text:
What Kavanaugh Tells Us about the Midterms
While Democrats refight the 2016 election, Republicans confirmed their second Supreme Court judge.
The soiled Kavanaugh confirmation process put Democratic strategy for the 2018 midterms in plain view. The question is will what hasn't worked to date do any better for the Dems a month from now?
This week's FBI investigation was never going to turn up much beyond incomplete recollections. Apart from liberal Twitter, all of whom are apparently trauma memory experts (last week they were scholars of perjury law), most people in Normal America have a hard time conjuring up long ago details. It is even harder to remember things that never happened. The FBI had done background investigations six times on Kavanaugh over a period of decades without uncovering any of what people said this week, so in reality, the investigation lasted 30 years. Democrats knew unless the FBI miraculously turned up a blue dress with semen stains on it, the facts by themselves were never going to be enough.
The investigation, like Trump's taxes and Russiagate, was really just a way to turn a scar into a scab to pick at, enough of something to propel the story into another week. Then if no new smoking gun-let drops into the media's lap, the script says claim the process itself was unfair – Putin stole the election, gerrymandering cheated the vote, the FBI wasn't allowed to interview enough witnesses.
The real plan was always to force the confirmation into the mold Democrats think will win them the House, the same gambit they thought would deliver a landslide in 2016. And so Kavanaugh's complex judicial record was discarded in favor of Clinton-esque, er, progressive, talking points: the election, um, sorry, the confirmation is all about respect for women, fighting misogyny, defeating privilege, too many White Men, Trump is evil, we can't have an accused rapist in the White House, sorry, on the Supreme Court! Disqualification via demonization. The Kavanaugh hearings were an updated version of what was supposed to be the 2016 game-changer, the "pussy grabbing tape." The Dems would give America another shot at having had it with the patriarchy.
It didn't work. Despite endless bleating the hearings were a "job interview" (imagine the lawsuit after a Microsoft hiring manager pivoted from coding skills to accusing someone of being a drunk) the hashtags were not enough. Judicial temperament problems? The issue never came up in Kavanaugh's long career. Even so, few courtroom situations turn a judge into a Senators' punching bag; maybe a little righteous anger was called for? Some may even remember how Democratic voters abandoned presidential candidate Mike Dukakis when he was too dispassionate in his reaction to a question about someone assaulting his wife.
Things devolved too quickly from concern over Roe v. Wade to an attempt to catch Kavanaugh out on yearbook nomenclature. Dems convinced themselves it was conclusive when Maddow labeled Kavanaugh a liar over what "Devil's Triangle" really meant in a suburban Maryland boy's school in 1982. They imagined people would believe wrongly stating the drinking age in Maryland decades ago was perjury and not just a mistake. They thought people would care more if the pool of "victims" (i.e., anyone who saw Kavanaugh with a brewski) increased exponentially. Most everything serious was lost in a cloud of stupid.
It is a hard ask to get people concerned about health care as a life-or-death issue to take you seriously as a party when all you seem to care about is high school butt sex. Jester Michael Avenatti pushed things further into farce with an "accuser" whose credibility failed sitcom standards. Susan Collins specifically cited Avenatti's actions as part of her decision to vote yes on Kavanaugh. Yet Democrats still see Avenatti as a useful idiot, a kamikaze working alongside them, without understanding he demeans the seriousness of everything he touches as a tabloid Midas.
It was little surprise the absurdity of it all was missed by the Dems. One Democratic strategist stated "identity politics has really become the ecology you're operating in. Economics aren't as dispositive as they used to be." That makes sense only to a party banking its midterm strategy on voters not noticing the economy is doing pretty well. It follows pretending constant predictions of trade wars and real wars haven't all turned out to be crying wolf. It starts to make sense America would go along with the idea a guy claiming he wasn't a drunk in college means he's a liar unfit to serve on the Supreme Court.
There were issues in Kavanaugh's judicial history worth debating. Concern over Roe runs deep. But the Democrats spent little thought on that, failing to grasp while American demographics may be changing, they haven't yet changed.
The only constituency re-energized over Kavanaugh is suburban liberal white women (accuser Ford could not have been more a Clintonite if Murphy Brown was reanimated out of the 1980s via a horcrux from Hillary herself), a group favoring the Democrats anyway. Apparently this group can also be counted on to ignore the likelihood a Democrat Senator outed Ford when she wanted to remain anonymous, and to overlook attempts to slut-shame high school girl Renate Schroeder on the grounds that if she was a pass-around then Kavanaugh was a non-virgin who screwed tramps like that. Same for the tsunami of criticism directed at Susan Collins, labeled a traitor to her gender to the point where people are donating money to her unknown opponent of the future. No one on CNN praised her as a courageous woman who made a thoughtful decision.
There seems little inside the Kavanaugh fight to specifically drive minorities, already understood as reluctant voters, to the polls. Millennial voters share a low historic turnout rate. If you can't get a lot more than 1 out of 4 in a demographic to show up things are unlikely to work out (71% of Americans over 65 vote, skewing Republican, and the Kavanaugh saga could easily energize them into an even higher turnout). There seems little-to-no Democratic plan to shift these historical trends other than Trump rage, and the warm feelings of consensual hallucination embodied in social media aside, that failed again this week to affect a #RealWorld event.
"Purple" men moving to the Democrat side? One of the things which damaged the women's movement in the 1980s and helped the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA; remember that?) to fail was an overemphasis on men as the enemy, a feature of the Kavanaugh process. Many women walked away from the feminist groups supporting the ERA, knowing the mantras "all men are rapists" and "Republicans hate women" just weren't true.
This is what is happening now, when people who support Trump based on economics end up labeled fascists, people who support Kavanaugh based on his judicial history are rape apologists (or traitors), and people who support free speech are Nazis. Same as post-Parkland, when people who support the 2A were slandered as child killers. It's deplorable. No one supports rapists or child killers. But few voters are willing to trust Democrats that see them as people who do.
The point of politics is to change people's minds, not declare them unfit to walk among decent folk. Kavanaugh proved the Democrats (and their partnered media) are still unaware while this may be the year of #MeToo in Washington, New York, and Hollywood, it's still just 2018 in West Virginia.
The Democrats failed in 2016 when they tried to make the election a referendum on Trump's behavior. They failed again this week with the same strategy, even after elevating Kavanaugh to a psychopathic POTUS mini-me. With no tailwind from Russiagate, Democrats move toward November with little more than more of the same, throwing in some mumbled threats to impeach Kavanaugh off the Supreme Court (will that be before or after they impeach Trump?) if they take the House.
It's bad enough to pick the wrong hill to die on. Even worse to do it three times.
Posted in Democracy, Trump
Requiem for Justice: "Credible Accusation" and Brett Kavanaugh
Without the votes to reject Brett Kavanaugh, and after a failed Spartacus stunt or two, a strategy ripe for 2018 emerged– he's a witch! How do we know he's a witch? Just see how vehemently he denies it!
Well, maybe not a witch, that's so 17th century. But a rapist is 2018, where a Resistance-charged #MeToo mob can be convinced denial is proof of guilt and evidence is unnecessary.
(This is published before the testimony of Professor Ford and Judge Kavanaugh on September 27)
Though we will somehow move on from Kavanaugh no matter the ending of his confirmation, those problems do not go away gently. Like those claiming it's great news the First Amendment doesn't apply to private companies, allowing non-progressives' free speech rights to be dumped in the trash, claiming because Kavanaugh's confirmation wasn't a trial anything goes – particularly the weaponized use of "credible accusations" — is making us incapable of rational participation in civic life.
"Credible accusation" is not a legal standard. But in 2018 politics "credible" has become a pseudo-standard with enormous power handed essentially to a mob buttressed by traditional and social media, especially when coupled with another new hashtag standard, #BelieveWomen (morphing into the more dramatic #BelieveSurvivors.) They are meant in the best of intentions to correct injustices of the past. They are used now under the worst of intentions as political weapons. No past mistakes are resolved by defining credibility as an emotional reaction to an accuser's story, twisted for partisan political ends.
How partisan this all is is made clear when the new rules are applied only in cases of sexual assault. We are not admonished to believe women are more accurate witnesses in income tax fraud cases, even against white male Republicans. We are not told to believe women face no challenges of politically motivated accusations around shoplifting incidents. We are not admonished to believe women are incapable of lying, misremembering, exaggerating or making a mistake in water rights disputes.
This all allows a unitary actor declared "credible" by default (there seems to be no allowance for a non-credible accusation of sexual assault in 2018) to initiate harm simply by pointing a finger. It really is conceived by progressives as just that easy: "Even if it wouldn't support a criminal conviction or civil liability, a merely credible allegation is enough to disqualify him," wrote the New York Times.
And when the public tires of the one accuser, dig around until you find another. Send Michael Avenatti, the Fagin-like wrangler of Trump-era accusers, to round up as many as needed. Without the need for corroboration, they are not hard to find in bulk. Under the Kavanaugh standards, nearly any person can destroy anyone among tens of thousands of people they went to high school or college alongside of, or ever worked with. Not convinced? In the comments below, leave the details of your next scheduled job interview. And then be prepared to prove you were not in a specific room four decades ago if you want the job, because someone might make a call.
Of course these are confirmation hearings, not a trial, some say, gleeful the written rules of law don't apply and they are free to create new standards and expedient practices to fit the needs of the moment. But that is a gross misunderstanding of the "rule of law" which will haunt America past Kavanaugh.
Like free speech, fairness, and justice, rule of law is a philosophy that underlies a just society, not merely something partially codified in dusty books. Rule of law is a way of living together under a known set of standards, equally applied, with changes broadly supported. Things like the accuser rightly bears the burden of proof. Jobs, respect, property, and freedoms are not taken away by accusation. Claims of innocence are not treated as proof of guilt.
In Kavanaugh's case, no evidence has been presented other than the accusations themselves. Whether written to a Congressperson, told to a therapist, or mumbled to a friend, in the end the circle is a circle that points back to a single person, the accuser herself. That's repetition, not corroboration. Kavanaugh stated the events did not happen. For the past four decades there was no "she said" until a handful of Democratic senators forced Kavanaugh to deliver a "he said."
With Kavanaugh, his unambiguous denials are by definition not credible, as the inverse of Believe Accusers is to Disbelieve the Accused. Kavanaugh has been repeatedly asked for more details, somehow a more persuasive denial, of something he says never happened. The task set before him was to prove a negative, then do it again when a new accuser was produced with an even vaguer scenario from years ago. Give us more details of the trip to Paris you never took!
We were warned. Franz Kafka, in The Trial, has his main character, known only as K, taken to jail without ever being told what his crime might have been. "I'm not guilty," said K. "There's been a mistake." "That is how the guilty speak," replied the priest counseling him.
It seemed any defense at all was wrong. "Though Kavanaugh has been careful not to slime Ford, his denial of the incident impugns her anyway," wrote the Atlantic. When asked if there was anything a truly innocent Kavanaugh could do to prove his innocence, Senator Tim Kaine replied: "That's kind of very hypothetical." Jennifer Rubin in the Washington Post claimed it didn't really matter what Kavanaugh said, it wasn't even in his hands: "It's not simply that Kavanaugh must be convincing — Christine Blasey Ford has to seem unconvincing." Matthew Dowd at ABC took that even further and claimed it didn't matter what either party testified, simply that "Let's believe the she… For 250 years we have believed the he in these scenarios. Enough is enough."
Reason and judgment become subordinate to a social and political agenda. The point is to take advantage of alleged victim-hood before it's been proven, to use assumed victim-hood to shut down questioning whether there even is a victim. In this mindset Kavanaugh should have been finished months ago when the first accusation appeared anonymously, or maybe it was really all over in 1982 that very night at the high school party, and the rest of this, including his decades on the bench, has been unnecessary epilogue.
It all tracks with a dire situation in our society where people are increasingly unable or unwilling to listen to different viewpoints as forces inside America have succeeded in turning people against the once-sacred ideal of free speech. Now, speech, fairness, and justice are no longer goals or ideals, just tools to be manipulated expediently to serve political ends. "That's offensive!" (or sexist, or racist) is an accusation, but it is also understood as evidence itself of the truth of the accusation; why would the accuser be motivated to lie? Aren't all opinions valid, even if the opinion becomes an accusation? How can a self-absorbed individual leave mental space for her own thoughts to be… wrong? The accusation is enough to demand resolution. Take that and expose it to shrewd Democratic politicians and you get the Kavanaugh confirmation process. And likely the next one, too.
This is very dangerous territory for a nation claiming to fear the loss of the rule of law. In the worst days of racial injustice, evidence-free accusations of rape from a white woman sent groups of black men to be lynched, her testimony as unquestionable as virtue itself. During the McCarthy era, mere accusations of communist ties were used to destroy political enemies; questioning that meant you were unpatriotic. Scholars find evidence accusations during the infamous Salem witchcraft trials were used to settle land disputes, with questioning the accusers seen as a direct affront to God. In my time in Iraq, an accusation of al Qaeda affiliation from a tribal leader being courted by the U.S. could bring a Special Forces night raid down on a neighbor of his choosing. There are dark lessons here.
The Democrats have managed in about a week to take the very serious business of #MeToo and turn it into a partisan weapon. In the extreme, they propose no common humanity, simply a society of rapists and their enablers, and victims and their allies. Kavanaugh, the recent process demanded, is more than unqualified for the Court; he is a rapist and liar, unqualified as a human being. Which side will you vote for? It might create a Blue Wave, or it might drive people to vote Republican as a matter of self-defense, more soul-crushing negative partisanship to the body politic.
November 28, 2017 // 7 Comments »
As a young man I was the victim of unwanted sexual attention from someone in Hollywood. In the intervening decades I never told anyone what happened. I know the name of the man who did this to me, but I am not sure what to do with that.
I landed a summer internship with a major studio, out of a Midwestern college in the 1980s where people simply did not talk much about sexuality. One of the only men at the school who was open about being gay was considered something of a political celebrity on campus. I am a straight man, what today people dismiss sarcastically as boring CIS binary old white bread.
I knew no one in California. The man who played me was in a position to help me in all sorts of ways, and he sometimes did. He was generous with advice and what seemed to be friendship. Things changed as I remember him showing me the thick binders of aspiring actors and actresses' head shots, him lingering on the beefcake images and making jokes about how he knew a no-name young shirtless actor, who since went on to some modest roles. The man complimented me on the way I looked, and "accidentally" touched my arms, especially on the days I wore short sleeves. I was very naive and it wasn't until the invitation to take a drive out into the desert that I finally realized what was happening.
I distanced myself from him via a rotational program that sent me to another office. It never occurred to me to say anything. For anyone who questions the value of Human Resources in 2017, it was called just Personnel then and did little more than process tax forms. After I moved to the new department, the man called me a few times, showed up at my new office to "say hi" more than once, and invited me to lunch, parties, events, and a place he kept in Palm Springs long after he knew I would say no. He was older than me, and married to a woman at the time. He wrote me a nice letter of recommendation, which I shamelessly and selfishly used to get a future job.
After I left California, he sent me occasional photos, often just in beachwear. A string of late night phone calls that woke me up, always with an apology that he'd mistaken the time difference – again – between California and the east finally made me realize who I was and what he was when he looked at me like a meal. I think my new-found hostility coupled with his growing boredom (perhaps there was a new intern?) convinced him to leave me alone.
I never heard from him again after that last unwanted call. I have had no contact with him for decades, and I wonder if he would see this article if he'd even have any idea who I am.
I don't think of myself as a survivor, or anything like that. But some of my adult bitterness has roots in what happened. Nobody just walks away. I did learn a lot. I learned about fear and insecurity, and because I was ashamed of myself, I learned how to keep my mouth shut while for years people said to me in response to all sorts of terrible things in the news "Well, you don't know what it feels like" when I did.
I wrestled for some time with the idea that I had done something wrong – this took place in a world away when even in Hollywood people didn't show all their cards to strangers, and some careful back and forth signaling was not uncommon if one party found another of the same sex attractive. Maybe I sent out the wrong signals, maybe I didn't realize I had to say no unambiguously much earlier than I finally did. Maybe at some level I enjoyed the attention, drawing a line in my mind that didn't exist in his between the non-sexual and sexual.
The events of the past weeks brought all of this back from the dark place in memory where I had left it. I was able to make peace with myself long ago, but the complexity of emotions these days still surprised me.
It took me a moment to pull his name forward, though his face came readily into my mind once I let that happen. Some Googling of a person I had not thought of for many years tells me he's still in the movie business, doing well, though by no means an A Lister. You've heard of some of the projects he has worked on, and he is very active with charities. Turns out he played an important behind-the-scenes role in a TV series I really enjoyed watching with my kids when they were younger. He has some minor connections with the Democratic party. In the current climate, the story might make the news.
If I say his name.
I tried to think why it would make sense now to say who he is. If I said his name and Twitter caught it, I'd have a chance to tell everyone I did it for those who can't stand up, to empower others, those things people seem to know just how to say now when the cameras come on. Maybe someone else would find comfort knowing they are not alone, but I really doubt the world needs my story to understand unwanted sexual attention is rampant. Maybe people would say I am brave and put me on a talk show. We don't like to acknowledge it, but in 2017 there can be profit in being a victim, and sensationalism for its own sake is part of the world we live in.
Who knows, maybe the guy would Tweet out an apology, say he was ashamed of his former self, explain he has since gotten help or something, though that would be for him and the people close to him. I certainly don't need it for anything. Humiliation isn't zero sum. His wouldn't erase mine. There was never a chance of justice, not then and not now.
I can only speak for myself in saying the only reason I could really come up with to "name and shame" this man now is revenge.
Years ago he was in a position of power over me, and I convinced myself I had no choice but to put up with what was done. Times have changed, and in a way I'm now the one in power: he potentially has something to lose via my accusations while I have little to worry about in the current climate. I have the chance to use the power I have now to hurt him.
So yeah, #MeToo. But if me, too, means doing to him what he did to me now that I finally can, then, no, not me, too.


