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Reactions magazine opens its firewall to give us a peek at the history of the New York Insurance Exchange. NY Gov. Paterson has proposed reviving the exchange and the idea has a certain amount of momentum, despite Paterson's waning popularity.
Basically, the exchange would be modeled on Lloyd's (without the bell). Brokers bring hard-to-write risks to the market – think of the Empire State Building's terrorist risk or D&O on Citigroup or Goldman Sachs. The exchange would have syndicates – basically underwriting teams – to evaluate the risks. If the price was right, one or more syndicates would take on the risk.
The syndicates would have capital backing from, well, wherever. It could be insurance companies, of course. But money could also come from hedge funds, which like insurance risks because they are uncorrelated with market risks. Hedge funds have made insurance-style plays before by buying cat bonds or investing in Bermuda sidecars.
Why did the old exchange fail? Here's what the magazine says, accompanied by my kibbutzing.
First, it started at the softest part of the softest market ever, in 1980. That market was much, much worse than today's soft market or even the late '90s soft market. Don Kramer, now heading up Ariel Re, put it this way:
I had what I called a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ratio. I said if you wrote business in 1980, then you are going to have a 500% loss ratio – or you were lying – 400% in 1981, 300% in 1982 and so on.
Second, the syndicates were backed by insurance companies, who really didn't need the exchange. And since prices were so low, the syndicates would undercut the standard market. A broker would get a quote from AIG, say, then head down the street and get a lower price from AIG's syndicate on the exchange. After all, a new venture that doesn't write business doesn't stay in business – and underwriters' kids gotta eat, too.
So the exchange grew quickly, becoming the country's eighth-largest reinsurer, writing $345 million in 1984. A lot of it was crap.
Brokers knew the exchange was hot to write business, so they brought it the worst business. When you're new to the market, brokers test you, and under the circumstances, the exchange syndicates just couldn't say no.
This happens a lot, and it's tied into the "naive capital" problem. For example, Australian reinsurers tried to make Sydney "the next Lloyd's" in the late 1990s. They made the same mistakes, and over 18 months in 1999-2000, three of them – New Cap Re, REac and GIO Re – failed.
That same dynamic would play out in New York today, and it would be interesting to see whether underwriters today would behave differently. My old boss – around for the nasty, nasty '80s soft market – says underwriters wouldn't be suckered as easily, because there is actuarial support today. The actuaries would let them know how underpriced a piece of business is. In 1980, reinsurers had about as many actuaries as they had windmills.
Third, sez Reactions, Americans didn't understand how to be a following market. The article is vague on this point, but it sounds like underwriters tried to compete with (read: underprice) the lead company on a deal, setting off a race to the bottom.
I have a little trouble with this reasoning. Much of the U.S. reinsurance market was a following market then. Lots of tiny reinsurers were "two-point Tonys," dependent on a friendly broker to let them in on a sliver of a treaty.
Some of those underwriters were as sophisticated as the best pricing actuary. A few couldn't price penny candy. If anything, the U.S. reinsurance market is less of a following market today, as no one gets on anything without pricing it first.
Anyhoo, the exchange got off to a miserable start and curtailed writings in 1985, just as rates started to skyrocket. But by then the exchange was saddled with adverse development on horrible business and didn't have the capacity to write more. By 1986, five syndicates were insolvent. There would be five more. The syndicate closed in 1987. A fascinating (no kidding!) account of the runoff is here.
Could the exchange succeed today? On the plus side, pricing is more sophisticated. The syndicates would be more diverse – with hedge funds and Bermuda companies complementing the risk appetite of U.S. (re)insurers. ERM and capital modeling, tied with more sophisticated capital standards – remember, in 1980, regulators didn't even have RBC standards – would encourage healthy restraint.
On the other hand, an exchange starting today would be jumping into another soft market and might have to burn through capital to establish itself. And I'm skeptical how willing hedge funds would be to underwrite casualty risks. From my brief experience, non-insurance investors really struggle with the casualty insurer's need to tie up capital for years – even decades – to support loss reserves. The exchange, for example, was addressing runoff issues in the mid-aughts, more than 15 years after closing.
If it does get off the ground, I wish the new exchange luck, though. As The New York Times notes, the exchange could bring 3,000 jobs to New York.


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Created by Lego Mastermind Akayuki, the Akayuki Ball Contraption is an absolute wonder to behold.
The first thing to note about this crazy contraption is its immense size. At 21 feet long and five feet wide, the project took Akiyuki 600 hours to complete over the course of two years. But far more impressive than its sheer size is the amount of technical genius exhibited in the 17 modules it's composed of.
There are zig zag staircases, pneumatic lifts, basketball shooters, spiral slides, conveyor belts, robotic transports and even a mechanical train that carries loads of balls between different sections.
Anyone who has ever given up on a construction project because of its high degree of difficulty should definitely check out the Akayuki Ball Contraption. Just one look at this toy brick behemoth and you'll be inspired to build again.
Homemade Building Block Machines
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Polychromatic LEGO Avians
Avian LEGO Sculptures
Weightless LEGO Recreations
Athletic Toy Reenactments
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Why ABC Is Counting on 'Once Upon a Time' Star Ginnifer Goodwin
The "Big Love" alum talks to THR about her upcoming role on the fairy tale drama, debuting Sunday at 8 p.m.
This story first appeared in the Sept. 30 issue of the The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
After five seasons on HBO's acclaimed drama Big Love coupled with film roles (Walk the Line, Something Borrowed), Ginnifer Goodwin, 33, is trying her hand at a network drama from Lost producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. She plays Snow White and Sister Mary Margaret in the fairy tale saga Once Upon a Time.
PHOTOS: ABC's New Season TV Shows: 'Pan Am,' 'Charlie's Angels' and More
My first acting role was … A doll in The Little Engine That Could at Auburndale Elementary in Memphis.
My big break was … My first role from which I could support myself was as an actress on [the NBC series] Ed, but I'd say [2003's] Mona Lisa Smile was my break. Being a part of that changed everything for me.
I decided to do TV now because … That's where all the great writers have gone.
My favorite thing about my character is … As Snow White, she's never self-indulgent enough to let her obstacles discourage her.
PHOTOS: Fall TV's 12 Most Anticipated Shows
My least favorite thing about my character is … Sister Mary Margaret's emotional journey is so treacherous that it's very hard for me to tell her story empathetically. I walk home with some residual pain.
The most exciting part about the TV business is … Networks are taking big risks. … I've not been as impressed with the [film] scripts that I've gotten. The really special ones are few and far between because we're making fewer movies, and the ones we are making are big and fancy and the storytelling is far less risky. I can't say it's as appealing a place to be for me.
PHOTOS: Fall TV Death Pool: Which New Show Will Be Canceled?
The most frustrating part about the TV business is … It's a double-edged sword because if you're lucky enough to find yourself in the TV world, you're committing all of your time for years.
An average day on set lasts … 12 to 14 hours, which is short for me compared to Big Love.
If I could cast my dream guest star, I'd cast … Anyone from Lost, Michael Emerson or Terry O'Quinn.
My favorite TV shows (excluding mine) are … Lost, Pushing Daisies and South Park.


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I received word this morning that my friend Joseph "Habao" Texidor died of a heart attack last Friday. Joe told me that he was a troubled young man when he met Rahsaan Roland Kirk one day in Colony Records in New York (Joe had just started work as a clerk in the store, and none of the other clerks liked dealing with Kirk) and his relationship with the saxophonist changed his life. As Kirk's percussionist and "eyes" on the road, Joe went around the world and got an extended education from one of the music's true geniuses.
Joe was a pretty shy, humble guy when I knew him, and over the years we emailed each other to mark the deaths of various people who had passed through Kirk's band. The last time we saw each other we had a Chinese meal in honour of pianist Hilton Ruiz, who was supposed to have joined us before he was murdered in New Orleans.
You won't find anything on Joe in any of the jazz encyclopedias, though he was an integral part of Kirk's recordings in the '70s, which makes me reflect on all the other forgotten and overlooked musicians who live anonymously years after adding to our enjoyment of the music.
You can watch Joe rocking out with Rahsaan on "Volunteered Slavery" here.
Jazz journalist James Hale's observations on the contemporary music scene, festivals, events and whatever he's been listening to.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Farewell, Habao
1 comment:
when i was going to school in chicago, i walked into a record store & asked if they had anything by rahsaan roland kirk. the cat behind the counter was habao & he pointed me to the "bright moments" LP. we immediately became friends. later when i moved back to nj, i hear him w/ kirk on WRVR. i called the station & he also was living in nj. habao said that was the magic of rahsaan & that stuff like that always happened to him. my life was changed for the better thx to joe. he will be missed. jamal hayday
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text:
Reliving those gamer days is easy with the Nintendo Mobile. The 25-year-old fan of the gaming system comes from Warner Robins, Georgia and made a similar model five years ago.
Not fully satisfied with his original creation, he wanted to take it to the next level and completely finish the Nintendo Mobile. You would never guess his car is actually a 1991 Chevy Caprice with the design job he's done on it. If you think the exterior with the NES controller looks good, the inside will blow you away. The interior features custom-made seats with the characters of Mario and Luigi dancing away on them.
The Nintendo Mobile will inspire you to take some chances with your car and design it to your heart's desire.
Implications - Consumers are making deeper connections with media outlets. No longer just a form of entertainment, games are becoming a way for customers to identify themselves. Focusing on this importance of popular culture could help a company increase their number of shoppers.
Glorious Gamer Cars
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Gaming System Meal Carriers
13 Geeky Gamer Confections
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Relive Your Childhood Days with the Nintendo Mobile
- By: Leslie ChenJul 1, 2011
References: odditycentral & likepage.blogspot
References: odditycentral & likepage.blogspot


