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featured Musing
It's wrong to call myself a fan of Anthony Bourdain. That overstates it. I read Kitchen Confidential and enjoyed it. When I watched one of his shows, I enjoyed it. But I didn't seek his content out, I didn't wait for news of new seasons or projects. But above all, I held jealousy of the career and life he had. It is a romantic way of life.
The vision of traveling the world to eat food and experience life around the world. I've been able to see many places around our world, and yet there remains a whole world that I haven't seen yet. What I've done is a step more than most people, and those places I have seen have confirmed this famous quote by Bourdain.
If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food. It's a plus for everybody.
Bourdain summarized himself perfectly and succinctly in his Twitter bio: Enthusiast. And that is a great way to put what I wish my life was. I dream of being a professional Enthusiast as he was. Not because I think it is an easy and happy life. I knew his life wasn't, and today's reading by and about him reinforced it. Even when I travel for at most 30 days a year, I face loneliness on the road. Sure I might go out with friends or coworkers, but at the end I go back to the empty hotel room and am left with myself. Bourdain says he spent 250 days a year on the road. That had to be lonely.
Hearing the news about his death was tough for me this morning. Recognizing that a voice which spoke uniquely has been struck silent, and the resulting silence, would echo for many. Add to that for it to be due to suicide is to force us to recognize that under what he displayed sat the darkness which affects so many, and for someone like him to succumb to it… well, it's terrifying. He wasn't someone down on his luck, exhausted from the fight merely to exist. He was struggling, with demons, with loneliness, possibly with mental illness.
I've brushed up against this darkness and I know it's a tempting exit but REACH OUT to ANYONE. Stay on this side of it — in the light and warmth. Where you get to try again, every day.
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) June 8, 2018
As death has a tendency to do, it puts the person front and center of social media. Twitter, Facebook, Reddit; all of them were heavily centered on the death of a voice. And I let myself be swept along, reading posts, watching videos, and participating in conversations. One notable post, which I unfortunately did not save, highlighted something that was an underappreciated feature of Bourdain's television work. He was one television show, if not the only show on right now, which focused heavily on convincing us we didn't need to be afraid of other people in the world. It's so common and so easy to be afraid of people in a foreign country if we've never been there or never seen what their lives are like. And Bourdain discovered, through the vehicle of food, that the world was big and amazing and he could show it to us one episode at a time.
In his showing us the world we also got to witness the evolution of his voice. I love the below quote. I initially shared it on Facebook, coming from EveryDayShouldBeSaturday.com:
He started off as a Hunter S. Thompson-quoting dude who might have tried a little too hard to show you his cigarette, the scotch in his hand, and his punk rock roots, all maybe compensating a little too much for a childhood that included trips to France to eat at La Pyramide, and an education that took him to Vassar. He ended up somewhere else completely: As a truly conscientious traveler, as one of the only men to really publicly examine his role in encouraging terrible behavior in the restaurant industry, as someone who began to understand that the truths of his stories were at best partial and happily highlighted the fakery of storytelling while still trying to expand its possibilities. To believe in it, and in the end tell a story that was human, and at its best, humane.
This quote is in context of a scene that many people lauded, Bourdain dove into what the American food chain Waffle House was. He didn't try to bullshit about it, he didn't wax poetically. He talked about it from the start as being a place that beautifully served food that is good for hangovers and serving blue collar people at 3am. In the video we get to witness him experiencing a pecan waffle, lathered in butter, and maple syrup. It's no Michelin star restaurant, it's normal food. And it's delicious. He didn't try to make us forget that the food we, regular people, could get tasted good.
I truly loved when I discovered his twitter bio was the infinitely evocative and simple descriptor: Enthusiast. That encapsulates my vision of him so perfectly. Food, people, the world–He was an enthusiast. The enthusiast. An example of this enthusiasm is captured beautifully in this Twitter thread about a chance encounter with Bourdain at a food festival:
I met Anthony Bourdain only once, while waiting in line at a food festival. Instead of hello he said "hey kid, you hungry?" and it was like I'd bumped into an old friend.
— shivana (to scale) (@toastasaurus) June 8, 2018
Sometimes I like to pretend that my ten minutes convinced him to visit. But that was his charm, really, that he met passion with passion. That he understood the complexity of people just as well as he understood the complexity of food.
The whole thread is a delightful retelling of having got to meet him, showing him and his fascination in hearing her talk about her home country. He was enthusiastic to learn more about it. And when he did eventually attend, he was enthusiastic about it. It is a wonderful snapshot of what it could be like to meet him.
I spent a bit of the day swimming through these stories. His stories. Experiencing a life cut short, but one which uniquely gave us plentiful echoes to experience after he is gone. He began his journey by writing a book about his time in kitchens. It's his book, Kitchen Confidential, which holds a poignant quote that reaches full meaning today:
[When I die], I will decidedly not be regretting missed opportunities for a good time. My regrets will be more along the lines of a sad list of people hurt, people let down, assets wasted and advantages squandered.
Bourdain's voice and personality, his zeal for life and the world, are gone from creating those new things for us. But there is a lot of him out there. His book, his Ecco press book imprint on which he published numerous books, his articles, his shows. He isn't gone. Not yet at least. Not until the last of us turns off Netflix and Parts Unknown.
Who would you want to write your life story?
I already wrote it. And though I don't really care about what people say about me when I'm gone, I guess Jerry Stahl would make an entertaining — if not necessarily flattering — story of the gruesome details.
Interview with the New York Times
Added 10 June 2018:
CNN and Anderson Cooper did a fantastic remembrance of Anthony.
Tags Anthony Bourdain, Death, Life, Parts Unknown, Philosophy
featured Life
This weekend I spoke at my father's memorial.
He passed away three days before turning 73, after a seven year war with cancer where he won three separate battles. Below is the text I wrote for his memorial. A recording of the service won't match this verbatim, as I followed the outline and spoke freely except when things would get tough. I did my best to keep it light and fun, only turning serious and mournful at the end.
Many here watched me grow up, but for those of you who didn't, my name is Patrick. But to dad I was more often Paddy. Or son. Or honey. Or sweetie. Or once or twice I was even Chester, which was the dog's name. He had many names for each of his kids, but all of them conveyed one important thing: love.
My dad loved his family. He loved us more than anything else in the world. He loved us so much that much of my childhood is filled with memories of him bragging on me and my siblings to friends, customers, and strangers in the line at the grocery store. Anyone who would listen was subjected to these stories.
This habit of his was only slightly mortifying to a gawky teenage boy. And so, with that in mind, I stand up here to accomplish two things:
1) exact just a little bit of revenge on my father by sharing stories of his life, and
2) make us all smile and laugh a little as I share.
Dad would have loved to be here to see all his friends and family gathered together. It seems like that is said for every memorial but I know it's the most true it ever has been here today. He would have loved to catch up and hear about what everyone was up to, and of course brag on each of his kids and grandkids.
Dad loved being involved in anything his kids did. For me that ranged from church choir to scouting to watching me play football. Dad felt football was a great teacher of resilience, teaching me to get back up after life knocks me down.
I was a sophomore at Edgewater and practicing with the JV squad after school when the coach came around asking if anyone "knows who that guy is in the bleachers?" We all turn around to look and there's my dad. He had finished up work early and was just enjoying the Florida sun, the Orlando Sentinel (something he read cover to cover each day), and most of all his son's football practice.
Coach Campana was quite upset by this spy in the stands. He clearly thought a competing school was doing some scouting. You have to understand doing that was tantamount to a declaration of war. So, he was visibly upset trying to figure out if we were under siege.
And so, slightly embarrassed to have stirred up this ruckus, I had to raise my hand and say, "That's my dad sir." I don't know what I expected, I think I expected it to be something that would lead to me running laps or something. I'm not sure why. But the truth is that once the mystery was solved it wasn't a thing at all.
So after practice, I told dad about what his appearance stirred up, and he just laughed and laughed. He loved that story. And as I think back I honestly can't think of another parent who came and watched the team practice, just dad.
As I said at the beginning, dad never left anyone in doubt of where they stood. His kids and grandkids all got asked an important question, to which there was only one correct answer.
He loved to ask "Who loves you?" To which the correct answer was only "You do!"
But kids being kids, most of us discovered another game we could play, sometimes to exasperating levels for dad I'm sure. He'd ask us "Who loves you?" And we'd name anyone, everyone, and everything except him.
Mommy does.
Sister does.
God does.
The president does.
The dog does.
On and on we'd go. But he was persistent. You weren't free to go until you said the all important, "You do."
This was just one of the ways he made sure you could never doubt… never question… his love for you. For us. For me.
Another feature of dad was his keen engineering mind. He was always curious how things worked. He loved marvels of engineering and space, both were endlessly fascinating to him. He loved to explain how things worked, he loved to teach. I'll tell you a story of one of his more unusual venues for a lesson I learned.
In 1988, when I was five, the family took a trip to Colorado for skiing. Being five years old I was old enough to believe I could do anything grown-ups could. Including ski.
Now, dad made sure both Charlotte and I took ski lessons and and then once we had mastered not falling down on the bunny slope through careful use of the all important snow plow, dad took me up on a green slope and after successfully making it down, I was handed between family members to keep me out of trouble. Dad… mom… my brothers.
My brothers, not to be dissuaded by being saddled with their five year old brother, decided that I was a good enough skier to join them on a slope more difficult than the beginner level "Green Circle."
Now, for those of you who don't go skiing, given the fact we're here in Florida I am guessing there might be a few of you. Ski slope difficulties go bunny slope, Green Circle, Blue Square… Black Diamond.
Now, my brothers meant well, and knowing me I probably begged them to take me on a big boy slope. So when I tell you they took me up the mountain to a black diamond, don't judge them too harshly.
I mean, I'm here today, I made it down in one piece. I knew enough to fall down quite frequently as a way to manage my speed. Get up, ski down, fall over, stop. And so on. And so we reached the bottom of the slope and I had survived.
Later, when my father learned that my excursion with my brothers had included this… experience. I think the only fitting word is that he was apoplectic.
As any good father would be.
BUT… and here's the thing that is just so dad. Rather than let that experience just be what it was and admonish me to never do it again…
He took me AND Charlotte up to the slope again, and made us ski it again. So that he could show us how to do it properly.
Dad believed strongly in making sure his kids were prepared. Always prepared for what might come. And he wanted to make sure I knew how to handle a black diamond slope in case I should ever find myself at the top of a ski slope again whether by my, or my brothers doing.
I could go on and on with stories like this.
My dad's legacy is in this family. He poured his soul into the family. He wasn't perfect. But with those imperfections he loved us all and wanted nothing more than for us to love him and to love one another.
I visited with him just a few weeks before he passed and at the time he knew what none of the rest of us knew – he was dying. I wasn't ready to accept it and I tried to convince him otherwise, but we ended up having the talk that only really happens in the movies. We talked as if it was our last conversation. Quietly, lovingly, holding hands. We got to have a closure he didn't get when his father passed away.
He told me he was proud of me. He told me he was so excited for the family I'd eventually raise because he knew I'd be a good father and sad because he wouldn't be around to see it. And of course he told me he loved me.
That conversation will stay with me for my entire life.
I don't believe what he told me was unique, but that I think I was simply the recipient of the message from him. A message which is meant for the whole family.
He was proud of each of us. He was excited to see what the family would become, whether children of our own or just how it would grow. And he loved each and every one of us.
As if there was any doubt.
I started this blog post literally months ago. And I've tried to write a similar post for the past two years only to abandon each of them. This one is the closest I've come to success, and I've soldiered on revising and editing and fact checking. With the World Cup happening, I believe now is the time for me to publish it.
It was at Georgia Tech in 2002 that I met David. We weren't good friends, or even close friends really, but we did hang out from time to time and during those times I discovered David was 'weird.' Now, being 'weird' at Georgia Tech is saying something. It was (and most likely still is) largely a geek college with a heavily skewed male to female ratio. I mean, to be fair, I was weird at Georgia Tech too. But David was 'weird' because he was, well, he was a die hard soccer fan. Die hard despite lacking access to downloaded recordings of games or infinite satellite channels for European broadcasts. He had just grown to love the sport with what he had been able to catch and follow online over a decade ago. He was always checking ESPN's soccer coverage website. Like I said, he was 'weird.'