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The Jabra BIZ 1500 gives you, for starters, HD audio and a noise-cancelling microphone.
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Noise-cancelling microphones work by picking up on sound in a particular direction by responding to differing pressures. Sound is, after all, energy in waveform. In the case of headsets, noise-cancelling means that the microphone picks up on the sound coming from your mouth—the near pressure—and not from your surroundings—the far pressure. A delicate and simple engineering solution that improves the quality of sound greatly.
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The Celtic culture is known for its ironwork. In times of war the Celtic aristocracy often used richly decorated swords. This sword is a replica made after an original from around the 1st century AD. Around this period the swords were shorter than in preceding periods.
This sword has a length of 76 cm with a blade of 58 cm. The grip is made of wood and brass and is shaped like a styled human figure. Possibly this had a symbolic meaning and it protected the user of the sword. The blade is slightly leaf-shaped and made of carbon steel with a hardness of 48 HRC. It is delivered including a leather scabbard.


Hey there playing the new Real Steel robot something game there are quite a few of these games and I can't really keep up with the titles this one's called Real Steel champion not those freaking big champions that also just happen to, buy some robots are and apparently what I meant by that was I am ready to take a ride for and robot boxing champ I guess so building your own robot, upgrading their parts its sounds cool, fun playing game, its not that hard to earn money and upgrade your roobots,its fun game you would enjoy fighting robots and feel like real steel champions.
Get off to a blazing start with Fire Elements, the first of the Elements Edition.
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Just a reminder to include a few good used bikes inside shipping containers of relief and medical supplies going into catastrophic disasters. Providing a means of rapid distribution and communication for survivors is just as important as the relief supplies when dealing with broken infrastructure. Good used bikes can be purchased at stores such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, other thrift stores, used bike shops, etc. Only send bikes in good working order, with good tire tread and without rust. They must be ready for immediate use.
4. Generating cell phone power.
Before sending, you can attach a label or tag to each bike suggesting these uses. Be sure to use language familiar to the survivors.
In the spirit of challenging perceptions of the bike as a toy and encouraging folks to see how bikes can play a key role as a tool in survivor-led disaster recovery, what other cities do you think might be interested in hosting an event like the Disaster Relief Trials in Portland, Oregon? They've also started it now in Eugene, Oregon, Memphis, Tennessee, Boulder, Colorado, San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington. Victoria, BC has done something similar, too. Where else might a municipal disaster management office want to partner with bicycle advocacy groups in a "preparedness" program in anticipation of the day when the big earthquake, tsunami, or flood hits? Consultant and bike advocate Joe Partridge of Portland, Oregon was involved in getting the Disaster Relief Trials set up in Portland, so if folks in other cities are interested, Mr. Partridge would be a great person to talk with.
As we began looking into the feasibility of the Ready-to-Go Bikes model for delivering bikes to survivors, I began to call around to different aid organizations that already engage in immediate disaster response. I asked them if they'd be interested in serving as 'hubs' that would be willing to receive donated bicycles and deliver them to disaster sites for survivors. But I encountered an unexpected source of resistance to the idea. Representatives from these large disaster response NGOs simply did not see the value of a bike in this setting. There was not even a well-reasoned response as to why they would not consider delivering bikes to survivors. Instead they seemed to reject the idea as if I were suggesting that they help to deliver balloons or cotton candy. I spoke with bike advocate and bikes-in-disaster-response consultant, Joe Partridge, former Deputy for Planning and Preparedness for the Emergency Management Division of Multnomah County in Oregon State. He understood this phenomenon (of obliviousness among NGOs regarding how bikes could be useful in disaster) as having to do with the bike being perceived by many, particularly among older generations, as a toy or a piece of recreation equipment. Many do not see the bike as a tool; a means of human transport and a tool to haul cargo. I had never thought of a bike as a toy and so this idea of an alternate perception of the function of a bike was a revelation to me. It has important implications for how we go about promoting use of bikes for survivor-led disaster recovery. How do you convince operations managers of large NGOs of the need to incorporate bikes if they still see bikes as toys or recreation devices?
Based on conversations with bicycle advocates and through multiple iterations, we came up with a potential model for how good quality donated bikes could be collected by community groups wanting to contribute to disaster response, and how those bikes could be sent directly to disaster response organizations who could bring bikes in along with water, medicines, tents and cooking supplies. The bikes could then be used as tools that facilitate disaster survivors being able to shape and guide the recovery process. I gave this 2 minute "Fast pitch" at Global Washington a few years ago about this model for integrating bikes into disaster response.
• You hear about a disaster event and feel a desire to help.
• You learn if your bike is appropriate to send.
• You learn how to prepare your bike for sending.
• You pay for it to be sent to your selected Hub organization.
• They arrange for it to be taken to the disaster site and delivered to a survivor in need of transportation.
I'm sure there are other models out there, too. But in order to have a place to start the conversation about how bikes can be brought in earlier for use by survivors, we offer this idea. What do you think? What's missing?


text:
Housing proposed for Milton cracker factory
Fred Hanson
fhanson@patriotledger.com
MILTON − A half-dozen "microapartments" − one not much larger than a standard-sized parking space − have been proposed for a historic factory building.
The Falconi Cos., who have owned the G. H. Bent Co. cracker factory on Pleasant Street since 2017, has proposed a conversion of the building's second floor to residential use. The first floor would house a cafè, as it has in the past. The third floor will remain office space, with a catering company now on the second floor moving to the first floor. A recent 1,500 square foot addition, which houses a two-bedroom apartment, will be torn down under the proposal.
Marion McEttrick, a lawyer representing the Falconi Cos., said the proposal is an effort to preserve the historic building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and needs significant renovation.
"It's not going to remain a historic building unless they find uses that work," McEttrick said in a presentation to the planning board Thursday night.
Started in 1801, the Bent Co. supplied crackers that were eaten by sailors on long sea voyages and the hardtack fed to Union soldiers in the Civil War. The Pleasant Street building was built in the 1890's and earned a National Register listing in 2000.
McEtrrick said that the building's exterior would be maintained.
The proposal calls for three studio and three one-bedroom apartments with a common room. Plans show the smallest studio apartment at 246 square feet. A standard-sized parking space covers 200 square feet. Steve Todisco of Restaurant Design Group, who designed the proposed conversion, said the plans could be revised to add another 50 square feet to the unit.
McEttrick said the units would house people who are looking for their first or second apartments and by workers at nearby employers such as Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital- Milton and Milton Academy.
Planning board Chairwoman Cheryl Tougias said she applauded the proposal, but added there are many technical issues that need to be worked out.
"It can be hard to find a reuse for a historic building," she said.
The proposal drew mixed reviews from neighbors.
Paul Battaglia of Pleasant Street said the 18 parking spaces proposed aren't enough for all the proposed uses and was concerned that with the small apartments the building residents would do their entertaining outside.
"The hangout is going to be in the driveway," Battaglia said. "It will be very, very noisy."
Elisabeth McGrail of Pleasant Street said she felt the proposal would be "good for the neighborhood."
The planning board requested additional information on the plan and will discuss it again on Feb. 14. The proposal needs approval from the appeals board.
© 2023 www.patriotledger.com. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Why is Resurrection so Important? from Randy Alcorn - EPM on Vimeo.
Randy Alcorn talks about the black and white issue of Christ's resurrection and the importance of accepting (or rejecting) that statement without masking the issue. This video clip was excerpted from Randy's Eternity 101 DVD class.


Want an El Dorado Seaside Resort Map? | Sunset Travel Inc.
Home » News » Want an El Dorado Seaside Resort Map?
Want an El Dorado Seaside Resort Map?
Here is a copy of the El Dorado Seaside (Sensimar which is the older section) resort map that they give you when you check-in.
The 'New Seaside' does not have a resort map, or a resort info PDF available yet. But Karisma tells us it will arrive any day now.
We were just at the New Seaside for an awards ceremony and it is absolutely stunning….They took everything they have learned and created a showcase.
Want to take a copy with you?
Click on this map….and download or print a copy that travels.
If the Resort Map does not answer your question, click on the 'Ask Me' button.
Or if you're checking prices…..let her send you a quick quote.
Sarah only sells Karisma Resorts (Azul, El Dorado & Generations) ….all day…every day.
We are very proud of her! She has won Top Sales every year since 2008 when she started selling Karisma Resorts.
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The site needs. . .
Your right! Thanks @Toad. I created a forum called "In the Mix" that can be for more general topics that don't fit better elsewhere. I appreciate the suggestion. I'm not married to the name if you or anyone can think of something better.
Yeah the General Forum name is more recognizable as a HT kinda slot.