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I have been lucky enough to get my hands on the script to the new Muppet Movie a.k.a "The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time!!!" (as theyre calling it) by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller. I've read it an thought I'd pass on my thoughts. Before I get started, I think it's helpful to get my take on The Muppets. I LOVE THEM. I have a huge place in my heart for these characters and many of their adventures. However, I feel the Muppets have been completely misused and misunderstood since Jim Henson's death. I love The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. I feel like all the Muppet films after Jim's death just didn't "get it". There was something missing. The characters were watered down... kiddified, if you will. Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets From Space... ugh. They just didn't feel like true Muppet movies. Anyway- keeping that in mind, how did I like the new script? Well, I'm going to start with the non-spoiler review and let you know my impressions. Then I'll go into some spoiler-iffic detail for those interested. The movie revolves around The Muppets reuniting after a huge falling out to save The Muppet Studios in Hollywood. They have to put on a show in the Muppet Theatre and get 10 million viewers to save the Studios from an evil Texas oil tycoon. That's the quick version. How is it? It's a solid, if not spectacular script that, with a bit of work, could be really great. What's good? It's obvious that Segel and Stoller really have a lot of love for the Muppets so the characters all feel pretty spot-on. It's funny and silly, just as the Muppets should be. All the classic characters are in there: Kermit, Piggy, Rowlf, Gonzo, Fozzie, Animal, The Electric Mayhem, Sam Eagle, Swedish Chef, Bunson and Beaker, Sweetums... etc. They obviously worked really hard to include everyone. Interestingly, the only post-Jim Henson Muppet to appear in the script is Pepe. He has all of 3 lines so it feels as if they thought "well, we have to have him in there because he's popular but we don't have to give him much time". There are some reverent nods to The Muppet Show and the first 3 movies that really displays the writers' respect for Jim Henson's work. There are a lot of great cameos scripted as well. Of course, we'll see if they can actually get all the celebrities they want to, but it would be nice. It is a musical which, for me, is a plus and hopefully they'll be able to churn out some songs as memorable as we had in the original 3 Muppet movies. What's not so good? There are patches in the script that still feel kind of flat. They need some punching up. The script also includes a lot of spoofs, which is to be expected. But some of them are already incredibly outdated, or will be in 6 months (MINOR SPOILER- there's a short scene written with cameos from Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau that is a spoof of Swingers. Swingers?!?!?!? I love that movie but it is 13 years old! No one is going to get this). The human characters that befriend the Muppets (Gary and Mary) are pretty bland and generic. I guess that's not surprising considering the outrageousness of the Muppets, but they have no real personalities. Also, I have always liked it when Piggy pursues Kermit but he's either aloof or not interested, like in The Muppet Movie. In this film, Kermit is in love with Piggy and acts like a jealous boyfriend. Not my favorite choice. Finally, I feel the climax of the film feels pretty small compared to the big finishes of The Muppet Movie or Muppets Take Manhattan. SPOILERS: Good stuff- -A good part of the film takes place in and around Hollywood, which ties it nicely it to the ending of The Muppet Movie. They even reference the "Standard Rich and Famous Contract" that was signed at the end of that film. -When Kermit decides to get the Muppets back together, he sends out the Muppet signal, ala the bat-signal. We then see where all the Muppets are and what they're doing. It's also a very funny sequences. Rowlf is working in a Kinko's run by cats. Gonzo is a crime fighter (including a cameo of Christian Bale in full Batman costume). The Electric Mayhem are performing in some dive bar in Alaska. Animal is in a celebrity rehab center for anger management. Lots of fun stuff here too. -There is another fantastic sequence that involves the Muppets trying to get a celebrity to host their show that is full of great cameos (Ben Stiller, Steve Carrell, George Clooney, Jack Black, Mel Brooks, Matt Damon) and the villain in different disguises foiling their plans. It's very fun and reminds me of classic Muppet fun. -Other cameos that I recall are Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt (in a Prada spoof) and Rachel Ray (cooking with the Swedish Chef). -There a lot of fun flashbacks in the movie. There's a great bit where the Muppets resent Kermit for always getting to open The Muppet Show and he answers, very simply, "I was the only one who could fit into the O". Flashback to all of the other Muppets trying to fit and failing miserably. -One of the best cameos, and nods to the past, is in a scene where Ms. Piggy ends up in jail. In the cell next to her is Charles Grodin, still incarcerated after The Great Muppet Caper. -The one main new muppet is Walter. He is a nondescript brown puppet, so there's a funny running gag of everyone thinking he's something different (a talking blanket, a prairie dog, a beakless bird, an otter). -On of the best bits happens late in the movie. The villain has a gun and plans on shooting Kermit (honestly, I don't remember why). Bunson switches the movie to "slow motion bullet time" and all of the Muppets start to pretend to be in slow motion while a small puppet bullet comes out of the gun on a stick being carried by another muppet who's making whooshing air noises. Fozzie walks in at regular speed, asks "what's going on", Kermit explains that they're in slo-mo, so Fozzie cooperates and starts moving slowly too. I can picture it, and it's a great bit. -Finally, the film is scripted to end with a montage of all the Muppets and celebrities who have appeared singing "Mana Mana" from The Muppet Show. Bad stuff- -The movie opens with 2 Muppet executives heralding the return of The Muppets and introducing the title (The Greatest Muppet Movie Of All Time). It's not funny, we never see these characters again, and so it really makes no sense. -Along those lines, the first 15 minutes or so are really flat with almost no jokes. It really picks up once they track down Kermit (in his big mansion where we get a little Willy Wonka joke), but it's a bit of a chore to get to that point. I hope they inject some fun here or people are going to check out. -Like I mentioned, some of the spoofs are just not going to work. I mentioned the Swingers one. Another example is that we are reintroduced to Fozzie Bear at The Comedy Central Roast of Fozzie Bear where they've written in cameos for Bob Saget, Lisa Lampenelli, Jeffrey Ross, etc... Well this sounds funny now when they're showing these Roasts pretty regularly, but it sure is going to date this movie in 5 years when these C-listers are completely gone. -They certainly tries to get all our favorite Muppets included, but there's only so much time. So there are a few who make appearances but get almost nothing to do or say: Scooter, Sweetums, and Pepe seem to take the biggest hit. END SPOILERS Overall- it is a strong script and I really, really like it. I hope they hammer it out, punch it up, make it faster and funnier, and we may finally get the return to form, and therefore the comeback, for The Muppets that we fans have been waiting for. We can hope, can't we? If you use this, call me The Great Gonzo.
March 18, 2009, 7:49 p.m. CST
by TheMarineBiologist
But I'll still probably watch it anyway...
March 18, 2009, 7:59 p.m. CST
by DarthScotland
that is all
March 18, 2009, 8 p.m. CST
by sonnyfern
Some great bits in there. I miss the Muppets!
March 18, 2009, 8:02 p.m. CST
by Kief_Ledger
During a heavy emotional scene with Kermit, Bale gets fucking distracted and causes the TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION of the muppets
March 18, 2009, 8:03 p.m. CST
by BadMrWonka
I laughed a lot through that one...
but I would love a return to form from the old ones...oh, how I love them!!
Kermit: Fozzie, where did you learn to drive?
 Fozzie: Oh, I took a correspondence course.
March 18, 2009, 8:04 p.m. CST
by MEGAN_FOXS_CUNT_JUICE
"(including a cameo of Christian Bale in full Batman costume)" Is that true? and yes MUPPETS RULE
March 18, 2009, 8:05 p.m. CST
by Johnny Ahab
And I really wanna see them back on top! Even worse than the post-Henson movies cited above have been the painful abuse they've been subjected to at the hands of Disney. The Muppet Wizard of Oz was an abortion. And my daughter had some Disney Channel show on, and they were shilling for all this tweener crap. UGH! Hope they do punch up the script. Here's the spoof I'd like to see them do in the film: "MUPPETS 300" - come on, you know you want it! Can't you see Kermit as the messenger dude before the pit trembling and saying, "This is madness!" And Animal as Leonides screaming back, "RAH RAH RAH RADRESS! RAH RAH RARTAAAAH!!!!", then kicking Kermit into the pit. That shit would rule!
March 18, 2009, 8:06 p.m. CST
by darthpigman
March 18, 2009, 8:06 p.m. CST
by liljuniorbrown
I loved the Muppets growing up and I think they should get a little edgier with this moive. I don't mean like perverse or anything but like the pixar movies and the Shrek films.They found a way to balance it so that it goes over the younger crowds head's while cracking the adults up.Good luck with this one.
March 18, 2009, 8:08 p.m. CST
by Charlie_Allnut
Its about time the muppets were done justice again. The muppets were never meant to be dumb kid crap like Barney. Great news.
March 18, 2009, 8:09 p.m. CST
by TheMarineBiologist
... was by far my favorite Christmas Carol adaptation.
March 18, 2009, 8:13 p.m. CST
by terry1978
And if it's still relevant, do a little parody of his tirade.
March 18, 2009, 8:18 p.m. CST
by F-18
March 18, 2009, 8:23 p.m. CST
by Sal_Bando
You never know. Turn Animal into a big rocket powered Robot and you might have something here-
March 18, 2009, 8:27 p.m. CST
by Groothewarrior
kermits fist!
March 18, 2009, 8:34 p.m. CST
by Flint420
That's all I wanted to say
March 18, 2009, 8:35 p.m. CST
by aleeminator
Should have a brief cameo where theyve been introduced to the internet, and are now full-time AICN talkback haters
March 18, 2009, 8:37 p.m. CST
by axel fff
Walter sounds like its got potential.
 The spoofs sound like shit.
March 18, 2009, 8:39 p.m. CST
by Flim Springfield
March 18, 2009, 8:39 p.m. CST
by geemenblue
Dude, don't hate on a Swingers bit. That would be INCREDIBLE.
March 18, 2009, 8:41 p.m. CST
by Orionsangels
March 18, 2009, 8:49 p.m. CST
by hallmitchell
The muppets should be one of the most awesome franchises out there. Yet since Jim died the movies have NOT been as good. I'm glad the Henson company went with these guys. If it's flat send it around to Kevin Smith, Judd Apatow or Seth Rogen. I'm sure they'll give it a kick in the pants.
March 18, 2009, 8:49 p.m. CST
by hallmitchell
Please put this into production soon.
March 18, 2009, 8:50 p.m. CST
by American Mythos
Is she really going to be in this? Aren't kids going to see this? Is her one line to call Fozzy a n*****? Seriously, her whole act is racial. I'm not personally offended by it (besides, at her shows there seems to be a lot of the same minorities her act is aimed at ENJOYING the show), but I'm just not sure that will go well with these characters.
March 18, 2009, 8:50 p.m. CST
by hallmitchell
Where gonzo becomes a batman type figure.
March 18, 2009, 8:52 p.m. CST
by Amy Chasing
the music for this one? I heard a rumour a while back saying they were. How many pinches of salt should I take that with?
March 18, 2009, 8:56 p.m. CST
by Dominic-Vobiscum
The reason Muppet Wizard of Oz sucked unholy ass is because there were too many (not subtle at all) sex jokes. That's also the reason why Pepe is only funny in small doses. He's a horny shrimp.