Of the things I regret in college, I regret not spending more time with David and not getting to know soccer through his eyes. He was an American kid who had fallen in love with a sport which was firmly entrenched as the least popular professional sport in America. Rather than learning to love the game through David, I took another path.
My education in soccer first started as a kid when I played on a YMCA team. I wasn't good. My earliest experience was in an in-door soccer league in Kansas City. I have no real memories of it but I have heard a story which involves the mob of kids on the field chasing the ball and I eventually collapse on the ball and curl up over it, determined to defend the ball in the only way I know how. When viewed as an action by a four or five year old child, it's adorable. So focus on that angle.
Soccer required an athleticism that I lacked such that I was often put on defense where the coach's instruction was "stay near the corner of the box and keep the ball away from the goal." Not a rousing coaching strategy but then it was YMCA. Combine my less-than-stellar soccer skills with television actively pushing me towards other sports which I could actually watch: (American) football, basketball, and baseball. Soccer was left in the dust. I grew up seeing it as a sport that kids played and adults elsewhere (not America) played and thus not something I should worry about. I mean, I wasn't seeing a soccer player peddling a sugary drink.
And so it was all the way through college, despite a friend named David, until I returned to Orlando in 2005. During that time I reconnected with some childhood friends from church, a pair of Brazilian brothers named David and Daniel. They were members of my childhood church. David was two years my senior, and Daniel was four years my junior. I was in middle school for one year with David, and I can remember him playing soccer for my middle school's soccer team. I don't know I ever watched a game, but I remember him in the uniform and the team photo. I knew both of them much more from church youth group and choir.
It was with these brothers that I watched the 2006 World Cup in Germany. I contend that there is no greater event than gathering with a Brazilian family to watch World Cup soccer. It was a feast of food for every game and they were infinitely patient as they explained the rules of the game which I didn't understand. I will always be thankful for that first spark that relit my love of soccer.
As a brief aside: I think I returned the favor. My contribution was to take them to Sci-Fi City in Orlando where they bought their first RPG dice sets, before we went on to play many wonderful games of D&D with them and some other friends. The older of the two brothers, David, passed away a few years ago and while the group continued to play D&D without him it wasn't the same.
After the 2006 World Cup passed, my interest in soccer waned once again as the world around me turned away from soccer and back to those other popular American sports.
In 2009, tied to the fateful events which turned me down my current career path, I joined CoolStuffInc.com where my two bosses were both big soccer fans. When the 2010 World Cup rolled around we took our laptops down to the game store before it opened and watched the games on the television while we worked. And it was there my love of soccer was truly reignited. Again, I was swept up in the World Cup, and again I was educated by those who knew far more about the sport.
Again though, the World Cup left us, but this time the interest in the sport was buoyed. I began seeking it out by following some oversea teams. Though I was only casually interested, this time the barrier to entry was lower.
Television was changing. America was changing. The Internet was changing. And I had two new allies: one of my bosses and my fiancee. Katie, as it turns out, was a soccer fan as well so she was all too eager to share this love with me. As I grew to know more about soccer, as I began to find teams I liked, and as the world around me made soccer more accessible here in the states I began to find more and more to love for it.
Perhaps the most critical event of this timeline was just before Katie and I left Orlando. It was then that Orlando launched their NASL team (and now soon to be an MLS team featuring a famous player named Kaka) the Orlando City Soccer Club. Our first experience with them was at a friendly against Newcastle United. Katie and I were able to enjoy the excitement together and we were planning to buy season tickets for the next season were it not for the fateful opportunity that brought us to Seattle.
For those of you who don't know, Seattle is home to the Seattle Sounders, an MLS club since 2010 (NASL team since 1974). And we are the only city in America to consistently draw European-level crowds for their soccer matches (2013 averaged 44,000 fans per home game.) Katie and I, as I said, had discovered the joy of watching and attending a soccer match while in Orlando and so we knew we had to check out the Sounders. We attended, I believe, two or maybe three games and watched others on television before we decided to order season tickets for the 2013-2014 season.
As much as the Sounders matches with Katie deserve credit for feeding the flame, the Internet and the changing landscape of American television deserve a great deal of credit too. The Internet has become an American soccer fan's lifeline providing clips and full replays of games from leagues around the world, available with just a few clicks of a mouse. Watching them stream live or as recorded matches ripped from broadcasts. It is a common practice for me to acquire a match or two before a trip so I can watch them during a flight, I've found I prefer those matches to any other in-flight entertainment.
Additionally, the landscape of American television proper is changing. It is my belief that soccer in America was actively stymied by the proliferation of television and the rise of commercials. Soccer is not an easy sport to profit off of as a broadcast network. Where football, basketball, baseball, NASCAR, and any other sport has countless natural breaks where commercials can be run – soccer does not. And so for that reason networks, in search of profits during some previous decade, shunned soccer. Maybe this is unfair, or perhaps there is more at work than I am aware, but the logic makes perfect sense so I choose to believe it.
Now though, the world has changed. America is going through a soccer renaissance as MLS is on a growth spurt, and American networks are competing to broadcast more and more soccer. Those, combined with online access to games, and infinite clips on YouTube, makes soccer a very accessible sport for those getting into it.
So then why? Up to now I've walked you through my personal journey of how I fell in love with soccer, but I haven't done anything to capture the why. Before I do so, let me first step into a discussion about what I think a few of the reasons are for why soccer has struggled in the United States.
I think part of the reason that soccer struggles is because our modern media machine has not been built to allow soccer to succeed. Television broadcasting relies on advertising deals for commercials and product ads, where NFL, NBA, MLB and other televised sports have many opportunities for commercial breaks (some initiated specifically for that purpose rather than used opportunistically)—soccer doesn't allow for that. The game is two forty-five minute halves without stops. No chance for commercials, and thus not exactly the poster boy for profitability.
There is one thing which could force the broadcasters to eat this: public demand. And what brings public demand? National team success or the rise of a popular league. Neither of which has truly happened yet.
These issues are a chicken and an egg problem in today's world. It is imperative for any professional sport that it not only get exposure but also the revenue from the coverage. With that coverage comes not only revenue but also the growth of a culture around the sport: kids watching and loving the sport's stars. Lastly, this coverage is critical for also the reason of comparison against other sports. As a kid, why should I care about a sport I can't watch on TV when instead I can follow Jordan and the Bulls, or Deion Sanders and the Falcons or Cowboys, or… someone relevant from baseball (Greg Maddux) or hockey (Wayne Gretzky.)
So, aside from the popularity, with the rise of attention that Americans give it around every World Cup there is still a problem of "stickiness." It doesn't grab Americans who aren't indoctrinated in it. I contend one of the major reasons is the need for people to learn the sport beyond the base rules. Many people think soccer is slow, boring, or hard to follow.
The advantage other sports have that is that they are more "busy" than soccer. American Football is a multi-hour broadcast for less than an hour of active game play. Basketball's last two minutes of action can take twenty-plus minutes. Baseball is a series of pitches which result sometimes in bursts of action. These sports are short easily processed chunks which create punctuations of action that make us believe that, on the whole, they are faster and more action packed than soccer. The difference is that there are nice and easy digestible bites of these sports. Whether the plays of football, or the shot-clock limited fast-paced action of basketball, these are benefits of short attention span because it lets you know for sure when a play or series of actions is complete.
Soccer is more like a marathon. The clock starts and runs without stop for forty-five minutes. You can't stop and go to the bathroom without risking missing action unless a player is injured. And during this time, there's no promise of a score, much to many American fans' frustration. Games end 0-0 or maybe 1-0! Where's the blow out? Where's the double digit win?
Soccer's continuously long period of motion creates a barrier to entry.
Next comes the lack of clear direction of attention. I sort of spoke to this above, but the trap of soccer is that following the ball is only part of what you should be watching. Soccer's real beauty lies in the whole picture and not just what happens immediately around the ball. I'll use the Seattle Sounders' as an example, right now the Sounders have Nigerian Obafemi Martins and American Clint Dempsey as their star scorers with Clint leading the way. However to give either of them sole credit for their success thus far this season is a discredit to the other, and in fact the team as a whole.
Here's a goal from the Sounders 2013 season, it's Obafemi Martins who scores, but watch the passing that leads up to the goal:
So in that play you see a pass from Brad Evans (I can't see clearly, but I think that's who it is) to Obafemi, who immediately dishes it out to Andy Rose who is streaking up the side. It's actually this run which is so crucial, without the run the three defenders around Obafemi would be focused solely on him, and thanks to the run they aren't, which allows Obafemi to make the turn and get into position for Andy's return pass before the score.
Now here's another clip for you to watch:
What you see is Obafemi Martins streaking down the right side of the pitch, and doing so draws the Chivas defenders attention (as it should) we then see a pass to Mauro Rosales (now playing for Chivas funnily enough) who slips as he passes it on to Lamar Neagle who is left wide open because the defense has closed in on Obafemi and Mauro. Again, while the goal is exciting, it's the movement leading up to the goal which is important.
Now for something a bit different, a defensive play that shows you the beauty of defense. A lightning quick foot move to stop an attack and then a tenacious defense.
Another shot from the World Cup which shows an amazing pass. It's unlikely Guti, the player who makes the backwards pass, actually knew for sure a team mate was there but it shows the amazing team work where he felt confident a team mate would be in the area.
These aren't plays which will convert non-soccer fans, but they are examples of the need to be watching more than just the ball.
So, now that I've just shown you the importance of not watching the ball – I'm not going to lie. Goals are amazing exclamation points, better than touchdowns, home runs, or three point shots. I mean sure, some are better than goals, but the best goals will defeat the best touchdowns in my opinion.
Alright, let me show you some amazing goals:
I could keep going. The fact that I can make those above embeds with only a few minutes of work is exactly what is going right for soccer now. Technology is opening up the world of soccer in new and Internet-friendly ways. The World Cup aside, it's an exciting period.
MLS is growing quickly, they've announced their next four expansion teams in the next three years: Orlando (as mentioned above), NYC FC (a partnership between Manchester City and the New York Yankees), Miami (courtesy of David Beckham and LeBron James), and Atlanta (with the likes of Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons). No other sports league in America is expanding like the MLS is right now.
In addition to these new teams, they announced a new landmark television deal with ESPN and FOX. This deal is exciting because the amount of money they're talking about is actually more than NBC is paying for the English Premier League.
That's exciting because it means that MLS is really starting to be taken serious by US broadcasters, and it also means that EPL is being broadcast in the US, and there is even more exciting news in that there is a deal for FOX to carry Bundesliga starting in 2015. My soccer excitement isn't only because of the World Cup (though that is obviously part of it) but also because the years ahead are very exciting for fans of the sport.
Some may think I've strayed away from why and back to how, and that is understandable, except I haven't. I'm still on why. I'm in love with the sport now because I have readily available access to it. Something which when I was in college wasn't true.
There is another major factor which I shouldn't overlook, though it is far from a conclusive one. Having a hometown team to cheer for is fantastic. Seattle's love for the Sounders certainly plays part in why I love soccer. I love going to the matches and experiencing the atmosphere of it all. More so than going to a live basketball, baseball or football game, the soccer match experience is fantastic in Seattle.
As I write this latest revision to the blog post the United States Men's team are on the verge of proceeding to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The only time we have proceeded further was in 1930, when we placed third out of the eight teams that participated in the first ever World Cup. Interestingly, the first match we played during that tournament was a 3-0 win over Belgium.
Will we be able to overcome one of our most ancient of professional soccer foes? I suppose I'll find out tomorrow. But regardless of how it ends up, I know I'm going to love to continue to watch the rest of the tournament (though I'll love it more if I'm rooting for the good ole' red, white, and blue.)
#IBELIEVEWEWILLWIN
Tags football, soccer, world cup


