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Saturday Morning Cartoons: DRACULA: SOVEREIGN OF THE DAMNED
I absolutely love TOMB OF DRACULA, a comic series published by Marvel during the 1970s during a time when the company was interested in more than just superheroes. It's a terrific series that I discussed a little in 2013 HERE, and is well worth searching out.
I love TOMB OF DRACULA, but I don't so much love DRACULA: SOVEREIGN OF THE DAMNED, a Japanese cartoon produced in 1980 under the title "Yami no Teiō: Kyūketsuki Dorakyura," or "Emperor of Darkness: Vampire Dracula." The idea of an anime adaption of TOMB OF DRACULA sounds great on paper, but the reality is a disaster.
In fact, I'm starting to feel guilty about unleashing this 90-minute atrocity on you. So, let me salvage this experience with a little bit of trivia.
I know next to nothing about anime, so the scant bits of trivia on Wikipedia and IMDB didn't mean a lot to me. So, I asked my wife, Sara, who's a longtime fan of Japanese animation. She did a little more digging and found some interesting facts about the cast of DRACULA: SOVEREIGN OF THE DAMNED.
Kenji Utsumi provides the voice of Dracula in the film, and has appeared in everything from FIST OF THE NORTH STAR, which "was one of those things that was super popular because it was available in the U.S. when not much was," to "original recipe" DRAGONBALL. Those are her words, not mine.
"It looks like he was never a superstar, but played an ass ton of supporting and minor roles," she said. "And he was the Japanese voice of Steve McQueen and... Bob Hoskins? And also John Rhys-Davies in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies."
Sara might not have used a term like "ass ton" is she knew she was going to be quoted (journalism!), but she also pointed out that it's traditional in Japan for one actor to dub all the voice work for particular celebrities.
Mami Koyama, who provided the voice of Rachel Van Helsing in DRACULA: SOVEREIGN OF THE DAMNED, was in AKIRA, DRAGONBALL, etc. Koyama is also the voice of Sharon Stone in Japan, and dubs "Elaine" on SEINFELD.
Sara: "Can you imagine Japanese Seinfeld? WTF do they think the show is about?"
If Dracula looks a little familiar in the animated film, it's not your imagination. When the original TOMB OF DRACULA comic series was launched by Marvel in 1972, artist Gene Colan based his interpretation on Jack Palance. The following year, the actor would actually play the vampire in Dan Curtis' adaption of Bram Stoker's novel.
Labels: Dracula, Saturday Morning Cartoons
Please vote for the CHS in the Shorty Awards!
With THE COLLINSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY celebrating its third birthday (and DARK SHADOWS rapidly approaching its epic 50th anniversary) it seems like a good time to rally the troops and get this site nominated for a Shorty Award in the #fansite category.
The Shorty Awards, also called the Shortys, is an annual awards event that recognizes creators of real-time short form content across Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram and other social media. If you're an avid fan of this site, you'll know we're everywhere. The CHS also creates content for these platforms as a way of making each social media experience unique.
If you're already sold on the idea, click here to vote with a Tweet. And don't forget to include WHY you think we're worth a Shorty nomination. If you don't provide a reason, they won't count the vote.
Nominating is exclusive to Twitter and is easy to complete. Here's an example:
I nominate @CousinBarnabas for a Shorty Award in #fansite because…
If you don't use Twitter, you can still help the CHS by promoting this link on the platforms you DO use, such as Facebook, Tumblr, etc. Nominations for the Shorty Awards are open until Feb. 19, 2015.
I launched THE COLLINSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY in 2012 as a way to explore the phenomenon of DARK SHADOWS fandom. Since then, the website has added contributing writers, as well as a podcast that has featured many of the show's original cast members and the creators working to keep DARK SHADOWS alive through audio dramas, novels and comics. We've also established a publishing line that collects our MONSTER SERIAL essays, and won the Rondo for best blog back in 2012.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Wallace McBride
The CHS
I nominate @CousinBarnabas for a Shorty Award in #fansite because his site is original, fun, and just plain awesome.
— Erica Scott (@EricaLScott) January 30, 2015
@CousinBarnabas I cast my vote for @cousinbarnabas for a short award for keeping Dark Shadows alive!
— David Tiberi (@david_tiberi) January 30, 2015
I nominate @CousinBarnabas for a Shorty Award in #fansite b/c it's unique & fills a need no other site even bothers with-Dark Shadow addicts
— The Witch of the NE (@Tinuveil) January 30, 2015
I nominate @CousinBarnabas for a Shorty Award in #fansite because his site's creative, ambitious, informative & reliable. It's a daily stop!
— Frank Jay Gruber (@FrankJayGruber) January 30, 2015
Own a piece of Tim Burton's Collinwood
Prop Store, which also bills itself as verb unfriendly "Ultimate Movie Collectibles," has a number of interesting props available for sale from Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS catastrophe film. Say what you want about the movie, but production design was not among its many, many problems. DARK SHADOWS was a gorgeous piece of work.
Prop Store has a weird assortment of screen-used props from the film for sale, some more significant than others. I dig the Collins Catch seafood cans, myself, but they've also got Angelique's voodoo doll, the "FX" toothbrush used by Johnny Depp in the (sigh) mirror gag, pumpkins, a coffin door and tons of other stuff. You can explore the site for yourself HERE.
Labels: Dark Shadows 2012, Tim Burton
DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST available on Amazon
Both volumes of DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST are now available for pre-order on Amazon. Volume 1 is set for release tomorrow, Jan. 31, with Volume 2 scheduled for release on Feb. 28. If you haven't heard it yet (Big Finish has been releasing MP3 episodes online for the last few weeks) you're missing out. I'd caution against wandering into online discussions about the series until hearing it for yourself, because the cliffhangers and plot twists are part of the fun.
If you want to own the physical CD collections, Amazon appears to have the best prices. Even better, if you order both sets as a bundle, you can get all 7 discs for just $37.16.
Labels: Big Finish, Bloodlust
New DARK SHADOWS "greatest hits" collections coming in 2015
Two new DARK SHADOWS "greatest hits"packages are coming your way from MPI Home Video later this year.
While release dates have for the DVDs have yet to be determined, Dan Curtis Productions spokesman Jim Pierson said the discs will be "best of" collections showcasing the characters of Angelique and Quentin Collins.
The discs are a continuation of a marketing strategy that's been in place since DARK SHADOWS first arrived on home video in the late 1980s. DARK SHADOWS is possibly the most cumbersome television series that's ever been collected for syndication and home video. With more than 1,200 episodes (which need to be viewed in consecutive order) it's been a difficult series to introduce to new audiences.
The DARK SHADOWS sampler packages, from the "Best of Dark Shadows" VHS release in 1989 to the more recent "The Haunting of Collinwood" DVD, are designed as mass-market releases and sold at low price points to engage new viewers.
Actors Lara Parker and David Selby have had input into the episodes selected for upcoming Angelique and Quentin releases, Pierson said. The upcoming collections won't feature repeats of episodes collection on previous compilations, and will likely include new bonus material.
"Of course, everyone has their favorites," he said. "But hopefully these compilations hit a good number of consensus choices."
ABC releases teaser for AGENTS OF SHIELD 2015 debut
Marvel's AGENTS OF SHIELD is set to return March 3 on ABC. And, when it does, it will be bringing DARK SHADOWS alumnus Kathryn Leigh Scott with it. ABC has released the first trailer for the episode, titled "Aftershocks." The teaser will give you an idea of where the season is headed, but there's still no official word on the nature of Scott's appearance in the show.
You can read more about the episode HERE.
Labels: Agents of Shield, Kathryn Leigh Scott
#Snowpocalypse comes to Collinwood
"My name is Victoria Winters. As snow falls on Collinwood,
I realize that it must cost a fortune to heat this place."
Photo courtesy of the good folks at Seaview Terrace.
Presenting the winners of THE MORGUE's coloring contest
A few weeks back, I offered up the Blu-ray edition of the original KING KONG as a way of promoting a new feature here at the CHS, "The Morgue." It was an easy task: All you had to do was complete a 1933 coloring contest from 1933 to enter. It seemed like a better use of my meager marketing budget than just dumping my hard-earned dollars on a Facebook promotion. Or, worse, spending no money and relying on a sleazy "Like and Share" campaign.
There weren't many entries. In fact, the three you see above represented the entire contest pool ... and they're from the same household. While I'm a little disappointed in the quantity of entries, this family more than made up for it in quality.
Labels: King Kong, The Morgue
DARK SHADOWS over Fort Wayne, Ind., 1968
(Below is a newspaper interview with Jonathan Frid, taken shortly after his national publicity tour for DARK SHADOWS. While the story was published in The Washington Post, the photos are taken from other sources and show his visit that year to Fort Wayne, Indiana.)
He Shadows Women by Day
The Washington Post, May 27, 1968
By Meryle Secrest
In the weird world of daytime soap opera, housewives are gaga about ghouls.
Jonathan Frid doesn't quite understand it, but he's not knocking it either.
He seems to be thoroughly enjoying the sudden fame he has acquired as Barnabas Collins, vampire hero of "Dark Shadows," on WMAL-TV.
The only time he gets slightly ruffled is when his viewers do not seem to be able to distinguish between Barnabas, the vampire, and Frid, the man.
"I get letters saying 'Don't you be so cruel to Willy. You don't know it but I overheard him saying nice things about you.' And they vote, these people."
Frid, 43, a handsome six-footer, is on a promotional tour (nine cities in 10 days), traveling by a six-seater jet, renamed Vampire in his honor.
With him is Phil Kriegler of ABC-TV, a short amiable man: "I play the heavy on this trip. I'm the one who has to pull him away from all the women who want autographs. The last time I did it one woman gave me a punch in the back that nearly crippled me."
Kriegler said that 12,000 women, children and teenagers were waiting for them at a shopping center in Fort Wayne, Ind.
"The screaming was unbelievable. Eleven women fainted, there were 58 lost children, one broken arm, a broken leg, and $1,500 damage to trees and shrubs."
However, he defends the adulation of housewives, teenagers and children that has brought him sudden fame after 20 years of hard-working anonymity as a Shakespearean actor.
"I have acted in so many theaters where there were snob audiences. The kind who go into the lobby and say to each other, 'What do you think of this play?' before it's even gotten off the ground. I hate that scene."
He also said, "I take it very seriously, in spite of the kidding. An actor is not noted for his intelligence. He's interested in creating around a situation. I've played in dozens of Shakespearean plays and some of the characters are utter bores when you take away the language.
"In Barnabas I get a whole range of characters to play. I play the man's loneliness and yearnings and feelings of guilt. It's really a Jekyll and Hyde role."
Jonathan Frid receives the key to the city during his visit to Fort Wayne.
Labels: clippings, Jonathan Frid, May 27
DARK SHADOWS returning to the airwaves in 2015
The news broke last night that DARK SHADOWS reruns will begin airing on the new DECADES channel beginning in May. I was otherwise occupied last night and was among the last people to hear about this news. Luckily, my friend Will McKinley has written an incredibly thorough piece at his website about when, where and how you can find the series, which is part of an array of nostalgia programming the comprises the DECADES line-up. You can read it HERE. In fact, I insist you read it.
It's probably for the best that the Collinsport Historical Society wasn't one of the sites to spearhead this news yesterday, because I've got mixed feelings about the announcement. I've got no love for nostalgia, and the roster of television shows set to air on DECADES looks ... boring. Many of the channels that champion nostalgia are just glorified flea markets of entertainment, buying up whatever programs they can get on the cheap. Turner Classic Movies skirts this problem by interpreting the word "classic" in their name as "good" instead of "old." I think The Sci-Fi Channel avoided this problem to a lesser degree in its early years by doing the same. While there are some legitimately great shows set to air on DECADES, I can't help but shrug at this announcement. I sincerely hope that the availability of DARK SHADOWS on television will ignite interest in the show, but broadcast television is a dying medium. And channels like DECADES ghettoize programming in a way that almost guarantees that they're only going to reach "pre-sold" audiences. I mean, LOVE AMERICAN STYLE? Who the hell wants to watch that? Comedy Central used to use that show as Sunday morning filler. It's one tiny rung higher than airing an infomercial.
What I'm trying to say is this: The people who are going to watch DARK SHADOWS on a channel like DECADES are going to be people who already have an emotional investment in the show. DECADES is probably counting on this, because younger viewers have hardly any interest in watching programmed television. I'm 43 years old and have watched exactly one television show during the last five years that aired during its regular time slot: The final episode of BREAKING BAD. And I was checked into a hotel room in Florida at the time, which left me with no other options.
If you were to talk to someone half my age, there's a better-than-good chance they'd tell you a similar story. More to the point, they've grown up in an age where they can watch television wherever and whenever they want, so the idea of having to schedule viewing is an alien concept to them. If you're among the people who are going to actually watch DARK SHADOWS on DECADES, more power to you. Having a daily reminder on television that DARK SHADOWS is something other than the name of a box office dud attached to Johnny Depp's name is a good thing. As long as the DVDs of the show remain available to audiences, though, it's hardly a game changer.
- Wallace McBride
Labels: Decades
Saturday Morning Cartoons: GODZILLA
By JONATHAN M. CHAFFIN
If you were a kid in the 70's and 80's, you know the Hanna Barbera logo... it was the last sign-off for multiple television shows every Saturday morning when you snuck down-stairs, grabbed a bowl of Frankenberry cereal (or Nintendo cereal), and waited for the "grownup shows" to stop and Saturday Morning Cartoons to start. The sound of the H-B logo takes me back to snuggling in the sleeping bag (blue, with flowers and a red interior) my granny made for me.
Hanna Barbera is famous for coining the "Four meddling _______ & a _______" format of adventure show: Scooby Doo (4 kids & a dog), Captain Caveman (four musicians & a caveman), Jabberjaw (four kids & a shark doing a Three Stooges impression), and countless others. I watched and loved all of those shows back in the day.
Let's talk about their 1978 effort, four irritating scientists & Godzilla plus a horrible "Scrappy Doo" version of Godzilla. Statement of bias; I don't much like this show. If you liked the show, I'm glad. I have some guilty cartoon and cinematic pleasures of my own.
Why am I writing about it? I LOVE Godzilla. And I love my 6 year old, and SHE loves this show. So I'm going assume it's doing its job by entertaining kids. If you have kids and want to introduce them to Kaiju, this is a great way.
Like their other shows, GODZILLA is fairly described as "semi-animated," a production technique that allows a show to be animated in about half the produced frames. Only the body parts that need to be moving are animated, and there is lot of reuse of animation. Most television cartoons of this era use the technique, but it is particularly noticeable (if not egregious) in this show.
Gadzuki, everybody.
This series is pretty much summarized by the phrase "Godzilla Ex Machina." The plot of each episode is "Crew of the Calico gets in trouble, calls Godzilla like a giant doberman with firebreath, and the day is saved." Also, Gadzuki, the Scrappy Doo to Godzilla's…Godzilla, bumbles around, gets stuck and causes problems and generally Jar-Jars up the place. Fie upon thee, Gadzuki. I hate you worse than Minya.
This Godzilla cartoon (there have been others) was an anchor show for a rotating host of other Hanna Barbara action cartoons aired from 1978-81 in various combinations. There are 26 half hour episodes. Well, really, there is about one proto-episode, and they switched the monster and the lesson learned 26 times. History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man.[1]
It IS fun to see the cartoon Kaiju battles, and that payoff is pretty clearly where the animation budget (such as it was) was spent. (About $3 grand an episode, the internet tells me). A super cut of the Kajui monster battles would be pretty great, although sometimes they change scale from scene to scene. And, sometimes, their powers are interestingly modified.
Something you'll read a lot about if you research this show is that Godzilla breathes fire instead of destructive atomic energy. I'm fascinated by this choice. By changing Godzilla's breath weapon from atomic furnace to fire, Big G is effectively turned into a wingless fire-breathing dragon. The whole overtones of the original movie relating to the terror of the destruction of the atomic bomb are changed if Godzilla isn't an atomic monster. Perhaps the decision was a graphic choice; red flames instead of blue glowing radiation, but it is one that is curiously prevalent in a lot of American depictions of Godzilla.
Regardless, giving Godzilla fire breath and having him run to heel and assist like Puff the Magic Dragon is a fundamentally different message from "unstoppable atonic monster of our own creation protects his territory from the menace of mankind." I might be reading too much into a Saturday morning cartoon, but hey, that's what I'm here for. Also, Godzilla has laser beam eyes, or heat vision, or something. For…reasons.
Worth watching a few episodes if you are a Godzilla completist, but really, there are a lot of shows that do the formula better.
For the die hard lovers of the show, or the (probably more numerous) college kids who fell in love with Sea Lab 2021 and Venture Brothers style modern send ups of 1970's adventure shows, Cartoon Network created a short called "Godzilla vs. the Y2K Bug" using footage from the show. It's a one trick pony, so I won't spoil it for you, but it's kinda fun.
[1] The first concert I ever attended on my own in a dive bar was a Blue Oyster Cult concert. The song "Godzilla" blew my mind, and I really wanted to put it in this review. Check it out. It's way better than this cartoon. It should be the soundtrack for the super cut of kaiju battles I mentioned. Internet, you should make that.
JONATHAN M. CHAFFIN is an Atlanta-based graphic designer and art director and a lifetime fan of horror stories and film. His current project is www.HorrorInClay.com where he uses artifacts and ephemera to tell stories... he also produces horror-themed tiki mugs and barware like the Horror In Clay Cthulhu Tiki Mug. In addition, Jonathan occasionally does voice-over and podcasting work and appears on panels at sci-fi fantasy and pop culture conventions on a variety of topics. You can follow him @CthulhuMug on twitter or by friending HorrorInClay on Facebook and G+
Labels: Blue Oyster Cult, Godzilla, Jonathan M. Chaffin, Saturday Morning Cartoons
Jim Henson's HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS
When I use Photoshop, it causes problems.
