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Pope Tells Bush of Deep Concern About Iraq
In their first meeting since the Iraq war, Pope John Paul II told U.S. President George W. Bush he was deeply concerned about the grave unrest in Iraq and called for a speedy restoration of the country's sovereignty. During a 50-minute encounter on June 4, the pope firmly reminded the president of the Vatican's opposition to the invasion of Iraq last year.
The recent appointment of a head of state in Iraq and the formation of an interim Iraqi government are an encouraging step toward the attainment of this goal, the pope said, in a speech delivered in a strained and halting voice. The pope described international terrorism as a source of constant concern. But in an apparent reference to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers, he said recent deplorable events have undermined the values that are essential to defeating terrorism.
Speaking of their past differences on Iraq and the Middle East, the pope said the president was very familiar with the unequivocal position of the Holy See as expressed in numerous documents, direct contacts and diplomatic efforts. It is the evident desire of everyone that this situation now be normalized as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations organization, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraq's sovereignty, in conditions of security for all its people, he said, and expressed hope that a similar process would take hold in the Holy Land, where he said fresh negotiations are needed between Israel and the Palestinians.
The pope praised the president for his commitment to promoting moral values in American society, particularly when it comes to respect for life and the family. He also thanked the United States and its humanitarian agencies, particularly Catholic agencies, for their work in African countries that face fratricidal conflicts, pandemic illnesses and a degrading poverty.
The pope recalled the Allied liberation of Rome and noted that many American soldiers gave their lives for their country and for the freedom of the peoples of Europe. He prayed that the mistakes of the past that led to the tragedy of war would not be repeated again, and he said U.S.-European cooperation was sorely needed today.
After the papal audience, Mr. Bush met for about 45 minutes with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, and other leading Vatican foreign affairs experts. A Vatican source said the talks did not break new ground, and that the president's comments on Iraq and the Holy Land were fairly generic. The president explained his determination to bring freedom and democracy to Iraq, but there was no detailed discussion of how the United Nations might assume a more important transition role, the source said.
The group also discussed the situation in the Holy Land. The Vatican expressed its concern about the lack of meaningful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians and the plight of Christians in the area. The president said he was working to bring the two parties together, but wanted to be sure that any peace plan has solid backing from both sides and will not fall apart near the finish line.
The fact that this was an election-year visit may explain why the Vatican, while granting Bush a full-regalia welcome, did not bring in the U.S. cardinals and monsignors at the Vatican, U.S. seminarians studying in Rome or men and women religious and other Americans who work in and around the Holy See. That helped ensure that this encounter did not resemble a campaign stop. The Vatican's Clementine Hall was about one-third empty when the president and the pope delivered their speeches, and most of those in attendance were either journalists or U.S. government employees who had come with the president. A group of 15 Western U.S. bishops, who had just finished meeting the pope before Bush arrived, were quietly ushered out and did not participate. When U.S. President Bill Clinton came to the Vatican in 1994, he addressed a lively crowd in the Clementine Hall and stopped to chat with many of the Americans.
Bishops to Begin Review of Sexual Abuse Policies
As dioceses continue implementing policies to prevent sexual abuse of children, bishops are starting to examine whether some of these policies should be modified. An issue already being debated is the degree of autonomy that should be exercised by the Office of Child and Youth Protection and the National Review Board. The two entities, composed completely of laity, were created by the bishops to help dioceses implement and monitor compliance with policies. But some bishops have complained that both have been acting too independently, cutting into the autonomy the bishops should have in running their diocesan affairs.
The bishops, at their assembly in Denver, Colo., on June 14-19, are scheduled to discuss a second annual audit of how dioceses are implementing policies and funding for an analytical study of the causes and context of the crisis of sexual abuse by clergy. Both involve functions undertaken by the National Review Board and the Office of Child and Youth Protection. Not on the bishops' formal agenda, but already sparking public debate among bishops, priests, canon lawyers and victims, is what has been termed zero tolerance or the one-strike-you're-out policy [see article in this issue by Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J.]. A full review of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, approved by the bishops in 2002, is expected to take place at the bishops' November meeting in Washington, D.C., after a preliminary airing of charter issues at the June meeting in Denver.
Bishops also will have the chance to discuss modifying the review board's membership. Four of the current 12 board members have announced their intention of resigning once replacements have been named. The board is appointed by the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, currently Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., who has said he would name replacements after consultation within the hierarchy.
Prior to the June meeting, some bishops were questioning how the review board and office of child protection have been operating. Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of Hartford, Conn., complained in a letter of Feb. 12 about disturbing trends toward growing independence by both organizations. They appear to be expanding their competence, responsibilities, activities and studies in a dynamic of autonomy, he wrote to Bishop Gregory. The letter expressed the views of Archbishop Mansell and three other bishops.
Another letter to Bishop Gregory on Feb. 12, signed by 23 bishops from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, urged that bishops should make sure the public knew that only the bishops have authority to approve recommendations for policies about sexual abuse of children. The letter urged bishops not to give the impression to the media that the numerous recommendations coming from the Office of Child and Youth Protection are in any way assured before they are discussed by the bishops. A similar position was taken by three bishops from Nebraska in a letter of Feb. 12.
The Dallas charter authorizes the child protection office to produce an annual public report on the progress made in implementing charter policies. For some bishops, producing an annual report does not necessarily entail annual audits, as audits are not stipulated in the charter. Some alternate suggestions have included:
follow-up audits on only those dioceses that were not in compliance,
audits on only those aspects of diocesan policies that were not in full compliance,
development of mechanisms by which regional groupings of dioceses can do their own oversight.
Bishop David L. Ricken of Cheyenne, Wyo., added that audits are very impractical and heavily burdensome for smaller dioceses, both economically and administratively.
For Justice Anne M. Burke, interim chairwoman of the review board, a credible annual report is not possible without some form of periodic auditing to ensure that compliance with policies continues from year to year. How can an annual report be prepared or approved without information obtained by the audits? she asked in a letter to Bishop Gregory on March 29.
Church Tax-Exempt Status Creates Pitfalls
The election-related pitfalls of federal tax-exempt status held by many religious institutions apply to everything from homilies and newspaper editorials to voter guides and political ads, an attorney for the U.S. bishops explained to a meeting of the Catholic Press Association on May 26. Deirdre Dessingue, from the office of the general counsel to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said it is that tax-exempt status, not the U.S. Constitution, that creates the legal need for religious organizations to tread carefully in election years.
The tax code bars exempt organizations from participating or intervening in a political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate. The I.R.S. draws the line at an act of political intervention by a bishop, priest or other church representative at an official function of the churchat Mass, for exampleor in an official publication of the churchlike the diocesan newspaper, she said. Those actions would likely be attributed to the church and be considered a violation of the tax-code restrictions.
A priest or minister is free to act on his own, in a manner and setting that do not tie him to the church, including supporting or opposing a candidate or party, she explained. The distinction becomes less clear if the clergyman's personal political action is then reported by a church publication, say, with a headline such as Minister Jones endorses Candidate Smith, according to Dessingue. The U.S.C.C.B.'s general counsel's office prepares a guide to following the I.R.S. regulations. The guide can be viewed online at: www.usccb.org/ogc/guidelines.htm.
Catholic University Turns Down N.A.A.C.P. Chapter
The Catholic University of America turned down a request for an N.A.A.C.P. chapter on its campus in Washington, D.C. Victor Nakas, director of public affairs for the university, said on June 4 that the school denied the request mainly because there are already two campus groups representing African-American studentsthe Black Organization of Students at Catholic University of America and Minority Voices, an umbrella group for minority organizations. He said university student life officials determined that an N.A.A.C.P. chapter would overlap with other organizations and duplicate what is already available.
Another factor that caused concern, Nakas said, was that the 95-year-old civil rights advocacy group had endorsed on its Web site the April 25 March for Women's Lives, a march to keep abortion legal. William Jawando, the student who tried to form the student campus group, told reporters that a charter N.A.A.C.P. group would not take a position on abortion and that nothing in our constitution says anything about abortion.
News Briefs
Pope John Paul II urged U.S. bishops to counter erroneous yet pervasive thinking that has paved the way for acceptance of social evils like abortion, pornography and homosexual unions. The pope said on June 4 that over the last 40 years in the United States, human rights have become detached from the search for truth and have sometimes turned into self-centered demands.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wants to meet soon with a U.S. bishops' task force to help clarify controversial questions over church teachings and Catholic politicians, according to Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of Gallup, N.M. Cardinal Ratzinger told American bishops visiting Rome that church leaders should be cautious about refusing Communion to Catholic politicians who oppose church teachings on abortion and other pro-life issues.
Hong Kong's bishop is urging Catholics to fight for the vindication of victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun also urged Catholics to be prepared to defend the one country, two systems principle in Hong Kong, according to a report in UCA News.
The U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League has expressed its great distress over the Vatican's plans to beatify a 19th-century stigmatic nun whose visions the league says fomented hatred and anti-Semitism. In a press release on June 7, the A.D.L. said the beatification of Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German, could cause harm to Jewish-Christian relations. The league said many of the scenes it found troubling in Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ were inspired by Sister Emmerich's book of visions, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
New restrictive measures announced by the United States will only make life harder for the poorest families of our nation, said the Cuban bishops. They criticized U.S. measures to further restrict travel to Cuba, especially by people with relatives there, and further limit the money sent to Cuba by Cubans living in the United States.
While one has a clear and grave obligation to vote against legislation that bolsters abortion, the practice of refusing Communion to politicians who support keeping abortion legal is not part of the pastoral tradition of the church, Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh said in an address on May 25.
Anytime an individual is tortured or debased, all humanity suffers, because all were created in God's image, Pope John Paul II said. Because each person is our brother in humanity, we cannot be silent in the face of such intolerable treatment, the pope said in a speech on May 27 to seven ambassadors beginning their service at the Vatican.
Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago denied the Eucharist to protesters wearing rainbow sashes on Pentecost Sunday. He and several gay activists said the problem wasn't that the protesters were identifying themselves as homosexual but that they were using the Eucharist to make a political statement.
In a landmark move Catholic Healthcare West and the Service Employees International Union have reached a tentative agreement on a California-wide master contract covering 14,000 workers in 28 Catholic Healthcare West facilities across the state.


