Every week, I try to go through all the box scores and pick out a few interesting tidbits for fantasy owners. I post them on Twitter as I go, but below is a compilation of this week's tweets.
- DMC 27 touches, 143 yards, 2 TD; Bush 4 touches, 23 yards, TD; Bush still vulturing some goal line looks, but DMC getting a ton of work.
- Hagan 5-61 overshadowed by D. Moore's big day. If Ford/DHB continue to be sidelined, might be worth a look.
- Fred Jackson has 229 rushing yards in last two weeks. 38 touches vs. Spiller's 11. F-Jax upcoming sched: NE, CIN, PHI, NYG.
- David Nelson 10-83-1 on 13 targets. Stevie 20 targets, Nelson 19, D. Jones 11, Chandler 9.
- Jahvid Best 3.6 ypc, lackluster rushing once again. However he posted 6-66 in the passing game plus two TDs.
- Nate Burleson 7-93, leading the Lions in targets. Don't forget about him, especially in PPR leagues. Titus Young 7 targets (5-89).
- Brandon Pettigrew 1-7 on three targets. Yeesh. Sit him down. Scheffler 1-36-1 on four targets.
I'm being told that some readers are seeing my season rankings instead of my weekly rankings. (You will know if you see Aaron Rodgers as the #1 ranked QB instead of Michael Vick. I have Vick ranked #1 in Week 1.) I have informed FantasyPros (which powers these rankings) about the problem but they are unable to duplicate it. Hit refresh a few times and/or try a different browser. Sorry for the inconvenience…but hey, at least my rankings are free!
I thought they should have gone in order of the 2010 accuracy standings, but…whatever.
This is a 12-team league that starts 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 R/W/T flex, 1 W/T flex, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 DT. It's a 0.5 PPR league that awards 6 points for all TDs.
This draft was conducted Wednesday night on the heels of Arian Foster's "MRIgate" and before the end of Chris Johnson's holdout, so I was not particularly happy about drawing the #5 pick and was prepared to pass on Foster for Andre Johnson if the top 4 RBs flew off the board as expected. Luckily, Funston stepped up and took Foster, so I thanked my lucky stars as I nabbed McCoy. His value is a bit diminished in a half-PPR league, but he's still a very safe pick in the first round.
I wanted to grab a WR here and then look for Antonio Gates or a RB in the third round. I think there's a drop-off after Vincent Jackson and Wallace, and I'm a bit higher on Mikey. Entering his third year, I think he's in for a big 2011.
Reggie Wayne, Jahvid Best and Blount made it to me, and I like the way Blount is playing (specifically the way he is catching the ball) in the preseason. I have Best in several leagues, so wanted to switch things up and take Blount.
My decision was between D-Jax and Stevie Johnson here, and again, since I have Stevie in about three dozen leagues this year, I zagged and took D-Jax, who should have a fine season. I really wasn't expecting him to make to 4.08 anyway.
This was a tough pick. I was hoping Mario Manningham would fall to me, but he went 4.10 to Funston. Santonio Holmes went on the turn, so at 5.05 I was mainly looking at Witten and Peyton Manning. I love Witten, but I regret this pick because of how far a couple of other TEs fell later in the draft. Had I known that was going to happen, I would have taken Percy Harvin or Tim Hightower here and used a middle round pick on a TE.
I really wanted to grab a third WR here, but the RBs were thinning out quickly. Hightower, Beanie Wells, Reggie Bush, Fred Jackson, Cedric Benson, Marshawn Lynch and Mike Tolbert all went between 5.06 and 6.07, so while I wanted to grab Santana Moss or Mike Thomas, I felt compelled to take Addai as my RB3.
I'm not a big Garcon fan this year, but if Austin Collie or Reggie Wayne miss anytime, he'll be WR2-caliber. As it stands, he's a marginal WR3. I thought about Mike Sims-Walker, Danny Amendola or Davone Bess here, but I figured one would make it back in the 9th.
No such luck. Once again, I was foiled by the WR run at the turn, so with Freeman as the best value on the board, I took him to give me some insurance if Stafford can't stay healthy. Freeman hasn't had a great preseason, but the kid is a gamer and I think he'll produce when the games start to count.
The WRs available were pretty dreadful from a value standpoint, and I think Gronk is capable of not only backing up Witten, but starting regularly in my WR/TE flex. I am higher than most on Gronkowski.
My picks for the remainder of the draft: Ronnie Brown (handcuff for McCoy), LaDainian Tomlinson (unexciting yet decent flex play), Jets DT, Arrelious Benn, Terrell Owens (yes, I know he's still injured) and Jerome Simpson. I'll have to drop someone for a kicker, but wanted to give myself an extra couple of days to consider my options.


We are heading into one of my birthday seasons that happens to fall right between Easter and Mother's Day. The trouble with a cluster of birthdays is that it makes it really difficult to get each party blogged before moving on to the next one. Because of that, I have several parties from the last year or two that have never found their way to the blog, yet! I am really hoping to play catch-up on that over the next couple of weeks, but I still need to prepare for the upcoming parties so no promises.
A couple of years ago I was prepping for my daughter's Book Club birthday. It was a party I really enjoyed throwing because it was so perfect for my daughter and her friends and their interests.
A while back I was thrilled when these gorgeous images showed up in my inbox of a book-themed Bar Mitzvah thrown by a reader, Kristen, for her son. She describes herself as "just a mom", but when she is not driving the Mom taxi, she is a college English professor with a crafty side.
Hi Kendra,It has been almost a year since I saw your blog and was inspired to create a book themed bar mitzvah for our son. Anyway, without your help, I would've been lost! I though I would share a few pictures from Shane's party. We were so happy that the main focus was on the religious service, but that he loved how his mom made some cool decorations! Again, thanks!
Honestly, it looks like Kristen had plenty of her own amazing ideas, but I have to tell you that the greatest reward a blogger can receive is to know that our ideas have blessed the lives of someone else. So thank you so much for sharing these, Kristen.
I love her take on the color scheme and ideas for centerpieces that could be adapted for a bookish shower or even a wedding.
The Scrabble tiles are a fun touch (I LOVE word games)!
And I should have verified, but I'm pretty sure she used a mold to make these chocolate books that topped the cupcakes. Simple and thematic!
Thanks Kristen and family for being willing to share your special day with us!
Well, you have made our collective day in our home! Shane feels like a superstar!! FYI for your readers: The tiles on the vase are Shane's initials and the place cards (library cards) listed Shane's first solo read, favorite books, and even his own stories. We also found inspirational quotes about reading, printed them on notecards and displayed them on mini clipboards I found at AC Moore. Most of the guests took them home! As I said before, you were the muse for his party and we are so grateful!
I can't wait to see what else you create, besides beautiful kids!
Kristen, Kevin, Sam and Shane!


Stephanie is from Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from Middle Tennessee University, and holds a BA in mass communications with a concentration in advertising. Stephanie has spent the last eight years in sales and marketing, and the last three years specializing in advertising and publishing.
Stephanie is married. Her husband is an English teacher and baseball/football coach at Atascocita High School. They have two children, Katelynn (2 years old) and Landon (9 months old).


Weighting different parts of the scorecard can then offer you a score against which you have the ability to do a vendor or merchandise comparison to decide on the item which best satisfies your requirements. The scorecard templates are utilized to boost the company in the greater degree. Consequently the balanced scorecard is bombarded with metrics that aren't associated with the tactical notions which were discussed.
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text:
**Author:** [fchollet](https://twitter.com/fchollet)

**Date created:** 2020/04/12

**Last modified:** 2020/04/12

**Description:** Complete guide to the Sequential model.

 [**View in Colab**](https://colab.research.google.com/github/keras-team/keras-io/blob/master/guides/ipynb/sequential_model.ipynb)  • [**GitHub source**](https://github.com/keras-team/keras-io/blob/master/guides/sequential_model.py)

---
## Setup

```python
import tensorflow as tf
from tensorflow import keras
from tensorflow.keras import layers
```

---
## When to use a Sequential model

A `Sequential` model is appropriate for **a plain stack of layers**
where each layer has **exactly one input tensor and one output tensor**.