A while back, I combined an image of SESAME STREET'S Count Von Count and a still from HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS. Why? I was bored and had nothing better to do, honestly. The image was shared on Facebook and, for a while, I forgot about it.
Inspiration struck again many months later, around the time of Dick Smith's death. For a week, images of Smith's make-up effcts that "aged" Jonathan Frid in HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS were everywhere, and it occurred to me that he looked a bit like Statler and Woldorf from THE MUPPET SHOW. (In retrospect, it totally doesn't ... but those were my thoughts at the time.)
One thing led to another, and suddenly I had a mess on my hands. People seeing these images on Facebook didn't know where they were coming from and were turning to Google in search of answers. I know this because the tool I use to track my website traffic told me queries for "Jim Henson's House of Dark Shadows" were bringing people to this website.
If you're one of these people, the answer is "No, this is not real." Given the Muppet's affiliation with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, Alice Cooper, that degenerate Sandy Duncan and whatever else in the 1970s, I can understand why you could believe this might have happened. But it did not.
Here it is, the whole bloody affair: Jim Henson's HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS.
Labels: art, Count Von Count, House of Dark Shadows, Jim Henson, The Muppets
MONSTER SERIAL: Godzilla, Faces of a Legend
By PETER H. GILMORE
Godzilla achieved his 60th anniversary this past November and his name is known around the globe. Over the course of 30 films he has gone from the dark, lumbering embodiment of the hydrogen bomb to being a child-friendly defender of the Earth, even if he can't help leveling a city or two in the process. How you relate to him often depends upon which film initiated you into the fandom of the King of the Monsters.
In 1954, Toho was inspired by the recent re-release of the 1933 KING KONG as well as the previous year's THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS by Ray Harryhausen to want to enter into the profitable world of oversized animals raising havoc. But the Japanese filmmakers had a more serious premise since their own nation had been shattered by two nuclear bombs dropped on them by the United States' militia. The horror of those ultimate weapons could safely be expressed through the allegory of a vast, prehistoric creature roused to punish mankind, whose nuclear detonations had disturbed this great beast. He was called Gojira, supposedly a combination of the Japanese words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira).
GOJIRA, 1954.
When this film was adapted for the US market with some of its message diluted and Raymond Burr added, his name was transliterated as Godzilla, bringing in almost a sense of blasphemy with the reference to the divine for such a hideous creature. And, to the best of their abilities, director Ishiro Honda and SPFX genius Eiji Tsuburaya conjured forth a dark terror who arose from Tokyo Bay to incinerate that city, irradiating the survivors who would later perish from this nuclear poisoning. Their use of a man in a suit as well as puppets worked well to embody a design meant to be a combination of T-Rex, Stegosaurus and Iguanodon.
The Gojira puppet.
The film was a box office success, leading to a sequel less than a year later wherein Godzilla fought with a giant form of ankylosaur named Anguirus. The rubber suits in this are cruder and made slimmer so that the actors could wrestle, unlike the original suit in which the actor could barely walk. This set the pattern of monster vs. monster that persisted for all but two subsequent films. Seven years later, stimulated by the success of the imported British giant monster film GORGO, a third film was produced and Toho licensed RKO's King Kong to battle their nuclear flame-throwing reptile. The original Kong was only about 50 feet tall, though his height tends to vary between 18 and 60 feet as he's depicted. Gojira was sized at 50 meters tall (164 feet) for most of his films, so Toho simply bumped-up Kong so he'd be a worthy competitor. This film also took a turn towards the comic away from the horror-orientation of the first two. From now through the 15th film, Godzilla would become ever more child friendly, in both behavior and looks, as he fought invading space monsters brought to Earth by kitschy aliens. He thus went from a visage of terror, to a large-eyed cutesy monster that was cheered-on by children around the world until the end of this first "Showa" series in 1975.
GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE, 1989.
In 1984, THE RETURN OF GODZILLA revived the character as a serious threat to our species in a film meant as a commentary on the US and Soviet obsession with expanding nuclear arsenals. This incarnation was again fierce and frightening and now 80 meters tall. In 1989, GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE critiqued genetic engineering and had Godzilla in combat with a peculiar creature that came from the fusion of Godzilla's cells with the DNA of a rose along with the spirit of the deceased daughter of the scientist who made this horror. Godzilla's look and size (100 meters) became stabilized for this second "Heisei" series in the following 6 films, with mostly minor tweaks. He fought revised versions of old adversaries: Mothra (with her evil cousin Battra), the golden dragon King Ghidorah, and a robotic replica Mechagodzilla There were two additional new foes: Space Godzilla—who had crystal protruding from his shoulders and as a dorsal array, and Destoroyah—a multi-formed aggregate conflation of a prehistoric crustacean with elements of the Oxygen Destroyer weapon that dissolved Godzilla in his very first film. In this 1995 film came the most dramatic change as Godzilla had suffered from a hyper-dose of radiation causing his internal nuclear organs to go haywire, threatening either a vast explosion or meltdown, both on a scale that would decimate the planet. Fiery red patches, lit from within, cover his body and he seems to be in constant agony. He does at last melt-down, poisoning Tokyo after the humans had assisted in vanquishing his enemy. A younger Godzilla co-starred, and after being slaughtered by Destoroyah, he is revived by the excess radiation, absorbed to bring forth a resurrected Godzilla.
GODZILLA, 1998.
The US took a crack at a Godzilla film in 1998 under Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. Though Patrick Tatopoulos designed for them a detailed, slim, 60 meter tall saurian monster influenced by then current ideas about prehistoric animals, their script had it running away from the military and later laying eggs which hatched into raptor-like young in Madison Square Garden. This monster didn't even have the usual nuclear fire breath. Both this beast, later called Zilla by Toho, and its young were dispatched by missiles fired by US jets. All other Godzillas found such weaponry to be but a minor inconvenience. Despite doing well financially, the only sequel was a cartoon series broadcast on Saturday mornings for American television. Many young people thus were first exposed to this creature as being Godzilla. Thankfully the creature in this—the sole-survivor of the egg clutch who imprinted on the biologist from the film as a daddy figure—mostly behaved far more like Godzilla, fighting an array of giant monsters both new and at times reminiscent of Toho favorites. And he did have his fire-breath back.
GODZILLA: FINAL WARS, 2004.
In 2000, Toho launched a new film to bring attention back to their creation and for the first time made Godzilla green—with huge, spikey magenta back plates. He was returned to his original height, which allowed for more detailed miniature structures to be his playthings. GODZILLA 2000 had this new, fiercer manifestation fight another alien intruder, Orga, who looked a bit like the Rancor from RETURN OF THE JEDI. This look lasted for two films, then when Shusuke Kaneko came on board in 2001 he gave Godzilla a supernatural twist—he was filled with the angry souls of those who died in WW2 in the Pacific theatre of combat. This 60 meter Godzilla had blank white eyes and his look went back to the original film, as did his charcoal gray body color. His rage helped him exterminate several of his old enemies (Baragon, Mothra, King Ghidorah) now cast as guardians of the land. The next two films centered around Godzilla battling another version of Mechagodzilla, called Kiryu, who was constructed around the bones of the original Godzilla. His look was a toned-down version of the 2000 design, though properly tinted in gray tones. The final film of this series (GODZILLA: FINAL WARS, from 2004) was a campy return to the 70s movies with references to The Matrix films, as tacky alien invaders control the many monsters of Earth to obliterate humanity. Here, a very athletic Godzilla is freed from a glacial prison to dispatch the other monsters and again save the planet.
Ten years later LEGENDARY PICTURES revived the dormant series under director Gareth Edwards with GODZILLA (2014), wherein a design wrought according to biological principles had the largest Godzilla of all at 106 meters. His body has a bear-like heft with a face that combines ursine and aquiline aspects. The state of the art CGI brought him to breathing, slavering, roaring life as he fought the MUTOs, a bonded pair of fellow prehistoric, radiation-hungry creatures with bizarre anatomy. These creatures have stapler-remover shaped jaws, clustered sense organs instead of eyes, and strangely configured multiple hooked limbs, the male having one pair of wings. Here Godzilla is defined as the last survivor of a prehistoric radiation devouring species who was the apex predator of his ancient ecosystem. When humans inadvertently cause the revival of a parasitic species from his time, Godzilla rises from his home in the abyssal trenches to right nature's balance by eliminating the MUTOs. He is not yet mankind's adversary, but woe unto us should he take notice of our upsetting the balance of his planet. This film made over a half-billion dollars in its theatrical run, pleasing both LEGENDARY and Toho as well as most fans of the entire series. With its sequel set to be released in 2018, Toho has decided to keep the interest going by promising us the beginning of their fourth series to be premiered in 2016 to the global market.
That stalwart Godzilla is alive and well at 60 with two series to be in progress simultaneously. He's once again come 'round to sounding the cautionary tone that made GOJIRA (1954) so effective. His new face looks upon us with a stern visage meant as a warning that we must be in harmony, rather than conflict, with nature. I suspect this always timely concept will keep Godzilla as a vital archetype for many decades to come.
Magus Gilmore has represented the Church of Satan since "The Satanic Panic" of the 1980s, being interviewed on numerous television and radio programs dealing with the topic of Satanism, including appearances on The History Channel, BBC, The Sci-Fi Channel, Point of Inquiry, and Bob Larson's Christian radio show. His audio, video, and print interviews are numerous and continue to grow, making him the most interviewed Satanist in history. In 2001 he was appointed High Priest of the Church of Satan by Magistra Blanche Barton. Gilmore studied music composition at New York University where he earned B.S. and M.A. degrees. His solo album Threnody for Humanity presents orchestral-styled electronic music composed and performed by Gilmore. His book The Satanic Scriptures was published in 2007 and is currently available in a number of translations.
Labels: Godzilla, Monster Serial, Peter H. Gilmore
DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST, Episode the Third
Spoiler warning.
Robert Graves' "I, Claudius" begins with the novel's hero venturing into a cave to seek the advice of a Sibyl. After making the proper sacrifices and introductions, he spends several tense minutes waiting for a response from the oracle,
only to discover she's dead and partially mummified. Claudius doesn't fare much better with the next Sibyl he meets, who not only delivers her prophecy in the expected cryptic verse, but mocks his stutter while doing so.
The moral of this story, and of so many others, is that oracular women are not to be trusted. From "MacBeth" to MINORITY REPORT, bitches be crazy.
This motif is explained by western culture's gender bias, which is insidious. The message behind so many of these tales is that women are not to be trusted with power, because they're likely to make decisions based on icky feelings rather than penis-powered logic. It's not my intention to delve into this phenomenon too much, but I thought the parallel between the Sibyls of Greek myth and the identity of the ghost residing in the cave at the base of Widow's Hill in this episode is interesting.
In fact, our first visit to the cave revealed quite a bit. Not only is the ghost of Angelique Bouchard among the spirits haunting the joint, but Collinsport's newest reporter is an even bigger jackass than previously implied.
I might have turned a blind eye to Andrew Cunningham's jackassery in the previous episode because it made me uncomfortable. Played by Matthew Waterhouse, Andrew's a guy with a clear lack of consciousness, a slave to his Id who treats his wife and children with thinly veiled disdain. I shouldn't have been too surprised when he descended into the cave to force whatever spirits lurked within to shower him with riches. As it happens, he hasn't been telling the truth about much of anything.
The fact that Andrew thinks he can go toe-to-toe with Angelique also makes him a clod. While I'm not ready to write off the character as a casualty of "Bloodlust" this early in the game (Quentin Collins suffered a series of humiliating setbacks and still managed to keep his relevance), I suspect Andrew's time in Collinsport will be an unhappy one. In fact, having already listened to episode four of "Bloodlust," I can pretty much guarantee it.
Alec Newman as David Collins.
We spend a decent amount of time in the metaphorical underworld in this episode, and finally get to meet a Collins. David Collins, to be more specific, who has ditched the family's historic shipping/canning holdings in order to go spelunking beneath Collinsport in a mysterious mining venture. In the years since the end of the original series, David Collins has become a bit of a spin master, ably answering Andrew's questions about the mines without actually giving him any information.
This isn't the first time a Collins and a Cunningham have matched wits. "The Creeping Fog," set in London during World War II, featured David Selby as Quentin Collins, and Waterhouse playing a Cunningham named "John." In true DARK SHADOWS fashion, it's likely there's no significant ties between the two Cunninghams. It's simply a matter of the same actor playing a similarly shady character, connected by name to provide a sense of continuity. And neither Cunninghams (both Andrew and John) are character types without precedent on DARK SHADOWS. Roguish, greedy liars have a way of finding their way to Collinsport.
But Andrew is not the only Cunningham to confront Angelique in this episode. His son, Harry, goes exploring, looking for information instead of wealth. And the conversation he has with Angelique is ... interesting. It's a little unclear if she's found a friend in Harry, or just another patsy.
One of the reasons this write-up is a little late (Episode 5 should drop any day now) is my decision to revisit "The Creeping Fog." While it didn't provide clues about the direction "Bloodlust" is heading (any clues I'm aware of, anyway) it underscored how far the DARK SHADOWS line of audiodramas has come during the last two years. Many early Big Finish episodes relied on a narrative crutch I call "Two People in a Locked Room." While the performances in the series have always been strong, there sometimes wasn't enough story to fill the entire hour. "The Creeping Fog" is, sadly, one of those tales. While it's not exactly bad, it could have been told in half the time without sacrificing anything.
Meanwhile, "Bloodlust" is so richly layered that I'm finding it difficult to discuss without resorting to writing episode summaries. Big Finish is getting about a week's worth of DARK SHADOWS storytelling into each half-hour episode, making "Bloodlust" feels very much in the vein of a modern soap. The scripts are so dense that many of my compliments of the series are being left on the cutting room floor: Waterhouse is clearly having a blast playing a rascal cut from the "Roger Collins" cloth, and I've fallen in love with the Jacqueline, Harry and Cody, who have become a sort of "Collinsport Goonies." Jeff Harding has me completely buffaloed as to the nature of his character, Michael Devereax, while Asta Parry brings a vibrant sense of chaos to the series. Meanwhile, Jamison Selby has an interesting arc involving his wife, who was murdered several months before but is still hanging around the Blue Whale.
So far, "Bloodlust" has been a wonderful example of how you to build upon the success of what came before, rather than just relying upon it.
You can find Episode 3 HERE.
Massive DARK SHADOWS VHS collection hits eBay
A collection of 254 DARK SHADOWS VHS tapes is for sale on Ebay for 389.88, though you might have to add a wing to your home to store them. For comparison, DARK SHADOWS: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES DVD set is selling for $349.96 on Amazon. I'm not sure that comparison is entirely fair, but you won't need to hire a private librarian to curate the DVD collection.
At about 7.5 ounces per tape, this VHS collection should weight about 120 lbs. Feel free to check my math, though.
Artron Reviews ♡ Big Finish's DARK SHADOWS stories
The folks over at Artron Reviews think DARK SHADOWS is the best range produced by Big Finish in 2014. I'm not familiar with Artron Reviews, but they've got good taste. LINK.
I'm Your Boogie Man: Barnabas Collins goes disco
DARK SHADOWS fans living in New York City have experienced the show in a way nobody else could. While the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE would eventually overshadow them, the cast of DARK SHADOWS were the local heroes of choice for many years.
So, when WNBC decided to promote the syndicated return of the series to the airwaves in 1982, they pulled out all the stops. They even managed to get Jonathan Frid to make a live appearance to promote the launch. Frid was present June 10, 1982, for a party held in the disco Magique, with proceeds from the event being donated to the New York Blood Center.
Magique seems to have been one of the lesser discos, opening in 1979 and closing its doors not long after the DARK SHADOWS party in 1982. It was located 61st and 1st Avenue, across the street from Adam's Apple and not far from Dangerfield's Comedy Club.
While I'm usually content to just share clippings and whatnot, someone shot footage of the Magique event. And it's online! You can watch it streaming below. I sincerely hope someone played "I'm Your Boogie Man" when Frid entered the club.
Saturday Morning Cartoons: DRACULA: SOVEREIGN OF T...
New DARK SHADOWS "greatest hits" collections comin...
Presenting the winners of THE MORGUE's coloring co...
Images from the DARK SHADOWS CRUISE
Monster Serial: SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR, 1947
Listen to David Selby in PACK OF LIES
Scenes from the DARK SHADOWS CRUISE
Saturday Morning Cartoons: JABBERJAW
DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST, Episode the Second
Waste a minute with SCAR TREK
Monster Serial: THE STUFF, 1985
DARK SHADOWS gets Sugarfueled
The Morgue: KING KONG coloring contest, 1933
Saturday Morning Cartoons: THE DRAK PACK
DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST, Episode the First
DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST begins!
Get unspeakably 'faced on Narragansett's "Lovecraf...
DARK SHADOWS screenwriter signs up for Reddit AMA
Dark Shadows Cruise makes USA TODAY list of oddities
RUMBLE IN THE PENUMBRA: Joe Dante Vs. Cleveland Amory
Big Finish to revive THE PRISONER in 2016
Monster Serial: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, 1987
Saturday Morning Cartoons: FANGFACE
Lyndhurst is taking over the world one TV show at ...
DARK SHADOWS prop ring goes up for auction