 They also referred to them as "puppets" in MWofOz, they aren't puppets. They are dogs and frogs and chickens and such, goddammit.

 Muppet Treasure Island and Christmas Carol are great fun, and (if only for Ray Liotta's cameo) so is Muppets From Space.
March 18, 2009, 9:12 p.m. CST
by performingmonkey
As soon as everyone saw the Muppets as this franchise then it was always going to go downhill. Jim Henson and Frank Oz, without them the Muppets are very little. Whatever reasons Oz gave for leaving, the real reason has to be that everything Muppets is now shit and he needed to get out. Christmas Carol was great but everything since has been a disaster. They should have taken the hint. This new movie sounds like a return to good old Muppets but that's gonna feel tired. Half the cameos won't happen (come on, does anyone seriously think Bale would have a frog trashing his scene?? It would be FUCKING DISTRACTING having Kermit going DA DA DA DA DA in his eyeline)
March 18, 2009, 9:15 p.m. CST
by commiepinko
Mr. Bimble will forever live in my heart as well as my finger.
March 18, 2009, 9:19 p.m. CST
by landosystem
Great Puppeteers who love and understand the characters. Jim Henson and Frank Oz were so tied to their characters that they knew and loved them, and this came through in their puppeteering. Watch the outtakes of them on youtube and you'll see what I mean, so much heart. http://www.youtube .com/watch? v=lrDLhNSa37E
March 18, 2009, 9:20 p.m. CST
by Light_Tweaker
Rest in peace.
March 18, 2009, 9:30 p.m. CST
by TheMark
He's a prawn.
March 18, 2009, 9:32 p.m. CST
by D.Vader
That's fucking funny!
March 18, 2009, 9:34 p.m. CST
by D.Vader
Celebrity drummer since Animal is in rehab? My guess is its Dave Grohl?
March 18, 2009, 9:39 p.m. CST
by dancingbean
A King Prawn. I also liked muppet Xmas carol, they've been missing not only Jim Henson and Frank Oz in front of the cameras but Jerry Juhl, the writer. He was a HUGE part of what made the muppets who we know them as. And they haven't found a good replacement for him--someone who could write on multiple levels. I just hope whatever cameos they do aren't forced, so many of what they had done recently were abnoxious 'oh look another celebrity, lets not be funny with them for a while, as we bask in their fame'. To be fair, the most recent small screen movie, the Letters to Santa film that aired this year was the truest to the muppet spirit I have seen in some time.
March 18, 2009, 9:40 p.m. CST
by speakingof
...are good. The crap ones have been the TV movies and the Muppets in Space, which was a complete atrocity -- effectively ruining the franchise in theaters since its release. http://www.dipassaggio.com/
March 18, 2009, 9:40 p.m. CST
by The Only Woj
I'd pay for that scene to make it through. maybe Bale would do it for his daughters amusement?
March 18, 2009, 9:43 p.m. CST
by RetroActive
Jim Henson's dead. So, that would be impossible.
March 18, 2009, 9:51 p.m. CST
by D.Vader
They don't need to get "edgier" with this incarnation. There was a bit in one of the movies where everyone's talking at once and they suddenly stop, but Janice (the hot blonde rocker chick) can still be heard saying something like "So I said to him, hey, I don't take my clothes off for just anyone."
March 18, 2009, 9:53 p.m. CST
by D.Vader
March 18, 2009, 9:55 p.m. CST
by lockesbrokenleg
Did they have to repair the Mallory Gallery after the Muppets broke in?
March 18, 2009, 9:56 p.m. CST
by BizarroJerry
That Roast bit will just have to go. The films need adult references, but that would juts be too much. Personally, Muppet cameos are funnier when the celebrities are not playing themselves. For some reason, though, I get the feeling that Segal and whoever could do a good job because they're supposedly fans who went looking for this job, instead of screenwriters assigned to it. Plus, Segal seems roughly the right age to have loved the Muppets at their best.
The Christmas Carol movie was pretty good. The others weren't very good at all, though Muppets From Space was OK. They just went for too much of a feel good ending there. Two changes that would've greatly helped:
 1) When the rats escaped from their cage into a hole hidden behind a poster, the should have run into Tim Robbins (ala Shawshank Redemption) in the tunnel, asking for directions. 2) The aliens claiming to be Gonzo's true "family" should have been revealed to be lying all along, not really have those long noses, and attempt an invasion at the very end which the Muppets then had to foil. In the end, Gonzo remains a "whatever" but sees that his real place is here with his real famiily: the other Muppets.
March 18, 2009, 10:03 p.m. CST
by BendersShinyAss
March 18, 2009, 10:07 p.m. CST
by TheDark0Knight
and I dont think the swingers reference should be cut out...who cares if not everyone gets it, thats whats fun about film references.
March 18, 2009, 10:08 p.m. CST
by BendersShinyAss
loony tunes back in action ... im in
March 18, 2009, 10:13 p.m. CST
by ShiftyEyedDog2
March 18, 2009, 10:16 p.m. CST
by phoenixmagida5th
Thanks for the laugh. I just got a picture of kermit walking in front of the camera singing DA DA DA DA in front of bale. That would be perfect muppet humor. Then bales yells 'THAT'S DISTRACTING KERMIT!' If bale has a sense of humor he should do this but I don't think wb will let bale dress up as batman in anymovie that is not heir own
March 18, 2009, 10:22 p.m. CST
by firehawk_thexder
is apparently rather the flash point here of taste with some thinking it was allright and others flat out hating it. I myself enjoyed it a good deal.. sure it's not up there with the first three movies, but it had some really great bits in my opinion..
March 18, 2009, 10:23 p.m. CST
by SifoDyasJr.
Or would that be ON the right hands? I like what I'm reading.
March 18, 2009, 10:43 p.m. CST
by terry1978
That shit is on Youtube right now, basically outtakes from his upcoming Sesame Street appearance, and it is funny as hell...he asks Elmo if he knows what necrophilia is, and Elmo responds to the female director off-camera, "when did you lose this interview?" That type of stuff is what they need to do for this next movie.
March 18, 2009, 10:43 p.m. CST
by shatterglass
So according to The Great Gonzo, if you spoof something current it dates your movie, but if you do an older spoof like "Swinger" (which I also think would be FANTASTIC) then nobody is going to get it? Wow.
March 18, 2009, 11 p.m. CST
by darthvedder81
Pepe is far and away the best of the "new" Muppets. But I agree, the Muppets shouldn't be telling sex jokes.
March 18, 2009, 11:04 p.m. CST
by HB_Dad
I actually though Muppets From Space was their best movie!!! Seriously! It was nice to see Gonzo get some much desrved attention as the focus of the story. The humor was top-notch, and the story flowed very well. Jeffrey Tambor was also really good in the role. Pepe was actually pretty fucking funny. What I also really liked about the movie was it was one of few Muppets Movies that didn't follow the "Let's have a show to save the theater" formula. Apparantly, this new movie is going back to that which is a bit of a bummer. MFS also had good art direction and soundtrack to boot. In a way, I was hoping the new movie would be similar to the Youtube shorts, particlarily the Rowlf on Skateboard bit. Either way, I will still be looking forward to this.
March 18, 2009, 11:09 p.m. CST
by VALENTINEproductions
They should get george for the gonzo/batman scene, that would be alot funnier. Also instead of Fozzy getting a roast they should do something like him going on a racist rampage like michael richardson.
March 18, 2009, 11:16 p.m. CST
by hillvalley
It's that at least the muppets got to play themselves rather than being cast in literary roles.

That this upcoming movie is about the muppets and not just featuring them makes me optimistic, as does the incorporating of their theater/The Muppet Show.

As far as dekiddifying the script, I hope the writers use Pixar as their model as opposed to Dreamworks, as I suspect Henson's muppets have influenced the folks at Pixar. They both seemed to understand that entertaining adults in a family film needn't involve obvious sexual innuendo or non-sequitur pop-culture references that only serve to date the movie.
March 18, 2009, 11:36 p.m. CST
by necgray
"...look mother it's my life, okay? So if I want to live on a beach and walk around naked..."
 Sadly, I have that and many, many others memorized but consistently forget my parents' birthdates. I remember the month, never the date...
March 18, 2009, 11:37 p.m. CST
by Bones
I just hope it doesn't suck. As to Kermit being the jealous one--I think it is great. Kermit and Piggy have been in a common-law marriage for like 25-30 years.
 Now if only all the rights to the Muppets were all in one place so they could release the Muppet Family Christmas and Jim Henson Hour on DVD...!
March 18, 2009, 11:39 p.m. CST
by necgray
It sounds like the exact kind of thing I personally have been dying for from the Muppets in recent years as far as the central plot and the Muppets themselves. But I'm definitely wary of the cameos and potential amount of parody. As long as they keep that stuff to a relative minimum, I'm cool with it.
March 18, 2009, 11:42 p.m. CST
by necgray
Excited. To hell with the naysayers. Yeah, I love Jim and Frank and nothing can ever take the place of the originals, BUT the characters are timeless and there's no reason to keep them locked away if something good can be done with them.
 Oh, and MFS failed from the very concept. You. Do. NOT. Explain. Gonzo.
March 18, 2009, 11:45 p.m. CST
by Dominic-Vobiscum
You're right, Letters to Santa felt like a return to form.

