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Subject: I have found a DVD that I think you would enjoy
|Anything Goes
Actors: Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, Zizi Jeanmaire, Mitzi Gaynor, Phil Harris
Director: Robert Lewis
Genres: Classics, Music Video & Concerts, Musicals & Performing Arts
NR 2005 1hr 46min
In ANYTHING GOES, Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each 'discovers' the perfect leading lady for the star female role. Unfortunately, they each promise the role to th... more »
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"Anything Goes"....Hollywood-style
Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 11/24/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"ANYTHING GOES was Bing Crosby's final film with Paramount, and was perhaps an attempt to capatalise on the huge success of WHITE CHRISTMAS (but more about that later). Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor and lithsome ballet star Zizi Jeanmaire appear alongside.
The film really bears no similarity to the Broadway "Anything Goes" save for the wonderful Cole Porter score (and even that has been somewhat ransacked with several inferior additions from Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen). The original production of "Anything Goes" was written by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, with later revisions by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The film ditches the entire original story in favour of a Sidney Sheldon-penned screenplay.
The story concerns a suave Broadway star (Bing Crosby) who is paired with a brash TV personality (Donald O'Connor) in a new Broadway show. Whilst on separate vacations, they each hire who they believe is the ideal leading-lady for the upcoming show: a pretty blonde American showgirl (Gaynor) and a dramatic Parisian cabaret star (Jeanmaire). They all board the luxury liner headed back to New York, trying their best to decide on which girl they will have to drop...but of course, love wins the day.
With the huge success of WHITE CHRISTMAS, Paramount hoped to capatilise on it's success by having Bing star in another 4-hander "catalogue" musical, built around the Cole Porter-"Anything Goes" score. What emerged was hardly a hit, but ANYTHING GOES is a charming afternoon of entertainment.
Zizi Jeanmaire is ideally-showcased in 2 routines staged by her husband Roland Petit: a rousing "I Get a Kick Out of You" and a striking "Dream Ballet". Her acting is well-judged and she offers an all-round accomplished performance in her second feature film (following HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN). Mitzi Gaynor and her bubbly screen energy is in fine form here, performing the Title Number as well as "It's De-Lovely" with O'Connor.
Capable character actors Phil Harris and Kurt Kasznar are featured in good supporting roles. Look closely for Bess Flowers, the legendary "featured extra", in the ship dining-room sequences.
Paramount's DVD offers a pristine 16:9 image, though sadly no extra features whatsoever. But ANYTHING GOES was never even released on videocassette, so a DVD release of this film has been a nice surprise."
Great Porter songs + Great cast = less than great movie musi
Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 09/27/2005
(2 out of 5 stars)
"First of all, the movie has almost nothing in common with Cole Porter's celebrated 1934 stage success. Aside from the title and 5 of the songs, it is a complete original.
The plot makes little sense: Bing Crosby is an aging Broadway star that teams up with a hot new TV personality for a new Broadway musical. All they need is a leading lady. In London, Crosby signs Mitzi Gaynor unaware that his partner has signed Zizi Jeanmaire in Paris. It gets sorted on during the trans-Atlantic voyage home. The complication? Crosby falls for Jeanmaire and O'Connor falls for Gaynor.
The wrap up is contrived, and the songs have nothing to do with the plot or character development. Augmenting the five hits from Porter's stage score (Anything Goes, I Get a Kick out of You, You're the top, All Though the Night, & Blow Gabriel Blow) are one other Porter song (from RED HOT AND BLUE - It's Delovely) and three new (and forgettable) songs by James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
Still, it is a better film than the 1936 version - but not by much.
Anything Goes--up to a point, that is...
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 03/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Anything Goes boasts a great cast. Bing Crosby and Donald O'Connor play two entertainers called Bill Benson and Ted Adams respectively; and Mitzi Gaynor and Zizi Jeanmarie play dancing actresses named Patsy Blair and Gaby Duval respectively.
The plot revolves around the world of entertainment. Bill and Ted are going to perform in a Broadway show together; and with their terribly fat egos both men simply assume that they have the exclusive prerogative to choose the leading lady for the show. On the bright side, both Bill and Ted choose very talented young ladies to play the leading female role. Bill chooses American dancer Patsy Blair; and Ted chooses the French starlet Gaby Duval. However, trouble heats up fast when neither man can get up the gumption to tell one of the two ladies that she is not needed for the show after all. When all four of them are on a ship headed from Europe to New York where the show will open things only become more complicated. How will Bill and Ted handle this sticky situation? Will they have a tug of war over which one has to do the dirty work of firing one of the ladies? Will each lady stay when they discover that only one of them is needed? No spoilers here, folks--you'll have to watch the movie to find out!
They all do a superlative job with the script that they're given which, by Hollywood musical standards, is still rather thin. The singing and dancing is what carries this movie, especially when Patsy (Mitzi Gaynor) and her male backup dancers perform "Anything Goes." I loved the panache with which Gaby Duval (Zizi Jeanmarie) and her backup dancers perform both "I Get A Kick Out Of You" as well as the extravagant and elegant "dream sequence" when Gaby imagines herself dancing with people in Times Square. Other musical numbers are more ordinary or even forgettable, especially the one in which Donald O'Connor as Ted Adams dances with some children on the ship to New York. Then again, the finale of the cast performing "Blow Gabriel Blow" has style and good taste; and "Blow Gabriel Blow" is a strong number to end this film.
The Technicolor still shines and the crystal clear sound will please you, too. The choreography of the dance scenes stuns you with its fastidious attention to detail and the cinematography frames the characters well in each frame. Excellent job on both counts!
The DVD offers nothing in the way of extras. You can view the whole movie straight through or just select scenes you wish to watch again; but that's the extent of it, I'm afraid. Sigh.
Nevertheless, Bing Crosby fans will delight in this version of Anything Goes. He sings and dances very, very well--and he makes it all look so easy. Of course, Donald O'Connor sparkles like the true champ that he always was in all his dancing scenes. Donald's energy, combined with the energy of Mitzi Gaynor and Zizi Jeanmarie, pops out at you and all three performers dance and sing to hold your attention well.
I must caution that the plot runs thin in this movie. However, many musicals of this era had this characteristic so perhaps you won't be surprised. I recommend this movie for fans of the great Hollywood musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. In the final analysis, I give Anything Goes four stars instead of five because of the thin plot and a few numbers that just don't quite do the trick.
Anything Goes 50's Style
Joel D. Arndt | University Heights, OH USA | 10/01/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While MGM was soaring to new creative heights with their screen adaptations of Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate (1953) and Silk Stockings (1957) and originals High Society (1956) and Les Girls (1957), Paramount produced this watered-down completely new version of his Anything Goes. Paramount filmed Porter's Anything Goes twice, in 1936 and 1956, both versions starring Bing Crosby. They didn't get it right either time, but if you forget the source material the 1956 version represented here, while not a classic, is still an enjoyable movie in its own right.
This is a musical and what's most important are the songs and dances which are handled very well by the talented cast headed by Crosby and co-starring Donald O'Connor, Zizi Jeanmaire and Mitzi Gaynor. When the plot gets a bit stale which is often it's interrupted by a lively song or dance. Five of Porter's songs from the original stage production are represented here:
1) Anything Goes- a very colorful number with a typically exuberant Gaynor performance. Note the lyric change from "four-letter words" to "three-letter words".
2) I Get a Kick Out of You- performed by Jeanmaire with a male chorus in a style obviously influenced by Bob Fosse.
3) All Through the Night- sung well by Crosby by moonlight on shipboard and danced by Jeanmaire in the obligatory '50's dream sequence ballet.
4) You're the Top- performed by the four principals in a split-screen technique to show off the "wonders" of VistaVision.
5) Blow, Gabriel, Blow- the big finale with all four stars.
One number, It's De-Lovely, interpolated from Porter's 1936 stage show Red, Hot and Blue, is given enjoyable treatment sung and danced by O'Connor and Gaynor.
With all due respect to the very talented Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen the three new songs pale in comparison to the Porter tunes although they work better visually than just listening to them on the soundtrack album.
The DVD transfer is very good. The first few minutes display a bit of color fading, but after that the image becomes much more crisp with movie musical colors that pop. The soundtrack sounds good, also. Typical of studios other than Warner's, Paramount does not include any extras on this disc, not even the trailer if it still exists, which is a bit disappointing. It may have been interesting if they had included the 1936 version, however, I'm sure that ownership would be an issue since Universal owns most of Paramount's pre-1948 film catalogue.
Overall I recommend this movie as a chance to see four stars performing at their peak to a few of the best songs ever written in a motion picture of the type they don't make anymore. One thing that really comes across is that the four stars really seemed to enjoy working together. While this version of Anything Goes didn't break any new ground in the evolution of the movie musical, it's an agreeable time filler that moves very quickly.


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Wednesday, January 16 2019
BayTech Institute of Trades and Technology is registered as a Private Occupational Training Organization under the Private Occupational Training Act. BayTech was incorporated in 2005. The College is a member of the National Association of Career Colleges (NACC).
The mandate of BayTech is to deliver high level technical skills training and education to students as well as the employability skills needed to land a job and keep it. Using our close ties with the leaders from various industries ensures our current programs meet the needs of the industry.
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Wednesday, 23 June 2010
I can support this.
But sadly we have no choice: the financial mess Labour got us into has to be cleaned up. If Labour were in government, they'd have had to make similarly tough choices - though would they have had the nerve? They already had £23bn of cuts lined up for the coming year, so perhaps fewer crocodile tears from some of our local Labour politicians are in order.
The Budget takes necessarily difficult decisions in an honest and fair way, with Liberal Democrat values clearly ameliorating the worst excesses of Conservative dogma.
Key Lib Dem policies I campaigned for are well to the fore in this budget.
The £1,000 increase in the Income Tax allowance will mean that 880,000 low paid workers will be freed from Income Tax altogether. This is the first step towards delivering our manifesto commitment to ensure no-one pays tax on the first £10,000 they earn - Labour wouldn't have given you this.
The Budget introduces our promise of a new tax on banks, ensuring that they help to pay to clear up the mess they created.