Schematically, the following `Sequential` model:

```python
# Define Sequential model with 3 layers
model = keras.Sequential(
    [
        layers.Dense(2, activation="relu", name="layer1"),
        layers.Dense(3, activation="relu", name="layer2"),
        layers.Dense(4, name="layer3"),
    ]
)
# Call model on a test input
x = tf.ones((3, 3))
y = model(x)
```

is equivalent to this function:

```python
# Create 3 layers
layer1 = layers.Dense(2, activation="relu", name="layer1")
layer2 = layers.Dense(3, activation="relu", name="layer2")
layer3 = layers.Dense(4, name="layer3")

# Call layers on a test input
x = tf.ones((3, 3))
y = layer3(layer2(layer1(x)))
```

A Sequential model is **not appropriate** when:

- Your model has multiple inputs or multiple outputs
- Any of your layers has multiple inputs or multiple outputs
- You need to do layer sharing
- You want non-linear topology (e.g. a residual connection, a multi-branch
model)

---
## Creating a Sequential model

You can create a Sequential model by passing a list of layers to the Sequential
constructor:

```python
model = keras.Sequential(
    [
        layers.Dense(2, activation="relu"),
        layers.Dense(3, activation="relu"),
        layers.Dense(4),
    ]
)
```

Its layers are accessible via the `layers` attribute:

```python
model.layers
```

```
[<tensorflow.python.keras.layers.core.Dense at 0x7fbd5f285a00>,
 <tensorflow.python.keras.layers.core.Dense at 0x7fbd5f285c70>,
 <tensorflow.python.keras.layers.core.Dense at 0x7fbd5f285ee0>]

```

You can also create a Sequential model incrementally via the `add()` method:

```python
model = keras.Sequential()
model.add(layers.Dense(2, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.Dense(3, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.Dense(4))
```

Note that there's also a corresponding `pop()` method to remove layers:
a Sequential model behaves very much like a list of layers.

```python
model.pop()
print(len(model.layers))  # 2
```

```
2

```

Also note that the Sequential constructor accepts a `name` argument, just like
any layer or model in Keras. This is useful to annotate TensorBoard graphs
with semantically meaningful names.

```python
model = keras.Sequential(name="my_sequential")
model.add(layers.Dense(2, activation="relu", name="layer1"))
model.add(layers.Dense(3, activation="relu", name="layer2"))
model.add(layers.Dense(4, name="layer3"))
```

---
## Specifying the input shape in advance

Generally, all layers in Keras need to know the shape of their inputs
in order to be able to create their weights. So when you create a layer like
this, initially, it has no weights:

```python
layer = layers.Dense(3)
layer.weights  # Empty
```

```
[]

```

It creates its weights the first time it is called on an input, since the shape
of the weights depends on the shape of the inputs:

```python
# Call layer on a test input
x = tf.ones((1, 4))
y = layer(x)
layer.weights  # Now it has weights, of shape (4, 3) and (3,)
```

```
[<tf.Variable 'dense_6/kernel:0' shape=(4, 3) dtype=float32, numpy=
 array([[-0.5312456 , -0.02559239, -0.77284306],
        [-0.18156391,  0.7774476 , -0.05044252],
        [-0.3559971 ,  0.43751895,  0.3434813 ],
        [-0.25133908,  0.8889308 , -0.6510118 ]], dtype=float32)>,
 <tf.Variable 'dense_6/bias:0' shape=(3,) dtype=float32, numpy=array([0., 0., 0.], dtype=float32)>]

```

Naturally, this also applies to Sequential models. When you instantiate a
Sequential model without an input shape, it isn't "built": it has no weights
(and calling
`model.weights` results in an error stating just this). The weights are created
when the model first sees some input data:

```python
model = keras.Sequential(
    [
        layers.Dense(2, activation="relu"),
        layers.Dense(3, activation="relu"),
        layers.Dense(4),
    ]
)  # No weights at this stage!

# At this point, you can't do this:
# model.weights

# You also can't do this:
# model.summary()

# Call the model on a test input
x = tf.ones((1, 4))
y = model(x)
print("Number of weights after calling the model:", len(model.weights))  # 6
```

```
Number of weights after calling the model: 6

```

Once a model is "built", you can call its `summary()` method to display its
contents:

```python
model.summary()
```

```
Model: "sequential_3"
_________________________________________________________________
Layer (type)                 Output Shape              Param #
=================================================================
dense_7 (Dense)              (1, 2)                    10
_________________________________________________________________
dense_8 (Dense)              (1, 3)                    9
_________________________________________________________________
dense_9 (Dense)              (1, 4)                    16
=================================================================
Total params: 35
Trainable params: 35
Non-trainable params: 0
_________________________________________________________________

```

However, it can be very useful when building a Sequential model incrementally
to be able to display the summary of the model so far, including the current
output shape. In this case, you should start your model by passing an `Input`
object to your model, so that it knows its input shape from the start:

```python
model = keras.Sequential()
model.add(keras.Input(shape=(4,)))
model.add(layers.Dense(2, activation="relu"))

model.summary()
```

```
Model: "sequential_4"
_________________________________________________________________
Layer (type)                 Output Shape              Param #
=================================================================
dense_10 (Dense)             (None, 2)                 10
=================================================================
Total params: 10
Trainable params: 10
Non-trainable params: 0
_________________________________________________________________

```

Note that the `Input` object is not displayed as part of `model.layers`, since
it isn't a layer:

```python
model.layers
```

```
[<tensorflow.python.keras.layers.core.Dense at 0x7fbd5f1776d0>]

```

A simple alternative is to just pass an `input_shape` argument to your first
layer:

```python
model = keras.Sequential()
model.add(layers.Dense(2, activation="relu", input_shape=(4,)))

model.summary()
```

```
Model: "sequential_5"
_________________________________________________________________
Layer (type)                 Output Shape              Param #
=================================================================
dense_11 (Dense)             (None, 2)                 10
=================================================================
Total params: 10
Trainable params: 10
Non-trainable params: 0
_________________________________________________________________

```

Models built with a predefined input shape like this always have weights (even
before seeing any data) and always have a defined output shape.

In general, it's a recommended best practice to always specify the input shape
of a Sequential model in advance if you know what it is.

---
## A common debugging workflow: `add()` + `summary()`

When building a new Sequential architecture, it's useful to incrementally stack
layers with `add()` and frequently print model summaries. For instance, this
enables you to monitor how a stack of `Conv2D` and `MaxPooling2D` layers is
downsampling image feature maps:

```python
model = keras.Sequential()
model.add(keras.Input(shape=(250, 250, 3)))  # 250x250 RGB images
model.add(layers.Conv2D(32, 5, strides=2, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.MaxPooling2D(3))

# Can you guess what the current output shape is at this point? Probably not.
# Let's just print it:
model.summary()

# The answer was: (40, 40, 32), so we can keep downsampling...

model.add(layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.MaxPooling2D(3))
model.add(layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"))
model.add(layers.MaxPooling2D(2))

# And now?
model.summary()

# Now that we have 4x4 feature maps, time to apply global max pooling.
model.add(layers.GlobalMaxPooling2D())

# Finally, we add a classification layer.
model.add(layers.Dense(10))
```

```
Model: "sequential_6"
_________________________________________________________________
Layer (type)                 Output Shape              Param #
=================================================================
conv2d (Conv2D)              (None, 123, 123, 32)      2432
_________________________________________________________________
conv2d_1 (Conv2D)            (None, 121, 121, 32)      9248
_________________________________________________________________
max_pooling2d (MaxPooling2D) (None, 40, 40, 32)        0
=================================================================
Total params: 11,680
Trainable params: 11,680
Non-trainable params: 0
_________________________________________________________________
Model: "sequential_6"
_________________________________________________________________
Layer (type)                 Output Shape              Param #
=================================================================
conv2d (Conv2D)              (None, 123, 123, 32)      2432
_________________________________________________________________
conv2d_1 (Conv2D)            (None, 121, 121, 32)      9248
_________________________________________________________________
max_pooling2d (MaxPooling2D) (None, 40, 40, 32)        0
_________________________________________________________________
conv2d_2 (Conv2D)            (None, 38, 38, 32)        9248
_________________________________________________________________
conv2d_3 (Conv2D)            (None, 36, 36, 32)        9248
_________________________________________________________________
max_pooling2d_1 (MaxPooling2 (None, 12, 12, 32)        0
_________________________________________________________________
conv2d_4 (Conv2D)            (None, 10, 10, 32)        9248
_________________________________________________________________
conv2d_5 (Conv2D)            (None, 8, 8, 32)          9248
_________________________________________________________________
max_pooling2d_2 (MaxPooling2 (None, 4, 4, 32)          0
=================================================================
Total params: 48,672
Trainable params: 48,672
Non-trainable params: 0
_________________________________________________________________

```

Very practical, right?

---
## What to do once you have a model

Once your model architecture is ready, you will want to:

- Train your model, evaluate it, and run inference. See our
[guide to training & evaluation with the built-in loops](
    /guides/training_with_built_in_methods/)
- Save your model to disk and restore it. See our
[guide to serialization & saving](/guides/serialization_and_saving/).
- Speed up model training by leveraging multiple GPUs. See our
[guide to multi-GPU and distributed training](https://keras.io/guides/distributed_training/).

