA EMA designations details. DelveInsight's Report also provides detailed information on the discontinued and dormant drugs that have gone inactive over the years for Factor VIII Inhibitors. DelveInsight's Report also assesses the Factor VIII Inhibitors therapeutics by Monotherapy, Combination products, Molecule type and Route of Administration.
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Since 2009, Empire Electric has helped its customers understand and potentially reduce their electricity usage with the use of Kill A Watt electricity usage monitors, available on loan through five area libraries.
These plug-in energy monitors are leaving the shelves at public libraries to help assess how efficient appliances really are. The monitor comes with basic instructions and some helpful hints from library personnel. It displays the power consumption in kilowatt-hours which is how EEA reports energy usage on customers' monthly bills and can assist in household budgeting.
With the increasing cost of electricity EEA wants to help customers save energy and dollars. This program provides a 'no cost' way to reduce energy usage and identify the real energy abusers. Customers' are reporting that they unplug appliances when not in use to save energy.
"Monitor accessibility increased through the library program," said Doug Sparks, member services manager. "Now folks can easily calculate how much it will cost to use an appliance over a month's time."
Participating libraries are located in Cortez, Mancos, Dolores, Dove Creek, and Monticello, Utah. These libraries have a limited number of Kill A Watt monitors available for loan, similar to checking out a book or video.
Bobbe Jones is the Assistant Member Services Manager with Empire Electric, 801 N. Broadway, Cortez. Empire Electric Association is working with the community to save energy and money.


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The third bi-annual Asia Sanitation and Hygiene Practitioners' workshop, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 31 January to 2 February 2012, reported notable progress in implementing menstrual hygiene into WASH programmes.
In 2008, menstrual hygiene management was signalled as a neglected area in WASH programmes. In 2010 the workshop participants pushed ahead and discussed necessary provisions for menstrual hygiene management in toilet design (washing facilities, sufficient space, incinerators) as well as issues of availability and affordability of menstrual hygiene materials.
A major hurdle remains the lack of awareness and lack of recognition that menstrual hygiene is a human right and health issue. In 2012, participants concluded that menstrual hygiene programmes are now usually linked to school WASH, but efforts are needed to reach girls who are not in schools. Advocacy and hygiene promotion have to improve the awareness of both men and women about menstruation and menstrual hygiene management.
Progress on menstrual hygiene management since 2008
WaterAid is developing a resource guide on menstrual hygiene management. BRAC has integrated Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in their WASH programme, especially in schools.
Menstrual hygiene has been taken up by IRSP in Pakistan as part of their post-emergency response and conducts hygiene sessions for men and for women on menstrual hygiene management. Wickramasinghe (2012) provides a checklist of necessary inputs, which could form the basis for programming in post-emergency situations.
Next steps
The following menstrual hygiene management (MHM) needs have identified:
- understanding indigenous MHM practices
- capacity building and promotion/awareness raising materials
- inclusion of MHM in monitoring frameworks and national educational curricula
- approaches for targeting girls who are not in school
- innovation in low cost sanitary napkins
Some more resources:
- Menstrual hygiene discussed openly in cluster meetings for adolescent girls in Bangladesh (photostory)
- Paper on interventions of BRAC WASH relating to menstrual hygiene management
- BRAC presentation from the Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene held in Mumbai in 2011
Read the full version of this article on the IRC web site at: www.irc.nl/page/72510


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The following is a summary for tax professionals to use when assisting for-profit farmers with the decision of whether to depreciate or inventory livestock, methods available for each, and how to treat a sale.
The following is a summary for tax professionals to use when assisting for-profit farmers with the decision of whether to depreciate or inventory livestock, methods available for each, and how to treat a sale.
Depreciate vs. inventory
Livestock held primarily for sale by for-profit farmers must be included in inventory. However, livestock held for draft, breeding, or dairy purposes can either be included in inventory or depreciated as the farmer chooses. Both options have advantages and disadvantages so the decision is ultimately based on whether farmers prefer a current benefit or future benefit. If farmers choose to depreciate the livestock, they will receive a current depreciation deduction. However, this will decrease the farmer's basis in the livestock and therefore increase any gain when the livestock is sold. Also, any future gain on a sale up to the amount of depreciation taken will be taxed at ordinary rates (Table 1). If, on the other hand, farmers choose to inventory the livestock, they will forego the current depreciation deduction but any future capital gain will be taxed at the lower and more preferable capital gain rates (Table 2). Farmers should consider this decision and its impacts carefully because once a method is chosen it cannot be changed unless authorized by the Commissioner.
Depreciation methods
If farmers decide to depreciate their livestock, depreciation will begin when the livestock is mature (i.e., can be worked, milked, or bred). Most farm business assets are depreciated using the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) which consists of two depreciation systems: the General Depreciation System (GDS) and the Alternative Depreciation System (ADS). Generally, GDS must be used unless ADS is required by law or elected. The recovery period for cattle, goats, and sheep under the GDS method is five years while the recovery period for hogs is three years. These recovery periods remain the same under the ADS method except for cattle, which increases to a seven year recovery period. All livestock are considered to be tangible personal property and are therefore eligible for a depreciation deduction under Section 179. They are also considered qualified property for purposes of claiming the 50 percent bonus depreciation allowance if placed in service before Jan. 1, 2013. However, if the ADS method of depreciation is used, bonus depreciation allowance is not permitted.
It is important to note that farmers can deduct the costs of raising livestock during the years in which the animals are being raised. If these costs are deducted, the basis of the livestock is zero and therefore these costs cannot be depreciated.
Inventory methods
If a lower tax rate on a future capital gain is preferred by farmers, they should chose to inventory their livestock. There are two inventory methods available. The simplest method is called the "farm-price method." This method provides for the valuation of inventories at market price less direct cost of disposition. The other inventory method available is the "unit-livestock-price method." To determine the valuation under this method, livestock are classified into groups with respect to age and kind. Then, a price for each class is established, taking into account the normal cost of raising those animals. Farmers using the unit-livestock-price method must reevaluate unit prices each year and adjust either upward or downward to reflect changes in the costs of raising livestock.
Treatment and calculation of gain on sale
Sales of livestock are reported on Form 4797. Calculation of the gain depends on whether the animals were raised by the farmer or purchased. The gain on livestock raised by the farmer is calculated as the difference between the selling expenses and the gross sales price, assuming the basis is zero because the costs of raising the livestock were deducted during the years in which the animal was being raised. The gain on livestock purchased by the farmer is calculated by subtracting the adjusted basis and selling expenses from the gross sales price.
Treatment of the gain depends on whether or not the property is qualified under Section 1231. As stated in Section 1231(b)(3), to qualify as property used in trade or business, livestock must be held by the taxpayer for draft, breeding, dairy, or sporting purposes for at least 12 months (24 for cattle). Any livestock which is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business does not qualify.
If the Section 1231 holding period is not met, any gain or loss from the sale is reported on Part II of Form 4797, Ordinary Gains and Losses. If the holding period is met, the gain or loss is reported on Part I or Part III, depending on if there is recapture of depreciation.
There are many different methods available to account for livestock, and it is important that farmers be knowledgeable of their options. The decision of whether to depreciate or inventory their livestock must be made at the beginning of the farming operation and cannot be changed without permission of the Commissioner. These various options make it imperative that farmers utilize the tax planning services a tax professional can provide.


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Graveside services will Thursday, Nov. 15 in Thief River Falls.
Mary Gladys Bollinger, 93, of Crookston, Minnesota, died at home on Sunday, November 11th of natural causes.
Graveside services will be held at 1:30 PM on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at Greenwood Cemetery in Thief River Falls, MN.
She was born on April 20, 1919 in Radville, Saskatchewan, Canada, the daughter of Thomas and Anna Maanum.
Mary was united in marriage to Charles Bollinger on December 25, 1945 and celebrated 40 years of marriage until his death in 1986. The couple farmed for many years in Vineland Township.
Mary was very fond of her Scandinavian heritage and one of her highlights was traveling to Norway and visiting her father's birthplace in Lillehammer.
She was a member of the Sons of Norway and the Eagles Lodge.
Family members include her late husband Charles, a son, Mylan, of Crookston, and a son and daughter-in-law, Wayne and Sharon, of Naperville, Illinois and five grandchildren. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Clarence and sister, Amanda Johnson and survived by her sister Clara Rasmussen.
Family condolences may be sent at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com