text:
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Sheldon Brown's Journal
May Day again, 5:30 am on the banks of the Chuck, for Maypole & morris dancing, singing the traditional pagan songs, Hal-an-tow, Unite and Unite, etc. No dancing for me, but I enjoyed joining in the singing.
A new hat! The mail brought my new green kepi, a reproduction of that worn by Irish units in the War of the Southern Rebellion. It's very cool, dark green wool with a leather visor and strap. It is supposed to be quite authentic. I got it from an on-line dealer called "The Book Guy."
We finally ditched our old 1990 Dodge Grand Caravan, which has been quite troublesome, and has been showing increased signs of decrepitude at 115,000 miles.
We traded it in on a '97 Chrysler Town and Country, a gorgeous red thing with all the bells and whistles, including a moon roof, leather seats, multi-zone climate control, fancy sound system with CD/cassette capability, and a memory system to control the position of the driver's seat and the outside mirrors. It's got 4 bucket seats and a bench in the way back. About 44,000 miles on it.
I sold my old Rolleicord on eBay, but was disappointed to only get $71.00 for it. I'd expected twice that. This is the first item I've sold on eBay; hope I'll do better in the future.
e-Book: Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain 1882
Being a Mark Twain of several decades standing, I really can't understand why it took me so long to get around to reading this delightful book.
Young Sam Clemens grew up in Hannibal, Missouri when the steamboat era was approaching its peak, and the Mississippi river pilot was a godlike presence, effectively outranking even the captains of the boats. Sam fulfilled his earliest, loftiest ambition by apprenticing to, and eventually becoming a pilot. He liked this job better than any other that he held subsequently. In the days before the Southern Rebellion, paddle wheel steamboats were the ne plus ultra of high-tech travel in the valleys of the Mississippi and its major tributaries. The rivers were wild and uncharted, and the pilot had to memorize every twist and turn of the channels, as well as the relative depths at different times of the year. He needed constant study to keep up with the constantly changing riverbed.
The first part of the book deals with Clemens's apprenticeship and piloting career, with various digression dealing with the history and lore of the river. It even contains a chapter from Huckleberry Finn (then a work-in-progress) in which Huck sneaks aboard a lumber raft and listens to the hilarious bragging stories of the raftsmen. (This chapter does not appear in the published edition of Huckleberry Finn.)
The glory days of steam-boating came to an end with the disruption brought about by the Rebellion. Sam Clemens moved west to become Mark Twain, journalist. With the return of peace, the steamboat had to face new competition from the railroads and from barge trains. When Twain re-visited his old haunts in the early '80s, he found the steamboat trade but a shadow of its former vigor. At the same time, the valley and river had become civilized, with bustling new industrial cities, buoys and lighthouses everywhere.
This is a rather discursive work, but none the worse for that. I read it on my Palm III, much of it in public. It is not perhaps the best book to read in a public place unless you're better at stifling laughter than I am.
Book: Household Gods, by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove, 1999
This is a fascinating time-travel tale. The protagonist is a recently divorced lawyer in present-day Los Angeles. Her ex-husband is behind on his child support, she didn't make partner at her law firm, her day care provider just quit, and her old Honda is on its last legs. She's at the end of her rope, and wishes she could to back to a "simpler" time when life wasn't so difficult.
A couple of long-neglected Roman gods grant her wish, and she wakes up in the body of a distant ancestor, a widowed tavern-keeper in the Roman provincial city of Carnuntrum, in what is now Austria. The bulk of the book takes place in Carnuntrum, in the second century A.D., during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Our plucky protagonist learns what real trouble is, and manages to survive it, but with an appreciation of what she had taken for granted in the late 20th century USA. Highly recommended.
Film: (video) Tea With Mussolini 1999
This charming semi-autobiographical film by Franco Zefferelli is set in Florence in the late 1930s-early '40s. Most of the characters are elderly British expats of artistic inclination, who think that WWII has nothing to do with people of their sort. Lovely scenery, excellent acting, great characters. Highly recommended.
Film: (video) Eyes Wide Shut 1999
This is Stanley Kubric's last (posthumous) film. It has many brilliant touches, but is also very flawed. The protagonist is a New York physician-to-the-rich, played rather woodenly by Tom Cruise. Freaked out by his wife's (Nicole Kidman) admission of a previous infidelity he sets out to get even. This brings him into contact with various demimondaines, and also a secret sex cult that holds meetings in a palatial mansion. The scenes in the mansion are particularly ludicrous, with huge mobs of masked and hooded spectators watching meaningless mumbo-jumbo rituals involving nearly naked women and lots of ominous sounding chanting. There's quite a lot of female nudity in the film, but most of it isn't much fun because of the generally gloomy tone.
Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum. Went with Harriet and George. George danced with his new Morris team Red Herring Morris, and danced very well indeed.
There were standout performances by a new side called Orion Long Sword. They have a very original approach, lots of nice moves, pushing the envelope of the tradition. One of their dances is done to Dave Brubeck's Take Five in 5/4 time!
I gave Harriet a "Razor" folding scooter for Mother's Day, which she likes very much. She brought it along with her to the Arboretum, and everybody had to try it out.
Film (video): The Wild Wild West 1999
Will Smith and Kevin Kline are the good guys, the upper half of Kenneth Branagh plays the principal villain. If you liked the silly tv show, you'll probably like the silly movie. Not the highlight of Branagh's career, but a bit of a hoot.
Film (video): The Matrix 1999
It's the late 22nd century, and Earth is a gutted ruin, thanks to the continuing war between Artificial Intelligence machinery and the remnants of the human race. Most of humanity is floating unconscious in tanks, where the AIs farm them for use as some sort of energy source. The human "crop" is living a virtual reality version of life in 1999, at least until they get harvested. A few humans have wakened up and are trying to stave off ultimate defeat by the AIs.
This film is mainly about special effects, and has some pretty good moments...though I did tire of the constant gunfights and explosions.
Both kids off with friends, got to go on a rare date with my wife! Went over to the Taqueria in Waltham for dinner, then to the new Embassy cinema...
Film: Small Time Crooks, 2000
Woody Allen's latest comedy is an absolute scream. I'm sure I missed some good lines due to laughing too loudly to hear them. This also features Tracy Ullman and Elaine May. Very highly recommended.
Music: Small Ensemble Concert at Newton North High School
George played baritone horn with the Brass Ensemble, in two pieces, one of them a movement from one of my favorites, Janacek's Sinfonietta.
Tonight we watched 3 episodes of the superb Malcolm in the Middle. What a hoot!
eBook: Three Men on the Bummel, by Jerome K. Jerome, 1914
I downloaded this for my Palm III from Memoware. I had read Three Men in a Boat some time ago and enjoyed it, but don't remember it too well. This book, however, was a laugh riot pretty much from beginning to end. Jerome's timing was unfortunate, publishing a humorous book about traveling in Germany in 1914. If it were not for the "late unpleasantness" beginning that August, I'm sure this would have met with the success it deserves. Very highly recommended.
Took the plunge today and ordered a Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera. It's due to arrive Tuesday, and I'm all a-twitter!
Play: King Hedley II, by August Wilson, Huntington Theatre Co.
Another date with Harriet! It's nice having grown-up kids! This gritty slice-of-life play is set in a Pittsburg slum in 1985. It deals with family relationships among the black underclass, with some religious overlay that I could have done without. The acting was fine, and the set was spectacular.
Book: A Shred of Honor by Tom Connery, 1996
A new (at least to me) series in the "nautical fiction" genre, set in the siege of Toulon, 1793, when a young French artillery captain first puts his name on the world stage: Napoleon Bonaparte.
The central character of this series is Lt. George Markham, recently transferred from the British army to the Royal Marines. He is despised by virtually all of his superior officers, partly for his Irishness, partly for his supposed cowardice. This is a rousing swashbuckler with lots of action, spies, traitors and villains on both sides.
I'm very partial to this genre, but found this to be a bit gloomier than I would prefer. I'll probably read at least the next sequel...
eBook: The Rise of Silas Lapham, by William Dean Howells, 1885
This was a good one! It deals with the subtleties of interaction between Old Money Boston Brahmins and the Nouveaux Riches Laphams family. The Silas and Persis Lapham are from rural Vermont, but find prosperity when valuable minerals (referred to as a "paint mine", whatever that is) turn up on the old farm. Lapham becomes a successful paint manufacturer, moves to Boston and raises a couple of fine daughters. Although the Laphams are good-hearted, upright people, they lack the social graces that could bring them full acceptance by the established Brahmin élite, particularly the Corey family. The characters are fascinating, as are the old Boston settings in the era just before the telephone and the automobile. The character Bromfield Corey is particularly droll. I liked this book very much, and shall look for more of Howells's work...
George got his S.A.T. scores, and well done they are. He got 660 in the verbal and a perfect 800 in the math! Bravo, Georgie!
I was expecting my new Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera to arrive today, having ordered it on Thursday, it was supposed to be shipped "next day" on Friday. When it didn't arrive, I called the company, they said they sold out...that they had some in stock on Thursday, but that they sold out of them before they got to filling my order. I'm quite suspicious that they're lying...
Play: Macbeth, starring Kelsey Grammer, Colonial Theatre
Boston used to be a regular stop for pre-Broadway tryouts. (I recall seeing the tryout for the musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale in the early '60s--the show was stolen by a minor role played by a thitherto unknown Barbra Streisand.) In recent years this has not bee so common, so it was a rare opportunity to see this pre-B'way version of The Scottish Play.
I can't say that the production knocked me out. Grammer was OK, but not spectacular, and his movement seemed to be constrained and restrained much of the time. The two big soliloquies ("Is this a dagger..." and "Tomorrow3") seemed almost phoned in.
I wonder how much longer the minimalist-set fad can last-it's certainly getting old for me. This was an all black affair, with a plain (black) brick wall, using lights in lieu of set pieces mostly. There were a motorized (black) staircase and a motorized (black) gangplank/balcony. The only color in the show was when green trees came down on wires to represent Birnam Wood. (They cut Scene IV from the final act, when Macduff orders that "every soldier hew him down a bough and bear't before him", so there was no explanation for the movement of the Wood.)
Peter Gerety was quite funny as The Porter, and Bruce A. Young was excellent as Macduff.
Film (video): Analyze This 1999
Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro star in this Mob comedy, with Crystal as a psychiatrist and DeNiro as a Mob boss. It is better than I would have expected, lotsa laughs.
Film (video): The Sixth Sense 1999
Usually, when my daughter recommends something it is pretty good, but I absolutely hated this creepy ghost movie. Total bummer.
Film (video): Cradle Will Rock 1999
Set in 1936, this captures the political ferment of the era nicely, focussing on the famous Mercury Theatre production of Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock, and on the struggle between Nelson Rockefeller and Diego Rivera over Rivera's murals in the lobby of Rockefeller Center. While the film takes a few liberties with details, I believe it is basically true to the overall events. It can't hide what an un-subtle piece of crap Blitzstein's show was, despite its politics. Blitzstein's heart was certainly in the right place, but he was pretty much devoid of talent. Recommended.
George is back from a trip to Pennsylvania for his school math team's nationals. He did well on his part, though he was only an alternate.
Tova has been selected to play "Magenta" in the Harvard Square Theatre's regular Saturday night midnight production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Book: Cinq Semaines en Ballon (Five Weeks in a Balloon) by Jules Verne, 1862
I give up. I don't like to give up in the middle of a book, but I'm halfway through this and not enjoying it a bit. Generally, I'm a Verne fan, but this one does nothing for me. Reading French is a bit of a chore for me anyway (though I try to do it to keep up my skill) and this is taking forever. It deals with an imaginary balloon trip across central Africa, at a time when that area was still unexplored by Europeans. If you're going to read 19th century literature, you need to make allowances for 19th century attitudes toward racism and sexism, but the racism in this book is too much for me. The Africans are depicted as bestial, sub-human cannibals, little more than wild animals. If I had more memory in my Palm I might continue plugging away at this a bit at a time, but I don't and I need the space for more interesting stuff, so out it goes.
Film: (video) Life is Beautiful 1998