Plus it had music and a cameo by Paul Williams.
March 18, 2009, 11:46 p.m. CST
by Dwide Shrewd
That's fucking golden. The Great Muppet Caper is the shit.
March 19, 2009, 12:01 a.m. CST
by Jawa 007
any timeline?
March 19, 2009, 12:03 a.m. CST
by El Gooche
the idea of Statler and Waldorff as AICN talkbackers. P.S. The only good thing about the Muppets being whored out by Disney is that my daughter is now hard-core into Muppets. She DEMANDS that I purchase all 3 seasons of the Muppet Show.
March 19, 2009, 12:05 a.m. CST
by WickedJacob
and, btw, this is the most plant-er-iffic thing I've read since that ridiculous Disney's 3 musketeers thing YEARS ago.
March 19, 2009, 12:12 a.m. CST
by Dr. Strangelove
Henson & Oz were the Lennon & McCartney of the Muppets. Their comedy was so sharp and subtle. I can't really watch Kermit since Henson died. He sort of sounds like he's been lobotomized.
March 19, 2009, 12:15 a.m. CST
by DanielKurland
The original Muppet Movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. Right up there with Oldboy, Boogie Nights, Blue Velvet, Clockwork Orange, and other classics. It is such a BEAUTIFUL movie. The songs are great, the jokes are fun, the cameos great, and it just approaches a muppet movie how it should. To show Kermit in a wide shot RIDING A FUCKING BIKE, or how they replicate the movie itself on a soundstage at the end of the film, or filming Kermit's reflection in the water, or at the end of "Magic Store" how the shot starts on a close up, and ends in an extreme wideshot, with all the muppets, and that rainbow on them where it doesn't even look film, but rather a PAINTING, are examples of the grandiose things this movie tries and succeeds at. This film sounds like a worthy successor and I cannot wait for it.
March 19, 2009, 12:38 a.m. CST
by HB_Dad
My kids demand all 5 seasons of the Muppets Show. I want to see them too!
March 19, 2009, 12:42 a.m. CST
by Harold-Sherbort
I spank you like a bad bad donkey o.k." Love Pepe. He's definitly the best of the new muppets. I'm with the people that are saying stay off, or at least lessen, the innuendos though. That just doesn't fit in the Muppet universe. Keep it subtle....way fucking subtle.
March 19, 2009, 12:50 a.m. CST
by Last_Action_Negro
I don't know, Muppets Take Manhattan is pretty slick flick. What other movie has rats skating on butter?
March 19, 2009, 12:59 a.m. CST
by scriptgirl_nipples
Who honestly gives a fuck to want to see a big screen Muppet movie?
March 19, 2009, 1:01 a.m. CST
by TheWaqman
because everybody he listed seem like chilled out people who would definitely appear in a Muppets film. Bale seems like a twat though and would definitely not be in it. Get Clooney for Batman just for the lulz.
March 19, 2009, 1:04 a.m. CST
by TheWaqman
March 19, 2009, 1:13 a.m. CST
by American Mythos
I always wanted to see Goodfellas done with the Muppets, word for word, shot for shot.
March 19, 2009, 1:38 a.m. CST
by Campion
That is all.
March 19, 2009, 1:45 a.m. CST
by Campion
"what am I, a clown? I fucking amuse you? WOCKA WOCKA!"
March 19, 2009, 2:13 a.m. CST
by SingingHatchet
The Muppet Movie > The Great Muppet Caper > Muppets Take Manhattan > Muppets Treasure Island > Muppets Christmas Carol > Muppets In Space > All those crap TV movies, except John Denver and The Muppets Christmas.
March 19, 2009, 2:33 a.m. CST
by scriptgirl_nipples
Don't get clever now, just because Josef Fritzl has let you out of your dungeon.
March 19, 2009, 3:07 a.m. CST
by Toby_FN_Wong
I really hate them for buying the Muppets.
March 19, 2009, 3:09 a.m. CST
by richy
Uh... so... you're saying without Jim Henson the muppets will be improved?
(And yeah I know it's a fake title within the movie, it still sounds kinda weird and rude considering the big man missing.)
March 19, 2009, 4:06 a.m. CST
by LtColMcQueen
Plot of new movie: "The movie revolves around The Muppets reuniting after a huge falling out to save The Muppet Studios in Hollywood. They have to put on a show in the Muppet Theatre and get 10 million viewers to save the Studios from an evil Texas oil tycoon. " Plot of a Very Muppet Christmas Movie (2002): The Muppets must band together to put on a show and get enough viewers to raise enough money to save the Muppet Theater from a greedy banker who is
attempting to level it to turn into a parking lot
March 19, 2009, 4:17 a.m. CST
by The McPoyle Clan
Rachael Ray...instant fail.
March 19, 2009, 5:50 a.m. CST
by filmcoyote
So i wouldn't get excited for any of these and the rest of sounds so-so. I'll watch it because i'd turn up anytime Gonzo, Rolf and Fozzie make a movie but i won't be excited until i see footage that looks good. And Muppet Christmas Carol is awesome so this guy has no credability for me
March 19, 2009, 6:54 a.m. CST
by segundus
Personally, I prefer to remember them as they were - with the original performers and writers - than trying to do something all whizzy, fancy and utterly soulless which has been what a lot of the recent productions have been - and it's most unfortunate because the guys are trying hard :(
March 19, 2009, 7:26 a.m. CST
by Nice Marmot
That is all . . .
March 19, 2009, 7:28 a.m. CST
by God's Brother
Or I'm-a gonna be PISSED
March 19, 2009, 7:35 a.m. CST
by ricarleite
I thought Rowlf was retired.
March 19, 2009, 7:50 a.m. CST
by IndyAbbey Jones
first of all this movie isn't with WB, so they won't be able to get the rights to the batman character (just llok athow botchy warners is being to FOX over the adam west TV show), plus christain bale is a great actor, buthe's a bit of a douche and i doubt he would bother doing a bit cameo that mocks the batman character...good idea, but it would never happen, your more likley to get a smaller hero like iron man or even brabden routh as superman (since the shusters own more of the rights then WB does, and would gladly allow it for a charity donation)
March 19, 2009, 8:01 a.m. CST
by Xian042
I grew up watching the Muppet Show and the Muppet movies. The first movie is one of my faves of all time. Some of the later movies have been ok, but just lack that Henson magic. Jim had a knack of making you smirk at the lunacy of what is going on, and didnt take itself too seriously while still doing a great job of entertaining you. People taking over as Kermit are better, but the last guy to do Animal really hurt. They need an extensive casting session to really nail the voices. Funny that Brian Henson was the worst Kermit ever.
March 19, 2009, 8:04 a.m. CST
by NubtheSquirrel
Are not as much in the movie because I guess Richard Hunt was the only one who could do those characters justice. Especially Scooter. Otherwise, the script sounds brilliantly funny with some changes that will inevitably be made. The whole put on a show aspect is perfect because that was what the muppets do best. I'm totally there when this comes out in theaters. No doubt about it. My kid is barely eight months and he is already in love with the Muppets. Whenever they are on screen, he stops and watches them. Now we just need news that this has entered production and a release date.
March 19, 2009, 8:06 a.m. CST
by rev_skarekroe
In Muppets From Space? She was 19 when the movie came out, but it was still pretty weird.
March 19, 2009, 8:33 a.m. CST
by ballyhoo
It's not the TIMING of spoofs that makes them good or bad, it's the quality and creativity.
March 19, 2009, 8:40 a.m. CST
by God's Brother
All the best characters were done by these 2 guys (besides the mainstays performed by Oz, of course) . So I guess no Stadler and Waldorf in this movie, either...
March 19, 2009, 8:41 a.m. CST
by m2298
As far as I know, only Steve Whitmire has done Kermit since Henson died.
March 19, 2009, 8:45 a.m. CST
by shiofuki07
Disney hated the script. Frank Oz wrote another one.
March 19, 2009, 8:53 a.m. CST
by ThusSpakeSpymunk
The stuff in that script that's good? It won't make it to the final movie. Christian Bale as Batman? We won't see it. Rachel Ray? We won't see it. Anne Hathaway? We won't see it. Those elements will be excised.
March 19, 2009, 9:43 a.m. CST
by American Mythos
Including Taxi Driver, starring Kermit the Frog as Travis Bickle.

 Kermit (V.O.): Each night when I return the cab to the garage, I have to clean the cum off the back seat. Some nights, I clean off the blood.

 Gonzo (in the backseat, wearing a business suit, brandishing a .44): "Have you ever seen what a .44 Magnum will do to a woman's p***y? Now that you should see. What a .44 Magnum will do to a woman's p***y that you should see?"