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The latest from the Romney campaign is that the President is "robbing" $716 billion from Medicare. Kate Pickert has put the lie to that here. And I must say, I'm outraged by the bald baloney-slicing Romney is attempting. It goes back to the cover story I wrote about the deaths of my parents. Romney and Ryan want to take the country in the precise opposite direction from sanity when it comes to end of life issues.
As Kate has written in the past, the bottom line on the cost reductions in the Romney-Ryan and Obama Medicare packages is pretty much the same. The question is, how do you get there? Romney-Ryan relies on mythology, the notion that a "free" market in Medicare will reduce the costs (and will reduce government spending by $6400 per senior citizen on average in anticipation of these efficiencies). But we've had an experiment in private Medicare delivery the past few years. It's called Medicare Advantage and, as Kate has reported, it costs, on average, 14% more than standard fee-for-service Medicare.
Obama gets his many of his reductions by eliminating the bonuses to private insurers that participate in Medicare Advantage. He would also reduce some payments to hospitals. But the most important reforms in the Affordable Care Act have to do with the wasteful fee-for-service nature of Medicare as it now stands. Obama promotes electronic record keeping and reviews best medical procedures to see what really works and what's really wasteful. He also encourages medical group practices to see how much money they would save–and allows them to keep some of those savings–if they try a "team" approach where doctors are paid salaries instead of paid for each test and procedure they perform.
It is impossible to know how much these reforms will save. "The Congressional Budget Office didn't give us very much on the scoring here, since it's something new," an Administration Official told me. But the savings could be significant, if the results from the Geisinger Medical group in Pennsylvania are any gauge–a 10% reduction in cost, perhaps. (Of course, Romney would mischaracterize this as a cut).
But the more important consideration here is that the President's plan is a far more humane way of going about the business of end-of-life medicine, as I found when Geisinger took over, and coordinated, the care of both my parents. As I wrote in June, I was made to feel part of a team, apprised of each new development as my parents declined, without having to chase down and organize the various specialists who'd been treating them. This is the model toward which Obamacare is pointing.
The Republicans hate it. Their answer, which–like supply-side economics–has proven to be an utter failure (see Medicare Advantage above) is to inject market discipline into the process. Let the elderly choose their health plans, let the plans compete for customers. I'm all for market disciplines and choice. It might not be a bad idea to extend the choices that will be part of Obamacare to people up to the age of 75. But there has been zero evidence that markets make much of a difference when it comes to elderly care. And I would have hated to watch my proud, but addled, father trying to make a wise choice in a market that is extremely complicated. (And believe me, he would have insisted on making that choice, even though he couldn't hold a thought from one moment to the next.)
Maybe it's because I've just been through a very painful experience, but the Republican flummery on this issue hits me harder than any position taken by either party on any other issue. This is a case of common decency. We really need to respect, and care for, our elders–and also our children who will be elderly when many of these reforms are enacted.


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That's an error. Something went wrong - either we couldn't find what you were looking for or an error occured. This is the last thing the site told me:
URL: http://www.statepress.com/article/2010/10/technology-leads-to-%E2%80%9Csurveillance-society%E2%80%9D Type: foundry\exception Query: //article/2010/10/technology-leads-to-%E2%80%9Csurveillance-society%E2%80%9D/ Time: 2019-01-16T18:04:03-07:00 UA: CCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)
Our servers have logged the issue but you can also contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Wake Forest is mediocre, Nebraska is Horrendous
Thats 8 points
2-0 Demon Decons
I apologize
My god
Originally Posted by rzagza: Wake dreams of being mediocre. I swear some of you shouldn't even be allowed to gamble.
Oh my record blows yours away you lil ho mo
You undefeated?
Originally Posted by Bruno_Saturn: wow thnx alot u made me change my bet... and i lost 400 bux betting on first half wake forest ty LOSER fagget go to hell
Pick your own games you leaches
Ok..im over it guys..Sorry I snapped
Whata sickening night- I gotta get away from gambling for a few hours..See ya tomarow


text:
Strong storms packing high winds blew through Tennessee early Wednesday, causing power outages and widespread damage. At least one person was killed by a falling tree, authorities said.
Strong storms packing high winds blew through Tennessee early Wednesday, causing power outages and widespread damage. At least one person was killed by a falling tree, authorities said.
The National Weather Service was sending assessment teams to determine whether there had been tornado touchdowns in western and central locations.
The death occurred in Nashville when wind uprooted a large tree and blew it onto a storage shed where a man had taken shelter in the Bordeaux area, north of downtown. Police did not immediately release the man's name.
There were also reports of injuries, most of them minor, over a broad area.
East of Nashville, the top floor of a three-story building was damaged in Mount Juliet as a man and his son, who live there, dived under a mattress to escape injury. Nearby, a driver sleeping in his tractor-trailer truck likewise wasn't seriously hurt when the rig was blown onto its side.
Thousands of customers lost electrical power as strong winds blew down trees and limbs onto power lines.
Warm, moist air was being overrun by a cold front, setting off the storms, which did not produce a lot of lightning.
Reports to the National Weather Service late Tuesday showed the breadth of damage in West Tennessee. Buildings were reported collapsed or damaged in Bolivar, a person was reported trapped under a mobile home in Bethel Springs and emergency responders were reporting roads blocked by debris as they tried to reach people who needed help. The weather service office in Memphis reported wind gusts to 70 mph.
In Middle Tennessee, 16 houses were reported damaged or destroyed in Centerville, and a building collapse was reported in Lawrenceburg.
Meteorologist Marlene Mickelson of the National Weather Service office in Memphis said tornado assessment teams would examine damage Wednesday in McNairy and Hardeman counties. Forecasters in Nashville were examining data before dispatching assessment teams in the central part of the state.
By 9 a.m. EST Tuesday, the leading edge of the storms, still showing considerable strength, were moving onto Knoxville with rain extending back over the Cumberland Plateau and Middle Tennessee. However, weather service radar showed the last of the rain moving across the Tennessee River, out of West Tennessee.
After temperatures that lingered around 70 early Wednesday, the strong cold front was driving down readings, expected to fall below freezing by dawn Thursday.


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to prior sale, change, or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) nor Builder Creek Realty shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation,
or misprints, and shall be held totally harmless from any damages arising from reliance upon these data.


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Add comment on:This Week in Palestine, September 29 2017
by IMEMC
Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for September 23, to the 29, 2017.
Guidelines for commenting on news articles:
Thanks for contributing to Indybay's open publishing newswire. You may use any format for your response article, from traditional academic discourse to subjective personal account. Please keep it on topic and concise. And please read our editorial policy, privacy, and legal statements before continuing. Or go back to the article.