ME 110D - The Sternmaster Large Outboard Display Stand provides a minimalist stand to display bolt-on outboards up to 800 lbs in a show room or trade show booth. Ships UPS Ground in a Box.
Showcase up to 3 small clamp-on outboards in a straight line with the ME-106, and display your companies trifold brochure with the added brochure holder on each side.
ME 100 - The Sternmaster Outboard Motor Display Stand is a fantastic addition to your showroom or for trade show merchandising. Showcase your products in an eye-catching way.
ME-90 is a great way to show off your small outboard motor. Displays outboards of 5 horsepower or 60 lbs with maximum stability and a low profile design. May not fit all antique outboards.


SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Park City Group (NASDAQ:PCYG), a cloud-based software company that uses big data management to help retailers and their suppliers 'sell more, stock less and see everything', today announced results for its fiscal year-ended June 30, 2015.
Total revenue grew 13% for the fourth quarter and 14% for fiscal 2015 – "Led by an increase of supply chain services, we achieved record growth in fiscal 2015," said Randall K. Fields, Park City Group's Chairman and CEO. "We have completed the conversion from a licensing to a SaaS business model and as a result, going forward, total revenue will more closely mirror subscription revenue growth and more directly reflect the overall strength of our business."
Supply chain subscription revenue grew 22% for the fourth quarter and 19% for fiscal 2015 – "Given the foundation that we have laid for a scalable business with a customer-centric focus, we are confident that revenue from supply chain management and ReposiTrak® food safety applications will continue to accelerate overall growth in fiscal 2016 and the next several years," said Mr. Fields.
Positive free cash flow and successful secondary offering enhanced balance sheet in fiscal 2015 – At the end of fiscal 2015, the Company had $11.3 million in cash, up from $3.4 million at the end of the prior year. The company generated $1.7 million in free cash flow in fiscal 2015, and completed an offering of common stock in the fourth quarter which generated $6.7 million of net proceeds and broadened institutional ownership. "In fiscal 2015 we transitioned to positive free cash flow and strengthened our balance sheet, which should give customers greater confidence in our financial strength," said Mr. Fields.
Continued acceleration in revenue growth, positive GAAP net income and significant free cash flow growth expected for fiscal 2016 – "With supply chain revenue growth expected to continue to accelerate and ReposiTrak expected to become a more meaningful contributor to overall revenue, top-line growth should accelerate in fiscal 2016. With Non-GAAP earnings and free cash flow turning positive during fiscal 2015, we should increasingly demonstrate the operating leverage of our business and expect to generate positive GAAP net income and significant free cash flow growth in fiscal 2016," said Mr. Fields.
Fiscal Fourth Quarter Results: For the fourth quarter ended June 30, 2015, the Company reported total revenue of $3.4 million, a 13% increase relative to the same quarter a year ago. Subscription revenue grew 19% year over year to $2.9 million. Total operating expenses during the fourth quarter were $5.9 million, an increase of 65% from the same quarter a year ago. Excluding a one-time, non-cash charge of $1.5 million, the year-over-year increase in quarterly operating expenses was 23%, primarily related to increases in sales and marketing expenses and general and administrative costs. Non-GAAP net income per share to common shareholders was $0.00 for the fourth quarter, as compared to a net loss per share of ($0.01) during the same period last year. GAAP net loss per share to common shareholders for the fourth quarter was ($0.14), as compared to ($0.04) in the prior year, primarily due to the aforementioned one-time non-cash charge.
Fiscal 2015 Results: For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, the Company reported total revenue of $13.6 million, a 14% increase relative to fiscal 2014. Subscription revenue grew 16% year over year to $10.9 million. Total operating expenses during fiscal 2015 were $17.7 million, an increase of 22% from the prior year. Excluding a one-time, non-cash charge of $1.5 million, total operating expenses were $16.2 million, an increase of 12% year over year. Non-GAAP net income per share to common shareholders for fiscal 2015 was $0.01 per share, as compared to a net loss per share of ($0.05) in fiscal 2014. GAAP net loss per share to common shareholders for fiscal 2015 was ($0.38) per share during fiscal 2015, as compared to ($0.19) in fiscal 2014, primarily due to one-time non-cash charges. Free cash flow improved by $2.2 million to $1.7 million during fiscal 2015, as compared to a negative ($551,000) in fiscal 2014. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $1.1 million in fiscal 2015 from $192,000 in fiscal 2014.
Successfully completed acquisition of ReposiTrak – At the end of the fourth quarter, the Company completed the acquisition of 100% ownership of ReposiTrak. Beginning in fiscal 2016, revenue and earnings comparisons will reflect the combined company results on a consolidated basis. "Consolidating ownership under the same umbrella, has helped to further accelerate customer onboarding, and made it possible to identify and pursue cross selling opportunities with our supply chain services," said Mr. Fields.
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) finalization a catalyst for growth – ReposiTrak's pipeline continues to grow as market participants look to comply with the new food safety regulations. "In each of the next four years, there will be increasing regulatory pressure applied to a greater percentage of market participants from large-to-small including the potential for criminal and civil liability. As an easy to use, cost effective solution endorsed by the leading trade associations, ReposiTrak is in an excellent position to help the food industry comply with these new regulations," said Mr. Fields.
ReposiTrak expects to end fiscal 2016 with 8,500 supplier connections – "We added over 700 supplier connections in the fourth quarter, exceeded our goal and ended the fiscal year at approximately 2,500 connections. While net additions may vary from quarter-to-quarter, we expect the overall pace of connections to continue to accelerate during fiscal 2016 and we anticipate adding 6,000 new connections for the year," said Mr. Fields.
Expanding addressable market with pilots in food service and pharma – ReposiTrak intends to begin pilot programs with food service and pharmaceutical market participants during fiscal 2016. "While it is too early to say for sure, these pilot programs could significantly expand the addressable market for ReposiTrak's Compliance Management and Track & Trace solutions," said Mr. Fields.
Specific disclosure relating to the acquisition of ReposiTrak, including management's analysis of results from operations and financial condition, are contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2015 and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are encouraged to carefully read and consider such disclosure and analysis contained in the Company's Form 10-K and other reports, including the risk factors contained in such Form 10-K.
The Company will host a conference call at 4:15 P.M. Eastern today, September 14, 2015 to discuss the results. Investors and interested parties may participate in the call by dialing (888) 427-9376 and referring to Conference ID: 2575822. The conference call is also being webcast and is available via the investor relations section of the Company's website, www.parkcitygroup.com.
Park City Group (PCYG) is a Software-as-a-Service ("SaaS") provider that brings unique visibility to the consumer goods supply chain, delivering actionable information to ensure products are available when and where consumers demand them, helping retailers and suppliers to 'Sell More, Stock Less, and See Everything'. Park City Group's technology also assists all participants in the food and drug supply chains to comply with food and drug safety regulations through the Company's ReposiTrak subsidiary. More information is available at www.parkcitygroup.com and www.repositrak.com.
This press release includes the following financial measures defined as "non-GAAP financial measures" by the Securities and Exchange Commission: non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP earnings per share, net debt and free cash flow. These measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The presentation of this financial information, which is not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles, is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest comparable GAAP measures will be provided upon the completion of the Company's annual audit.
Non-GAAP EBITDA excludes items such as impairment charges, allowance for doubtful accounts, charges to consolidate and integrate recently acquired businesses, costs of closing corporate facilities, non-cash stock based compensation and other one-time cash and non-cash charges. Non-GAAP EPS excludes items such as non-cash stock based compensation, charges to consolidate and integrate recently acquired businesses, costs for closing corporate facilities, amortization of acquired intangible assets and other one-time cash and non-cash charges. Net debt is the total debt balance less the cash balance. Free cash flow includes net cash provided (used) by operating activities less replacement purchases of property and equipment. The Company believes the non-GAAP measures provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding certain expenses, gains and losses or net purchases of property and equipment, as the case may be, which may not be indicative of its core operation results and business outlook. In addition, because Park City Group has historically reported certain non-GAAP results to investors, the Company believes that the inclusion of non-GAAP measures provides consistency in the Company's financial reporting.
Free cash flow includes net cash provided (used) by operating activities less replacement purchases of property and equipment. Capital expenditures related to long-term investments and new technology developments are omitted.