This was a very nice, if schizophrenic film. The first half or a bit more seemed like a '90s version of a Marx Brothers comedy, then the Nazis came and took all of the protagonists off to the camp. The papa, who seemed like a cross between Chico and Groucho, tries -- almost successfully -- to ride out the camp experience by treating it as a silly game. He does this partly because it's his general style, and partly to spare his young son. Highly recommended if you don't mind subtitles (it's in Italian.)
Well, I finally got my Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera , and it seems to have been worth the wait. Here's one of the first pix I took, a self portrait using bounce flash. Click on it to see a larger version of my mug.
I had originally ordered it from an online dealer called "The Digital Dog" because they had a good price ($900) and claimed to have it in stock. Turns out that they lied about having it in stock. This appears to be a habit of their's, 'cause when I called up a few days later to their sales department, they claimed to have just gotten them in...but when I got transferred to customer service, the word, again was that it was out of stock but expected soon.
I wound up buying it from my local camera shop, Newtonville Camera (where I used to work) for not too much more.
I drove Tova to Cambridge, parked the car near Harvard Square, and rode up to Davis Square, Somerville to watch (and photograph) the penultimate stage of the American Cup criterium series. I think my 1916 Mead Ranger would have earned the "oldest bike" prize if they'd offered one.
I hadn't been to a bike race for quite a few years, and was struck by how much more colorful the sport has become. Used to be black shorts & white socks (mandatory) black or white helmets, black tires, silver or dark gray rims...no more! The start line of a modern race is a riot of color.
I took a bunch of digital photos, and have put them up on some free web space. See: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/racing/americancup
The final stage of the American Cup series started around Noon at Harvard Square. I almost missed it...Murphy strikes again!
I rode over on my fixed gear Raleigh Twenty. Along near the Publick Theatre, I stopped to use a handy porta potty...when I came out I had a flat front tire. To my chagrin, although I had a spare tube and a pump of sorts, it turned out that I had no wrench, and nutted hubs! I walked the bike on its rear wheel probably half a mile or a mile before I found somebody who had a wrench I could borrow to pull the wheel off and replace the tube. I pumped it up as much as I could with the little toy pump that came on the bike, and rode up to Harvard Square in time to see the last 10 laps of the race. After the finish, I had a nice chat with a group of Boston messengers on kewl fixed-gear bikes. We all admired one anothers' bikes. I borrowed a floor pump from the Pedros race support area, topped off my tire...but failed to check that it was properly seated. It wasn't, there was a low spot, so it went lump-lump-lump all the way home. Sure glad of the suspension fork!
The Davis Square Criterium photos have turned out to be quite popular...over 800 hits in the first 24 hours. I had announced the site on rec.bicycles.racing and .misc, as well as a couple of email lists.
I drove Tova to work in the rain, and, coming home, as I came up the front steps, I slipped and fell. I smashed into the banister with my right eye. I got a cut on my eyelid which bled profusely, and bent my glasses all out of shape. When people ask me how I got the shiner, I'm going with "an unsuccessful mugging attempt. [pause] If I'd known the old biddy had a left hook like that, I never would have messed with her!"
I got a spam from a site called: websmostlinked.com/, which provides a directory of domains that are most often linked to from other sites. I checked out sheldonbrown.com, and was gratified to discover that I rate #5590...out of 589755! That puts me in the top 1% on the whole Web! I've been tracking the visitors count lately, and am averaging about 1600-1700 per day to the main site. This week I had my 750,000th hit!
Book: Starfire, by Charles Sheffield, 1999
This is the sequel to Aftermath, in which half the population of the Earth was killed, and most modern technology destroyed by radiation from Alpha Centauri going supernova. 27 years later, the particle wave from the same explosion is about to hit, and will obliterate all life on the surface of the planet--unless the ˆnew space-based electronic shield can be ready in time. Some of the same characters from Aftermath, along with some interesting new ones, most particularly a brilliant self-educated Australian Aborigine physicist. Recommended if you liked Aftermath.
Dropped Tova off in Harvard Square, tonight's her full-scale tryout for Magenta in Rocky Horror. Afterwards, I hung around Cambridge for a while myself taking photos with the new Nikon, getting the hang of using it after dark.
Fathers' Day. Harriet gave me the updated Photoshop 5.5, which has a number of new features designed to make it better for Web work. It also does automatic contact sheets, which should help a lot with keeping track of digital images now that I've got the Nikon 990. I'm sure glad I got a CD burner before the high-rez digital camera, because it does eat up storage at quite a rate.
I spent a few hours working on the Revels site, adding links to some of the new audio samples. There's still a lot to be done with this, but the company that's hosting the samples doesn't yet have all their ducks in a row...
In the late afternoon, George and his band played a concert at the Harvey Finstein School of Music. He did great! That's George on trombone on the right.
Afterward, the whole family went out to Duckworth Lane for dinner and had a jolly old time.
After work, Sonny took the whole crew out to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant in Wellesley, calle "Pappa-Razzi's." A grand time was had by all.
I had selected and touched up some of the photos from Princess Ida a while back, but never got around to doing the HTML to put 'em on the Web. The new Photoshop has a nifty feature to automatically generate thumbnails and rudimentary Web pages. I ran the images through this feature, then touched up the HTML using my old standby, HTML/edit. The results are up at https://www.sheldonbrown.com/princessida00/
Off to Virginia! Arlene came over in the morning, and in the early afternoon she and George and I headed into town to pick Harriet up at Northeastern. A mostly smooth drive in the new van to College Park, Maryland, where we put up in an Econo Lodge. Arlene has Chelsea the Pug Dog with her...we snuck her in secreted in a pillowcase. Fortunately, Chelsea is a very quiet and biddable creature, so we pulled it off without detection.
Urbanna, Virginia, on the "Middle Peninsula." We're staying at "Sangraal-by-the-Sea" on the northern shore, a semi-rustic compound which sometimes serves as a Youth Hostel, other times as a conference center or... We had reserved the whole facility 5 years back for a big family reunion, but a cousin visited before the event, got into a dispute with the owners, and vetoed the choice. On that occasion, we wound going to Pawley's Island, South Carolina instead. We were unable, however, to get our Sangraal deposit refunded, so we're using it this year for a mini reunion, with my brother, sister, spouses and George.
Went for a 6 mile ride on the fixed-gear Raleigh Twenty, checking out the neighborhood. It's hot but breezy, and the closeness to the water makes it pretty bearable. The terrain is rolling/flat, not a problem with the fixed gear.
Shortly after I returned, my brother, sister-in-law and brother-in-law arrived, bearing a large quantity of the most delicious, Brobdinagian blackberries.
Went for a longish swim in the Rappahanock, which was a bit on the shallow side, but otherwise pleasant...except for Harriet, who got a jellyfish sting on her leg.
We're not doing any cooking on this trip; Sangraal provides breakfast, and we go out to restaurants otherwise. The big local delicacy this time of year is soft-shell crabs, for those who like such things. Too creepy-looking for me, though. Urbanna has lots of nice places to eat, even for non-fans of seafood. It's a mostly victorian town, though it has some buildings going back to the mid-18th century.
Richard Brown & Marget Sands - George Brown - Mel Zellman & Arlene Eskilson - Harriet Fell & Sheldon Brown
Audio Book: Good Night, Mr. Holmes, by Carole Nelson Douglas 1990
In A Scandal in Bohemia, Sherlock Holmes meets and is outwitted by the extraordinary Irene Adler, the only woman ever to earn the respect of the rather misogynistic detective. We only get a brief glimpse of Adler in this short story, but Carole Nelson Douglas has filled in the gaps, and created Penelope Huxley to play Watson to Adler's Holmes. Most of the book is in Huxley's voice, but a few of the chapters are in Watson's. The audio rendition uses a woman for the Huxley chapters and a man for Watson. This was a quite entertaining diversion for the long drive down to Virginia and back.
This was our first major trip in the Chrysler. It was a generally pleasant trip, and the rear air conditioning was greatly appreciated, as were the reclining seats and the good sound system. I did most of the driving, but Harriet spelled me from time to time.
Back home, 1057 email messages waiting for me...
I've got some sort of weird rash running down the middle of my forehead, looks as if I'm turning into a Klingon. Started as a general surface soreness all along the left side of my forehead a week or more ago. The major eruption is probably related to that, but might be some sort of insect bites...time will tell. It's a bit itchy and generally tender.
Back to work. Rode to work bare-headed for a change. My helmet had not gotten unloaded from the car, and Tova drove to work before I noticed. Felt weird to ride without the helmet, even weirder to be without my rear-view mirror.
Picked up 3 new pairs of glasses. I've got a new pair of bifocals, with a stronger, but smaller magnifier section; a similar pair of polarized sunglasses, and a pair of computer glasses. They all use the same oval frames I got last time around, which I like very much.
Went to the doctor today for the rash on my forehead. Turns out to be shingles, a nasty sequel to chickenpox, fairly common among chicken pox veterans over 50. Should run its course in a few weeks, but there's some risk of eye or ear damage, also a possibility of months or years of chronic pain from "post herpetic neuralgia" if I'm unlucky. I've been put on an antiviral medicine, we'll see how it turns out...
Found a fairly cool bike in the trash, a French-made mixte frame Peugeot 3 speed, with 630 mm (27 inch) wheels. Not sure what I'll do with it yet...
Film (DVD) Prizzi's Honor 1985
This John Huston directed Mafia comedy stars Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as professional assassins in love. Not the best thing either has ever done, but entertaining. It is fun to watch DVD films on Harriet's Powerbook, though sometimes the sound gets out of synch.
Film (DVD) Driving Miss Daisy 1989
This is a nice, if bittersweet film set in Georgia over a period running from 1948 to sometime in the '70s. It deals with the relationship between a crusty old woman (Jessica Tandy) and her chauffeur (Morgan Freeman), race, religion, class... Highly recommended.
Harriet and I watched this side-by-side on her Powerbook, which was kinda fun but a bit awkward with the computer precariously balanced on her knees.
May-June
November-December, 1998
April-May, 1975
The overall Booklist has been moved to a separate page.
Books reviewed on this page:
A Shred of Honor
Tom Connery 5/28/00
Good Night, Mr. Holmes
Carole Nelson Douglas 6/25/00
The Rise of Silas Lapham
William Dean Howells 5/29/00
Three Men on the Bummel
Jerome K. Jerome 5/25/00
Charles Sheffield 6/17/00
Household Gods
Judith Tarr & Harry Turtledove 5/10/00
Life on the Mississippi
Mark Twain 5/8/00
Cinq Semaines en Ballon
Jules Verne 6/3/00
The overall film list has been moved to a separate page.
The overall music list has been moved to a separate page.
Music reviewed on this page:
June 18, 2000 George and his band at Harvey Finstein School of Music
May 21, 2000 Small Ensemble Concert--Newton North
November 29, 2002 Lorraine Bracco The Graduate
November 23, 2001 Helen Mirren, Ian McKelln The Dance of Death-August Strindberg
September 30, 2000 Tova/Black Box Theatre, Cornell University The Maids-Jean Genet
May 30, 2000 Kelsey Grammer/Colonial Theatre Macbeth
May 26, 2000 The Huntington Theatre Co. King Hedley II
September 3, 1999 The Publick Theatre Nine
August 21, 1999 Orange Tree Theatre, Ithaca, N.Y. Sonata
August 13, 1999 Firehouse Theatre, Ithaca, N.Y. Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All For You
May 22-29 Newton South/North High Schools Richard III
December 18, 1998 Newton North High School The Bone Violin, May Flies
November 12, 1998 Newton North High School To Kill a Mockingbird
Travels:
November 21-24, 2007 Plantation, Florida
September 25-28, 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada
August 18-25, 2007 Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
September 25-28, 2006 Las Vegas (Interbike)
June 10-20, 2006 Santa Cruz, California
May 5-7, 2006 Aurora, Indiana
November 23, 2005 Plantation, Florida
September 26-29, 2005 Interbike, Las Vegas, Nevada
August 26-28, 2005 'Bentride 2005, Bath, N.Y.
July 21-24, 2005 Family Reunion, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
April 29, 2005 Cirque de Cyclisme, Greensboro, N.C.
February 16, 2005 Indianapolis
October 8, 2004 Santa Cruz, California
October 4, 2004 Las Vegas, Nevada
June 8, 2004 France, England
December 22, 2003 Halifax, Nova Scotia
November 27, 2003 Florida
October 31, 2003 Potomac, Maryland
October 10, 2003 Las Vegas, Nevada
September 21, 2003 New York, N.Y.
November 27-30, 2002 New York, N.Y.
October 8-13, 2002 Evanston, Illinois
October 4-8, 2002 Las Vegas, Nevada
July 3-9, 2002 Canso, Nova Scotia
May 24-27, 2002 Long Island, New York
November 21-24, 2001 New York City
October 16-19, 2001 Cape Cod, Massachusetts
September 29-October 3, 2001 Las Vegas, Nevada (Interbike Show)
June 16-23, 2001 Nags Head, North Carolina
September 30-October 2, 2000 Ithaca, New York
June 22-25, 2000 Urbanna, Virginia
October 7-13, 1999 Chicago/Evanston, Illinois
August 19-28, 1999 Ithaca, New York
July 23-25, 1999 Bridgeton, Maine
November 25-28, 1998 Fort Lauderdale, Florida
1988-89 France, England
1980 Yucatan, Mexico
1975 England, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Turkey
Sheldon Brown's Personal Pages
My Bicycles
My Hotlists
Plus Ça Change
My Mother
My Great-grandfather
Copyright © 2005, 2008 Sheldon Brown
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/org/journal/journal-0005.html