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Monday, October 19, 2009
Artists Finally Win Some Respect and Credit
Like I was saying in the last post about credits, in the 1980s no one in the business thought the artists had anything creative to contribute to the cartoons. (I'm sure they still wish they didn't need us pesky artists and would love a computer program that could finally get us out of the way.) The studios gave the writers credit before the cartoon started, but not any artist, not even the director. Well maybe because there were no directors in the 1980s. Not until Mighty Mouse. Ralph Bakshi was the first guy to open a studio and put the artists totally in charge of all the creative aspects of the cartoons. I instituted a "unit system" inspired by the old Looney Tunes system, where each unit had a director in charge who followed the whole production through from start to finish. We even had to bring back a whole job category - Layout - a job that the other studios didn't deem creative and were shipping overseas. This created at least 20 new jobs for American artists that did not previously exist.
But still no one got credit upfront-not even the writer this time (maybe because we were cartoonists too.)
The first time I was ever able to credit an artist on a title card before a cartoon was amazingly on Beany and Cecil in 1988. ABC hated artists, but the Clampetts and Richard Raynis supported me giving at least the directors credit on some of them. Quite a breakthrough.There was a lot of visual fun in Beany and Cecil and I wished I could give more of the artists credit - especially the storyboard artists and the key layout artists - the ones that were making the show have at least some interest.
But like 80s shows, they just piled everyone's credits together like cattle at the end of the cartoon and ran by them so fast that you couldn't even read them, let alone know which artists worked on which episodes.
I always liked reading the credits on old cartoons and trying to figure out who did what and seeing the different styles. I wanted to bring that back (while also bringing back the whole concept of cartoonist-made cartoons).
When we did the pilot for Ren and Stimpy I made sure everyone got prominent credits. I didn't ask for permission; I just did it.
I even painted the end credits myself and hand lettered them (well Libby Simon inked my hand lettering).
When we started the series I had to negotiate the amount of upfront credits. I had given an animation history lesson to Vanessa Coffey and explained the old unit system to her, and that old cartoons were not "written", they were drawn on storyboards. She agreed to this system. At last!
So I got together the funniest artists and we came up with story premises that we'd pitch to Vanessa. Once she OKed them, we'd then write an outline that was 2 or 3 pages long. Whoever physically wrote up the outline is who I'd usually give the "story" credit too, even though all of us helped gag each other's stories up.
I also negotiated for an upfront storyboard credit, which was unheard of at the time. The storyboard artists at Spumco were generally the same group of artists who came up with the premises and outlines but we would add a ot of gags and story material in the storyboards-the way cartoons should be written, and used to be.
I also wanted to credit key layout artists, animation directors, designers and background painters but couldn't get permission. Just getting a couple artist credits at all was a real victory in 1990.
Nurse Stimpy came out so ugly to me, that I didn't give myself credit on it as director.
I seem to be missing the storyboard credit, but am pretty sure Jim, Bob, Vincent and I did it.
Firedogs was written in an afternoon to replace a George Liquor cartoon that got rejected.
Jim and Chris made a very lively and funny board and added more gags.
This story came out of a deal I made with Vanessa. She didn't like the booger, fart and gross jokes we wrote, so I asked her if I could trade them for something she wanted. She wanted heart.
I was listening to the classical music in our APM stock music library and put on Clair De Lune by Debussy. I started picturing a sad scene with Stimpy in a fairy tale setting and that became The Littlest Giant. I pitched the story idea to Vanessa while playing the music for her and tears welled up in her eyes. She loved it! I tell you, that's a way to work with execs. Trade 'em. Find out what they like and meet 'em halfway. Not by eliminating or toning either of your tastes down, but by taking turns doing the kind of thing each of you like. This was very easy with Vanessa. Many times I would make up story ideas on the spot after asking her what she was looking for. Stimpy's First Fart was one of those.
Once more executives started to get involved, this became harder to do. There were too many "no"s coming from all directions and the idea of being fair and trading was harder and harder to achieve. Even people who weren't executives started sending us notes! Vanessa's secretary, a month after we had shipped the first couple of episodes to be animated, sent us a 30 page list of changes she wanted on our storyboards! Stories that were being animated and had already been signed off on by Vanessa. And what were the changes about? 90% of them were to tell us that the scenes on the storyboards didn't "hook up". A secretary telling us that.
Once artists starting seeing other artists get credits at the beginning of the cartoons, more and more wanted them - and I didn't blame them. On certain cartoons, I went back to Vanessa to beg for some extra credits for certain people who had done outstanding jobs on particular cartoons. This got me in a lot of trouble since we already had a signed agreement for story, storyboard and director only, but when she saw Space Madness and a couple other extra special pictures I bent her to my will. Others above us didn't like this encroaching artist recognition though. Especially when the press started coming over to Spumco regularly and I would take them around to interview and photograph all the artists at work.
To be continued....
Thanks to David Shreve and his crew for the frame grabs from Ren and Stimpy!
31 comments:
- The Artist Aficionado said...
That's what writers and animators and artists need. Credit. It helps them advance in the work world so their potential can be used as a force for the studio.
John you know I don't like Walt Disney for a specific reason. He took credit away from several artists, animators, and writers. He dominated the screen. Same thing goes for several animation producers. Thankfully this is not the case recently.
So in terms of finally getting credit I'm happy you and other artists are finally getting you due. It makes it easier for an aspiring artist like me to know that my work won't be credited to my boss.
- Shawn Dickinson said...
This post is AWESOME!!!
- The Artist Aficionado said...
I think that when talented writers and animators were finally given shot the to explore creativity for the first time since the sixties the renaissance of animation had come about.
I cite the National Film Board of Canada, Roger Rabbit and the Mighty Mouse resurrection for fixing the industry and giving it new life in the late eighties. Because they used their name to create top quality animation you included.
- Pete Emslie said...
To be fair, it can be a very slippery slope where credits are concerned, deciding whose talent should be acknowledged on screen. Let's face it: they're really overdoing it in the end credits of features these days with miles and miles of names, especially when it starts listing such nonsense as "Production Babies". Still, I agree that certain key players should receive their due on screen, whether before or after the cartoon. I don't envy anybody making that decision though.
Something else I want to say regarding these title cards, John, is that it's so nice to see hand-lettered credits! These really are a throwback to not only vintage cartoons, but all Hollywood films of that Golden Age, when the titles were a thing of beauty with hand lettering being created with brush and paint on a cel overlaid on an airbrushed board, coloured canvas, or other artistic backdrop. It's fun to see that even the same names are individually lettered for each cartoon, with nice cartoony kerning. Great stuff!
- 384Sprites said...
Jim Smith rules. I need to find those old cartoons and check 'em out.
- GoldDarkShadow said...
I liked how in your ren and stimpy cartoon titles, there is no "written by" and you give the artiest credit. They worked their butts off for making awesome cartoons so they deserved it. Unlike these new cartoons, they have this written by garbage by someone who does not even like cartoons. John, thanks for posting this because this will help we a lot when i start making cartoons hopefully.
Chuck Lorre? The sitcom hack who brought us drivel such as "Two & A Half Men" being credited above you guys! Unbelievable?
- Matt said...
I love when you write about the goings-on behind the scenes that took place back then.
The first episode of Ren & Stimpy that I ever saw was Firedogs, and the shot that hooked me for life was the fat lady flying down the ladder, with her huge fat ass flapping in the wind. I laughed till I was nothing more than a soggy puddle on the floor.
What really got me every time after that, though, was when Ren would come unglued and go into his psychotic deliriums. Every episode, I would pray that something horrible would happen to poor Ren, so that he'd come unhinged and start his psycho-babble. (In the Army!!!!) John, that $#!+ was pure gold. It was unheard of to see something so hilarious in a cartoon, at the time.
I appreciate those shows even more, knowing how hard you had to fight to get half the gags into them.
- mike f. said...
Hey John - thanks for putting to the test the recent lie/smear that you don't give other artists credit.
In fact, it's been my personal experience that exactly the opposite is true. (My own credit on Spumco Comic Book is a case in point; all I did was clean-up.)
No need to acknowledge the new revisionists by name, they know who they are - and I'd rather not dignify them.
I'll look for a retraction, but I'm not holding my breath. That would take class, character and intellectual honesty - traits that are sorely lacking in some (so-called) Ren & Stimpy "fan" sites.
- drawingtherightway said...
I don't get these executives not allowing more credits in the beginning. What do they care their not the ones creating the cartoons. If it weren't for you talented artists, they wouldn't have anything. I'm surprised execs don't have their names in the credits... I won't be surprised if some do.
- JohnK said...
"Hey John - thanks for putting to the test the recent lie/smear that you don't give other artists credit. "
Huh? Who would ever say that? Not anyone who has worked with me - or who reads this blog that's all about cartoonists and who did what.
- James said...
This post was interesting to say the least.
Credit should be where credit is due. I saw some great artists bunched up in a pile, Jim Smith, Lynne Naylor, Bruce Timm, Chris Reccardi, Bob Camp, Eddie Fitzgerald, and a lot of names I don't recognize.
That really gets me wondering what some of these folks did and didnt do.
- Michael said...
Keep this up, cause things might be changing in other industries. Bill Buxton railed against software developers for putting out interfaces that were kluges. Tons of money is lost due to talentless crappy non-intuitive interfaces.
Buxton talks about how the art school system and "crits" need to be employed in the engineering and development of software. He's now at Microsoft trying to clean their executive mess up. There is a slow but steady recognition of artists taking more project management responsibility. The whole field of User Experience Design is booming and within in are artists getting more project management responsibility.
The MBA's are seeing true artist-managers like Steve Jobs continually kick the ass of Microsoft, Sony and the like. So keep it up John K. and maybe give Bill Buxton a call.
- Niki said...
This is all too much for my computer to handle.
This is a wonderful little moment in time you're showing us, John.
Let us never forget that it was, once upon a time, possible to give proper credit where credit is due.
Alas, now those times are over.
Did you know that on the show I work on one of the contributing producers was a LAWYER?
And sometimes she writes the episodes!
Let me repeat that -- A LAWYER.
Suffice to say her name is always at the very front of the show, and she sits far, far away from the artists. In fact we never, ever get to see this Wizard of Oz.
- HemlockMan said...
Wow. One of your best posts. As I read this blog I get more information on not only how you work, but how the executive system at the studios operate.
After working in several industries I have come to the conclusion that management sucks. At a certain point in the hierarchy of a company, management should come to a screeching halt. There should be the folk who do the work (who are perfectly capable of managing themselves) and an uber-boss at the head of the company. Middle management are by and large useless or else very damaging to the operation as a whole. Those folk should all go away.
- Eidenbrock said...
John, I love it when you dish out these post. I always love hearing those Spumco stories! The book will have a bunch, right?
- Mike said...
Thanks a ton for this post! By the way, I never noticed that your chums were members of Die Screaming Liederhôsens.
- Trevor Thompson said...
Wow, those grabs from the new Mighty Mouse DVD look really great?
Did they do something to kind of 'normalize' the color? I recall it being as garish as most shows of it's day, and yet the colors of these frame grabs look great!
I wish they'd leave the damn Looney Tunes colors alone.
- Ollie said...
Those title cards are great!
What's Vanessa Coffey up to now? Maybe you could pitch some new ideas to her if she's still in a powerfull position.
- lastangelman said...
Vanessa is on Facebook, in Los Angeles area.
- Whit said...
It was the same Chuck Lorre of whom Jorge speaks. Lorre also wanted to produce the music for Beany and Cecil because it would pay him well as a lucrative side gig. Don't know if he snagged that perk, though. John will have to clarify. Lorre later got fired from at least two shows he created by sitcom divas Cybill Sheperd and Roseanne Barr but kept coming back until he was well set for life financially. Two and a Half Men is a hit, despite what it is.
- glamaFez said...
Nurse Stimpy's not ugly. I have one of the cels to prove it.
Ren is stuck to the bed in his own filth and Nurse Stimpy is pulling him loose.
It's on my wall, but nobody ever comments on it. I don't think they want to know what it is.
- Michael said...
The new role for cartoons in actuality has always been the same old role, but first I want to put it into today's context.Then I'll mention old time cartoons that have to same purpose.
First off, I think we rarely have good entertainment cartoons anymore due to overpopulation and over-consumption pressures. Over-consuming people (two-thirds of which should not exist according to UN population statistics) try to make efficient cartoons so they can afford their bloated lifestyles.
Recently I heard Nathan Shedroff talk about how important it is for designers to understand "systems" when grappling with challenges of sustainability. Cartoons like "Story of Stuff" are great at explaining and boiling down complex systems that we have a hard time dealing with. There's also this company called Root Learning that is doing systems cartoon stuff for the medical industry.
So think back to Rube Goldberg and what good cartoons do.
I was checking out the storyboards for Ren & Stimpy's Big House Blues. It's about the reality of being destitute in America. The system wants you dead if you can't produce. That's the reason for defending the current profit based insurance. So "Big House" was a hilarious predictor to how things are becoming for even the average American due to competition for resources. It explains systems and how they really are and it does it with exaggerated emotions and even more base survival instincts.
Well the new role for good cartoonists is to infiltrate the dry recesses of dry companies like Root Learning (AKA: "Rot" Learning) and create brain exploding drama along with dissecting systems that are currently messed up and need fixing. Jib Jab and all these other political satire cartoons get a lot of attention because they are communicating something that needs to be understood. Cartoons can be really good at doing this.
- Whit said...
Jib Jab wants to please everyone in order to become the next System. It spoofs rather than satirizes.
- Jackhalfaprayer said...
The attitude of putting together a bunch of artists that have talents one does not have in order to make a more well-rounded team of individuals that bring new and better ideas (or techniques) to a production is all well and good- but when you find yourself surrounded by "artists" who don't follow through, or in some cases can't even get work done, the only option is the old adage- if you want something done right, do it yourself.
Not all of us can weasel our way into a studio situation, John ;) Especially these days, with 2D in such a state.
Awesome post tho, totally remember these intros when I was a kid. Even then I remember thinking they hearkened back to the way toons used to be.
- marcushelbling said...
hahaha, nurse stimpy was my dad's favorite episode.
- Pokey said...
John, you rock.
"Raymond Spum":Does Allan Smithee ring a bell?:)
- fandumb said...
I liked Nurse Stimpy, for your information. Last time I was ill, all I could think about was that episode. I watched it in German as well, and both Stimpy's voice actors in both versions, Billy West and Oliver Feld, were a delight to listen to, and both put their best efforts into voicing him! 'Nurse Stimpy' comes pretty close to being a personal favourite of mine.
- kurtwil said...
Very interesting read, JK. Thanks!
Sadly today, even when shows give credit to artists, the networks jam credits into a tiny box surrounded by previews and network logos, making credits impossible to read. Bummer.
BTW, what will happen to the JK-directed Beany and Cecils, now that the Clampett children are re-releasing the original shorts?
When querying the B&C site, their response was they hoped JK B&C's could be re-released but they needed JK permission to do so. Hopefully that will come to pass as, like Mighty Mouse the New Adventures, there's a lot of energy and cleverness in those B&C's, as there was in the originals. They deserve better than the tiny, often badly transferred Youtube versions now out there!
- fandumb said...
I kinda like 'The Littlest Giant', even though it was sort of a weak episode. The sad scenes went on a bit too long, as poignant as they are, as much as we sympathise with the giant's plight.