 And of course, Elmo as the underage prostitute.
March 19, 2009, 10:23 a.m. CST
by chrth
Of course, Tim Curry makes any movie 500% better
March 19, 2009, 10:26 a.m. CST
by FleshMachine
March 19, 2009, 10:33 a.m. CST
by 4we8have15to16go23back42
I don't get that reviewer, I thought that was one of the worst Muppet movies, at least on the original 3. Chrismas Carol was way better. And for the record Jim Henson did have quite a bit to do with Christmas Carol. He died near the end of production just like Disney died near the end of Jungle Book production. I do agree that everything afterwards hasn't been as good though.
March 19, 2009, 10:33 a.m. CST
by MrMysteryGuest
Ya know, with muppet dicks flying around, ala "Sarah Marshall"...:P
March 19, 2009, 10:38 a.m. CST
by spcglider
I was friends with Muppet headwriter Jerry Juhl for several years before his untimely passing due to cancer. He described to me once a script idea that he and Jim had been tossing about called "The Cheapest Muppet Movie of All Time". The script centered around the Muppets needing to fulfill a contract for one last Muppet Movie but they'd used up all the money on the previous films. So the characters go on a globe-trotting romp only every time they step out onto the street in a new country, its the exact-same street re-dressed for the destination (France, Ireland, Egypt, Russia, China, etc.). Of course, he said that because of the huge amount of work that would go into making the movie look cheap, it budgeted out to actually be the most expensive Muppet Movie ever. Which immediately put the whole concept into the "circular file". From the description above, I actually have hope for THIS Muppet Movie. It brings into sharp focus the thing that I've been saying since Disney bought the property: The Disney people have NO IDEA what to do with the Muppets. They will require an outside influence that "gets it" in order to be the stars they can be. Disney formula will NOT work on the Muppets. Being a puppeteer myself, you can see my works at http://www.youtube.com/user/TVTVonline , I am particularly sensitive to the plight of the Muppets. Knowing the potential marketing juggernaut power of these characters, it is astonishing to see what kind of botched handling it takes to make them fail.
March 19, 2009, 10:55 a.m. CST
by Balcony Fool
Muppet Family Christmas *is* on DVD. I have it. It's a yearly tradition in our household. :)
 "I guess Fozzie didn't tell you about the icy patch."
 "Yeah, I guess he didn't."
 LOL
March 19, 2009, 10:56 a.m. CST
by Anna Valerious
http://tinyurl.com/d4asw3 And yes, there is also the dub of Kermit doing the "Terminator:Salvation" rant.
March 19, 2009, 11:04 a.m. CST
by Howling_Fantods
See? http://tinyurl.com/68rc3z
March 19, 2009, 11:08 a.m. CST
by hillvalley
Not all of it. They cut out almost all of Fozzie with the snowman (which makes it weird when he brings him into the house, referring to things we didn't get to see) and the Muppet babies home movie where they sing "Santa Claus is coming to town" before Animal destroys the screen. I guess disney didn't feel it necessary to pony up for the music rights to the songs in these parts.
March 19, 2009, 11:53 a.m. CST
by Bouncy X
i knew they cut out the snowman stuff but didnt realize they cut out the babies too, damn, that was like the most adorable thing. lol
March 19, 2009, 12:02 p.m. CST
by sapno_krei
I re-watched them recently, and I was amazed how well they hold up, especially with a lot of in-jokes and snarky dialogue that would go right over th eheads of most kids. That was the appeal of the original Muppet Show -- low brow slapstick for kids, sharp wit for adults. If the movie continues with that tradition -- or even makes it edgier -- I think the Muppets are in for a huge revival.
March 19, 2009, 12:09 p.m. CST
by Shut the Fuck up Donny
so the fact the "reviewed script" alludes to Rowlf's presence automatically makes me think something's not quite legit about this whole thing.
March 19, 2009, 12:11 p.m. CST
by gruntybear
See Peter Jackson's "Meet the Feebles."
March 19, 2009, 12:14 p.m. CST
by caslab
statler and waldorf are trolling as we speak . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A
March 19, 2009, 12:34 p.m. CST
by chrth
(according to Wikipedia)
March 19, 2009, 12:44 p.m. CST
by Snake Foreskin
He's second rate. He isn't funny and he may love the Muppets but that doesn't mean he can fill Jim Henson's shoes. He doesn't have the sweetness that Henson had, and he sure doesn't have the genius.
March 19, 2009, 12:45 p.m. CST
by Snake Foreskin
Edgy is what is wrong with this world. We need more sweetness.
March 19, 2009, 12:53 p.m. CST
by Royston Lodge
The original four Muppet movies all had at least one scene where they tried to push the limits on what they could do with puppets. The best one was, of course, the famous "bicycle scene". The one from Muppets Take Manhattan where Miss Piggy chases the mugger while wearing rollerskates was a decent attempt that didn't quite work (it was obviously a person in a Miss Piggy costume.) If the new Muppet movie is truly going to be the next installment of the classic series, the Jim Henson Creature Workshop is going to have to come up with something REALLY spectacular that pushes the technology of puppetry forward. Maybe they can partner with a Japanese university's robotics department.
March 19, 2009, 2:50 p.m. CST
by hst666
Are they going to have him or the Rasta guy that succeeded him on the new Muppet show back in the 90s.
March 19, 2009, 2:51 p.m. CST
by hst666
I believe that show was as good as the originals. It's the only thing post-Henson I believe was as good, but that show had some great moments.
March 19, 2009, 2:55 p.m. CST
by hst666
And what the fuck is the production cycle on this film. Is it slated for 2014? The roasts will still be relevant and those guys are funny.
March 19, 2009, 3:11 p.m. CST
by Jabroni
Unless you spent the better part of your life watching these muppet movies over and over, how is anybody even going to remember who the heck Charles Grodin is? At least parents will remember Swingers, but Charles Grodin being locked away at the end of "The Great Muppet Caper"? I don't even know if I would recognize Charles Grodin now. right now my son is 3 and could care less about The Muppets, this would be for me to hopefully make me feel young again. Sounds good, I say keep the Swingers Reference, even if it's just to see Vince and Fav do it one more time. Hopefully they can get Steve Martin to make a showing again.
March 19, 2009, 3:28 p.m. CST
by aleeminator
are not just wishful thinking. Firstly its a lot of work to write all those bits, and certainly not worth it if the odds of the actual celebrity that they're written for agreeing to appear in the movie are unlikely. On top of that, I think Segel was probably smart about using his press tours for FSM and "I Love You, Man" to recruit some folks. He even used his appearance on Ferguson to get him to agree to appear in the movie. So hopefully he can get a Bale cameo, otherwise I'm sure Favreau would be more than happy to lend him an extra Iron Man suit to use.
March 19, 2009, 3:48 p.m. CST
by Dingbatty
I'd read about the painted pipes in "Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook" but could never find a picture of it.
March 19, 2009, 4 p.m. CST
by Snake Foreskin
I hate Hollywood sometimes.
March 19, 2009, 4:01 p.m. CST
by Snake Foreskin
than Letterman has in every ounce of his being.
March 19, 2009, 4:11 p.m. CST
by chrth
You're worried about Muppets?
March 19, 2009, 4:24 p.m. CST
by hst666
While Dave will be remembered as one of the greats.
March 19, 2009, 5:22 p.m. CST
by DanielKurland
"Hey, there's no drinks up here." It's crazy how much I love that movie.
March 19, 2009, 6:46 p.m. CST
by GreatGonzo
Hey everyone- No, I'm not a plant. TImeline? I know the script has been submitted. No word on whether it's been approved or not. Muppet Movies? There really seems to be a lot of love for Muppet Christmas Carol... it's not horrible. I just don't think it's great. I hated to see the Muppets shoe-horned into other stories (Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Wizard of Oz). I like it when the Muppets are being themselves and the story is actually about them. That's MY preference and why I stated it from the start. Rowlf? Yes, he was retired but came back in 2002 (I think) for It's a Very Muppet Christmas Movie (which, btw, I thought was the closest they've come to greatness post-Jim). Take it as you will, friends.
March 19, 2009, 7:21 p.m. CST
by dancingbean
I had forgotten that Williams had done the music for that, I remember I was really excited when I saw his name in the credits though. They definitely need to get him on board if they do this movie. Why go for anyone else when the mastermind behind the Rainbow Connection is still around? *** The Henson siblings almost had to force Whitmere to do Kermit after Jim's death. And he is really improving with practise, in my opinion. Brian never did Kermit.
March 19, 2009, 7:31 p.m. CST
by Frodo T. Baggins
Adaptation I have ever seen(for A Christmas Carol). Dark at times, Michael Caine, And I liked the songs. The only movie besides Nightmare Before Christmas where I actually like the music.
March 19, 2009, 7:40 p.m. CST
by subtlety
I agree with you that 'Carol' and 'Treasure Island' while plenty serviceable, are sort of filler to me, since the characters are all playing other roles. But then came "Muppets From Space" which had them playing themselves again and it was... pretty irredeemable. Almost painful. It made me wonder if the muppets can really work as themselves in modern times.

 Jim's humor was really one of a kind (along with Jerry Juhl and to some extent Oz) and without the two of them, I just feel like no one seems to get the muppets' unique place in the universe. People keep attempting to modernize them, which always seems terribly forced to me ("from space" was the worst offender in this catagory, even though Juhl co-wrote). I'd love for them to recapture their mojo but I can't even really even imagine what a modern incarnation would look like. They're patently un-hip, but too smart to play lowbrow... there's really nothing else like it today.

 The best muppets were warm and genuine, but with a surprisingly sly sense of humor, married with a certain surreal embrace of an insane world. If they can't get that tone, I'd prefer they didn't even try... let the muppets go, especially now that some of the major voices are dead (just because they can get people to do a decent immitation doesn't mean they get the spirit of the characters.) On the other hand, the world could certainly use a large dose of Henson and his legacy right about now, if there's someone out there who can do it right.
March 19, 2009, 8:01 p.m. CST
by GreatGonzo
Agreed. Muppets From Space was terrible. I hated that they tried to explain Gonzo, which defeats his whole purpose. He's a "weirdo", not an alien. Plus, when they felt the need to throw in overplayed old songs (Brickhouse?)... wow. Painful. The best of the Muppets had an original story, original music, and, to your point, that unique humor that is silly but smart, sly and fun, pun-ny but works on many levels. None of it has felt right since Jim left us (sigh). I would like to see them brought back by someone who "gets it". But, who knows if that's possible. Many have tried but have constantly come up short. I feel the closest they've come is the aforementioned It's a Very Muppet Christmas Movie (which, while based on It's a Wonderful Life, was still about the Muppets) and last years Letters For Santa. They were both fun and good. Not perfect, but a vast improvement over some of the other attempts. And it does give me hope that the Muppets can live again if in the right hands. I know Segel loves them like we do. That was obvious in the script. So I am trying to be positive. Also- on another note, yes I am VERY biased against spoofs and pop-culture references. I feel it does date the material and often stands in for true creativity (like "we can't come up with our own joke, so let's piggy-back on something familiar that others have done that everyone knows"). It makes it feel too much like Shrek which, for me, is not a good thing. That's my opinion. Disagree if you like.
March 19, 2009, 9:39 p.m. CST
by ThusSpakeSpymunk
The sad fact is, I think Jim Henson himself would be depressed if he had lived and tried to get financing for Muppet projects. He would surely have rejected the march of children's tv toward "extreme" and would be regarded as a throwback and a social pariah right about now in the vein of Soupy Sales and Bill Cosby talking about hating Pee-Wee Herman. Heck, Pee-Wee Herman is too much for the kids now!
March 19, 2009, 9:52 p.m. CST
by Chief Joseph
The first Muppet movie to get a PG rating. Tried too hard to be edgy; it included a rave scene with a cage-dancing Scooter and a pacifier-sucking Sam the Eagle.
 I agree with the others-- everything after Jim's death flat-out sucked.
 If Disney owns them now, why not just do a crossover-- Disney VS The Muppets or something?
March 19, 2009, 10:19 p.m. CST
by killianx
Why is it not Statler and Waldorf? Oh yeah I did hear that Paul Williams was going to write some songs!
March 19, 2009, 10:31 p.m. CST
by Bass Bastardson
I am a huge Muppets fan and the original Muppet Movie is one of my top five movies of all time. Of all the post Jim Henson stuff I think A Very Muppet Christmas is my favorite. It might be heresy to say this, but I actually think I like it better the Muppets Take Manhattan which is my least favorite of the original 3 by a landslide.
March 19, 2009, 11:18 p.m. CST
by lockesbrokenleg
They're off watching perverted shit like Family Guy and Robot Chicken
March 19, 2009, 11:37 p.m. CST
by Dingbatty
and natural with the muppets in his acting in A Very Muppet Christmas Movie. And the brief moment with Sam the Eagle whipping the glow sticks is laugh out loud hilarious.
That said, I can't stand how Steve Whitmire portrays Kermit. Over the years, on talk show appearances, he had frequently had Kermit speak in lewd innuendo -- completely out-of-character, and is missing the essential sweetness of spirit that Jim Henson exuded, that Snake mentioned earlier.
March 20, 2009, 4:02 a.m. CST
by Cobb05
I'm sure they'll do a lot of improv, so it'll punch up the movie. The one thing the reviewer left out is, is there cursing in the movie? Are they dropping f-bombs or does it look like they are going for a more PG-13 movie?
March 20, 2009, 3:11 p.m. CST
by spcglider
Jerry pretty much retired over the creative differences he experienced while working on that film. In the end, most of his work wasn't on screen.
March 20, 2009, 5:37 p.m. CST
by subtlety
Really! Well, hell, I always had a hard time figuring out how he fit into that debacle. Even though I don't have quite the same love for "Carol" and "Island" that I do for the classic trilogy, they still feel very much to me like classic Muppets humor (sort of like extended sketches from the original muppet show, perhaps), and I always attributed that to Juhl and the performers.