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text:
Q: Locking Loopback API I have a running Loopback API that's working fine.
This API will be consumed by an APP (iPhone and/or Android) and all the requests to the API will be made inside the APP.
I want to lock the API so only logged users (in this case the API) can get any kind of information from there.
I am using the built-in Users model and creating a user to get the token and then sending it together with the API call and it works just fine but I've read this token expires.
Is there any way to make a permanent token and I change it only if I want to?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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403. ............ Kent (England). County Council. Architect's Dept. (English
............ architectural firm, contemporary)
404. ............ Kent Gallery (American repository, New York City, contemporary)
405. ............ Kent Institute of Art and Design, Herbert Read Gallery
............ (British repository, Canterbury, contemporary)
406. ............ Kent-Koop Planning and Architectural Design Office (Turkish
407. ............ Kent Lyon Architects (Australian architectural firm,
408. ............ Kent Property Services' Landscape (British governmental
............ body, contemporary)
409. ............ Kentucky Heritage Council (American council, contemporary)
410. ............ Kent Willoughby Associates (American design firm, contemporary)
411. ............ Kenwood House (British repository, London, contemporary)
412. ............ Ken Yokogawa Architect and Associates (Japanese architectural
413. ............ Kephisodotos the Younger and Timarchos (Greek sculptors,
............ active ca. 295 BCE)
414. ............ Kepler-Gedächtnis-Haus (German repository, Regensburg,
415. ............ Keppie Design Ltd. (Scottish architectural and design
416. ............ Keppie, Henderson Architects (Scottish architectural
417. ............ Kerameikos Group (Corinthian vase painters, active ca.
............ 640-625 BCE)
418. ............ Kerameikos Museum (Greek repository, Athens, contemporary)
419. ............ Keramisk Centrum (Swedish repository, Gustavsberg, contemporary)
420. ............ Kerbaum Architekten (German architectural firm, contemporary)
421. ............ Kerker, Müller + Braunbeck (German architectural lighting
422. ............ Kerler, Amesöder, Braun (German architectural firm, contemporary)
423. ............ Kerler, Amesöder, Braun, Berner (German architectural
424. ............ Kerlin Gallery (Irish repository, Dublin borough, contemporary)
425. ............ Kermit Dorius and Associates (American architectural
426. ............ Kern Group (Attic vase painters)
427. ............ Kerns Group Architects (American architectural firm,
............ active from 1974)
428. ............ Kérosène Atelier d'Architecture (French architectural
429. ............ Kerridge Wallace Design Partnership (Australian architectural
430. ............ Kerr Parker Associates (British architectural firm, contemporary)
431. ............ Kerry Hill Architects (Australian architectural firm,
432. ............ Kerry McNamara Architects (South African architectural
433. ............ Kerssen, Lijbers & Oostvogel (Dutch architectural firm,
434. ............ Kersten + Martinoff (German architectural firm, contemporary)
435. ............ Kersten, Martinoff, Struhk (German architectural firm,
436. ............ Kerstin Thompson Architects (Australian architectural
437. ............ Kester, Inc. (American architectural and lighting design
438. ............ Kestner-Gesellschaft (German repository, Hanover, contemporary)
439. ............ Kestner-Museum (German repository, Hanover, contemporary)
440. ............ Kestrel Design Group (American design and planning firm,
441. ............ Ketzel & Goodman (American architectural firm, contemporary)
442. ............ Keuka College (American repository, Keuka Park, contemporary)
443. ............ Kever und Renatus (German architectural firm, contemporary)
444. ............ Kevin Alter and David Heymann, Architects (American architectural
445. ............ Kevin Bone Architects (American architectural firm, contemporary)
446. ............ Kevin Dash Architects (British architectural firm, contemporary)
447. ............ Kevin Hayes Architects (Australian architectural firm,
448. ............ Kevin Kennon & Peter Moore, Architects (American architectural
449. ............ Kevin Lawrence Harris (American architectural firm, active
............ from 1983)
450. ............ Kevin Lloyd Architects (South African architectural firm,
451. ............ Kevin Palassis Architects (Australian architectural firm,
452. ............ Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo and Associates (American architectural
............ partnership, active from 1966)
453. ............ Kevin Ruedisueli, Inc. (American architectural firm,
454. ............ Kew Palace (British repository, London, contemporary)
455. ............ Keyes Associates (American architectural firm, contemporary)
456. ............ Keyes, Condon, and Florance (American architectural firm,
457. ............ Keyes Condon / Florance Eichbaum Esocoff King (American
458. ............ Keymer Hand Made Clay Tiles Co. (English clay tile-making
............ company, founded 1870s)
459. ............ Keyside Class (Attic vase painters, active ca. 500-475
............ BCE)
460. ............ Keystone Architects (South African architectural firm,
461. ............ Keystone Architects (Indian architectural firm, established
............ 2005)
462. ............ Keystone Architects & Designers Co-operative (British
............ architectural and design cooperative, contemporary)
463. ............ Keystone View Company (American photo distribution firm,
............ founded 1892, purchased in 1963)
464. ............ Keyvan Milani Architect (American architectural firm,
465. ............ KFK (German architectural firm, contemporary)
466. ............ KGB - Kirchmeier Graw Brück (German architectural firm,
467. ............ Khajana Building Museum (Indian repository, Golconda,
468. ............ Kha Le-Huu and Partners (American architectural firm,
469. ............ Khamza Institute for Knowledge of the Arts (Uzbek repository,
............ Tashkent, contemporary)
470. ............ K & H Architects (Japanese architectural firm, contemporary)
471. ............ Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute (Ukrainian repository,
............ Kharkov, contemporary)
472. ............ Khelif et Cardinale (French architectural firm, contemporary)
473. ............ Khmaphet & Khamseuk Sakda (French architectural firm,
474. ............ Kho Liang le Associates (Dutch architectural firm, contemporary)
475. ............ Khon Kaen National Museum (Thai repository, Khon Kaen,
476. ............ KHR A/S (Danish architecture firm, contemporary)
477. ............ K. H. Renlundin Museum (Finnish repository, Kokkola,
478. ............ KHTG (Canadian architecture firm, contemporary)
479. ............ Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library (Indian repository,
............ Bānkipur, contemporary)
480. ............ Kiah Environmental Designers (Australian landscape architecture
481. ............ Kicherer - Bardach Arquitectos (Argentine architectural
482. ............ Kidd Plosser Sprague Architects (American architectural
............ firm, established 1965)
483. ............ Kideney Architects / Laping Jaeger Associates (American
............ architectural firm, active from 1926)
484. ............ Kidosaki Architects Studio (Japanese architectural firm,
485. ............ Kids of Survival (American artists' collective, formed
486. ............ Kiefer + Kiefer (German architectural firm, contemporary)
487. ............ Kiehnel & Elliott (American architectural firm, contemporary)
488. ............ Kielers Tegnestue (Danish architectural firm, contemporary)
489. ............ Kiel Kantharos Group (Greek vase painters, active in
............ Apulia)
490. ............ Kiemle, Kreidt und Partner (German architectural firm,
491. ............ Kienast, Vogt + Partner (Swiss landscape architecture
492. ............ Kiene and Bradley Design Group (American architectural
493. ............ Kieran Timberlake Associates (American architectural
494. ............ Kieran Timberlake Harris (American architectural firm,
495. ............ Kiessler und Partner (German architectural firm, contemporary)
496. ............ Kiev-Pechersky Historical Museum (Ukrainian repository,
............ Kiev, contemporary)
497. ............ KiiA Architecture (Canadian architectural firm, contemporary)
498. ............ Kijo Rokkaku, Architect and Associates (Japanese architectural
499. ............ Kikō Mozuna, Architect & Associates (Japanese architectural
500. ............ Kikutake Architects (Japanese architectural firm, contemporary)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Transcom Bags Two ACES Awards
Transcom Worldwide Philippines, Inc. was recognized for industry leadership and sustainability in the Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability (ACES) Awards which was held virtually on November 10, 2020. Transcom received the award for Asia's Most Influential Companies as well as for Top Workplaces in Asia.
ASIA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL COMPANIES
The award honors resilient and forward thinking companies in Asia with strong influence over people, resources, and global interactions. Nominees are selected based on strength in revenue, profitability, total employees, innovativeness, brand influence in the marketplace, and adherence to corporate sustainability principles.
TOP WORKPLACES IN ASIA
The award is presented to companies that take on a people-centric approach and demonstrate strong commitment towards employee empowerment and enrichment. The winning companies show advocacy for investment in people, recognition and retention, improving employee's job satisfaction, practices fair communication, and promote work life balance. The awarded companies fare low attrition rate, house a great pool of talents, and have a practice of knowledge sharing among employees and stakeholders.
Since its inauguration in 2014, the ACES Awards has grown to become one of the most sought after accolades in Asia, a fact substantiated by the exclusive list of winners, which includes some of Asia's most renowned business leaders, corporations and brands.
ACES brings Asia's business aspirations and success stories to the world stage through knowledge sharing and recognition. With a strong third-party endorsement of trustworthiness and excellence, the ACES Awards help winners accelerate the growth of revenue and profits while showcasing the good reputation that visionary leaders have built over the years.
Transcom ©2023
T:Life