text:
Wow...exceeded my expectations.
Reviewed By John J (Thousand Oaks, CA) Reviewed for a 1998 Land Rover Range Rover —10/25/2011 5:01 PM
I installed this system on my somewhat underpowered P-38 Range Rover HSE. I was amazed at the difference it made in the performance and mileage. I no longer need to downshift to go up long steep grades, which was the norm previously....and the sound, WOW! Buy this now!


text:
The staff at Leavenworth's Family Video are hoping to make at least 20 holidays a little better for area families.
The staff at Leavenworth's Family Video are hoping to make at least 20 holidays a little better for area families. On Saturday, the location here of the nationwide chain will take part in a companywide initiative to donate turkeys to area families in need. Ashley Roller, the assistant manager at the store, said the distribution of turkeys is something Family Video here has done since the location opened in 2007. This year, the Leavenworth location will donate about 20 turkeys to families in the community. Across the country, approximately 775 Family Video locations will be doing the same thing, together expected to distribute about 30,000 turkeys and hams. It's a 40-year old tradition, according to information from the company. In the past, employees would have taken them to another agency, who would distribute the food to those families. But this year, Roller said the Leavenworth location is trying something different. "This year they really just wanted to get a little more involved," she said. So during a holiday event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, they are asking visitors to donate food that will also be distributed alongside the turkeys. "That way we're not giving the family just a whole turkey and making them go buy the rest of it," Roller said. "We're going to actually give them a whole meal — they'll have everything right there, so they don't have to worry about it." The store will have the turkey packages on hand for a couple of hours Saturday for those who wish to come in to the store, located on the southwest corner of 10th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street. Any food packages that are not picked up will be handed over to the United Way of Leavenworth County for distribution. Though employees are likely to stay busy Saturday because of all the activity, Roller said she is thinking about the possibility of starting a new tradition for the food drive. "If it goes well, it's something that we're hoping to continue doing," she said.


text:
What's hot online right now: Facebook looks to increase Internet's reach; Diablo 3 expansion announced; "Winnie Cooper" stars in new Avril Lavigne music video.
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Avril Lavigne sports a military uniform on the set of her "Rock N Roll" music video, co-starring Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper) of "The Wonder Years."
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text:
Column published Jan. 18, 2013 in The Mexico Ledger
100 Years Ago
"Crown Laundry Co. is making extensive additions to their plant in order to handle the Rough Dry work more quickly. The new equipment consists of motors, washers, extractor and a Rough Dry wagon. ... The people of Mexico should take an interest in the high school athletic entertainments. If you want to encourage clean sport, you should patronize the basketball games. Show your encouragement by your cordial and liberal patronage. ... Remember the mass meeting at the courthouse on Friday, January 24, to discuss the question of building a new jail. The people of Audrain are interested in this proposition, and the County Court wants your views before this proposition is submitted to a vote."
50 Years Ago
"Local bloodmobile workers were encouraged today by the response of Mexicoans and other county residents yesterday to their appeal for blood donors but reminded that a need still exists for building up reserves in the Blood Bank. The Bloodmobile opened at 11 a.m. today and will receive donors until 4 p.m. in the community room of the courthouse. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. today, 55 pints of blood were received. Yesterday 183 pints of blood were received and 21 others offered blood but were rejected for various health reasons. Recruitment chairman Mrs. James A. McKitterick said she was proud that 204 persons were willing to save a life by donating a pint of blood. Two persons completed their third gallon: Fred W. Hanter and the Rev. Hugh Wilson; and Effie Wright completed her second gallon. Six persons became members of the one-gallon club: Donald Jackson, Fern Hildebrand, Everett Fennewald, Patrick Mudd, Minnie Offutt and Tim Hagan. Bloodmobile officials listed 12 first-time donors and stressed the importance of having more in this category. They emphasized that once a person discovers how easy it is to give blood, he will return again and again. The first-time donors included: Edward Schutte, Lou Emma Appling, Walter Wegener, Bill Hasen, Nicholas Mohacsy, Bonnie Erwin, Donald Lincoln, Melvin Henderson, James Kobush, Mrs. Warner Williams and Mrs. Marge Rosinous."
25 Years Ago
"Saying previous winners of the Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce's Col. C.R. Stribling Jr. Community Service Award were among his heroes, 1987 recipient Robert Marty pledged Saturday night to rededicate himself to community service. Mr. Marty was among several award winners honored at the Chamber's annual dinner meeting held at the Mexico Knights of Columbus Hall. Mr. Marty has been involved in a variety of civic activities, including the Human Development Corp., Mexico Jaycees, the Park Board, Mexico Area Family YMCA, Friends of the Library and several groups connected to the improvement of Mexico Schools. Other awards presented during the three-hour session included: The Community Betterment Award to the Mexico Noon Kiwanis Club; the Business Service Award to Continental Products Co., a Mexico firm which now employs 175; Civic Club Award to Mexico Knights of Columbus; Ambassador's Award to Dr. H. Peter Ekern, immediate past president of the Missouri Medical Association; and Presidents Award to Acting City Manager Tom Herron."
10 Years Ago
"On Monday there will be two celebrations honoring Martin Luther King Jr. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee has put together two programs for area residents to honor the leader of the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1950s and '60s. King was killed in 1968 by an assassin. The theme for this year's celebration will be 'Knowledge is Power ... Sharing it is Empowerment.' Monday's first celebration will begin with a march from Ward Chapel AME Church to the Audrain County Courthouse. Marchers are to meet at 11:15 a.m. at the corner of Holt and Johnson streets. The march will begin at 11:30 a.m. Once the group reaches the courthouse a program will be held. The mistress of ceremonies will be Jo Ann Thomas. The program will open with the Rev. T.L. Garner Jr. singing the Negro National Anthem. The keynoted speaker will be the Rev. C.W. Dawson Jr., director of multicultural affairs at William Woods University and pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in Fulton. The evening celebration will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Second Missionary Baptist Church. The featured speaker will be the Rev. Carolus Taylor, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Columbia. Garner will be the master of ceremonies. The Rev. Richard Mayson Sr., and the Rev. Edith Fort Reed will read scriptures. Prayers will be led by The Rev. Duane Brush, prayer for less fortunate; Paul Nickens, prayer for equality and reconciliation; Jaye Jackson, prayer for effective leadership; and the Rev. Robert H. Marty, prayer for national unity. Members of the celebration committee are Garner, Jackson and Thomas."
The Yesterday In Mexico column is published daily in The Mexico Ledger.
An expanded column is published on Fridays.
Call the circulation department (573) 581-1111 for subscription information.