 When I saw his name on "From Space" I couldn't believe it and I really wondered if I'd been wrong about his contribution to the franchise. Thanks for setting the record straight!
March 20, 2009, 6:12 p.m. CST
by necgray
I appreciate the point, guys, and I agree that there's a gentility to the characters that may not be best served by innuendo. HOWEVER I also would rather see the Muppets with an edge than without. Toothless Muppets are boring and are one of several reasons I disliked their acquisition by Disney. We don't need kiddified Muppets. That's what we have Sesame Street for. I think a balance is necessary, but some of you guys sound like 80 year old nuns. Just look at Janice. There's a LOT of innuendo with her. Or how about Rowlf's song in The Muppet Movie? Give them credit for an ability to handle non-candy-colored material.
March 20, 2009, 6:27 p.m. CST
by subtlety
Well, I sure hope you're a plant, because if so it sounds like the studio finally figured out that it was sinking these beloved characters by not paying them the respect they deserve. They're unique and nuanced characters, and the show had a very delicate tone and humor to it. It was always hip (hell, they had Alice Cooper in the 70s!) but never cool. They knew what was going on, but never let it change who they were and what they were doing. And it was always far too smart to be concerned with being edgy. That's ironically an arena these days mostly reserved for those without any new ideas.

 As you can probably guess, I care deeply about these characters and their creators (Henson in particular is very high on my list of personal heros) and it physically hurts to see them debased the way they have been recently. So often these days it seems like the characters are just sort of repeating old action (only without the character conext which made those meaningful) or simply behaving kind of interchangeably. Still, I haven't actually seen "its a very muppet..." (I stopped getting excited about new muppets material after the one-two punch of "From Space" and "oz") but it seems to have a lot of love here so I guess I'll go back and take a look. I'd love to have one more great muppets film before none of the original voices remain, but I am sort of dubious about whether it should can be done... or should be done, even. I'm not sure its a franchise that really should continue without the guidance of the visionaries who created it. I mean, why do it? We'll always have their classic work -- why pretend someone else can recapture the magic, and, for that matter, why ask anyone to? I mean, no one would really think it a great idea to do a bunch of "little tramp" films after Chaplin's death, because come on -- yeah, you can probably find someone who looks the part and can eke a few laughs out of it, but it will never equal the work of a true original with his unique take on the world.

 If that seems overly negative, I'm sorry. As I said, I'd love nothing more than a real fitting tribute to those geniuses... and a world crowded full of ugly, aggressive and mean-spirited comedy could definitely use it as well (not that I don't also have a place in my heart for "Metalocalpyse" mind you... its just that supposedly 'edgy' stuff like "Superjail" was passe decades ago and yet the marketplace seems absolutely packed with that sort of humor these days while gentler, more imaginative fare is much harder to come by). And heck, I do think Segel et al seem like guys who genuinely have some comedy roots in Henson's work, and care enough about the material to really work to get it right. They don't strike me as the type to try cynical meta-jokes or to make the cast cooler or more accessible. I'll definitely go in optimistic (heck, it has to at least be FUNNIER than a lot of the recent stuff) but even if it's fantastic I dont know that they should try a lot more of these. But you seem like a guy who knows and cares why the muppets were cool, so if you think the script is right-on, I'll sure give it a try.
March 20, 2009, 6:42 p.m. CST
by subtlety
exactly! thats what makes the tone so difficult to strike. The Muppets aren't a bunch of starry-eyed innocents (Janice, hell. The Electric Mayhem may seem pretty tame today --perhaps even quaint--, but when it was created I don't think there were a lot of kids shows that featured characters obviously associated with drug culture) And as I mentioned, Alice Cooper for fucks sake. Not really Barney terrain in the 70s. And they premiered on Saturday Night Live (albeit in a different form) among very adult-themed stuff. The trick is that the Muppets never resorted to shock for their humor. Floyd and Janice may be on drugs (in fact, they probably are) but that's not the joke. The joke is always from their attitude or their perspective. It treats them kindly, even though it doesn't ignore things which may be a little rough-around-the-edges. Innuendo can be handled with a warmness and gentility without being blandly saccharine. Heck, even violence can (See: Crazy Harry). The Muppets at their best were smart enough to be kind and sweet without ever toning it down for the kids. But its a hard balance to pin down, and it takes a lot of creativity and deftness to do it. Which may explain why it isn't done very often these day (or, in those days, though I think the culture has turned dramatically towards more explicitly "adult" content as a matter of taste).
March 21, 2009, 12:26 p.m. CST
by Chief Joseph
Very Muppet Christmas Movie also had a huge ad for Scrubs in it plus Whoopi Goldberg as God. Lame.
 As for WOW technical moments that would impress an audience ala the bicycles in The Muppet Movie... can't be done anymore because of CGI. Audiences have seen everything now. Even if you do a great practical puppet effect, audiences will just assume it's done with CGI, so what's the point.
March 21, 2009, 1:16 p.m. CST
by FeralAngel
Which is more than I can say about the rest of the script. But really...a movie with puppets in it? Hello? Is any kid going to be impressed with that, after they've seen magic like The Incredibles? Eisner really stuck Disney with a clunker when he bought the Muppets. Disney should invest its dollars in fully reviving 2D. Screw Kermit. He's a snarky bastard anyway.
March 21, 2009, 1:18 p.m. CST
by FeralAngel
Jeezus, why all the hate for the studio that pulled those socks out of the gutter and gave them a home? Disney deserves the pity IMO. What the hell do you do with puppets that lost their charm 20 years ago?
March 21, 2009, 1:19 p.m. CST
by FeralAngel
Quoted for truth.
March 21, 2009, 1:50 p.m. CST
by Outlaw
Hollywood, get on this bitch....chop suey!
March 21, 2009, 2:47 p.m. CST
by necgray
But it's not. It's for aging Boomers, Gen-Xers, and children OF Boomers and Gen-Xers. Are you Fireproof in another guise? He was also a douchebag whose frequent posts boiled down to "kids don't care" and "Disney saved those socks".
 Incidentally, the Muppets couldn't be further from socks, but whatever makes your douchey point...
March 21, 2009, 3:11 p.m. CST
by FeralAngel
Wow, did I strike a nerve or what? LOL! You in your second childhood or something? When I was a kid, I had socks that I made into puppets. S what's wrong with calling puppets socks? Am I offending Argyle-Americans or something?
March 21, 2009, 3:13 p.m. CST
by FeralAngel
Which was the true low point in Muppet history, as far as crap is concerned. That's why blaming Disney for bad Muppet stuff is lameass.
March 21, 2009, 11:17 p.m. CST
by subtlety
it was the suits at Columbia, adding to the general loss of direction the Henson company was experiencing at the time (which subsequently lead to the aquisition by Disney in 2004, if I'm not mistaken). Regardless, the studio's eagerness to have the film be a summer hit for them affected production and development quite a bit. In my view nether Disney for Columbia really understood what to do with the franchise.
March 22, 2009, 1:48 a.m. CST
by Dingbatty
from the 70's on, I'm well aware of the boundary pushing of Henson et al (especially in the product spots he did before I was born), and the edginess of The Muppet Show, and the soulfulness that Sesame Street used to exude (later to be found in Fraggle Rock). But...perhaps innuendo wasn't an accurate enough term. Whitmire has had Kermit act downright perverted, or disgusting, on various appearances. Perhaps cute innuendo works with some of the other characters, but Kermit shouldn't be going above and beyond. The gentle, affable, and sensitive side of Henson I meant to be exemplified by Kermit, the nucleus of the group, not necessarily every character.
March 22, 2009, 2:09 a.m. CST
by Dingbatty
Henson made on Arsenio. Arsenio kept trying to persuade Henson to have Kermit say something sexual but Jim refused (but he did give in with Rowlf, to assuage Arsenio's inappropriate goading). A blogger describes the interview in detail:
http://tinyurl.com/beingblue
I wish I could find a youtube video, but could only find this later -- and one of his last -- appearances
http://tinyurl.com/34f6v3
March 22, 2009, 11:44 a.m. CST
by BizarroJerry
While part of me does hate to hear the "wrong" voices coming out of classic characters, I think it would be a shame to just have those characters fade away forever. I like the attempt to keep these characters alive and kicking. I wonder if the continued success of Sesame Street has helped keep the characters, alive, too. I don't even think they appear on it, but it may help.
March 22, 2009, 12:51 p.m. CST
by necgray
Go check out the Capone interview with Paul Rudd and Segel. He talks about not wanting the film to come off as cynical, that he wants it to be genuine.
March 22, 2009, 12:56 p.m. CST
by necgray
See, this is the exact same kind of thing Fireproof would do. Be a dick about the Muppets and then act "reasonable" about it when I confronted him.
 Yeah, you DID strike a nerve. The same nerve that gets struck anytime anyone around here has something they dearly love trashed or dismissed. When I talked shit about The Dark Knight script I got flamed worse than Sergeant Howie. It comes with the territory. I love the Muppets, I'm excited for the Segel script, and you're in here trying to knock the film AND the characters for irrelevant reasons.
March 22, 2009, 1:03 p.m. CST
by necgray
Disney's not responsible for Muppet From Space, no. But they ARE responsible for the mostly atrocious TV movies and direct-to-DVD crap. Which are ALL aimed at children. Which is what kills me about Disney owning the rights. They think Muppets = children's entertainment. Hopefully Segel's script is reminding them otherwise.
 This is why your argument about "kids don't care" is irrelevant. You're thinking like Disney. In fact, you sould like a Disney sycophant. Which is fine, but at least admit it. And then go watch "The Frog Princess" with its FIRST BLACK PRINCESS, HOLY SHIT!!! Take that, Song of the South!
March 22, 2009, 2:50 p.m. CST
by baaba_pappa
March 22, 2009, 4:41 p.m. CST
by Emperor_was_a_jerk
Sounds like a "fan fiction" version of the Muppets.
March 22, 2009, 9:06 p.m. CST
by FeralAngel
Whine all you want about Disney's direct-to-DVD stuff (I don't care for most of it myself) - but it's far more bearable than that little red dickwad and his ear-raping voice. Bet the Disney DVDs sell a shitload more than anything the Muppets ever did, too. Which is no doubt why you sound bitter, Muppet sycophant that you are.
March 22, 2009, 9:11 p.m. CST
by FeralAngel
Sounds too stupid, even for Segal. But not too stupid for modern-day Muppets, unfortunately.
March 22, 2009, 11:08 p.m. CST
by necgray
What does Elmo have to do with our discussion of non-Sesame Street Muppets? Is there any mention in the script review of Elmo making an appearance in the movie? No. So what's your point, exactly?
 And for the record, I don't give a rat's ass how many DVDs Disney has sold featuring the Muppets. What does that have to do with being excited about this script review and the potential movie that will come from it? What is the point of your naysaying? What are you hoping to accomplish? It's a bizarre argument you make: "kids don't care about the Muppets" yet "Disney DVDs sell a shitload more than anything the Muppets ever did". So which is it? DO kids care and make their parents buy the Disney DVDs or don't they?
March 23, 2009, 11:32 a.m. CST
by FeralAngel
...over the weekend, according to Variety, the dude might be well advised to stop talking about Muppets altogether. Apparently they're boxoffice poison, even if they don't actually appear in a film. Hee heee. Actually, the truth is probably that people are getting a little tired of Segal making the same lameass comedy over and over, full of limpdick fratboy humor, and just changing the titles to make them seem fresh. And that's why the film opened so weakly....nahh, it's the Muppets. That appearance with Jimmy Fallon and the two old man puppets with the wrong voices was downright embarrassing. People probably thought, good god, I'm not spending 10 bucks to watch the work of a guy who gets hot over puppets, how lame is that? (I can already hear Necgray's forehead vein pounding. LOLOL!)
March 25, 2009, 2:34 p.m. CST
by FleshMachine
"boring"? that says more about you than that great clip.
June 12, 2009, 2:14 p.m. CST
by Coleberg
I ADORE The Muppet Christmas Carol. Not as a muppet film, but as a film. The wit, the charm, the warmth of the muppets are there with wonderful music, the great story of Dickens and great acting of Michael Caine and the other humans. The thing is that the humans and Muppets in the film are on pretty level footing: even though Scrooge is played by a human there are still only a grand total of four human adults (and some kids playing, but let's forget them). I can understand disappointment if you went into it expecting it to be about Kermit and Miss Piggy, because it wasn't. Nor was Muppet Treasure Island. But MCC reaches so many different emotions, perhaps more than it could have with a muppet scrooge or with pre-known ghosts guiding him. The focus wasn't on making a good muppet movie, but a good movie, and I believe they wildly succeeded. Muppet Treasure Island, after 15 minutes of very uneven tone, shifts into full blown muppet silliness with songs like Cabin Fever and Professional Pirate. Again, the human contribution to the story is significant. Perhaps this is why I hated A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie: All the humans were overacting wildly, it's in fact the only muppet movie I turned off. The story was unappealing, the atmosphere was stiff and the cameos were many and pointless, rather than the brilliance of, say, John Cleese and Peter Ustinov in Caper or the magnitude of Michael Caine's performance in Carol. My favourite muppet film as a Muppet Film is The Great Muppet Caper: I find The Muppets Take Manhattan and even (don't kill me here) The Muppet Movie to be bland, fine for kids but with little to offer to a full family viewing it. The Great Muppet Caper is so incredibly funny that anyone can enjoy it, not mellowing at any point from the utter hilarity of the script and characters. I fear this sounds too similar in premise and style to Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (with an even more egotistic name to boot) for me to be able to enjoy it. Still, I eagerly await more chances to see the felt friends of childhood restored.
Feb. 15, 2010, 2:19 a.m. CST
by TmvEqK
xrpAVfj EogiMc
Feb. 15, 2010, 2:20 a.m. CST
by TmvEqK
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Larry Montgomery, member with Glankler Brown PLLC, has been named a Top Lawyer in American Lawyer/Corporate Counsel's 2013 Top Rated Lawyers in Insurance Law, based on his Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating.
Montgomery's area of practice focuses on insurance coverage and insurance broker defense work, as well as the defense of banks, both open and closed. The business of defending the directors and officers of closed banks has seen a boost in the past five years with the FDIC having closed 300 to 400 banks, Montgomery said. It's a work situation similar to that of the Savings & Loan failures in the 1980s and 1990s.
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It's a niche that grew from experience gained at previous firms at which he worked over the years, such as Armstrong Allen; Humphreys, Dunlap, Wellford, Acuff & Stanton; and McDonnell Dyer.
Montgomery was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and raised in Atlanta. Planning all along to be an attorney, he knew it was important to find an undergraduate program with a high acceptance rate into law school. With an acceptance rate of 90 percent, that school turned out to be Georgia Tech, where he studied management and took the mound as pitcher for the Yellow Jackets baseball team for four years.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in industrial management, with honors, in 1978, he went to Emory University Law School and, while there, interviewed with Armstrong Allen, the firm that would bring him to Memphis.
As a new lawyer, his practice focused on employee benefits and in the area of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). He said he "quickly concluded that that's not what I wanted to do, and quickly got into commercial litigation."
That change would come with Humphreys Dunlap.
"In the back of my mind, I always thought I was going to be a litigator," Montgomery said.
Though most of his insurance work gets resolved on summary judgment, the bank work does see him in court more often. It's a challenge he enjoys as long as the detailed preparation has been done ahead of time.
"I think what you do before you get into court is frequently more important than what happens in court," he said. "Court is exciting and fun, and we've got good judges around here and we've got good lawyers. I would put Memphis' lawyers up against the lawyers from any city in the country."
He joined Glankler Brown in 1995 and has grown over time into his specialty. He enjoys the work he does and his adopted hometown, never considering a move back to Georgia or Florida. He considers it an honor to have been singled out as a top-rated insurance lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell.
"We can hold our own with anybody in the country on insurance coverage work," he said. "We work with firms from New York, D.C., L.A., Chicago, and we always hold our own with them, that's for sure."
Montgomery's pride extends to the legal community at large.
"I'm proud of the Memphis Bar," he said. "We have a lot of good lawyers in Memphis."
He has litigated in state and federal trial and appellate courts in, among other jurisdictions, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
When he's not in court or plowing through law books, Montgomery enjoys spending time with his wife, Frances, a portrait broker, and their three sons: William, 26; Vance, 24, a student at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law; and Selden, 16.
You may not find yourself across the defense table from him in court, but you might pass – or be passed by – Montgomery on the Shelby Farms Greenline. The one-time college athlete is an avid cyclist who tries to get in 150 miles per week.
"That is the most diverse, great place in town," he said of the Greenline. "That strip of asphalt is one of the greatest things that's happened in this town in 32 years. It's amazing to me."
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iOS app bug fixes and user experience advice and improvements.
Budget $25-50 AUD / hour
I have an iOS app that is 95% complete. The app is basically a wrapper for a 3rd party app but has my own client application form and pass through login to the third party app.
- The app shuts down on a form submit so this needs fixing.
- It has a PDF viewer within the third party app that needs a close button added. Currently the app needs to be force closed to exit the PDF.
- I need to add an activity indicator to a WebView and increase the speed of the web load.
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- I would like my project setup properly in GitHub with correct version control management
- The app build is quite messy and looks to have been built with Objective C and SWIFT together so a cleanup might be good too.


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Employees plan major stir against govt
Anger is brewing among the employees who are awaiting their salaries and other incentives for months.punjab Updated: Aug 30, 2013 18:43 IST
Anger is brewing among the employees who are awaiting their salaries and other incentives for months.
Various employee organisations have planned to finalise their course of action in a meeting in Ludhiana on September 7.
Punjab Subordinate Services Federation (PSSF) state president, Satish Rana, said lakhs of employees were facing big financial crisis, the contractual Hindi teachers were not being paid for the last 18 months. "The finance minister has asked the employees to either avail DA instalment or get arrears. No employee is reposniosble for the poor economy of the state. This is not for the first time that their salaries are delayed but this time the wait seems unending," said Rana.
He alleged that the government had also failed to implement pay commission's recommendations or fill up vacant posts. "Instead of rising perks, the government was curtailing down its expenditure on employees. Thousands of contract workers were awaiting permanent job but they have also been left in the lurch," added Rana, claiming that employee organisations would converge in Ludhiana to chalk out the line of action against the government.
First Published: Aug 30, 2013 18:42 IST