Drawings and paintings from life between 2009-2011.
My wife, Rachel, reading next to our garden.
underpainting for a drape study. burnt umber on grey toned canvas.
drape study in oil paint. limited palette of cad. orange, burnt sienna, fr. ultramarine blue, and white.


text:
Superligaen 1999/2000 var den tionde säsongen av Superligaen, anordnad av Dansk Boldspil-Union. Serien spelades mellan 24 juli 1999 och 28 maj år 2000, med vinteruppehåll.

Danska mästarna kvalificerade sig för tredje omgången i kvalspelet till Champions League 2000/2001, tvåan gick in i andra omgången i kvalspelet i Champions League, medan trean kvalificerade sig för första kvalomgången till Uefacupen 2000/2001. Fyran och femman kvalificerade sig för Intertotocupen 2000, medan de två lägst placerade lagen flyttades direkt ner till 1. division. Vinnaren och tvåan i 1. Division flyttades upp till Superligaen.

Tabeller

Poängtabell

Resultattabell

Skytteligan

Externa länkar
  Fixtures at NetSuperligaen.dk
  Peders Fodboldstatistik

1999 i Danmark
2000 i Danmark
Fotbollssäsongen 1999/2000
1999/2000

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The major factor that is perhaps the most crucial factor that could make or split a fashionista's decision to buy her eyewear is the frame. These casings come in a variety of colors, materials, and embellishments. Go crazy! With all the rising popularity of eyewear there have never already been more options to choose from.Bath Faucets Frame colors usually come in available different types of classic black, plain brown, brown and gold combinations, silver, gold, pink, white, and the list is endless. If you avoid have the color you want available but have the money, then you could decide for custom made casings. These frames can be made from the colors, design, and embellishments that you prefer. Aside from the color, frames can also come in various types of materials. You have the cheapest of all the plastic and the latest of which are materials made from titanium and the like offering the best style in a lightweight fashion.
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Milwaukee M18 18 Volt Lithium Ion Cordless 1 2 In Impact Wrench W Pin Detent Kit W 2 3 0Ah Batteries Hard Case 2652 22.
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Business company J.C. J.B. LLC is a legal entity registered under the law of State Nevada. Company is located in the register with the Company number E0056872005-8 and with the national number of State Nevada NV20051250910. This legal entity was firstly registered on 25th February 2005 under the legal form of Domestic Limited-Liability Company. Its registered agent is ALVIN CARLBERG with the seat at 2381 PICKWICK DR., HENDERSON, 89014, NV licensed as Noncommercial Registered Agent. Business activities of this company are managed by Managers. Current company's status is Permanently Revoked.
The company J.C. J.B. LLC is managed by 4 persons in total. The persons responsible for business activities are TERRY BURNS with the seat at 8723 HERITAGE DR, FLORENCE, 41042, KY as Managing Member , JESSICA HOREHOUSE with the seat at 2189 N 1930 W, CLINTON, 84015, UT as Manager , BRUCE JAMES with the seat at 439 W 400 N, HYROM, 84319, UT as Managing Member , JOSHUA JAMES with the seat at 3691 W JUPITER HILLS DR, SYRACUSE, 84075, UT as Managing Member .


text:
Dos Mukasan (, Dosmūqasan) is a Kazakh rock and pop music group, which was formed in Pavlodar Region in 1967 as VIA.

The first lineup was formed in 1967 by four students of the Almaty Polytechnic Institute, Dosym Suleyev, Murat Kusainov, Kamit Sanbayev, and Alexander Litvinov. They first performed in Bayanaul on 1 September 1967. The name of the band was the abbreviation of their names. The band initially positioned as performers of Kazakh folk music and were criticized because they used guitars rather than traditional Kazakh musical instruments and used several vocals simultaneously. On the other hand, they were clearly inspired by contemporary Western groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Dos Mukasan became the first Kazakh group playing rock music and the first group trying to create the fusion of rock music and Kazakh folk music.

The lineup of the band changed several times. In the end of the 1970s, the period when Dos Mukasan was the most popular, it included Murat Kusainov, Nurtas Kusainov, Bakhyt Dzhumadilov, Askar Dzhankushukov, Bagdad Aydarkhanov, Arsen Bayanov, and Murat Sarybayev. The band stopped performing and disintegrated in the 1990s; Murat Kusainov decided to continue performing with young musicians, however, since 2000 the old lineup of Dos Mukasan returned to perform.

In the 1970s, the band won a number of prizes in music festivals in the Soviet Union. A monument to the group was opened in Pavlodar in the 2000s.

References

External links

Kazakhstani rock music groups
Soviet rock music groups
Soviet vocal-instrumental ensembles
1967 establishments in the Soviet Union
Musical groups established in 1967


My name is Maia and I am 24.
How did you come to work at Specsavers in Old Swan?
I have worked at Specsavers Old Swan since I was 17, started off working Saturday's and school holidays then when I completed my A Levels I started full time at this store.
I went on to complete an OCA and Cert 4 qualifications and currently in my third and final year of university to qualify as a Dispensing Optician.
I do not need to wear glasses but frame styling is one of my favourite aspects of the job.
Tortoiseshell frames would be my colour of choice for me and at the minute my favourite shape is round or the really deep square frames, as I like spectacles to be a statement.
Which frames are the most popular with customers at the moment?
The Aurora range is are very flattering and tend to be pretty popular in our store. For men I would say dark plastics such as the Boss Orange or Timberland range. I love the plastics in the Specsavers range too.
What does your job at Specsavers involve?
My role is varied as I'm also currently training to be a Dispensing Optician. I am experienced in dispensing complexed prescriptions to suit all needs and preferences but I also deal with the admin of our contact lenses.
This involves daily orders and deliveries, replenishment of contact lenses and I also keep track of our customers who are on our contact lens delivery scheme.
This means I contact them regarding appointments that are due for sight test and contact lenses, any queries relating to their deliveries or direct debit related issues. I also do contact lens teaches with our new wearers showing them insertion, removal and general handling.
A lot of people assume they don't need an eye test if they don't have any visual issue but I have noticed the last few years the increase in awareness of an eye test being a health check.
I think its vital to have an eye test regularly , now more than ever as most job and lifestyles involves using the phones, laptops iPads etc.
Do you provide hear care at the store?
Yes we have audiologists in store a few days a week but all staff are trained to help with admin in hearcare and repairs.


Official speeches and statements - June 19, 2017 - France in the United States / Embassy of France in Washington, D.C.
Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, was saddened to learn of the death of former German chancellor Helmut Kohl.
Helmut Kohl was one of Europe and the free world's great men.
The architect of his country's unification, Helmut Kohl forged, with François Mitterrand, Europe's unity and deepened the Franco-German relationship.
Our Europe's major achievements owe a great deal to Helmut Kohl: Schengen, the single currency and the beginnings of European defense.
Reformer, visionary and unifier, Helmut Kohl left his mark on our collective history.
The President expresses his sympathy and friendship to Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany.
Germany and Europe have lost a great European and a great patriot who managed to reunify Germany without undoing Europe.
Together with François Mitterrand, to whom his magnificent gesture unites him forever in the national remembrance of Verdun, he worked fervently to reconcile memories. With him and then with Jacques Chirac, the Franco-German partnership was the engine of a confident Europe that brought hope to peoples.
With his passing, a whole generation has also lost one of its most brilliant representatives - that generation of men and women who experienced the horrors of the war in Europe and did everything to ensure we never have to relive them.
I was deeply saddened to learn of Helmut Kohl's passing.
I offer my sincere condolences to his family, and to the authorities and all the people of Germany.
An architect of peace, Helmut Kohl worked with François Mitterrand to build a free, strong and united Europe based on democratic values.
This visionary approach must continue to inspire us for the good of future generations, so that they may flourish.
Morocco is indeed a friendly country and a strategic partner for France, and that's what explains this visit, which I wanted, on the personal invitation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. This special visit is, I believe—like our France-Morocco relations—based on a common vision and a desire to pursue our joint interests, not only in Morocco but also in the region and, more broadly, in Africa.
This evening we discussed, firstly, the many bilateral issues that form the agenda of our relations, and I reaffirmed France's wish to support, as far as it can, the ambitious reforms currently being conducted by the King: the modernization of the institutions, with the implementation of the institutional reform decided on in 2011; economic emergence, with Morocco's integration into [trade] networks and globalization; and finally social and regional development, with programs to combat inequality, and the advanced regionalization initiative.
We discussed the economic projects under way, particularly the opening of a factory tomorrow, but also all the many cultural and educational projects marking the relations between our countries now and in the coming months, and the determination—mine at any rate—to develop Francophony even further. Morocco is an important country in this regard, and in Morocco and more broadly throughout Africa I'd like our educational, cultural and linguistic policy to be revisited and more prominent once again.
I then discussed with His Majesty the King several subjects we share: clearly our visions on the Libya conflict and, I believe, our shared determination to find ways and means to stabilize that country, which is a concern in terms of the region's security and migration routes; and secondly today's tense situation in the Gulf, where we also reaffirmed, I think, a broadly shared vision consisting in giving priority to stabilizing the region, on the one hand, and combating terrorism and all forms of terrorism financing on the other.
Finally, we discussed Africa policy, in which Morocco is playing a growing role, and we can only welcome Morocco's incorporation into the African Union and, soon, ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and the stated desire to cooperate with France in its strategy, which is also one of regional stabilization. I saw a concerned partner determined to join in our efforts to stabilize the Sahel—and I think this is an important factor—and also determined to be very vigilant on all the potential sources of destabilization in Africa.
More broadly, I for one am convinced that France and Morocco today have a common policy to conduct together in Africa, one which will consist in developing, with private entrepreneurs, artists and the worlds of education and culture, a sort of liberation of societies wherever they are flourishing, and rethinking a balanced relationship in Africa drawing strength from civil society.
This is central to the policy of partnership in Africa I'd like to conduct where—alongside the need sometimes to step up security, and the action we've got to carry out—there must be a desire for development, a much stronger education policy and also work done with entrepreneurs, civil society and the academic world to enable the very changes under way in Africa today. The King of Morocco and I talked about this too, and I think he shares this vision today.
Finally, we each reaffirmed our commitment to fighting climate change. And so, beyond the diplomatic initiatives which have been taken and which we reconfirmed—i.e. adherence, obviously, to the Paris Agreement—, we clearly want to continue diplomatic initiatives and joint concrete initiatives in Africa which will make it possible to deliver on COP21 and future COPs.
That, in a few words, was the bulk of what we discussed during this first exchange, obviously before we continue in the evening.
France utterly condemns the terrorist attack which occurred near Finsbury Park Mosque in London, in the evening of 18 June.
We express our condolences to the bereaved and wish those injured a speedy recovery.
In the face of this new ordeal, France assures Londoners and the British authorities of its solidarity.


text:
Topic: Tom's Random Reviews
Author Topic: Tom's Random Reviews (Read 485072 times)
Re: My random reviews
Title: Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Sixth Season
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround
Larry David has a pretty good life. Pretty, pretty good. He has understanding friends, a tolerant wife, and his plans for the afterlife all plotted out.
See Larry take in a family of Blacks, make a generous donation, pay his respects to the dead, and befriend the handicapped. Is Larry David the most magnanimous man we know...or the most misunderstood?
1. Meet the Blacks
2. The Anonymous Donor
3. The Ida Funkhouser Roadside Memorial
4. The Lefty Call
5. The Freak Book
6. The Rat Dog
7. The TiVo Guy
8. The N Word
9. The Therapist
10. The Bat Mitzvah
Good, but nothing special. Seems like the series is running out of steam. But after the great fourth season ("The Producers" season) everything following has a hard time.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2008, 09:35:53 PM by TomGaines »
I just had to watch the two Death Note movies again
I have upgraded my rating for these, because I enjoyed them just as much the second time around.
Title: Smoke
Director: Wayne Wang
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround , French: Dolby Digital Stereo , Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
In the tradition of 'The Big Chill'... William Hurt ('Changing Lanes', 'Tuck Everlasting') and Harvey Keitel ('Pulp Fiction','U-571') head an all-star casting this unforgettably fun and entertaining motion picture! A group of people's lives intertwine when a New York cigar store manager, Auggie (Keitel), befriends them. Among them is a writer...who can't write (Hurt), a reluctant father...hiding from his past (Forest Whitaker - 'Panic Room'), a streetwise teen...with an unusual identity crisis, and Auggie's long-lost ex-girlfriend (Stockard Channing - TV's 'The West Wing', 'Life Or Something Like It')...who returns with some surprising news! Critics and audiences hailed SMOKE for its offbeat humor, unexpected wit and dazzling performances - you'll cheer it too!
Well acted story around a cigar store owner. I got the impression, that they were trying to do something similar to Clerks. Could definetaly be, as the studio who bought the rights to Clerks is the same producing this picture (Miramax).
Title: Blue in the Face
Director: Wayne Wang, Paul Auster
Mel Gorham
In the uproarious follow-up to the hit comedy 'Smoke', Harvey Keitel ('Pulp Fiction') returns with a red-hot, all-star cast that includes Michael J. Fox ('Stuart Little', TV's 'Spin City'), Roseanne (ABC-TV's 'Roseanne'), and Academy Award® winner Mira Sorvino ('Mimic', 'Replacement Killers')! It's nonstop laughs when a wacky group of locals visits the neighborhood cigar shop, looking for good times...and finding plenty of hilarious fun! But when the greedy owner threatens to close the shop for good-and turn it into a trendy vegetarian restaurant - the neighborhood proves they'll do just about 'anything' to save their favorite hangout! Don't miss this highly original and entertaining comedy that has critics and audiences cheering!
OTB Boys Outtakes
After having done "Smoke", the directors - liking the improvisations Harvey Keitel did to get into character for his Smoke role - had the idea to use the same sets and make an impromptu movie largely based on improvisations. Shot in just 5 Days it is interesting to see what they come up with. The invited some actor friends for this (like Michael J. Fox, Roseanne, Mira Sorvino).
Title: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Volume One
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo , Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Now for the first time on DVD, it's the Emmy Award Winning 2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series! You have the power to re-live these first 13 episodes in this volume one of a three-volume series. Start with the three-part movie that shows how Prince Adam became He-Man as he leads Man-At-Arms, Teela, Ram Man, Buzz-Off, Mekanek and the other Masters of the Universe as they battle Skeletor, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops, Evil-Lyn, Mer-Man and the other classic villains for control of Eternia.
This fresh take on the retro favorite delighted and entertained a new generation of fans as well as those who grew up watching the beloved series in the '80s.
2 Masters of the Universe Collectible art cards
DVD-ROM Content
A remake of a classic 80's TV series which has done it right. It did not change the things we are familiar with all that much, but deepened the characters' background which were only hinted at in the original series. The animation is also done well. And finally it is believable that the other characters do not recognize Prince Adam as He-Man.
Too bad it only lasted 1 1/2 seasons. Probably the reason was, that this series appealed more to old fans than the new generation which was targeted to buy the new toyline. I really would have liked to see an updated version of She-Ra who was said would have come down the road.
What I found quite amusing is, that they gave Stratos a voice which sound remarkably like Sean Connery. And when Stratos said "I never thought I will see this: A dragon being on our side", I had to think of Sean Connery's movie Dragonheart . I wonder if this line was intentionally a reference to Dragonheart.
Title: Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
Director: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Shaun Williamson
Shaun Pye
'Tis the season to be jaded. at least of you're Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais). Despite the success of his highly-rated (but critically-panned) sitcom "When the Whistle Blows," Andy can't help but wonder if true artistic respectability will ever come his way.
Andy decides to take drastic measures: he fires his loyal but useless agent Darren (Stephen Merchant); pulls the plug on his hit show and turns down roles he considers "beneath him." He even lashes out at his best friend Maggie (Ashley Jensen), who admires the small measure of fame that Andy has achieved.
It isn't long before Andy begins to wonder: is success really worth it? Can he have both respect and fame? And is a man truly the sum of his parts, no matter how small they might be?
A good closure for the series. I loved how Andy hit rock bottom in form of Celebrity Big Brother
And Andy expressed quite well at the end what is wrong with the TV landscape nowadays. And this is why I do not like to watch shows like "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (German American Idol version), Survivor, Big Brother and co. Though I must admit I was a Big Brother watcher some years ago (I had watched season 1,2 and 4 (2000-2003) of the German Big Brother ).
A very British characteristic (and one I am ashamed of, quite frankly) is too find fault with people doing well. The Extras finale seemed to suffer a huge backlash when it was screened, with critics tripping over themselves to say how awful they thought it was. Each to their own, but I thought it was a marvellous end to the series and I'm pleased to see you liked it for what it was too.
I just finished watching The Office Series 1 and then Extras Season 1 Disc 1 and must say I am still in pain. I had to laugh so hard that I got aches on my sides... Really great stuff. I needed to get into it at first (episodes 1 and 2 of The Office didn't click with me right away) but then...
It is interesting to see though, when watching the Outtakes, that it doesn't come easy at all and in fact lots of tries are necessary to get it because Gervais keeps cracking up... Somebody actually criticized him for that, as he appears to be so full of himself that he mainly laughs to show the others that the stuff he wrote is really funny...(it was meant tongue in cheek though, I think).
Title: Vampire's Kiss
Director: Robert Bierman
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85, Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround , Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Jennifer Beals
Kasi Lemmons
Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage is "amazing" ('The New Yorker') in this outrageous, erotically charged thriller about a womanizing New York executive who becomes convinced that he's a vampire when one of his conquests bites his neck in the throes of passion. Jennifer Beals ('Devil in a Blue Dress') sizzles as the femme fatale who sets Cage on his batty course in this darkly funny, "lively, imaginative fantasy" ('Los Angeles Times')!
An average movie, though it picks up at the end. Good performance by Nicholas Cage.
Title: The Specials
Director: Craig Mazin
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 , English: Dolby Digital Stereo , Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo , Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Jordan Ladd
Mike Schwartz
They are the sixth (okay, maybe the seventh) greatest superhero team in the entire world. At their modest suburban headquarters, The Strobe ('Sideway's' Thomas Haden Church), The Weevil(Rob Lowe), foul-mouthed Amok ('Son of the Mask's' Jamie Kennedy), Ms. Indestructible (Huff's Paget Brewster), Deadly Girl ('13 Going On 30's' Judy Greer), new member Nightbird ('Cabin Fever's' Jordan Ladd) and the rest all spend their time bickering, having extramarital affairs, and preparing for the grand unveiling of their own action figure line. But when a furious Strobe suddenly disbands the group, who will be there for the oddballs, rebels, outcasts and geeks? Before they save the world, can they save themselves? Meet THE SPECIALS!
Kelly Coffield, Michael Weatherly('Dark Angel'), Chase Masterson ('Deep Space Nine') and Melissa Joan Hart ('Sabrina') co-star in this hilarious cult hit from Craig Mazin (writer of SCARY MOVIE 3) and screenwriter James Gunn (writer of SCOOBY DOO and DAWN OF THE DEAD), now loaded with special edition extras that truly put the 'special' in THE SPECIALS!
A fun movie. Don't expect an action movie laden with special effects or you will be disappointed. You won't see any action in this movie and no special effects (until a little at the end of the movie). This movie is a take on the private life of some washed-up third-rate super heroes, some of them with ego problems.
Some dialog quotes:
The Weevil: I've had superpowers longer than anyone in the Specials,
I think - which explains why I'm the only one with a Pez dispenser
with a little me on it.
Ms. Indestructible: Every morning I look down and I'm wearing boots
with lightning bolts on them and I think...where did I make the
wrong turn?
The Strobe: I'm not saying the Great Strobe is better than other
humans. I am, but that's beside the point. I can shoot laser beams
out of my arms, that's what sets me apart. Can other humans do
that? Can they? Can they?
Title: Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt
Director: Paul A. Kaufman
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Burt Ward
Jack Brewer
Jason Marsden
When the original Batmobile is stolen, there's no time to call the police. This is a job for actors!
Thirty-five years after BATMAN went off the air, a fiendish criminal mastermind is forcing Adam West and Burt Ward to relive their legendary pasts as The Caped Crusader and The Boy Wonder. What went on when the costumes came off? The Dynamic Duo reveal the entire bizarre-but-true story through classic clips, surprise guest stars and THWAK!-filled flashbacks to the on-and-off camera controversies, scandals and ego battles behind one of the most wildly popular series in TV history!
Still-diabolical Bat-Villians Julie Newmar, Frank Gorshin and Lee Meriwether co-star along with Betty White, Curtis Armstrong and Lyle Waggoner in this reunion movie like no other, from the creators of SURVIVING GILLIGAN'S ISLAND!
Great little TV movie! On one side you get a nice reenactment of the backstage ongoings on the set of the 60's Batman. On the other side you'll get fun comedy with the older actors in the present time. I just love how Adam West nowadays embraces his past and is willing to make fun of himself (similar to what Bill Shatner is doing now).
Title: The Weird Al Show: The Complete Series
As an inventor living in a secret subterranean workshop, Weird Al's world includes his pet (Harvey the Wonder Hamster), his superhero neighbor (The Hooded Avenger), the twisted animated "Adventures Of Fatman" and a roster of friends and guests, including: Drew Carey, Dick Clark, Dr. Demento, Stan Freberg, Teri Garr, Gilbert Gottfried, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael McKean, Bill Mumy, Patton Oswalt, Dick Van Patten, Emo Philips, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Judy Tenuta, John Tesh, Fred Willard and Dweezil Zappa.
Plus live musical performances by Barenaked Ladies, Hanson and of course, Al himself make THE WEIRD AL SHOW a must-have, timeless delight for all his fans.
Animated Storyboards
'The Weird Al Show Theme' Karaoke
This one is hard to rate. Obviously made for children but I think a lot of the jokes are beyond their heads. And as a kid's show it is sometimes hard to watch as an adult. I watched it with the mindset that it tries to lampoon average kid shows and then it's often quite fun to watch
Interesting to listen to are the commentaries by Weird Al and company on each episode. Like they said on the first commentary track, these recording sessions are like a therapy session for them . According to them they had a hard time making a show they want and to fullfill the networks requirements to make this a kid's show.
Title: Shrek the Third
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia
Director: Chris Miller
Writing: William Steig (Original Material By), Andrew Adamson (Story By), Jeffrey Price (Screenwriter), Peter S. Seaman (Screenwriter), Chris Miller (Screenwriter), Aron Warner (Screenwriter)
Rating: FSK-0
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, German, Turkish
Englische Stimmen
Mike Myers as Shrek (voice)
Eddie Murphy as Donkey (voice)
Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona (voice)
Antonio Banderas as Puss In Boots (voice)
Julie Andrews as Queen (voice)
Annie Awards 2007 Nominated Individual Achievment - Directing in an Animated Feature Production Chris Miller, Raman Hui
BAFTA 2007 Nominated Animated Film Chris Miller
BMI Film & TV Music Awards 2008 Won BMI Film Music Award Harry Gregson-Williams
National Movie Awards 2007 Nominated Best Animation Film
Saturn 2007 Nominated Best Animated Film
Visual Effects Society Awards 2008 Nominated Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture John Cleese, Guillaume Aretos, Tim Cheung, Sean Mahoney (For "King Harold")
Visual Effects Society Awards 2008 Nominated Outstanding Effects in an Animated Motion Picture Matt Baer, Greg Hart, Krzysztof Rostek, Anthony Field (For the effects)
World Soundtrack Awards 2007 Nominated Best Original Score of the Year Harry Gregson-Williams
World Soundtrack Awards 2007 Nominated Film Composer of the Year Harry Gregson-Williams
Not as bad as I have feared. As a matter of fact I quite liked it. There were even a few laugh-out-loud moments. The story plays more for fun than bite compared to the previous installments. The animation is simply excellent! A few times I almost forgot that I was watching an animation film.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2010, 10:04:17 PM by Tom »
Title: The Weather Man
Director: Gore Verbinski
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 , German: Dolby Digital 5.1 , Other: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Dutch, English, German, Turkish
Hope Davis
Gemmenne De la Peña
Not bad, but also nothing special. Like the cover text says, it is a movie in the vain of "About Schmidt". Probably not a movie I will watch a second time.
In one of the featurettes on the disc, Nicolas Cage answered the question of why he took the role with that it is something which he has never played before (you know, the standard talk). That it was something new for him, "you know, THE weatherman!". There I thought: "Yeah, the last time you played this role, it was called "Family Man".
Title: Blades of Glory
Director: Will Speck, Josh Gordon
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1 , English: Dolby Digital 5.1 , Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Jon Heder
I quite enjoyed this one. For some reason Will Ferrel's comedies have a certain charm to them that I like, but I can understand if someone doesn't like them. I especially liked the outrageous skating routines in this one