text:
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Mel Blanc Explains Stuff
Mel is generally considered to be the greatest cartoon voice talent of all time.
There are still some great voice talents today and I've been lucky enough to work with such versatile and charismatic characters as Billy West, Cheryl Chase, Eric Bauza, Corey Burton, Gary Owens, Charlie Adler, Patrick Pinney and more.
All of these folks have highly sensitive and trained ears as well as mouths. This is what they do for a living. They are specialists in sound and much more qualified than movie actors to do animated cartoon voices, but sadly often get passed up when it comes to nabbing the big roles in animated movies. They are also much more eager than already famous and rich movie actors; they aren't there to just have a fun afternoon and walk away. This is their life.
I don't know Jeff Bergman, but Gabe Swarr directed him doing George Jetson's voice on a couple flash cartoons we did and I was very impressed with his talent.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. If we had actors today with such distinctive voices as Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Marlyn Monroe, then they might be able to add something to a cartoon movie character. But even so, trained voice actors usually do even better when they do their caricatured impressions of live actors.
They do it better because they understand the needs of the medium and care about it.
It's the reason an animator would make a better director than a live action director. It's our medium, even though we've been kicked out - or at least barred from using our knowledge in a sane way.
Sheer common sense would produce much more interesting and imaginative animation.
Mike Pataki is an exception. He is mainly a movie actor but just happens to have a very distinct voice and delivery. If all movie actors had such distinctiveness and energy then animation would benefit from the larger pool of talent.
36 comments:
- Niki said...
I recognized his regular daily voice! he used it only slightly different from the voice for any random character. I'm trying to think of some specifics but I can't remember too well.
- David Bernal said...
Awesome!! thanks Jon :)
- lovetta said...
I like it do you think it's important for dramatic characters in animation to have specific voices.
- Alexander said...
Great stuff!
- Trevor Thompson said...
I tell ya. You know how for people who were around in the 60s they can recall exactly where they were when JFK died? Well, for me it was Mel.
I was nine years old and he was my first animation hero. Before Chuck and Clampett, I could readily identify Mel and when he died I was, for thirty six hours, completely inconsolable. "Bugs Bunny's dead" is all I could say.
Do you think ANY kid today is going to say that about any of the voice artists working today, whether they're good or bad? Hell, I still get a lump in my throat whenever I see that 'Speechless' lithograph.
There's never going to be another Mel Blanc, but the saddest part is that the industry is such now that it wouldn't spawn someone like Mel because there's no demand for his level of talent anymore.
- Trevor Thompson said...
PS: THIS was adding insult to injury when I was a kid. Mel originally voiced this, then died, and then when certain changes were made Jeff Bergman came in to replace the dialogue. It sticks out like a soar thumb.
- Trevor Thompson said...
Good point, Niki. Chuck Jones once said in an interview that Mel did hundreds of voices, and they were all him.
What he meant was that Mel never contorted his face, spoke from the back of his throat or anything like that, they were just slight variations on his own voice, and yet his own voice was base enough that he could come up with so many different characterizations.
Some of my favorite stuff to watch, though, is when Mel and Jack Benny are on camera together. Mel was the only person who could make the great Jack Benny crack up during a scene.
Jack and Mel on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
- Mykal said...
If I have to listen to Whoopie Goldberg or Bruce Willis do another cartoon voice, I'm going to shoot myself. Where is Mel Blanc when you need him? -- Mykal
- RooniMan said...
Ahhhhh.....Good ol' Mel Blanc. How I wish for more voice artists like him. Well, at least we still some great ones out there.
- Toncho said...
See John? This is why we need this blog! I'm loving the voice acting posts. Keep it up!
And seriously, what's wrong with (most) animation voices these days? They think 'Acting' is all it takes, next thing you know they won't even hire actors.
Hey! Why don't you come up with some 'voice studies' or 'voice exercises' for us amateurs? We could even make some sort of 'online-radio-novel'... Well, a man can dream.
- SandraRivas said...
Mel Blanc was the best there is. He's a genius!
The worst part today is that there are good voice actors but the stupid people would rather use popular live actors. I hate that.
It's so great to hear from him.
- C said...
Does any animated movie use unique voices? Sure the shorter cartoons do, both on TV and in theatre. You can recognize Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Yogi Bear, Homer Simpson, Invader Zim, etc. But they're from shorter features.
- Lebon Bon Lebon said...
Whoever chose the voice of the kid in how to train your dragon, please throw yourself off a bridge!!!
- Roberto González said...
>>Whoever chose the voice of the kid in how to train your dragon, please throw yourself off a bridge!!!<<
It's a really weird voice, but I kinda liked it for that reason.
Celebrities in animated movies come in different forms but most of the time they are not very creative with the voice. I don't know if it's lack of talent, bad direction or both. Sometimes I feel the celebrity could do a better voice if the character were interesting or the director had asked the celebrity to do a more specific voice.
Sometimes they try a little...In Monsters Vs Aliens I think Hugh Laurie and Kiefer Sutherland tried to adapt to the characters. In the other hand Seth Rogen is not good at this at all. I don't consider him a great actor, but I think he's funny and I enjoy him in person. But he's clearly not good disguising his voice. Even worse was Jim Carrey in Horton Hears a Who, especially when you remember his hilarious voice in Clampett's Horton Hatches The Egg!
In that audio clip it's clear that Mel Blanc was trying to create specific voices that would match with the character's personalities and designs. You can see he put a lot of thought in it.
I especially hate how much they advertise the celebrities more than anything else. At least in the 90s, in films like The Lion King they didn't advertise the celebrities that much and I think they did a better job with the character personalities than some movies todays. Of course the main characters sounded bland, but that's because main characters in Disney movies are always bland.
Regular voice actors are never advertised in big letters in the poster.
Anyway I think there are still decent voice acting in the tv animated series, pretty much every character in The Simpsons has a quite specific voice, Spongebob is also pretty decent in that department.
This may be a cultural difference but I must admit I don't undertand what's so great about John DiMaggio. I haven't listened to him in other roles, but to me Bender's voice from Futurama is not really very specific. In my opinion the spanish voice of the character matches his design much better . In spanish the voice fits with his mouth, which is always shut and he speaks like someone who talks through his teeth. In english he just talks like an average hyperactive-teenager-on-drugs that's sometimes funny, but never too cartoony or specific. Here is a clip of the spanish voice.
Just my two cents.
Not only are live action actor's voices all wrong for cartoons, their voices are all wrong for live-action! Every modern movie has the characters whispering and mumbling all over the place. You can't understand anything anyone is saying. There's no rhythm or poetry to it. It's just mush!
- Eric Bauza said...
You forgot to put yourself on that list!!! REN HOEK not only sounded funny, but was acted like no other character in animated history!!!
- Funky Al said...
I thought Daffy's voice was supposed to be a parody of Schlesinger's voice, but Mel didn't mention that in the feature....hm.
- Ardy said...
I might be late on pointing this out, if so just ignore this comment. But have you seen this monstrosity? Dan Aykroyd as Yogi Bear and Justin Timberlake as Boo-Boo. If you could write something about this I'd appreciate it, because I for one am speechless.
- Roberto González said...
Now that I think of it, animated features just don't use specific voices for the main characters anymore...It's not only the celebrities. Some Pixar movies like Ratatouille don't use celebrities and still the voices are not really specific. I thought Linguini would have been funnier with a more nerdy voice and Remy could have had a more pompous voice. They had extremely regular voices that didn't say much about them as characters.
- Pokey said...
How about voice actors impersonating celebrities--Mel Blanc said that he never did that, though we know that he often attracted criticism from SOME, not from ALL, as a "credit hog", and in fact GOLDEN AGE CARTOONS forums even recently had a thread that mentioned it, about Mel saying that he "just took over the Elmer Fudd vopice" [Arthur Q.Bryan, alongtime veteran radio actor.]
How about the way many of today's voice actors don't have the same radio background [forgivable due to their much younger age] and are typecast in cartoons that have, uh, replaced Ren and Stimpy ]Cheryl Chase's work being known not for her incidentals on Ren and Stimpyb ut as Angelica on Rugrats..]
Glad to see old timer Gary Owens. Even when they use voice actors celebrity voices [but Ren and Stimpy were to a large extent based on certain old time legends too] are imitated, with IMHO no apparent intent to create a voice.
When even something like Scooby-Doo at least can be praised by a Scooby non-fan as me for haivng an original voice [a la Astro, yes, but Don Messick was recyxling ,but in blander form, HIS own voice, not someone else's-yech, did I just PRAISE Scooby there?>:<],some's wrong.
Also the more "hip", modern, ones have voices based on famous people, but are still voiced by non-celebs [and what EXACTLY was Babs Bunny's FREAKIN' POINT in Tiny Toos doing voice impersonations, anyhow? Just to remind us that they don't know they're Muppet Baby clones?:)].
[MAJOR exception: if the celebrity gives permisison to the n on celeb voice actor to imitate him or has been long dead, like a certian asthma hound chihuahua [and just what EES an ASTH THMA HOUND CHIHUAHBUA< anyhow?:)] and no tail cat].
In short, I prefer when character more or less did not have celebrity based voices, even when they are being voiced by voice actors as such [unless it is Daws Butler since he always tweaked the voices to make them his own, but don't tell Bert Lahr in the great Hereafter and yonder that!]..
On "The Lion King": So the ads don't have any listing of the celebrities. So what? Big deal. Even Frank Welker [listed on TLK as additional voices], the blandest olf the blandest Scooby heros [Freddy] could have done Matthew Broderick's [all apologies to you, Matt, you're a great actor regardless] or Matt Damon or C.D.Barners [the original 1989 "The Little Mermaid" or any other celebrity..]
I do disagree when it comes to a lot of other live performers, past and present. First the present. As I mention [the "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" threads, and it is a great film], Anna Faris, rivalled by fellow blondes Amy Poehler and Malin Akerman as a nutcase blonde actress, pyscho, ditz type, contributes something excellent wiht her tones, but then again those women I mentioned could almost have done "Sam''s voice as well if you wanted a celebrity of that type.
- Pokey said...
To continue..
In my opinion some modern day actors would be Morgan Freeman, as well as three mentioned [Anna Faris, Amy Poehler, and Malin Akerman], Michael Clarke Duncan, Holland Taylor, [Love the first name after so many Holly's], Christine Baranski, Alyson Hanigan, Missi Pyle ["Along came Polly"], all of these, who are with a few exceptions character actors anyhow, can give a dog, butterfly,something unique.
For the golden age, Ed Wynn, "The Bridge over the River Kwai}'s Sessue Hayakawa [only one cartoon voice for the famed Asian dramatic actor, Rankon/Bass's sinsiter Mole in The Thumbelina section of the "Daydreamer"], Phil Harris, Richard Haydn,et.c were excellent, but very few of 'em leaidng men [and again, all of then were on radio.] For "Top Cat", you get Arnold Stang, Marvin Kaplan, Mauirce Gosfield [due to his being in the blueprint series "Bilko"}, etc. Likewise the "Amos and Andy" influenced "Calvin and the Colonel", exclusive to the same season as "Top Cat" [1961-1962] [technically, "Kingfish and Andy" by then and long before that.]
However, a much much different scenario again, since these folks were from the raido and had for past and current ones radio and comedy and fantasy experience [S.Hayakawa was also in that Disnery live flcik of "Swiss Family Robinson", tiself a live fantasy that infleunced the DIsneyland attraction, ridiclously replaced in 1999 by the Tarzan attracton.]
Getting, finally, to Gary Owens, he was a cleb,. raido voice, etc. the consummate Renaissance man!
- Pokey said...
Of course, Mel Blanc aside, the Warner characters were long dead by the late 50s, and even with "What's Opera" and "A Star is Bored" they were in a demise. The 1940s were the golden age of this..Blanc himself said Daffy retired ikn 1968 out of embarrassment.
- RAKninja said...
Even in the old days (for me) they used "live" actors. See "Transformers". They really had a mixed bag there, some of the best names in the business, and other fairly bland voices (robert stack as ultra magnus still cracks me up).
i was crushed when frank welker was passed up for the megatron role in both new transformers movies for hugo weaving.
For a very long time i've been a big fan of voice actors in general.
i am very glad that some people still remember that voicework is very important.
- CartoonSteve said...
Since Pokey mentioned Arnold Stang: Ebay The guy had both a distinctive voice AND face.
- Farty Far said...
Why 'THE ROCK' should get a starring voice role in this new alien animated movie, I have no idea. His voice doesn't stand out at all.
- She-Thing said...
Thank you so much for the info!! I can't think of any good actor with a particular voice, but Rowan Atkinson has some funny tones.
- Annette said...
It seems like most animated cartoon movies abandoned all originality in favor of sounding like Chandler from "friends" not necessarily even the voice, but that casually disdainful delivery. Everyone's always "bemused." It's BORING
- lastangelman said...
Jeff Bergman is a guy who loves what he does - voicing classic cartoon characters - and then some - not only is his take on classic WB characters almost indistinguishable from Mel Blanc, his imitation of Alan Reed (Fred Flintsone) is downright spooky, you actually believe Alan Reed is in the room with you.
- TedM said...
Thanks for the post. Mal Blanc is the greatest. I would put him up there with The Beatles.
- TedM said...
Mal Blanc is the greatest. I put him right up there with The Beatles.
An animator would make a better director? WOW! What a revelation... I see some great animators getting promoted to directors, and always wondered why some did and others continued on as animators through the years. A question of directorial skills?
I've also noticed the independent animators (who are already directors by design) are shooting up faster than some of them might progress in a studio. This is all really interesting, great observations.
- John_Fountain said...
I simply must go on record and say that Eric Bauza is not only a manly man's man, but he's a pleasure to work with and really gave the production I was on a much-needed shot in the arm. Kudos to Bauzilla!
- Elana Pritchard said...
I think Christopher Walken would make a good Hollywood cartoon actor. For a villain or something.
- Roberto González said...
>>Mel Blanc is the greatest. I put him right up there with The Beatles.>>
I'd actually put Mel higher than The Beatles. I know John is going to kill, but I personally think The Beatles are overrated. I prefer the Rolling Stones and even bands like The Yardbird, The Troggs, The Hollies or The Zombies.
But still Mel was cooler than everyone/everything else.
- Roberto González said...
Sorry "I know John is going to kill ME" , that's what I should have written in my previous post.
- fandumb said...
Damn right you were lucky to have Billy West work for you! He's a voice acting genius!