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I am back to share with you all my take on this months challenge over at the D&F Facebook page!
Here it is again .....
October Challenge...."About Me"
Your layout/project MUST be about YOU....
So here you go ladies a little about me doing my most FAVOURITE technique - Art Journaling!!!
I stared with a selfie, taken a couple of months ago. This is one of the photos that I LIKE of me. .. lol
I then stared cutting anything that took my fancy from a couple of magazines I had lying around, & made myself into an AWESOME lady!!! ....
Art Journaling page
By Connie Hatch
My original photo - Playing with my cut outs
The FUN has began!!!!
The Finished Project!!!
Details ....
Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you guy like "ME" .. cause I sure do! ... If only I could look like this ALL the time ... LOL
Any questions please leave them below.
Can't wait to see what you all come up with!
See you ...
Connie ...xxx

subset: commoncrawl


text: I kept seeing all this talk of amazing battery life with UD and wondered why I wasn't seeing it on my D1. Turns out it had everything to do with DoubleTwist. Over the last week it had been acting strangely, turning on at random when I was using the stock music player, so I decided to dump it. I unplugged my phone at 6:30am, and now here I sit at 3:00pm with 90% battery left after playing music for an hour on my way to work,taking 2 phone calls, and playing a game on lunch break (for about 10 mins). So if your battery life isn't great and you have doubletwist installed, getting rid of it may be something to think about.


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Event Speaker:
Event Location:
Event Date/Time:
Research Area:
Abstract Over the last two decades, we have seen remarkable progress in computer vision with demonstration of capabilities such as face detection, handwritten digit recognition, reconstructing three-dimensional models of cities, automated monitoring of activities, segmenting out organs or tissues in biological images, and sensing for control of robots and cars. Yet there are many problems where computers still perform significantly below human perception. For example, in the recent PASCAL benchmark challenge on visual object detection, the average precision for most 3D object categories was under 50%.
I will argue that further progress on the classic problems of computational vision: recognition, reconstruction and re-organization requires us to study the interaction among these processes. For example recognition of 3d objects could benefit from a preliminary reconstruction of 3d structure, instead of just treating it as a 2d pattern classification problem. Recognition is also reciprocally linked to reorganization, with bottom up grouping processes generating candidates, which with top-down activations of object and part detectors. In this talk, I will show some of the progress we have made towards the goal of a unified framework for the 3R's of computer vision.
Biography: Jitendra Malik received the B.Tech degree in EE from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1980 and the PhD degree in CS from Stanford University in 1985. In January 1986, he joined UC Berkeley, where he is currently the Arthur J. Chick Professor in the Department of EECS. He is also on the faculty of the department of Bioengineering, and the Cognitive Science and Vision Science groups. During 2002-2004 he served as the Chair of the Computer Science Division and during 2004-2006 as the Department Chair of EECS.
Jitendra Malik's research group has worked on computer vision, computational modeling of human vision, computer graphics and the analysis of biological images. Several well-known concepts and algorithms arose in this research, such as anisotropic diffusion, normalized cuts, high dynamic range imaging, and shape contexts. According to Google Scholar, eight of his papers have received more than a thousand citations each, and he has graduated 33 PhD students, many of whom are now prominent researchers in academia and industry. Jitendra was awarded the Longuet-Higgins Prize for a contribution that has stood the test of time twice, in 2007 and in 2008. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and in 2013 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Refreshments begin at 3:45p.m.