text:
Hurricane Streets (1997): Morgan J. Freeman's Sundance Film Fest Winner–Director and Audience Awards
October 6, 2012 by EmanuelLevy
Director (and actor) Morgan J. Freeman won both the Audience Award and the Director's Award at the 1997 Sundance Film Fest for his first impressive feature, the edgy and hard-hitting Hurricane Streets (aka "Hurricane").
Raw, personal and poignant, this coming-of-age tale centers on a teenager, who tries hard to do the right thing, while heavy odds are stacked against him, no matter what he does.
The protagonist, Marcus (splendidly played by Brendan Sexton III), is a 14-year-old growing up in a tough section of New York City. There is no authority figure in his life: Marcus' father is dead, and his mother is in prison.
In the process of growing up, he discloses some family secrets, prime among which is his mother's lying. She had told him that she was sent to jail for helping to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States, but in fact she was convicted of the murder of his dad.
Living with his grandmother, who works as a bartender, Marcus doesn't get much in the way of guidance, and he soon falls in with a group of kids who ride bikes, hang out, and engage in petty crime (stealing for both the fun of it and some profit). Marcus and his new friends shoplift CDs and sneakers and then sell them in the schoolyard.
Soon, however, the other kids bring up the idea of pulling bigger thefts for bigger profits, At first, Marcus is resistant, but the decision isn't entirely his to make. One of Marcus' few friends who wants him to go straight is Melena (Isidra Vega), who is growing up with a strong value system despite being raised in an abusive home, and the movie draws interesting parallels and contrasts between the two youngsters.
Running time: 90 Minutes.
Directed By: Morgan J. Freeman
DVD: November 17, 1998


Juju had a bit of a history. After he was first primed, he sat in the rain for three days before he was rescued. A good Samaritan tried to salvage the ruined primed surface by giving him another coat. Somehow he ended up being primed a third time, and I started a gray basecoat before realizing that it was wasted effort and tossed him in the stripper. As he stands in this image, Juju has just come from three months in a Pine-Sol bath.
Pine-Sol and the many other chemical mediums used for stripping have not been successful for me. By chance, I stumbled on "Klean-Strip Brush Cleaner and Conditioner", which I purchased in Home Depot for slightly less than $6. The product is advertised as being completely biodegradable and gentle on everything except paint. You cannot miss it – The bottle is neon green.
I was surprised with how well Klean-Strip performed on a handful of miniatures I chucked into a jar with some paintbrushes. After three days soaking, the paint was gone from all but the recessed cracks. After a week, all paint was completely gone. I then set out to try and find out if Klean-Strip had limits of use. Mason jars filled with minis were scattered across my deck. The following image shows the unwitting test subjects before the stripping began. In this shot are Reaper, recent D&D, Rackham, and Clan Wars figures. This is a close-up shot of the neck a Clan Wars horse. You can see how Klean-Strip removes the paint in what appears to be a single sheet of acrylic.
After one week in the bath, the figures are almost perfectly clean. The only trace paint is on the back of the D&D wizard's cloak (see circled area). The "blue" in the figure in the far right is a trick of the light. Then I put the jars away for three weeks – When the minis emerged to see the light of day, there was no trace of paint and the Crazy Glue bonds had broken on all figures.
- Minis left to soak in Klean-Strip for two or three hours seem to be stripped as easily as minis left in the solution for a week or more, save for extremely deep crevices.
- Plastic bases did not seem to be changed or harmed by three weeks in the Klean-Strip solution.
- Using a toothbrush to clean the solution from the figures after the Klean-Strip bath seemed to promote the darkening of the figure, even if the paint was completely removed.
One final note on Klean-Strip is that it appears to be reusable over brief periods. I was able to exchange figures and have them come out as clean as if the solution was fresh.
Next – But Can They Be Painted?
But Can They Be Painted?
Juju was painted with Vallejos over a coat of clear primer. I currently am working on another ex-Klean-Strip victim that is Vallejos over white primer, and the paint sticks to her without a problem.
I would like to note that there has to be a dark side to Klean-Strip, as it ate a foam brush down to the wooden stem. This suggests that there is a limit on the time a figure can safely be left in the solution, although the figures that are still sitting in Klean-Strip nearly 6 weeks after I started this project seem none the worse for wear.
The company advertises Klean-Strip as "biodegradable" and safe to use, but also clearly notes that "Using this product will expose you to chemicals which are known to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm," along with a happy litany of other problems that can result. Still, I suppose it's just part of living in modern society, and it's probably not much worse than the paint itself. I've also just been disposing of it by pouring it down the drain - Perhaps not the most environmentally-friendly solution, but I don't know of an alternative for solvents avalable in my area.
I could not find a distributor for Klean-Strip in the United Kingdom, but here is the URL for the manufacturer and its product listing.
The folks at Home Depot say that it is increasing in popularity, and hopefully any local hardware stores abroad will be able to help get it into the store. I don't know about prohibitions on international shipping, however, but contacting the company directly might be an option.
i too live in the UK. one thing puzzles me. WHY has NOBODY marketed a mini-stripping agent?? Does this not baffle anyone?