Espoo, Finland - Telenor has chosen Nokia as its sole supplier for the replacement of its legacy optical backbone network. The new optical core network will provide much-needed bandwidth capacity in Norway and Sweden.
As one of the world's largest mobile telecommunications companies with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, Telenor Group is looking to increase bandwidth capacity by replacing its current optical core network connecting major centers across Norway and Sweden. Driving the need for the new multi-terabit capacity are the coming evolution to 5G mobile, growing consumer demand for online video and internet usage, and the increasing use of cloud applications and the associated need for data center interconnections.
The next-generation optical network will feature Nokia's state-of-the-art coherent optical transmission technology. Built on Nokia's industry leading solutions with advanced wavelength routing (CDC-F), it allows for greater flexibility and dynamic network management and automation. The network offers an SDN-ready platform that will provide Telenor with a more efficient way to automate, optimize and assure network services.
As an essential part of the Norwegian and Swedish national infrastructure, Nokia's optical backbone network is a highly robust solution. Many operations have been certified compliant with ISO27001 information security standards and in other cases have satisfactorily demonstrated conformance to the ISO27001 information security standards.
Nicolas Almendro, head of Europe & MEA Optics Business Development at Nokia, said: "We are excited to be chosen for this multi-year turnkey project. This highly resilient and secure optical backbone will play a critical role in deploying next-generation services to Telenor customers in Norway and Sweden, and help the customer prepare for the demands of 5G."