---
## Feature extraction with a Sequential model

Once a Sequential model has been built, it behaves like a [Functional API
model](/guides/functional_api/). This means that every layer has an `input`
and `output` attribute. These attributes can be used to do neat things, like
quickly
creating a model that extracts the outputs of all intermediate layers in a
Sequential model:

```python
initial_model = keras.Sequential(
    [
        keras.Input(shape=(250, 250, 3)),
        layers.Conv2D(32, 5, strides=2, activation="relu"),
        layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"),
        layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"),
    ]
)
feature_extractor = keras.Model(
    inputs=initial_model.inputs,
    outputs=[layer.output for layer in initial_model.layers],
)

# Call feature extractor on test input.
x = tf.ones((1, 250, 250, 3))
features = feature_extractor(x)
```

Here's a similar example that only extract features from one layer:

```python
initial_model = keras.Sequential(
    [
        keras.Input(shape=(250, 250, 3)),
        layers.Conv2D(32, 5, strides=2, activation="relu"),
        layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu", name="my_intermediate_layer"),
        layers.Conv2D(32, 3, activation="relu"),
    ]
)
feature_extractor = keras.Model(
    inputs=initial_model.inputs,
    outputs=initial_model.get_layer(name="my_intermediate_layer").output,
)
# Call feature extractor on test input.
x = tf.ones((1, 250, 250, 3))
features = feature_extractor(x)
```

---
## Transfer learning with a Sequential model

Transfer learning consists of freezing the bottom layers in a model and only training
the top layers. If you aren't familiar with it, make sure to read our [guide
to transfer learning](/guides/transfer_learning/).

Here are two common transfer learning blueprint involving Sequential models.

First, let's say that you have a Sequential model, and you want to freeze all
layers except the last one. In this case, you would simply iterate over
`model.layers` and set `layer.trainable = False` on each layer, except the
last one. Like this:

```python
model = keras.Sequential([
    keras.Input(shape=(784)),
    layers.Dense(32, activation='relu'),
    layers.Dense(32, activation='relu'),
    layers.Dense(32, activation='relu'),
    layers.Dense(10),
])

# Presumably you would want to first load pre-trained weights.
model.load_weights(...)

# Freeze all layers except the last one.
for layer in model.layers[:-1]:
  layer.trainable = False

# Recompile and train (this will only update the weights of the last layer).
model.compile(...)
model.fit(...)
```

Another common blueprint is to use a Sequential model to stack a pre-trained
model and some freshly initialized classification layers. Like this:

```python
# Load a convolutional base with pre-trained weights
base_model = keras.applications.Xception(
    weights='imagenet',
    include_top=False,
    pooling='avg')

# Freeze the base model
base_model.trainable = False

# Use a Sequential model to add a trainable classifier on top
model = keras.Sequential([
    base_model,
    layers.Dense(1000),
])

# Compile & train
model.compile(...)
model.fit(...)
```

If you do transfer learning, you will probably find yourself frequently using
these two patterns.

That's about all you need to know about Sequential models!

To find out more about building models in Keras, see:

- [Guide to the Functional API](/guides/functional_api/)
- [Guide to making new Layers & Models via subclassing](
    /guides/making_new_layers_and_models_via_subclassing/)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
thisischris.com
Four-Star Movies
Transformers (2007): ***
Directed by Michael Bay
There were many things I really enjoyed in this movie. There were also just about as many things that were completely cringe-worthy. Ultimately, though, I enjoyed the enjoyable bits more than I hated the cringe-worthy bits, and so I overall give this movie a positive review. With lots of reservations.
First off, I have to say that I really liked the focus of this movie. Spielberg got it right when he said that ultimately this movie should be about a boy and his car. And so it is. The central core relationship in the movie is between Spike (called "Sam" in the film) and Bumblebee. Sam is a boy on the verge of manhood—he's about to get his first car. That car, of course, turns out to be Bumblebee. The relationship that grows between them throughout the course of the film is the central emotional core of almost everything; if it didn't work, the film wouldn't work. Thankfully it does work, and works very well, mostly because Shia LeBouf plays Sam in such an enjoyable, self-effacing, charismatic way that Sam was instantly likable, instantly identifiable, and instantly believable. LeBouf grounds the movie. And he's frikkin' hilarious.
Optimus Prime, when he's eventually introduced into the film, is also one of the highlights, especially with the relationship he develops with Sam. Towards the end of the film when Optimus calls Sam "Son," it's surprisingly gratifying. Also being voiced by Peter Cullen, the original cartoon voice actor, helped immensely.
I really liked the way you got to see the effect of the Transformers on the world. One of my biggest complaints with the Matrix sequels was that we stopped seeing the world of the Matrix through the eyes of the average Joe. But by focusing on the human element the film actually has an epic feel to it. All the military and governmental stuff also feels rather accurate (could be because they actually filmed inside the actual real-life Pentagon) and helps ground this outlandish, fantastic story with a sense of realism, a sense that it actually takes place in the real world (as opposed to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, which as it goes on gradually distances itself further and further from the real world).
I liked the "mythology" they invented for the movie. I found the idea of "The Cube" interesting—like a combination of the Matrix of Leadership from the animated movie and the Allspark from the Beast Wars cartoons (it is, in fact, referred to as the "Allspark" in this movie). I enjoyed the backstory with Megatron and Sam's grandfather and an important pair of antique glasses. Good stuff.
And, so help me, I really enjoyed John Turturro's character. I just thought he was fall-down funny. I really liked Sam's parents as well. And I thought that Megan Fox did a very commendable job of putting some actual, three-dimensional personality into the thankless, sexpot character of Mikaela (Carly in the cartoon). Her relationship with Sam and Bumblebee plays out very well, and in the end you actually come to sympathize with and root for her. Plus she looked at times remarkably like a young Jennifer Connelly, which is never a bad thing.
There were several mark-out moments as well, such as an important story section taking place at Hoover Dam (where Prime & Megatron fought each other in the pilot miniseries of the cartoon). That was cool to see. There are also some great old-school lines of dialogue, such as when Megs says, "You disappoint me yet again, Starscream." And when during the final climax Ops says to Megs, "One shall stand and one shall fall," I and my movie-going cohort said it out loud with him. Also both Megs and Ops transform their hands into energy weapons that were similar to the ones used during that fateful fight on top of Hoover Dam in the cartoon.
So all good stuff, yeah? Yeah. Well...
Any scene with the portable CD boom-box (credited as being "Frenzy") was difficult to watch without retching. And there were a LOT of them. Ungodly, unfunny humor came pouring out of that character in an unceasing stream of cinematic bile. Just awful. And why does the Cybertronian language sound like a cross between Jawa and Ewok? That really bugged me.
That blond Australian hacker lady was just bad. What purpose did she serve in the movie? All she did was introduce Anthony Anderson's hacker character (who I thought was actually very funny, but I've always been a fan of Anderson). Every line of dialogue that woman utters just fails absolutely. She is not in the least bit believable at any point during the film. Speaking of bad dialogue, the opening scene of the soldiers on their transport was goddawful. Cliché upon cliché upon cliché. And those characters don't really improve all that much as the movie goes on. They're very cardboard and wooden. And there was a very strange, sudden, and unexplained shifting of alliances at the beginning of the third act, where they just all of a sudden all simultaneously decide (without even discussing it) that they're going to throw their lot in with Sam and Bumblebee and all point their guns at their superiors. Very poorly done scene.
Also, I recommend that you cover your ears and close your eyes for the first minute or so of the film. Like Dark City, an unnecessary opening monologue was added to this film that gives away a ton of plot material that is organically all brought up again later in the film. Like Dark City, this film is much better without it.
The biggest failure of the movie, though, was the Transformers themselves. There's the fact that, apart from Bumblebee and Optimus Prime, none of the other transformers really have differentiable personalities. What, honestly can you say are the differences between Ratchet, Ironhide, and Jazz, OTHER than Ironhide is British and Jazz is a deep-voiced black man (Darius McCrary)? They're all, even Ratchet, just vaguely "aggressive." And Jazz can breakdance and says "bitches." This has a lot to do with the fact that they're not even introduced into the film until the half-way mark, and then most of the focus is on Prime. But, still, it isn't that hard to write different, distinct personality types. The Decepticons suffer even worse from this lack of differentness, but this is mostly because they have even less screen time than their Autobot cousins. Some of them only have one or two lines of dialogue in the entire film.
The film is generally well directed until the action scenes start, and then we're thrust head-first into Michael Bay's patented "confuse-o-vision" technique of directing action sequences. The action was very poorly plotted out, for the most part don't flow well, and usually had very little actual purpose in the movie. They might as well have just cut to a black screen with the word "ACTION" written on it for five or six minutes, and then cut back to the movie; it would have been just about as effective as having to actually watch the mostly-pointless action scenes. And the character design of the robots did not help matters at all. Most of the action sequences consisted of two confusingly-designed robots running at each other, then there's a big, shaky, incomprehensible tangle of automobile parts and what looked like metal spaghetti, and then somehow one of the robots would come out the victor. Anyone who wants to direct action scenes should just sit down and watch The Incredibles over and over again. That movie had very intricate action scenes, and there were no parts where it was at all confusing as to what was going on, where characters were, or what they were doing (even when they were moving at 90 miles an hour). Inexcusable.
Also, an Autobot pees on a man. He pees on a man!
I find it very strange that I saw a movie called Transformers, the worst thing about the movie was the Transformers themselves, and yet I'm still giving it a positive review. It's only because the human element in the film, especially Shia LeBouf, are so very, very good. Seriously, Shia is phenomenal.
Best single line of dialogue in the movie: when Barricade has Sam pinned against another car and screams at him, "Where is the eBay item!?"
A couple of interesting implications in the movie: Transformers can change what they transform into at will (both Bumblebee and Frenzy change their "vehicle" mode). Also, being evil seems to be the natural state of the Transformers—when the Allspark brings to life a cell phone, a car, and a vending machine, they all instantly start acting completely evil. If this is the case, then the Autobots would seem to be the real renegades of the Transformer race...
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Customs generates N9.85bn in Kwara
The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara Area Command,has generated N9.85 billion from January to December 2021 as revenue.
The Area Controller, Hussaini Bello, disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Ilorin.
Bello said that the revenue generated surpassed that of year 2020, with N2,942,090,047.
"Under my leadership as the pioneer Customs Area Controller in Kwara, we have witnessed tremendous increment in our revenue.
"From July 2019 to December 2021 (29 months), the command generated and remitted the sum of N19,159, 240,134 to the federation account," he said.
Bello said that a large seizure of ammunition, packaged in 25 packs of 25 rounds each and contained in 14 cartons, worth N1,444,000, was part of the seizures.
He said that the seizure was made around Bukuro axis of the command.
"Based on intelligence report, the command intercepted a Peugeot 504 vehicle, with registration number; AP 448 AKD.
"On searching the vehicle, we discovered a large quantity of pump action cartridges, suspected to be smuggled into the country.
"Section 149 of Customs and Exercise Management Act (CEMA) of April, 1958, Cap 45 LFN 2004 (as amended), gives Customs officers power to search vehicles and ships," he said.
The area controller said that with the insecurity in the country, if the 3,620 rounds of live ammunition escaped into the country and fall into wrong hands, the result would have been disastrous," he said.
Bello said that in spite of resistance, threats and confrontations with stones and other dangerous weapons by the perpetrators of the criminal act, officers were able to evacuate 402 bags of foreign rice.
He said that continuous attack on the officers would not deter them from performing their duties and warned perpetrators to desist, as any method used would be uncovered. (NAN)
Tags: customs, generates, Kwara
generates
Fraud: I'm happy Alao-Akala got justice before his death- Counsel
NPA expects 23 ships with petroleum products, others at Lagos ports


It is rather ironic that staff at ACAS, the conciliation service that is supposed to resolve disputes, have voted for strike action. However, if their experience is like other sectors of workers this summer, any union strike that's called is as likely to be called off or be limited to a token gesture.
We are reprinting here one of the articles from the first edition of Tea Break (July 2008). The article in question offers a strong analysis of the way the large-scale public sector strikes of 2007 were dispersed by the trade unions, leaving the workers with little to show after returning to work.
Read more about Tea Break: What went wrong with the strikes in 2007?
In confronting the existence of ethnic, racial, and linguistic differences between workers, the workers' movement has historically been guided by the principle that "workers have no country." Any compromise on this principle represents a capitulation to bourgeois ideology.
Hundreds of thousands of council workers are striking on 16 and 17 July demanding a 6% pay rise, following the example of teachers and civil servants on 24 April, and Shell tanker drivers last month. They will undoubtedly be followed by other workers, with signs of discontent among health service workers, civil servants and shop workers.
At the beginning of June, 641 Shell tanker drivers struck for four days to increase their pay levels. This strike occupied the media headlines for several days, and some petrol stations ran out of fuel.
We are publishing below a series of four articles translated from the Turkish by the comrades of Enternasyonalist Komünist Sol, all dealing with the recent strike at Türk Telekom. Readers will remember that we have already published an article on this subject (the second in this series), entitled "Victory at Türk Telekom" which covered the end of the 44-day strike by 26,000 workers, which ended with a 10% wage increase. We are now able to publish the complete series of the articles published on the subject by EKS: the first was written at the beginning of the strike and analysed briefly the forces in the conflict, while the second covered the end of the strike which it considered as a victory for the workers.
400,000 workers were involved in strikes, demonstrations and rallies on 24 April. 250,000 teachers took part in their first national strike in 21 years. 100,000 civil servants were on strike. Of the 25,000 on strike in Birmingham it was the second day for council workers.
Poverty, uncertainty, the rising price of food and fuel - we are all feeling the pinch. Even the ruling class is getting worried about the global scale these problems have reached. Every day, around the world, 100,000 people die of hunger. Taken as a whole, food prices have risen by 83% over the last three years.
Never have so many countries been hit by workers' struggles at the same time. This is testimony to the strength and militancy of the working class on an international scale. Faced with the black-out of the bourgeois media, here are just a few examples, only going back to the beginning of 2008.
The Chávez government - with the support of the opposition and unions- has unleashed repression against the workers of the Steel Zone of Venezuela who are struggling for their most basic necessities. Here we see the real Senor Chávez and his "socialism of the 21st century".
On 24 April 250,000 teachers will be staging a one day strike against the government's latest pay offer. They will be joined by further education lecturers, civil servants, and council workers. Marches and rallies will be held in a large number of cities.
A year of strikes on German railways have been joined by the movement by Nokia workers against the closure of the factory in Bochum. This article relates the development of solidarity amongst German workers as they try to develop a fight back against the relentless attacks that are imposed on them.
The repression of the working class is a feature of all capitalist regimes, whether 'democratic' or 'dictatorial'. The bourgeois class uses terror to impose its social order on the exploited. In Russia, the overtly criminal nature of the social, economic and political system explains the permanence of state repression against the working class.
Against the world wide attacks of crisis-ridden capitalism: one working class, one class struggle!
For five years the class struggle has continued to develop world wide. Against the simultaneous and ever deeper attacks with which it is confronted the working class is reacting, demonstrating its militancy and asserting its class struggle in both the so-called developed and under-developed countries.
Read more about Against the world wide attacks of crisis-ridden capitalism: one working class, one class struggle!
In the light of the precarious nature of the global economy, and the gloomy prospects facing Britain - despite Labour's claims of years of unprecedented growth - Gordon Brown's decision to impose a 2% public sector pay limit based on the projected inflation rate was only to be expected.
In 2007, Germany saw the highest number of strike days since 1993 (just after reunification). 70% of them came in the strike last spring against 'externalisation', ie the relocation of 50,000 telecom jobs. This in a country which has for so long been presented as a dynamic economy and a model of social harmony.
The strike of transport workers (SNCF and RATP) which ended November 22 (and which unfolded simultaneously with the struggle of students against the law of "autonomy of the universities" aiming to accentuate the inequalities between working class students and those from the bourgeoisie) constituted the first significant response of the working class in France against the attacks of the government of Sarkozy/Fillon/Pecresse and associates.
The revival of workers' struggles in 2003 has continued in many countries throughout 2007, and Britain has been no exception. The recent struggle of workers at Royal Mail showed both workers' militancy as well as the ability of the Communication Workers Union to sabotage the strike. When the union sold the pay deal they rather neglected to point out that it was effectively a pay cut.
In the name of 'a fairer society' Sarkozy and his billionaire buddies have the nerve to ask us to accept the suppression or alteration of 'special pension regimes' and to make everyone work 40 years for their pension. What the railway workers, the RATP employees, the gas and electrical workers are demanding was expressed clearly in their general assemblies: they don't want 'privileges', they want 37 and half years for everyone!
Read more about Against government attacks, we all have to fight together!
As we have already shown in our press, the attacks being imposed on the transport, electricity and other workers around the 'special pension regimes' are just the first stage of an assault on the conditions of the working class as a whole. Tomorrow, the pensions of all workers will be put into question. At the same time, the new medical charges are part of a wider attack on social benefits.
On Monday 19 November, in a large provincial town, a small group of students who had been to our last public meeting took a delegation of older politicised workers, members of the ICC, to two railway workers' general assemblies. Since the unions had taken care to divide up the assemblies into different sectors, our comrades split up to speak at the two assemblies: one of the station staff and one of the drivers.
The massive strike by over 26,000 Türk Telekom workers is over. After 44 days the strikers went back to work. At 1,100,000 working days lost it makes it the biggest strike in Turkish history after the 1991 miners strike. It is time to draw up a balance sheet of the events.
After a 48-hour strike in September, General Motors and the United Auto Workers sealed a deal that will undoubtedly serve as a pattern setter for the rest of the industry, that will cut costs and sacrifice worker and retiree medical benefits forever.


text:
Q: JQuery performance with many plugins? I've been using JQuery for a while, but primarily without plugins - I'm now looking to do a project which could take advantage of a bunch of plugins - Are there any performance penalty to using a lot of plugins in a project - Lets say something in the order of 10-20 plugins?
And how will the performance be affected if JQuery and it's plugins are included on all pages - Even though all plugins are not being used on every single page?

A: The quality of the plugins vary wildly. Some have been done really well using best practise, others have not. Some are really concise others are bloated and inefficient. We could advise more if you gave a list of the plugins you are considering.
Personally I would  combine all the scripts into one large minified script file rather than have to maintain different combinations of script files on different pages also it leaves the client with one script resource download.
However as always the key is to profile your UI and often. Do the above first, if you encounter performance issues then refactor what you are doing.

A: The only constant cost of plugins is the cost of downloading them, i.e. the bigger they are, the slower your page loads.  However, most plugins I've seen—and JQuery itself—are tiny, or small enough that it doesn't really matter.
In the end what matters is how you use them and what sort of initialization on load they do.  Without a list, nobody can really tell you.  You'll just have to pay attention as you build the pages, and be careful about what you do.  It's really easy to write some JQuery that modifies a ton of DOM elements in tight loops without realizing it.  Watch out for that.
Build your site, and verify through measurement.

A: John Resig (jQuery creator) has a good way of profiling jQuery plugins and such. I would say that the best way to see how performance would be affected is by using all plugins you need and testing it.
Adding a lot of js calls would maximize http requests too, slowing down you website. Reading yahoo best practices and using it's extension Yslow is a good idea to test your site and see what can be improved. Google has speed articles as well.

A: There's two things to consider here:

*

*Page load - this will obviously be slower the more files that are included in a page. This can be mitigated by cacheing and combining the files.

*Javascript performance - this will depend on how well the plugins are written. While many plugins are great, I find many that are bloated and written to take every eventuallity into account, these ones are likely to be slower. Use your judgement.

A: I assume you are talking about js file loading time.
I suggest you to package all your jquery and plugin files into a single file using something like YUI compressor. Also use etags for your static files.
This way, your user only load the js file once, and you can use it through out your site.
Edit:
For execution performance, it depends on the code quality and implementation of the plugins you use. For example, if you use livequery plugin too much, it will slow down the app. This is an example of good quality, but implementation decision lead to slow performance. However using jQuery#live (v 1.3 or above) doesn't have the performance penalty, because the underlying design and implementation is completely different. The result is that #live is less powerful then liveQuery, but faster. So it is important to read the source code to make sure code quality and implementation limitations in order to avoid performance issues.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
JB Priestley: 50 years before Brexit
No Comments on JB Priestley: 50 years before Brexit
Brexit shocked the world. But the writing had been on the wall. It had been foreseen nearly 50 years ago – by an English writer, naturally. Today is his birthday.
JB Priestley (September 13, 1894 – August 14, 1984 ) might have been forgotten by now had his play, An Inspector Calls, not been one of the prescribed texts for the English literature GCSE examination. Only a couple of his books can still be found in Singapore's National Library Board catalogue. But he was one of the most popular writers and broadcasters of his time.
His novel, The Good Companions, proved so popular in 1929 that fleets of lorries had to be engaged to distribute it, recalls the Guardian.
Only Churchill reached a wider audience than Priestley during the Second World War. Postscripts, the talks Priestley gave on the BBC on Sunday nights in 1940 and 1941, drew peak audiences of 16 million, according to Wikipedia.
Priestley had his critics. Virginia Woolf called him a "tradesman of letters". His bestselling novel, Angel Pavement, was "an excellent holiday read", said George Orwell, but it was "absurd" to compare him with Charles Dickens.
Priestley, however, had the common touch, or he would have never been the bestseller he was.
He had the same misgivings about Europe as the majority who voted for Brexit in June this year. He spoke for them nearly 50 years ago – even before Britain became a member of the European Union.
After French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed British Prime Minister Macmillan's request to join the Common Market (as it was called then) in 1963, Britain restarted talks to join the union in 1967.
'Britain home of the British'
Don't join the Europeans, warned Priestley. Those who wanted Britain to join the European union said it would be good for business and economy. "But Britain is not a super-ICI but the home of the British people," argued Priestley. (ICI was a major British company.) The article appeared in the left-of-centre New Statesman on May 26, 1967.
Priestley wrote:
"The truth is – and we might as well face it – we English find it hard to develop an overwhelming passion for business. (We are a nation of hobby-horse riders, and out of our pursuits and pastimes, from birds and flowers to football and tennis, has come an astounding contribution to world civilisation.) ..
He expressed the same feelings about foreigners as the Brexiteers. If Britain joined the European union, he wrote, "London, Birmingham, Manchester will be swarming with cleverer business men than we are."
"A nation must have trade but it is not primarily a trading concern. Britain is not a super-ICI but the home of the British people," he added.
"But how can we go our own way, so many eccentric islanders, who don't want to work too hard or think and talk about business day and night?" he asked. "The answer is – and I write in all earnestness – not to have our corners rubbed off by chaps from Clermont-Ferrand, Essen or Liège but to turn ourselves into even more eccentric islanders.
He concluded: "We have a well-meaning, careful government that may take us cautiously into the Market, behind high tariff walls. But we might be happier out in the wind, risking the loss of colour television, holidays in Spain, more and more cars, prepared to make audacious experiments, so many odd but exciting islanders. "
Incidentally, Priestley came from the north, from Bradford, which voted for Brexit.
Priestley's article anticipated the Brexit debate but, of course, he belongs to a different era. It was a long time ago I enjoyed reading his memoirs, Margin Released, and An English Journey, his account of his travels in England in the autumn of 1933, during the Depression.
"During the 1930s Priestley became very concerned about the consequences of social inequality in Britain, and in 1942 Priestley and others set up a new political party, the Common Wealth Party, which argued for public ownership of land, greater democracy, and a new 'morality' in politics," says a BBC page. "The party merged with the Labour Party in 1945, but Priestley was influential in developing the idea of the welfare state which began to be put into place at the end of the war."
← DH Lawrence: Piano, and Sons and Lovers → Kamala Das and Nissim Ezekiel


Just seen on Twitter that Brian Atkinson has "joined the management team "at West Auckland.Fall out with Marty boy I wonder?
Probably jumping ship before the rest are pushed overboard.
Gregan, became assistant manager three weeks ago. Maybe atky happy to be out of the fire.


A block print on paper showing a firehouse on the East side of St. Paul. Made by Gary Egger in 1980.
A small gouache on paper painting of St. Paul institution Tiger Jack. Made by Minnesota artist Shirley Jean Wallner in the 1990s.
An oil on masonite painting of a St. Paul street scene made by Minnesota artist Arthur Allie in the 1930s.
A photograph from around 1890 showing the Yoerg Brewing Company's delivery wagon in St. Paul. Anthony Yoerg moved to St. Paul in 1848 and started brewing soon thereafter.
St. Paul Baseball Opening Day Tag, circa 1916.
For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this tag in our collections database.
A quarter plate daguerreotype showing a view of St. Paul at the corner of Third and Robert streets in 1851.
A photograph of the 1978 St. Patrick's Day parade.
A daguerreotype showing a view of St. Paul and the First Baptist Church. Taken in 1851.
An oil on canvas painting of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul made by Ben Swanson in 1936.
For details, view this painting in our collections database.


text:
Q: iOS: migration form plist to SQLite data store I'm using the plist for storing data in iphone application, but now there is a need to upgrade to more powerful data warehouse. Can I upgrade the application to implement migration from plist to sqllite without losing data? Thank you.

A: Probably.
When your app launches, if it doesn't have a database file (because it's the first time being run with updated app), read in the plist data, and write it out to your new database file.
You will have to handle translating between the format of the plist and the structure of your database.


text:
Q: Django - simplejson response I'm using jQuery autocomplete plugin http://www.devbridge.com/projects/autocomplete/jquery/ to provide search suggestions in my web application where I want to send the response in json format.
Django views.py for sending the suggestions response:
def keywords_suggestions(request):
        if request.is_ajax():
                suggestions = []
                q = request.POST.get('q')
                try:
                        g = KeywordsModel.objects.filter(keyword__startswith=q).order_by('count')
                except KeywordsModel.DoesNotExist:
                        return HttpResponse("")
                else:
                        for i in range(0,len(g)):
                                global suggestions
                                suggestions.append(g[i].keyword)
                                to_json = {
                                        "query": q,
                                        "suggestions": suggestions
                                }
                        return HttpResponse(simplejson.dumps(to_json), mimetype='application/json')

Django models.py:
class KeywordsModel(models.Model):
        keyword = models.CharField(max_length=40, blank=False)
        count = models.IntegerField(max_length=20)

        def __unicode__(self):
            return self.keyword

jQuery code:
$("#add-keywords").keyup(function() {
    $('#add-keywords').autocomplete({
            serviceUrl:'/keywords_suggestions',
            minChars:3,
            maxHeight:220,
            width:280,
            zIndex: 9999,
            params: { q: $('#add-keywords').val() },
            onSelect: function(value, data){ $('#add-keywords').val(value); },
    });
});

I'm getting this error when I type on the #add-keywords text box.
Request URL:http://127.0.0.1:8000/keywords_suggestions/?q=web&query=web
Request Method:GET
Status Code:500 INTERNAL SERVER ERROR

UPDATE
ValueError at /keywords_suggestions/
The view information.views.keywords_suggestions didn't return an HttpResponse object.

UPDATE-2
I'm having doubt in the suggestions variable, maybe global suggestions will have the problem. Am I doing it right?
Could anyone guide me to make it work?
UPDATE-3
<input type="text" id="add-keywords" name="add-keywords" title="e.g. Web developer, Javascript, Musician, Jazz" />

How to get the value of #add-keywords text box in the Django views.py. Does this work q = request.POST.get('add-keywords')?
Thanks!

A: the judgement request.is_ajax() returns False

A: The condition branches
try:
    g = KeywordsModel.objects.filter(keyword__startswith=q).order_by('count')
except KeywordsModel.DoesNotExist:
    return HttpResponse("")
else:
    ...

also could fail as ValueError if, for example, request.POST.get('q') results None
Plus, try '/keywords_suggestions/', note the suffix slash, instead of '/keywords_suggestions' in the serviceUrl:'/keywords_suggestions', line


Extraordinarily private & expansive 120PLUS ft lakefront estate w/ level lawn, lush grounds, Swimming pool, hot tub,& dock. Open concept William Bain designed home w/ second story added during extensive remodel. All main rooms look onto the stunning setting. Designed for indoor-outdoor enjoyment, rooms open to grounds thru the many glass doors. Paneled living room, sandstone fireplaces, Carrarra marble kitchen, Family room, Glorious master suite! Choice location nr shops, restaurants & downtown! Directions: McGilvra Blvd to 5 way stop with Lk Wash Blvd E. Turn north on 39th East (along lake) house at north end of Street on Lake.
Privacy & elegance along the shores of Lake Washington! With a sophisticated & timeless relationship to the water, front row views of Mt Rainier & the Cascades & 180 front feet of the lake, this nearly one level home features 4 en-suite bedrooms, a beautifully appointed kitchen & an open floor plan that embraces the indoor/outdoor living, lively water views, and the light. Immaculate grounds & mature landscaping of lush lawns, brick patios & stone pathways convey extraordinary lakeside living. Directions: Lakeside Ave S to Massachusetts - Turn towards water (East) on Massachusetts and take the left (North) Driveway to home.
Live life elevated in the penthouse that inspired the apartment featured in "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY", one of Seattle's most iconic novel & movie series. Walls of windows & a wraparound deck frame glimmering city views. Perched above it all, formal & informal spaces afford all one needs for a complete in-city experience w/ media room, chef's kitchen, sitting area, & sumptuous master suite. Amenities incl. 24/hr concierge, spa, lap pool, gym, yoga studio, theatre, catering kitchen & private dining. Directions: Located on the corner of 4th Avenue and Virginia street.
Step into Luxury… Offering a paradigm of sophistication for those seeking an urban refuge of great style and beauty. Gracious West Facing Four Seasons Private Residence with sweeping views of Puget Sound, Iconic Mt. Rainier, and The Olympic Mts.. Exquisitely enhanced interiors professionally sculpted to provide a seamless design with a contemporary flair. Two coveted view terraces complete with outdoor barbeque. Located high above the pulse of Downtown Seattle's urban core & Pike Place Market. Directions: Corner of 1st & Union, directly across from Seattle Art Museum, near Pike Place Market.
Rare opportunity to acquire one of only 7 residences in sought-after Market Place Tower, one of Seattle's most sublimely private and discreet urban communities. With over 4500 sq ft spread over 2 levels, and a welcoming environment for reconfiguration, this unit offers the chance to create the city's most spectacular penthouse with unobstructed Puget Sound, Elliott Bay and Olympic views, and 300 sq ft of landscaped patio. 24 hour, live-in concierge and private lobby access. Directions: Corner of 1st and Lenora.
Lifetime opportunity to live with art & elegance in the Seattle sky. Amazing custom northwest corner home with Bay, Space Needle, city & mountain views seen through floor-to-ceiling windows. A unique floor plan with extensive interior design & rich finishes throughout.2 master suites, guest bd, 2 offices, private elevator vestibule, 3 terraces, den, gas fireplace, gourmet kitchen, gallery space, 3 parking spots. Escala amenities: 24hr concierge, lap pool, gym & theatre. Directions: Located on the corner of 4th and Virginia.
WillowDon-A once in a city opportunity! Gated and private in-city-estate affords nearly 2 acres of remarkable Olmstead Gardens and 174 ft of Lake Washington sandy shores. Fully restored Arthur Loveless home updated with cutting-edge technology. Day rooms for entertaining, retreat to media or multiple terraces amidst Mt. Rainier views. Stuart Silk 2012 guest house and brick auto court greets guests. Auto storage for 7 plus heated shop. Lake house, game lawns, spa, vessel moorage with 1.5 docks. Directions: From Seward Park Ave S, veer left to 55th Ave S, then turn left at S Frontenac. Property Gate is on the right.
Coveted as one of Seattle's finest homes the Eckstein Estate is sited proudly on 3 lots. This classic Georgian features stunning detail including a fireplace created by Tiffany. Meticulously updated by the present owners yet honoring its original charm, no detail of this impeccable restoration was overlooked. Featuring a stunning new marble kitchen, master suite w/spa bath, guest apartment, ballroom. Ideal indoor to outdoor entertaining spaces & gorgeous gardens for the ultimate in urban living. Directions: Located just minutes from downtown in the heart of Capitol Hill. From 15th Ave E go west on Prospect & South on 14th. Or, from Aloha go north on 14th. Home is on the NE corner of 14th and Ward.


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text:
Remembering Alaina Reed
by Guest Blogger | Dec 28, 2009 | Commentary, Feature
The following article was written by ToughPigs' own David Beukema!
When ToughPigs' own Joe asked me to write a few words about the passing of the beloved Alaina Reed, I wasn't quite sure where to begin. Joe knows me well enough to know that Olivia has always been my favorite Sesame Street adult. My prime Sesame Street years were roughly 1983-1988, which were the last five years of Miss Reed's tenure on the street, so I was certainly exposed to her a lot. I got to thinking, though, after her passing and the deep sadness it instilled in me, just why she had so particularly spoken to me. What made Alaina Reed's contribution to Sesame Street so special to me?
To begin with, there is that voice. A pure, expressive, lilting soprano that could switch at a moment's notice to a powerful belt that almost seemed to threaten to blow the roof off 123 Sesame Street. Olivia's musical moments are too many to mention, but one I vividly remember from childhood was "Singing In the Shower", the bathtime quartet she sang with Ernie, Big Bird, and Oscar. Every time it came on, I was overjoyed and simply mesmerized. Miss Reed was perhaps the only Sesame Street adult who could rival the Muppets in my young mind. The Ernie, Big Bird, and Oscar choruses were fine, but I wanted to see Olivia. I wanted to hear her sweet, crystal clear voice ring out and fill my little heart with music.
Another defining Olivia moment in my mind was her song, "Mothers and Children", in Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum. My parents had taped it off TV for me, and I nearly wore the tape out. Olivia's song comes about 3/4ths of the way through the show, and by all rights it should have bored a toddler to tears. It's just a lady singing about moms while we look at pictures of boring old art. It had just the opposite effect on me, though – Miss Reed hypnotized me with that voice of hers. Listening to Olivia sing was comforting. Her voice seemed to wrap you in a blanket and say that everything was going to be all right. You were always safe when you were with her. She was so wonderful with those kids, too. Olivia never seemed like a parental figure the way Gordon or Maria or Bob could. She was your best friend, your confidante, your playmate, and your perpetual big sister. There was such love and ease in the way she interacted with the kids of Sesame Street; I always wished Olivia could be my babysitter.
And finally, the holiday season having just been upon us, that also means the requisite viewing of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Right out of the gate, there is Olivia raising her voice in song with the beautiful "True Blue Miracle". Watching the special this year took on new poignancy for me, knowing that I had promised to pay tribute to the wonderful lady singing in front of me. I began to put words to feelings I had never though to verbalize: Alaina Reed as Olivia was a bright, shining light in an already magical world. Her performances never rang false, and immeasurable joy exuded from her at all times. For a little kid to have that kind of friend, one you can always depend on, one who was so fun and so sweet, was priceless.
I was too young to watch Miss Reed on "227", and while I delighted in her later TV and commercial appearances, it will always be her Olivia Robinson that stays with me. The world really has lost a beautiful soul. For much of my childhood, she made me feel safe and warm and important.
And if that isn't a true blue miracle, I don't know what one is.
Click here to help us remember Alaina Reed on the ToughPigs forum!
by David Beukema
The Secret Proto-Gordon THAT TIME FORGOT!
Jerry Nelson 1934-2012
Sesame Street Humans Appreciation: People Are Funny
Ten Years of Chris on Sesame Street


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'Let It Be' 50th anniversary reissues | Page 3 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible
HomeFab ForumThe albumsLet It Be'Let It Be' 50th anniversary reissu…
'Let It Be' 50th anniversary reissues
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Old Soak said
I want Madman, Watching Rainbows, The Palace of the King of Birds, a full-length Dig It and All Things Must Pass properly mixed, balanced and edited from the available materials for a start even if that means combining available versions, with modern day overdubs by Paul and Ringo over the original Nagra sound to flesh them out if possible. I can dream…
I can't imagine a worse nightmare. I'm happy with having interesting takes of things as captured on tape and would think it a step backwards if they started offering newly created "Frankenstein" versions. Among the biggest complaints about their treatment of their back catalogue have been over the composite mixes they created for Anthology and the fixes they applied to Let It Be … Naked to remove mistakes.
Give me "as nature intended" in the best sound quality possible every time.
Just glad there isn't a chance in hell that Paul and Ringo would do any overdubbing…
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Richard, QuarryMan, vonbontee, WeepingAtlasCedars, Joe
Old Soak
So basically you are denying the validity of such great posthumous albums as Queen – Made In Heaven and Jimi Hendrix – The Cry Of Love amongst countless others by many, many artists. Working on tracks to bring them from raw diamonds to something appropriate for release happens time after time, why should The Beatles be any different if the tracks can be completed by Giles Martin, jst as he made a good job out of Love? I know the intention was to hear them as nature intended but Kum Back is hardly a pleasurable listen, though it's an interesting one.
William Shears Campbell
Somewhere In The Black Mountain Hills Of Utah
I agree with RN that would be disgusting. To respond to your second comment, there's a difference between a posthumous studio album, and a studio takes album. With the former I can roll with overdubs and stuff. Even things like Free As A Bird and Real Love from Anthology were fine with me. But when it comes to making a compilation of rough studio takes(like Anthology or the bonus disc's on these 50th anniversary releases), overdubbing new audio is an absolute sin in my book. Overdubbing in new material is all good and has its place, but its place is not in this project where history is to be displayed.
Here | There | Everywhere
It's ya boi! The one and only Billy Shears (AKA Paul's Replacement)
"Sometimes I wish I was just George Harrison" - John Lennon
I agree, the world is a better place for the existence of posthumous Hendrix albums. But most of the recordings on "Cry of Love" were complete, or in a state of near-completion, requiring only mixing. I don't think very much of anything was overdubbed, aside from Mitch Mitchell re-recording some drum tracks. And these were done in the days and weeks following Hendrix' death, not 50 years after the fact.
William Shears Campbell, ewe2
QuarryMan
Also, Free As A Bird and Real Love have the sentimental value in that the tracks are the other three Beatles finishing pieces John started. This puts them on the same level as what the rest of Queen did with Freddie's last songs and recording etc, and it's quite a heartwarming thing in both cases, IMO. Paul and Ringo adding to 50 year old demos (that they participated in) now would just feel odd to me, and not particularly necessary. For me, the main purpose of releasing additional Beatles material at this stage is for the enjoyment of fans who can get more of an insight into the studio process, not to turn those demos into proper songs.
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It would be especially odd in this case given that Paul did a version of the Let It Be album where he took out instruments. It will be hard enough to sell the 50th anniversary remix let alone sell additions. TBH I would much rather have a remixed Revolver instead.
William Shears Campbell, lovelyritametermaid
MichaelDiaz
A Beginning
Maybe we can get these in order:
The album songs
The naked songs
The rooftop songs
and the outtakes
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ewe2 said
I mean I would personally still buy a LIB remixed with additions just because its the Beatles how could I not but I completely agree about its hypothetical lack of appeal to average consumers overall. I'm not opposed to a remix of LIB , but I won't be at all surprised if there's not as much mainstream hype for it as there was for the Sgt Pepper 's, White Album , and Abbey Road remixes.
And yeah yes please I would absolutely love to have a remixed Revolver over this.
MichaelDiaz said
That's most likely what it would be, but I'm a bit iffy on the inclusion of the Naked mixes.
Even if the remix doesn't happen I really hope that they release the rooftop songs and the outtakes at least to go along with the movie redo (maybe a soundtrack with extras?). That would be cool.
TangerineTrees
Behind That Locked Door
My biggest wishes for Let it Be 50th anniversary are the releases of the songs that were shown in the film but were not included on the album and the rooftop concert. Although I wouldn't mind some remixing, I wouldn't want the remixes to get in the way of the live concept of the songs and album. Let it Be was meant to be a rough and live album done in the style of their early days, so too much remixing would mess with that aspect. The remixes on Sgt. Pepper , the White Album and Abbey Road were fine for the most part as the concepts for those albums were vastly different from that of Let it Be. I wouldn't want Paul or Ringo to do overdubs on some of the outtakes (unless they released the original outtakes along with the finished ones) as those outtakes were part of the history, and as stated before, it really wouldn't make much sense as Paul and Ringo were already performing on the outtakes in the first place. As far as the movie itself goes, maybe the Blu-ray/DVD with a remastered image would work. The original documentary could go on one disc, and the unreleased footage could go on a separate bonus features disc. As much as I would like the new film to be re-released in theatres, the only people who would go to see it are Beatles fans, and it would probably be a commercial flop. It would make more sense to just release it straight to Blu-ray/DVD, or maybe air it as part of a TV special. The album, the documentary and maybe a booklet on the making of the album like they had in the Abbey Road anniversary could be put together in a box set. In the end, I'll be excited for whatever Apple decides to release, and I'll be hopeful for a 55th anniversary remix of Revolver next year (or a 55th anniversary re-release/release of outtakes for Help !/Rubber Soul this year).
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"Everyone should have themselves regularly overwhelmed by nature." ~ George Harrison
"I'm Nobody! Who are you? Are you -- Nobody -- too?" ~ Emily Dickinson
I would be amazed if the Jackson film doesn't get a cinema release, @TangerineTrees. There is no way it will be straight to DVD/Blu-Ray.
Ron Howard's Eight Days A Week , which is the most recent Beatles film, received a cinema release, and while it didn't set the box office on fire, taking $12.3 million, it more than made back it's $5 million budget.
lovelyritametermaid, Richard, TangerineTrees, WeepingAtlasCedars
I absolutely need for this to be released in cinema so I can see my boys on the silver screen surrounded by fellow Beatles fans, monching on Raisinettes and popcorn. There's nothing like crying in a movie theater.
Ahhh Girl, QuarryMan, TangerineTrees, WeepingAtlasCedars
It will get a limited cinema release, the same way as 'EDAW'. The amount of Beatles fans who attend will make it a no-brainer financially.
My question is will there be a cinema release of the original film as well; I'd love a double bill and to sit in the cinema watching Beatles for 4 hours.
lovelyritametermaid, Ahhh Girl, QuarryMan, TangerineTrees, WeepingAtlasCedars
Nutopia
This project is my most anticipated thing this year hands down, and I think it will get a cinema release. It would be strange if it didn't. This film especially would be such a spine tingling experience with the content they have lined up. The end of the road for the band with all of those interactions. I'd see it more than once in cinemas, believe me.
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1.The Beatles 2.Sgt. Pepper 3.Abbey Road 4.Magical Mystery Tour 5.Rubber Soul 6.Revolver 7.Help! 8.Let It Be
9.A Hard Day's Night 10.Please Please Me 11.Beatles For Sale 12.With The Beatles 13.Yellow Submarine
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Should be noted that unlike the Beatles other films this hasn't been officially released in decades and whilst bootleg copies do exist, the quality of the footage when released will be much improved compared to what circulates (unless Apple does something stupid like decide it should be in b&w to match 'AHDN ' or have the colours inverted as a bizarre nod to the 'LIBN' album cover). There have been numerous HQ clips in the Anthology and a handful of promos (plus a brief cameo in '8DAW') but that's it. To see the new film (which is also important, it's not just the 1969 movie getting put back out like with 'Help ' or 'AHDN (the latter got a cinema release in the 2000's?)) in the cinema in all it's glory will be a massive pull to the fans. Peter Jackson being involved will also get people intrigued and want to see it (let's hope his name isn't prominently included in the artwork, what they did with Ron Howard was just stupid but all that artwork looked a cheap cash-in).
Yoko also gave her latest 'Imagine ' film in the cinema for one night only so it is a thing.
For some reason I have this recall of seeing 'MMT' in the cinema when it got its DVD release, is that right? I clearly remember on the big screen the Major scene which I detest and just hating it even more. I know the BBC broadcast it at the time but that's not it.
lovelyritametermaid, TangerineTrees
Reading all of your points, I definitely agree that Let it Be should be released in theaters (if only for a limited time). My question is now the same as @meanmistermustard's: Would they release both the Peter Jackson documentary with the original restored movie?
Unfortunately i'm pessimistic that the original film will see an official or theatrical release given the mixed views and desires to keep it in the vaults from various Beatles camps. i thought that was a primary reason for the creation of this new film for the 50th anniversary.
sir walter raleigh said
Yeah. I do agree with you, we all know the four Applees have vetoed all possible releases of the film due to their memories and appearance in the film. I am trying to be hopeful they can look beyond their own issues and see the value and historical worth of the original film and put it out – even as a bonus in a super-deluxe version like they did with the original 1965 stereo mixes of 'Help !' and 'Rubber Soul ' in the 2009 mono box. I don't care how we get it just put it out.
I also still fear a revision of the times and it's spun into some great old jolly time with four mates having a great laugh whilst recording their massive selling #1 swansong album before slowly walking into the sunset with their wives with a single tear rolling down each of their faces. The film ending with John saying if Yoko gets the blame for them splitting, can she get the credit for all the great music that came afterwards.
It's already been announced that the original will be re-released. It was stated in the original press release. I expect to see it it as a bonus feature of the DVD/Blu-Ray release.
Well, there you go.
Since it's Apple, buried in a $4,000 box or available as a $300 download.
I should be nice.
Good to see that the original film is at least being acknowledged. One of my pet peeves is how those controlling the releases like to pick and choose parts of Beatles history as they see fit, often for their own benefit and at the expense of telling the whole story. It may not be pretty, but the LIB film is an integral part of The Beatles history.
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Accelerating ScienceInside Biobanking / Case Studies / A Closer Look At Biobank Graz -- A Hub For Cooperative Medical Research
A Closer Look At Biobank Graz — A Hub For Cooperative Medical Research
By Biobanking Staff	12.25.2013
The Medical University of Graz, Austria operates a large scale and high-quality biobank to aid research into a wide range of human diseases. Here are five ways Biobank Graz is having a significant impact on modern biobanking:
Biobank Graz is one of the largest biobanks in Europe. With more than six million (PDF, 1.2MB) biosamples in a variety of formats, Biobank Graz is one of the largest biorepositories in Europe. Biobanked materials include formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, blood, blood serum and extracted DNA.
Biobank Graz keeps "left-over" tissue from surgical operations. Patients undergoing surgery or diagnostics at the Graz LKH-University Clinical Centre can opt-in to allow excess biomaterials from their procedures to be added to the biobank. No extra biomaterial is collected, and all personally identifying information is removed from a sample when it is stored. Saving left-over tissue is an effective way for Biobank Graz to grow its collection – after all, more than 500,000 inpatients and outpatients visit the Graz LKH-University Clinical Centre annually. In addition, this cross-sectional collection is important from a research perspective; it represents diseases occurring in the Austrian population at their natural frequencies. The biobank at the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) runs a similar left-over biomaterial donation program.
Biobank Graz maintains several high-quality existing collections. In addition to the cross-sectional collection described above, several disease-focused clinical collections are housed at Biobank Graz. These collections are essential for in-depth research into specific diseases, and they have become the major focus for research institutions cooperating with the biobank. Interestingly, some clinical collections were started decades before Biobank Graz was established. Up until recently, these long-standing collections were maintained by researchers at the Medical University of Graz.
Repository operations at Biobank Graz are now automated. The handling of body fluids at Biobank Graz is now completely automated. For instance, samples are aliquoted and immediately moved into freezer storage to minimize time spent at room temperature. Then, when a sample needs to be handled, a robot pulls it out of -80°C storage and does all necessary manipulations at -20°C to avoid repetitive freezing and thawing. Automated sample handling allows Biobank Graz to comply with strict Standard Operating Procedures. As a result, the repository received an ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2009.
Biobank Graz is a leader in international projects and collaborations. Because Biobank Graz aims to be a partner in medical research rather than a passive sample provider, it supports several national and international projects in basic, translational and industrial research. What's more, researchers at the repository are involved in projects to advance biobanking as a science. These projects include programs designed to study the ethical and social implications of biobanking, to improve sample standardization and storage methods, and to advance IT solutions for biobank databases and visualization of large datasets.
Without question, Biobank Graz has set the bar high for other biobanks. In addition to its broad sample collection, automated handling procedures and extensive collaborations, Biobank Graz has supported numerous publications by providing samples, data and/or logistic services. We're going to keep our eyes on Biobank Graz; there's no doubt that it will be an integral part of important developments and research in the future.
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text:
Occator est un grand cratère de 92 km de diamètre avec un pic central de 10 km de diamètre situé à la surface de l'astéroïde et planète naine (1) Cérès. Au sein de ce cratère se trouvent plusieurs taches claires à la nature au premier abord indéterminée, détectées par la caméra de la sonde spatiale Dawn. Le spectromètre embarqué à bord de l'engin spatial a permis d'identifier la nature de ces dépôts. Ils sont constitués par une accumulation de carbonate. La quantité de ce minéral présent sur le site dépasse tout ce qui peut être trouvé dans des formations similaires sur Terre. Occator est un cratère récent à l'échelle géologique avec un âge estimé à 80 millions d'années. La présence de carbonates sur Terre signale l'existence de phénomènes hydrothermaux ce qui implique la présence d'eaux chaudes. Le carbonate de Cérès suggère que l'intérieur de l'astéroïde est beaucoup plus chaud que ce qui était estimé par les scientifiques. Ceux-ci sont désormais certains que de l'eau à l'état liquide était présente sous la surface dans un passé récent à l'échelle géologique. Les sels visibles constituent des reliquats d'un océan ou de poches d'eau ayant atteint la surface.

Le cratère a été nommé d'après Occator, le dieu romain du hersage,  associé à Cérès, la déesse de l'agriculture et des moissons.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Bibliographie

Articles connexes
 Cérès
 Taches claires de Cérès

Liens externes
 Céres, survol de son cratère mystérieux Occator, Xavier Demeersman, Futura-Sciences,
 Cérès : de nouvelles images des taches lumineuses dans le cratère Occator, Joël Ignasse, Sciences et Avenir,
 De la brume dans le cratère Occator de Céres,  Cité de l'Espace,

Cratère d'impact sur (1) Cérès
Objet céleste nommé d'après un personnage de la mythologie romaine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Home/News/Zelenskyy berates Germany, saying 'never again' after Holocaust means nothing
Zelenskyy berates Germany, saying 'never again' after Holocaust means nothing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CnA5tEOkey
An emotional Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, angrily told the German parliament on Thursday that the post-Holocaust pledge of "never again" means nothing in light of the West's inaction in the face of Russia's invasion of his country.
"'Never again' was the slogan," Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, said in his scathing remarks via video link from Kyiv. "But now it seems like it doesn't mean anything anymore. A people is being destroyed in Europe", and the West remains inactive.
The clearly exhausted president, appearing in his now iconic khaki t-shirt, accused Germany of ignoring Western values over the years so it could continue to do business with Russia. In the process, he became increasingly dependent on Russian oil and gas – a dependency that provided Russian President Vladimir Putin with funds to wage war, he explained.
"We kept telling you that the Nord Stream [gas pipelines] was a weapon, a preparation for a great war. But "the economy, the economy" has always been the priority with Germany, he said.
All of Europe, not just Ukraine, is in danger, he warned, evoking memories of Adolf Hitler's march across Europe. "Help us stop the war," he pleaded.
Zelenskyy also called on Germany to help tear down a new "wall" Russia was erecting in Europe.
It is "no longer a Berlin Wall – but rather a wall running through Europe between freedom and slavery, and this wall will grow stronger and stronger…higher and higher with each bomb" dropped on Ukraine, Zelenskyy told members of the Bundestag.
He urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to "tear down this wall", echoing a 1987 speech by former US President Ronald Reagan in Berlin before the symbolic and physical barrier came down.
Parliament gave Zelenskyy a standing ovation before his speech and repeated it at the end, despite his harsh message.
Scholz in a tweet thanked him for his "energetic words".