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The brave scramble to the top. It takes a mere 365 steps to reach it, a vertigo-inducing view from the summit of one of the most well-known Mayan pyramids - El Castillo (the castle) at Chichen Itza.
But it's getting down that is an even more dizzying prospect. The pitch of the pyramid is so steep that you can only see a few steps in front of you when you peer downward from the top.
Some visitors are able to descend in an upright walking fashion, more or less. Others crawl down backward, chest pressed tight against the steps. And still others choose a sitting position, coming down step by step on their butts, some grasping at the rope that's been installed to help unsuspecting tourists in their descent.
The climb isn't for the faint-of-heart. So, why do so many visitors climb the pyramid?
Well, because it's there. And because climbing to the top of El Castillo is like climbing to the top of an unknown world - the world of an ancient civilization that mysteriously disappeared about 1,000 or so years ago.
"The ruins are truly amazing - most visitors have never seen anything like them," said Carlos Hampe of the Mexico Tourism Board.
Just look at El Castillo. The number of steps to the top reflects the number of days in the year. And twice a year, during the spring and autumn solstice, the shadow of the pyramid forms a perfect serpent on the ground.
Examples of this kind of mathematical knowledge and understanding of the solar system are seen in ancient Mayan cities throughout the Yucatan Peninsula on Mexico's east coast.
"The ancient Maya were a proud and formidable people whose cities, built on a monumental scale, continue to dominate the landscape today," said Timothy Laughton, a University of Essex lecturer who has studied the cities and written a book about them called The Maya: Life, Myth and Art (Duncan Baird Publishers).
Those ancient cities, along with flour-soft sand and bathtub-warm waters, are part of the reason this area of Mexico - known as the Riviera Maya - has become the most popular tourist destination in the country.
The state it's located in (Quintana Roo) accounts for more than a third of Mexico's annual tourism revenue, more than $3 billion U.S.
"There's something for everyone in this area,"said Martha Chapman, manager of corporate communications for Signature Vacations, which offers all-inclusive packages to the region.
Stay in Cancun if you want a vacation packed with action, day and night. Head south to the many all-inclusive resorts that dot the Riviera Maya for rest and relaxation. And if you're looking to immerse yourself in a bit of history and culture, don't miss the ruins, Chapman said.
It is in these ruins that you find the hieroglyphic history the Mayas left behind, and where archeologists find clues they piece together to better understand this fascinating civilization.
Even a casual visitor can get a sense of what Mayan life was like. Just check out the ball courts - fields constructed for a game that involved shooting a ball through a very small hoop, without using your hands. Making the game even more challenging was the position of the hoops - either on sloped walls or very high overhead. And, as if the game needed even more tension, the team that lost could look forward to a beheading. (Some translations of Mayan history, however, believe it was the winners who had the honour of having their heads cut off and sacrificed to their almighty gods.)
There are several interpretations of how the Mayas lived, but almost all who study them agree on one thing - the Mayas were a proud people, much like the Mexicans who live in the area today.
Take the village of Pac-Chen, for example. For years, this village watched its numbers dwindle and families splinter as young men left home to work in the job-rich tourist areas many miles from the village.
So, in their quest to keep families together, villagers decided the tourists (and their money) must instead start coming to them. They turned their village into a mini-adventure mecca, where visitors can canoe, hike, rappel into an underground cave and pool, and then end the day by flying across a lagoon.
On the road to Pac-Chen, visitors often stop at Coba, another venue for viewing Mayan ruins.
Coba may well have been the largest of all Mayan cities, with about 6,500 structures spread over 50 square kilometres, housing up to 50,000 Mayas. Excavation of this lost city didn't begin until 1973, and even today, much of it is still buried in the jungle, making for a fascinating visit.
Just 40 kilometres away from Coba is Tulum, a city that has some of the most visited ruins in the area. Tulum is 131 kilometres south of Cancun. Known as the "walled city," Tulum sits on the coast, which meant it attracted many Mayas.
It was perhaps the success of these cities that led to their ultimate downfall and abandonment. Some theories suggest the cities were abandoned because of famine and disease. More recent studies say the cities were overpopulated. That population problem, combined with battles with neighbouring communities, may have led to their eventual downfall. It's all part of the mystery of the Mayas.
Getting There
Excursions: Great day trips in the area include visits to Xcaret and/or Xel-Ha, two ecological parks that offer snorkelling, swimming and plenty of chances to interact with nature. You can even watch ancient Maya ball games or swim with dolphins. For details, visit the Web sites:
Lodgings: Hotels worth checking out include the Gala Royal All-Inclusive Beach Resort in Playacar on the Riviera Maya (www.galaresorts.com.mx) and the Royal Solaris Caribe in Cancun (www.clubsolaris.com).
On the Web:


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Events Calendar
Hiroshige: Stations of the Tokaido Road Curated by the winter 2012 Gallery Practicum Class taught by Affiliate Professor David Keister
Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road: Kyoto, 1831-1834 Offset Lithography 8 7/8� x 13 1/8� GVSU Collection
Date and TimeFriday, August 31, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Kirkhof Center » RM 0058 Thornapple
Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. TMkaidM Road was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. There were government-sanctioned post stations along the TMkaidM for travelers to rest in. Hiroshige's 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road is an example of the ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock print tradition during the Edo Period (1615-1868). These "pictures of the floating world" depicted the transient leisure activities of the growing middle class, and often showed the elusive quality of nature through seasons and weather.
Hiroshige's work is characterized by vibrant color and precise line work. His Tokaido Road series displays the liveliness and spontaneity that made his prints popular. On display until April 29, 2013.
We would like to thank the winter 2012 Gallery Practicum Class at Grand Valley State University for curating this exhibit, with special thanks to Damon Graham, Rayne Klar, Krissy Skinner, and Brianna Thiel for their detailed research, writing, and selections.
GVSU Art Gallery at 616-331-2563
This event also occurred on 2/13/2012, 2/27/2012, 7/3/2012, 8/24/2012, 8/27/2012, 8/28/2012, 8/29/2012, 8/30/2012, 9/4/2012, 9/5/2012 and 131 others


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This section contains all the articles that have been published by Phoenix Rising over the years. As you will see if you browse here, some of the articles are outdated--either the research has been superseded or retracted or the article features an event or campaign that is now in...
Discuss the article on the Forums.
Any Canadians with XMRV
Discussion in 'XMRV Research and Replication Studies' started by Daffodil, Sep 25, 2010.


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How one man's musical tastes blew my one chance at fame and endless riches.
Those of you who know me understand how important Tuesday Night Karaoke (the capitals are mine) at the Dukum Inn is to me . I have a core group of friends to drink and sing with - always a few standbys, with the rest in wonderful flux as people move into town, out of town and graduate. Despite the Cheers-like atmosphere due to the regulars like me, the crowd changes just enough so that each time promises to be a completely different experience. Therein lies the thrill.
That, and it's easy to learn to love PBR pints at a dollar apiece.
Anyway, l was looking forward to this particular Tuesday night because the previous week Shelby (my new favorite bartender) told me he would cover my tab for the night if I would sing a few Skid Row songs. I've earned a bit of a reputation for nailing that 80's hair band sound and I guess Shelby was jonesing for some Sebastian Bach. Yes, that really is the name of Skid Row's frontman.
The moment I stepped to the mic, a guy I'd never seen before jumped over and propped himself against the pool table right in front of me. All smiles and head bobs, wearing a backward-facing ball cap and baggy jeans, he had to be in his late-twenties. After a few minutes, he pulled out his phone and clearly began to take some video of me singing. I know this from the bright light shining in my eyes for half of the song.
Now I'm not too sensitive about being recorded, nor about having pics and vids of me posted online thereafter, as I tend to behave myself in public. Nor will I allow anyone to distract me from the important business of belting out "I Will Remember You" to a mostly drunk crowd. I am a rock, but I did take mental notes.
Afterwards, he gave me the high five and corralled me for some conversation.
"How long have you been singing?"
"It was my first song of the night, so about four minutes."
"No, I mean how long have you been SINGING?"
"Um, all my life, I guess. Why do you ask?"
"If I brought you to St. Louis to our recording studio, could you supply a band?"
"A band? Uh, I don't have a band."
"No? Well, I have a bass guitar and drummer if you could supply a lead guitar player. Actually, the drummer's not very good."
And so the conversation twisted into a confusing spiral of WTF. I could only make out a few things: 1) he's either in a band of some type or he is somehow associated with a recording studio, 2) he claimed to be scouting Kirksville for singers because 3) "there's no fucking musical talent in St. Louis anymore, the scene sucks," and 4) he was going to send the video of me to his boys back home because, according to him, "nobody else at this bar could belt it out" the way I do. Apparently this could somehow make me a lot of money in ways that I could not understand.
Now, some time ago the karaoke gods blessed the Dukum with an exceptionally rare group of talented regulars to listen to. I can rattle off at least five folks in that room at that very moment who easily exceeded my vocal talents on their worst day. And after our conversation, I couldn't help noticing that, when those folks were up and indeed belting it out much better than I, this guy hadn't the slightest interest.
Yet as soon as I kicked off "18 and Life" an hour later, there was that bright light again shining from the table next to me. Never since my days as mayor have I felt so strange getting attention from a random stranger.
This person (let's call him Steve - I don't remember his name) eventually sat down at our table and I took the opportunity to introduce him to my friend, Ben.
"Here's our lead guitar player. Ben, meet Steve."
"Hey Ben. So what kind of music do you listen to?"
"I'm into Guns and Roses, classic hard rock, that sort of thing."
"Cool, cool..."
And while Ben was distracting Steve, the rest of us were figuring out who would play what in the imaginary band we were now forming. Eric said he can play rhythm guitar and do backup vocals, and I believe Kristine claimed the spoons. I'm learning bass, so I'm gunning as a Geddy Lee wannabe. We would call ourselves "Stimulus Package."
After their small talk, I asked Ben how it went.
"He doesn't want me."
"He doesn't want you?"
"No, as soon as I told him I liked Tool, he told me my tastes were too mainstream."
So apparently Guns & Roses and Skid Row are esoteric enough, but Tool might as well be opening for Justin Bieber. Goodbye, hopes and dreams.
So I learned two new things last night:
1) St Louis folks, I'm terribly sorry that your music scene sucks so bad that producers have to travel to Kirksville for real talent, and
2) God bless My Favorite Bartender Shelby, who is truly a man of his word.