Top earners will pay a full 10% more in Capital Gains Tax, with no loopholes or tapers or get-out clauses. This helps ensure those with the broadest shoulders take the greatest strain. It's not as much as we'd have liked, but it's more than the Tories wanted.
The budget guarantees a fair deal for pensioners, putting into effect the Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment to a "triple lock", so that state pensions rise every year in line with earnings, inflation, or by 2.5%, whichever is the highest. Never again will pensioners be allowed to fall behind - Labour had thirteen years and didn't give you this.
The Budget establishes a regional growth fund and regional national insurance support to help create new businesses and jobs right here in the north east.
Tackling child poverty is central to the government's approach. So while we have decided to cut child tax credits for those who can most afford it, we have increased tax credits for the poorest families and put up to £2b extra into child tax credits to help ensure children from the poorest backgrounds get a fair start in life - Labour had thirteen years and failed to eradicate child poverty.
These measures will ensure that the burden of deficit reduction is shared fairly by everyone.
This Government is being honest with people about the road ahead. Of course there are things in the budget I don't like. There are things in there that Lib Dems campaigned against, like the VAT rise. But that's because this is a coalition based on compromise which sees the party most people voted for mix policies with the Lib Dems. It's how coalitions work.
The alternatives are worse. Labour would not have reformed the tax system nor tackled the culture of overspending in government.
I don't like cuts and extra taxes, who does? I don't like the VAT increase, not least because it will harm my business, competing with off-shore internet-based supplement companies.
But without the VAT increase, public services would have been truly decimated, or our spiralling and unsustainable debt interest payments would have continued.
The Coalition has been open and fair. We now all know where we stand. We have a realistic and credible plan to get Britain's economy back on track.
A couple of tough years, with more tough choices to come, is something we will just have to grit our teeth and get on with. Rather this than the economic and financial meltdown Labour's policies were pushing us towards.
2 comments:
- james said...
Labour had no plans for retrenchment this financial year, Mike, as you well know - and by his own admission Osborne has cut further than the Tories had said before the election.
What worries me is what has worried me for weeks - there is no plan to "get the economy back on track".
There are a series of contradictory and ultimately deflationary measures which will make the export-led growth more difficult, and which will result in increased unemployment and falling living standards for ordinary people. (I think I've already pointed out that rather than making immediate retrenchment necessary, austerity measures will reduce demand across Europe, the UK's main export market, make the prospect of export-led growth much harder.)
Capital allowances for manufacturing firms will be reduced to pay for a tax cut for all corporations, irrespective of whether they are trading in domestic or export markets - this will make it harder for firms like Sheffield Forgemasters to expand.
Job losses in the public sector are unlikely to be mopped up by an expansion of the private sector - resulting in a rise in an over-all unemployment rise. The VAT rise will make life more expensive for many, which eats into purchasing power and will put pressure on retailers.
I fear we will see a return to recession both domestically and globally. Deficit spending is the only way to boost employment and enterprise when there's a stand-off by private investors - especially in a global recession.
The people who caused the crisis - men like Cameron, Osborne, Clegg, Laws, Huhne, etc. will not be hit hard by cuts. They will not lose their jobs, homes or businesses. This was a budget of class warfare by the rich against the rest, dressed up in the language of "fairness".
- 23 June 2010 at 15:48
- dizi izle said...
thank you
- 5 August 2010 at 11:17


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Report: Strike Freedom Gundam Ver.F 1/100 MG
Finally completed… my very first custom made Strike Freedom Gundam! And my very first custom made attempt on MG kit! Well, it should be a whole lot to be excited about and there are many imaginations and ideas running… but as I'm running out of time and material, everything end up to be a little short from what I have expected… some seam lines were not removed… some part still looks rough after sanding as i do not have a surface primer to cover the tiny flaws… anyway, I still enjoy the build very much and still I like this kit very much!
No modification on the head and body. For the shoulder armor, I sand it down further on the gap between upper and lower armor to reveal the inner frame. I had also modify the top pieces (the tiny gold part) to strike out (like the PG Strike Freedom).
Next, nothing much on the arms as well, just sand down the armor to reveal the inner frame and that's it. No modification on the armament as well. Everything remains the same as it is for the waist too.
For the leg, there's more modification done. Trim down the armor on the back to reveal the inner frame… and you should be able to see the two tone color on the ankle armor. Using light gray and white.
No modification on the wing itself, but I had modify the dragoon units by chopping them down to reveal the blink blink inner frame. Nothing major actually, just cut down half of the dragoon units, sand them accordingly. Well, I was not able to modify the wings to become like the PG… this is the best I can do to make it shows the inner frame on the wings.
Alright, let's round up a little summary here:
Gundam involved: Strike Freedom Gundam 1/100 MG
Tools and materials: Gloves, mask, Tamiya Putty White, Tamiya Finishing Abrasive P400, P800 & P2000, Mr, Cement, Diamond file, craft knife, cutter.
Paint and etc: Gundam Panel Liner Black and gray, Masking tape, Mr. Super Clear (flat), Tamiya Paint Marker X-11 Chrome Silver, Mr. Color Spray Can (light gray, white, silver) and Tamiya spray can (light gun metal, gold).
As what I mentioned previously, the color scheme is a mix of multi tone + phase shift armor. Light gray, white and the silver contrast very well, and light gun metal contrast well with the silver too. And the trademark blink blink gold inner frame was remained.
Here's the link to the gallery, hope you like it!
Report: GN-X-1.5 Custom 1/144 HG
Yup… finally get it done (in a rush) after a long delay… anyway, the name GN-X-1.5 denotes the color scheme from 1.5 Gundam… which is purple and white. At first I thought of using orange or so, but in the end decided to go for purple instead.
Gundam involved: GN-X HG, 00Q Full Saber Kit
Tools and materials: Pla-plate, gloves, mask, Tamiya Putty White, Tamiya Finishing Abrasive P400, P800 & P2000, Mr, Cement, Diamond file, craft knife, cutter.
Paint and etc: Gundam Panel Liner Black and gray, Mr. Color Thinner, Masking tape, Mr. Super Clear (semi gloss), Mr White Surfacer 1000, Tamiya Paint Marker X-11 Chrome Silver, Tamiya X-27 clear red, Mr. Color Spray Can (light gray) and Tamiya spray can (light gun metal, purple).
Overall, nothing huge and special… just do the basic sanding and removing seam line, but still my skill is not that good yet… manage to get rid for… only about 70-80% seam lines… anyway, there are great improvement compare to what I had done previously. Some noticeable changes are the extra hole on the knee, re-position the chest V-fin to rear shoulder, addition of Full Saber to the right arm and some pla-plate or thrusters addition here and there.
Main objective is still to remain this kit nice, simple and clean. Well, overall satisfied with the kit, especially like the clear red effect on the GN-Drive and head. And I always wanted to get rid of the V-fin from the chest… Seems like I had been doing a lot of unsymmetrical Gundam recently… haha… hope you will like this kit. For more pictures, visit the gallery here.
Report: Infinite Justice Gundam Unlimited Mode 1/100 NG
Finally, here's a more detail report on my custom made project: the concept is simple, Infinite Justice is well known with it's slim and yet energetic design, therefore I would like to try to emphasize on this point. In the end, I decided to throw the whole flyer backpack away as it gives a "bulky" feel. Now the kit looks really slim… but a little empty. Therefore I decided to build a backpack for it and also some new armaments to bulk it up a little, and yet still looking slim, sleek and sexy. Anyway, here's the outcome and I am not sure whether I had reached all my objectives or not… let you decide 🙂
Gundam involved: Infinite Justice Gundam 1/100 NG, Sword Impulse Gundam 1/100 NG, Gundam Astray Red Frame MG, Gundam Astray Red Frame 1/60 PG.
Tools and materials: Pla-plate, gloves, mask, Tamiya Putty White, Tamiya Finishing Abrasive P400, P800 & P2000, Mr, Cement, Tamiya Clear Soft Plastic Beams (round 3mm), Diamond file, 2.5mm Drill, craft knife, cutter, clear plastic sheet.
Paint and etc: Gundam Marker Black, Gundam Panel Liner Black and gray, Mr. Color Thinner, Masking tape, Mr. Super Clear (semi gloss), Mr White Surfacer 1000, Tamiya Paint Marker X-11 Chrome Silver, Mr. Color Spray Can (Metal Black, Light Gun metal, light gray)
Here are all the extra accessories I had included for this baby… ignore the rifle grip at the bottom as it is not suppose to be in here ^^ anyway, full range of beam effect parts are all here… at first I thought of changing the red clear parts into clear green… but my bottle paint is a little too old and the paint inside is not that good condition anymore, so I decided to stay original…
Attached the thruster from the original flyer backpack…
and added two more thrusters… the middle one is the original thruster
Here's the gigantic sword I made from Sword Impulse's sword + Astray Blue Frame's handle
Details from the top…
I believe the changes I'd made are quite obvious and nothing much need to say about it as well… previous posting has also some info and pictures on it… so let's move on to some posing shoots…
Overall, I must say I'm satisfy with this babe… although there are still a whole lot of room to improve on my skills… anyway, glad that it is done and the next Gunpla that I will make… hmm… probably have to wait for maybe a month or so as I am busy with my wok now… everyday… will still try my best to squeeze some time for Gunpla. So, here's the gallery and till then, take care everyone and have fun with your Gunpla ^^
Report: Unicorn Gundam Destroy Mode Custom 1/144 HG
Well… even though is a "Custom", actually nothing is changed besides the color scheme. This kit is not what I want to add into my collection after all, but thinking of to clear off my remaining metallic green paint left from my Astray Green Frame Custom… I decided to go for this kit ^^ anyway, in the end the green spray was not enough as you can see the knee psycho frame is in Gold instead… haha…
At first thought of want to pla plate this kit to make it bulkier… but in the end decided to leave it as it is and go for weathering… to be precise is "used" Gundam. I hope the picture can somehow show some detail as I can't really control the lighting well to show clearly the "used effect" I put on this kit… the method is the same with what I done for Exia Repair MG… you can browse the Modelling Guide tab above for more information 🙂
Although Unicorn Gundam Unicorn Mode HG and Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka MG were already within my collection, I will still give a brief review on this kit here. Overall very nice build with all details of the psycho frame being highlighted in such a small scale… oh boy, I can smell a RG Unicorn coming… haha… posing ability is great considering that this is just a HG kit, the only thing I want to comment about will be the absence of BEAM SABER CLEAR PARTS and the lack of display stand. I was really shock when I found out no beam saber clear part for this kit… sigh… anyway, if you are scratch building this kit, nothing to worry you except the color scheme of the beam rifle and the clear parts beside the neck is out of specification.