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IALA's visit to the Ministry of Transport and Communications in the Kingdom of Bahrain
IALA's visit to Kingdom of Barhain
On January 30, the Minister of Transport and Communications Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed received in his office in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, Mr Francis Zachariae, Secretary-General of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities, accompanied by Mr Omar Frits Eriksson Dean of the IALA World-Wide Academy.
During the meeting, the Minister welcomed the Secretary-General and the Dean and expressed the keenness of the Ministry of Transport and Communications to take care of the marine signs in the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain, particularly those that define the main channels used by commercial vessels. He also pointed out that the port affairs and marine navigation in the ministry take special care of maritime signs. They also discussed aspects of cooperation with the Association and developments in the field of marine aids to navigation industry.
For his part, the Secretary-General of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities expressed his pleasure to visit the Kingdom of Bahrain and meet with the Minister and officials of ports and maritime affairs.
He gave a brief explanation of the role of the Association in the development of navigational aids and the development of standards and guidelines necessary to ensure the safety of maritime navigation.
Assistant Undersecretary for Maritime Affairs Mr Yousif Issa Bubshit, Assistant Undersecretary for Ports Affairs Mr Bader Houd Al Mahmoud and Acting General Manager of MENAS Mr Mahdi Al Mosawi attended the meeting.
© IALA AISM 2021 Disclaimer Returns Sitemap Site by Redwire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Chicago Bears 2019 training camp preview: Running backs
Bears will feature brand new crop of RBs in Bourbonnais
By HUB ARKUSHEmailFollow
TNS | Stephen M. Dowell
NFC running back Tarik Cohen carries the ball through the line during the NFL Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on January 27.
One of head coach Matt Nagy's major goals for 2019 is to improve his running game, and to do so he has switched Cody Whitehair from center to guard, James Daniels from guard to center, crossed all his fingers and toes in the hopes that Kyle Long can stay healthy and reclaim his perch as the best guard in the NFC and almost completely rebuilt his running back depth chart.
Tarik Cohen will be the Bears only returning running back from 2018.
Jordan Howard, Benny Cunningham and Taquan Mizzell (now a receiver) will be replaced by third-round draft choice David Montgomery, free agent Mike Davis from Seattle, seventh-round pick Kerrith Whyte from Florida Atlantic and Ryan Nall who spent last season on the practice squad.
Who'll be the Bourbonnais focal point?
Much of the focus should be on Montgomery, considered by many to be the most NFL ready back in the 2019 Draft. He was the fourth running back off the board, behind only Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders and Darrell Henderson.
Montgomery is 5-foot-10, 222 pounds and was highly productive in college over three seasons rushing 624-2,925 yards, (4.7 avg.) and caught passes for 477 yards on 71 catches, 6.7 and a total of 26 touchdowns.
He also made more tacklers miss in 2018 than any other running back in FBS football.
It is unlikely that Montgomery will be a "better" back than Howard, who has rushed for more yards since entering the NFL than any other backs in the league with the exception of Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley.
But the key will be Montgomery's 4.7 rushing average, his "make 'em miss" skills and receiving abilitywhich were Howard's shortcomings but musts in Nagy's offense.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein called Montgomery the "safest back in the 2019 Draft" and ranked him his third choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year this year, behind only Arizona's Kyler Murray and Oakland's Josh Jacobs.
Unfortunately with little contact or live reps for Montgomery until the regular season, we will learn little about him in Bourbonnais other than getting an extended look at his pass-catching abilities.
Cohen's 1,602 combined yards last season were sixth best among running backs in the NFL, but 433 of those yards came on punt returns.
Is Tarik Cohen the ideal chess piece for Matt Nagy?
What makes Cohen perfect for the Bears is his 725 receiving yards were third best among running backs, trailing only Christian McCaffrey and James White.
With 99 rushes for 444 yards (4.5 YPC) last season, Cohen only averaged 6.1 carries per game, but if he is also going to be targeted 5.6 times a game through the airas he was last yearand average 3.1 returns per game, because of his diminutive stature those roughly 15 touches a game may be near his max.
Perhaps he will get another 3-5 rushes a game, but that still makes him the RB2.
What about the sleepers?
The players to watch in Bourbonnais will be Davis, Whyte and Nall.
Objectively, Davis is a veteran journeyman who has demonstrated marginally better receiving skills than Howard but nowhere near the rushing chops. But at 26, he is three years younger than Benny Cunningham and may be an upgrade at the RB3 spot.
While Montgomery is the key to an improved run game, the most interesting player to watch in Bourbonnais will be Whyte.
With a 4.38 40-yard dash, 42-inch vertical leap and 11-foot standing broad jump at his pro day, he would have been the best athlete among running backs at the combine had he been invited.
And he is a football player, having earned Honorable Mention All Conference this past year at Florida Atlantic in spite of being second string to Devin Singletary, whom the Buffalo Bills selected one pick after Montgomery.
Remember one of last season's All Rookie running backs, Phillip Lindsay, became the first undrafted rookie free agent offensive player to be a Pro Bowler. So rather than trust Whyte was just a seventh-round pick, trust your eyes.
Finally, wideout Cordarrelle Patterson was actually a starting running back for a few weeks for Bill Belichick and the Super Bowl champion Patriots last season, so we should watch closely how much practice time he is getting at the position, as Nagy has already admitted Patterson is his new favorite project.
The Bears RB corps will be among the best in football if …
Montgomery is all Ryan Pace and Nagy think he is, Cohen becomes that much more dangerous with defense's eyeing Montgomery and Whyte turns out to be this year's Lindsay.
The wheels will fall off if ...
The leap from the Big 12 - where most teams treat defense like a spectator sport - to the NFL is too much for Montgomery to handle, Whyte turns out to be just another pretty face and those two failings allow defenses to focus on taking away Cohen.


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        <Text>var user = await UserManager.FindByIdAsync(User.Identity.GetUserId());
                    if (user != null)
                    {
                        await SignInManager.SignInAsync(user, isPersistent: false, rememberBrowser: false);
                    }</Text>
      </Fragment>
    </Duplicate>
  </Duplicates>
</DuplicatesReport>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss is a subscription ID, also 36 characters.
The two components are separated by a hyphen.
Both of these account IDs are considered customers in Cloud Cruiser Express. For more information about customers, see Managing customers.
The hierarchical nature of the account structure enables you to view charges at different levels in reports. You can look at the charges for individual subscriptions, roll them up to the level of individual subscribers, or view charges for all customers together. For more information on using reports, see Standard reports.
The ability to change the account structure is a premium feature available by upgrading to Cloud Cruiser. This gives you the ability to segment your customer base into more levels such as geographies and departments to analyze your business in more detail. You can even set up your account structure to be able to view charges pertaining to a specific VM or other infrastructure item.
To experiment with account structures, go to Administration > Account Structure . In Cloud Cruiser Express you can make changes but not save them.
This is a premium feature available by upgrading to Cloud Cruiser. You can create views of your account structure that enable users to view cost data through a different hierarchy. For example, organizing a report with the bottom level on top or with a middle level missing. This gives you more ways to analyze your costs.


ProductCharacteristic: This product is prepared by liquid-phase in-situ surface modification technology, whennanoparticles are generated originally, organic compound is modified on thesurface of particle to realize the dimension control, at the same time, nanoparticlespossess special performance. This product has good dispensability and stability invarious organic medium such as toluene, carbon tetrachloride, painting, resin, coating, lubricant oil, injection increaseagent,theappearance seems as true solution.
Usage Instruction: This product is organic modification nano-SiO2,has extrastrong hydrophobicand super oleophilic, and can disperse innon-polar and weak polar organic solvent with transparent state. Mainly appliedin lubricant grease, resin, glue, elastomer, highink, sealing agent, car wax, leather, anti-corrosive paints etc..


Completeherbs: Guyabano: Cure For Cancer?
The guyabano (Anona muricata) is a tree that grows about five to seven meters high. It bears a pear-shaped fruit that is green in color and has soft spines. This tree is native to the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and African countries in the sub-Saharan area. The tree is also able to adapt to the tropical climate and could be found in most countries in Southeast Asia.
The matured fruit usually weighs about two to five kilograms and is ovoid in shape. The skin is thin and it has a whitish pulp that is soft, fleshy, and fibrous. The taste is distinct, with a tangy citrus taste. The fruits are harvested when they are mature, when the skin of the fruit is yellowish or shiny green in color.
The guyabano has been found to possess a lot of medicinal properties that a lot of people would definitely benefit from.
One article from 2008 in the African Journal of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine reported that a study done on diabetes-mellitus afflicted rats that were fed with guyabano actually showed a significant lowering of their blood sugar levels. Separate studies conducted also showed the ability of guyabano in reducing alleviation, fever, asthma, arthritis, and skin infections. There are also studies that claim guyabano to be good for those who are suffering from herpes simplex infections, liver problems, and even hypertension.


text:
HRCSL writes to minister on application of Police Ordinance to civilian protests
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has recommended the Minister of Public Security to direct the Inspector General of Police (IGP) that regulations made in terms of the Police Ordinance would not be permissible if it reasonably impacts at the exercise of fundamental rights and freedom ensured in the Constitution.
HRCSL chairperson Justice Rohini Marasinghe stated this in a letter addressed to the Public Security Minister on the application of the Police Ordinance, No. 16 of 1865 to the civilian protests.
In the letter, she points out that one of the functions of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is to make recommendations to the Government regarding measures which should be taken to ensure that national laws and administrative practices are in accordance with international human rights and standards, by virtue of section 10(d) of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act, No.21 of 1996.
In the pursuit of discharging this unction, the commission said it wishes to apprise the Minister of the particulars of the application of the Police Ordinance, No.16 of 1865 as amended, in particular, section 77 – 80 of the same, in order to ensure that the fundamental freedoms of speech and expression, and peaceful assembly of the citizens of Sri Lanka enshrined in Articles 14(1)(a) and 14(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka respectively are protected, subject to the restrictions contained in the Constitution itself.
The provisions that the Commission takes particular issue with are sections 77(2) and (3) of the Police Ordinance, No.16 of 1865, as amended by Act No.41 of 1984
Section 77(3) of the Police Ordinance, No.16 of 1865, as amended by Act No.41 of 1984, states that a police officer not below the grade of Assistant Superintendent may prohibit a public procession or subject it to conditions if he considers it expedient to do so in the 'interests of the preservation of public order.'
The Commission emphasizes that the power conferred by section 77(3) of the Police Ordinance, No.16 of 1865, as amended by Act No.41 of 1984, is strictly subject to the Constitution and should only be exercised accordingly.
The Commission says it is of the opinion that the Police Ordinance, No.16 of 1865, in particular section 77 of the Police Ordinance, No. 16 of 1865 as amended by Act No.4 1 of 1984, has been incorrectly interpreted and applied in the recent past ultra vires the Constitution to suppress the fundamental freedoms of speech and expression. Peaceful assembly of civilian protesters enshrined in Article 14(1)(a) and (b) of the Constitution, respectively.
Besides the threat to fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, this state of affairs mainly concerns the Commission because, as expressed by Fernando J. in the Jona Ghosha case, "stifling the peaceful expression of legitimate dissent today, can only result, inexorably, in the catastrophic explosion of violence some other day……", the letter said.
Therefore, the Commission recommended the Minister to direct the IGP that regulations made in terms of the Police Ordinance would not be permissible if it reasonably impacts the exercise of fundamental rights and freedom enshrined in the Constitution, specifically in relation to Article 14(1) (a) and (b). – ada derana
Drumstick Size Guide (Which To Choose And Why)
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J. Cole's '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Album Goes Triple Platinum
Tony M. Centeno
J. Cole's third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, has reached triple platinum status.
On Wednesday (May 29), Dreamville confirmed Cole's latest accolade in a tweet with a link to the album. 2014 Forest Hills Drive went gold in 2015 a little over a month after it dropped in December 2014 with no features. The 13-track album, which includes fan favorites like "Wet Dreamz," "Fire Squad" and "No Role Modelz," went platinum a year later in January 2016. Then, nine months later in October 2016, the album achieved double platinum status.
"Triple 💿💿💿 #2014ForestHillsDrive @JColeNC #Dreamville," the label wrote in their celebratory tweet.
The latest notch under J. Cole's platinum belt comes after the North Carolina native's latest round of featured verses impacted the Internet. Cole recently jumped on Ty Dolla $ign's new song, "Purple Emoji." Then, a few days later, Cole shocked the masses with a guest verse on Young Thug's electric new single, "The London" alongside Travis Scott.
The awards may keep coming for Cole. After his song "Middle Child" became the first song of 2019 to go multiplatinum, BET revealed the nominees for the 2019 BET Awards in Los Angeles. Cole is up for at least four awards: Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice for his song "Middle Child" plus Best Collaboration and Video of the Year for his work on 21 Savage's "a lot."
Congratulations to J. Cole! Check out Dreamville's tweet below.
See 16 Hip-Hop Albums With the Shortest Rollouts Over the Years
Source: J. Cole's '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Album Goes Triple Platinum
Filed Under: J. Cole
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text:
Q: How to update thousands of records I have to update an age column based on the value in a date of birth column. There are thousands of records to update.
How do I do this using rails?
Is this the right way to do it?
User.update_all(:age => some_method);

def some_method
  age = Date.today.year - dob.year
end

A: Yes, update_all is the right method but no, you can't do it like this. Your some_method will only get called once to set up a database call (I assume you're persisting to a database). You'll then get an error because dob won't be recognised in the scope of the User class.
You'll need to translate your date logic to SQL functions.
Something like (for mysql):
User.update_all("age = year(now()) -
                year(dob) -
                (DATE_FORMAT(now(), '%m%d') < DATE_FORMAT(dob, '%m%d'))")

(NB. the date_format stuff is so that you get the right age for people who's birthdays are later in the year than the current date - see this question for more details)

A: The other option is to use one of the batches functionality in rails.
User.where(some_condition).find_in_batches do |group_of_users|
 # some logic
 # e.g. group_of_users.update_all(:age => some_logic)
end

This would lock your db for less time. Note that you should pretty much always update with a condition in mind. I can't think of many cases you would want to update an entire table every time something happens.
There are a few options checkout the rails docs or the api.

A: your query is right.
There are many way to update record in a batch/lot.
But, I think that your query is best. Because it is rails query that will support every condition for all database.
for updating more than one attributes
Model.update_all(:column1 => value1, :column2 => value2, ........)

or
you can use :
Model.update_all("column1 = value1, column2 = value2, ........")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Family run farm that offers 3 E-den camping cabins, a Shepherd's Hut plus 12 cottages in a spectacular location with amazing views of Glastonbury Tor, plus an on site indoor heated swimming pool and steam room!
The cabins are all to be found in a quiet paddock, next to an apple orchard at the rear of Middlewick and offer true peace and tranquility. There are 3 E-dens, all of which sleep 2 people and have their own private shower room just a short walk away. The necessities of a kettle, toaster and fridge are supplied plus a super comfy double bed which lies underneath a large velux window, perfect for stargazing in comfort! The properties are fully insulated and double glazed so they are always cosy whatever time of the year you visit. Outside you have your own private decked area with awning, a great place to enjoy your morning cuppa. In the afternoon, light the BBQ and enjoy the true camping feel of al fresco cooking and dining.
There is plenty to do in Glastonbury and surrounding Somerset. Why not bring your bike and cyle along the SusTrans Route which links Land's End to Bristol, or try your hand at horse-riding in the beautiful countryside. Glastonbury Tor itself is a lovely 20 minute walk away and the views from the top are amazing. Historians will enjoy a trip to the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and learning about the amazing myths that surround it. Alternatively if you prefer to shop until you drop then Clarks Village will be your idea of heaven with over 90 outlet stores, restaurants and cafes.
Dogs welcome in the E-den Cabins and there is free wifi. Towels and bedding provided. Prices for an E-den cabin range from £70-£77 per night.
There are also 12 characterful cottages on site sleeping from 2-6 people, some of which allow dogs. Plus a gorgeous bijou Shepherd's hut that is great for the solo traveller. Why not book a few properties together for a family and friends getaway! Please enquire for more information.


text:
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley volleyball team celebrates their win in a WAC regular season final against Kansas City at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Edinburg.
UTRGV Vaqueros
UTRGV releases schedule for defending WAC champion volleyball squad
Andrew McCulloch
The UTRGV Department of Athletics released the official 2019 volleyball schedule Wednesday. The defending WAC regular-season champions will face a difficult 30-game slate featuring four contests against squads that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
The team will open the regular season with a bevy of weekend tournaments against a tough lineup of nonconference opponents. For the first three weeks of the season, UTRGV will travel throughout the Lone Star State participating in the Houston Baptist Tournament (Aug. 30-31), the UTSA Classic (Sept. 6-7) and the Texas A&M Invitational (Sept. 12-13).
UTRGV will have to hit the ground running against a slew of stiff competition, including Big South conference runner-up Radford (Aug. 30), a talented Maryland squad (Sept. 6) and the defending Sun Belt champion Texas State Bobcats (Sept. 13), who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018.
"We have another challenging preseason schedule, and top-to-bottom it might be even more difficult than last year," UTRGV coach Todd Lowery said in a news release. "We're going to be tested every weekend during non-conference play. There will be a lot of big challenges to prepare us for the WAC."
UTRGV will also face rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi twice as part of the South Texas Showdown, with the first meeting between the two in Corpus Christi on Sept. 3 and the second — the first home game of the season — falling on Sept. 17 at UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
The highlight of the UTRGV's season, however, will come when it hosts Houston Baptist, Texas Southern and Washington State for the UTRGV Tournament on Sept. 20 and 21.
The Washington State Cougars, who finished last season ranked No. 16 by the AVCA poll, advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to top-ranked and eventual national champion Stanford. The Cougars will be the second-ever Pac-12 volleyball program to be hosted by UTRGV and the first since 2001.
"It's exciting to bring a Pac-12 school to the Fieldhouse after bringing Texas Tech, another power 5 school, last year," Lowery said in a news release. "To have a top 25 program come down here and give us a shot on their home floor is exciting and really shows the growth of the program over the last four or five years. With the program going in the direction that it is, those teams want us on their schedule and we want to play those teams and take our shot at them. The matchup is a tall task, but sometime volleyball is a little bit about matchups, and we'll take our chances."
Conference play will kick off Sept. 26 with a road contest against the Seattle University Redhawks. After completing a four-game road stretch, UTRGV will host its first back-to-back WAC games of the season against Grand Canyon University and Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 10 and Oct. 12, respectively.
The regular season will wrap up with a pair of home games against conference foes UMKC on Nov. 14 and Chicago State on Nov. 16. The 2019 WAC Conference Tournament will be played Nov. 21-23 in Orem, Utah.
"The WAC was extremely competitive last year and the overall quality of the conference continues to increase," Lowery said. "Our goal is to go out there and prove ourselves every single night and then make a run at the end of the year."
Season tickets can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com, or by contacting the UTRGV Fan Relationship Management Center team of Anaclaudia Cervantes (956-665-3415) and Carlos Muñoz (956-665-3747) via phone or email at tickets@utrgv.edu.
Photo Gallery: RGV Vipers implode against the Texas Legends 125-99
Vipers struggle from 3, fall to Legends
Photo Gallery: UTRGV women fall to Utah Valley 76-67