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Posted on February 4, 2013
So yesterday I was indulging in the traditional activities of Our National Holiday: trying to watch all those great commercials they keep interrupting with football. (As to the football game, I will say I think it's cute when brothers dress alike.) And, as always, I was struck by the traditional question:
Was Beyonce hip-synching?
NO. The traditional question is, of course, "Why doesn't the Book Fair have a commercial during the Super Bowl?"
The A-Number-One Traditional Answer is, of course, that the Super Bowl comes at the wrong time of year, nearly six months before the Book Fair. If they would just hold the Super Bowl in June, we might work something out. (Of course the A-Number-Two Traditional Answer is that ten seconds of air time would eat up every penny we make at the Fair, but let's cross that bridge when we've figured out the first problem.)
Still, there's always a chance. The Oreo commercial this year was set in a library, after all. And Best Buy mentioned a book, even though it was in connection with an e-reader. So books and bowls are not a contradiction. Besides, did you see how many commercials were based on a theme of Senior Citizens Behaving Badly? If that doesn't describe…no, I wasn't going to mention myself in this connection. You may find some unusual totals on your bill when you check out this year.
The proper formula seems to involve animals, explosions, and sex. I'm thinking about hamsters jumping on a plunger to detonate a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey when a customer picks it up. Never mind if that seems to suggest that Book fairs are dangerous: this year's commercials taught me that M&Ms don't like being bitten into, that eating Doritos will make you a target for angry goats, and that Beck's Sapphire is chilled in goldfish bowls.
On the other hand, I was inspired by the Coca-Cola commercial where four groups are racing for an ice cold beverage (guess which one) and viewers voted on who would win/ (I felt the camels got robbed.) So I see a commercial in which a father pushing a stroller, a bookseller with a Blackberry, a white-haired woman with a cane, and a teenager with earbuds are all racing for a copy of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. The white haired-woman uses the cane to trip the bookseller, so the Blackberry hits the teenager in the face, causing the earbuds to land on the ears of the baby in the stroller, which causes the baby to jump up and start doing James Brown numbers, and….
Nah, I think I saw The Three Stooges do that already.
How about this one? A lonely geek picks up a book inscribed by Mortimer Adler and daydreams about the wonderful life he'll have when his boss, his boss's hot secretary, and a roving quiz show host all see what he's reading. Mortimer Adler himself could do the voiceover at the end, explaining how….
Yes, I know Mortimer Adler's not around any more. But the book autographed by Suzanne Somers, who is available, isn't going to have the same impact. I wonder if I could get a herd of hamsters and train them to push a plunger by July.
Submitted by Patrick O'Neil on February 4, 2013 Permalink
Submitted by Jaime on February 4, 2013 Permalink


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Frank James
Outlaw Frank James, the lesser-known older brother of Jesse, was born on Jamuary 10, 1843 in Clay County, Missouri. Frank and Jesse James were both legends in their own time, though Jesse is better remembered today because of his more dramatically violent death. The two Missouri brothers drifted into a life of crime after serving in Confederate guerilla forces during the Civil War.
They began robbing banks in 1866, and their bold and impudent style won them a good measure of popular admiration. Once Jesse stopped to tell a crowd of townspeople gathered for a political speech that he thought something might be wrong at the bank he and Frank had just robbed. On another occasion, they staged a hold-up of a Kansas City fair box office in the middle of a crowd of 10,000 people.
In an era of lingering sectional hatred and increasing public dislike for large corporate railroads and banks, some Americans began to see the James brothers as heroes, modern-day Robin Hoods who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Newspapers, eager to increase their readership, contributed to this mythic view of the brothers. In reality, the James brothers were brutal criminals who willingly killed innocent victims in their pursuit of money, but misguided public sympathy for the men was so great that the Missouri state legislature at one point nearly approved a measure granting amnesty to the entire James gang.
After the brothers murdered two innocent men during an 1881 train robbery, the state of Missouri came to its senses and offered a reward of $5,000 each for the capture of Jesse and Frank. Shot down for reward money in 1882 by one of his own gang members, Jesse achieved a false but enduring reputation as a martyr in the cause of the common people against powerful interests. Had Frank suffered the same fate, no doubt he too would have achieved martyrdom. However, Frank wisely preferred to live a long life, and he turned himself in a few months after his brother's murder. Prosecutors were unable to convince several juries that Frank was a criminal, and he was declared a free man after avoiding conviction at three separate trials in Missouri and Alabama. For the next 30 years, Frank James lived an honest and peaceful existence, working as a race starter at county fairs, a theater doorman, and a star attraction in traveling theater companies. In 1903, he joined forces with his old criminal partner Cole Younger to form the James-Younger Wild West Show. Frank retired to his family's old farm in Missouri, where he died at the age of 72 in 1915.
Visit Michael Thomas Barry's official author website – www.michaelthomasbarry.com and order his true crime book, Murder and Mayhem 52 Crimes that Shocked Early California 1849-1949, from Amazon or Barnes and Noble through the following links:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mayhem-Shocked-California-1849- 1949/dp/0764339680/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352214939&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+thomas+bar
Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-and-mayhem-michael-thomas-barry/1110912205?ean=9780764339684


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1. The new young class of general managers are far more interested in building through the draft than with their checkbooks. Consider this point from one such young-turk general manager of a team that in the past has spent generously in the March free-agent market: "I'm more concerned with keeping our own team intact than spending money on players we could use, but who would create problems of their own." Although this team needs a wide receiver and pass rusher, this general manager fears the impact of high-priced imports on his locker room at a time when he's not going to be able to pay everyone big money.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/ne ... &eref=sihp
Very interesting. The Hawks will no doubt face some very tough decisions on good players in the next few years when the time comes for their second contracts. That is the worst consequence of drafting so well. Unfortunately, not everyone is likely to stick around because of the cap.
If this was Schnieder talking, and if he was telling the truth (and it certainly makes sense), this could be a very dull free agency period.


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Induction ceremony set for Sept. 21
Nine athletes, three teams, two friends and one coach will be inducted into the Kewanee High School Athletic Hall of Fame in September.
The 2013 induction ceremony, hosted by the Kewanee High School Athletic Hall of Fame committee, is set for Sept. 21. The 2013 inductees are:
Coach — David VanNieuwenhuyse
Friends — Dr. Rick Cernovich (1972) and Jerry Gustafson (1958)
Female athletes — Maribeth (Egert) Dura (1979), Heidi Goodbar (1989), Diane (Reiff) Reeser (1985) and Lindsay Stalzer (2002)
Male athletes — Jason Abbot (1996), Niels "The Great Dane" Fuglsang (1916), Eugene "Ding" Nass (1947), Matt Salisbury (2001) and Garner Simpkins (1994)
Teams — 1914-15 football, 1941-42 baseball and 1979-80 volleyball
The committee is looking for assistance in locating a few members from the 1941-42 baseball team. If you have any information on the following teammates or family members of these athletes — Bob Brand, John Carroll, Richard Douglas, Herb Dyer, Don and Jim Eshelman, John Gulshen, Joe Gusman, Fred Kuster, Coach Landis, Dick Lee, Jack Radovich, John Stenwall, Donald VanVooren, Don Waggoner and Ernie Waggoner — call the Kewanee Schools Foundation office at (309) 856-8702.
The first Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony was held in 2005 and have been held every other year since. For more information on the Kewanee High School Athletic Hall of Fame go to www.kewaneeschoolsfoundation.org and click on Hall of Fame.