So, back to what I had done on this kit. Beside giving a "used" treatment on all the parts surface, I'd also work out some dry brushing with silver paint on some of the area. The color scheme I'm using is white (original plastic color), Gold (Gundam Marker), metallic green (tamiya spray can), metal black (Mr.Color spray can 78), silver (tamiya marker) and Gundam Marker real touch black and gray (for "used" effect). After all the painting job, just top coat it flat and I'm done.
All in all, nice kit to be added to your collection if you found the price for MG is heavy for you. Hope you like my "rushing work + silly paint job + poor modeling skill + shitty photography skill" custom made here… haha… oh yes, feel free to browse the gallery. Thank you.
Report: Gundam Astray Green Frame Close Combat Ver. 1/100 NG
It's been a long whole month… and finally it is done! Although there are many other things which I wish to do on this kit, but due to many reasons… I'd decided to skip them. Still there are a whole lot of room for improvement, but for now, this is what I had done and hope you guys will like it.
Gundam involved: Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second L 1/100, Gundam Astray Red Frame HG, Gundam Astray Red Frame Custom 1/100 MG, Gundam Astray Red Frame 1/60 PG.
Tools and materials: Pla-plate, gloves, mask, Tamiya Putty White, Tamiya Finishing Abrasive P400, P800 & P2000, Mr, Cement, Tamiya Clear Soft Plastic Beams (round 3mm), Diamond file, 2.5mm Drill, craft knife, cutter, clear plastic sheet.
Paint and etc: Gundam Marker Black & Gold, Gundam Panel Liner Black, Mr. Color Thinner, Masking tape, Mr. Super Clear (semi gloss), Mr White Surfacer 1000, Tamiya Paint Marker X-11 Chrome Silver, Mr. Color Spray Can (Metallic Green, Steel, Light Gray, Black)
For the Red Frame MG and PG, a few pieces of their clear parts were used in order to boost up my kit here, while the base kit is actually the NG 1/100 Blue Frame. And here's the final product…
Here's a brief introduction towards the modification I'd done. First, the head. Nothing major here except throwing the skirting around the cheek and added a panel line on the side of the head.
Next, the body actually got no major modification, just from change in color scheme. For the shoulder, I would say this is the most obvious changed part throughout the kit. The skirting close to the body is thrown away, follow by the top plate and rear plate. In exchange, the thrusters on the sword were moved here, besides adding some pla-plate and also some extra pieces of plastic to bold up the shoulder.
Nothing major for the arms as well. Just change in color scheme. As for the waist, the only noticeable change will be the shift of the dagger from leg to the waist. Besides that, the black skirting at the back was cut short on both left and right side to accommodate the present of the dagger. The black skirting also modified with extra piping. As for the backpack, you can see from the picture above that I had thrown away the sword supporting part and replaced with the new part I get from Astray Red Frame HG. This will allow smooth movement for the sword when it is attached to the back in Second form.
For the leg… some extra pieces were attached to it to make it look bulker, and I had thrown the existing part below the knee and replaced with silver piping. Other than that, the original hidden dagger under the leg was replaced with beam saber. The front skirting for the ankle was thrown away as well.
Well, last but not least, the sword. Just break it into two separate pieces and that's it. Refined with some pla-plate and added new joint to allow it to attach to the arms.
Well, I guess I had more or less wrapped up the modification project. Well, you will get a better idea on it if you can compare it with a 1/100 NG Blue Frame, but sadly I'd forgotten to take picture of it before my conversion… sorry for that. Anyway, feel free to browse more pictures in the gallery and till then, I have to take some rest first as I'm not really feeling well these few days… T.T still there are many flaws which you can observe clearly through the pictures, will do my best to work better next time. Meanwhile, hope you guys enjoy some pictures here.
Report: Gundam Exia R2 Seven Sword Custom 1/144 HG
Just assume that this kit is a prototype mobile suit for Gundam 00 Seven Sword and Gundam 00 QanT… therefore I'll just named it as it is now. Well, generally it took me 1 whole week to get this thing done. Working hours is about 5 hours to 6 hours each day… all the skills involve here… they are all new to me except sanding. Anyway, it's good to learn something new. Here's a list of material used:
Gundam involved: Gundam Exia R2 1/144 HG, Gundam Exia 1/144 HG, Destiny Gundam 1/144 HG, Mobile Pod Ball 1/100 MG, Gundam Astray Red Frame 1/60 PG, Hobby Japan XN-Raiser transformation pack
Tools and materials: Pla-plate, gloves, mask, Tamiya Putty White, Tamiya Finishing Abrasive P800 & P2000, Mr, Cement, Tamiya Clear Soft Plastic Beams (round 3mm), Diamond file, 2.5mm Drill, craft knife, cutter, clear plastic sheet
Paint and etc: Gundam Marker Black, Gundam Panel Liner Black & Grey, Mr. Color Thinner, Mr. Color Clear Green bottle paint, Masking tape, Mr. Super Clear (semi gloss), Mr White Surfacer 1000, Tamiya Paint Marker X-11 Chrome Silver, Mr. Color Spray Can (Steel, Light Gray, Black)
It sure sounds like a big chaos for involving so many Gunpla right? Haha… well, I only use a piece of two from the plastics of Mobile Pod Ball, Astray Red Frame and Destiny Gundam. Exia R2 and XN-Raiser are the main thing used in this project. Here's an overview of my custom made Exia R2.
I use the clear part of beam saber from other kit, since Exia beam saber is actually a whole piece of white plastic. Next, I made the extra XN sword with a palm gripping it. I had sticked them nicely together so that the weapon will not get loose from the hand during posing. And finally another extra fist for holding other things… beam saber most probably.
Here's a comparison between my model and original Exia R2. Starting from the bottom, I changed the color scheme for the leg, and I shaved the part right below the knee to review the inner frame of the leg… try to observe and you will see that original leg has a grey stripe in front of the leg right below the knee, which is very obvious and stand out, but for my kit I had throw that part away. A part from XN Raiser is added on top of the knee armor as shown in picture label 1. Just cement both part together and use putty to cover it nicely. There are some scratch mark on the knee which is due to my mistake in sanding T.T Next, I added the thrusters of Destiny Gundam onto Exia's thrusters as shown in label 2. Just cut out the part from Destiny, sand it into appropriate size and cement it. For the socket near the waist, since I want to put the GN Blade, so I'm using Exia's socket instead of R2's socket. All frames and joints are in Steel color, white silver, black ad light gray hit the rest.
Label 3 indicates the Duo-GN Sowrd. I got one extra Exia GN Sword as I had transformed my Exia into Astraea last time with the conversion kit from Dengeki Hobby. At first I want to create only one beam rifle and 2 swords… but due to limitation of skills =.=" I ended sticking the two rifle together, put a layer of putty and sand them. Then the swords were sprayed with steel color and one is painted with silver as well to create MG-like GN sword. For the shield, I added a soft rubber (PS) part to increase the strength of the connection between shield and rifle. I also cut off the part which increase the gap between the shield and the rifle, therefore my shield now stick directly to the rifle.
Label 4 shows the slightly modified shoulder armor. Inside the shoulder, there are visible seam line. Although it may not be that visible when the arm is posing, but still I'd put a pla plate in to cover it. For the exterior, I'd added a silver detail part at the front as you can see from the picture. That is a part I get from Astray Red Frame. Some pieces of the clear parts I received last time around and I didn't use it, so I just use them here instead. About the seam line on the shoulder, refer to the picture of the original R2 below for a clearer idea on what's going on.
Red line and yellow line indicate the most obvious seam line. Green line will not be visible after assembly. So, for yellow seam line, I simply add another stripe on the opposite side as shown in label 5… therefore you won't notice it is a panel line or seam line anymore! as for the read seam line, I shave down a little on both side, creating a "drain-like" mecha-detail, therefore manage to make the seam line become less visible as well as shown in label 6.
The beam saber is keep on the left hand elbow area. An extra part from the XN-Raiser is use to increase the distance between the beam saber holder (from Exia) and left hand as shown in label 7. Due to the need of this mechanism, the arm used here is Exia's arm instead of R2's arm. Label 7 also indicate the extra detail part I added on the "cut-short" shield. That part is from Mobile Pod Ball. Label 8 shows the modified shield. Generally I just cut the top part away and added a clear green plastic and a piece of pla-plate to clip the clear green part onto the shield. Therefore, my "Shield-Sword" is borned! Label 9 indicate the difference of waist rear skirting between my custom and original R2. The only changes I made is making the red orb larger. This is done by attaching the yellow orb of Destiny's shield on it.
Next, take a look at the mechanism added on the right shoulder for the XN-Sword. It is a very simple mechanism though. First, I stick a pla plate on the top of the shoulder. Then I drill a hole on the pla plate. Then the first part from the XN- Raiser kit is join by using the plastic round beam and secure on the shoulder. Next, the holder for the XN-Sword is originally in the shape. but in order to attach it to the part on the shoulder, I shave some of the plastic away and put in a soft rubber part (PS) as well. In the end, the whole mechanism manage to turn as shown by the red circle.
Beside the rear skirting modification, the front also received some treatment as well. The front skirting is removed, but I'm kinda regret doing so as it exposed the waist clearly… well, never mind then. Next, I added a panel line for the waist central… just like the one in Gundam 00 QanT. Finally, because I can't find the red orb for the front waist… (wonder where I lost it…) so I use another part from Astray Red Frame instead. Just stick it on and paint it… done. notice I'd remove the seam line on the leg? But the surface is still a little bit rough… And I also painted the arm joint in silver for some area.