There are many types of natural fillings for bedding products. The allure of all natural filling has been increasing over the last few years with more product choices showing up on the market. The most prevalent natural filling is a byproduct of ducks. Available in whole feathers, 95%feathers and 5%down, 100%down and a few different percentage blends in both white and gray color. The whole feathers offer firm support, while the down offers softness and warmth. Duck filling is found in comforters, bed pillows and featherbeds. Make sure the covering is of top quality or the duck filling will leak and you will have feathers in your bed. Natural down filling is measured in fill power with 550 being the standard quality.
Cotton filling is found in quilted ticks, pillows and mattress pads. I have not seen it anywhere else. A natural cotton filled mattress pad on your bed is of the finest quality, cool and comfortable under your sheets.


text:
D.SegmentTypes.Variable = {
  try_lex: function(string) {
    return string // this is never lexed
  }
, token_to_segments: function(token) {
    return [new D.Segment(token.type, token.value, token)]
  }
, munge_segments: function(L, segment, R) {
    if(segment.value.type == 'space')             // space vars have to be collected at runtime
      return [L.concat(segment), R]

    var my_key = segment.key
      , new_key = segment.value.prevkey
      , key_index

    if(!new_key && !R.length)                     // some pipeline vars have to be collected then too
      return [L.concat(segment), R]               //   -> this handles {_value | add 1}

    if(!R.length) {                               //   -> this handles {2 | >foo | "" | _foo}
      segment.inputs = [new_key]
      return [L.concat(segment), R]
    }

    if(!new_key)
      new_key = segment.value.name

    R.forEach(function(future_segment) {          // but others can be converted into wiring
      while((key_index = future_segment.inputs.indexOf(my_key)) != -1)
        future_segment.inputs[key_index] = new_key
    })

    return [L, R]
  }
, execute: function(segment, inputs, dialect, prior_starter, process) {
    var type = segment.value.type
      , name = segment.value.name
      , value = ''
      , clone = true                // OPT: figure when this can be false and make it that way

    if(type == 'space')
      value = process.space.get_state(name)
    else if(inputs && inputs.length)
      value = inputs[0] // DATA
    else if(type == 'pipeline')     // in cases like "{__}" or "{_foo}" pipeline vars serve as placeholders,
      value = process.state[name]   // because we can't push those down to bare wiring. [actually, use __out] // DATA

    if(!D.is_nice(value))
      return false

    return value // OPT: cloning each time is terrible
    // return D.clone(value) // DATA
    // return D.deep_copy(value) // NOTE: we have to deep copy here because cloning (via JSON) destroys blocks...
  }
}


text:
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Get Rid of Unhealthy Competition on Your Team
People can't collaborate if they're jockeying for position.
Amy C. Edmondson
Buy Copies
"Look to your left, look to your right: One of you won't be here next year." This intimidating line was immortalized as a greeting for incoming students at Harvard Law School in the classic movie, The Paper Chase. The explicit (and intended) message is that hard work is needed to be successful here. The implicit (and perhaps unintended) message is that your success occurs when others fail. In a competition, others must lose if you are to win, and so it's natural to withhold information that might help others, or to fail to provide help when help may be needed. Clearly, this message inhibits teamwork. It's hard to collaborate if you view (consciously or not) your colleague as the competition. Self-preservation is a powerful force.
But it's hard to deny that competition motivates. Athletes at the Olympics train incessantly to be among the very best in the world. Aspiring young professionals recognize the competitive landscape they're in and it makes them work incredibly hard to earn top grades and ace standardized exams. They know all too well that they're competing for limited slots in top universities and, later, limited jobs at top employers.
And so, even when leaders don't explicitly paint a win-lose game for new recruits or new team members, the competitive mindset is essentially the default for most high-achieving professionals. It's overlearned in school. In every industry, those hired by elite organizations have competed in endless small contests along the way to achieve these positions. This isn't bad in and of itself, of course. But, the unintended consequence is a mindset that views success as a zero-sum game, where my success depends in part on your failure. This fosters an inward focus, a focus on self — on how I'm doing compared to others. With this focus, impression management can take precedence over learning and teaming. And it certainly doesn't breed team spirit.
You and Your Team
Boost your group's performance.
This is why a teaming mindset must be adopted on purpose. Team leaders must paint success in the team as something shared and expansive. Because seeing success this way is rarely spontaneous, leaders have to go out of their way to convey — to sell, really — the upside of collaborative work. The message must be that success can be greater and more exciting when people work together. When this is done well, team members tend to focus more on the work than on themselves. They also focus on what the work means for the company's value proposition — for their customers. They feel a sense of shared fate that fosters the development of trusting, cooperative relationships. The competitive instinct we all have is then channeled into the desire to perform better than other teams, not to shine relative to our fellow team members. Or more importantly, team members may channel that competitive drive into a desire to outperform other organizations in their industry.
The team leader's challenge is thus how to help smart, talented people who've gotten into coveted positions by performing well as individuals learn how to work well together — for the sake of a larger prize. The challenge is how to help them shed the hard-driving competitive mindset that may have become second nature — and replace it with an equally hard-driving collaborative mindset.
It starts with helping them reframe their colleagues as resources for achieving sought-after goals. Team leaders can emphasize the opportunity for all team members to value and learn from their colleagues, so that the team can do spectacular work. They must replace the old classic line, "one of you won't be here next year," with the following:
"Look to your left, look to your right: How quickly can you discover the unique talents, knowledge, and expertise that each one of you brings to the table? How quickly can you convey to others what you bring?" How quickly, in short, can we break down the barriers between us — barriers created by fear, competition, jargon, or status — and figure out how to accomplish things together that none of us could accomplish alone? These are the questions that leaders must use to help each member of a team to answer, faster, better, and more generously than ever before. Here are three tactics leaders can use to help each member of a team answer these questions:
Model the behavior you're hoping to inspire — for example, demonstrate curiosity and interest in the people you work with, ask them genuine questions, and respond thoughtfully to what you hear.
Place a high value on and reward successful teaming more than individual performance.
Frame the challenge ahead (the work, the initiative, the project) as something in need of diverse perspectives and skills.
With persistence and patience, team leaders can help team members abandon unhealthy competition among individuals and instead to cooperate to compete together to reach the most important goal — serving the customer.
Read more on Leading teams or related topics Collaboration and Motivating people
Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. She is the author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (Wiley, 2019).
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text:
Citizens' Assembly
Mary Lou McDonald
111. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when he plans to convene the Citizens' Assembly on gender equality. [39346/19]
Written answers (Question to Taoiseach)
The Taoiseach
At its meeting of 11th June 2019, the Government agreed to the establishment of a Citizens' Assembly to advance gender equality. The establishment of the Citizens' Assembly on gender equality was approved by Dáil Éireann on 9 July and Seanad Éireann on 11 July.
The Citizens' Assemblies Act 2019 providing for the use of the register of electors to select members for both citizens' assemblies was subsequently enacted and signed into law by the President on 25 July.
The Citizens' Assembly secretariat is now up and running. A Secretary has been appointed and staff assigned. Ms. Catherine Day, former Secretary General of the European Commission, will serve as Chair of the Assembly.
Administrative preparations are underway with a view to convening a first meeting as soon as possible.