Translucent paper lets you create effects of light and transparency. It can also be used in origami or folding.
It will give your light creations rainbow hues.
Dimensions : Length: 32 cm - Width: 22.5 cm.
less than 130 g: lightweight paper, easy to fold, to crinkle,and to cut and suitable for all types of "dry" drawing techniques: coloured pencils, charcoal pencils, pastel, markers etc.
More than 130 g: paper suitable for all dry (colouring) or damp techniques: paint, ink... They do not curl up on contact with water and so can be used to build solid volumes.


Daisy is a young litigator with an already impressive range of experience, a specialist in managing the massive documentary burdens of big cases and nailing arcane points of law and procedure. She joined Marque as a paralegal at what seems to us to have been the age of 13, although she swears she was already an adult. She was part of furniture way before she became an actual lawyer.
First impressions do of course deceive, but they also stick around which must be why Daisy continues to enjoy a reputation for innocence when she is in fact frequently the epitome of sass. Could be her impeccable timing. Anyway, beware the bright-eyed country girl, she doesn't miss a thing. And yet nobody who meets Daisy doesn't immediately like her, as they should. We love what she brings to the mix.


text:
Images de page
Legislation on Foreign Relations Through ...
De United States, United States. Congress. House. Committee on International Relations
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON: 1993
Printed for the use of the Committees on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs of the
Senate and the House of Representatives respectively
37 51SU
2/02 31150-200
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-040648-X
This volume of legislation and related material is part of a five volume set of laws and related material frequently referred to by the Committees on Foreign Relations of the Senate and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, amended to date and annotated to show pertinent history or cross references.
Volumes I, II, III and IV contain legislation and related material and are republished with amendments and additions at the end of each annual session of Congress. Volume V which contains treaties and related material will not be revised every year, but only as necessary.
We wish to express our appreciation to Dianne E. Rennack and C. Winston Woodland of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division of the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress who prepared volume I of this year's compilation.
CLAIBORNE PELL, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations. LEE H. HAMILTON, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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text:
File Your Trademark
MIGHTY MARKS® BLOG
UNLEASH THE POWER OF A FEDERAL TRADEMARK!
Trademark News
Archives For Trademark News
Sealtight vs. Sealtite: A Trademark Battle in the Supreme Court
As you may recall from other posts on this blog, trademark laws grant a trademark owner the exclusive right to use their registered mark in commerce with respect to specific goods or services. Those rights extend not only to other people or companies using their exact registered mark, but also to uses of marks that are "confusingly similar" to the registered mark. The USPTO uses this rule to deny marks that, although spelled differently, are pronounced the same.
However, due to rulings in the Federal Courts (which are separate from the USPTO), the Supreme Court has decided to weigh in on this issue via the Sealtight Case.
B&B Hardware sells self-sealing, leak-proof screws and bolts for use in high-tech industries such as the aerospace and medical industries, under the name Sealtight. B&B obtained a registration for this mark in 1993.
Hargis Industries, on the other hand, sells construction screws for buildings under the name Sealtite Building Fasteners.
When Hargis applied for a federal trademark for Sealtite in the late 90's, B&B objected arguing the use of Sealtite would cause consumer confusion between the two companies and their product lines. The USPTO Trademark Trial & Appeal Board ("TTAB") agreed with B&B and denied the registration by Hargis.
However, Hargis has argued that its' products are different from those sold by Sealtight and that Hargis' customers are a different class of customers. Hargis has even won two jury verdicts in U.S. Federal Courts on this point. One judge even found that B&B attempted to manufacture evidence to bolster it's trademark infringement claims.
With a split between the Federal Courts and the TTAB, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and decide who should have the final say on this matter.
The Supreme Court Hearings
The Justices heard an hour long oral argument last week on the issue.
Justice Sotomayor said that it only makes sense that the USPTO proceedings should be given some weight in Federal Court cases otherwise the agency's powers would be rendered "almost irrelevant." And the Obama administration argued in favor of B&B by claiming that the Federal Courts should defer to the USPTO on such matters.
However, Justice Ginsburg (along with some other Justices) showed some signs of agreement with Hagis. For example, Ginsburg made statements that implied that the USPTO proceedings might not have controlling effect in Federal Courts because the stakes in such cases are much higher than the stakes at the TTAB level.
As a result, it is not clear how the court will rule on this matter. The one thing we do know is that a decision is likely to be announced in June.
The outcome of this case will almost certainly impact future trademark disputes. And the most important thing for you to take away from this current dispute is the importance of using appropriate guidance and assistance when dealing with trademark matters.
If you want to keep up with trademark law and learn how Federal registration can benefit your business, be sure to subscribe to Mighty Updates, the MightyMarks® email newsletter!
Image: Thinkstock/Willard
*This article is very general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Readers with legal questions should consult with an attorney prior to making any legal decisions.
In Trademark Disputes, Trademark Law, Trademark News	Supreme Court, trademark application, Trademark Law
Have Your Pi and Trademark it Too
June 10, 2014 — Leave a comment
A Brooklyn artist recently upset geeks and t-shirt merchants with a recently approved federal trademark registration on a 3,000-year-old Greek symbol.
In late 2012 Paul Ingrisano applied for a federal trademark registration for the Pi symbol followed by a period in connection to "athletic apparel, namely shirts, pants, jackets, footwear, hat and caps, [and] athletic uniforms." After correcting some minor errors with the application he successfully obtained a registration for the mark in early 2014.
Within months of obtaining the registration, Ingrisano began enforcing his newly acquired rights. His first big target was Zazzle.com, a website where users can sell goods like shirts and mugs featuring designs created by the users.
In his cease and desist demand letter Ingrisano's lawyer makes the case that the sale of apparel on Zazzle.com featuring the Pi symbol is likely to confuse consumers as to the source of the goods being sold (the essential element of proving trademark infringement). The letter then goes on to make multiple demands regarding inventory, evidence of sales, and various accountings.
Zazzle's initial reaction was to remove all potentially infringing materials for fear it might be indirectly liable as the middleman between the creators of the potentially infringing goods and the end consumers. However after receiving complaints from the creators, a Zazzle representative told cnet.com "After reviewing the takedown request more closely, Zazzle has decided to restore the 'Pi' products. Zazzle is a marketplace for a community of artists, and we want to continue to support artists who are creating original artwork."
Zazzle didn't elaborate further, but several things in the cease and desist letter seemed a bit off. First, the letter requests Zazzle cease and desist all "copyright infringement" when the matter at hand is a trademark. Remember, copyrights tend to protect creative works while trademarks tend to protect names and slogans.
Second, it is unclear if Ingrisano is seeking to prevent others from using the Pi mark or the Pi mark plus a period. The essential question is whether consumers purchasing goods on Zazzle would be confused as to the source of the goods and believe they were coming from Ingrisano when, in fact, they were not. That raises the question as to the importance of the period in the Pi registration – a question that would likely have to be decided by a jury.
This registration and Ingrisano's attempt to protect the Pi symbol with a period will undoubtedly raise many eyebrows in the coming months and years and we'll let you know when new developments arise.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to make sure you don't miss the updates!
Image Credit: uspto.gov
In Trademark Disputes, Trademark News	cease and desist letter, pi pi trademark, trademark, trademark infringement, trademark registration
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text:
MGEQuickFRC
===========

This class tries to encapsulate the boilerplate code that usually is added to a view controller when using a `NSFetchedResultsController` object.  A `UITableView` or a `UICollectionView` can be assigned to instances of this class, and then will be updated on every update, insertion or deletion in the data model

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


(ARK) ACES Releases Fast (Ansible) Deployments for all ACES Applications.
Bittrex will open USD trading very soon!
Vitalik Keeps Saying It. A lot of others say it too. Let's Get Real. Crypto and Blockchain Has a Major Problem Problem We Need to Address Immediately. Here's How I Think We'll Do It.
"The End Of Fiat" a recent piece I have been working on.
How to explain crypto to teenagers?
The ETF is most likely already decided, expect lot of volatility before the actual release of the news, as insiders react to the verdict.
Binance, the world's biggest crypto exchange acquires Trust Wallet in an effort to improve "the centralized architecture" of its platform.