text:
Friday Food Fight: The Clash of the Cheesesteaks
A cheesesteak from 4th Street Pizza.
Hey I been to Philly awright? Lots.
My wife's from DelCo — aka Delaware County — and when the kids were young we'd take regular vacations to the shore. So I know from cheesesteaks. I had one at Pat's before a Sixers game — long time ago, when Doctor J and Moses and the rest delivered a title. I've had cheesesteaks from delis, grocery stores, restaurants, Wawa. I vaguely recall ordering a one from a muffler shop. It was pretty good.
So those are my cheesesteak bona fides. Now on to the Friday Food Fight, which pits two takeout-only places a little over a mile apart in St. Pete:
4th Street Pizza and Astra Pizza — each of which you could affectionally call a hole-in-the-wall, both of which make subs (hoagies, if you like) and are proud of their cheesesteaks.
4th Street Pizza
Astra Pizza
It was a welcome surprise that the two sandwiches were considerably different. I ordered each with grilled onions and peppers.
To sum up, Astra's is longer and thinner; 4th Street's is shorter and fatter. It's evident even in their foil wrappers. Same goes for when you open them up.
4th Street's blend of meat, American cheese and veggies is an inch-and-change thick in the bun, considerably more that the competition.
Astra's narrower bun has a bit of char from being toasted, and the mozzarella cheese oozed out when I opened it up.
Taste and Texture
Quite a contrast, all told.
Before I begin, though, both versions were scrumptious. After I finished my carefully deliberated taste test, my wife Bonnie and I attacked, laying waste to them in minutes. Twenty years ago, maybe less, ordering a cheesesteak in Tampa Bay was basically a fool's errand. These two joints show that — Wawa notwithstanding — you can get a legit version around here.
This sandwich is more like a traditional Philly cheesesteak, with the ingredients melded together and stuffed into an untoasted roll that was doughier than its counterpart. The thing looked hearty and inviting. I flashed back to Asbury Avenue in Ocean City.
I instantly detected that authentic Brotherly Love flavor. The shaved steak was dominant, made gooier by the cheese. There was a hint of onion and an occasional mini-crunch courtesy of the peppers.
But this conventional approach can get homogenous, which numbs the tastebuds as you work farther into the sandwich. I found the roll to be a bit too soft and bland, more a container for the inside ingredients than a taste benefit.
Astra's roll was crispy, even a bit unsightly. The cheese had been layered on top of the meat and veggies. Green peppers peeked out. A cheesesteak purist would probably have looked and said, "what the … ?"
Carlos, the owner — he's from Jersey, so that's probably why he went off book with his cheesesteak. Each ingredient stands on its own: the just-right crisp of the bun, which causes some crumbs to drop in your lap; the hearty layer of moz on top, an introduction to the meat; the onions and peppers lightly grilled, allowing each to retain their crunch. I don't know where Carlos sources his steak, or how he seasons it, but it had more personality than its counterpart — maybe because it was able to stand on its own.
In all, this one's flavor had more character.
And Now for the (Anti-Climatic) Moment You've Been Waiting For: The Winner of the Friday Cheesesteak Clash Is:
ASTRA PIZZA.
Let me qualify this by saying that my choice was a matter of personal preference. If you like your cheesesteaks made more conventionally, there's a good chance you would prefer 4th Street's. Both could be considered comfort food, and 4th Street's is more comforting. Astra, however, delivered more surprise.
Another note about Astra before I close. I started ordering pizza from this hidden treasure at 16th Street and 30th Avenue North about two years ago, and immediately decided it had the best NY-style pie in town. It's become a weekly go-to.
This was my first cheesesteak. It won't be my last.