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Whoops.. I know it has been a while but 2011! What can I say, it has been a busy busy time.. We bought a house, renovated a house and had a baby! Business continues to be busy and at times I have struggled to keep up with orders but a couple of hours packing in the early hours when the little fella is asleep usually does it! We have more and more wholesale customers from cafes and restaurants around the country and have introduced some new pricing for small retailers/makers who regularly order 10+ metres. Contact us for details if you are interested. I also continue to be amazed and delighted by the way our oilcloth is used by talented customers, more of that to come..
Friday, 17 May 2013
Is it really that long??
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Join our campaign to protect Green Belt and AONB in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bath from housing
Monday, 10 August 2015
Odd Down FC statement
This is from the www.sulisdown.com web site Summary ODFC provide an important football club and community facility alongside Combe Hay Lane and as such, wish to participate in the planning and master planning process for Sulis Down, reflecting the objectives of Place Making Principle 10 within Policy B3A of the BANES Core Strategy 2014. With limited resources at its disposal, the club will take a cautious approach to assessing options during the master planning and subsequent stages, but at this point wish to remain open minded and rule nothing out, especially if this would result in long term benefits for the football club and the community. We also recognise the potential significance of providing upto 80 local homes, including affordable housing, here in Bath. We therefore wish to work with the other landowners at Sulis Down and the Council to explore the opportunities and constraints that may arise from Policy B3A and its Placemaking Principles and support the proposed master plan. Background ODFC owns the Lew Hill Memorial Ground, off Combe Hay Lane, Odd Down. The Ground, which comprises approximately 2.2 hectares of land, is allocated in the Council's Core Strategy 2014, as part of a mixed use development scheme ad joining Odd Down, known as Sulis Down. The Club was founded in 1901, playing on various local pitches before setting up their ground at Combe Hay Lane, which the Club purchased in 1952, known as the Lew Hill Memorial Ground. A social Club was opened in 1972. Currently the Club play in the Premier Division of the Western League. The ground has one full professional playing pitch and a smaller training ground. Both are grass and play is limited to, at most, 2 or 3 matches a week depending on conditions.Income for the Club (there are player and match fees to pay) is produced from many sources, chiefly a popular social club (approximately 500 members) – open every day/evening and which attracts 250 on a good evening. Membership is drawn from Bath, almost exclusively and mostly local to Odd Down. It is the largest social focus for Odd Down. The Clubroom (which has accommodated 400) is used for parties - business seminars, funeral wakes etc. and has good facilities. As well as football, the Club has 5 skittle teams and darts teams and runs many events for the older population. The grounds have good car parking and the club has contractual arrangements for daily parking with St. Gregory's School and New Sixth, as well as the GP Surgery in Sulis Manor Road.The car park accommodates vehicles for other activities – for using mobile vehicles (training, screening etc) and runs a weekly weekend Farmers' Market with a regular handful of stalls. The professional pitch is flood lit and must maintain a minimum crowd capacity and facilities to compete in the relevant league. The Club is managed carefully to balance its books and has a very local membership. Its business model works and balances its market with the particular management level and price point it has.There is understandable concern that its business model could easily fall out of balance if running costs, membership costs, location, character etc change. But it does need capital investment, especially to keep an offer that works for existing and new families. It would like to do more work to bring school age children into the game and swaps facilities with St Gregory's School at both summer and winter seasons.The Club would like to develop a new Clubhouse facility, ideally located above improved changing rooms and storage. Such facilities might include separate function rooms as well as the Social Club. Existing boundaries to the club are overgrown and in poor condition and in places unauthorised access is an issue. Planning Position The Lew Hill Memorial Ground extends to about 2.2 hectares and is bounded by Combe Hay Lane to the west and Sulis Manor Road to the north and Sulis Meadows immediately to the east. Since the adoption of the Core Strategy in 2014, the grounds are allocated for redevelopment as part of the mixed use scheme at Sulis Down, as reflected in Policy B3A, the Concept Plan and numerous Placemaking Principles. The relevant policy for the ground is Placemaking Principle 10, which states: 10 Retain and/or enhance the Odd Down Football Club (Football Pitches, Clubhouse and changing facilities, play area, local market and car park) either: (i) in its current location; or (ii) by re - providing the Football Club with an equivalent facility within the area (extract from BAN ES Core Strategy 2014) Those responsible at ODFC did not seek to allocate the Memorial Ground for new housing, however the opportunity to enhance the football club facilities as referred to above, is something which the club wishes to fully explore and pa rticipate in. The redevelopment of land immediately alongside the Memorial Ground for atleast 300 homes, is also of great interest to the club as it wishes to develop its community facilities that complement new housing, whilst supporting the football club into the future. Therefore the production of a master plan that reflects the elements and opportunities expressed in Placemaking Principle 10 is desirable at this stage. The provision of an equivalent facility within the area is clearly a significant concern of the club, should it contemplate relocating. A number of options within Sulis Down have been tabled and the club will carefully assess these alongside other alternatives in due course. The club understands that the Memorial Ground could accommodate up to 80 new homes within Sulis Down and consequently appreciates the significance of such a housing provision, including an element of affordable housing, which is much needed in Bath. Nevertheless the location of the Memorial Ground is important to the community it currently serves, including the Social Club, St Gregory's School and New Sixth and the GP Surgery. Therefore seeking to balance all those needs, together with the future needs of the football club will form part of this master planning process and decisions of the club in the future. Enhancing existing facilities at the Memorial Ground will also be examined carefully, particularly if this can provide an enhanced community role in Sulis Down and secure a strong future for the football club. Participation The club has participated in the earlier Core Strategy process and has worked alongside the Hignett Family Trust, who have continued to promote Sulis Down. The club engaged in the earlier public exhibition and workshops and will participate in the master planning workshops with the Council, however due to limited resources, the club will not be committing to future, at risk, expenditure through a Joint Planning Performance Agreement (PPA). Nevertheless the chairman and other officers of the club will try to attend relevant workshop events and support the landowners as they draw up the master plan. Its is hoped that this Position Statement and the participation of the club, demonstrates that achieving the outcomes set out in the Placemaking Principles is fully supported by the club. Therefore options to retain the club in its current location or to relocate it nearby, need to be reflected in the master plan. The alternatives should in either case, lead to enhancement of the club and to a secure future. Because the club also serves an important social function to the community of Odd Down, the relocation of the social club function would be extremely sensitive. Alternative locations on Sulis Down have been provisionally assessed at public workshops and whilst it is premature to reach any firm conclusions, locations in the immediate vicinity of Combe Hay Lane would be more likely to address the requirements of the club. The landowners and the Council will examine the constraints and opportunities of these options and reflect these in the master plan. Future Decisions The chairman and other officers of the club will engage in the planning process to ensure that the interests of Odd Down Football Club are understood and protected. Ultimately the conclusions of this process will be discussed and approved by members of the club following any recommendations from the chairman and other officers. The formation of a master plan will be a useful step in this process and will provide greater clarity to the club.
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text: Guido van Rossum wrote: > > [...] a generator doing cleanup depending on the > exception thrown (like the transactional() example below) can > *catch* the exception thrown if it wants to and doesn't have to > worry about re-raising it. I find this more convenient for the > generator writer. Against this was brought in that the > generator *appears* to suppress an exception that it cannot > suppress: the transactional() example would be more clear > according to this view if it re-raised the original exception > after the call to db.rollback(). [...] Of course, the explicit re-raise is only needed in a minority of use cases where the exception is caught. Two additional points in favour of this: - refactoring a naked try as a with + template is more direct and uniform across all use cases. - it is upwards compatible if the prohibition on templates suppressing exceptions is ever reconsidered. (Flow control macro discussion not withstanding.) - Arnold


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Weekend Round-Up
February 28, 2011 § Leave a comment
This has been the view from our balcony for the last few days! Not exactly a cheery sight however much (like me) you may be fond of shades of grey. I can't say that the view is all that beautiful on a sunny day but this last week of weather has been so ashen and dingy everything is looking particularly grim. So, we spent the best part of the weekend snuggled up inside, shielding ourselves from the winter gloom.
To fight off these climate induced doldrums, here's are some little things that cheered my spirit:
- home-made peanut butter on warm, crispy toast (delicious and simple recipe found here)
- alfalfa shoots sprouted in jam-jars on our windowsill
- finding an old tea-tray with the same William Morris print that I remember so fondly from my childhood as wallpaper in my mum's bedroom
- the baby leaves of our first basil crop tentatively poking through their soil
So, whilst it may be grey and dismal outside, inside our little sanctuary there are some optimistic signs of Spring. And we intend to keep it that way until the seasons catch up with us. Bring on the green……!


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February 12, 2014 16:45 ET
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 12, 2014) - Solutions4CO2 Inc. ("S4CO2" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:SFC) announces that the Board of Directors has approved as of February 7, 2014, the grant of an aggregate of 838,250 stock options (the "Options") to eligible participants of the Company's stock option plan (the "Plan"). The Options are exercisable into common shares of the Company at exercise prices between $0.30 and $0.60, with vesting over various periods, all in accordance with the Plan.
About Solutions4CO2 Inc:
Solutions4CO2 is a Canadian company that develops innovative waste-gas, water, biomass to high-value co-product solutions using proprietary and licensed technologies under the trademarks Integrated Biogas Refinery™ ("IBR") and Bio-Extraction Process™ ("BEP"). The IBR integrates best in class technologies to convert various organic waste streams into high-value algae co-products. The BEP utilizes a liquid to liquid solvent extraction process to extract and fractionate high-value co-products from shrimp by-products. Solution4CO2's business model allows the company to participate in joint-venture projects with partners across the waste-to-high-value co-product value chain, or sell projects on a design, build, operate and maintain basis.
Forward-looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on Solutions4CO2's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information, please visit www.s4co2.com.
Solutions4CO2 Inc.Douglas Kemp-WelchCEO416-803-9435, extension 101Solutions4CO2 Inc.Dil VashiManager Corporate Development416-803-9435, extension 104www.s4co2.com
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So, what are you wearing?
Oops, sorry about that. I'm just practicing for my job as a phone sex operator.
I'm not actually a phone sex operator… I just sound like one, thanks to the cold in my chest. I was sick last month around this time, the PH and I have both been sick for the past few days and I'm having chest pains from anxiety on top of it all.
Yikes, what a depressing post this is, huh? I don't think someone should be allowed to write such "poor me, I'm sick, wah!" stuff on a blog called "Funny Gals," do you?
In the spirit of happier news, I will say it was a nice Christmas. Caroling with SJ and her neighbors (Molly was a hit in a white feather collar with red and green blinking lights), Christmas Eve with my family (a nice quiet dinner and then Midnight Mass) and Christmas Day with the PH's family (a raucous good time). And our gift to ourselves was a digital camera so I think I should warn you ahead of time that the 2007 version of this blog is probably going to be filled with lots more photos of Molly than in the past. And SJ has one now too (she's such a copycat!) so perhaps some photos of Bailey, her new car, the results of her amazing cooking and J first thing in the morning will make some appearances.
I hope everyone is in good spirits (and good health!) I'm sure we'll do some sort of year-end wrap-up type thing one of these days. But right now, I'm too tired to think about it. Besides, my next customer is calling…
So many books...
4 years ago


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How beautifully that pattern translated into a rug. And Dawn did an amazing job of capturing the same essence in her wool as a glass artist would with their glass. Excellent!!ReplyDelete
This rug is like a painting. It's a masterpiece. Very foxy! Very beautiful!ReplyDelete
These are such nice modern rugs.ReplyDelete