Sorry if some of my explanation is not that clear. Feel free to ask any question or give any suggestion on how to solve the problems on my kit and how to improve it. Anyway, this is it… my very first custom made… will try on 1/100 kit next time when I have the mood and idea to do so ^^ till then, I'm off for my vacation and the Gallery will up for all my collections as soon as I sharpen my photography skills a bit and once I get hold on a better camera 🙂
Here's some snaps of action pose (all images click on it to enlarge):
Posing with the GN Shield-Sword
The XN-Sword can turn to the front and act as shield as well


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As you may recall, Blur/Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn wrote and recorded the score to a new opera last year called Dr. Dee, which is about the life of John Dee, a mathematician, alchemist, philosopher and advisor to Elizabeth I. The first taste of the set, "The Marvelous Dream," just dropped online, and thankfully it seems Albarn's definition of "opera" is fairly similar to "acoustic solo song." Nope, no fat women singing here. Listen above.
"The Marvelous Dream" is a somber acoustic fare with subtle, melancholy strings (courtesy of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra), woodwinds and backing vocals, and some unexpected tempo changes; Albarn goes from slow talk-singing about god fire-shooting tornadoes over London to rap-singing about boozing it up on the holidays. It's a gorgeous little ditty and hopefully a window into that long-awaited proper solo debut of his that's currently in the works.
If you like what you hear, Albarn will perform Dr. Dee songs at OneFest in the UK on April 14, and this summer during the Olympic Games the English National Opera will show performances of Dr. Dee at the London Coliseum.
Albarn is also (does the dude stop?) recording Blur's reunion album, recording with Flea as Rocket Juice and the Moon and helping with Bobby Womack (who sang on the last Gorillaz LP) on his next release. Yowza.
Like "The Marvelous Dream"? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.


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By Don KramerJune 13, 2008
FORT LEWIS, Wash. - For most of Sykes' Regulars, Baqubah was the source of their greatest pride and their worst nightmares.
The battle for the capital of Diyala Province during the U.S. troop surge of 2007, is already a topic of discussion among military analysts and historians.
"Baqubah was arguably the most significant campaign of the war in Iraq after the initial invasion was completed," said Dr. Bill Reeder, the chief of leader development at the I Corps Battle Command Training Center.
The 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment Soldiers remaining at Fort Lewis who joined that struggle went to a movie premiere of sorts on June 5, a viewing more sober than gala.
The BCTC staff spent months processing the battle with its participants, piecing together interviews, still photos and videos shot by Soldiers themselves. The aim was to produce a linear account on DVD of the extended battle in the hope of distilling lessons for the counterinsurgency fight and future U.S. warfare.
The BCTC staff conducted the interviews as part of its SLA Marshall series, which debriefs key personnel on video to capture living histories for the use of Soldiers, DA civilians and leaders of future operations.
Any Army Knowledge Online account holder with secure access can view the interview series on StrykerNet.com.
Recently, Reeder's team realized from the interviews, they could chronicle more complex combat situations. They assembled accounts of the Zarqa and Haifa Street battles, then tackled Baqubah as their most ambitious project.
When they finished, the former 5-20 Inf. commander, Lt. Col. Bruce Antonia, suggested the first showing of the 90-minute video be reserved for the Soldiers who fought and sacrificed in Baqubah.
"Lots of people are studying this battle," Antonia told the Soldiers assembled to watch. "You were involved in a hugely important, pivotal battle. Hopefully you'll pull (the DVD) out in about 20 years, pop it into the DVD player and say 'I was a part of this.'"
Task Force Regulars fought its way from neighborhood to neighborhood, taking back a city 35 miles northeast of Baghdad that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida-in-Iraq's notorious former leader, had declared the new Islamic state's capital.
The efforts of 5-20 Inf. lifted the fortunes of Operation Iraqi Freedom, validated the Multinational Forces commander, Gen. David Petraeus' counterinsurgency strategies and showed a nation turning more dubious of the conflict that U.S. forces could win the COIN struggle for Iraq a street at a time, despite the heavy price.
The Regulars embarked on what intelligence sources told them was to be a 24-hour operation to clear date palm groves; they found themselves instead in the early stages of a six-month struggle against a wide array of insurgents, including the most determined and sophisticated al-Qaida fighters anywhere in the world.
Task Force 5-20 rolled into a quiet Baqubah on March 13, but craters from detonated improvised explosive devices pocked the thoroughfares.
"There was nobody on the streets," Staff Sgt. Stuart Fowler said, currently assigned to the BCTC, a team leader during the battle who was among the first into the city. "It was kind of like a ghost town. There were some people about, but when we started rolling in there, things started kicking off. I mean deep buried IEDs, people getting injured, vehicles blowing up."
Combat started almost immediately. A 5-20 Inf. Soldier lost his life March 14 when his Stryker hit an IED; 14 more were wounded that day alone. Captain Ben Richards, commander of B Troop, 1st Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment said his unit hit two IEDs within its first 20 minutes in the city, contact that turned into a 12-hour small-arms gun battle.
"We really felt like we were being attacked by everybody," Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Huggins said. "Not just a couple of insurgents here and there. This was the whole neighborhood attacking you."
The battalion-plus walked and rode its Strykers into a major urban campaign, at minimum a brigade-sized fight, that lasted nearly three months until help finally arrived from a sister unit, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. When the rest of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division arrived, 5-20 Inf. used its hard-earned experience to spearhead the Arrowhead Ripper operation that cleared much of Diyala Province.
Soldiers in the BCTC auditorium heard the accounts and saw the images that took them back to their experience.
Staff Sgt. Mike Marker, a B Company squad leader, remembered rolling into Baqubah the first day, wondering "why are the kids in the school holding their ears'" A deafening explosion followed seconds later, signaling an ambush.
Antonia said the video illustrated a shift in philosophy about command-and-control in counterinsurgency warfare.
"My after action review said the Soldiers and junior leaders on the ground are winning this war," Antonia said. "We even at battalion level and up, can only rely on resourcing subordinate units and influencing governmental processes. That's it. I don't fight companies, I don't fight platoons in this kind of environment. I don't say 'A Company, lay down a base of fire and B Company, bound around.' I rely heavily on subordinate leaders. I fought through company commanders (and they) made sure platoon leaders and squad leaders understood what my intent was."
The commander said his Soldiers and subordinate leaders responded beyond his expectations, at times heroically.
"There was extraordinary combat leadership every day," he said.
The video detailed another distinction earned by Sykes' Regulars. Command Sgt. Maj. Huggins said the task force conducted "the biggest air assault in Stryker history," the first Stryker force to conduct a battalion-sized air assault operation aimed at surprising insurgents operating in the southern neighborhood of Buhritz al-Abarra.
The documentary further described the civil affairs effort that accompanied combat operations, detailing the efforts of small unit leaders to interact with the population and form relationships with local leaders. Local mukhtars came to realize that the U.S. Soldiers were there to help and al-Qaida was not.
Reeder said the video was the unit's opportunity to process the events that their commander, command sergeant major and operations officer, Maj. Jack Vantress, had analyzed incessantly since their return.
"This is the first time any of them outside of those three ... have seen this product," Reeder said, "the first time many will sit there and revisit their experiences."
Marker, who said he often consciously pushed the memories out of his mind, hailed the presentation as an accurate depiction of events.
The video was also intended for newly arrived Soldiers, "those new members of the battalion in their retrain phase who will benefit greatly from seeing this documentary."
"It was very well put together," Fowler said after the preview. "Very well detailed too."
He said he was glad that the Regulars' experience in Baqubah was being used to train other units.
"Knowledge is the key to success," he said. "All the knowledge I have, I try to pass it on."
A decorated helicopter pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam, Reeder told the assembled battalion that he respected their accomplishments.
"I am in awe of your experience in Baqubah," Reeder said before the preview. "You performed superbly for the United States of America and what you did for the citizens of Iraq and the citizenry of Baqubah in liberating those people was an extraordinary feat that you will be proud of for the rest of your days. It is our honor to be part of putting this video together and for hosting this video for you."
Don Kramer is a reporter for Fort Lewis' Northwest Guardian.


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The Block Street Hot Club with Miles Bowlin ( bass), Ryan Ashworth( guitar), Baron Lyle ( guitar) Felipe Todescan Antonio ( violin) will perform in Basin Spring Park on Friday, September 15th at 3pm.
Their music is on the leading edge of the "Gypsy Jazz " music scene. This music often said to have been started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s.Django was foremost among a group of Romani guitarists working in and around Paris in the 1930s through the 1950s. One of my favorite tunes that the group performs is "Sweet Georgia Brown".


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Everyone knows music is the universal language for all cultures. Being able to hear your favorite tunes with the best quality equipment is necessary, if you can afford it. Unfortunately, high quality usually comes with a high price. However, in this case, id America's TouchTone wireless portable speaker bucks that trend. Name brands like JBL or Jawbone demand a higher price tag for its portable speakers than what id America has delivered with this incredible offering.
The TouchTone's beautiful industrial design with thunderous sound, is truly sophistication in a box. Once you open the packaging you'll notice how nicely built the small speaker is, as it measures 4.9-inch wide by 2.4-inch tall and 2.9-inch deep. TouchTone is shaped like an oval or the way you would write out the number zero — it has soft edges all around. Pursuing the hardware further, id America did an excellent job in choosing the right kind of materials to build this thing; it carries sturdy wrap around metal for the speaker along with a mix of solid matte-finished plastic and rubber for the top and bottom.
Now let's get to some of the TouchTone's cool features, shall we? For starters, I thought is was fitting that such a chic looking device would have a personal assistant or voice operator to complement its pizzazz. When you turn on the box the small track, play/pause/call, and mode buttons show white and the circle in the middle flickers with a blue light, then a guy with what sounds like a British accent says "Bluetooth mode has been on". And once you pair your smartphone, the same voice resurfaces saying the words "paired" — the blue light stops flickering and goes steady. The lights are bright and visible on a sunny day or in the darkest of night.