ThanksGiving! To be in Gratitude, from the Latin gratus, which means and is defined as the quality of being thankful with a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. And as Thorton Wilder reminds us, creating a heartfelt, conscious awareness of the treasures of our lives and giving it voice, brings our entire Being into a state of elevated vibration. And an elevated vibration, as we know, feeds that electromagnetic field produced by our very own holographic heart!
As we give thanks, both to ourselves and to others, we are activating our brain to release the powerful neuropeptide Oxytocin. Long-recognized as the "joy and feel good" hormone, oxytocin also plays a central role in promoting close social bonds with known effects on behaviors such as trust, generosity & affection. In fact, authors of a recent study indicate that the oxytocin system is activated through the expression of gratitude. Oxytocin which has a baseline of about zero in the human body, is stimulated and released, in response to gratitude, kind words and touch, suggesting that our emotional response to someone sharing a kind word or deed is deeply rooted in our bodies and is part of our evolutionary history.
Beginning your day with Thanks Giving will place you into an energetic and electromagnetic stream of goodness. And of course, expressing it as you glide joyfully through your day will stimulate this potent "feel good" hormone in everyone you meet, while stimulating your own even more.
Notice how when you recognize the good in your life, the good just keeps on coming? Give thanks for that!
Upon awakening, take three long, deep breaths in and out. Allow your thinking mind to settle on the words, All is Well, flowing into I Live, Breathe & have my Being in the Field of Ever-expanding Good, flowing into Feelings of Joy, Love, Beauty & Peace vibrate through me like a current flowing into My Heart is Broadcasting Love, flowing into I Lift up my voice in ThanksGiving!
Continue to breathe deep and slow as you rise from bed. If your thoughts wander or begin to project forward into your day, take another breath and return to the thought, All is Well, flowing into I Live, Breathe & have my Being in the Field of Ever-expanding Good, flowing into Feelings of Joy, Love, Beauty & Peace vibrate through me like a current flowing into My Heart is Broadcasting Love, flowing into I Lift up my voice in ThanksGiving!
Once you have taken care of your initial daily needs, pause in the quiet of your room, or outside in the fresh air and repeat your Breathing Practice at least seven times, feeling your breath fully oxygenating your entire cellular make- up & ending with All is Well, flowing into I Live, Breathe & have my Being in the Field of Ever-expanding Good, flowing into Feelings of Joy, Love, Beauty & Peace vibrate through me like a current flowing into My Heart is Broadcasting Love, flowing into I Lift up my voice in ThanksGiving!
Having anchored the breath, now find a comfortable place to sit. Allow your spine to rise up, your head to rest gently at this apex. Continue to take slow, easy breaths in & out as you find this relaxed place to sitting, allowing relaxation to move through you. Breathe in relaxation in three deep, slow inhalations & gentle exhalations.
Your voice speaks first of Gratitude.
Smile, as you enter into the state of ThanksGiving.
Experience this feeling of Gratitude. Feel it to your very bones.
Now you may begin your daily activities, pausing frequently to give thanks and to share your kind words of thanks often.
Thanksgiving wells up from within me and I give it voice.
Gratitude becomes my calling card!
I Lift up my Voice in ThanksGiving!


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First they traveled the world together, and now they'll be taking a trip down the aisle.
The Amazing Race's most-recent winners Kelsey Gerckens and Joey Buttitta were filming a segment for Hallmark Channel's Home & Family on Tuesday when Buttitta surprised Gerckens by getting down on one knee to propose with a Kirk Kara ring.
The segment won't air until Wednesday morning, but PEOPLE has the exclusive preview clip of he proposal.
"We've run this amazing journey together and I love you. I can't imagine being with anyone else. Will you marry me?" Buttitta, 26, tells Gerckens, 25, in the clip.
Buttitta's parents Joe and Terry Buttitta were on hand for the proposal, as were Gerckens' mom Sheryl and brother Chad Gerckens.
Buttitta and Gerckens, both news anchors in Santa Barabara, Calif., said on Friday's Amazing Race finale that they planned to use their $1 million winnings to buy a place together, but now they have a lot more to possibly spend their money on – like their wedding!
Buttitta and Gerckens' episode of Home & Family will air Wednesday (at 10 a.m. ET) on Hallmark Channel.


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Sata Wreck
Location: Urukthapel anchorage, southeast of Koror, 250-yards north of the buoy marking the wreck of the Sata's sister ship the Iro.
Distance from Koror: 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Koror. 15 minutes by speedboat
Visibility: The visibility in this area varies greatly with the tide. If the tide is running full the current can quickly stir up the silt diminishing visibility on the wreck from the usual 60 feet (20 meters) to less than 15 feet (3 meters).
Level of Diving Experience: Intermediate to Advanced.
Diving Depth Summary: : The wreck is upside down with the bow resting at 120 feet (37 meters) and the stern at 110 feet (33 meters) on a bottom of fine clay and silt. It is 60 feet (18 meters) to the hull.
Currents: None.
Length: 470 feet (143.25 meters).
Beam: 58 feet (17.68 meters).
Tonnage: 14,050 tons.
Built: 1922 by Yokohama Docks, Yokohama, Japan. The Sata was a military fleet tanker; as such she does not carry the additional name of Maru.
The Sata lies 250 yards north of the Iro. Both ships were bombed and sunk during operation DESECRATE ONE, March 30-31, 1944. The Sata and Iro are identical ships; both were bombed and sunk by bomb hits in the stern. The Sata did not go down easily and was bombed repeatedly by the U.S Navy till she suddenly sank and turned over on her way to the bottom. Neither ship carried a name or any other identifying serial numbers nor to this day has anything been found to positively identify which ship is the Sata and which is the Iro. The Sata lies on her superstructure almost flush with the bottom, only her port side offers a small opening into the ship. On the port side toward the stern is large hole that is unusual in that it was blown inward. It is possible to enter one of the holds at this location, but it is not advised due to the ship's age and the structural deterioration of the ship. The bottom of the ship resembles a large rock covered with coral growth. The ship was never salvaged; the huge propeller with its marine growth offers a unique photo opportunities.
Reef Formation: The ship is resting in deep silt. No coral reef structures are near the ship.
Marine life: The wreck has an abundance of fish life, Rainbow Runners, Sergeant Majors, Moorish Idols, Batfish and Angelfish. The bottom of the ship is covered in extensive growth of hard corals, Wire Corals and other sessile growth.
Diving: This is not a wreck for Recreational Divers. It is a difficult wreck to enter and requires serious preparation on the part of the diver; none but the most serious WWII history experts with wreck diving experience should attempt to penetrate this wreck.
Fascinating Facts: : Do not attempt to penetrate this wreck!! Due to the wreck's position and heavy layers of silt, divers can be easily disoriented attempting to enter this wreck. On this ship, as with all ship and plane wrecks in Palau waters, live ammunition can be found. A word of caution: DO NOT PICK UP ANY AMMUNITION!!!! Due to the age of the bullets, bombs, mortars, etc. these pieces of history are very unstable and can explode.


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Chavazzelet haScharon ()  ist ein Moschaw, der zum Regionalverband Emek Chefer im israelischen Zentralbezirk zählt. Chavazzelet haScharon befindet sich in der Scharonebene und wurde 1935 gegründet.

Namensgebung
Der Moschaw wurde nach der Dünen-Trichternarzisse  benannt, die in der Scharonebene vorkommt und auch als Rose von Scharon () im Buche Jesaja  und im Hohen Lied Salomos  erwähnt wird: "Ich bin eine Rose (Narzisse) von Scharon, eine Lilie der Täler (Schoschanat ha-Amakim)." So wie beide Blumen im selben Bibelvers erwähnt werden, so liegt das Dorf Schoschanat ha-Amakim in direkter Nachbarschaft im gleichen Regionalverband.

Einwohner

Einzelnachweise

Moschaw
Gegründet 1935
Regionalverband Emek Chefer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Dec 02, 2020 05:00 AM EST By Alexandria Kim
Royal Thief! Employee Caught Stealing in Buckingham Palace, Selling on Ebay
One catering assistant managed to steal a number of prestigious items in the Buckingham Palace despite the stringent security in all royal residences.
On Tuesday, BBC reported that Adamo Canto pleaded guilty to stealing a "significant quantity" of royal items and selling them on eBay.
According to the news outlet, the 37-year-old catering assistant appeared before the Westminster Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty.
Canto admitted doing three counts of theft, which he performed between November 11, 2019 to August 7, 2020.
The authorities found the stolen items inside his quarters at the Buckingham Palace's Royal Mews.
Meanwhile, the court learned that Canto's role included more cleaning. This allowed him to freely enter offices and areas that no one else can access.
Prosecutor Simon Maughan detailed that the suspect resold 37 of the stolen items on eBay for "well-under" their true worth.
The items are worth $12,000 to $120,000, but Canto sold them for over $9,000.
What Canto Stole From the Buckingham Palace
Aside from the already-sold items, the suspect also stole other pieces inside the residence.
The stolen goods include one royal state banquet photo album during Donald Trump's visit to the UK. The item costs $1,800.
In addition, he took Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton's official signed photographs.
Canto then confessed to getting the Companion of Bath medal, which belongs to the Master of the Household. He sold it online for $422.
Vice Admiral Master Tony Johnstone-Burt released a statement and revealed that he first realized the medal was missing before the Trooping the Color.
He later discovered that there were stolen items for sale on eBay.
There were 77 more items he took from the palace shop. Meanwhile, Canto also revealed that he stole other items from staff lockers, the Duke of York's storeroom, and even inside Queen Elizabeth II's Gallery shop.
District Judge Alexander Jacobs freed Adamo Canto but on conditional bail. He also warned that the suspect might face a possible jail sentence.
He will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court at a later date.
The royal family has not responded to the incident yet.
Royal Family Saw the Worst Embezzlement Before
While Canto dirtied his name with his recent admission, it was not actually the first time someone stole the royal family's precious items.
Colonel Thomas Blood had been known as the "Man who stole the Crown Jewels" in the 1670s.
He established a close relationship with Talbot Edwards, the Keeper of the Jewels. That way, he could quickly enter the basement at the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels were being kept.
In May 1671, he arrived at the location with his "nephew" and two other men. While his "nephew" tried getting to know Edwards' daughter, Blood told the keeper that they want to see the Crown Jewels.
After unlocking the door, Blood stabbed Edwards with the sword and went on to steal the Crown Jewels.
READ MORE: Oh, Blessed Johnny Depp! Actor Now Up for 2 Big Roles After 'Fantastic Beasts' Exit
See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
© 2021 ENSTARS, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TAGSQueen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II news Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace thief Adamo Canto
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(Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)