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We're proud to announce that North Coast Moving & Storage, together with Allied Van Lines, was named America's Most Recommended Moving Company with the 2016 Women's Choice Award!
This isn't the first time Allied and its agents have been honored with such a prestigious award. We have been the recipient of this award as recently as 2015 due to our passion for delivering an unsurpassed level of service that goes heads and shoulders above the rest.
Agent of Allied Van Lines
We are able to supplement our outstanding service with additional resources to support your relocation because we are proudly affiliated with Allied Van Lines. As a certified agent, our professional moving company is able to provide you with outstanding service throughout the United States and beyond.
As an agent of Allied Van Lines, when you choose North Coast Moving & Storage you'll enjoy:
- Extensive moving and storage expertise
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In order to continue on as an agent with Allied, we must continually meet their strict criteria for quality service and customer support. By meeting this criteria, we attract positive attention from various industry leaders, allowing us to receive such notable distinctions as the Women's Choice Award year after year.
First Class Residential and Commercial Services
When it comes right down to it, we're recognized because of the superior relocation services we offer as residential movers and a full-service, professional commercial moving company. Not only are we considered America's Most Recommended Moving Company, we were named the International Moving Company of the Year, and we enjoy an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
At North Coast Moving & Storage, we are proud to consistently deliver the superior service that, as an Allied agent, has helped the van line achieve this auspicious recognition. Our collaborations and mutual vision for quality, efficient service helps ensure all Allied agents provide customers nationwide with the ideal moving solutions.
No matter how big or small your move, we can take you wherever you need to go quickly and affordably. With so many awards, you can count on it! Put your move in the right hands and contact us today for your free estimate!
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Terms & Conditions
1. Definitions
1.1 "lalamove" means LalaMove EasyVan (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in Thailand with its registered office at the Mookda Building 2nd Floor, 78, Sathon Nuea Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand;
1.2. "Participating Drivers" means the drivers who have agreed with lalamove to accept bookings from you through the Services;
1.3. "Services" means the operation by lalamove to distribute your details and details of your proposed journey or delivery by vehicles submitted to lalamove through the Software to Participating Drivers for their acceptance and to provide you with other information on the relevant Participating Drivers, the journey or delivery, and on your use of the Services;
1.4. "Terms and Conditions" means the Terms and Conditions that apply to the Services as set out on "www.lalamove.com" and may be amended from time to time.
2. User's Obligations
2.1. The User warrants that he/she is either the Owner or the authorized agent of the Owner of the Goods, and that he/she is authorized to accept and is accepting these Conditions not only for himself/herself but also as agent for and on behalf of the Owner of the Goods.
2.2. The User shall ensure that the Delivery Item is packed in a case, wrapper or container appropriate to the nature and weight of the Delivery Item such that no part of the Delivery Item may be removed without the case, wrapper or container being torn or broken, a seal being broken or two adhesive surfaces being forced part.
2.3. The User shall ensure that the Delivery Item is adequately packed so as to protect against damage to the Delivery Item during the course of delivery; and
2.3.1. (in the case of a Delivery Item of a fragile nature) that the Delivery Item shall be packed in a case or container of sufficient durability and strength and shall be encased in or surrounded by sufficient and suitable protective material inside that case or container such that the Delivery Item is guarded against damage that may result from any force, pressure or blows to which postal items are ordinarily subject during the course of delivery and that such Delivery Item shall bear the words "FRAGILE" prominently displayed in capital letters on the face of the case or container and above the address of the named addressee; and
2.3.2. (in the case of a Delivery Item which is susceptible to damage by bending) that the Delivery Item shall be packed in a case or container of sufficient durability and strength to prevent the Delivery Item from being bent or otherwise damaged during the course of delivery and such case or container shall bear the words "DO NOT BEND" prominently displayed in capital letters on the face of the case or container and above the address of the named addressee.
2.4. The User shall provide in respect of each Delivery Item all necessary information, including without limitation:
2.4.1. The User's name, address (including the postal code) and telephone number;
2.4.2. The addressee's name, delivery address (including the postal code) and telephone number;
2.4.3. Special precautions to be taken in respect of the Delivery Item e.g. "FRAGILE", "PERISHABLE", "DO NOT BEND" etc.;
2.4.4. For our COD service, please input your amount to be collected in the remark box; for smooth and fast co-orperation.
2.5. The User warrants that he or she has complied with all laws and regulations relating to the nature, condition, packing, handling, storage and carriage of the Goods. The User shall not dispatch and Participating Drivers reserve the right to refuse any articles that are prohibited by law, dangerous or hazardous materials, perishable substances, and radioactive material. The User is liable for any loss or damage suffered by any third party as a result of any breach of the terms. Participating Drivers will not open and inspect the Delivery Items, and bear no responsibility in any legal liability resulting from the transportation of the Delivery Items.
3. Loss or Damage
3.1. In the event that lalamove or Participating Drivers discover that there has been loss of or damage to the Delivery Item, lalamove or Participating Drivers shall notify the user of such loss or damage within a reasonable period from such loss or damage and shall seek instructions from the user with respect to the appropriate action to be taken. Lalamove reserves the right to decline to accept any further instructions for any reason whatsoever.
3.2. In the event that the user do not provide further instructions regarding the appropriate action to be taken within a reasonable period of lalamove notifying the user of the loss or damage, lalamove shall take such action in relation to the Delivery Item as it deems appropriate, including without limitation, re-delivery of the Delivery Item to the user or retention of the Delivery Item, and shall notify the user of the same.
3.3. All costs arising from further action taken in relation to the Delivery Item in accordance with Clauses 3.1 and 3.2 above shall be borne by the user, unless the loss or damage to the Delivery Item was caused by lalamove's gross negligence.
4. Exception of lalamove's Liability
4.1. lalamove shall not be liable for loss or damage arising from or in connection with:
4.1.1. the delivery of any of the articles set out in Clause 2.5;
4.1.2. the user's failure to specify any special precautions to be taken in respect of a Delivery Item, as required under Clauses 2.3 and 2.4.3, on the address label, consignment note, waybill and/or invoice;
4.1.3. the misalignment, wear and tear, de-arrangement, heat, mold, rot, discoloration, degeneration, explosion, ignition or the hazardous, perishable, corruptible, fragile, or brittle nature of the contents of the Delivery Item;
4.1.4. delay or confiscation by any government authority due to the discovery of prohibited contents of the Delivery Item;
4.1.5. lalamove's failure to perform any of its obligations hereunder as a consequence of circumstances outside its control, including without limitation any act of God such as weather conditions, flood or earthquake, work stoppages, strikes, industrial disputes, war, any act of government, accidents, traffic obstructions or congestion, mechanical breakdown, or other events of force majeure; or
4.1.6. any acts or omissions of any party other than lalamove, including and without limitation the user, the named addressee, any government official or any sub- contractor engaged by customer.
4.1.7 deliveries of bakery, cakes, flowers or related products by motorcycles in all cases due to the brittle nature of such products and inappropriate packaging
4.2. lalamove shall not be liable for indirect or consequential loss or damage, including without limitation loss of profit, income, interest, future business or anticipated savings, even if the risk of such loss or damage was brought to lalamove's attention before or after acceptance of the Delivery Item.
4.3. lalamove shall not be liable for delay or non-delivery of a Delivery Item arising from or in connection with the detention of the Delivery Item by any government authority.
4.4. For the avoidance of doubt, lalamove shall not in any way be liable or responsible for a Delivery Item prior to the Delivery Item being accepted by lalamove for delivery.
5. Claims
5.1. Any claims must be made within 24 hours from the time at which lalamove accepts the Delivery Item for delivery, failing which lalamove shall have no liability whatsoever.
5.2. All claims must be made in writing, accompanied by the Delivery Order Number, contact information and other supporting documents requested by lalamove and submitted to the following email address: firstname.lastname@example.com.
5.3. Claims are limited to one claim per Delivery Order, settlement of which shall be full and final settlement for all loss or damage in connection therewith.
5.4. Without prejudice to Clause 4 and provided that lalamove is satisfied that the user's claim is justified, lalamove's liability for any loss of or damage to the Delivery Item shall be limited to the value of the Delivery Item or THB 3,000 per Delivery Order, whichever is lower, for Motorcycle and the value of Delivery Item or THB 7,000 per Delivery Order, whichever is lower, for Multipurpose Vehicle and Pickup Truck ("Compensation Limits").
5.5. In the case of damage to the Delivery Item, the amount of compensation by lalamove shall be based on lalamove's assessment of the extent of the damage to and the actual cash value of the contents of the Delivery Item provided always that the amount of compensation shall not exceed the Compensation Limits. In the case of loss of or damage to the Delivery Item, lalamove shall have the option of either replacing the Delivery Item or making monetary compensation within the Compensation Limits.
6. Indemnity
6.1. The User shall keep lalamove indemnified against all demands, claims, action, proceedings, costs, charges or expenses including but not limited to penalties, storage charges, retrieval and administrative costs, duties and taxes incurred, suffered or sustained by lalamove in connection with the Service provided by lalamove.
6.2. lalamove may from time to time amend the terms of these Terms and Conditions by "www.lalamove.com" and such shall be binding on you upon posting.
6.3. lalamove reserves the right to change the above Terms and Conditions at any time without prior notice.


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|09 Jan 2011
Convert and Burn BD?
I bought a bluray burner. I now regret that.
But I want to take a file such as mkv or mp4 etc and convert it back to bluray format and then burn it to a blank bd-r. So far I have not found anything capable of doing the job the way I want it done.
I am looking for something similar to convertXtodvd only for bluray.
Has anyone done anything with bluray yet? I need some software suggestions or I am going to sell this drive and go back to my old one.
|My System Specs
|10 Jan 2011
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
First off what are the properties of the files you wish to convert? Unless they were originally high definition clips then you are wasting your time. Coincidently if you think your new BD writer is not working properly, put the standard writer back in, come back here and I will explain how to create up to a 30 minute Blu-Ray disc from a standard DVD writer! You do not need a special Blu-Ray burner to do this. I only now produce high def DVD's and I haven't got a Blu-Ray writer. I just use my standard writer and the free software "Burn aware"
|My System Specs
|10 Jan 2011
You can use TS Muxer to create a AVCHD disc, and burn the resulting folders to Disc.
It will be a BluRay Structure which can be burned to DVD, DVD DL, or BD disc.
However, you must know a bit about the file itself.
1. It must be 1280x720 or 1920x1080. Not close, but exactly.
2. It must have been encoded properly. Typically 4 or 5 Ref. Frames.
Anything more, it may not work. A lot depends on the playback device as well.
Theres a lot of other settings as well that need to conform to strict guidelines.
If you just downloaded them, chances are they don't even come remotely close to BlueRay specs.
|My System Specs
|13 Jan 2011
You can use TS Muxer to create a AVCHD disc, and burn the resulting folders to Disc.
It will be a BluRay Structure which can be burned to DVD, DVD DL, or BD disc.
However, you must know a bit about the file itself.
1. It must be 1280x720 or 1920x1080. Not close, but exactly.
2. It must have been encoded properly. Typically 4 or 5 Ref. Frames.
Anything more, it may not work. A lot depends on the playback device as well.
Theres a lot of other settings as well that need to conform to strict guidelines.
If you just downloaded them, chances are they don't even come remotely close to BlueRay specs.
As for the format I do want to convert a file that is exactly 1080 or 720 and was created from an HD source. I want to convert a blu-ray rip that was ripped from a blu-ray disc as h.264 back into blu-ray structure for burning onto a BD-R disc.
This is why I do need a blu-ray burner and discs for the project. I want to be able to play the finished discs back over a blu-ray player at the same full quality level as the original disc.
I think I will give TS Muxer a try and see what I can do.
|My System Specs
|13 Jan 2011
TS Muxer should work just fine for you, provided the rip was encoded properly.
As I said, it really does depend on the playback device.
As a reference, my particular BD player requires these H264 settings if recoded:
--level 4.1 --bframes 3 --ref 4 --b-pyramid strict --keyint 24 --min-keyint 2 --vbv-maxrate 14000 --vbv-bufsize 14500
The rest is pretty much optional.
If you are not re-coding at all .. well, it should be pretty staright forward.
I use IMGBurn to burn the disc, but TBH, I also only use DVD or DL-DVD. Not sure off hand if it handles BD as well.
|My System Specs
|13 Jan 2011
win7 Ult 64
ImgBurn will burn to BD media; of course you need a BD Burner. ImgBurn is IMO the best burning application period.
|My System Specs
|13 Jan 2011
I have a lot of fancy tools at my disposal but finding blu-ray utilities has been an issue for me.
|My System Specs
|15 Jan 2011
Check whether the Freemake Video Converter can be of any help to you.
At this point in time, what all I know is that it can convert any video and burn it to a BD.
Download from here Freemake - Best Freeware Alternatives To Paid Video Software and try it.
Your report on how well or otherwise it performed for your project may be of help to others. ( Use a BD-RE for the trial)
EDIT:Though I am averse to any conversion process that will change the original, out of curiosity I decided to try the conversion and burn to BD of the Freemake Video Converter.
To this end, I first converted a less than 25GB main video of a BD with DTS HD and DTS 3/2+1 audio plus English subtitles - which I already had as a BD ISO - to an mkv file using MakeMKV (MakeMKV - Make MKV from Blu-ray and DVD). I opened this mkv file in the Freemake Video Converter,hit the To Bluray button and started the conversion & burning process. Its just click and keep watching. The conversion/burning process is on and here is the clip, where one can see the input file attributes and the BD content attributes. The only thing I can see is that DTS is now converted into AC3. Once the burning is over, I shall try to play it on my PS3 Slim and let all know. It shall be for others to scrutinise this screenshot and give their comments.
|My System Specs
|16 Jan 2011
The BD was successfully created. It took about 3hours and 23 minutes for the conversion and another one hour + ( I lost the time count since I was busy doing something else - what else but browsing the forum ) for the burning. (No seperate burning program needed.)
I played it both on my desktop with Power DVD and on my PS3 slim. But for the fact that the sound now is ac3 5.1 as against the original DTS MA 5.1 as indicated in my last post, there was no other discernible difference. The subtitle is directly rendered on the video.
So I do think that the OP's question has been answered successfully. He may have his HD video clips in different containers. The Freemake Video Converter facilitates joining of the various clips and also a rudimentary editing feature. He only has to try and report whether his requirements are met and how happy or otherwise he is with this simple and straight-forward BD creator.
|My System Specs
|17 Jan 2011
I think AC3 is a good way to go for compressed files. I always convert DTS to AC3.
TBH, I can not tell that much of a difference between the Core 640 AC3 and Core 1536 DTS. And many times, 640AC3 vs 448AC3 is hard for me to tell the difference in as well.
Many Times I just compress it down to a 448 AC3 5.1 track, unless its a Music Concert and I leave it at 640. (I can tell a slight difference with Concerts)
But I think this all comes down to the quality of speakers themselves.
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Roberto Di Matteo insists it's up to Gabby Agbonlahor to decide on his future.
Aston Villa's longest-serving player is not part of Di Matteo's plans and will not be considered for selection as he trains with the U23's.
His representatives are hoping to facilitate a move away in the next transfer window with the MLS an option Agbonlahor is willing to consider.
Di Matteo wouldn't expand on the 29-year-old's options at his press conference today, when he said: "Right now he is still here.
"He had a couple of options to go out on loan but he didn't accept them.
"We can only provide him with opportunities then it's down to him
"I don't know the future, it's down to him how he sees his future."


text:
For close to a year (well, at least six months) I noticed that my Live Messenger crashes easily when network connectivity gets flaky (especially on wireless networks).
I've been diligently submitting crash reports, but it's bene close to a year, so I can't help but wonder:
a) Does anyone look at those reports?
b) As I'm (probably) not the only person encountering this bug (and to me it happens weekly), why is it taking them so long to fix it?


text:
Monday, July 31, 2017
The Animated Addict: Moana (2016)
Mike S back with another installment of "The Animated Addict"! This time, I discuss Disney's 2016 release, "Moana"- starring Auli'i Cravalho as Moana, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the demi-god Maui.
In the distant past, the demi-god Maui stole the heart of the Island Mother Te Fiti. This unleashes a plague upon the Earth- one that slowly spreads and devours all life it comes in contact with.
Moana, the daughter of a Polynesian chief has felt the call of the ocean from a young age. She soon discovers that the ocean itself has chosen her to return Te Fiti's heart- with the help of Maui.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Jason versus Beware the Slenderman
I'd become fascinated with this bit of Internet-created folklore, partly because of how pervasive Slenderman has become in our culture, and partly because my then four-year-old son and his friends talked abut him like I'd talked about the Boogeyman.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Retro Review: Passenger 57
What is Die Hard Syndrome? Well, let me tell you! The Bruce Willis action flick was such a big hit that Hollywood producers, directors and actors were out to duplicate it in whatever way, shape or form they could think of. We had Die Hard on a Boat (Under Siege), Die Hard on a Bus (Speed) and, as is the case with Passenger 57, Die Hard on a Plane.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Canadian horror doc to hit Sitges Film Festival
My buddy and Billy Trigger co-star Deke Richards co-directed a nifty sounding documentary called Tax Shelter Terrors, which explores how Canada's tax-shelter system gave birth to a whole genre-film industry here in the True North Strong and Free between 1974 and 1982.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
It trailer provides summertime chills
For one, hearing some creepy kid say "you'll float too" over and over and over and over and over again is, well, creepy. Plus, I'm very familiar with Stephen King's source material, having recently re-read It in anticipation of this adaptation hitting screens. And the book, folks, is . . . creepy.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Daniel Craig back as Bond
Well, yeah. He will be.
Mike S versus Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
I think it would be hard to find a person who HASN'T either heard of, or read Maurice Sendak's book, "Where the Wild Things Are".
I know I have very fond memories of reading it. In fact, it was one of my favorite books growing up.
It had whimsy, humour, a character every child could relate to, and satisfied my need to run wild with my imagination without having to worry about rules.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Bond, James Bond returns in 2019
Save the date, people, as James Bond returns to theatres on Nov. 8, 2019!
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Altar and the return of Matt Sconce
Matt appeared on the show a year and a half ago and talked his then recently completed feature Altar. Now the horror flick has hit screens, and Jason and Shawn have seen it.
Saturday, July 22, 2017
About Marvel's The Defenders trailer
The execs at Marvel Studios have planned and plotted the upcoming Netflix series since long before Daredevil emerged on the scene two years ago, and followed it up with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
You know, like Marvel did with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America etc and so on.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Having My Say: The Doctor Who Hullabaloo
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Cops, orcs and fairies . . . oh my! The Bright trailer
Only thing is, it looks better than I just made it sound.
Matt Sconce returns . . .
In the spring of 2016, Jason, Shawn and Amy sat down with writer/director Matt Sconce to talk about his then recently completed feature film Altar, a found-footage horror flick.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
The Snowman creates Halloween chills
Then along comes this trailer for The Snowman, a new serial killer flick starring Michael Fassbender, and the whole killer snowman genre comes alive.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
The Baby Driver debate and RIP George A. Romero
Well, we lie a little. Shawn's not back. He's taking a time out. But Jason is, and he's joined by The After Movie Diner host Jon Cross for a very special episode of We Came from the Basement. How special, you may ask?
Monday, July 17, 2017
New Blade Runner 2049 trailer reveals humanity's fate
On the one had, I am really looking forward to seeing what Prisoners and The Arrival director Denis Villeneuve does with this follow up to the sci-fi classic. On the other hand, the whole project is a bit worrying, as Blade Runner didn't really need a sequel.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
RIP George A. Romero
Word dropped earlier today that Romero, 77, passed away after a brief battle with lung cancer.
Wonder Woman and the Superhero Movie
Spider-Man: Homecoming has earned $176 million in eight days. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $386 million to date, and Wonder Woman $375 million and climbing.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
John Fallon's Heretic gets a poster
He's been on our show numerous times, we've partied with him, Shawn scored his debut feature film The Shelter, and I've written three -- count 'em three -- scripts for the man, which are in various stages of development.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
We record tonight . . .
What's it all about, Charlie Brown?
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
The Dark Tower gets an intense new trailer
Much fuss has been made about how little publicity there's been for the flick, with Sony only releasing a trailer, a few posters, and some TV spots.
I find this approach a breath of fresh air, as back when I was a boy, movies got a trailer three months from release, a poster or two, and some TV and radio commercials. That's it.
The Animated Addict: The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Mike S here (again) bringing you another animated movie review! This time, I'm travelling back to 1986, when "The Transformers: The Movie" was released.
The Decepticons and Autobots have been waging war for years. Just as things look bad for the Autobots, things get worse with the arrival of... Unicron- eater of planets. It's up to the remaining Autobots to defeat Unicron and a new, improved Megatron!
Monday, July 10, 2017
Surprise Guest Review: Logan (2017)
Mike S sneaking into the Basement today to bring you a surprise guest review! That's right! Me. Reviewing a movie!
Surprise, mother fuckers!
So- "Logan" has been a bit of a big deal this year in terms of comic book nerds and movie geeks.
But did it deserve all the hype surrounding it?
Sunday, July 9, 2017
Retro Review: Firestorm (1998)
See my train of thought here? This is a solid concept idea for an action thriller.
How was the watch, especially given how poorly received the movie was when released two decades ago?
Friday, July 7, 2017
Jason versus Baby Driver
No, you're not going to want to drive into a cliff or anything. Not if you love good music and cinema. No. You see, not since Speed have I wanted to put the pedal to the metal so badly after seeing a movie.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
This time the Basement Boys tackle the supernatural thriller The Autopsy of Jane Doe starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch. Do the spooky goings on, from the director of Trollhunter, rate a watch? Stick with us!
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"Admit it: that was cool as fuck." Star Marc Natoli says that line about half way through the action short The Proposal, and t...
Aside from having the longest episode title in Basement history, the latest entry in our eight-year-long series also marks the first time ...
It all begins anew at about 8:20 a.m.! That's when We Came from the Basement begins it's new season, on a brand new station: Rad...


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Last week, Joe Casey stopped by to talk about his problematic work on "Superman/Batman" and discuss his upcoming creator-owned work at Image. One of the things we briefly mentioned was the second volume of the "GØDLAND Celestial Edition," due this summer. Casey invited me to contribute an extensive essay on the series for inclusion in the volume: "The longer the better," he said. "There's enough brevity in the world."
6,200 words later, I sent him my "Twelve Digressions on GØDLAND."
As ever-faithful "When Words Collide" readers, you might want to see some of it. So, thanks to the magic of CBR, I now present an exclusive look at the first three "digressions" on "GØDLAND," self-contained, complete in their own digressive ways. These are my attempt to explain the series, or at least explore what it means, in its own unique way. If you're daring enough, you might want to check out all twelve digressions in the oversized hardcover this summer. Or just read the book to enjoy the delirious delight that is "GØDLAND." It's a pretty darn good comic, if you didn't already know.
"GØDLAND" is an obvious case of Kirby-as-genre, but let's think a little bit about what that implies. It implies that the work of Jack Kirby is worth mimicking, not just superficially, but at the core level of storytelling. Not just Kirby characters, and Kirby cosmic, and Kirby krackle, but the essence of the Kirby approach to the medium. A dive into the expansive Kirby swimming pool within the larger grounds of the luxury resort known as Chez Superhero.
Kirby-as-genre has been done before, of course. Casey and Scioli are hardly pioneers in that regard. After all, the American superhero comic book marketplace has given us Mark Evanier and Paris Cullins doing their own revamp on Kirby's seminal New Gods, after the very same Cullins worked with J. M. DeMatteis on a revised Forever People mini. We've seen early Keith Giffen wear the Kirby look, and we've seen Ron Frenz make a career out of it. Kirby-as-genre is as easy to find as any Marvel comic book. It's all Kirby-as-genre in the House of Ideas, except for the two little rooms that Steve Ditko claimed for himself.
But if we take for granted that Kirby is worth imitating -- and he surely is, as he's the American Chronos from which most of our superhero mythology sprung -- and if we can clearly see the multitude of Kirby spawn sprinkled around the comic book landscape, no matter how many generations removed, then the best we can do when it comes to "GØDLAND" is to ask, "How does it compare?" and "What makes it different?"
It's not nostalgic, and that counts. "GØDLAND" isn't interested in evoking specific recollections to past characters and past stories. Casey and Scioli take a different tack. Instead of retelling old Fantastic Four stories in superficial imitation of Kirby, as we saw in the failed homage of 2001's "Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine," Casey and Scioli adopt the manner of Kirby to create new stories. Stories that explore the kind of transcendent ideas that exploded from Kirby's creations, particularly the ones he was responsible for writing as well as drawing.
"GØDLAND" doesn't linger over Silver Age Kirby, but over late-Bronze Age Kirby. It drinks from the well of what I might call "the pure Kirby," the Kirby of the Pacific Comics era, when he was carving his themes with a hammer. By 1983, Kirby had distilled his storytelling down to its essentials: bold graphic compositions, high tragedy, simple visual humor, direct assertions one minute, elliptical dialogue the next. It was mark-making directly from the subconscious, and Kirby's "Silver Star" was its apotheosis.
"Silver Star," with its cosmic spaceman, its fudgesicle-eating supervillain, its Goliath of the Ghetto, and its Angel of Death, well, it's the proto-"GØDLAND." It's the kind of Kirby that's worth playing with. The kind of Kirby that could act as the basis for a kind of comic book that could paradoxically break free from its own origins. The kind of comic that "GØDLAND" began as.
Though if you've read issues #13-24, and I'm sure you have, then you know that whatever hatched with "GØDLAND" #1 has grown into something all its own. The Kirby adolescence of the earlier issues, seen even as late as issue #18, grew into something more confident in its own skin. The Kirby-inspired characters began to stand more upright, and their faces became less dappled with brushstrokes.
Kirby-as-genre implies more than just characters who look like Orion and Darkseid, but Casey and Scioli are among the chosen few who understand the implications.
One of the games literary critics -- all critics, I suppose -- love to play is the game where they qualify the characteristics of an era. If you're talking 19th century American fiction, for example, you can tie the westward expansion of the country with the rise in Romanticism. The wilderness (and the movement beyond the stark political reality of revolution) inspired the novels of James Fenimore Cooper or the poetry of William Cullen Bryant. "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Thanatopsis," lumped together by the tethers of a distinct era, might be cross-examined. Similarities in theme and style can be accentuated.
The era of early 21st century comic books doesn't yet have a name, the "Dark Age" or the "Modern Age" that began with the ascent of Alan Moore in the 1980s surely transformed into something else by the mid-to-late 1990s, and as the Stormwatches and Authorities of Warren Ellis gave way to the Ultimates of Mark Millar and the boardrooms of Brian Michael Bendis's New Avengers, the decade from which "GØDLAND" emerged was one of superhero spectacle bound in leather. Dimension-hopping spaceships, alien invasions, and grim reminders of the fascist overtones of the superhero collided to produce a kind of Dark Romantic Pseudo-Realism that dominated the mainstream comic books of the first decade of the 2000s.
"GØDLAND" is not of its time.
Casey and Scioli's work could be lumped with other similar-minded creators, like the aforementioned Ellis and Millar, under the category of Sons of Morrison, the intellectual offspring of Grant Morrison, promoter of the absurdist deconstruction superhero genre, and unabashed celebrator of the widescreen splendor of the superhuman. But that's a radical oversimplification, as anyone who plays this characteristics-of-an-era game knows all too well.
Because what "GØDLAND" does -- what Casey and Scioli do within its pages -- is neither timeless not timely. The comic specifically addresses the political reality of its day, but it does so with barely an anchor. Donald Rumsfeld will get a mention, for example, in the presumed context of the outrage in which the post-9/11 military plans turned into a travesty, but yet the comic itself shows a world that looks nothing like our own. It's a reality that's unique onto itself. It's divorced from our reality, just as it's divorced from the concerns of its era. It doesn't participate in the Dark Romantic Pseudo-Realist discussion, not primarily. Instead, it uses the Bronze Age Kirby platform to jump off in its own direction. And if it explores the hubris of the American military, it does so in symbolist mode. And it's a passing fancy, at best.
Interestingly, when Grant Morrison himself used the Bronze Age Kirby platform to bring the decade to a close with his "Final Crisis," he stuck with Dark Romantic Pseudo-Realist techniques for most of the story, giving the cosmic space god Darkseid a decaying human form for the bulk of the series. Only in its finale does it veer off in "GØDLAND"-like directions, with celebrations of the strange, with an embrace of cosmic transcendence and self-sacrificing heroism. The post-"Final Crisis" DC Universe looks the same as the pre-"Final Crisis" one, though. The status quo, for all the transformation and transcendence, never changed. Dark Romantic Pseudo-Realism marched on.
In "GØDLAND," the status quo IS transformation and transcendence.
One of the sins of bad writing, the kind of thing that makes you stand up in your seat in a theater and shout at the screen, or throw down a book in disgust, is the use of inelegant tonal shifts. It's worse than the ever-dreaded "plot hole," because most plot holes rely on the assumption that narrative ellipsis is the enemy. That everything has to be explained on the page or the screen or else it didn't happen. But you don't have to see Superman change into his costume to know that, if he shows up in costume, he did, in fact, change into his costume at some point. Skipping over inessential plot information is what stories do. Most supposed plot holes are contrived by over-obsessive audience members, by readers who want everything explained.
"GØDLAND" doesn't explain much of anything, but, even better yet, it directly confronts that major sin of bad writing I mentioned above. It shifts the tone, even within the same panel. It challenges the reader to accept the high and the low. The sacred and the profane. The questions of profound metaphysical significance and jokes about post-VHS porn.
But the tonal shifts deflate the pretentious nature of the series. If we assume the division of labor for "GØDLAND" results in Tom Scioli drawing the art and Joe Casey providing the captions and word balloons -- and surely we can agree on that, though the plotting of the stories could be a collaborative as their "created by" byline suggests -- then we get a constant collision between the high cosmic of Scioli and the base depravations of Casey. A quick flip through any one of the stories contained in this volume would give you the impression that "GØDLAND" is a bombastic comic book serial in which characters declare their heroic intent and in which villains declare their evil impulses. The Kirbyesque, even post-Kirbyesqe, imagery implies high Kirby diction and syntax.
We know what kinds of words to expect when we see pictures that look like the ones drawn by Tom Scioli. Even if we've never seen these precise images before.
Casey subverts those expectations. He gives us powerful moments of revelation with captions like "Insight and Understanding!" followed by Adam Archer's all-too-humanly-self-conscious, "Oh, hell...you're not going to try to kiss me, are you...?" Even within a single caption sequence -- in the case of issue #15's omniscient narration -- Casey collides the tonal levels: "To react to her surroundings is to confirm her own existence...and she is far beyond any reaction," reads the narrative caption. Then, in the same panel, the same narrator says, "Neela Archer can't even manage a simple, one-word thought balloon..."
"GØDLAND" explicitly questions the nature of being, the nature of existence, and then pulls back to make a joke about comic book grammar. Casey gives us abrupt tonal shifts, and they might seem inelegant until you get used to the rhythm of the series, but they are constantly used to deflate. To mock the high-seriousness of the themes of this comic, while never fully rejecting them. The tonal shifts don't provide a wink at the reader -- not exactly. Instead, Casey uses them to balance the narrative. He controls the high and the low so as not to desensitize us to any of it.
Constant jokes and pokes to our ribs would be annoying, and would disengage us from the story. But so would page after page of pompous rhetoric about saving the universe and excursions into a higher reality.
It's one of the things that makes late-Bronze Age Kirby so hard to actually read, even if the images and ideas are magnificent. So Casey stole a page out of the Stan Lee playbook, or the William Shakespeare one. The mixture of high and low has always been potent, when used dexterously.
In addition to writing reviews and columns for COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, Timothy Callahan is the author of "Grant Morrison: The Early Years" (which explores "Zenith" in great detail) and editor of "Teenagers from the Future: Essays on the Legion of Super-Heroes" anthology. More of his thoughts on comics can be seen every day at the Geniusboy Firemelon blog.
Follow Tim on Twitter: TimCallahan


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When I return from WicCan fest, I'll be attending two events on 6/20 from 10-2pm. The first is at the Antioch Lapidary club at 425 Fulton Shipyards Road. We did this event last year and it was soo much fun we're doing it again. It's only $5 for a booth space and it's a great experience for any rockhound. They serve a nice BBQ lunch, too.
6/20 part two will be the Artists' Reception from 2-4 pm at the Antioch
Historical Society on 4th Street. I will have two pieces in this show.
Both events are FREE to attend.


text:
February 13, 2011
it's nice!
Ollie took a tiny nibble, thought about it for a moment, then looked up and proclaimed 'it's nice!' and then gave his mama, his papa and his little brother a teensy bite too. And it was nice.
I love to see things grow with Ollie, he really gets into the process and although it doesn't always feel that way, he does seem to listen to what we are saying and teaching him. The difference is amazing when it's something he's interested in. I will write again about all things Ollie related, especially after my last post, but at the moment, we are feeling positive, and I think he's responding to that positivity in a very good way.
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Bill White San Antonio ad
Bill White's ad targeting San Antonio
Not bad, but kinda unfocused. Why do they keep changing their slogan and focus every month or so?
Posted by Evan @ 07/28/10 08:44 AM
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|Bob Simon arriving at The Metropolitan
Opera's Opening Night in September 2007.
Robert David "Bob" Simon (May 29, 1941 – February 11, 2015) was an American television correspondent for CBS News. During his career, he covered crises, war, and unrest in sixty-seven countries. Simon reported the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, the Yom Kippur War in in 1973, and the student protests in China's Tiananmen Square in 1989. During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, he and four of his TV crew were captured and imprisoned by Iraq for forty days, about which experience he wrote a book, Forty Days. He became a regular correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes in 1996 and, in 1999, for 60 Minutes II. Simon was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York. In 1962, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University with a degree in history. From 1964 to 1967, Simon served as an American Foreign Service officer and was a Fulbright Scholar in France and a Woodrow Wilson scholar. From 1969 to 1971, he served in the CBS News London bureau. From 1971 to 1977, he was based in the London and Saigon bureaus, where he served as a Vietnam War correspondent. From 1977 to 1981, he was assigned to the CBS News Tel Aviv bureau. From 1981 to 1982 Simon spent time in Washington, D.C., as the CBS News State Department correspondent. From 1982 to 1987, Simon served as a New York-based CBS News national correspondent. In 1987, Simon was named the CBS News Chief Middle Eastern correspondent. During the opening days of the Gulf War in January 1991, Simon and his CBS News team were captured by Iraqi forces and spent 40 days in Iraqi prisons; he later chronicled the experience in the book Forty Days. In 1996 Simon joined 60 Minutes as a correspondent, and in 1998 he was named a 60 Minutes II correspondent. Notable stories he filed in recent years include the first profile of the so-called Lost Boys of Sudan and an exclusive interview with Iraqi Shiite insurgency leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Most recently, he had served as the senior foreign correspondent for 60 Minutes. Simon won an Emmy Award for his report on the world's only all-black symphony orchestra in Central Africa in 2012. He would win yet another Emmy Award with his reporting about an orchestra in Paraguay whose poor members constructed instruments from the trash retrieved from a local landfill. Over his career, he won 4 Peabody Awards and 27 Emmy Awards. Recipient of the Edward Weintal Prize given by Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy in recognition of distinguished reporting on foreign policy and diplomacy. He also was the recipient of the following awards: 27-time Emmy Award winner; 4-time Overseas Press Club recipient; and winner of three George Foster Peabody Awards, including a Personal Award in 1999. [Source]


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Kansas City Southern (KSU) Falls 2.66% for December 21Equities Staff Follow |
One of the S&P 500's big losers for Monday December 21 was Kansas City Southern (KSU). The company's stock fell 2.66% to $70.01 on volume of 5.9 million shares.
The stock opened the day at 71.39 and traded between a low of $69.79 and a high of $71.57. The stock finished the day down $1.91 per share. Kansas City Southern has an average daily volume of 1.82 million and a total float of 109.14 million shares. The 50-day SMA for Kansas City Southern is $86.15 and its 200-day SMA is $94.71. The high for the stock over the last 52 weeks is $123.96 and the low is $69.79.
Kansas City Southern Inc operates domestic & international rail operations in North America focused on the growing north/south freight corridor connecting key commercial & industrial markets in the central USA with industrial cities in Mexico.
Kansas City Southern is centered in Kansas City, MO, and has 6,490 employees. Today's trading day leaves the company with a market cap of $7.64 billionwith a P/E Ratio of 15.9. The company has a P/S ratio of 3.19, P/B ratio of 1.98, and a 12.4.
For a complete fundamental analysis analysis of Kansas City Southern, check out Equities.com's Stock Valuation Analysis report for KSU. To see the latest independent stock recommendations from Equities.com's analysts, visit our Research section.
The S&P 500 represents the industry standard for large-cap indices. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) may be the most visible stock market index in the country, the S&P 500 has long been relied on by industry insiders and fund managers as the more reliable gauge of portfolio performance.
While the DJIA is price-weighted and only includes 30 stocks, the S&P 500 uses a weighting system that factors in market cap and the size of a company's free float while including some 500 stocks for a more comprehensive look at the broader markets' performance. Its performance is far more representative of the large- and mega-cap stocks for any period of time.
For more news on the financial markets, go to Equities.com. Also, learn more about our independent proprietary equity research reports and our robust do-it-yourself Stock Valuation Analysis reports in our Research section.
All data provided by QuoteMedia and was accurate as of 4:30PM ET.
DISCLOSURE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of equities.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. To read our full disclosure, please go to: http://www.equities.com/disclaimer


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The racist killing of James Waite
Racism and the fight against immigration
Index of all posts in English at Balder Blog & Balder.org
Diversified Mp3
|Diversified (Life is...)
|Our street was so boring, life was such a bitch,
We're glad we've been diversified, we're glad we've been enriched.
To save these selfless refugees from their uncertain fate,
We'll concrete over Britain and then we'll emigrate.
|When Gladys was our neighbour, she kept a pussy cat,
Now Ahmed slaughters goats in the room above our flat.
And when the goats stop squealing, once they're humanely dead,
Our white and boring ceiling turns a vibrant shade of red.
|And just across the landing lives Genghis. He's a Turk,
He rescues homeless lasses. He's made it his life's work.
He cultivates the youngsters, has a constant stream of friends
Their comings and their goings go on without an end.
|The neighbours down the hallway, cook curry every day,
The odour is delicious, it never goes away,
Our cornflakes, and our fish and chips, roast beef and Yorkshire pud
All taste of chicken vindaloo, which makes them very good.
|The Somalis down the hallway chew psychadelic leaves
They're hardly ever violent, and they hardly ever thieves,
They came to seek asylum, for them we've got to pay,
We really, really, really hope that they won't go away.
One of our neighbours' "charming ways": Honour killings
Click picture for larger image.
|As we contemplate our neighbours and all their charming ways,
We double up with labours and the taxes that we pay,
And every varied day we think how it would be a bitch,
To have to live without them and not to be enriched.
|We're so happy with our neighbours but it really isn't fair,
To keep this richness to ourselves, we think we ought to share,
We'd gladly pay their moving costs 'cause it would be so neat,
If they'd go and live with Tony Blair enriching Downing Street.
|There is no upper limit, our masters are quite sure,
'Cause Blair is mad and Blunkett's blind, it's time to shut the door.
Balder Org Front Page
|From the BNP website
June 4th 2004
We have no idea who has produced the very funny anti-asylum satirical song but it really is rather good. We understand that it's floating around the Internet.
If you get a chance to download it, then don't miss out - it's a classic! and details all the wonderful things that happen to an asylum seeker once he arrives in Soft Touch Britain. Lorries from IKEA, shopping trips round Tescos, no wonder they they reckon that "this is the place to be."
http://odin.prohosting.com/koosroos/ (Virker ikke længere ) article source


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Abu Muslim Juma Mosque
The Juma Mosque named after Abu Muslum is located at the highest place of Khinaliq village. It was build about the end of the 8th to the beginning of the 9th century. According to the available sources of information, Abu Muslim, the brother of the Derbend judge Hisham, converted the population of Daghestan and the north-east part of today's Azerbaijan to Islam, and built many mosques in these areas at that time. The first Mosque that he built is in Khinalig. It serves as the main mosque of the village.
Like all houses in Xinaliq, the the mosque originally had an earthen roof. This was replaced by a metal roof in 1988-1989. Yet, the mosque was in danger of collapsing. Thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it could be fully reconstructed according to its original architecture, with an earthen roof, during the years 2012-2014.
Pirə Comərd tomb mosque
The history of the Pira Jomard Tomb Mosque in its present function dates back to the end of the XII century, thus it is considerably younger than the Abu Muslim Juma Mosque. However, the tomb building itself existed already before Islam. It served as a temple for the performance of religious rites of the Khinaliq fire worshippers. After the Khinaliq populations converted to Islam, the fire-worshipper temple was no longer paid any attention. But later, it was restored by Jomard, together with a mosque built next to it. The grave of Jomard is in the inside the building. The Khinaliq people call this place "dark place", because there is neither a chimney nor a window in the building, keeping the place in constant darkness. People believed that light falling onto the tomb will annoy the soul, and God will punish those who exposed the tomb to the light. The Pira Jomard Tomb Mosque is still used as a mosque nowadays.
Xıdır Nəbi türbə-məscid
The Khidir Nabi Tomb-mosque, located in the Yelgovan quarter, dates back to the XVI century. Khidir Nabi, as an Islamic clergyman, opened a religious school in his house and gave religious lessons. He knew Arabic fluently. Besides his spiritual engagement, he was also a doctor. He treated toothaches and inflammated teeth by means of medicines that he made from plants which are nowadays unknown to us. These plants grew in the in the mountains around Khinaliq. When Khidir Nabi died, he was buried close to the village, on top of a high hill. Later, his students built the tomb on top of the grave. Khidir Nabi's grave is the only grave inside of the tomb.
For many centuries, the tomb of Khidir Nabi was an important place of belief, thus the mosque for this village quarter was built adjacent to the tomb. A tradition evolved that people fix the nail of a horseshoe to the tree near the tomb and place alms there, in order to stop a tooth-ache. Thus, the tomb mosque is now alos called "tooth grave" or "sacred place of nails". Khidir Nabi tomb mosque is still an important place of belief nowadays.
In the year 2012, it was restored by the "Khinaliq" State History-Architecture and Ethnography Preserve.
Sheykh Shalbuz tomb mosque
The Sheykh Shalbuz tomb mosque dates back to the XVII century. It is located in the Lower Quarter of the village. Sheykh Shalbuz was a great scholar of Islam. He also knew Arabic fluently. He founded a relitious school and trained a large number of students there. Many legends are told about Sheykh Shalbuz by the people of Khinaliq.
Israfil Baba tomb mosque
The Israfil Baba tomb mosque approximately dates back to the XVIII century. This tomb mosque, which is located in the Chukhur village quarter, is one of the very important places of belief for the Khinaliq people. Israfil Baba was a muslim clergyman who knew Arabic fluently. He opened a religious school in his house and gave religious lessons. He was a scholar of eastern medicine, and produced medicine from the healing plants that grew in the surroundings of Khinaliq in order to treat open wounds.
When Israfil Baba died, a tomb was built upon his grave in the shape of an oval vault. People who suffer from open wounds bring soil from his grave and smear it onto their wounds in order to be cured. Later, the mosque of the village quarter was built adjacent to the tomb, which is now called Israfil Baba mosque.
In the year 2011, it was restored by the "Khinaliq" State History-Architecture and Ethnography Preserve.
Mosque of the Lower Village Quarter
This mosque is located in the Gadakhe (i.e. "lower") village quarter. There is no grave inside, nor are there any graves in the surroundings of this mosque. It is the mosque of the village quarter.
Mohuj Baba tomb
The Mohuj Baba tomb dates back to the XVIII century. Mohuj Baba was a promoter of Islam religion, he opened a religious school in his house and gave Quran lesson, knowing Arabic fluently. He treated the sick with medicine which he prepared from healing plants. When Mohuj Baba died, a tomb was built upon his grave, which became a place of belief. Still nowadays, people come to the Mohuj Baba tomb and pray.
Cabbar baba tomb
The Cabbar Baba tomb approximately dates back to the end of the XVII or the beginning of the XVIII century. It is located 200 m east of Khinaliq village.
Ahmad Efendi tomb
In comparison to the other tombs, the Ahmad Efendi tomb is the last and the youngest. Ahmad efendi lived from the end of the XIX century to the beginning of the XX century. He was a promoter of Islam, thus he opened a religious school in his house and gave Quran lessons, knowing Arabic fluently. When people had any problems, they appealed to Ahmad efendi, so that he prayed for them and gave them wise advice. The Ahmad efendi tomb is located in the graveyard of the Lower village quarter.
The Cell of Ibrahim Khalil
The Cell of Ibrahim Xalil can approximately be dated back to the end of the XVIII century to the beginning of the XIX century. This cell construction is located 5 km Norht of Khianliq village, on the left bank of Deyirman river.
According to a legend, the angels came to Ibrahim Khalil in a dream and told him to build a cell in exactly this pit in the slope, to worship God for 40 days in that cell, eating one date a day. Ibrahim Khalil, being a very religious person, built a shrine in eastern style on exactly that place, and spent 40 days there, worshipping God, reading the Quran and eating one date a day. On the 40th day, the angels contacted Ibrahim Khalil again and let him know that God had accepted his worshipping and prayers. After this, Irahim Khalil predicted the people's fates and forecasted events in advance. Due to these unusual abilities, the people started to consider him a holy person. Until he died, Ibrahim Khalil went to this cell and worshipped God.
Nature Monuments
The sacred place "Qırx Abdal baba"
"Qırx Abdul baba" is a cave with a length of 100 m, an inner width of 5 m, its height ranges from 3 m to more than 5 m. Clear water drops from the ceiling all along the cave. The Khinaliq people call this holy place "Kirk per" (i.e. "dripping sacred place"). It is considered a holy place of belief, where people go to pray. It is located in the north-east of Khinaliq village, at a distance of 1 km.
The Atəşgah (lit. "temple of fire") is located 5 km north of Khinaliq, south of the Heydar Aliyev Summit. It is a burning natural gas outlet. In earlier times, before Islam, the Khinaliq people were fire-worshippers, and the ateshgah was their a holy place. Until nowadays, some behavioral rules have remaind, which remind of the former sacredness of this place.
The Atəşgah is a very interesting place for ecotourizm; however, being situated in the prohibited border area with Russia, tourists may only pass with a special permission. Please contact the "Khinaliq" State Archeoloy-Architecture and Ethnography Preserve in advance to learn about the current rules for obtaining this permission.
Rock Staircase stone inscriptions
This monument is located 3 km west of Khinaliq. On the left side of this narrow mountain pass, there are the torrents of Qudiyal river, whereas on the right side, there is a steep, tall rock. In order to climb up the high mountain pass, a staircase was built into the rock. After the staricase, there is a small square on top of the rock. On the right side, at a height of 3 m, a Quran verse is carved into the stone in Arabic alphabet. These stone inscription symbolize the prayes for the traveller, who walks through the steep mountain passes, for that he may reach his home safe and sound.
The whole area of the Rock Staircase stone inscriptions is an ideal place for ecotourizm.


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Tag: Laundry
Updated on July 20, 2017
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Media pundit Jude Collins who likened Boys' Brigade to terrorist groups stands by remarks
Fury over controversy grows amid calls for BBC to axe political commentator following 'disgusting and offensive' comparison
Fury has erupted after the Boys' Brigade was likened to paramilitary groups in comments branded "highly dangerous".
The organisation demanded an apology over the remarks on social media which it also slammed as "grossly offensive".
The NI district said it was "deeply saddened" by the "factually inaccurate" remarks of political commentator Jude Collins who refused to withdraw his posting.
The commentator broadly linked the youth group - which involves around 16,000 boys in almost 300 companies - to military-style organisations and said he had been subjected to a "wave of abuse".
More: Deluded Jude's whataboutery reaches new levels of absurdity
On Twitter on Tuesday he connected the Christian organisation to pictures of children who were involved in a dissident republican event in Lurgan last weekend.
His attack provoked a growing storm as BB bosses said: "(This) is a Christian organisation. It is non-sectarian and non-political.
"It exists to further the Christian faith and to enrich the lives of boys and young men with a wide range of activities.
"To compare a youth organisation that exists for the good of all to a masked paramilitary grouping is both grossly offensive and highly dangerous. Mr Collins should withdraw his remarks and apologise for them."
The BBC rejected unionist demands that it should no longer use Mr Collins in its programmes. The UUP said it was writing to BBC NI director Peter Johnston demanding "to know if the licence payer is sponsoring his diatribe... the BBC needs to offer clarity on their support or otherwise for this unelected spokesperson."
In his Belfast Telegraph column today, the DUP's Nelson McCausland said it was time for the BBC to reconsider their relationship with a commentator "who makes such an odious comparison".
More: There is no comparison... Olympic rower Alan Campbell hits out at 'ill-informed' views
A BBC statement said: "Jude Collins' views are not a matter for the BBC except where they relate to, or are included within, our output. This isn't the case in this instance."
Mr Collins was also slammed by DUP MLA Christopher Stalford, a member of the BB for 15 years, who said: "To continue to defend these remarks is outrageous. It is a crass comparison which is deeply hurtful."
His comments came on the BBC NI Talkback programme where presenter William Crawley - also a former BB member - told Mr Collins: "You are in a big hole. Stop digging. It's a nonsense. It is deranged."
Nonetheless, it is not the first time the veteran columnist has made the comparison. In his blog in August 2013, he admitted he had compared the "dressing up of children in IRA uniform/regalia with the Boys' Brigade".
Nor is it the first time Collins' comments have caused controversy. Troubles victim Ann Travers, who sister Mary was gunned down by the IRA when it attacked their magistrate father Tom, said Collins had compared the shooting to a bereavement by a "reckless driver".
Mrs Travers said she had been horrified at the "scenario" painted by Mr Collins about her sister's murder.
On the BB controversy, Mr Collins said he regretted if people had misinterpreted his remarks. However, he does not intend to apologise. He said: "I didn't say anything which brought the BB into disrepute.
"It does seem to me that there are overtones of militarism in the Boys' Brigade.
"The nomenclature of the Boys' Brigade is obviously modelled on the military: it's a brigade, there are companies and divisions, they have different ranks, they march, they emphasise discipline and obedience."
On his blog he went on: "The Boy Scouts, an organisation often mentioned in the same breath as the Boys' Brigade, has also carried militaristic overtones."
Belfast Telegraph
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