That same circle in the middle that carries the company's logo and turn blue when connected by way of Bluetooth, can also light up red when the 3.5mm cord is hooked up to your handset. Unplugging the cable automatically switches the unit back to Bluetooth mode, at which point the top light will flash blue until it pairs, becoming solid again. Yes, simple but effective stuff nevertheless.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the speaker's touch interface. You can control the volume by simply sweeping your finger counterclockwise across the circle in the middle as this turns the volume down, while clockwise turns it up. The Bluetooth 3.0 held true from distances as far as 30+ feet. As far as quality of streaming is concerned, the TouchTone passed with flying colors — Yeezus playing through the speaker sounded great.
In the end, I enjoyed this speaker a lot. Is it the best on the market? Probably not. But can it hold its own against some of its more expensive competitors? Yes. id America did its job in creating a small, highly affordable wireless portable speaker with excellent sound and industrial design quality for the cheap price of $80.
This product gets a salute from me.


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Sharks' Ward comes up big again
San Jose forward sends Game 3 to overtime with goal in third periodby Tom Gulitti @TomGulittiNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer
SAN JOSE - Technically, it was not a power-play goal. But it was possibly the biggest goal of the San Jose Sharks' season to that point.
Before Joonas Donskoi could be the overtime hero in a 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at SAP Center on Saturday, the Sharks had to overcome yet another deficit.
The situation appeared discouraging; the Sharks trailed 2-1 and the final seconds of a four-minute high sticking double minor against Penguins center Nick Bonino were ticking away. But just as Bonino was about to exit the penalty box, Joel Ward blasted a 41-foot slap shot past goaltender Matt Murray to tie game with 11:12 remaining in regulation.
Just like that, the Sharks had life.
"Huge goal," Sharks center Joe Thornton said.
Thornton played a significant role in making it happen, beginning with the penalty itself. Bonino's stick blade clipped Thornton under his right eye, opening a small cut and resulting in the four-minute power play 4:48 into the third period.
Video: PIT@SJS, Gm3: Ward blasts home equalizer
At that point, it would have been understandable if the Sharks were frustrated. They were playing their best game of the series and were trailing yet again. After defenseman Justin Braun scored 9:34 into the first period to answer Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy's goal 5:29 into the game, the Sharks made a big push in the second period to get the go-ahead goal and their first lead of the series, but were thwarted repeatedly by Murray.
Patric Hornqvist scored on a deflection with 52.3 seconds remaining in the second period and the Penguins had another lead. The Sharks knew the four-minute man-advantage was a pivotal moment. Their power play has been lethal throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, clicking at 27.7 percent entering Game 3, but they weren't getting many opportunities to utilize it against the Penguins.
Prior to Bonino's penalty, they had four power plays all series, including one in the second period on Saturday.
"That was our opportunity," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "The door kind of opened up there. We haven't had a lot of power plays. We got one. We needed to cash in there."
The Sharks started out by getting four shots on goal in the initial 1:28 of the man-advantage, including an open chance for Patrick Marleau from the left side right off the bat at 4:53, but Murray was there to stop each one. With the first minor expired and his first power-play unit winded, DeBoer called his timeout at 7:32 to give his players some rest.
But as the power play continued, the Penguins penalty kill got better and did not allow another shot. With 10 seconds remaining in Bonino's second minor, Sidney Crosby carried the puck out of the Pittsburgh zone on the right wing and had defenseman Kris Letang jump up on his left for a potential 2-on-1.
Instead of getting the puck in deep after crossing the San Jose blue line, Crosby tried to pass to Letang, but a back-checking Thornton intercepted the puck and backhanded it in the other direction to Donskoi.
"Huge play," Sharks goaltender Martin Jones said of Thornton's backcheck. "I thought the guys did a good job with back pressure all night."
Video: Ward and Donskoi discuss Game 3 win against Penguins
Donskoi fed Ward, who crossed the Pittsburgh blue line before letting go a slap shot from the high slot that powered its way past Murray's catching glove.
"I was just going to hold on to it for a split second," Ward said. "I saw a lane and buried the head and took a slapper and was fortunate it went in."
Ward has been fortunate scoring these kind of goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs throughout his career. It was the 35-year-old right wing's seventh goal of the postseason and his 21st in 74 career playoff games.
"He seems to get those clutch goals all the time and every goal he gets seems to be a big, big goal, and that was huge," Sharks defenseman Brent Burns said. "They did a good job on the kill. That could have been a big momentum swing for us obviously, to score. … That's a huge goal there. You're down, you get a four-minute (power play), you want to score. So that was huge to get it at the end there."
It missed being a power-play goal by one second, but essentially was one because Bonino had yet exit the box. That set the stage for Donskoi to score the winner 12:18 into sudden death and for the Sharks to get back in the series.
The Penguins still lead the Cup Final 2-1, but the Sharks feel a lot better about themselves heading into Game 4 on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports) after getting their first win of the series.
"Knowing that we're here in the Stanley Cup Final, you just want to help," Ward said. "Hopefully I can continue on in the process and build on it next game and try to contribute again, so I try not to dwell or think about it too much. But it was good to win and I'm just looking to duplicate that next game."


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Disodium inosinate is the disodium salt of inosinic acid. It is a food additive often found in instant noodles, potato chips, and a variety of other snacks. It is used as a flavor enhancer, in combination with monosodium glutamate (also known as MSG; the sodium salt of glutamic acid) to provide the umami taste.
As it is a fairly expensive additive, it is not used independently of glutamic acid; if disodium inosinate is present in a list of ingredients but MSG does not appear to be, it is possible that glutamic acid is provided as part of another ingredient or is naturally occurring in another ingredient like tomatoes, parmesan cheese or yeast extract. It is often added to foods in conjunction with disodium guanylate.
Special Note: Healing Gourmet does not endorse products containing IMP.


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IMDB Rating: 6.5/10 from 46,037 votes
Release: 2015 / Daddy's Home (2015)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Sean Anders
Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini
Synopsis: Stepfather, Brad Whitaker is hoping for his stepchildren to love him and treat him like a dad. All is going well until the biological father, Dusty Mayron shows up, then everything takes a toll. His stepchildren start putting him second and their father first, and now Dusty will have to learn what being a good dad is about and pains and struggles. Brad will also experience once again what it's like to be a stepdad.


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Rising energy costs effect your bottom line. You don't have to be a CFO to understand that energy costs are high and show little sign of relief these days. To combat the rising cost of natural gas, many companies that operate air pollution control systems are beginning to look at methods that economically recover heat for use somewhere else in their manufacturing operations.
Catalytic Products International manufactures and installs custom designed air-to-air heat exchanger products for the following applications:
Our extensive knowledge and experience has allowed us to also become a leading supplier of custom heat exchanger systems. The heat exchanger products we design and manufacture include:
Catalytic Products International manufactures a revolutionary shell and tube heat exchanger. The Floating Tube Heat Exchanger is standard equipment in our QUADRANT Series Thermal Oxidizers and has found success in other heat recovery applications. The Floating Tube Heat Exchanger is unlike any other shell and tube heat exchanger available today. It is specially designed to be completely stress-free to promote longer equipment life and virtually no maintenance. Special designs are available for particulate laddened air streams.
Plate and Frame Heat Exchangers (commonly referred to as Plate Heat Exchangers) are an alternate type of heat exchanger system. These systems are commonly used in the same type of applications, but find popularity in lower temperature and lower pressure service. Plate Heat Exchangers generally provide higher thermal rate efficiencies than shell and tube heat exchangers.
Catalytic Products International has developed several plate envelope patterns, all designed to maximize your specific application.


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UCLA hires Jim Mora as football coach
Although Jim Mora hasn't coached college football in a quarter-century, the longtime NFL coach has spent the last two years preparing for a chance to go back to school.
UCLA is giving him that opportunity in the hopes this polished pro coach can revitalize a beleaguered college program.
Mora agreed to a five-year, $12 million contract with UCLA on Saturday, replacing Rick Neuheisel as the Bruins' first football coach in more than 60 years with no ties to the school.
"I think UCLA is truly a sleeping giant, and I realize that an opportunity like this, of this magnitude, doesn't present itself more than once in a coaching career," Mora said. "When the job was offered, I jumped at the chance to be a Bruin."
Mora was the coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, going 31-33 over four seasons while reaching one NFC title game. The son of longtime NFL coach Jim Mora is a former University of Washington defensive back who had only one season of college coaching experience at his alma mater in 1984 before beginning a 25-year career in the NFL.
Mora realizes the majority of NFL coaches who go back to the college game have little success. For every Pete Carroll, who replaced Mora with the Seahawks after a spectacular run at Southern California, dozens of pro veterans couldn't figure out college football's morass of recruiting details, and NCAA rules.
"I've given this a lot of thought," Mora said. "This isn't something that just popped up. This has been a goal of mine since I left the Seattle Seahawks. I've had a passion and a real strong desire to get back into coaching football at the collegiate level. I've had opportunities to go back to the NFL over the past year, and turned them down in hopes that one day I'd have the opportunity to coach at a college football program like UCLA's."
Mora spent the past two years out of coaching, working as a television analyst after the Seahawks fired him in January 2010 after just one season. Mora also spent his down time studying college football, learning the fine points of recruiting and other NCAA arcana.
Although Mora's hiring immediately came under criticism on popular fan websites and message boards for the understandable qualms about his pro background, nobody can accuse athletic director Dan Guerrero of playing it safe.
Mora's hire is doubly unorthodox at UCLA, which has stuck to offensive-minded coaches who played or coached at the school for more than two generations. Mora is the first UCLA coach with a defensive background in at least 40 years, breaking up a lineage including offensive masterminds Dick Vermeil, Terry Donahue and Bob Toledo.
"He is high-energy, hard-nosed, disciplined and organized," said Guerrero, whose own fate could be tied to Mora after firing his last two coaches for mediocre results. "He has coached defense his whole life, and that bodes well for us with the kind of offensive firepower we see in our conference. Though he's never coached a game in college, bottom line is he is a terrific football coach, and he will surround himself with a staff that will aid in the transition from pro football to college football."
Neuheisel went 21-29 over four seasons at his alma mater, getting fired last month after UCLA was embarrassed 50-0 by coach Lane Kiffin's fifth-ranked Trojans. USC's postseason ban still allowed the Bruins to play in the first Pac-12 championship game, where UCLA lost 49-31 to Oregon last week.
UCLA will play Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Dec. 31 under interim coach Mike Johnson, Neuheisel's offensive coordinator. Johnson also was Mora's quarterbacks coach for two seasons with the Falcons.
The 50-year-old Mora was born in Los Angeles and spent part of his childhood in the area, but has no links to UCLA beyond his father's one season on the Bruins' coaching staff in the 1970s. Guerrero said that wasn't a prerequisite for the job, but was determined to hire a coach with previous head coaching experience.
The Bruins probably could use a fresh start: They haven't played in a Rose Bowl in 13 seasons and haven't been ranked for more than five seasons, both school-record streaks, while rarely threatening to emerge from powerhouse USC's shadow across town.
Guerrero and Mora must drum up interest in a program with an attendance decline of 25 percent during Neuheisel's four seasons – right when the Bruins are trying to sell upgraded seats for higher prices at the renovated Rose Bowl. Relatively flush with cash from the Pac-12's lucrative new television contract, Guerrero has promised to upgrade the Bruins' training complex, including 80-yard long Spaulding Field.
Mora emerged as the leader in UCLA's coaching search late this week after the school considered Boise State's Chris Petersen, Houston's Kevin Sumlin and Miami's Al Golden, who all apparently showed little interest in the Bruins. Guerrero claimed he had the funds to hire an elite coach – and while Mora has a strong coaching pedigree, he wasn't known to be a prime target for any other schools.
But Mora has long shown an interest in college coaching, notoriously telling a Seattle radio station he was interested in someday coaching the Huskies – while he was employed by the Falcons, earning widespread criticism. Mora's youthful demeanor and enthusiasm even impressed his NFL players, who often compared him to a college coach, but Mora also was known for aggressive practices and discipline, particularly when he ran several successful defenses as Steve Mariucci's coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers from 1999-2003.
UCLA probably is hoping Los Angeles football fans will notice other parallels between Mora's selection and the Trojans' famed hiring of Carroll, who had been out of college coaching for 18 years when USC hired the 49-year-old coach 11 years ago next week. Carroll led USC to seven conference titles and two national championships, albeit leaving before the NCAA leveled the program with heavy sanctions.
Neuheisel struggled to recruit elite talent at several positions – notably quarterback, where Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut have been inconsistent at best for three consecutive seasons. Neuheisel also made a costly decision to use an unorthodox pistol offense for the past two years, even parting ways with veteran offensive coordinator Norm Chow after the Bruins went 4-8 last season.
"We're going to attack recruiting with relentless passion," Mora said. "I'm going to use the credibility I've gained in coaching in the NFL for 25 years to get myself into some of those homes and convince these kids that not only can we help them be great football players, but present them an opportunity to get a great education at one of the outstanding academic institutions in America."


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Today was extremely rainy and windy. The clouds are starting to clear which makes for a beautiful sky... so I rushed out with my camera (Panasonic LUMIX DMC-SZ7)
w/o flash or any setting adjustments...
w/o flash and with "scenery" setting
w/ flash and with "night scenery" setting
All in all, I love how all of them came out... I really love the colors! This is a total and completely random post.


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Paolo Zanaboni,
Politecnico di Milano,
Department of Management,
Economics and
Industrial Engineering.
Cardiovascular illness is the leading cause of mortality due to chronic diseases. In 2005, it accounted for over 17 million out of 35 million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. In spite of the high economic burden that ensues, the global response by public health is not always appropriate.
In this context, telemedicine (the use of IT to exchange health information and provide healthcare services across geographic, time, social, and cultural barriers), represents a good solution for the management of patients with cardiac problems. Telecardiology, in fact, guarantees a correct continuity of care and the creation of integrated networks between acute hospitals and primary care, with a more rational and quicker management of patients, also at home. Additionally, telemedicine is particularly implemented where geographical barriers avoid the equity of access to health services for all the citizens.
Italy, for example, is characterised by a high population density (approximately 200 inhabitants/km2). However, it is rich in isolated, rural areas (especially in mountain communities and islands) which suffer from a scarcity of healthcare resources.
Telecardiology Applications In Italy
Italy has had experience in telemedicine applications across the country since the late 1990s. The most widespread telemedicine services include telemonitoring of people with chronic conditions and teleconsultation for specific cardiac events. In particular, the main applications cover the following areas: telemonitoring of patients affected by chronic heart failure or hypertension, patients implanted with cardiac devices, teleconsultation for General Practitioners and for Emergency. A brief description of recent studies in the above areas is provided below.
Chronic Heart Failure (CHF)
After a cardiovascular related hospital discharge, patients can be followed through a telemedicine programme. This model implies use of a portable device for the ECG execution and subsequent transfer, by an analog or mobile telephone, to a Call Center which stores it and keeps in contact patients with hospital nurses and cardiologists. Hospital staff are responsible for the clinical management of patients, providing consultations or nursing triage, whereas the Call Centre provides technological and organisational support and, if requested, offers clinical support 24 h/day, 365 days/year. All patient data is stored on a web-server, allowing general practitioners to stay informed and support future investigations.
Self blood pressure (BP) monitoring has been acknowledged to have an essential role in the prevention and treatment of hypertension, with benefits both for clinical outcomes and for therapy optimisation. Inadequate BP control could be due to incorrect management of patients. The usual model for managing patients with hypertension through telemedicine systems implies the adoption of a home BP monitoring device for daily BP measurement and the transmission of results via mobile or analog telephone. Data are then reviewed by physicians, who can communicate the clinical conditions to both patients and GPs, and modify therapy during ambulatory visits (e.g. every three months) based on daily data from the previous period.
Cardiac Devices
The rise in new cardiac implantations leads to a consequent increase in the number of follow-up visits in hospitals for patients implanted with Pace Maker (PM) or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). Remote monitoring of cardiac devices is an alternative to intermittent visits. It allows early identification of device-related problems and changes in rhythm and symptoms and avoids unnecessary visits. These patients are well known by their specialists who, through the receipt of device data remotely transmitted by patients at home, can quickly and appropriately decide whether the patient needs a visit for device reprogramming, an emergency admission, a change in therapy or nothing, with a consequent optimisation of healthcare resources.
General Practitioners
Teleconsultation to support General Practitioners (GPs) is one of the most diffused applications. It allows for specialised support directly at the GP's office with a lower use of hospital resources, and also avoids trips by patients to a hospital (especially pertinent for patients in remote and isolated areas, or whose conditions make the trip difficult).
For example, the Telemaco project in Lombardia Region is currently testing a GP teleconsultation service in small mountain communities. Traditionally, this model involves GPs who, provided with a portable electrocardiographer, tele-consult with specialists via a trans-telephone transmission of ECG recordings and a clinical request. The network often involves a Call Center with cardiologists available 24 h/day offering ECG reporting and interactive teleconsultation with GPs.
Cardiac emergency management through telemedicine is provided by healthcare networks which involve ambulances, headquarters of 118 Rescue Service and Coronary Care or Cardiology hospital units. Transmission of a patient's ECG and clinical parameters allows for early and accurate diagnosis and the assessment of risk profile with a consistent reduction in time to treatment and mortality rate.
Cardiology management models supported by telemedicine have demonstrated benefits in terms of better follow-up, support to GPs daily activities, prevention of clinical changes, stimulation of self-management of the illness, improvement of quality of life, reduction of rehospitalisation costs and quicker treatment in cardiac emergencies. Telecardiology in Italy is, however, still at the project stage and the scientific community aims to provide decision makers with further evidence. A preliminary step, for example, consists in an experimental reimbursement provided by Lombardia Region in ongoing projects (e.g. the Nuovi Reti Sanitarie project).


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Text by Joan McNulty, 1982
Introductory text by Robert Barry Francos, 2010
Live photos by Robert Barry Francos
© By FFanzeen
Other images from the Internet © excluded
The following article/interview with Boston rock'n'roll cult icon Willie "Loco" Alexander was originally published in FFanzeen magazine, issue #9, in 1982. It was conducted by Joan McNulty, a regular on the scene in those days. She was also the publisher of the Buzzcocks' official fan magazine, Harmony in My Head (and then-girlfriend of singer Pete Shelley).
When Joan did this interview, her photographer friend Gay Fast took a photo of Willie wearing one of my FFanzeen tee-shirts, which I still have and treasure. Oh, and I also have one of Pete Shelley.
Willie has been a mainstay in the Boston scene, having fronted a few seminal bands, such as the Lost. He was also Lou Reed's replacement in the Velvet Underground when they toured Europe in the early '70s. He also recorded a single with VU drummer Mo Tucker and Jonathan Richman.
I had the opportunity to see Willie play in Boston a few times during the 1980s, including at the Paradise during one of Joe Viglione's amazing Spectaculars, where I went with noted photographer at the time, Rocco Cippilone (aka Peter Parka), who went on to publish the excellent Bang! fanzine. – RBF, 2010
Willie Alexander has been an important part of the music scene in Boston and in general for many years. He has been involved in a number of bands, one of the best known being the Boom Boom Band. When they disbanded in the summer of 1978, Willie dropped out of sight for a number of years. He came into view on a few occasions with various single projects, but didn't emerge fully until November 1981.
Since then, a solo album, Solo Loco, has been released on RCA Records in France and Bomp! Records in the States, full of new material with a different twist. It's still new and exciting but experimental in areas he'd never before explored; self-produced, as well.
Most recently, he's gotten together a new band called the Confessions, consisting of himself on vocals and keyboards, Walter Powers on bass, Mathew McKenzie on guitar, and Ricky Rothchild on drums. In the past few months, they've been playing an assortment of live dates around the East Coast – including a few opening for the J. Geils Band – and have gone over extremely well. The future looks better than it ever has before. Willie has settled down in both his personal and business life. Since he's already, in previous interviews, answered all the straight questions about his work, we decided to chat with him and find out his inner thoughts and feelings on himself at this point in his life.
FFanzeen: How did the break-up of the Boom Boom Band affect your mood? What did you feel at that point?
Willie Alexander: I felt… shell-shocked. I guess I had just about had it at that point. The whole business side of it all, and everything else combined.
FF: You stayed out of action for quite some time after that.
Willie: Yes, I needed some time to get better control of myself and what I was doing. I needed the time off to think about what direction I was going in.
FF: Then you decided to get back into the swing of things ["B.U. Baby" single; "Gin" single]. What prompted this?
Willie: Different people more or less asked me to do them, so it was made easy for me.
FF: Were they projects that would have come out on independent singles promoted by you at some later date anyway?
Willie: No, some of them I wouldn't have ever thought of doing. Like "B.U. Baby." I'd never have thought of that, or "Gin" either, but I was approached, and after doing it, I felt it came out really great and I was happy with it. I was glad they got revived. I got a lot of mileage out of "Gin," for instance. At that time, especially, it was really good for me.
FF: Since it came at a time when you were perhaps still disillusioned, did these projects make you more optimistic, maybe motivate you towards getting a band together, getting out –?
Willie: Yes, it really did. It was nice to see my name in the papers again. That way you're establishing contact again. People probably say, "Gee, it's been a long time between engagements for this guy, but at least he's still making records – that's good." It's a way of staying in there without actually having to put a band together.
FF: Were the thoughts of a solo LP lingering in your mind for some time before it actually materialized?
Willie: Yes, I had some things I didn't think would be band material, so I did them in a solo way. Now that I have a band, I look at them like they're band material. Definitely; I mean, I changed them.
FF: What actually motivated you to get moving on the solo project, especially as it sounds completely different from your previous work? Was it the freedom of doing it yourself and having it turn out the way you wanted it to, especially having produced it yourself when you could have gotten someone to do it?
Willie: I wasn't really looking at the time. I felt it was something I had to do at the time. The solo LP concept came up when I was with the Boom Boom Band doing the second LP [Meanwhile, Back in the States – Ed.] . I was talking with (producer) Craig Leon and I told him I really didn't like the way things were going with it, and he kept saying, "oh, don't worry, we'll do a solo LP after this." Then it turned out later it didn't work out; we tried a couple of cuts. I seemed to do much better myself, doing some of the same songs. Some of them I just went in and did totally experimental. I used the studio as a medium, sort of, some of them are like sketches, but most of them are pretty flushed out.
FF: Did you think at the time, that maybe you couldn't find musicians or a producer, to get a cross the type of sound you wanted?
Willie: I didn't even know what type of sound I wanted. I didn't know what was going to happen in there.
FF: Were you perhaps surprised at the outcome? Possibly, that you went in to do demos for songs and they more or less ended up finished projects?
Willie: Well, I was thinking of it as a real album. I mean, I was doing it cut by cut. I really didn't have an overall plan for it. It was a do-or-die thing.
FF: Were you pleased with the outcome? What are your thoughts now that you look back on it? Any changes you would like to have made?
Willie: It's the way I wanted it to come across. I wanted to convey a lot of different influences, not the usual type of thing that people were used to hearing from me. You know, guitars, bass – to me it's more of a jazz-oriented feeling throughout, with my choices of instruments and the improvisations of melody lines. I really didn't have songs written out; a lot of things would be improvised. And leave it like it was a jazz piece.
FF: But, then, strangely enough, you went out and put together a band: guitars, bass and drums. Why?
Willie: Yes, but I used a lot of the riffs from that, the ones that came out of this context.
FF: You didn't have any thoughts of doing it solo, standing up in front of a packed crowd with backing, tapes and you singing?
Willie: No, I don't think I would have been comfortable doing that. It had to be a real rock'n'roll band, as that's as much fun as doing a solo LP.
FF: Being so comfortable with the band now, would it have made a difference if they had been accessible at the time you were recording?
Willie: No, I had to do it the way I did. I just walked into the studio alone most of the time. I used Ted St. Pierre, the engineer. He played bass and guitar, so we did most of the stuff ourselves. I'd, like, play drums and piano, start with one or another, and gradually add bass, sometimes guitar, synthetics, and things.
FF: Then that was the sound you liked all along?
Willie: Because it was so unplanned. I really couldn't teach people too many parts to these things. It more or less just fell together. Even I didn't know all the parts; I have to learn them myself to make them work in a band context.
FF: When the French deal [with New Rose – RBF] came about for the LP, what were your thoughts on it?
Willie: A ray of hope. I was a bit leery of all the business connected with it, but the way it was approached, I wasn't selling my body and soul to a company, more like selling a product I'd already finished. I got to maintain my artistic freedom.
FF: What made you actually get back to playing live, and getting a band together? All the hype from the LP?
Willie: It was something I think I really had to do, to make me feel better as a person. It also would help the album as well. Promotion in general, that was the main purpose. I reached a point just going into the studio alone and all. I think I needed the combinations, friction, interaction of different people.
FF: You must feel better about yourself, then?
Willie: Yes, I feel more in control now, more productive in my own way. I don't feel depressed thinking about the future anymore. It seems more hopeful now, not like an obligation to fulfill. I feel comfortable for the future.
FF: Concerning the band you're working with now (The Confessions), what made you believe that these were the right people to add? How did it all fall into place?
.Willie: Some of them I'd known for a while; I knew what they were capable of doing. I figured it was about time to do it then. I had played with Walter Powers in a lot of bands, and I played with Mathew McKenzie in a band. It just had to be the right people this time around. Not that the other guys weren't right for that time, but I can talk a little easier to Mathew than the other guitar player, nothing personal. I know him, we've shared a lot of things, we can be honest, and most of all, we can bounce ideas of one another.
FF: Do you, as an artist, find it hard to keep a band together, especially since you write the songs and the band almost serves as your vehicle? Is it a tense situation at times?
Willie: So far, so good. We've got a good interaction going. We struggle with the songs, I'll bring in a part and we'll keep trying new ideas out on it. With a lot of my material, I'll lay down the skeleton of it and I know how Mathew will work it out because I know his style. But, he never fails to surprise me. I think he's got a lot of jazz influence, even though he might not think so. He's got a certain reckless abandon in his playing sometimes, like a number of the great jazz players. I'd rather work with someone like that than a standard rock guitarist. I never know what's really going to happen with him.
FF: What's your attraction to jazz playing? Is it the fact that often times they're learned musicians?
Willie: When I started out, I wanted to be a jazz musician, so I still kind of think of that. When I didn't like where rock'n'roll was going, I started listening more to jazz. When I was in high school, I was more interested in playing jazz drums than in trying to play the type of rock'n'roll on the radio at that time. Every five years, rock'n'roll gets good again. I really liked the '50s. Then it got good again mid-'60s.
FF: What parts of it didn't you like, specifically?
Willie: I think it was the sound at different times. It started to sound too manufactured. It was lacking the rawness. It was too slick and sophisticated for me. I seem to have a lot of complaints. What's funny is that the slickness is what the majority of people like. These are people who consider my stuff and I think that's pretty good because lots of times I do my best to keep it sounding primitive. The album sounded that way, but with only 8 tracks it would be hard to get it too slick. Maybe the next time when I get 16 tracks or with 24, my troubles would be over.
FF: Then we can all hate it.
Willie: Yes, but it would sell millions.
FF: What are your thoughts about touring?
Willie: In general, it can be fun, but it's still work. You get to see the country. It's necessary, I know. We're going to be going to France, hopefully, in the spring, which is a lot better than saying, "Hey, would you like to go to Indianapolis or St. Louis for the weekend?" Sure, I like touring. Going to France is pretty hot stuff.
FF: Do you find it exciting that you're going to some place where, as a solo performer, you've never been, and your material has sold extremely well and gotten good press?
Willie: It'll be pretty wild. It's almost surrealistic in a way. I went through France with Walter (Powers) when we were with the Velvet Underground in 1971, and all this wasn't even a glimmer in my eye then, just guys on bicycles with berets and cigarettes hanging out of their mouths and turtleneck sweaters. I never thought they'd be buying my album. I had heard, though, that they liked American music, jazz and rock'n'roll. I guess it sold because we had sent the singles over there and the right people got them and wrote about them. There were also, around 1977-78, big articles over there about the Boston music scene, and they talked a lot about the Boom Boom Band, garage records… I think that's what started it. It's great to be popular in your home town, but imagine a foreign country. It's crazy. And they're only going by records. I make records and they're accepted in another place. I'm conveying my thoughts and getting something across, which is something you always hope for when you do it.
FF: Do you think your record sounds different than a lot of things today?
Willie: No, not to me, because I see where it's coming from and the influences. Basically, it's rock'n'roll with Latin-American overtones. The freedom of jazz with rock'n'roll rhythms.
FF: Although it may be hard to tell because the LP just came out domestically, do you feel you get better promotion overseas?
Willie: I haven't actually witnessed the promo there, but it gets press and I hear that when it came out, you know, it was in stores with big displays and all that. I had that with the first Boom Boom Band album [Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band – Ed.], but this is different.
FF: What do you think when you look back and listen to the Boom Boom album?
Willie: It's kind of weird. I don't play it that much at all. I was real close to it then and I'm so far from the person singing sometimes. Although I know it was me and I'd never go back on anything I ever did, I can just see it differently now. Even with the solo LP sometimes – but if I'd stayed in the studio, the record wouldn't be out now.
FF: Do you feel that it's a valid piece of history? A stepping stone?
Willie: Sure, because the songs needed to be out. There's a few I'd like to even record again, I don't know when.
FF: Is there a real obsession to get certain songs out on an actual piece of vinyl?
Willie: Yes. I look at an old song and think, gee, I never recorded that and I should. Sometimes, I forget my thoughts. It really makes it final. Sometimes, I think I'm not that prolific. I have to look in old notebooks, but when I look around, at one point I had, like, 100 songs, but I lost that list. When I rewrote it, I only had 30. A lot I forget. We do 22 in the band right now. I don't finish things right away. I write bits and pieces and they eventually fall into place. Some of the riffs, especially on "Take Me Away" (on the solo LP), I've been fooling with for 10 years. It changes when it's done live, as well. I went in the studio for the wild and crazy changes. People either like it or they don't. It doesn't represent my whole life or anything, just a small part of it.
FF: What are your lyrical influences?
Willie: Everyday life, all the thoughts that run through my head. It is amazing when you're thinking of something and it's that good that you say, "That's a song!" I've got dozens of notebooks with lines in them. You've got to exercise your thoughts. The next project for me will no doubt sound much different than this. They'll be a constant thread running through it all – me, and my trademarks through the years.
FF: How do you think fans will take to the constant changes?
Willie: I'm not sure, especially new fans. What they think of the solo LP. It's all a constant progression or digression. I stick with a number of some things so well, the really heavy beat for starters. It's easy for me to adapt any of my songs for the unit I'm in at the moment. Or drop the song maybe, or the band changes the song to fit them. It's fun. I know what to look for in musicians now. I've been around a long time. It all evolves. It depends on the song itself.
FF: Do any of the others in the band write songs? Will they get filtered in?
Willie: Mathew writes a lot of great songs. I don't' know if I could do someone else's material. We do a few covers, you never know, it's always possible. I like it better if they've been dead for 20 years.
FF: Do you view the band as a long-term project, or do you like variations?
Willie: It'll be a long-time thing for a while. It's just starting so I can't see any end. I can see recording with them; other things I want to do solo. Both, I guess. It's all a very comfortable atmosphere.
FF: What are some of your upcoming plans for the future?
Willie: Rochester, New York, Saturday. No, seriously, video I'm quite interested in. It's all exciting to think about, all the open options. I have ideas for videos, nothing really formulated as of yet. We did a few with the Boom Boom Band and they were horrible. I said, "Next…"
FF: What is your driving force after all these years?
Willie: I really like to do it; I can't picture myself doing anything else. It's all new to me now, with the band. I'm also a little more cautious. I know what I don't want. It's a new ballgame and it's scary sometimes. But so is crossing the street.
FF: Is success all that important to you
Willie: Right now, to me, I feel as though I already have it. Any little thing that happens grouped together is success. I wouldn't mind having a hit record. That means my ideas have corresponded with so many more people, but I have to keep my credibility. I mean, I still think of having a hit record after all this time in music. The audacity of myself, sometimes. That may be the force.
FF: How did you feel about your first comeback show at the Paradise [Boston] this year when it sold out and you got a standing ovation? What were you thinking?
Willie: I was stunned. It was wild and great. It becomes unreal – I was extremely happy, especially since I've been out of it for a while. It made it all worthwhile for me as a person. That's why I do it all. I still get nervous that no one will show up. When I reflect back on it as a whole, I really feel proud. I keep my fingers crossed at all times. If I didn't get a response, I wouldn't do it. I'd stop. It makes it all seem right.
FF: Why do people go to see you? What do you think it is?
Willie: It's hard to say, it's all still a fantasy to me, the whole rock'n'roll trip, and going on stage. It's real life and I'm still getting used to it. I worry if I'll still be popular the next day. I had to learn to cope with it all.
FF: Are you self-motivated?
Willie: Yes, I think so. I probably need a push here and there. If I decide to do something, I do it, and vice versa. The fantasy is all real now, yet it still surprises me to walk out on a stage or have things click at rehearsal. The element of suspense keeps me going. Sometimes, I think, "Oh, this can't last." It's already gone so much longer than I thought it would in the beginning. Thank God, it's happening.
FF: Do you think that you settling down to your personal life made your music settle as well? That you were more in control of both?
Willie: Yes. They both interacted with each other, I think. It helped the music. I feel very happy and content at the moment. There's always some days, but – it all balances out. I was really screwed up before. There's a fine line between being in and out of control. I guess I label it: The Edge. I believe I'm on the right track now. It's kind of like that old John Sebastian song, "Do You Believe in Magic?" That's what music is all about.
Willie in the 1980s:
Sunday, January 31, 2010
WILLIE ALEXANDER: Not So Loco
Posted by Robert Barry Francos at 11:49 AM
Labels: Boom Boom Band, Boston Rock, FFanzeen, Joan McNulty, Joe Viglione, Robert Barry Francos, Velvet Underground, Willie Alexander
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A Make-Ahead Vegetarian Dinner Party from Ina Garten
When it comes to dinner parties, Ina Garten is the queen. And this week Ina is helping you throw your next dinner party with a menu that is designed to be made ahead. Because making it ahead is the key to everything that Ina says makes a great party: you'll be relaxed, and you'll have more fun.
Today we have everything you need to put this menu together from start to finish — whether it's for a dinner party or simply a Friday night in with your family.
A Colorful Vegetarian Dinner Party
The other beautiful thing about this menu is that, with just a few minor omissions, it's vegetarian. And yet I wouldn't even mention this fact to a mixed table of omnivores and vegetarians; it's so hearty, so satisfying, that the question of meat is a non-issue.
I also love how vibrant and colorful Ina's recipes are. We're still on the cusp of spring, and it's not quite time for summer's crops to come rolling in. A rich, warm lasagna is still appreciated, as is the soup.
And it's so easy to make ahead! Here's how to do it, step by step.
Ina Garten's Make-Ahead Dinner Party Menu
Appetizer: Spanish Tapas Peppers
First Course: Wild Mushroom & Farro Soup
Main Course: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Dessert: Chocolate Banana Crumb Cake
Round out this menu with a few of these sides!
- Freezer Dinner Rolls
- Make-Ahead Side Salad with Dill Dressing
- Whipped Cream to go with dessert
Ina's Recipes
Your Cooking Timeline
What to Prep Ahead
Up to a Week (or More) Ahead
- Make the Wild Mushroom & Farro Soup and keep refrigerated (or freeze for up to 3 months).
- Make the dinner rolls and freeze for up to 3 months.
The Day Ahead
- Prepare the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna and refrigerate, uncooked, overnight (or freeze for up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the fridge before baking).
- Prepare the Spanish Tapas Peppers, and refrigerate, uncooked, overnight.
- Prepare and completely bake the Banana Crumb Cake. Wrap it well and let it sit at room temperature overnight.
- Prepare the dressing for the salad and refrigerate.
Dinner Timeline
1h:00 before guests arrive
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake the Spanish Tapas Peppers for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Toss the salad with the dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the whipped cream for the dessert and refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to serve.
0:15 before guests arrive
- Transfer the tapas to a serving platter and set out for guests to nibble as they arrive.
- Lower the the oven to 350°F.
- Put the lasagna in the oven to bake and set a timer for 6o minutes.
0:00 — Guests arrive!
- Open wine and serve the tapas.
- Place the frozen dinner rolls, wrapped in foil, in the oven with the lasagna and bake until warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes. (Note: This is a slightly warmer oven temperature than recommended in our directions; just keep an eye on the rolls and remove from the oven when they're warmed through.)
0:30 after guests arrive
- Invite everyone to the table.
- Serve the soup with dinner rolls.
0:45 after guests arrive
- Check the lasagna and remove from the oven when the top is browned and bubbly (60 to 70 minutes total baking time).
- Bring the lasagna to the table and let it rest about 10 minutes while the guests are finishing their soup.
1h:00 after guests arrive
- Serve the lasagna with the salad.
- Serve the banana cake with whipped cream.
Your Shopping List
To buy at the grocery store:
- Garlic (2 heads)
- Yellow onions (2 medium)
- Shallot (1)
- Red bell peppers (3 medium)
- Yellow bell peppers (2 medium)
- Carrots (3 to 4 medium)
- Celery (6 to 7 stalks)
- Eggplant (1 1/2 pounds)
- Zucchini (3/4 pound)
- Sugar snap peas (8 ounces)
- Radishes (4 small)
- Heart of romaine (1 head)
- Cremini mushrooms (12 ounces)
- Tomato (1 large)
- Fresh basil (1 bunch)
- Flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
- Fresh thyme (3 large sprigs)
- Fresh dill (1 bunch)
- Bananas (3 to 4)
- Dried wild mushrooms (1 1/2 ounces)
- Extra-large eggs (3)
- Large eggs (1)
- Unsalted butter (6 ounces, or 1 1/2 sticks, plus 1 tablespoon)
- Whole, 2%, or skim milk (1/2 cup)
- Whole-milk ricotta (16 ounces)
- Garlic-and-herb goat cheese (8 ounces)
- Parmesan cheese (enough to make 1 cup grated)
- Fresh mozzarella (1 pound ball)
- Crème fraîche (4 ounces)
- Sour cream (1/4 cup)
- Whipping cream or heavy cream (1 cup)
- Lasagna noodles (10 ounces)
- Jars of marinara sauce (40 ounces total)
- Green olives (4 to 6 ounces, with pits)
- Pearled farro (3/4 cup)
- Vegetable broth (or beef broth, if not making vegetarian, 4 cups)
- Golden raisins (1/2 cup)
- Bittersweet chocolate (6 ounces)
- Sliced blanched almonds (3 tablespoons)
- Saffron threads (1 teaspoon crumbled)
- Bread crumbs (2/3 cup from a stale baguette)
- Cream sherry (1/2 cup)
- Marsala wine (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
If not making this vegetarian, add these ingredients:
- Pancetta (4 ounces)
- Oil-packed anchovy fillets (1 container, or 8 anchovies)
In your pantry — check to make sure you have these things:
- Olive oil (2 cups)
- Vegetable oil (2 tablespoons)
- White wine vinegar (1 tablespoon)
- Dijon mustard (1/2 tablespoon)
- Dried oregano (1 tablespoon)
- Ground cinnamon (1 1/2 teaspoons)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- All-purpose flour (5 cups + 2 tablespoons)
- Granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
- Light brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
- Baking powder (1 teaspoon)
- Baking soda (3/4 teaspoon)
- Active dry yeast (1 tablespoon)