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Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists > Lists > Film Lists > All 20 Best Picture Winners of The 21st Century Ranked From Worst To Best
All 20 Best Picture Winners of The 21st Century Ranked From Worst To Best
Posted on February 13, 2020 February 13, 2020 by Liam Gaughan
The Academy Awards have changed considerably in the 21st Century. What is seen as an "Oscar movie" has changed considerably, and thanks to longer awards seasons that put more emphasis on festival debuts, the eventual winners are often determined based on the aggressive studio marketing campaigns.
The award for Best Picture is often a representation of the year in film, and some of these winners have aged better than others. Sometimes, Best Picture goes to a genuine masterpiece like On the Waterfront, The Godfather, or Silence of the Lambs, while other times it can go to a thoroughly forgettable film like Out of Africa or Driving Miss Daisy.
In the past twenty years, the Oscars have awarded both great and mediocre films, as well as one thoroughly terrible one. While the Oscars aren't the end all determination of the best in film, they do indicate how the industry feels at the time of a current ceremony. Here are all of the Best Picture winners of the 21st Century, ranked worst to best.
20. Crash
One of the worst Best Picture winners in history, Crash is a colossal creative failure that is representative of all of the Oscars' worst tendencies. It's a film that aims to subvert stereotypes, yet only conforms to these stereotypes through its shallow characters and cheesy means of interconnecting them with its convoluted narrative. While the film asks the audience to look deeper into every character as it explores xenophobia and race relations, the screenplay itself doesn't develop any of the characters adequately.
The cast can't be faulted for the end product, and admittedly Thandie Newton, Michael Pena, Matt Dillon, and Sandra Bullock give standout performances. Crash has noble intentions, but it comes off as a first draft that doesn't grasp the complexity of modern Los Angeles. In a year that saw Steven Spielberg's devastating Munich, George Clooney's fascinating media study Good Night, and Good Luck, Bennet Miller's powerful biopic Capote, and Ang Lee's modern classic Brokeback Mountain, the choice to give Crash the Best Picture Oscar is downright embarrassing.
19. The Shape of Water
It should be noted that there is a massive quality gap between #19 and #20; Crash is a terrible film, and The Shape of Water is a thoroughly charming tribute to movie monsters and Old Hollywood. The characters are all likeable and charming, and while the struggling relationship between a mute woman (Sally Hawkins) and an amphibian creature (Doug Jones) fits the mold of any timeless romance; Guillermo del Toro even goes as far as having a musical number inspired by classic musicals.
It's this sincerity that del Toro has with the material that elevates it, as well as the stunning production design, visuals, and costumes. The story is rather simple and raises some serious logical concerns, and some characters like Michael Shannon's villainous Colonel Richard Strickland feel very over the top. It's an inspired film from a very talented filmmaker, but considering this was the year of Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, Dunkirk, and Phantom Thread, it feels like an odd winner.
18. Green Book
Perhaps one of the most controversial Best Picture winners in history, Green Book was seen by many as a crowd pleasing throwback to classic buddy comedies, yet seen by others as a regressive depiction of race relations that sanitizes the gravity of its material. Indeed, Green Book is both; there is a charm to the film's corny, straightforward road adventure that allows the characters to learn from each other, but it's also unsettling how little the film actually goes into the reality of racial politics.
The best part of the film is undoubtedly the chemistry between Viggo Mortensen and Mahershela Ali, and both actors are able to add nuance to these fairly basic characters. As Tony Lip, Mortensen is able to add touches of vulnerability to a character who always escalates a situation, and Mahershela Ali depicts the struggle of having to remain polite in the face of hatred and disrespect. Even when the script goes to familiar places, these two remain charming on screen together, but it doesn't make Green Book a better film than fellow nominees like Roma, The Favourite, BlacKkKlansman, or Vice.
17. Chicago
Revitalizing the movie musical with lavish production design and extravagant musical numbers, Chicago is a fresh take on the iconic musical that nonetheless simplifies some of the material. Every performance is bold and gripping, and in particular Catherine Zeta-Jones as showgirl Velma Shelly and John C. Reilly as the hapless Almos Hart are scene stealers. The musical numbers capture all of the heart and humor of the songs, and do a good job at reflecting the gray morality of the characters.
Where the film falters are any scenes that aren't music heavy; Rob Marshall is a competent filmmaker, but ultimately much of the film feels like filler used just to connect the dots between the songs. There's little subtlety to the character motivations, but that's often not a concern considering the film is so damn enjoyable. It's a fun movie, but certainly it did not deserve a win over Gangs of New York, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Pianist.
16. The Artist
One of the most fascinating elements of modern Oscar culture is the industry's obsession with Old Hollywood nostalgia and a classic depiction of what cinema is. No film represented that more than The Artist, a black and white silent film that follows George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a silent movie star that questions his role in the film industry with the rise of the "talkies." Not only a tribute to silent films, The Artist explores the very nature of a changing industry.
It's an often dazzling work of cinematic energy, complete with joyous music and a committed comedic performance from Dujardin, as well as memorable side characters such as Berenice Bejo as the rising star Penny Miller and the iconic movie dog Jack. It fits the mold of a classic crowd pleaser, but it's also not particularly challenging or groundbreaking. If the Oscars were interested in pushing the medium forward and not looking at the past, they could've chosen fellow nominees The Tree of Life, Moneyball, The Descendants, or Midnight in Paris.
Another film that fits the mold of a crowd pleaser, Slumdog Millionaire is a rewarding piece of uncynical triumph told with the signature craftsmanship of Danny Boyle. Boyle is a filmmaker who loves to explore the macro through the micro, and he achieves this by framing the entire story around Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) explaining his story to his captor after winning the top prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
The structure isn't distracting, and Boyle works very hard to make Jamal a relatable character who goes through hardships as he escapes poverty. The production is filled with color and energy, particularly when it comes to the touching romance between Jamal and his girlfriend Latika. While it's one of the best examples of a film that satisfied both voters and the general population, Slumdog Millionaire was also released the same year as The Dark Knight, a film that was much more thematically rich and was completely snubbed for major awards.
14. Million Dollar Baby
The second Clint Eastwood film to win Best Picture after Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby is another powerful story of regret and trauma that depicts Eastwood's character as a man wrestling with his own legacy. Eastwood's character Frankie Dunn is a lifelong boxing trainer whose life is uprooted when he begins to train Maggie Fitzgerald (Hillary Swank), a young and successful boxer with her eyes on a WBA championship title.
The powerful performances of Eastwood and Swank breathe life into characters who are more than boxing movie clichés, and although the film is definitely intending to be a tear-inducing gut punch by the end, it earns all the emotional weight of the story it depicts. Eastwood's sturdy, straightforward direction is ideal for the raw boxing sequences, as well as the intensely emotional third act. Sideways and The Aviator may have been better films overall, but Million Dollar Baby is not an undeserving winner.
13. A Beautiful Mind
While it is often cited as the epitome of "Oscar bait" and is ranked low on many Best Picture rankings, A Beautiful Mind is a much better film than its reputation suggests and uses many creative tactics to get the viewer to live within the mind of the brilliant mathematician John Nash (Russel Crowe). Nash, a paranoid schizophrenic, suffered from many delusions and imagined entire situations and people that didn't exist, and the film uses his conditions as a twist, allowing the audience to feel the same shock that Nash does.
The film makes the transition from a whimsical coming of age story to a harrowing psychological drama with ease, and Ron Howard's methodical direction spares no expense in showing the details of what Nash studies. Russel Crowe delivers one of the best performances of his entire career as Nash, and is believable as a tortured genius. It is hard to call a film that won Best Picture "underrated," but A Beautiful Mind is a winner that is worth giving a second look.
12. Gladiator
One of the quintessential historical epics of its generation, Gladiator was an exciting revitalization of the sword and sandals action spectacle genre that benefits from the unparalleled visual detail of Ridley Scott. Scott has sadly never won an Oscar, as he lost that year to Steven Soderbergh for Traffic, and it's a shame because he does an amazing job at building up the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russel Crowe), a Roman general who is denied the role as Emperor after the evil Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) kills his family and sells him into slavery.
The key backstory of Maximus's tragedy is instrumental in driving the story, and in turn it gives gravity to the epically realized gladiatorial combat sequences. Crowe is never less than riveting in the lead role, and gives the perfect amount of pathos needed to balance the nonstop violence of the story. Hans Zimmer's masterful score also adds to the all-encompassing feel of the narrative. It's one of the best films of Scott's career, and makes for an untraditional and entertaining type of Best Picture winner.
11. Argo
The Academy Awards love to reward movies about Hollywood, and Argo has a great true story to tell that shines a light on an unheard of story of triumph and heroism. Ben Affleck directed and starred in the film as Tony Mendez, an American C.I.A. agent who rescued six Americans from Iran in 1979 by having them go undercover as the crew of a science fiction film. The Hollywood side of the story allows Affleck to give some pointed satire on the film industry, but he's also able to show the positive and innovative side of making a film.
Despite the comic edge of the Hollywood aspect, the film is a relentlessly tense depiction of escaping a war torn country. Affleck constructs the film in a method similar to a heist film, and is able to put his dynamic cast of characters in imminent danger as they attempt to not blow their cover. The film's thrilling third act airplane escape is a downright brilliant piece of filmmaking. While Argo had serious competition in 2012, including great films like Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Django Unchained, and The Life of Pi, it stands as a worthy winner.
Best Picture Winners Ranked
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub